Cinematic Guides
Introduction
In 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe began with one movie: Iron Man. What started as the lone story of an inventive billionaire trapped in a cave has spiraled out into hundreds of stories involving thousands of characters across both film and television, all of which coexist within the same universe.
Whether you've never watched a moment of the MCU or you've seen every movie and show several times over, we think you'll get something out of our guides. We know you may have a few questions, like are these guides in chronological order? Release order? Bit of both? (Bit of both!) So with that said we’ve included an FAQ below or you can jump right in to our guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: You mentioned these guides are a mix of release and chronological order, what does that mean?
A: Glad you asked! In most cases, the movies and series appear in the order they were released. However, in some cases it makes sense to rearrange this order. For example, Black Panther takes place a week after Captain America: Civil War, whereas Spider-Man: Homecoming takes place 2 months later. Even though Spider-Man: Homecoming came out first, the order in the guide is adjusted to make sense with the in-universe timeline.
The exception to this is movies like Captain America: The First Avenger that mostly take place before the first Iron Man movie but really make more sense to watch later on, as we explain in the guide.
Q: Why are the guides broken up into different phases (Phase One, Phase Two, etc.)?
A: Marvel Studios has referred to their past and upcoming slate of films and series in terms of phases. For example, Iron Man through The Avengers makes up Phase One. This labeling has little to do with the movies themselves other than appearing in some marketing material and home video releases. In general the phases are broken up and defined by big events or crossover movies. In terms of the guides, it is just a logical way to chunk the content into digestible segments so you don’t have to endlessly scroll through dozens of movies and shows to find what you’re looking for.
Q: What will I find in each guide?
A: Throughout our guides you will find an entry for every movie, TV show, and short film in the MCU. Each entry includes a brief plot synopsis, poster, episode list (for shows), an expanded section with easter eggs and fun facts related to the wider MCU, as well as our explanation for where it takes place in the timeline/viewing order.
Q: There is a lot of content in the MCU. Do I have to watch it all of to understand what's going on?
A: Absolutely not! There are hundreds of hours of content between the MCU movies and series, with more coming almost every month. There are clear tentpole event films like The Avengers that advance the overarching story, as well as smaller, isolated series like Echo which focus on a singular character and the events in their life. While each entry adds something to the MCU, you can certainly pick and choose what you watch depending on the characters and storylines that most interest you.