Most of the films in the franchise'sPhase One andPhase Two follow a similar timeline order to their releases, butPhase Three saw many of the films overlapping with each other. The Phase Three filmAvengers: Endgame (2019) includes a five-year time jump, with many subsequent releases inPhase Four andPhase Five taking place afterEndgame. The television seriesLoki (2021–2023) andWhat If...? (2021–2024) were the first properties to occur outside of the main timeline and explore alternative timelines and universes.
Marvel Studios has made several attempts to codify the MCU's events and address perceivedcontinuity errors. An official timeline book, covering projects from the first four phases, was released in 2023. The book does not feature projects produced by other companies, such asMarvel Television's series which are loosely connected to the films, but it notes that these projects are part of the larger Marvel canon. In early 2024, Marvel Studios integrated Marvel Television's Netflix series into theirDisney+ timeline. As of the Phase Five television seriesDaredevil: Born Again (2025) and filmThunderbolts* (2025), the "present day" in the MCU is 2027.
DuringPhase One of theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU),Marvel Studios lined up some of their films' stories with references to one another, though they had no long-term plan for theshared universe's timeline at that point.[1] In October 2008, Marvel Studios hired executiveBrad Winderbaum, who had previously served asLouis D'Esposito's assistant onIron Man (2008). One of his initial jobs was to create an official timeline for the MCU, which resulted in him creating the universe'szero point to beTony Stark revealing he is Iron Man and realizing some events in Phase One overlapped, which he called "Fury's Big Week".[2] This would be further expanded upon by writersChristopher Yost andEric Pearson with the official canontie-in comic titledFury's Big Week. After being presented with the timeline, Yost and Pearson tried to follow the logic of each films' timeline when plotting the comic and received "the seal of approval" from producerKevin Feige and Marvel Studios on the final timeline.[3] Marvel released an officialinfographic detailing this timeline in May 2012 in itsThe Art of Marvel's The Avengers book.[4] Wanting to simplify the in-universe timeline,[1] thePhase Two films were set roughly in real time relating toThe Avengers (2012).[5][6] ForPhase Three, directors theRusso brothers continued the use of real-time between films' releases.[7] Winderbaum said the Phase Three films would actually "happen on top of each other" while being less "interlocked" as the Phase One films were.[8]
WhenSpider-Man: Homecoming (2017) was being developed, director and co-writerJon Watts was shown a scroll detailing the MCU timeline that was created by co-producerEric Carroll when he first began working for Marvel Studios. Watts said the scroll included both where the continuity of the films lined up and did not line up, and when fully unfurled it extended beyond the length of a long conference table. This scroll was used as the basis to weave the continuity ofHomecoming into the previous films, such asThe Avengers.[9] A title card in the film states that eight years pass between the end ofThe Avengers and the events ofCaptain America: Civil War (2016), which was widely criticized as acontinuity error that broke the established MCU timeline, in which only four years should have passed.[10][11] Additionally, dialogue inCivil War indicates that eight years pass between the end ofIron Man (2008) and the events of that film, despite the established continuity being closer to five or six years.[12][13]Avengers: Infinity War (2018) co-directorJoe Russo described theHomecoming eight years time jump as "very incorrect",[14] and the mistake was ignored inInfinity War, which specified that its events were taking place only six years afterThe Avengers.[13] The public response to theHomecoming mistake inspired Marvel Studios to release a new timeline for all three phases,[11] and in November 2018 a timeline, specifying dates for the events in each film released to that point, was included as part of the sourcebookMarvel Studios: The First 10 Years, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the MCU.[15] FollowingInfinity War, the Russo brothers said future films would not necessarily be set according to real time as there are "a lot of very inventive ways of where the story can go from here".[16]
"On themultiverse note, we recognize that there are stories—movies and series—that arecanonical to Marvel but were created by different storytellers during different periods of Marvel's history. The timeline presented in this book is specific to the MCU'sSacred Timeline throughPhase 4. But, as we move forward and dive deeper intothe Multiverse Saga, you never know when timelines may just crash or converge (hint, hint/spoiler alert)."
WithPhase Four, Marvel Studios expanded into television series, which have greater interconnectivity with the MCU feature films thanthe series from Marvel Television.[18] In October 2020, the Marvel section ofDisney+ was restructured to include groupings of the films by phase, as well as a grouping that put the films in timeline order.[19] By August 2022, Marvel Studios had hired an individual to keep track of the placement of the studio's projects in the MCU timeline.[20]DK released a book titledThe Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline on October 24, 2023. The book, written by journalistsAnthony Breznican, Amy Ratcliffe, and ReBecca Theodore-Vachon, was made in collaboration with Marvel Studios to provide an updated timeline of the MCU.[21][22] Winderbaum said the book was the first time the studio was "officially laying out the timeline".[22] The book covers Marvel Studios' projects in their first four phases as part of their "Sacred Timeline" onEarth-616,[17][23][24] and addresses several perceived continuity errors, such as the timeline ofHomecoming.[25][26] In January 2024, duringEcho's press tour, Winderbaum acknowledged that Marvel Studios had previously been "a little bit cagey" about what was part of their Sacred Timeline, noting how there had been the corporate divide between what Marvel Studios created and whatMarvel Television created,[27] despite the two companies being in communication and aware of what each other were doing.[28] He continued that Marvel Studios had begun to see "how well integrated the [Marvel Television] stories are" and personally felt confident in sayingMarvel's Netflix television seriesDaredevil (2015–2018) was part of the Sacred Timeline.[27] Shortly after Winderbaum's comments,Daredevil and the remaining Netflix series were added to the Disney+ timeline, primarily alongside the MCU's Phase Two and Three content.[29][30] They were added to Disney+ "fairly quickly" after Winderbaum realized during the press tour ofEcho that the Netflix series' place in the MCU timeline was "not just assumed" and audiences wanted it to be confirmed. Winderbaum added that Disney+ was Marvel Studios' "medium to define the canon now".[28]
Ant-Man and the Wasp andCaptain Marvel are set earlier in the timeline;[16] the latter is set in 1995.[52]Avengers: Endgame begins shortly afterInfinity War and ends in 2023 after a five-year time jump.[53] It confirms dates for several of the other films, includingThe Avengers in 2012,Thor: The Dark World in 2013,Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014,[54]Doctor Strange around 2017,[55] andAnt-Man and the Wasp in 2018 beforeInfinity War.[56]Spider-Man: Far From Home begins eight months afterEndgame in 2024.[57]
Thefirst season ofLoki continues from the 2012 events seen inEndgame, but much of the series exists outside of time and space given the introduction of theTime Variance Authority.[81][82]What If...? is set afterLoki'sfirst-season finale, exploring the various branching timelines of the newly created multiverse in which major moments from the MCU films occur differently.[83][84] Thesecond season ofLoki begins immediately after the first-season finale, taking place outside of time and space while some events occur between the past, present, and future.[85]Black Widow is set betweenCivil War andInfinity War, mostly taking place between the main plot ofCivil War and its final scene.[86] The firstI Am Groot short is set between the end ofGuardians of the Galaxy and the start ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with the remaining shorts set between the end ofVol. 2 and its mid-credits scene.[87][88] The specialWerewolf by Night exists within the MCU but does not state "when, how or why". The directorMichael Giacchino has "a very specific idea" of how the special fits into the MCU that had not been discussed with Marvel Studios.[89]
InPhase Five,Echo is set five months afterHawkeye, in May 2025.[90]Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is set in 2026,[91] around the same time as the events ofBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever and the beginning ofMs. Marvel.[92]Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set after theHoliday Special.[80]Secret Invasion is set in the "present day" of the MCU,[93] thirty years after the events ofCaptain Marvel around 2026, after the events ofFar From Home andWakanda Forever.[94][91]The Marvels is set in 2026, afterSecret Invasion andMs. Marvel.[95]Agatha All Along is set in 2026, three years after the events ofWandaVision.[96]Captain America: Brave New World begins in November 2026, two years afterThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and is set primarily in the first few months of 2027.[97] Thefirst season ofDaredevil: Born Again is set afterEcho, with a prologue in the first episode set in late 2025, before jumping ahead a year to late 2026 and continuing into early 2027.[98][99]Thunderbolts* is set later in 2027, afterBrave New World,[100] whileIronheart is set six months afterWakanda Forever in late 2025.[101][102]Deadpool & Wolverine is set in 2024, largely onEarth-10005 and in theVoid;[103][104] it occurs after the events ofLoki season two.[104][105]Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is set outside the Sacred Timeline, with the first season set around the events ofCivil War.[106]
Marvel released an officialinfographic timeline for their Phase One films and One-Shots in May 2012 in itsThe Art of Marvel's The Avengers book;[4] some of this information had previously been revealed in the official canon tie-in comicFury's Big Week, which had confirmed thatThe Incredible Hulk,Iron Man 2, andThor all took place within a week, a year beforeThe Avengers.[3] The infographic timeline's scale is shown in relation toTony Stark revealing he is Iron Man at the end ofIron Man, with events set "BIM" (Before Iron Man) and "AIM" (After Iron Man).[114]
Marvel Studios: The First 10 Years timeline (November 2018)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier,Guardians of the Galaxy,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2015
Avengers: Age of Ultron,Ant-Man
2016
Captain America: Civil War
2016–2017
Doctor Strange
2017
Black Panther,Thor: Ragnarok,Avengers: Infinity War
In November 2018, a timeline specifying dates for the events in each film released to that point was included as part of the sourcebookMarvel Studios: The First 10 Years, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the MCU.[15] This timeline ignores the two "eight-year" continuity errors as seen inHomecoming, but also contradicts the events ofBlack Panther andInfinity War by placing them in 2017.[115]The Incredible Hulk,Spider-Man: Homecoming, andAnt-Man and the Wasp are discussed in the sourcebook, but their events are not included in the timeline.[15]
The initial Disney+ timeline order in October 2020 wasCaptain America: The First Avenger,Captain Marvel,Iron Man,Iron Man 2,Thor,The Avengers,Thor: The Dark World,Iron Man 3,Captain America: The Winter Soldier,Guardians of the Galaxy,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,Avengers: Age of Ultron,Ant-Man,Captain America: Civil War,Black Panther,Doctor Strange,Thor: Ragnarok,Ant-Man and the Wasp,Avengers: Infinity War, andAvengers: Endgame.The Incredible Hulk,Spider-Man: Homecoming, andSpider-Man: Far From Home were excluded at this time since Disney did not have their distribution rights.[117]
In June 2022,Homecoming became available on Disney+ in the United Kingdom and Australia,[118][119] whileFar From Home became available on Disney+ in Japan the following month;[120] both were added to the Disney+ timeline in those territories.[121][120][122] By August 2022,The Incredible Hulk was added to the Disney+ timeline in territories it was available in such as Spain and Japan.[122]Homecoming became available in the United States and was added to the timeline in May 2023.[123] Marvel Studios regained the distribution rights toThe Incredible Hulk in June 2023, with it subsequently made available in the United States on Disney+.[124][125]Far From Home became available in the United States in November 2023.[126]
To coincide withEcho's release in January 2024, all ofMarvel's Netflix television series–includingDaredevil,Jessica Jones,Luke Cage,Iron Fist,The Defenders, andThe Punisher–were added to the Disney+ timeline,[127] after they were made available on the platform in 2022.[128] The series' placements were initially based on when their first seasons took place,[127] with each season taking place on the timeline around the same time of their release.[129] Thefirst season ofDaredevil is set after the events ofThe Avengers,[129] and was placed afterGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 andI Am Groot and beforeAge of Ultron on the timeline.Jessica Jones'sfirst season is set after that and is placed beforeAge of Ultron andAnt-Man.[29][129] Thesecond season ofDaredevil takes place around six months after its first season, either around or shortly after the events ofAnt-Man.[129] Thefirst season ofLuke Cage picks up a few months afterJessica Jones,[130] and part of the season takes place simultaneously with the events ofDaredevil season 2.[131] It was placed afterAnt-Man on the timeline, and is followed shortly after byIron Fist'sfirst season,[129] which references the events ofDaredevil season 2 throughout the season,[132] and was placed betweenAnt-Man andCivil War. These were followed by the events of the crossover seriesThe Defenders,[129] which takes place a few months afterDaredevil's second season,[133] and a month afterIron Fist season one,[134] while being placed beforeCivil War on the timeline.[129]The Defenders sets up elements of thesecond season ofJessica Jones,[135] but it does not have a clear placement in the timeline,[129] whileLuke Cageseason 2,Iron Fistseason 2,Daredevil'sthird season, andJessica Jones'sthird season are also set afterThe Defenders.[129]The Punisher begins after the events ofDaredevil season 2 before jumping ahead six months later,[136][137] and was described as a stand-alone series, outside of the series leading up toThe Defenders.[138] Itsfirst season also depicts some events from before the second season ofDaredevil, whichThe Punisher starJon Bernthal described as being "loose with chronology",[139] and it was placed in-betweenHomecoming andDoctor Strange on the timeline.[29]
In early February 2024, the Disney+ timeline was updated to include the placement of each season of Marvel Studios' series and the Netflix series along with the creation of a new timeline featuring just the MCU films.[140]
Disney+ complete timeline order (as ofThe Fantastic Four: First Steps)[141][142]
Eyes of Wakanda
Captain America: The First Avenger
Agent Carter
Captain Marvel
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
The Incredible Hulk
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer
In the bookThe Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, released in October 2023, the timeline for the first four phases of the MCU is detailed,[23] presenting the timeline for content that occurs in the "Sacred Timeline" ofEarth-616, the main timeline and universe of the MCU,[17][23][24] but does not include the Netflix series as they were not yet officially considered part of the Sacred Timeline up to that point.[30] The book addresses several continuity errors through messages fromMiss Minutes, the mascot of theTime Variance Authority (TVA),[25][26] and was written with an in-universe perspective as if it was a TVA guidebook.[26] These included placingHomecoming as occurring in late 2016 while noting that the eight years timeframe in the film was incorrect and confirming that four years had passed in-universe fromThe Avengers.[25]
The book also placesIron Man in early 2008, the same as its year of release;Iron Man 2,The Incredible Hulk, andThor as occurring around the same time in early 2010;Iron Man 3 from December 22–25, 2013, before ending in early 2014;Doctor Strange as starting in late 2016 afterHomecoming and occurring through 2017 beforeThor: Ragnarok, contradicting the film's co-writerC. Robert Cargill's statement on its timeline;Black Panther in mid-2016, starting afterBlack Widow and beforeCivil War's ending;Ant-Man and the Wasp andInfinity War in early 2018;Endgame primarily in late 2023 withWandaVision set shortly after;Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in early 2024 in betweenWandaVision andThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the latter of which is placed from early-to-mid-2024;Far From Home and the start ofNo Way Home in mid-2024 duringThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier;She-Hulk starting in late 2024, beforeEternals, which takes place duringNo Way Home, which is primarily followed byMultiverse of Madness, also in late 2024;No Way Home ending in December 2024, right beforeHawkeye, also placed in that month;She-Hulk primarily occurring through early 2025, beforeMoon Knight andWakanda Forever, and until late 2025;Ms. Marvel andLove and Thunder following in late 2025; and datesWerewolf by Night after them in late 2025,[23][144] which was noted as seemingly being accurate but that "magical influences" made determining its placement uncertain.[144]: 324
The following diagram represents the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline for media released by Marvel Studios as well as the Netflix series by Marvel Television. A project's placement on the timeline is determined by explicit date references within it or another project through dialogue (for example, Tony Stark says "Thanos has been inside my head for six years. Since he sent an army to New York..." placingAvengers: Infinity War in 2018) or title cards (for example,Guardians of the Galaxy set in 2014, whileAvengers: Endgame datesThor: The Dark World as being in 2013), withThe Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline then used to determine placement, followed by the Disney+ timeline if needed. Its placement is meant to represent when the majority of the project occurs.
Loki andWhat If...? are excluded from the diagram because they occur outside of the main timeline with no set timeframe.[81][85][84]Werewolf by Night is also excluded given the special explicitly does not indicate where it takes place in the MCU.[89] Disney+'s timeline order places the first seasons ofLoki andWhat If...? betweenAvengers: Endgame andWandaVision,[145][146][147] their second seasons afterThe Marvels,[147] and the third season ofWhat If...? betweenAgatha All Along andDaredevil: Born Again,[147] withWerewolf by Night afterLove and Thunder;[148]Werewolf by Night is also placed here inThe Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline.[23]
Key:
Occurs on the MCU's Sacred Timeline
Occurs outside the MCU's Sacred Timeline at a set timeframe
Thomas Bacon ofScreen Rant described theMarvel Studios: The First 10 Years timeline as "the closest Marvel has yet come to making an official statement on just when the different MCU events are set", bringing "some sense of balance to the MCU continuity", despite some mistakes still present in this timeline.[115] Regarding the initial Disney+ timeline, Bacon felt the placement ofThor: The Dark World betweenThe Avengers andIron Man 3 andBlack Panther afterCaptain America: Civil War in this timeline corrected "previous issues" with their placement in theFirst 10 Years timeline, and was glad Disney and Marvel "recognize[d] it's possible to watch these movies in anything other than release order", "legitimiz[ing]" this viewing experience.[117] Julia Alexander atThe Verge agreed with Bacon that it "seems like Disney finally understands how [some viewers] want to watch Marvel movies".[19]
With the release ofThor: Love and Thunder on Disney+ in September 2022, Bacon and his colleague Molly Jae Weinstein noted how the film's placement in the timeline order section on the platform seemed incorrect,[149][152] with Bacon saying it made "no sense" given dialogue and events in the film that contradicted this placement, and also pointing out howShang-Chi andMoon Knight's placements also ignored dating information given in each. Bacon said, "The MCU's timeline is now complicated by the sheer volume of Marvel films and TV shows currently in production, because even Marvel's key decision-makers don't really know quite what order things will be released."[149] Unlike the earlier phases where each new project was the next chronological title in the timeline,[152] Phase Four "has hopped around the timeline with impunity", which in turn made it "rather messy". Bacon added how viewers have noted the Disney+ timeline was "deeply flawed" with "numerous contradictions".[149] With the release ofThe Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Bacon believed its placement on the Disney+ timeline "fixed"Love and Thunder's placement, thinking that film should be placed in late 2024 on the timeline. He also pointed out how new projects typically get added to the end of the Disney+ timeline, "even when such placements can't possibly be right".[150] In November 2022, Bacon noted howFar From Home's appearance in the Disney+ timeline betweenThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier andShang-Chi could not be correct given story points in each of those projects indicating where they fell in the timeline, and hoped Marvel would correct these mistakes as it had done previously withBlack Widow andBlack Panther.[62]
To coincide with the release ofThe Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline in October 2023, Disney+ adjusted its placement ofShang-Chi on the timeline to be betweenWandaVision andThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which Aaron Perine ofComicBook.com felt made "a lot of sense" given the prior determinations of the film's timeline. He said it corrected the prior "mistake" in its placement, which he noted had sparked "[a] lot of debate" among fans, calling it a "clerical error" that was "easily rectified by changing some code" on the platform rather than Marvel changing when the film took place in-universe.[153] Alexander Valentino ofScreen Rant said that before the timeline book's release, the Disney+ timeline order "was the closest thing to a definitive order of events" while noting it had also been unclear given the franchises's use of flashbacks, time travel, and the multiverse. He said the platform's order was "shockingly accurate" compared to Marvel's official timeline as detailed in the book, noting that Disney+ conceded to change its placement ofShang-Chi in accordance with the timeline book, which he called a "definitive map" of the MCU's chronology and an "important keystone" to understand the franchise's timeline, and that it resolved debates surrounding the timeline placements and canon status of several Marvel properties.[154] Joshua Lapin-Bertone fromPopverse enjoyedAn Official Timeline featuring Miss Minutes and the TVA when addressing past discrepancies, as it provided "a sense of personality and fun to the book".[26]Collider's Jeffrey Harris appreciated Marvel Studios acknowledging its continuity errors such asHomecoming with "an appropriate, self-deprecating sense of humor" through Miss Minutes, that he likened to Marvel Comics'Marvel No-Prize. He added that the book's authors "do their best to offer an in-universe, canonical explanation... [t]hat is probably the best explanation that fans can hope for".[155]
After all of Marvel Television's Netflix series were added to the Disney+ timeline in January 2024, commentators noted that this extended the total runtime of the MCU by a significant amount,[29][156] as the Netflix series totaled 161 hours of content.[129][29] Rotem Rusak atNerdist noted that the series' canon status in the MCU had been a subject of debate for several years, and called it a "pretty big deal" that all of the series were added to the franchise's official timeline. She believed this was definitive and sent a "pretty clear message" that the series were canon to the MCU, and that this alleviated concerns that only certain aspects of the series would be carried over into the franchise.[29]IGN's Ryan Dinsdale said this was "the first time" the series were listed as part of the official MCU timeline, and noted this came at a time when the MCU was considered to be bloated after the total runtime of content in Phase Four lasted around 54 hours compared to Phase One's runtime of slightly over 12 hours.[156] Richard Fink and Jack Deegan atMovieWeb considered the Netflix series' timeline easy to follow as it was the same as their release order, which he noted was the same timeline order used by Disney+.[129] Andy Behbakht ofScreen Rant felt the series' addition to the timeline was a "change of heart" behind-the-scenes and that it was likely to inspire hope to see other Marvel series officially acknowledged as part of the timeline.[30]
^I Am Groot season 1 was originally separated on the Disney+ timeline by its episodes before the release of season 2, with episode 1 placed afterGuardians of the Galaxy and episodes 2–5 placed afterVol. 2.[143]
^abHomecoming andFar From Home appearing on the Disney+ timeline is dependent on their availability.[121][123][120]
^The seasonal descriptions featured in this table refer to those in the Northern Hemisphere, as used and noted in the book.[144]: 8
The Phase One Timeline infographic released by Marvel in May 2012[4]
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