How to watch the Marvel movies in the Spaghetti Order

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a groundbreaking achievement that has transformed Hollywood. It’s known for its long-term, connected stories and clever use of scenes after the credits to tease future movies.

As a movie critic, I’ve seen a lot of post-credit scenes, but this one really sparked something! It didn’t just get fans hyped for what’s next – it actually led to a fascinating way people started watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They call it the ‘Spaghetti Order,’ and it’s all thanks to the clues dropped in that extra scene. It’s wild to think a little tag could inspire a whole new viewing experience!

Writer Jonathan Sim first proposed this approach in 2018: letting post-credits scenes dictate the flow from one chapter to the next, creating a smooth and connected viewing experience.

Sim couldn’t have known how huge and complicated the franchise would get, which likely explains why his guide on the ‘spaghetti method’ hasn’t been updated since the release of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ in 2022.

Ultimately, we’ve created a watch order that, while still a bit messy, helps make sense of the more complicated phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Keep reading to find out how it works!

How to watch the Marvel movies in order – Spaghetti Order

Okay, so here’s how I like to approach movie watching after those little post-credit scenes. If one of those scenes hints at another movie – maybe a character shows up or something – I figure it makes sense to watch that movie next, if I can. It’s a pretty straightforward system, really – that’s all there is to it!

Here’s how that looks in practice for the first three phases of the MCU.

Phase One

Iron Man (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Thor (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
The Avengers (2012)

During Phase 1 of the MCU, the order of the films remains the same as originally released. This is because the first six movies are already well-connected through their post-credit scenes and how they set up future storylines.

At the end of the first Iron Man movie, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) finds out about the Avengers Initiative.

The character makes a brief appearance at the end of The Incredible Hulk, setting up the events of Iron Man 2. And at the close of Iron Man 2, Phil Coulson discovers Thor’s hammer, leading directly to the introduction of Thor.

The movie Thor hints at the Tesseract, which plays a bigger role in Captain America: The First Avenger. And that Captain America movie ends with a preview of what’s to come in The Avengers.

Later on, you’ll miss this simplicity.

Phase Two

Iron Man 3 (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Ant-Man (2015)

The first phase of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies generally had a consistent pattern with their post-credit scenes. However, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 stands out as an exception, even though it was initially planned for the next phase of films.

You might be wondering why this happened. It’s surprising, considering the previous movie’s after-credits scene mostly showed a little tree, Groot, and a quick appearance by Howard the Duck.

Sim points out that a crucial plot twist in the second movie feels more impactful when both films are viewed consecutively, and importantly, the story continues directly from the first movie within the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.

Phase Three

Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Black Panther (2018)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Things get a little more complex from here on out. While the final five movies on this list haven’t changed positions, the beginning of the list has seen a lot of shifting around.

It makes perfect sense that Captain America: Civil War connects directly to Spider-Man: Homecoming. The post-credits scene introduces Tom Holland as Spider-Man, logically setting up the events of the next film.

Since Civil War first featured Black Panther, it makes sense to then watch the movie that tells T’Challa’s origin story (and stars the late Chadwick Boseman as the King of Wakanda).

Then, go back to watching the Marvel movies in release order: Doctor Strange, then Thor: Ragnarok. Honestly, it’s a pretty simple plan – even Drax could figure it out (no offense, Drax!).

Marvel Phase Four and Five Spaghetti Order explained

From Phase Four, the MCU’s once-meticulous planning went off the rails.

Currently, some of the scenes shown after the credits haven’t been continued in later movies, making the initial plan to connect everything tightly difficult to achieve. Because of this, focusing on overall themes and ideas is now more crucial than making every single connection.

To simplify things, we’ve combined Phases Four and Five into a single phase because they don’t have much independent story content and mostly serve to connect other parts of the narrative.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now so extensive that simply following one storyline isn’t enough. Instead, there are four separate plotlines you need to watch in a specific order. Let’s get started.

Part 1: Espionage (+Eternals) branch

Black Widow (2021)
Hawkeye (2021)
Echo (2024)
Daredevil: Born Again (2025)
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Secret Invasion (2023)
Eternals (2021)
Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
Thunderbolts* (2025)

The interconnected stories in Phases 4 and 5 of the MCU begin smoothly, with Black Widow hinting at Yelena Belova’s appearance in Hawkeye. This leads directly into the Echo series, which then reintroduces Kingpin and sets him up for a major role in the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again. It’s a well-executed and exciting progression of storylines.

The series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier includes a storyline connected to Wakanda, featuring a cameo by Ayo from the Dora Milaje (played by Florence Kasumba). This connection makes Black Panther: Wakanda Forever a logical continuation of the story.

Honestly, I’d tell anyone to skip Secret Invasion – it really didn’t work for me. But if you’re a total Marvel die-hard, you might want to check it out just to see what happens with James Rhodes and Everett Ross, since they carry over from the previous two shows.

Eventually, we’ll need to integrate the Eternals into the unfolding storyline, especially as the events of Captain America: Brave New World conclude. After that, Thunderbolts is the next logical step in the narrative.

Now let’s get weird.

Part 2: Magic & Multiverse branch

WandaVision (2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
What If…? season 1 (2021)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Agatha All Along (2024)
Ironheart (2025)

We’re finally introducing the multiverse into the Multiverse Saga. However, this is proving complicated because this storyline heavily overlaps with the Kang and TVA plotline (detailed in part 3 below), creating some confusing connections.

Ultimately we’ve opted to keep them separate for two reasons.

This perspective offers a detailed look at both Wanda Maximoff and Doctor Strange, along with a quick overview of magic within the Marvel Cinematic Universe – all building towards a much-anticipated introduction.

Also, even though Loki is a strong series, its connection to the cancelled plans for Kang the Conqueror holds it back a bit. It’s best to think of it as something to revisit at a more appropriate time.

Just a quick thought: even though the first season of What If…? came out before No Way Home, we recommend watching What If…? first. It actually sets the stage really well for Multiverse of Madness, since Doctor Strange and Captain Carter play big roles in both stories.

Part 3: Kang & TVA branch

Loki season 1 (2021)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Loki season 2 (2023)
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Not only was Kang removed as the main villain, but the ending of Loki season one was also ignored by the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. This leaves audiences wondering which Marvel movie or show actually started the multiverse storyline.

Even though Loki season 2 has concluded, its events will likely play a role when Loki appears in Avengers: Doomsday. Plus, the Time Variance Authority (TVA) introduced in Loki provides important background for the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine movie, making the series worth keeping available.

Part 4: Cosmic branch

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
Ms Marvel (2022)
The Marvels (2023)
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Moon Knight (2022)
- Werewolf by Night (2022)
Marvel Zombies (2025)
Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

The story starts with Shang-Chi, and while She-Hulk isn’t essential, it helps explain the brief appearances of Abomination and Wong. (It’s true that Daredevil’s part in She-Hulk doesn’t quite fit, but I’m trying to make it work.)

Okay, so Captain Marvel’s quick appearance in Shang-Chi definitely felt like a signal that we’re about to see a lot more of her corner of the MCU. And we have! We’ve already gotten Ms. Marvel and The Marvels, and now things are shifting gears a bit. Thor: Love and Thunder gives us a fun, if somewhat silly, reintroduction to the Guardians of the Galaxy in its opening minutes, setting the stage for where they might be heading next.

Moon Knight tells a complete story on its own, but it’s important background for the Blade character in the Marvel Zombies universe. Werewolf by Night doesn’t really connect to anything, but you can watch it between the other two for a quirky supernatural experience.

After all the recent darker stories, The Fantastic Four: First Steps in Phase 6 is a refreshing and family-friendly break, while still keeping that sense of adventure and space. It also conveniently brings the focus back to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe storyline just as the big ‘Doomsday’ event is approaching.

How to watch Marvel Phase Four and Five spaghetti method – in review

Taking everything into account, here’s our proposed plan for how Marvel’s Phase 4 and 5 stories could connect. It’s not ideal, but we believe it’s the most logical approach we could create.

Black Widow (2021)
Hawkeye (2021)
Echo (2024)
Daredevil: Born Again (2025)
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Secret Invasion (2023)
Eternals (2021)
Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
Thunderbolts* (2025)
WandaVision (2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
What If…? season 1 (2021)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Agatha All Along (2024)
Ironheart (2025)
Loki season 1 (2021)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Loki season 2 (2023)
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
Ms Marvel (2022)
The Marvels (2023)
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Moon Knight (2022)
- Werewolf by Night (2022)
Marvel Zombies (2025)
Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

We’ve left out seasons 2 and 3 of What If…? and Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man from this list because they don’t significantly contribute to the overall story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Stream the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney Plus.

2025-10-24 09:42