Don’t let the enormous success of Deadpool & Wolverine fool you, the decline of the superhero movie genre is still alive and well! Before the aforementioned Ryan Reynolds threequel became the biggest live-action movie of the year, Marvel and DC films were facing a major slump — the MCU’s last effort before Deadpool 3 was The Marvels, which has gone down as far and away the lowest-grossing Marvel Studios production of all time.

And yet, to channel Thanos for a moment, perhaps the Marvel fandom treated it too harshly. Almost a year on from its release in November 2023, Brie Larson’s box office bomb of a sequel is finally getting its dues thanks to an unexpected development in the comic book cinema arena — another superhero film is somehow faring even worse. Joker: Folie à Deux finally entered cinemas over the weekend of Oct. 4, and its opening gross is coming in below even The Marvels‘ own disappointing first weekend.

Considering both Joker and Captain Marvel were billion dollar plus smash-hits a few years ago, the fact that Folie à Deux is performing even worse than The Marvels is leading many of the MCU effort’s defenders to feel a surge of vindication as all the hate for the Brie Larson vehicle has been categorically proven wrong.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, directed by Todd Phillips, Lady Gaga having just over 30 minutes of screentime… There’s no way they can pin this one flopping on it being “too female.”

Audiences are bored of seeing movies with white men in the lead. Stop Hollywood’s white male agenda! Bring back the M-She-U!

Getting down to brass tacks for a moment, The Marvels grossed $47 million over its opening weekend… but Folie a Deux has come in even lower with just $40 million. Considering that Joker 2 has had a much more robust promotional push than The Marvels did — it released at the tail-end of the actors’ strike, remember — this is a seriously embarrassing blow for Warner Bros. But at least now director Nia DaCosta’s film won’t be viewed as the worst follow-up to a $1 billion comic book hit anymore.

Joker 2 has broken one comic book movie record, to be fair to it, although it’s one no other entry in the genre would want — it’s officially the lowest-rated superhero film on CinemaScore, with a paltry D grade. Plus, its Rotten Tomatoes ratings is at an absolutely atrocious 33%. The Marvels, meanwhile? A solid 62% on RT and a healthy B on Cinemascore.

It’s also worth comparing their RT audience scores, or Popcornmeters. The Marvels has a strong 82%, proving that fans actually hold it in high regard, regardless of the critical reception and financial woes. Joker 2, though, is at just 31% — meaning audiences like it even less than critics. So that’s bad box office, awful reviews, and disappointed audiences — a perfect hat-trick of own goals.

That’s got to be the ultimate insult to the Clown Prince of Crime. It’s The Marvels that gets the last laugh, not the Joker.

Agatha All Along may be an off-shoot of a series released back in 2021, but it’s refreshing just how self-contained the WandaVision sequel is from the wider MCU. Particularly after a flurry of recent projects that have been so entrenched in the lore that figuring out how they fit into it all makes your head hurt. Yes, Deadpool & Wolverine, I’m looking at you.

You really only need to have seen that aforementioned Elizabeth Olsen show to follow this one (and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness too, I guess), which makes Agatha All Along a blessedly accessible watch for anyone who might’ve fallen off the wagon in recent years but just got bitten by the Marvel bug again after enjoying Deadpool 3 in theaters.

For those of us who are here for the long slog, however, and sat through all of Secret Invasion just to see how it would affect continuity, there still remains the question of where Agatha falls in the so-called Sacred Timeline. Thankfully, Disney Plus has updated its official chronological Marvel Studios viewing order in the wake of the series’ two-part premiere, so we know exactly where it comes. And its placement is a little surprising.

Is ‘Agatha All Along’ a prequel?

Due to the interconnected nature of the MCU, virtually every Marvel project can be labelled as a prequel to something — Black Widow came out after Avengers: Infinity War, but is set before it, for instance — but as far as we understand it, Agatha All Along is definitely not a prequel. In fact, it likely occupies the furthest place along the MCU timeline to date, pressing the franchise farther into the future than it’s ever gone before.

Conveniently for those aspiring TVA agents among us who care about the tapestry of the MCU timeline, Agatha All Along confirms exactly where it fits several times over. We’re told at numerous points in the first episode that Agatha has been living in Westview for three years. We know that WandaVision took place in 2023, so this specifies its spin-off as occurring in 2026. It’s worth noting, however, that it’s been three and a half years in the real world between these two projects. If that’s reflected in the Sacred Timeline, as well, that means Agatha could easily take place in early 2027.

Either way, Agatha definitely follows on in the timeline from other recent releases set in the present-day, such as Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and, most notably, The Marvels. As Echo was a direct follow-up to Hawkeye and Deadpool & Wolverine was an anomalous jaunt into another reality, the Brie Larson sequel was the last time we’d visited the present of the MCU, but now Agatha has picked up the baton to carry the franchise even further forward.

Although The Fantastic Four: First Steps is another movie set in a different universe, Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* will likely continue on from Agatha, meaning that the new present-day of the MCU is 2027. As Wade Wilson once said, these timelines are so confusing.

To the frustration of comics fans everywhere, the MCU has continued its soft launch of the X-Men. While the studio has had the rights to finally implement the best Marvel team for some time, there has been no official word yet.

As it stands now, fans have had to subsist on scraps. The biggest progress in that department has been the animated series, X-Men ’97 on Disney Plus. A continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series from the ’90s, the series has had monumental success. New episodes have taken the old model of the original series, and developed socially conscious storylines. If this is the benchmark for what X-Men content can be expected in the future, viewers are more than ready to take that on.

However, live action has been less than forthcoming with its X-Men characters. Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness brought back many familiar faces from another dimension just to kill them off. The Marvels came even closer when it brought back one fan-favorite character — though still in an alternate dimension. Kelsey Grammer’s portrayal of Beast makes a surprising and appreciated appearance in a post-credits sequence of the film. Though with only a few lines of dialogue, it was a sign that perhaps there is more to come in the MCU’s future.

Is Beast returning to the MCU?

Since the film’s release in 2023, there has been no word about bringing the X-Men to the forefront. 2024’s hit Deadpool & Wolverine was the closest to making this dream a reality, but it was still only a wink at the audience. Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) enlists the help of a Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) variant from another reality to help save his world from dying. They travel into the Void to see all of the Marvel hits like Pyro (Aaron Stanford) and Elektra (Jennifer Garner). Deadpool & Wolverine was yet another slam dunk in the eyes of fans, so what is the hold-up in bringing the X-Men back?

Even a sliver of hope would be enough to keep us going. Perhaps Grammer is here to help. In a conversation with comicbook.com, the Frasier actor played future iterations of Beast close to the chest.

“There’s nothing I can talk about. What I do know is that there was a huge sort of outburst when I showed up at the end of The Marvels, I guess it was. The response was really almost… it wasn’t unexpected. There’d be some response, but it was pretty overwhelming, and so there are some conversations.”

Realistically, that is probably as much as Marvel would allow him to say. But it is more than fans have had for the past year. Perhaps this is a sign that things are about to change in the future. It may also be exactly what Marvel needs to get out of its plateau. It hasn’t been a secret that the excitement surrounding the brand has waned.

With the exception of WandaVision and Loki, the oversaturation of Marvel television has diminished the brand. The obvious solution is to fully incorporate the X-Men. The reaction to appearances of these characters in Deadpool and other films is, as Grammer states, overwhelming. The only logical way to continue the MCU is to give the fans what they have been waiting for.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become the most in-depth and successful franchise of all time during its 16-year run at the box office. While it began with Iron Man in 2008, for fans following the narrative, that’s not where the story actually begins.

There are currently 34 movies in the MCU — soon to be 35 with Captain America: Brave New World — released in five phases. Phases One through Three, known as the Infinity Saga, collectively bring viewers closer to the arrival of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and its epic follow-up, Avengers: Endgame. Meanwhile, phases Four through Six, known as the Multiverse Saga, began in 2021 and will eventually bring viewers closer to Robert Downey Jr.’s ultimate MCU comeback as Doctor Doom in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday and its subsequent multiversal showdown in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. Remember: Kang is a thing of the past.

Phase Four began in 2021 with the Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and continued into 2022 with three major franchise sequels: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Phase Five began in 2023 and also included four franchise sequels, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, and most recently Deadpool & Wolverine.

Following the success of Marvel’s Disney Plus streaming hits like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki, we’ve received fresh entries like Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Loki season 2, and soon Agatha All Along. They aim to continue the budding tradition of bringing focused character studies to the small screen, but in light of criticism over reduced quality, Marvel has scaled back these productions a bit. Nevertheless, these shows tie into the larger Marvel universe, which is actually more of a multiverse now. However, those shows won’t be mentioned on this list, as this list pertains to feature films only.

There are numerous ways to enjoy Marvel films, including the order in which they were released, or drawn out of a hat at random, although that last option isn’t recommended for first-time viewers. However, in this article, we’ll be breaking down the chronological timeline of all films in the MCU so you can watch them in the correct narrative order. An at-a-glance lineup of Phases One through Three can be found below:

Below is a breakdown of every MCU film in narrative-timeline order, all of which, save Deadpool & Wolverine, are available to stream now on Disney Plus. Thanks to Marvel’s official The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, we now have a clearer picture of not only what is and isn’t MCU canon, but also whether the nuggets of information we’ve compiled over the years do, indeed, fit into the slots we’ve given them. Spoiler alert: they do.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Taking place first in the timeline, Captain America: The First Avenger provides the origin story for one of Marvel’s most popular heroes, Steve Rogers, played by the dynamite Chris Evans. This film mostly takes place in 1942 and showcases Rogers’ journey from a scrawny infantry soldier to full-blown Captain America who faces off against Red Skull.

Captain Marvel

Next up is Captain Marvel, which is set in 1995, much closer to modern times. This movie is the first in the timeline to explore space travel and intergalactic threats. As we are introduced to both Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and soon-to-be S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the pair gets involved in the conflict between the Kree and the Skrulls, with surprising results.

Iron Man

The third film in the timeline was the very first Marvel film to be released: Iron Man. The billionaire philanthropist-turned-superhero Tony Stark has his origin story told in this fan-favorite film. Thanks to its box office success and fans’ adoration of Robert Downey Jr.’s performance, the film ultimately kicked off the entire MCU franchise.

Iron Man 2

Picking up shortly after the events of the first Iron Man, Iron Man 2 continues the story of the suited superhero now with his identity known to the public. Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), the son of a scientist who previously worked at Stark Industries, is back with a grudge and creates his own weaponry with the goal of taking revenge for his fallen father. The film also introduces a soon-to-be Avenger in Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

The Incredible Hulk

While many fans may choose to forego 2008’s The Incredible Hulk in their MCU binge given that it features Ed Norton in the role instead of Mark Ruffalo (who later became the official Banner), it’s still technically a part of the MCU timeline. This movie gives fans a unique take on the Hulk’s origin story and hints at more things to come in the closing credits.

Thor

Thor’s initial big-screen debut took place in 2011 and gave fans their first look at Asgard and other realms via the Bifrost. This one finds the titular god traveling to Earth to defend the world from Loki and a Frost Giant threat. For many moviegoers, this was their introduction to the beloved character, played by Chris Hemsworth, and for many it solidly delivered.

The Avengers

The first crossover film in the timeline came with The Avengers, which was set at the conclusion of Marvel’s Phase One. The Avengers brought together Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, the Hulk, and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to protect the Earth from Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and the Chitauri invasion. The movie also played a key role in introducing the Tesseract as the first of the Infinity Stones. These stones were ultimately the key to all future plans in the MCU.

Thor: The Dark World

The second Thor film in the MCU, Thor: The Dark World, gives us a closer look at Asgard, its inner workings, and the relationship between Thor, his brother Loki, and their father, Odin. The film also gives us insight into the second Infinity Stone, the Aether, which was wielded by the movie’s antagonists, the Dark Elves. Though it’s largely considered one of the less-impressive Marvel films, it serves its purpose and thankfully paves the way for a wonderful Thor threequel.

Iron Man 3

In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark deals with anxiety after experiencing the intergalactic invasion of the Chitauri. After diving into full damage control mode and assembling an army of suits, he’s forced to choose between being Iron Man and protecting those he loves. Meanwhile, he must also deal with the looming threat of “The Mandarin.”

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Hailed as one of the best films in the entire MCU franchise, Captain America: The Winter Soldier introduces viewers to more of Captain America’s past and throws Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier, back into the fray. The movie also reveals the hidden HYDRA threat still present among the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D that ultimately leads to its demise.

Guardians of the Galaxy

When it was announced that Disney was going to bring the Guardians to the big screen, many were skeptical, but Guardians of the Galaxy turned out to be one of the best space films ever, let alone one in the MCU. It introduced us to Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel), an unlikely team that attempts to stop the plot of Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) from using the Power Stone to destroy Xandar.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Taking place shortly after the first film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 gives us a closer look at Peter Quill’s backstory and heritage while also introducing a new member to the squad in the form of Mantis (Pom Klementieff). The story also dives deeper into the sibling rivalry between Gamora and Nebula (Karen Gillan) and shines a light on their relationship with their adoptive father, Thanos, which would pay off in just a few short films.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Crossing over once again, the cast of the original Avengers film joins forces to defend the Earth from the threat of Ultron (James Spader), a supercomputer developed to be a peacekeeping program by Tony Stark, which overrides its programming and now seeks to eliminate all mankind. In the latter half of the film, the Avengers get a few new additions in the form of Vision (Paul Bettany) and the Maximoff twins, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).

Ant-Man

Ant-Man tells the story of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a thief who is recruited by Dr. Hank Pym to assist him with stopping the plot of his former protège, who cast him away from his own company. During the film, Lang becomes Ant-Man after being gifted a suit and trained to use Pym Particles to shrink his size, giving him superhuman strength and the ability to control ants.

Captain America: Civil War

While not an Avengers film by name, Captain America: Civil War brings most of the superhero cast together for a face-off over a disagreement on the Sokovia Accords following the events of Age of Ultron. Civil War was also used to introduce a few new characters to the Avengers’ roster, including Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland).

Black Widow

Finally getting her own origin film after being part of the MCU for over a decade, Natasha Romanoff heads back to her roots in Black Widow, which launched earlier this year. The film introduced us to Natasha’s sister, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), who fans got to see again in Hawkeye and who will undoubtedly be appearing again, possibly in a villainous team-up compliments of a certain character who appears in the post-credits scene.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Despite what the movie may have led you to believe, it does not take place eight years after The Avengers. Marvel finally addressed the snafu after years of sweeping it under the rug in the official Marvel Studios: The MCU — An Official Timeline book, confirming it was indeed only four years after the Battle of New York. Taking place right after the events of Civil War, Spider-Man’s MCU debut chose not to retell the hero’s origin story, instead giving us a coming-of-age film that finds Peter Parker juggling his duties as Spider-Man with the demands of high school. There are plenty of comic book Spidey villains teased throughout the film, but his biggest threat is the Vulture, menacingly played by Michael Keaton, who is apparently bad with math.

Black Panther

Instead of an origin story, when we pick up in Black Panther, T’Challa has already taken on the mantle as the titular hero after the passing of his father in Civil War. This film gives viewers their first look at the inner workings of the afrofuturistic Wakanda, as well as an epic tale of personal and ideological rivalry between T’Challa and Killmonger (Michael B Jordan).

Doctor Strange

The first time we are treated to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in the MCU is in his self-titled film. The story explores the origins of Stephen Strange’s character and teases the ideas of multiple dimensions, cosmic beings, and time-traveling threats. As you’d expect, the Time Stone is also a crucial element of the film and only becomes more important from here on out. Other standout characters in the film include Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), Wong (Benedict Wong), Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton).

Thor: Ragnarok

Directed by Taika Waititi and taking on a different style and tone than the previous Thor films, Ragnarok has a more comical personality while maintaining high-quality action sequences. The film addresses many of the loose ends following Age of Ultron and follows Thor and Loki as they attempt to stop their half-sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett) from taking over Asgard. The ending of this film offers a jaw-dropping lead-in to what quickly becomes the beginning of the end of the Infinity Saga.

Avengers: Infinity War

The first part of the epic culmination of all the previous MCU films, Avengers: Infinity War finally gives us our first major introduction to Thanos (Josh Brolin), who has been working behind the scenes to gather the Infinity Stones with the goal of wiping out half of all life in the universe with a snap of his fingers. The movie takes place in 2018 and ultimately, leaves fans with a stunning cliffhanger that segues directly into Avengers: Endgame.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

The sequel to Ant-Man, this film takes place at the same time as the events of Infinity War in 2018 and does a great job of telling its own story within the Ant-Man comic book canon. This one digs deeper into the relationship between Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and her mother (Michelle Pfeiffer), and also introduces a mysterious new villain, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen). Just like Infinity War, the final moments of this film leave viewers breathless for answers in anticipation of the impending Endgame.

Avengers: Endgame

The epic conclusion to over a decade of storytelling, Avengers: Endgame has everything fans could ever want in a Marvel film. It takes place in October 2023, five years after the events of Infinity War, and sees the remaining Avengers attempt to regain hope of defeating Thanos and restore what was lost after his infamous “Snap,” which was later renamed “The Blip.” In the closing act, Endgame boasts one of the most epic action sequences in all of cinema, blasting expectations wide open and forever changing the MCU as we know it.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Shang-Chi is one of the latest heroes to join the MCU, and in this first film exploring his character’s origin, we learn more about his role amidst the greater events playing out within the franchise. Alongside his friend Katy (Awkwafina), Shang-Chi is drawn back into the life he used to know and must face the father (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung) he thought he left behind. During the iconic bus fight scene between Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings operative Gao Lei, we’re shown the dates July 21 to 28 in a Jazz Blues Festival advertisement. Since Katy’s grandma also mentions the “Day of the Dead,” a festival resembling the Chinese Qingming Festival — which takes place in April — and the film itself spans two weeks, we can assume the movie takes place in April 2024. This would put it before Far From Home.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Picking up right after Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home addresses the events that took place during the previous film while also introducing some new faces and returning characters from the past. It takes place during the summer of 2024, eight months after The Blip. This is the perfect bridging point to close out Phase Three and enter Phase Four of the MCU — after watching Shang-Chi, of course.

Eternals

With its many flashbacks telling the story not only of the Eternals themselves but also the history of the universe, it can be difficult to give this film a true place in the MCU timeline. That said, its present-day moments take place around the same time as Far From Home in 2024, likely just afterward given that the events of the film were not mentioned in the Spider-Man sequel. Fans and critics were largely split on the film (to put it mildly), except in regard to that colorful cameo by Harry Styles in the post-credits scene. Whether Styles will actually return to the MCU is another matter entirely.

Deadpool & Wolverine

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Logan took place in 2029, so Deadpool & Wolverine must also take place during or after that, meaning it should be at the bottom of this list. Well, no. The Merc with the Mouth’s first foray into the MCU actually occurs in 2024. We know this because after Happy Hogan rejects Wade’s request to join the Avengers (on March 14, 2018, on Earth-616) the time stamp on the screen tells us we jump six years into the future — back on Earth-1005 — which would place the film in 2024. And because we see Wade celebrating his birthday and he’s said in the comics that he’s a Scorpio (on the cusp of a Libra, thank you very much) — and because Deadpool & Wolverine showcases a decent amount of fall foliage — we can safely assume the film occurs in October 2024. As for why Earth-10005’s Wolverine is already dead at the beginning of Deadpool & Wolverine when Logan’s death shouldn’t have occurred for another five years — well, it’s likely that Wade jumped forward in time using the TVA’s TemPad. That, or we’re just going to file the mistake away with all of Marvel’s other embarrassing timeline errors.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home takes place immediately after its predecessor, Far From Home around Nov. 2024. The film brings Peter Parker on the most mind-blowing adventure of his life ⏤ which, unfortunately, no one but he will remember. The film saw him grapple with everything from losing his Aunt May, to facing off against villains from completely different universes. It also led to Peter finding an unexpected brotherhood with alternate versions of himself, perfectly brought to life by Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in tear-inducing appearances that will stand the test of time.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Benedict Cumberbatch’s return as the title character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness picked up after the events of No Way Home. It saw Strange deal with the implications of multiversal travel while facing new friends and foes, some of whom created serious trouble for him (ahem – Wanda). Wanda’s future was thrown into flux after she was presumably killed off in the movie’s final moments, but she is rumored to return in a Disney Plus spin-off series, which may or may not happen since Marvel subtly announced that the Earth-616 version of the character is canonically dead. Strange, too, received a cliffhanger ending, something we hope will be addressed in the rumored Doctor Strange 3.

In the meantime, you can rest assured that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness takes place after Spider-Man: No Way Home, which takes place right around the events of Hawkeye, which takes place around Christmas 2024.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Thanks to Disney Plus, we now know that — in the eyes of Marvel Studios — this film takes place after Doctor Strange 2. It also takes place after Ms. Marvel, which is believed to take place around Sept. 2025 because of the school’s homecoming dance. However, in Love and Thunder Jane Foster’s eppendorf vial’s tag includes the date April 30, suggesting it takes place in the beginning of 2025. Unfortunately, since we don’t know exactly when Thor and Jane broke up, the God of Thunder’s comments about their breakup happening 8 years 7 months and 6 days before the movie doesn’t exactly paint a clear picture either. Our best bet is to just assume Love and Thunder takes place in April 2025, especially when looking at the next MCU installments on the timeline.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

According to Black Panther Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore, we have a place in the timeline to slot Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Moore says that this film takes place alongside the events of Thor: Love and Thunder, around the start of 2025, so for all rewatching purposes you should be able to enjoy either film first. This placement would make a lot of sense, since neither film directly affects the events of the other. Secret Invasion, on the other hand, almost had us questioning the timing of things when our favorite CIA from Wakanda Forever was revealed to be a Skrull (that was all put to rest in the season finale, though).

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

For those who are sticklers for dates, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania takes place during the start of 2025, like Wakanda Forever. How do we know this? A news clip in Wakanda Forever mentions Scott Lang’s book tour, and because book tours don’t last entire years, Quantumania definitely takes place before The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which occurs later that year during Christmastime, which also means it takes place before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. However, Disney Plus messed with the timeline when it decided to place Quantumania after The Guardians Holiday Special, which it most certainly is not, resulting in MODOK-sized canon headache, if you ask us. It wouldn’t be the first time Disney Plus goofed with the MCU’s timeline, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the time Quantumania was accidentally erased from Phase Five. (Don’t worry, it’s not).

The Marvels

Ms. Marvel provides us with a pretty good guestimation where The Marvels takes place on the MCU timeline. Because the Disney Plus series is believed to take place around Sept. 2025 and Kamala Khan’s body-swapping problem doesn’t go unaddressed long, The Marvels likely takes place before 2026, which means it comes before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Carol Danvers’ intergalactic team-up with Captain Rambeau and Kamala to defeat the Kree general Dar-Benn in the highly-anticipated sequel to her billion-dollar predecessor, Captain Marvel, also happens to be the shortest movie in MCU history. Should any information in the movie, which will premiere in just a few short days, contradict this entry, we will revise it ASAP.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

It’s hard to give Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 an exact place on the MCU’s timeline since it is unaffected by previous films and has little effect on the overall MCU storyline. However, it’s safe to say that this intergalactic, twisty-turny threequel takes place in 2026 since it occurs after the events of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in Dec. 2025. As a rule of thumb, here’s every MCU movie you should watch before starting Vol. 3.

Just when you thought Deadpool & Wolverine had claimed the crown and couldn’t ever be beaten, Daredevil: Born Again has come along and delivered what could be the most unexpected crossover cameo the MCU has ever given us.

Marvel Studios unveiled a first look at the much-anticipated relaunch of the Man Without Fear’s adventures at this August’s D23 — at least, to those in attendance. Unfortunately, the trailer has yet to be officially released online, but thanks to the wonders of leaks and first-hand reportage we know what the teaser contained.

On top of glimpses of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin, and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, not to mention the return of Bullseye, Karen Page, and Foggy Nelson, and the introduction of Muse and White Tiger, the trailer also confirmed another addition to the cast that’s left fans scratching their heads.

The Marvels star confirmed to return to the MCU for Daredevil: Born Again

Sorry, Channing Tatum. Move over, Wesley Snipes. The most out-of-left-field MCU cameo surely has to come from this Daredevil: Born Again trailer. The D23 first-look footage confirmed that Mohan Kapur will feature in the series, reprising his role as Yusuf Khan — father to Kamala “Ms. Marvel” Khan — from both Ms. Marvel and The Marvels.

Aside from the relative obscurity of the character — sorry, Yusuf, but Kamala’s mom Muneeba is the supreme Khan family member — the fact that the world of Ms. Marvel is crossing over with Daredevil at all is something of a head-scratcher. For starters, Born Again promises to be an extension of the street-level side of the MCU — inhabited by the Defenders, the Punisher, and Echo — rather than the cosmic side Kamala dwells in. On a geographic level, too, the Khans live in Jersey City, not Matt Murdock’s Hell’s Kitchen home turf.

What’s more, it’s surprising that the studio would elect to call back to The Marvels so soon after its infamous box office devastation last November. All signs had pointed to Marvel throwing the Brie Larson sequel under the bus — see Deadpool’s “You’re joining at kind of low-point” joke to Wolverine in D&W — and quietly cancelling projects like Captain Marvel 3, a Photon spinoff, and perhaps even the Young Avengers movie (notice the lack of an update at either Comic-Con or D23). And yet here Yusuf is to remind us of Marvel’s greatest financial failure.

Filming restarted on Born Again, after it was overhauled from top to bottom, in January 2024, so it’s not like this decision was made prior to The Marvels‘ release. Those who miss Ms. Marvel can likely take this as a good sign, then, that Kamala is still very much a tentpole figure of this franchise going forward. If we get a Daredevil/Ms. Marvel team-up before Daredevil/Spider-Man, though, then something’s definitely up with the timeline.

What a difference a year, and a Deadpool, makes! 2023 marked a 15-year lowpoint for the MCU, with both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels spelling both critical and financial nadirs for the once-invincible cinematic universe. With just the one movie releasing in 2024, it was all on Deadpool & Wolverine to fix the franchise single-handed.

Thankfully, it looks like the threequel might just do it. With Deadpool 3 coming later in July, box office projections are in, and the numbers are looking good. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman vehicle is headed for a domestic opening weekend of $160-165 million. If this figure comes to pass then that would make it the biggest opening of this (unusually lacking, given the 2023 strikes) whole year. So, yes, Wade Wilson may be about to save cinema. Shove it, Tom Cruise!

Deadpool 3 heading for biggest Marvel opening since 2022

As for how these numbers compare with other recent MCU releases, an opening weekend somewhere in the range of $160 million would easily make it the superior to all of Marvel’s 2023 offerings. Not that it’s much of a battle. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was the highest-grossing of last year, and that only opened to $118 million. Meanwhile, Quantumania came away with $106 million in its first weekend while The Marvels managed a meager $46 million.

The Marvels infamously ended up being the lowest-grossing MCU movie ever by a wide margin, finishing its theatrical run with just over $200 million. That means Deadpool 3 has a real chance of coming away with over 75% of The Marvels‘ entire box office gross in just its first three days in cinemas. How’s that for a comeback?

Full disclosure, this $160 million still isn’t quite up to the levels of Marvel in 2022 — Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever both had openings over $180 million — but it’s an inarguable leap in the right direction again. LFG, kids. L.F.G.

Deadpool & Wolverine fever has well and truly swept through the Marvel fandom at this point, but let’s not forget that The Fantastic Four is coming next summer to give the Ryan Reynolds threequel a run for its money in terms of insanely anticipated MCU blockbusters. Although it sounds like Marvel is daring fans to turn against it, if these latest plot rumors turn out to be true.

At this early stage, we know so little about WandaVision director Matt Shakman’s reimagining of Marvel’s First Family, but everything we’ve seen and learned about it so far has gone straight in the “pros” column. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Natasha Lyonne, and many more in the cast… A possible 1960s period setting… the one and only H.E.R.B.I.E.! With so many positives on its side, what could go wrong?

Maybe if The Fantastic Four ends up being a spiritual sequel to The Marvels, the MCU’s least-popular movie of all time.

The Fantastic Four rumored to be either a secret Guardians 4… or The Marvels 2

As per insider Daniel RPK, The Fantastic Four will be mostly set in space and can be described as a “cosmic” MCU movie. While this is news to us, it does add up with what little we know so far. The inclusion of Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson’s Galactus, for starters, not to mention the Apollo astronaut vibes given off by the promo artwork.

In many ways, making TFF a cosmic film is a smart move, as it instantly differentiates it from prior Fantastic Four offerings. With the team’s origins taking them into space anyway — they get their powers from a cosmic storm in most versions — it only makes sense to simply keep them there. Plus, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 just proved how audiences are still hungry for bold sci-fi outings.

On the other hand, The Marvels also proves that sometimes outer-space MCU adventures can leave audiences cold, so this could turn out to be a very risky decision indeed. Plus, a big part of the foursome’s storyline is how they have to deal with their newfound fame upon becoming superheroes, which is something a movie set in space won’t be able to explore. And a whole film set in 1960s era New York could be oodles of fun!

The one really could go either way, then, but with how long Marvel’s been working on this one — a Fantastic Four reboot was announced in 2019 — let’s hope Kevin Feige and co. know exactly what they’re doing and have ironed out all the kinks. Fingers crossed The Fantastic Four ends up emulating the right cosmic Marvel movie that came out in 2023.

It’s a good thing that Marvel has Deadpool & Wolverine, perhaps its most hyped release since 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, to get fans distracted, because behind the scenes there’s a lot of major restructuring happening when it comes to future plans for the MCU.

Deadpool 3 will no doubt make a killing at the box office this summer, but the last Marvel movie to release was The Marvels, which infamously went down as the worst-performing MCU film of them all. And it’s just possible that its failure was so embarrassing it immediately killed plans for a spinoff.

Monica Rambeau series was reportedly cancelled in the wake of The Marvels bombing

The Marvels‘ post-credits scene was perhaps the most memorable thing about it, as it brought back Kelsey Grammer as Beast. It was also interesting that it was Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau who ended up in the X-Men’s universe not Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel. According to new rumors, that’s because this was supposed to lead into a Photon series set for Disney Plus… However, this is 100% canned now due to the film falling flat. We’ve been assured that Monica’s story will now continue elsewhere, although it’s anyone’s guess where that could be.

Scarlett Johansson’s first MCU project since Black Widow could be a Disney Plus show

Don’t forget, while Marvel no doubt scrambles to tempt Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans into returning to the fold for Avengers: Secret Wars, Scarlett Johansson is already back in bed with the MCU for an upcoming project. The only thing is she’ll be serving as a producer rather than appearing on screen. For the longest time we’ve had literally zero information about the form of this mystery project, but the latest intel indicates that it will be a Disney Plus series. Given Johansson’s name behind it, presumably this show will be set in the Black Widow universe. Maybe it could be some kind of follow-up to Thunderbolts, which features Yelena, Red Guardian, and Taskmaster.

Mahershala Ali needs to get his ice skates on as Wesley Snipes’ Blade could be coming soon

Here’s your periodic reminder that Mahershala Ali was announced to be playing Blade in summer 2019… and we still haven’t seen him on screen?! Currently the Blade reboot is scheduled for November 2025 but it’s all but confirmed it’ll get pushed into 2026. Ali might want to hurry up and show his face, though, otherwise he might just be beaten to the punch by Wesley Snipes, who — rumor has it — is in talks to reprise his iconic ’90s role somewhere in the Multiverse Saga. For context, this is like if Tom Holland was cast as Spider-Man in 2016… and then never showed up before Tobey Maguire came back in 2021. What is going on, Kevin?!

Deadpool & Wolverine could not be coming at a more opportune moment. Although Marvel’s current 2024/2025 schedule is only the result of the strikes messing with the studio’s plans, having the much-anticipated Ryan Reynolds threequel be the one to restore the MCU to its former greatness after an extremely taxing 2023 is the perfect turn of events.

While The Marvels may go down as a perfectly respectable and solid entry in the Marvel canon, going by the surge of support it’s received since hitting streaming, it’s hard to entirely scrub away the stain of the Brie Larson sequel going down as the worst-performing MCU movie of them all last fall. Not only does Captain Marvel 3 now seem like a distant possibility, but it suggested that whole corner of the cinematic universe might be locked away and ignored forever more.

That’s why it’s so intriguing that one all-important moment in the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer has spawned a compelling theory that the aftermath of The Marvels might be about to be explored in this very next film, thereby immediately cementing it as a key entry in the Multiverse Saga — haters be damned.

How could Deadpool & Wolverine cross over with The Marvels?

The climactic moment of the trailer sees DP and Wolvie LFG their way into a mystical multiversal portal. We currently have a lot of questions about said portal, as we don’t know which Master of the Mystic Arts conjured it (if it’s just Ned, I swear to God) and we don’t know where it might lead. As per one convincing theory, pitched by Redditor OneAboveAll0 among others, this portal could lead to a universe we’ve already visited…

Previously on the MCU: The Marvels ended with Monica Rambeau getting sent to another universe — one where a variant of her mother, Maria Rambeau/Binary, was a pal of the X-Men, who seem to be variants of the Fox characters — as seen by Kelsey Grammer returning as Beast. We’ve been trained of late to expect Marvel post-credits scenes to take an age to pay off — where art thou, Harry Styles and Hercules? — but in this case Deadpool 3 could pick up what The Marvels put down less than a year later.

Whether Monica appears or not, going back to this universe could allow for DP and Wolverine to interact with various familiar X-Men characters from the original Fox films — which would otherwise be impossible due to Deadpool hailing from the prequel timeline and this version of Logan coming from an Earth where all the X-Men are dead. Who knows, maybe some kind of incursion could occur — perhaps caused by Cassandra Nova — and result in this universe bleeding together with Earth-616 19999 and that’s how we get mutants in the MCU.

From a more holistic perspective, it would also be pretty meaningful for this ostensibly more bro-y MCU movie to respect and play ball with the Captain Marvel films in this way, considering the whole “M-She-U” backlash of it all. Those kind of fans may claim him, but Wade Wilson himself wouldn’t support such Carol Danvers slander (they were lovers in one comics timeline, FYI).

Basically, don’t skip The Marvels when you do your Disney Plus MCU marathon before Deadpool & Wolverine gets here this July 26.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 episode 6.

X-Men ’97 might not be as flashy as the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, but it’s quietly knocking it out the park every single week on Disney Plus and increasingly providing a roadmap for exactly how Marvel Studios should use these characters in live-action to help fix the MCU.

Case in point, episode 6 follows up on the utter devastation of episode 5 by taking the narrative into space, catching up with Professor X for the first time since the series finale of X-Men: The Animated Series. Although the show so far has treated Charles as if he had died, X: TAS viewers knew that he’d actually been taken into space by his alien lover, Empress Lilandra, and revived using advanced tech. In episode 6, we find out that Charles is now living among the people of the Shi’ar Empire. Not only that, but he’s getting married!

This marks a huge twist in the professor’s story, obviously, but it also presents Marvel with the perfect way to fix its confused cosmic mythology following The Marvels. But first, who exactly are the Shi’ar, anyway?

Who are the Shi’ar in X-Men ’97?

The Shi’ar, debuting in the comics in 1976’s X-Men #97, are conspicuous in their absence from the MCU at present as they are one of the three greatest empires in the galaxy in Marvel lore. Arguably, they are even more advanced and expansive than either the Kree or the Skrulls, however, as the Shi’ar comprise various planets and cultures across the cosmos. The Shi’ar people are human/avian hybrids, who appear mostly humanoid barring their feathered heads.

The most notable Shi’ar character is undoubtedly Empress Lilandra, whose unlikely romance with Charles Xavier has threatened her position of power and the safety of her empire at numerous points. Her two treacherous siblings, vicious brother D’Ken and duplicitous sister Deathbird, have often attempted to seize her throne, and on occasion have succeeded.

Lilandra and the Shi’ar played a key role in the Dark Phoenix saga, with the X-Men having to fight to protect Jean Grey from execution when Lilandra decreed she must die for her crimes. Because of this, it was heavily rumored that Jessica Chastain was going to play Lilandra in 2019’s Dark Phoenix, but the character has yet to make her live-action debut.

In recent comics, Xandra, the genetically engineered daughter of Charles and Lilandra, has been introduced and she has risen up to become the current Majestrix (aka Empress) of the Shi’ar Empire following her mother’s death.

The Shi’ar’s introduction into the MCU could undo the damage done by The Marvels

Personally, I liked The Marvels, and hopefully you did too (whether you saw it in theaters or were one of the converts who caught up on streaming), but there’s no use denying that it was the least successful MCU movie to date. Clearly, audiences are still interested in cosmic Marvel movies — hence the popularity of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 just a few months prior — but the familiar plot of the Captain Marvel sequel just turned audiences away.

The general consensus seemed to be that The Marvels came across as “just another MCU film,” and maybe that’s because it was dealing with an alien threat that has been hanging around the franchise for a full decade at this point: the Kree. Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, a whole bunch of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episodes… The Kree have arguably worn out their welcome as Marvel’s premier cosmic baddie at this point so it’s high-time their reign was toppled.

Of course, X-Men ’97 isn’t Earth-19999 canon but episode 6 proves that the MCU needs to introduce the Shi’ar into live-action fast, with its opening scene demonstrating exactly how to do it. Deathbird, Lilandra’s aforementioned sis, is depicted as bringing the mighty Ronan the Accuser to his knees, proving how much more fearsome the Shi’ar are than the oft-used Kree.

With ties to the X-Men and a much more complex and nuanced civilization, the Shi’ar would certainly be a much-needed jolt in the arm and injection of fresh ideas into Marvel’s cosmic side, so let’s hope their X-Men ’97 appearance is just a tease for bigger things to come.

Take a bow, The Marvels! The Brie Larson sequel was routinely riled last November when it earned the dishonor of being the lowest-grossing MCU movie of all time at the box office. Miraculously, however, it managed a full 180-degree turn once it hit streaming.

Now that folks could catch it from the comfort of their own homes, Disney Plus users gave the movie a try and, surprise surprise, realized that they thought it was a totally fun slice of superhero cinema and they were sorry for being so dismissive of it when it was in theaters — causing those who were singing its praises all along to face palm like Captain Picard. Not only did The Marvels manage to knock the immortally popular Moana from the Mouse House platform’s top spot, it’s also been confirmed as the most popular movie on streaming period over the week of its release.

This is an impressive shift of fortunes for the Nia Da Costa movie, turning it into the little Marvel film that could and maybe even dispelling the notion that the MCU is done for. Unfortunately, when you put The Marvels‘ streaming success in a larger context, it suddenly seems much less impressive.

The Marvels‘ chart-topping figures pale in comparison to Guardians 3

As per data covering Feb. 5-11, The Marvels was the world’s most-watched movie on all of streaming that week, earning 558 minutes watched in its first seven days on Disney Plus. A resounding success, no? Well, yes, in microcosm. However, once you compare it to how the previous Marvel production to hit streaming did, the power of its achievement is suddenly decimated by a full two thirds.

Prior to The Marvels landing in November 2023, the last MCU film to release was May’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It’s no surprise that, when that film eventually debuted on Disney Plus in September, it likewise topped the streaming charts worldwide as well. In its case, though, Guardians 3 had a much grander figure to show for it. The cosmic threequel is known to have accrued a whopping 1.6 billion minutes viewed across its first seven days.

The Marvels may have topped the streaming charts too, but clearly the week of its release was far less competitive overall. For instance, in the runner-up positions for movies streamed the week of Feb. 5 were 2017 thriller American Assassin (515 minutes), animated film Orion and the Dark (389 minutes), and perennial family favorite The Super Mario Bros. Movie (356 million minutes), all available on Netflix.

As for whether its streaming win will really affect its reputation, it’s worth pointing out that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also topped the charts last year and yet it just doomed the MCU to its first ever Razzie nominations (although it thankfully didn’t win any). The Marvels certainly doesn’t deserve all the hate it received, but sadly we can’t start calling it a redeemed success or claim that the Marvel curse is over just yet.

A funny thing happened on The Marvels‘ way to streaming. Despite releasing in theaters to widespread disinterest in November, once the MCU sequel hit digital people suddenly started giving it some much-needed positive attention.

Sure enough, upon its arrival on Disney Plus, the film that seemed destined to become the most forgotten and least-viewed Marvel Studios production earned itself a surprising groundswell of popularity and some enduring chart-topping powers. “Hey, I wish I saw this in cinemas,” said a whole bunch of folks, while those that did and enjoyed it glared at the camera like Jim from The Office.

Speaking of John Krasinski, he definitely won’t be reprising his role as Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four, which promises to carve out an exciting new corner of the MCU. Marvel’s First Family have one of the richest rosters of associated characters in all of comics, so Kevin Feige and company will no doubt be hoping to fuel years’ worth of storylines based around them. But could the rise of the Silver Surfer lead to the crushing downfall of Carol Danvers?

Silver Surfer spin-off claims could be bad news for Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel

Hot on the heels of The Fantastic Four announcement, a rumor has emerged that a Silver Surfer spin-off is in the works at Marvel Studios. As has been suspected for the longest time, Norrid Radd is said to be making his way to the MCU in The Fantastic Four, with Marvel supposedly on the hunt for an actor as you read these words. This is totally uncorroborated as yet, but it does come from insider Daniel Richtman, who claimed that Pedro Pascal was playing Reed Richards before that was officially confirmed.

Silver Surfer is easily one of the most important characters Marvel inherited from Fox because, despite only making the one movie appearance to date, he’s one of the most integral cosmic characters in Marvel’s canon. You could even argue that he’s Marvel’s single most integral cosmic character. And that’s why the studio apparently being keen to promote him to leading status could be bad news for Carol Danvers, who currently stands as the MCU’s top-tier extraterrestrial tentpole.

As The Marvels made clear, by pairing her up with heroes from Ms. Marvel, WandaVision, and Secret Invasion, not to mention using her movie to set up the coming of the X-Men, Carol certainly was viewed as an anchor for the entire MCU. However, with the film underperforming so drastically there’s every chance that Marvel is working on pivoting focus away from her. Just look at how we’ve learned that Kang’s role was already being decreased after Quantumania bombed, before Jonathan Majors’ legal troubles came to light.

Larson herself remains cagey about her Marvel future, but even if she does end up returning for Avengers 5 and Secret Wars, there’s a decent chance that, in a few years time, space might not have enough space for both Captain Marvel and Silver Surfer.