Marvel Cinematic Universe Full Multiverse Watch Order - Updated

Hello my friends. Welcome back!

EDIT: Since the original posting this blog has been updated to include the latest MCU projects and to reflect the details we know about Avengers: Doomsday, as well as to create what I think is the best Watch Order to cover all recent entries in the most satisfying way.

The current version is accurate as of September 2026

So after posting my last Watch Order for Star Trek I was debating what I could follow it up with. There were obviously a few options that I had in various stages, and several that I can use to link to episodes of my podcast, however the one that jumped out at me the most was the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The MCU is something that people, including myself, have been debating the timeline of for a very long time. There have also been multiple debates about canonicity, especially of the tie-in media, such as the various television shows not produced directly by Marvel Studios. A lot of these discussions have been in many ways hindered by official licensed material by Marvel themselves, or comments made by filmmakers, which has only thrown more fuel on the already fiery debate. Many people have done some incredible work creating timelines over the years, and have argued quite vehemently against some of the "official" placements made by Marvel Studios, using evidence from the films and shows themselves that provide in-universe dates, or even using phases of the moon to work as accurately as possible to map every single one of these projects to real-world dates. In many cases this provides a fantastically rich and very well-developed timeline, but sometimes a very haphazard watching order as plenty of events can overlap in very interesting ways - for example did you know that Marvel's official position is that the main events of the films Iron Man 2, Thor and The Incredible Hulk, along with several other events, all happen in the exact same week? And in many cases this was made even worse with the introduction of the Multiverse, which is starting to bring in elements from other Marvel media, such as the characters of Deadpool and Venom, but also creating its own new alternate timelines such as those seen in What If?

So what is my approach to all of this?

Firstly I am of the opinion that everything released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, whether the films and shows made by Marvel Studios, or the older shows made by Marvel Television for ABC, Netlfix or anyone else, is canon. This includes all of the Marvel Studios films, the Disney+ streaming shows, the Netflix Defenders Saga, Agents of SHIELD and its associated shows Agent Carter and Inhumans, the shows Runaways and Cloak and Dagger, and the Marvel One-Shots series of shorts. Anything released by another studio in this timeframe featuring Marvel characters is part of the Multiverse, but not part of the MCU.

Secondly I am of the opinion that the timeline may not always be the best way to watch something, especially as in some cases the post-credits scenes, a staple of the MCU projects at this point, can be designed to lead into a subsequent project, sometimes one set quite a bit later in the timeline. What this means is that sometimes it may be better to play a film where the majority of its events take place, and other times it may be better to place it where the post-credits line up the best with the following project. It can be very situational, and so I will need to evaluate this on a case-by-case basis.

Thirdly as we do seem to be heading to Marvel incorporating elements from other films, and crossovers with Sony's Spider-Man and Fox's X-Men film series, as well as others, I will include a list of those movies here at the best place to watch them, but I would say that as we don't yet know how much, if at all, these will play a part, that they are entirely optional at this point. 

Finally just like with my previous Watch Order I want to make it as satisfying an experience for the viewer as I can. So this means that if I need to break up shows, which I already know at some point I will need to, I want to do so at what feels like a natural break in the story, and ideally not after only one or two episodes. If anything this is a far more important caveat here than with Star Trek, as these shows are far more serialised, and changing shows too often can make it harder to follow these more detailed plotlines, even with the recaps and previously on segments. I have marked a couple of entries by their importance to the overall metaplot of the MCU's main sagas, but there are notes for other stories as well saying what they connect to, and I will list the main recurring characters and elements in entries where that may not be obvious, allowing you to track your favourite characters if you wish.

Quick note, I'm also going to split this long list into several shorter parts - it should make it easier to deal with, and each part has an overall theme, which I'm going to use to title them. Titles are my own.

So with all that said, let's begin!

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Chapter 1: Assemble

I think its pretty obvious here that the first theme is the building of the MCU, introducing its first major heroes, and featuring Earth's seemingly first contacts with the wider universe, as the heroes come together to save the world from an alien threat, and then how that affects them.

Iron Man

• Iron Man, Agent Coulson, Nick Fury, Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, Jarvis, Ten Rings

• I think this is the best introduction to this universe, giving us a grounded and relatable hero, and the Post-credits scene introduces the idea of there being a wider universe of heroes out there, leading to...

Captain America: The First Avenger

• Steve Rogers/Captain America, Peggy Carter, Bucky, Howard Stark, Howling Commandos, Red Skull, Zola, Tesseract, Nick Fury, HYDRA

• The framing sequence helps to set this in the modern day, with the film as a flashback. Because of how important Cap will be in the universe I also like having him as the second hero to be introduced, and his connection to Peggy is best explored here.

Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter

• Peggy Carter, Howard Stark, Howling commandos

• This works as a pilot of sorts for the series, and while it looks like it will set up SHIELD in the aftermath the series explains why that isn't immediately the case.

Agent Carter 101-108

• Peggy Carter, Jarvis, Howard Stark, Howling Commandos, Red Room, Roxxon

• Starts a year after the end of the war.

Agent Carter 201-210

• Peggy Carter, Jarvis, Howard Stark, Darkforce, Roxxon

• Takes place a year after the last series.

Iron Man 2

• Iron Man, Black Widow, Rhodey, Agent Coulson, Howard Stark, Nick Fury, Pepper, Happy, Jarvis, Justin Hammer, Ten Rings

• Back to the "present" as we pick up six months after the first film. The opening works really well to catch an audience back up. 

Incredible Hulk

• Bruce Banner/Hulk, Thaddeus Ross, Betty Ross, Blonsky, Samuel Sterns, Iron Man

• I think its better to watch this here, as while Thor feels like it should be next, the differences between Hulk here and in Avengers feel like there should be some time between them.

Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Thor's Hammer

• Agent Coulson 

• A nice little short featuring Coulson.

Thor

• Thor, Jane Foster, Loki, Odin, Frigga, Sif, Heimdall, Darcy, Dr Selvig, Agent Coulson, Hawkeye, Tesseract, Nick Fury, Infinity Gauntlet

• The introduction to the more magical and cosmic sides of the universe. Ups the stakes of the universe so works well as one of the last things before Avengers.

Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant

• Agent Coulson, Blonsky, Iron Man, Thaddeus Ross 

• The short that explains Tony's role in the Incredible Hulk post-credits sequence. 

Avengers

• Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Bruce Banner/Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Loki, Agent Coulson, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Dr Selvig, Jarvis, Tesseract, Thanos

• ESSENTIAL. The first big event as we get the Avengers coming together. The first real essential story for the larger narrative at play.

Marvel One-Shot: Item 47

• This short worked as the Agents of SHIELD pilot.

Agents of SHIELD 101-107

• Agent Coulson, Extremis

• Agent Coulson gets his own show to lead, and a team of SHIELD agents including the enigmatic Skye. The first seven episodes are fairly self-contained and introduce us to Coulson's team, starting some mysteries but mostly just working to expand the universe. I won’t be tagging Coulson further for his appearances in this show, just guests.

Thor: The Dark World

• Thor, Jane Foster, Loki, Odin, Frigga, Sif, Heimdall, Darcy, Dr Selvig, Malekith, Aether, Collector

• Introduces the concept of the Infinity Stones, which obviously become of major importance later on. Works as a nice conclusion to Avengers with Loki's storyline, and ends up with an intriguing cliffhanger for the next chapter. 

Agents of SHIELD 108-112

• Episode 8 is a direct follow up to The Dark World, and the big plot for the series starts to come together after episode 112, so this is a good place to break. 

Iron Man 3

• Iron Man, Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, Jarvis, Ten Rings, Bruce Banner, Harley, Trevor, Extremis, Roxxon

• While Extremis was mentioned earlier in Agents of SHIELD, this is where it really factors, with the main thrust of this dealing with Tony's PTSD after the events of the Avengers. 

Marvel One-Shot: All Hail The King

• Trevor, Justin Hammer, Ten Rings 

• A fun little short that follows up on Trevor and obviously can't take place too long after Iron Man 3.

Chapter 2: Shadows

The theme I'm going for here is that of building threats in the background, undermining the heroes, or larger forces and threats from beyond Earth that could play a factor in the future.

Agents of SHIELD 113-116

• Sif, Kree 

• Where the Clairvoyant storyline really starts to come together, with some expanded universe inclusions as well.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

• Captain America, Nick Fury, Black Widow, Maria Hill, Falcon, Bucky, Sharon Carter, Peggy Carter, Zola, Wanda Maximoff, Pietro, HYDRA

• ESSENTIAL. A proper game-changing event for the series, and has distinct effects on SHIELD especially. 

Agents of SHIELD 117-122

• Glenn Talbot, Maria Hill, Nick Fury, HYDRA, Darkforce

• Sees how the events of Winter Soldier affect Coulson's team.

Guardians of the Galaxy

• Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, Rocket, Nebula, Collector, Kraglin, Thanos, Power Stone, Kree, Knowhere, Nova Corps, Ravagers, Howard the Duck

• ESSENTIAL. Heading off into space to meet a new group of heroes, and learn more about the Infinity Stones and Thanos. 

I am Groot 101-105

I am Groot 201-205

• Groot, Rocket, Uatu

• While these shorts technically follow the second film, as Groot has grown up by the final scene of Vol 2, it seems better to put all the Baby Groot stuff together in order. Uatu appears in the final episode, a sign oif his prominence later on.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

• Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, Rocket, Nebula, Mantis, Kraglin, Ravagers, Howard the Duck, Ego

• ESSENTIAL. Lots of important changes for the Guardians, and the last time we see them for a while. Some may argue with me saying this is essential, but I think for characters like Gamora and Nebula especially there is a lot here of great import.

Daredevil 101-113

• Daredevil, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Kingpin, Claire Temple, Wesley, Stick, Brett, Turk, Vanessa, Ellison, Ben Urich, The Hand, Roxxon

• A much more adult take on the Marvel heroes as we meet Daredevil and Kingpin.

Agents of SHIELD 201-210

• Glenn Talbot, Peggy Carter, Howling Commandos, Inhumans, HYDRA

• The first ten episodes tell a very connected and self contained story, however one spread over a length of time.

Jessica Jones 101-113

• Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Trish Walker, Jeri Hogarth, Malcolm, Claire Temple, Brett

• Introduction to Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Takes place over a large period of time, including overlapping with the previous.

Agents of SHIELD 211-219

• Glenn Talbot, Sif, Kree, Inhumans, HYDRA

• Overlaps with events in Jessica Jones, but best watched all together I think. Some events in 219 lead into Age of Ultron.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

• Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Bruce Banner/Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Wanda Maximoff, Pietro, Dr Selvig, Jarvis/Vision, Rhodey, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Ultron, Klaue, Falcon, Peggy Carter, Heimdall, Red Room, Thanos, Mind Stone, HYDRA

• ESSENTIAL. The retun of the Avengers that follows up on some open plotlines, reminds us of several character arcs, and sets the groundwork for what will come next.

Agents of SHIELD 220-222

• Inhumans, HYDRA

• Conclusion of the SHIELD/Inhumans plot for this season. 

Ant-Man

• Ant-Man, Hope Van Dyne, Hank Pym, Cassie Lang, Janet Pym, Peggy Carter, Howard Stark, Quantum Realm

• Expands on SHIELD and gives us more older heroes before going for a self-contained story. 

Daredevil 201-213

• Daredevil, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Punisher, Elektra, The Hand, Stick, Claire Temple, Kingpin,Brett, Turk, Ellison,  Jeri Hogarth, Roxxon

• This takes place over a large period of time, overlapping with the following series quite a lot, however is probably best watched all together here. Introduces Punisher and Elektra.

Luke Cage 101-113

• Luke Cage, Misty Knight, Claire Temple, Turk

• Happens much quicker than Daredevil, and actually finishes before that does, but best watched together.

Agents of SHIELD 301-310

• Inhumans, HYDRA

• The start of the next season lays some more groundwork for the Inhumans, and brings Ward's storyline to an end, serving as a nice conclusion for this chapter.

Chapter 3: Divided

This chapter really starts to dismantle some of the unified heroes around the world, as SHIELD and the Avengers, as well as the street level heroes, go through some major changes. While new heroes debut, everyone is in their own corners of the world.

Iron Fist 101-113

• Iron Fist, Colleen Wing, Claire Temple, Jeri Hogarth, The Hand 

• As a more direct tie-in and prelude to Defenders, I think this is for the best starting the next chapter, although the show is a bit muddled at times.

Agents of SHIELD 311-318

• Glenn Talbot, Inhumans, HYDRA, Darkforce

• There's a nice time gap between 318 and 319, so this works well watched here. 

The Defenders 101-108

• Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Elektra, Stick, The Hand, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Trish Walker, Malcolm, Claire Temple, Turk

• Bringing together Daredevil, Jessica, Luke and Iron Fist and others to fight the Hand. 

Captain America: Civil War

• Captain America, Bucky, Falcon, Black Widow, Iron Man, Black Panther, Sharon Carter, Thaddeus Ross, Everett Ross, Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Rhodey, Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Ant-Man, Zemo, Ayo, Aunt May, Sokovia Accords, Wakanda

• ESSENTIAL. While the opening technically takes place before Defenders, the film is best watched all at once in my opinion. The post-credits actually follows some later entries. A lot of big changes for the overall narrative.

Black Widow

• Black Widow, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Thaddeus Ross, Red Room, Taskmaster, Rick Mason, Sokovia Accords

• OPTION 1

• So you have the option to watch the film here, or later on. I say this because this film takes place entirely between the end scenes and the post-credits for Civil War, however the post-credits scene for this film is set YEARS later and spoils some upcoming plot points, and the majority of the characters here you will not see again until much later on. So the choice is yours whether you watch this here, and save (or ignore) the post-credits, or watch it in its entirety in Chapter 6.

Agents of SHIELD 319-322

• Gleen Talbot, Kree, Sokovia Accords, Inhumans, HYDRA

• The Accords are mentioned in 320, with them starting to affect our heroes here. 319 picks up from 318 after a time jump, so is best to watch here with the others.

Black Panther

• Black Panther, Shuri, Okoye, Ayo, M'Baku, Kilmonger, Ramonda, Everett Ross, Klaue, Bucky, Wakanda

• ESSENTIAL. This takes place not long after Civil War and Black Widow, so best watched here. Full introduction of Wakanda, which becomes quite important.

Eyes of Wakanda 101-104

• Wakanda, Black Panther, Iron Fist, Kilmonger

• A four episode animated series telling several stories of the past of Wakanda, focusing on several characters through its history. Best watched here to elaborate on the nation after its introduction, especially as the last episode ties closely into the above.

Inhumans 101-108

• Black Bolt, Inhumans, Sokovia Accords, Kree 

• Has some tie-ins to the Inhumans that have been present in SHIELD, but is much more self-contained.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

• Spider-Man, MJ, Ned, Flash, Aunt May, Vulture, Iron Man, Happy, Betty, Pepper, Aaron Davis, Scorpion, Damage Control

• Following up on Spidey a few months after Civil War, and featuring Iron Man as a mentor of sorts for the young hero. 

The Punisher 101-113

• Punisher, Micro, Karen Page, Billy Russo, Curtis, Brett, Turk, Ellsion

• Frank Castle returns to deal with a conspiracy.

Doctor Strange

• Doctor Strange, Wong, Ancient One, Kaecilius, Time Stone, Thor

• This film takes place over about a year, so a lot of scenes overlap with plenty of previous stories, but the majority of its main events fit best here.

Cloak and Dagger 101-110

• Cloak and Dagger, Darkforce, Roxxon

• Heavily features the Roxxon Corporation, which has been mentioned and appeared several times elsewhere previously. 

Agents of SHIELD 401-422

• Glenn Talbot, Ghost Rider, Darkhold, Inhumans, HYDRA

• The whole of this season, while divided into 3 distinct storyarcs, all follows into itself very quickly, with the whole season only taking about six weeks to resolve. Introduces the Darkhold which will reappear a few times.

Jessica Jones 201-213

• Jessica Jones, Trish Walker, Jeri Hogarth, Malcolm, Foggy Nelson, Turk

• Mentions the Raft, which appeared in Civil War, and the Accords.

Luke Cage 201-213

• Luke Cage, Misty Knight, Claire Temple, Foggy Nelson, Iron Fist, Turk

• I think this show is really underrated personally. Some great stuff here.

Iron Fist 201-210

• Iron Fist, Colleen Wing, Misty Knight, Typhoid Mary, Turk

• A huge improvement on Season One. Overlaps a bit with the start of Daredevil and starts pretty much straight after his appearance in Luke Cage. Best to watch here as one.

Cloak and Dagger 201-210

• Cloak and Dagger, Darkforce

• The second season makes reference to several other heroes, and works nicely to help bring this section to a close. 

Daredevil 301-313

• Daredevil, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Kingpin, Bullseye, Vanessa, Brett, Ellison

• The first episode covers a long period of time since Defenders. One of the best seasons of TV in the MCU in my opinion, and easily the highlight of the Defenders Saga. Ends this section on a nice triumphant note.

 

Chapter 4: Infinity

While this may at first seem disjointed with the new characters that are introduced, it has several unifying ideas. First Thanos is coming and the Infinity Stones are in play, and secondly time travel becomes an important plot point.

Runaways 101-110

• Nico Minoru

• Runaways focuses on a group of kids and is quite self-contained, with each season leading into the next. However I have divided it up a bit as it overlaps a lot of these other events. In fact most of this chapter happens in a VERY short and very busy timeframe.

Agents of SHIELD 501-510

• Kree, Inhumans

• These ten episodes mostly take place in the future, suggesting that the world will end in the near future.

Runaways 201-213

• Nico Minoru

• Continues to build the saga of the Runaways and their extended cast.

Agents of SHIELD 511-514

• Glenn Talbot, HYDRA

• The SHIELD team return to the present. 

Runaways 301-310

• Nico Minoru, Cloak and Dagger, Darkhold 

• This season also features time travel and sees the return of Cloak and Dagger.

Agents of SHIELD 515-518

• Glenn Talbot, HYDRA

• A new threat emerges trying to stop the SHIELD team.

The Punisher 201-213

• Punisher, Karen Page, Billy Russo, Curtis, Brett, Turk

• Frank returns in a much less complicated storyline. Overlaps with Agents of SHIELD.

Agents of SHIELD 519-522

• Glenn Talbot, Kree, Thanos, HYDRA

• These last four episodes actually overlap with some big events later on, and make some mention of them, but I think they work better watched closer to the rest of the season due to the narrow timeframe.

Jessica Jones 301-313

• Jessica Jones, Trish Walker, Jeri Hogarth, Luke Cage 

• This overlaps with the rest of the previous events, but doesn't really intersect.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

• Ant-Man, Hope/Wasp. Hank Pym, Janet Pym, Cassie Lang, Ghost, Jimmy Woo, Bill Foster, Quantum Realm

• While mostly self-contained the post-credits here suggests that something quite dramatic will happen soon, but doesn't really explain what. 

Thor: Ragnarok

• Thor, Loki, Odin, Heimdall, Hulk/Bruce Banner, Valkyrie, Korg, Miek, Doctor Strange, Grandmaster, Sakaar, Tesseract, Infinity Gauntlet

• ESSENTIAL. As Sakaar exists outside of the rest of time I'm placing this here, despite part of the story being alluded to earlier in Agents of SHIELD. The reason for this is that the post-credits directly leads into...

Avengers: Infinity War

• Thanos. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Falcon, Black Widow, Hulk/Bruce Banner, Rhodey, Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Black Panther, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Star-Lord, Gamora, Nebula, Drax, Groot, Rocket, Mantis, Loki, Heimdall, Bucky, Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye, Ayo, Wong, Pepper, Thaddeus Ross, Red Skull, Tesseract, Aether, Power Stone, Mind Stone, Time Stone, Soul Stone, Infinity Gauntlet, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Ned, Collector, Knowhere, Sokovia Accords, Wakanda

• ESSENTIAL. Thanos arrives and makes his play for the Infinity Stones. The Snap.

Agents of SHIELD 601-613

• Despite the cliffhanger of Infinity War this is best placed here, as it takes place a year following the Snap, however you could alternatively watch it after Endgame alongside Season 7 should you wish to conclude the Avengers story first

Captain Marvel

• Captain Marvel, Nick Fury, Agent Coulson, Maria Rambeau, Talos, Skrulls, Kree, Tessaract, Monica Rambeau

• This is essentially a large extended flashback establishing who Fury was contacting, and is placed here because of its post-credits being the next step of the story, leading into the opening of...

Avengers Endgame

• Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hulk, Hawkeye, Rhodey, Ant-Man, Nebula, Rocket, Captain Marvel, Okoye, Thanos, Valkyrie, Pepper, Korg, Miek, Gamora, Loki, Wong, Ancient One, Wasp, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Shuri, Bucky, Wanda Maximoff, Star-Lord, Drax, Mantis, Groot, M'Baku, Happy, Hank Pym, Janet Pym, Cassie Lang, Ramonda, Peggy Carter, Howard Stark, Frigga, Thaddeus Ross, Red Skull, Jarvis, Harley, Howard the Duck, Ravagers, Jane Foster, Quantum Realms, Tesseract, Aether, Power Stone, Mind Stone, Time Stone, Soul Stone, Infinity Gauntlet, Wakanda

• ESSENTIAL. Picking up not long after the end of Infinity War before jumping several years ahead. Features time travel using the Infinity Stones and ends several important storylines.

Agents of SHIELD 701-713

• Features its own time travel as the crew travel through an alternate history. Other alternate takes on the main MCU that we will see later on will also have this colour coding.

Loki 101-106

Loki 201-206

• Loki, T.V.A., Victor Timely/He Who Remains, the Void, Frigga

• ESSENTIAL. This picks up on the alternate Loki who escaped in Endgame, and introduces the Multiverse, a concept that will be important in the upcoming Saga. I have colour-coded it this way due to it taking place through the lens of the T.V.A., and so outside of, but connected to the Sacred Timeline we have been following thus far.

Chapter 5: Multiverse

With the Multiverse now in play after the events of Loki now is the best time to explore the other Marvel projects, mainly the long list of films from Sony and Fox, and I will colour code everything not on the Sacred Timeline of Marvel that we have been following so far in subsequent chapters. I’m not going to mark anything in this section as Essential, but some characters and concepts will reappear, either directly or as variants, as we continue forward. Also not every Multiverse story will be here, as we will visit other worlds in the following sections. I will also focus here on live-action projects released as part of the comic-book movie boom of the 2000s onwards, and so avoid animated projects and television and film projects from the 1980s and 1990s. 

Spider-Man

Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man 3

• Spider-Man, MJ, Aunt May, Norman Osborn, Harry Osborn, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, J. Jonah Jameson, Uncle Ben, Flash, Eddie Brock, Venom, Symbiotes, Robbie Robertson, Betty, Oscorp, Daily Bugle

• Introduction to the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, his love interest Mary Jane Watson, and his villains Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Sandman. Also gives us J. Jonah Jameson and the Daily Bugle.

X-Men

X2: X-Men United

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

X-Men: The Last Stand

The Wolverine

• Wolverine, Xavier, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Magneto, Mystique, Beast, Rogue, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Iceman, Kitty, Deadpool, Pyro, Sabretooth, Toad, Gambit, Weapon X, Blob, Juggernaut, Jubilee, Robert Kelly, Stryker, Angel, Deathstrike, Moira, Mutants

• The first set of X-Men films. Origins isn't great, but leads to some comedy later on, and is probably best placed after X2 to conclude Logan’s backstory. The Wolverine works as an epilogue of sorts to the main trilogy. Introduces the X-Men, including Professor Xavier and Magneto, and Wolverine.

Hulk

• Hulk/Bruce Banner, Thaddeus Ross, Betty Ross, Glenn Talbot

• The Ang Lee film with Eric Bana. An interesting character study.

Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

• Mr Fantastic, Thing, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Doctor Doom, Silver Surfer, Galactus

• The introduction of the Fantastic Four and some of their strange enemies including Doctor Doom, Silver Surfer and Galactus. Not terrible. While also a Fox property however there are no connections to the X-Men or Mutants as a whole.

The Punisher

• Punisher, The Russian

• I'll be honest I really like this film, as it engages in a very methodical take on the Punisher, who has a much bigger tragedy befall him. 

Daredevil

Elektra

• Daredevil, Elektra, Bullseye, Kingpin, Stick, The Hand, Foggy Nelson, Wesley, Typhoid Mary, Karen Page

• Two films very much of their time, but Elektra returns later on. Also some interesting takes on Kingpin and Bullseye, and Foggy Nelson. A superior director’s cut exists of the first film. While also a Fox property however there are no connections to the X-Men or Mutants as a whole. 

Blade

Blade II

Blade: Trinity

• Blade, Vampires

• A trio of films focusing on the vampire hunter. A new version of this character is supposedly coming, and the original will return as well.

Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

• Ghost Rider, Caretaker, Mephisto, Hell

• Two films focusing on the Johnny Blaze iteration of Ghost Rider, who is heavily rumoured to return in the future. While a Sony property however this has no connection to Spider-Man or his universe, making it different from other Sony properties we will see later. 

Blade: The Series 101-113

• Blade, Vampires, Chthon

• Blade returns after the events of his trilogy in our first non-MCU television season.

Amazing Spider-Man

Amazing Spider-Man 2

• Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy, Lizard, Electro, Harry Osborn, Aunt May, Uncle Ben, Richard Parker, Flash, Rhino, Oscorp, Daily Bugle, Ravencroft

• Introduction of the Amazing Spider-Man, and his love interest Gwen Stacy as he deals with Oscorp and the villains Lizard, Electro and Rhino.

The Gifted 101-113

The Gifted 201-216

• Polaris, Blink, Mutants, Hellfire Club, Sentinels

• A television series focusing on mutants in a world without Xavier and the X-Men or Magneto, and how they deal with the racism from humanity. Unfortunately it was cancelled and so ends on a cliffhanger, however that cliffhanger seems to suggest some connection to what comes next in the X-Men’s world.

Fant4stic

• Mr Fantastic, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Thing, Doctor Doom

• The second attempt at the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom by Fox. Was heavily edited resulting in issues with its storytelling. While also a Fox property however there are no connections to the X-Men or Mutants as a whole. 

X-Men: First Class
X-Men: Days of Future Past

• Xavier, Magneto, Mystique, Beast, Havok, Banshee, Hellfire Club, Azazel, Emma Frost, Moira, Wolverine, Pietro, Storm, Colossus, Blink, Iceman, Kitty, Bishop, Sunspot, Rogue, Sentinels, Stryker, Trask, Mutants

• After a prequel of sorts to the original series of X-Men films, albeit one with continuity changes, we then get a film bringing together old and new casts for a time travel adventure, with an epilogue suggesting a new direction for the world which we will explore more later on. There is an extended Rogue Cut for the second film, which is superior.

Punisher: War Zone

• Punisher, Billy Russo, Micro

• Second attempt at Punisher. Features Jigsaw as the villain. I personally think its very underrated, and has a camp charm to it, while also featuring a lot of Frank's signature brutality and stoic nature.

Legion 101-108

Legion 201-211

Legion 301-308

• Mutants, Xavier

• A series by Noah Hawley focusing on the son of Charles Xavier as he deals with his fractured psyche. Ran for three seasons

Helstrom Season One

• Caretaker, Hell

• Originally intended to be part of the MCU, its current standing is unknown, and its links were downplayed upon release. I have not colour-coded it as a result, but I am including it in this section for that reason. If it is in the Sacred Timeline it most likely takes place during the Blip between Infinity War and Endgame.

Chapter 6: Generations

Returning to the MCU’s Sacred Timeline the main focus here is how the older heroes link to newer ones, usually protégés and other characters inspired by them, as well as explorations of family. However with the Multiverse Saga still ongoing, and its overall direction still relatively unclear, I am using my best judgement to mark what I consider to be essential going forward. There will also be other films and series from other companies in here and following chapters as well.  I’m also going to be deviating in some ways from a purely chronological order, so that the watch order can keep some stories together in a more thematic way, but the chronology is mostly unaffected and for the most part has not been explicitly laid out by Marvel, leading to heavy debate anyway.

WandaVision 101-109

• Wanda/Scarlet Witch, Vision, Monica Rambeau, Darcy, Jimmy Woo, Tommy, Billy, Agatha, Pietro

• I think this is a great way to start this chapter, and it is supposed to pick up quite soon after Endgame, and so serves as a great epilogue of sorts to the last saga. 

Eternals

• Eternals, Celestials, Blade

• This seems to be meant to take place later, but I like having it early, as though the return of the Blipped is what creates the inciting incident for the "present day" plot. Blade has a brief voice cameo in the end.

Madame Web

• Uncle Ben, Spider-Woman, Spider-Man

• A very self-contained story for the most part, but does feature the birth of a young Peter Parker, as it takes place in 2003. 

X-Men: Apocalypse

• Xavier, Magneto, Mystique, Beast, Havok, Wolverine, Pietro, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Nightcrawler, Apocalypse, Stryker, Jubilee, Angel, Psylocke, Caliban, Moira, Weapon X, Essex, Mutants

• Set in the 1980s about a decade after Days of Future Past with several returning characters, this story sees a new version of the X-Men gather to confront the villain Apocalypse. 

Black Widow

• Yelena Belova, Val

• OPTION 2

• If you did not watch Black Widow in Chapter 3 then this is where you should watch it, or its post-credits sequence if you saved that, which will introduce Val.

Hawkeye 101-106

• Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, Echo, Kingpin, Swordsman, Red Room

• Takes place over a few days over Christmas, and introduces Echo. The majority of the story is an epilogue of sorts for Hawkeye's actions during the Blip.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix

• Xavier, Magneto, Mystique, Beast, Pietro, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Nightcrawler, Mutants

• Another film featuring the X-Men, again set almost a decade after the previous one. Like Fant4stic this was heavily re-edited between filming and release.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier 101-106

• Falcon/Captain America, Bucky, Sharon Carter, Zemo, Ayo, Rhodey, Val, John Walker, Joaquin Torres, Isaiah, Wakanda

• Introduces the new Captain America, and follows up on the Snap's effects on the world, so serves as both an epilogue and a bridge to what will follow.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

• Shang-Chi, Ten Rings, Wong, Blonsky, Captain Marvel, Bruce Banner, Red Room

• More self-contained than most bits in this section, except for the final scenes, which suggest the Ten Rings may have a larger role to play going forward. Focuses on the introduction of a new hero, but his relationship with his villainous father means that thematically it fits in well with this chapter.

Moon Knight 101-106

• Moon Knight, Khonshu

• This really starts to explore the gods of the MCU, something that happens elsewhere soon as well, hence why I have placed it here when it takes place a bit earlier. Has several themes that fit well here though as well.

The New Mutants

• Sunspot, Magik, Mutants, Essex

• A fairly self-contained film focusing on a new generation of young mutants.

Peter’s To-Do List

• Spider-Man, Ned, Flash

• A short home media exclusive created to lead into the following.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

• Spider-Man, Ned, MJ, Aunt May, Flash, Betty, Mysterio, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Happy, J. Jonah Jameson, Talos

• ESSENTIAL. Originally released much earlier, but takes place here. Works thematically as an epilogue to Endgame, while also laying groundwork for the future. The first thing in this new saga that I would consider truly essential. 

Kraven the Hunter

• Rhino, Dmitri

• Another self-contained Sony story featuring a Spider-Man related character. Has a lot of overarching themes of family and generational trauma.

Deadpool

• Deadpool, Colossus, Mutants

• ESSENTIAL. Our first entry outside of the Sacred Timeline that I’m making essential, for reasons that should become apparent further down the line. Introduces a more adult tone, revitalises the character of Deadpool from his previous appearance, and takes steps that will lead in interesting directions.

Thor: Love and Thunder

• Thor, Jane Foster, Valkyrie, Korg, Star-Lord, Nebula, Rocket, Groot, Drax, Mantis, Kraglin, Sif, Miek, Zeus, Darcy, Dr Selvig, Heimdall, Love

• Its hard to tell how essential this is, as while it initially seemed like more of an epilogue to what came before, Thor will be returning in Doomsday. Continues to build some mythology aspects after Moon Knight.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

• Black Panther, Shuri, Okoye, M'Baku, Ramonda, Ayo, Namor, Riri Williams, Everett Ross, Val, Kilmonger, Wakanda, Talokan

• ESSENTIAL. The themes of this chapter are quite heavy here due to real-life issues, and the world gets bigger. Much of what is introduced here will also be returning in the future.

Logan

• Wolverine, Xavier, Laura, Caliban, Mutants, Essex

• ESSENTIAL. One of the best non-MCU films, and one of the best X-Men related films. A conclusion to the story of Wolverine, with big effects upon the world of the X-Men in these films. 

Chapter 7: Alternates

This is where we will really start exploring the wider Multiverse alongside the Sacred Timeline. While we have done some of this already the themes at play throughout this chapter are the alternate versions of characters that we are familiar with, and how events play out in different realities across the multiverse, which several of our main heroes will become more familiar with, leading to more in the future, and worlds will start to have influence on each other in various ways. Guest characters and concepts not native to the Sacred Timeline will be colour-coded for the universes we have seen them in previously when in a MCU property. 

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law

• She-Hulk, Hulk/Bruce Banner, Daredevil, Wong, Blonsky, Damage Control

• A lot of fourth wall breaking here, something that might become more common. Events in the conclusion make it a perfect series to start this chapter with. 

No Good Deed

• Deadpool

• A short released online featuring Deadpool, and one of the final appearances of Stan Lee. I think it works very well here for that reason. 

Venom

• Venom, Eddie Brock, Mrs Chen, Symbiotes, Daily Bugle

• Takes place in its own timeline with its own version of Venom who bonds with Eddie Brock. This is the only Sony “hero” who will receive multiple films.

What If? 101-106

• Uatu, Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers, HYDRA, Howling Commandos, Howard Stark, Black Panther, Star-Lord, Knowhere, Wakanda, Thanos, Howard the Duck, Collector, Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Thor, Iron Man, Betty Ross, Hank Pym, Hope van Dyne, Loki, Doctor Strange, Wong, Ancient One, Zombies, Quantum Realm, Hulk/Bruce Banner, Happy, Sharon Carter, Okoye, Falcon, Janet Van Dyne, Ant-Man, Vision, Spider-Man, Wanda Maximoff, Kilmonger, Ramonda, Ten Rings, Rhodey, Klaue, Thaddeus Ross

• Uatu the Watcher serves as our guide across the multiverse, showing us alternate histories of many major characters, and the alternate events that unfold as a result. I will do my best to indicate what characters and concepts we will see alternate versions of in each set of What If? episodes. 

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

• Venom, Eddie Brock, Mrs Chen, Symbiotes, Ravencroft, Daily Bugle

• Eddie and Venom return for a confrontation with the villainous Carnage. The post-credits sequence crosses over with the following. 

Spider-Man: No Way Home

• Spider-Man, MJ, Aunt May, Ned, Flash, Betty, Doctor Strange, Wong, J. Jonah Jameson, Happy, Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Lizard, Electro, Sandman, Mysterio, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Eddie Brock, Venom, Daily Bugle, Damage Control

• ESSENTIAL. Starts immediately after Far From Home left off, but the majority takes place months later. This ties in closer to the Multiverse arc at play as the two previous versions of Spider-Man return from Chapter 5, and Eddie and Venom reappear from their previous film in the post-credits. There is an extended version of this film that shows some more consequences of the finale.

Venom: The Last Dance

• Venom, Eddie Brock, Mrs Chen, Symbiotes, Daily Bugle

• Venom and Eddie return to confront Knull, the so-called God of Symbiotes. Its unclear whether this will have any relevance or not going forward, but it does fit for the best here as it concludes the story of that character, for now at least.

What If? 201-204

• Uatu, Nebula, Nova Corps, Howard the Duck, Korg, Groot, Miek, Kree, Ego, Star-Lord, Howard Stark, Peggy Carter, Black Panther, Hank Pym, Bill Foster, Bucky, Thor, Hope van Dyne, Happy, Darcy, Maria Hill, Justin Hammer, Iron Man, Grandmaster, Gamora, Sakaar, Valkyrie

• While we have not finished Season 1 of What If? yet our next batch of stories is from Season 2, as these more episodic stories more closely match the style of the episodes we have already seen, with one of them even being produced as a part of Season 1. As a result we need these here as some connecting elements will appear in later entries.

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

• Doctor Strange, Wong, Scarlet Witch, America Chavez, Xavier, Mr Fantastic, Black Bolt, Peggy Carter, Maria Rambeau, Tommy, Billy, Chthon, Illuminati, Clea

• ESSENTIAL. Happens after No Way Home, and features more of the Multiverse, introducing some concepts that will likely become more common going forward such as an Incursion. Post-credits has a cliffhanger of sorts. 

Morbius

• Vampires, Vulture, Daily Bugle

• Featuring artificial vampires, of a sort, and seeming to take place on the same world as the Venom trilogy. Post-credits scene features Vulture due to the events of No Way Home, but it does not seem that the plot threads it sets up will be followed up on.

Echo 101-105

• Echo, Kingpin, Daredevil, Hawkeye

• Returning from Hawkeye, this show explores Echo in more depth, and shows some aspects of life during the Blip in extensive flashbacks. Hawkeye’s appearances are reused footage from that show.

What If? 107-109

• Uatu, Thor, Loki, Odin, Jane Foster, Darcy, Howard the Duck, Grandmaster, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Captain Marvel, Ultron, Infinity Stones, Thanos, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Zola, Doctor Strange, Kilmonger, Gamora, Iron Man, Peggy Carter, Black Panther, Star-Lord, Zombies, Wanda Maximoff, HYDRA

• For the first time we get a connecting story in What If?, which will show several of the worlds we have previously seen as well as new ones. 

Ironheart 101-106

• Riri Williams, Hood, Mephisto

• Returning from Wakanda Forever, Riri Williams finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious new villain the Hood, who gained abilities from the demon Mephisto. 

Deadpool 2

• Deadpool, Colossus, Cable, Juggernaut, Essex, Mutants

• Following up from the first film, and introducing some time-travel elements to this world, but I don’t think anything is especially missed if you choose to go straight to the sequel, so for that reason I am not marking it essential.

What If? 301-304

• Uatu, Hulk/Bruce Banner, Captain America, Monica Rambeau, Bucky, Red Guardian, Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, Agatha, Howard Stark, Eternals, Celestials, Jarvis, Bill Foster, Red Room, HYDRA, Howard the Duck, Darcy, Nick Fury, Agent Coulson, Grandmaster, Zeus, Ravagers, Thanos, Kaecilius, Malekith, Byrdie

• Again while we have yet to complete Season 2, due to its connected elements, we are returning to the episodic stories with Season 3, while also continuing the story of a world we saw at the end of Season 1 and introducing a new character. 

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

• Star-Lord, Drax, Mantis, Rocket, Groot, Nebula, Kraglin, Knowhere

• Very low stakes, but very interesting, as we get to see the Guardians enjoying Christmas. Has no villain either, and so works well as a breather here.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

• Ant-Man, Wasp, Hank Pym, Janet Pym, Cassie Lang, Victor Timely/Kang the Conqueror, Quantum Realm

• The first real introduction of Kang, a character teased in Loki. The focus of the arc seems to have changed from Kang, but I still expect this to pay off somewhere down the line, but I am not marking it Essential for now.

Chapter 8: Incursion

This is where the various worlds of the Multiverse that we have been exploring really start to overlap and come together, as multiple worlds begin to connect with each other. There is a lot of thematic overlap as well between this chapter and the previous, especially with the inclusion of the worlds beyond the Sacred Timeline, but this is where these alternate universes start to connect much more than they have previously. 

Deadpool and Wolverine

• Deadpool, Wolverine, T.V.A., Laura, Blade, Elektra, Gambit, Happy, Human Torch, the Void, Colossus, Pyro, Sabretooth, Juggernaut, Toad, Psylocke, Deathstrike, Russian, Blob, Azazel, Bullseye, Mutants

• ESSENTIAL. Despite the majority of this film taking place connected to the X-Men universe of Earth-10005 rather than the main MCU of Earth-616, this connects a lot with events we have seen before, featuring many returning elements from Loki, as well as callbacks and returning cast from many entries in the Multiverse chapter, as well as new variants of many previous characters. As a result I have colour-coded it to match Loki, as it ties very much to what we saw previously there. Takes place in 2024 and introduces many elements that may have a role in the larger Multiverse arc, and it is likely we will see the main heroes again by the conclusion of this Saga.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

• Star-Lord, Nebula, Rocket, Groot, Drax, Mantis, Gamora, Kraglin, Ravagers, Knowhere

• A very emotional story and a conclusion for the Guardians. Essential for those characters, working as a great conclusion and epilogue for their story in the Infinity Saga,  but maybe not an essential story for the universe overall yet.

Ms Marvel 101-106

• Ms Marvel, Yusuf, Damage Control, Captain Marvel, Mutants

• Delightful introduction of a fun new hero, that serves really well as the launching point for this chapter. The post-credits will be resolved later. 

What If? 205-209

• Uatu, Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, Black Widow, HYDRA, Bucky, Red Room, Odin, Tessaract, Kahhori, Doctor Strange, Hela, Ten Rings, Hiemdall, Wanda Maximoff, Happy, Thor, Ant-Man, Bruce Banner/Hulk

• Another mostly connected group of What If? episodes, beginning with returning to Captain Carter after the tease at the end of Season 1, before bringing in both new and returning faces.

Secret Invasion 101-106

• Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Talos, Skrulls, Rhodey, Everett Ross, Extremis

• A sequel of sorts to Captain Marvel, featuring Nick Fury and the Skrulls.

Spider-Ham: Caught in a Ham

• Spider-Ham

• A cartoon short featuring the character of Spider-Ham, which leads directly into…

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

• Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy, Miles Morales, Kingpin, Tombstone, Scorpion, Doctor Octopus, Aaron Davis, Spider-Noir, Spider-Ham, Aunt May, MJ, Vanessa

• ESSENTIAL. Our first animated feature film, as we go to another world and really start to open up and connect the Multiverse, through a focus on Spider-Man and variants of the concept throughout the Multiverse. Plenty of links to other worlds, and references to a lot of Spider-Man film history.

Daredevil: Born Again 101-109

• Daredevil, Kingpin, Punisher, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Bullseye, Vanessa, Yusuf, Swordsman

• Picking up not long after Echo but continuing months further on, this sees the return of Daredevil, Kingpin, and their associated characters, along with several new faces including serial killer Muse, vigilante White Tiger, and references to other New York based heroes including Ms Marvel. 

What If? 305-308

• Uatu, Celestials, Riri Williams, Mysterio, Sharon Carter, Valkyrie, Okoye, Wong, Vision, Shang-Chi, Kate Bishop, John Walker, Hood, Iron Fist, Nebula, Nova Corps, Groot, Korg, Peggy Carter, Byrdie, Kahhori, Storm, Thor, Ultron, Vision, Infinity Stones, Howard the Duck, Darcy

• The concluding story, for now, of What If?, but not the last appearance of Uatu, who will continue to appear in other Multiverse stories in small cameos. Also features some sequels to previous stories across What If?

Daredevil: Born Again 201-208

• Daredevil, Kingpin, Bullseye, Karen Page, Foggy Nelson, Vanessa, Jessica Jones, Swordsman, Brett, Ellison, Luke Cage, Uatu

• The second season of Born Again that continues the story of Season One, bringing the current confrontation between Daredevil and Kingpin to a close. 

Punisher: One Last Kill

• Punisher, Karen Page, Curtis

• Frank returns after recent events and deals with a lot of trauma and new villains.

Marvel Zombies 101-104

• Zombies, Wanda Maximoff, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Valkyrie, Shang-Chi, Kate Bishop, John Walker, Jimmy Woo, Ms Marvel, Riri Williams, Spider-Man, Blade, Moon Knight, Okoye, Zemo, Ten Rings, Red Room, Khonshu

• Continuing the story of the Marvel Zombies reality from What If? by introducing characters developed later in the MCU. A second season is expected in the future. 

Werewolf By Night

• An introduction of the more horror elements of the Sacred Timeline, featuring a secretive group of monster hunters. Relatively self-contained but a lot of fun.

The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story

• Spider-Man, Miles Morales

• A short that sees the return of Miles and his parents for a more personal story during his first year as Spider-Man. 

Agatha All Along 101-109

• Agatha, Billy, Tommy, Witches Road

• A follow up to WandaVision, featuring Agatha returning and undergoing her own quest, starting in Westview.

Wonder Man 101-108

• Trevor, Darkforce, Damage Control, Roxxon

• A series exploring the Hollywood landscape of the MCU, with actor Simon Williams joining a remake of the Wonder Man series. Unfortunately Season 2 was cancelled, and so this will likely be all we get. 

The Marvels

• Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, Ms Marvel, Nick Fury, Valkyrie, Maria Rambeau, Yusuf, Kate Bishop, Beast, Kree, Skrulls, 

• Brings together several heroes in some interesting ways, with a couple of fun post-credits appearances. At one point it seemed like the post-credits scenes here were laying groundwork for Doomsday, but I’m not sure if that is still the case, and so I am hesitant to mark it as essential. 

Chapter 9: Doomsday

And so we come to what seems to be the conclusion to the current storyline of the Multiverse Saga, with much of what is here being recent and in some cases upcoming additions to the story. However all roads seem to be leading to Secret Wars, which will serve as the culmination of everything that we have seen so far. 

Captain America: Brave New World

• Captain America, Joaquin Torres/Falcon, Thaddeus Ross, Celestials, Samuel Sterns, Isaiah, Betty Ross, Bucky

• The new Captain America finds himself caught in a conspiracy while helping new President Thaddeus Ross. Also follows up on some plot threads from Eternals.

Fantastic Four: First Steps

• Mr Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing, Galactus, Silver Surfer, Franklin Richards

• ESSENTIAL. In a parallel world we are introduced to a new iteration of the Fantastic Four, as well as their world, their villains, and the cosmic threat of Galactus. I’ve colour-coded it in similar ways to other MCU properties that are set mostly outside of the Sacred Timeline for that reason, as it will connect more eventually. The future importance of the characters is why I have marked it essential, as like the Guardians in Infinity War they will return in Doomsday. 

X-Men ‘97 101-110

• Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, Beast, Bishop, Jubilee, Xavier, Magneto, Nightcrawler, Cable, Sunspot, Sentinels, Trask, Essex/Sinister, Moira, Banshee, Emma Frost, Uatu, Robert Kelly, Captain America, Thaddeus Ross, Kree, Iron Man, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Cloak and Dagger, Spider-Man, Hulk, MJ, Doctor Doom, Zemo, Mutants

• A follow up to the old animated series from Marvel Studios Animation. Cameo from the Watcher suggests that this universe is definitely connected to everything else we are seeing in the Multiverse at least. Seems to be influencing current X-Men ideas in the MCU more than previous films are. Has multiple cameos from other Marvel heroes. 

Thunderbolts* The New Avengers

• Yelena Belova, Bucky, John Walker, Red Guardian, Ghost, Bob, Val, Taskmaster

• ESSENTIAL. A new team of characters under Val come together to investigate the mysterious Bob, and become the New Avengers. Many of these characters are returning in the future so I would expect this to be essential.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man 101-110

• Spider-Man, Aunt May, Norman Osborn, Tombstone, Harry Osborn, Nico Minoru, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Sokovia Accords, Scorpion, Doctor Octopus, Dmitri, Thaddeus Ross, Iron Man, Richard Parker, Oscorp, Symbiotes, Uatu

• An alternate take on Spider-Man and his interaction with other heroes and villains in the wake of the Sokovia Accords, set alongside and in the aftermath of an alternate Civil War.

Spider-Noir 101-108

• Spider-Noir, Robbie Robertson, Sandman, Tombstone, Daily Bugle

• While supposedly not the same version of Spider-Noir that we saw in Into the Spider-Verse, its clearly another adaptation of that character. 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

• Spider-Man, MJ, Ned, Punisher, Bruce Banner/Hulk, Yelena Belova, Jean Grey, Scorpion, Tombstone, Damage Control, The Hand, Mutants

• ESSENTIAL. The latest film released for the MCU, and telling a much more grounded story about Spider-Man, with several guests from across the MCU, as well as the introduction of a brand new iteration of Jean Grey. I’m marking this as essential as these characters are definitely going to be important going forward.

X-Men ‘97 201-209

• Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, Beast, Bishop, Jubilee, Xavier, Magneto, Nightcrawler, Cable, Sunspot, Angel, Psylocke, Polaris, Colossus, Gambit, Apocalypse, Emma Frost, Havok, Deathstrike, Sabretooth, Stryker, Magik, Kang the Conqueror/Rama-Tut, Uatu, Celestials, Captain America, Black Widow, Mystique, Weapon X, Mutants

• The sequel to the first season, involving time travel before the X-Men return to the 90s to battle Apocalypse, with a large group of both old and new mutants.

VisionQuest 101-108 (Upcoming)

• Vision, Ultron, Ten Rings, Tommy, Billy, Jarvis

• Another follow up to WandaVision that will see the Vision return, while also seeing the return of Tommy and the continuation of the twins storyline. 

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season Two (Upcoming)

• Spider-Man, Aunt May, Norman Osborn, Harry Osborn, Nico Minoru, Tombstone, Daredevil, Venom, Gwen Stacy, Richard Parker, Sokovia Accords, Symbiotes

• This upcoming sequel season will feature a new super-powered version of Gwen Stacy, as well as a new Venom, while also continuing from the previous plotlines.

Daredevil: Born Again 301-308 (Upcoming)

• Daredevil, Kingpin, Bullseye, Karen Page, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Elektra, Typhoid Mary, Brett, Uatu

• Daredevil returns alongside many of his former Defenders compatriots to deal with a new threat after Kingpin’s downfall. Will debut in 2027.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

• Spider-Man, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man 2099, Spot, Aaron Davis, Mrs Chen, Spider-Woman, Spider-Noir, Spider-Ham

• ESSENTIAL. Spider-Man really starts to explore the Multiverse, with plenty of links to other worlds, and references to a lot of Marvel history. Features the MCU Prowler in a cameo, as well as Mrs Chen from Venom. There is a sequel due that may or may not link more to what is coming up in the MCU, but as a great Multiverse story I’m marking it Essential.

X-Men ‘97 Season Three (Upcoming)

• Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, Beast, Bishop, Jubilee, Xavier, Cable, Sunspot, Angel, Psylocke, Polaris, Colossus, Gambit, Mystique, Pyro, Blob, Toad, Mutants, Uatu

• A third season is well on its way to being released, and it is likely that many characters from Season 2 will return in the future. Season Four will also follow in the future.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season Three (Upcoming)

• Spider-Man, Norman Osborn, Harry Osborn, Nico Minoru, Tombstone, Gwen Stacy, Uatu

• Season 3 has been confirmed and is expected at some point in the future, but it is unknown what characters and concepts will appear as Season 2 has not aired.

Avengers: Doomsday (Upcoming)

• Doctor Doom, Thor, Captain America, Falcon, Steve Rogers, Ant-Man, Shuri/Black Panther, Namor, M’Baku, Talokan, Shang-Chi, Loki, T.V.A., Mr Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing, Franklin Richards, Peggy Carter, Bucky, Yelena Belova, John Walker, Ghost, Red Guardian, Bob, Xavier, Magneto, Deadpool, Beast, Cyclops, Mystique, Gambit, Nightcrawler, Cassie Lang, Love

• Rumoured - Doctor Strange, America Chavez, Wanda Maximoff, Clea, Agatha, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Monica Rambeau, Bruce Banner/Hulk

• ESSENTIAL. Featuring characters returning, or seeming to, from several worlds that we have seen previously. A full cast list is yet to be confirmed, but many characters are confirmed, with multiple others rumoured, as worlds start to collide and the multiverse looks set to end, with Doctor Doom as the main threat for our heroes of several universes, bringing together Avengers, Fantastic 4 and X-Men.

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (Upcoming)

• Spider-Man, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man 2099, Spot, Spider-Woman, Spider-Noir, Spider-Ham

• ESSENTIAL. The sequel to Miles's last adventure, featuring the return of Gwen, Miguel and the Spot. Regardless of whether or not it will tie into Marvel’s wider Multiverse story-telling I feel confident in saying that it will be an essential watch.

Avengers: Secret Wars (Upcoming)

• Doctor Doom, Steve Rogers, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Mr Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing, Bucky, Yelena Belova, John Walker, Red Guardian, Ghost, Shuri/Black Panther, Peggy Carter, Vision, Shang-Chi, Jean Grey

• ESSENTIAL. The Multiverse Saga will come to a close. Expect this film to function in a similar way to Endgame, bringing multiple heroes together against Doctor Doom. Several cast members are rumoured to be returning from Doomsday, with many more besides, but again very little is confirmed as yet. 

So that is where we stand right now. 

I have done my best to place upcoming projects that we know about on the timeline as best as I can, but there is a lot that has yet to be confirmed, and Marvel has clearly changed or abandoned many projects over the last few years, and it is unclear exactly how connected all of the varying stories of the not particularly well received Multiverse Saga will be as we build to the inevitable conclusion of Secret Wars. 

There are some confirmed projects on the way after Secret Wars, namely a new Ghost Rider and a new X-Men film, as well as the third Black Panther film. As well as this there are also several rumoured projects including sequels to Shang-Chi and Doctor Strange. I'm sure we will have further details and reveals in the near future, but probably not until after Secret Wars, and as you can imagine I will be watching excitedly.   

I may update this in the future, as we get a greater idea of how things connect, or don't, but I think I'm done for now. Look after yourselves as best as you can my friends, both physically and mentally, and reach out for help if you need to.

Until next time. Bye for now.