The MCU Timeline: In-Story and Release Dates
The MCU timeline runs from World War II to the Multiverse Saga, and this guide places every film and show by story year and by release date.
The checklist below opens in story order. Tick titles as you go, or switch to release order to compare.
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Coming up in the MCU
US dates. Month-only dates are Marvel announcements without a day yet.
Story order from Marvel.com's See the Complete MCU Timeline on Disney+ (updated 22 October 2026) · Release dates from Wikipedia · Unofficial fan guide
The Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline starts in the 1940s with Captain America: The First Avenger and reaches the late 2020s with the newest Spider-Man film. Release dates run from Iron Man in May 2008 to Avengers: Doomsday on 18 December 2026.
Marvel and Disney+ publish an official story order, and we follow it exactly. As of 22 October 2026 it has 81 titles and ends with VisionQuest. If you just want the list, see Marvel movies in chronological order; this page explains when things happen and why.
You can track this timeline as you watch. Our Marvel movies in order checklist has a chronological mode that follows the same official order.
The MCU timeline at a glance
| Story year | What happens | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| 1940s | Steve Rogers becomes Captain America and goes into the ice | Captain America: The First Avenger |
| 1995 | Carol Danvers meets a young Nick Fury | Captain Marvel |
| 2008 | Tony Stark builds the Iron Man suit | Iron Man |
| 2012 | The Avengers form and win the Battle of New York | The Avengers |
| 2016 | The Sokovia Accords split the team | Captain America: Civil War |
| 2018 | Thanos wipes out half of all life with the Snap | Avengers: Infinity War |
| 2023 | Five years later, the Avengers reverse the Snap | Avengers: Endgame |
| 2024 | Peter Parker's school trip to Europe | Spider-Man: Far From Home |
| After 2024 | The Multiverse Saga builds toward Doomsday | Phase Five and Six titles |
The years in the table are the ones the films state on screen or that most guides agree on. Marvel does not publish an official year for every title, so later Multiverse Saga entries are placed by order rather than by date.
MCU timeline by decade
The 1940s
Captain America: The First Avenger covers most of World War II, from Steve Rogers' transformation to his crash into the Arctic. The Agent Carter One-Shot follows Peggy Carter just after the war, and it sets up the founding of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The 1990s
Captain Marvel takes place in 1995 and shows how Nick Fury lost his eye and where the Avengers name comes from. Several later films open with flashbacks from around this time, so the decade matters more than its single film suggests.
The 2000s
Iron Man starts the main story, with Tony Stark captured in Afghanistan and building his first suit. Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk overlap, and Disney+ places Iron Man 2 first.
The 2010s
This is the busiest decade of the MCU timeline. It runs from Thor and The Avengers through Civil War to Infinity War, and the Netflix Defenders shows sit between the films in the official order.
The 2020s
Avengers: Endgame jumps five years ahead to 2023, and nearly every Multiverse Saga title happens after that. WandaVision starts soon after Endgame, Far From Home follows in 2024, and the newest films build toward Avengers: Doomsday.
Pre-Avengers events (1942-2007)
Before Tony Stark builds his suit, a lot has already happened. The animated Eyes of Wakanda visits Wakanda at different points in history, and it opens the official Disney+ order.
Several films start with a flashback set before Iron Man. Guardians of the Galaxy opens on Earth in 1988, when Peter Quill is taken into space. Ant-Man opens in 1989 with Hank Pym leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., Black Panther opens in Oakland in 1992 and Iron Man 3 opens on New Year's Eve 1999.
These scenes do not change the official order, because Marvel places each film where most of its story happens. They are worth knowing, though, because they explain characters like Peter Quill and Aldrich Killian before you meet them as adults.
The Infinity Saga timeline (2008-2019)
The Infinity Saga covers Phases One to Three, released between May 2008 and July 2019. In the story it runs from Iron Man to Avengers: Endgame in 2023, with Spider-Man: Far From Home as an epilogue set eight months later.
The order is close to release order, with a few notable moves. Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain Marvel jump to the start, and Black Widow (2021) moves back to sit straight after Civil War, ahead of Black Panther and Spider-Man: Homecoming. For a phase-by-phase breakdown, see our MCU phases guide.
The Multiverse Saga timeline (2021-2026)
The Multiverse Saga started with WandaVision in January 2021 and covers Phases Four to Six. Most of it takes place after Endgame, in roughly the order Marvel released it, and it builds to Avengers: Doomsday on 18 December 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars on 17 December 2027.
Some titles sit outside normal time. Loki season 1 follows the 2012 Loki who escapes during the time heist, and What If...? visits other universes. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set four years after No Way Home, and it is not in the official Disney+ order yet. To catch up before the next film, see what to watch before Avengers: Doomsday.
Multiverse branching: how different timelines connect
In Avengers: Endgame, the Ancient One explains that taking an Infinity Stone from the past creates a new branch reality. The Avengers return the stones to avoid this, but the 2012 Loki's escape with the Tesseract still creates a branch, and that is where the Loki series begins.
Loki introduces the Time Variance Authority, which prunes branches to protect one Sacred Timeline. By the end of season 2 the branches are allowed to grow, so the multiverse keeps expanding. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness adds incursions, where two universes collide, and No Way Home pulls in Spider-Men from other worlds.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place on a different Earth, and Deadpool & Wolverine visits the Fox universe through the TVA. Marvel's official logline for Avengers: Doomsday says it brings together heroes from three distinct universes.
MCU timeline FAQ
What year does the MCU timeline start?
The first film in the official order, Captain America: The First Avenger, opens in 1942 and covers most of World War II. The animated Eyes of Wakanda reaches even further back, visiting Wakanda at different points in history. Iron Man, the first film released, is set in 2008, so release order and story order start more than 60 years apart.
When does the Multiverse Saga take place in the MCU timeline?
Almost all of the Multiverse Saga takes place after Avengers: Endgame, which jumps five years ahead to 2023. WandaVision starts soon after Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home is set in 2024, eight months after it. Later titles are placed by story order rather than exact years, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set four years after No Way Home.
How does the MCU timeline handle time travel in Endgame?
In Endgame, the Avengers travel to 1970, 2012, 2013 and 2014 to collect the Infinity Stones. The Ancient One explains that removing a stone creates a new branch reality, so the team plans to return each stone afterward. That rule means the main timeline is not rewritten. Instead, new branches appear, and one of them becomes the starting point for the Loki series.
Where does Loki's branching timelines fit?
Loki season 1 sits right after Avengers: Endgame in the official order, even though it follows the 2012 Loki who escapes during the time heist. The Time Variance Authority works outside normal time and prunes branches that break from the Sacred Timeline. Season 2 comes much later in the Disney+ order, after The Marvels and before Deadpool & Wolverine.
Is the Sacred Timeline still intact after Loki Season 2?
Spoiler warning for Loki season 2. By the end of the season the Sacred Timeline is no longer the only one, because the branching timelines are allowed to grow instead of being pruned. That decision is what turns the MCU into a multiverse, and it explains why later films can bring in heroes from other realities. Watch season 2 before Avengers: Doomsday, since Marvel lists it on its official catch-up guide.
When does Avengers: Doomsday take place in the timeline?
Marvel has not announced an in-story year for Avengers: Doomsday. What it has confirmed is the US release date, 18 December 2026, and a logline about heroes from three distinct universes on a collision course. In the checklist we place it after Spider-Man: Brand New Day and mark it as provisional until Marvel adds it to the official Disney+ timeline.
Tick your first title in story order, or go back to the Marvel movies in order checklist to switch to release order.