Disney+ Reveals New MCU Timeline Order Featuring Shang-Chi & More

By Tom Drew Updated:
Shang-Chi, Disney Plus Movies

Allowing Marvel Studios to expand their means of storytelling and reach even more audiences, the launch of Disney+ has been a major boon for the MCU.

2021 has already hosted four successful Marvel shows, with a fifth archer-focused series just around the corner. On top of that, Disney+ Day brought a plethora of exciting and unexpected announcements for future endeavors on the platform, including a revival of the '90s X-Men animated series, a new look at Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight, and the official announcement of an Agatha Harkness series.

Disney+ has benefited the MCU in other ways too, including the recent addition of IMAX formats for several Marvel Studios films like Iron Man and Avengers: Endgame. Another interesting feature on the service is the ability to see the MCU's timeline, which is updated with every new release that lands on the platform.

The timeline was recently reshuffled to accommodate Marvel's What If...?, which is now sandwiched between Loki and WandaVision. Following the arrival of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on Disney+, the MCU's timeline has been updated once again.

How to Watch Marvel Movies In Chronological Order

Disney+ recently updated their Marvel Cinematic Universe Timeline Order, which lists all of the MCU's entries in chronological order (excluding The Incredible Hulk and the Marvel Studios Spider-Man films).

Marvel Cinematic Universe Timeline in Order
Disney+

With the recent addition of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to the streaming service, the MCU timeline has been adjusted accordingly:

1.) Captain America: The First Avenger

2.) Captain Marvel

3.) Iron Man

4.) Iron Man 2

5.) Thor

6.) The Avengers

7.) Thor: The Dark World

8.) Iron Man 3

9.) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

10.) Guardians of the Galaxy

11.) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

12.) Avengers: Age of Ultron

13.) Ant-Man

14.) Captain America: Civil War

15.) Black Panther

16.) Black Widow

17.) Doctor Strange

18.) Thor: Ragnarok

19.) Ant-Man and the Wasp

20. Avengers: Infinity War

21.) Avengers: Endgame

22.) Loki

23.) What If...?

24.) WandaVision

25.) The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

26.) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

The above order is the chronological order the Marvel Cinematic Universe takes place, not the best order to watch the movies. You will find the best order to watch the Marvel movies here!

Shang-Chi's Place on MCU Timeline

Fans knew that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings took place in a post-Endgame world, but this update should provide a clearer idea of how far along the Simu Liu-starring film is in the timeline.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was set six months after the fourth Avengers film, so Shang-Chi could realistically take place any time after Sam Wilson took on the mantle of Captain America. As the timeline does not include Marvel's joint ventures with Sony like Spider-Man: Far From Home, it becomes a bit more difficult to pin down whether the events of Shang-Chi come before or after Tom Holland's second solo outing (which takes place about eight months after Endgame).

There's no mention of Peter Parker's identity reveal or any Multiverse shenanigans in Shang-Chi, news that would likely be found as Easter eggs or references if it had already occurred in-universe. Therefore, it's most likely that Shang-Chi occurs prior to Far From Home, giving the Master of Kung Fu some room to establish himself before Peter Parker's globetrotting and Multiverse-shattering adventures take over.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is available now on Disney+. 

Release Date
September 03, 2021
Platform
Theaters
- About The Author: Tom Drew
Tom Drew is the Executive Editor at The Direct. Tom writes for The Direct's Marvel, Star Wars, and DC branches while specializing in all things movies, from blockbuster to indie darlings.