Tricky MCU Placements Explained: The Titles Fans Argue About
Tricky MCU placements are the titles that do not sit neatly in one spot on the timeline. The story runs from ancient Wakanda to the late 2020s, and putting 81 films, series and specials into one line means making choices that start arguments.
This guide explains how the official timeline is built, walks through it era by era, and looks at the placements fans argue about most. The full title-by-title list is on our Marvel movies in chronological order page, and the story years are on the MCU timeline page.
Whose timeline is this?
There are many fan timelines online. We use the one Marvel and Disney+ publish, as shown in Marvel.com’s “See the Complete MCU Timeline on Disney+” article, last updated on 22 October 2026. We use it for two reasons. First, it is the version Disney+ uses for its timeline collection, so your list matches the app. Second, when a placement is debatable, the studio’s answer is the most neutral one available.
That official list runs from Eyes of Wakanda to VisionQuest. Titles not in it yet, such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday, are placed at the end of our tracker and labelled provisional until Marvel updates the order.
The timeline, era by era
Origins: ancient Wakanda to 1995
Eyes of Wakanda opens the timeline with Wakandan warriors across history. Then come Captain America: The First Avenger, set in the 1940s, and the Agent Carter One-Shot. Captain Marvel, set in 1995, closes the era and gives a young Nick Fury his first contact with aliens.
The first Avengers era: 2008–2012
Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and two One-Shots lead to The Avengers. In the official order, Iron Man 2 comes before The Incredible Hulk even though Hulk was released two years earlier. The events of the two films overlap.
After New York: 2013–2015
Thor: The Dark World, Iron Man 3 and The Winter Soldier come next, followed by both Guardians of the Galaxy films and the I Am Groot shorts. The Netflix shows start here if you switch them on, with Daredevil and Jessica Jones placed before Age of Ultron.
Civil War to the Snap: 2016–2018
Captain America: Civil War splits the team. Black Widow comes straight after it, then Black Panther, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Doctor Strange. The rest of the Netflix seasons fit into this stretch before Infinity War and Endgame.
The Multiverse Saga: 2023 onwards
After Endgame, the official order goes to Loki season 1, What If…? season 1 and Marvel Zombies, which all happen partly outside normal time. WandaVision, Shang-Chi and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier follow. The timeline then moves through No Way Home, the Disney+ series and the Phase Five films to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Wonder Man and Daredevil: Born Again season 2.
The placements everyone argues about
1. Doctor Strange after Spider-Man: Homecoming
Doctor Strange was released in 2016, before Homecoming. Its story covers a long stretch of Stephen Strange’s training, and the official timeline places it after Homecoming. Some fans would put it earlier. Either way it has little effect on the main story.
2. Thor: Ragnarok after the Netflix shows
Ragnarok takes place while Thor and Hulk are away from Earth, in the run-up to Infinity War. Disney+ places it late in that era, just before The Punisher season 2, Jessica Jones season 3 and Ant-Man and the Wasp, so it leads almost straight into Infinity War. Placing it there is about pacing as much as dates.
3. Spider-Man: Far From Home before Eternals
Far From Home is set eight months after Endgame. In release order it is the last film of Phase Three. In story order it comes after Shang-Chi and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The surprise for many viewers is that Eternals comes after it.
4. Loki, What If…? and Marvel Zombies straight after Endgame
Loki’s story begins with a version of Loki escaping during Endgame’s 2012 time heist. That is why it sits right after Endgame even though much of it happens outside the normal flow of time. The two animated series are placed alongside it.
5. Echo and She-Hulk
Echo’s main story follows Hawkeye, so it sits after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in the official order, earlier than its January 2024 release suggests. She-Hulk comes just after it.
6. Where the Netflix shows go at all
Whether the Netflix shows count as MCU was argued over for years. Disney+ settled it for its own timeline by including all of them. Daredevil: Born Again picks up Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk with the same actors. The tracker includes the Netflix shows but switches them off by default, because they add about 142 hours.
Release order still matters
The timeline is a great way to rewatch, but on a first viewing it can spoil the story. Some titles placed early, like Captain Marvel or Black Widow, were made after films that come later in the timeline, and they assume you have seen those. If this is your first time, we recommend release order. Our release vs chronological guide compares the two in detail.
Watch it in timeline order
Open the MCU timeline page and the tracker starts in Chronological order. Tick titles as you go. Switch on Netflix Defenders saga in Advanced to see the full Disney+ timeline, or turn on Fox and Sony to add those films in their own group at the end.