Ladies and Gentleman, consider this your warning! Black Widow will be here before you know it. You have plenty of time to train, and by train I mean catch up on, or review, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Lucky for you we have the training manual to help you have your own Ultimate Marvel Movie Marathon. Each movie in the MCU is listed in the order you should watch it. If you want more in-depth information on each movie click the title for additional viewing material, discussion questions and Marvel fun facts.
Captain America – The First Avenger
RELEASE DATE: July 22, 2011
SYNOPSIS: While this isn’t truly the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is chronologically the first because a vast majority of the movie takes place in World War II. This is the origin story for Captain America. In this movie you will learn how nerdy Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) became Captain America.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Captain America, Nick Fury
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Available free from for Amazon Prime members, Disney+, Amazon Rental, DVD, Digital Download and BluRay, Captain America Three Movie Set
Captain Marvel
RELEASE DATE: March 8, 2019
SYNOPSIS: In another technicality of chronology, Captain Marvel takes place in the late 90’s. In this Marvel Cinematic Universe installment we get the origin story of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel. A former Air Force fighter pilot who has been living on a distant planet, she has no memory of her life prior to arriving there six years earlier. While fighting to defend her planet she finds herself back on Earth where the mystery of her past starts to unravel.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Captain Marvel, Nick Fury
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Rental and Digital Download
Iron Man
RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2008
SYNOPSIS: Another origin story, Iron Man is the first MCU movie if you are listing them by release date. It tells the story of Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) a bratty billionaire with an amazing flair for engineering. Using that knowledge, he creates a suit of armor with an amazing array of bells and whistles to get himself out of a tough situation. Then, realizing the suit could actually be used for good, he sets about battling evil across the globe within the anonymity of Iron Man’s suit.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Iron Man, JARVIS/Vision
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Rental, DVD and BluRay, Amazon also offers a box set of all three Iron Man movies.
The Incredible Hulk
RELEASE DATE: June 3, 2008
SYNOPSIS: Everyone knows the origin story of the Incredible Hulk. However, there is no worry of having to watch Bill Bixby badly morph into Lou Ferrigno in this movie. Modern era CGI and special effects aid in this retelling of the story of the Hulk’s (Edward Norton) genetic re-engineering. An interesting aspect of this movie is that chronologically it is happening within seven days of the next two MCU movies (Iron Man 2 and Thor).
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: The Hulk, Iron Man
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Amazon Rental, DVD, 4K and BluRay
Iron Man 2
RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2010
SYNOPSIS: Taking place six months after Iron Man (and in concert with The Incredible Hulk and Thor), Tony Stark has now unmasked himself and has a decision to make in regards to the technology that powers the Iron Man suit. This technology also has a shelf-life that is slowly coming to an end.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Iron Man, Black Widow, Nick Fury, JARVIS/Vision
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Available free from for Amazon Prime members, Disney+, DVD; Blu-Ray Combo
Thor
RELEASE DATE: May 6, 2011
SYNOPSIS: While not really an origin story, this movie tells the story of Odin’s wayward son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) who is banished from his home in Asgard to Earth. In his absence, Thor’s equally wayward brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), is attempting a takeover. Stuck on Earth, Thor must find his legendary hammer, get back in the good graces of his father and find a way to get back to help save Asgard.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Thor, Loki, Nick Fury, Hawkeye
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Available free from for Amazon Prime members, Disney+, Amazon Rental, DVD and BluRay; Thor Trilogy Pack
Marvel’s The Avengers
RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2012
SYNOPSIS: Loki is up to his hijinks again. This time he is trying to get his hands on the Tesseract, one of the Infinity Stones. It will take all the super heroes we have met to this point, with a few new friends, coming together to restore order.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Loki, Nick Fury, JARVIS/Vision
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Available free from for Amazon Prime members, Amazon Rental and BluRay
Iron Man 3
RELEASE DATE: May 3, 2013
SYNOPSIS: Tony Stark was deeply affected by the events of the Marvel’s The Avengers. Suffering from obvious signs of PTSD, Stark to throw himself into his work just as another evil, the Mandarin, dawns the horizon.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Iron Man, JARVIS/Vision, The Hulk
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Rental and BluRay; Amazon also offers a box set of all three Iron Man movies.
Thor: The Dark World
RELEASE DATE: November 8, 2013
SYNOPSIS: Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) unknowingly awakens an evil army of Dark Elves after finding a weapon called the Aether. Thor must join forces with Loki to not only save Jane but defeat the Dark Elves and save the Nine Realms.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Thor, Loki, Captain America
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Rental, Digital Download, BluRay, DVD, 3D, 4K; Thor Trilogy
Captain America: Winter Soldier
RELEASE DATE: April 5, 2014
SYNOPSIS: Captain America (Chris Evans) is forced to battle a new foe whose identity turns out to be quite a shock.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Captain America, Nick Fury, Black Widow, Winter Soldier, Falcon
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Rental, Digital Download, BluRay, DVD, 3D, 4K, Captain America Trilogy
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1
RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2014
SYNOPSIS: Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and his misfit tribe of less-than-wholesome extraterrestrials are on the run from Ronan the Accuser after stealing a powerful orb.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Peter Quill/StarLord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, Rocket
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Rental, Digital Download, DVD, BluRay and the Guardians Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 box set.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2015
SYNOPSIS: Super-scientist Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and super-engineer Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) create a peace-keeping program called Ultron to protect the world. However, the program goes rouge and the Avengers must come together to save the world from an extinction level event.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, War Machine, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, JARVIS/Vision, Falcon
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Rental, DVD and BluRay
Ant Man
RELEASE DATE: July 17, 2015
SYNOPSIS: This movie is the origin story of the Ant-Man (Paul Rudd). Scientist Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) has created a shrinkable suit making a grown man shrink to the size of an ant. The problem is someone else has the same technology and plans to use it for nefarious purposes.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Ant-Man, Falcon, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Rental, DVD and BluRay, Ant-Man & Ant-Man and the Wasp Box Set.
Captain America: Civil War
RELEASE DATE: May 6, 2016
SYNOPSIS: As the name indicates, the Avengers are all forced to pick sides as a result of the events which took place in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The Powers-That-Be are trying the create some accountability for them and it produces a great deal of dissension.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Winter Soldier, Falcon, War Machine, Hawkeye, Black Panther, JARVIS/Vision, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, Spider-Man
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Rental/Digital, DVD and Amazon also offers a box set of all three Captain America movies.
Doctor Strange
RELEASE DATE: November 4, 2016
SYNOPSIS: Another Marvel origin story, Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumerbatch) must overcome a tragic accident with the help of a guru to not only heal his devastating injuries but also his heart.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Doctor Strange, Thor
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Download/Rental, DVD and BluRay
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
RELEASE DATE: May 5, 2017
SYNOPSIS: The Guardians are on the run yet again. This time they must run from the Sovereign after Rocket (Bradley Cooper) steals some precious batteries.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, Rocket
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Digital Download,DVD and BluRay
Spider-Man: Homecoming
RELEASE DATE: July 7, 2017
SYNOPSIS: After first getting some screen time in Captain America: Civil War, teenage Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) must figure out how to live life as a super hero while maintaining his anonymity in his “real life” as an awkward high schooler.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Spider-Man, Iron Man, Steve Rogers/Captain America
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Digital, DVD and BluRay, Homecoming & Far From Home Box Set
Thor: Ragnarok
RELEASE DATE: November 3, 2017
SYNOPSIS: Another member of Thor’s family goes rouge. This time it’s his sister Hela (Cate Blanchett).
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Thor, Loki, The Hulk, Valkyrie, Doctor Strange
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Digital, DVD, 4K; Thor Trilogy Set: DVD, BluRay; Netflix
Black Panther
RELEASE DATE: February 16, 2018
SYNOPSIS: The Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) must assume the throne of Wakanda facing problems his father, recently murdered, never could have imagined.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Black Panther, Winter Soldier
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Digital, DVD, BluRay, 3D, 4K, Netflix
Avengers: Infinity War
RELEASE DATE: April 23, 2018
SYNOPSIS: Avengers: Infinity War begins where Thor: Ragnarok left off. However, as the citizens of Asgard are trying to escape they are met with forces of Thanos trying to steal the Terract containing the space infinity stone from Loki. Thanos, who fashions himself as some kind of eco-warrior, is on a quest to gather all six of the infinity stones so he can “save” the universe from over-population and overuse of natural resources. However, to do that he and his soldiers must fight different teams of Avengers to gather the remaining five stones he needs to complete the set. Once the set is complete, he will have the powers of time, space, reality, power, mind and soul.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, War Machine, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Loki, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, Winter Solider, and the Guardians of the Galaxy,
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Digital; Netflix
Ant-Man & The Wasp
RELEASE DATE: July 20, 2018
SYNOPSIS: Taking place two years after the events of Captain America: Civil War and simultaneously as Avengers: Infinity Wars, Scott Lang/Ant-Man is on house arrest due to his participation in violating the Sokovia Accords. However, he is recruited by Hope Van Dyne/The Wasp and Dr. Pym who briefly manage to open a tunnel to the quantum realm. They believe Pym’s wife Janet van Dyne might be trapped there after shrinking to sub-atomic levels in 1987.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Ant-Man, The Wasp
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Digital; Netflix
Avengers: End Game
RELEASE DATE: April 26, 2019
SYNOPSIS: Beginning at the point Avenger: Infinity War is ending, Avengers: End Game smacks us in the face with the reality of “The Snap” immediately. Over the next intense, time-shifting three hours, we are treated to a rollercoaster of emotions. We are laughing and crying and laughing until we cry. As one would imagine “The Snap” has left those remaining in shambles and, most importantly, in mourning. The remaining Avengers are all harboring feelings of guilt over their parts in not being able to stop Thanos’ rein of terror.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Everyone is some capacity or another
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Rental and Digital Download
WandaVision (TV)
RELEASE DATE: January 15, 2021
EPISODES: 9
SYNOPSIS: Taking place immediately at the end of Avengers: End Game, Wanda Maximoff is living a fairytale life with husband Vision but things might not be as they appear.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROS: Wanda Maximoff, Vision
WHERE TO FIND THIS: Disney+
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV)
RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2021
EPISODES: 6
SYNOPSIS: Taking place near the end of Avengers: End Game, the story follows Sam Wilson (Falcon) and Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier) as they deal with a group called the Flag Smashers who are want the world to go back to the way it was before Thanos’ snap even though those in power do not agree.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROS: Falcon, Winter Soldier, War Machine
WHERE TO FIND THIS: Disney+
Spider-Man: Far From Home
RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2019
SYNOPSIS: Peter and friends are headed to Europe on a science field trip. Of course, nothing in the Marvel Universe can be easy. As they arrive, a series of weather anomalies have wreaked havoc on Earth yet each have been thwarted by a new superhero named Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROES: Spider-Man, Mysterio, Nick Fury,
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Amazon Rental, Digital Download, Homecoming & Far From Home Box Set
Black Widow
RELEASE DATE: July 9, 2021
SYNOPSIS: The history of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) has been as much of a mystery as whatever happened in Budapest with Clint Barton… until now. This movie fills in the incredible back story of Natasha/Black Widow and introduces us several ‘super’ characters from her past who are none to happy with her becoming an Avenger.
ON-SCREEN SUPER HEROS: Black Widow, Red Guardian
WHERE TO FIND THE MOVIE: Disney+, Amazon Rental, Digital Download
Haven’t had enough Marvel? Here are the upcoming movies from the Marvel Universe:
| Spider-Man: No Way Home | December 17, 2021 |
| Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | May 6, 2022 |
| Thor: Love & Thunder | July 8, 2022 |
| Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | November 11, 2022 |
| The Marvels | February 17, 2023 |
| Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania | July 28, 2023 |
Sue Nowicki is an alumna of the 2014/15 Disney Parks Moms Panel. She splits her time between planning her next Walt Disney World vacation and running a travel volleyball club where she fills the roles of secretary, navigator, head cheerleader, treasurer, athletic trainer and team psychologist. You can follow her on Twitter @TeamMom365.
