The MCU's Phase 5 timeline order was revealed in a Disney+ update. Most MCU fans seem to agree that Phase 5 has been a hugely mixed bag, offering some of the franchise's highest highs and lowest lows. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Thunderbolts*, and Daredevil: Born Again have already been labelled among the MCU's all-time greats, while Secret Invasion and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania were trashed into oblivion. There was equally a whole bunch of mediocre scattered around, with Echo, The Marvels, and Captain America: Brave New World struggling to make much of any impression.
The MCU's Phase 5 missed some opportunities to be truly great, but it had some major(s) hurdles to overcome midway through development. While Phase 5 was supposed to build up Jonathan Majors' Kang as Avengers 5's big bad, going into Phase 6 and The Kang Dynasty, plans had to pivot due to the actor's assault charges, which have led to Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom taking his place.
Disney+ subscribers can keep track of the MCU's chronological order through its regularly updated "Complete Timeline" section. Now that Thunderbolts* is finally streaming on Disney+, every Phase 5 project has made its way to the service to reveal the complete timeline for the Multiverse Saga's second act:
- Echo
- Ironheart
- Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
- Loki Season 2*
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- Secret Invasion
- The Marvels
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Agatha All Along
- Daredevil: Born Again
- Captain America: Brave New World
- Thunderbolts*
Loki Season 2 is the only Phase 5 project omitted from Disney+'s list, as its events take place outside the normal flow of time thanks to the TVA. Additionally, Disney+ doesn't separate individual TV seasons in its timeline order, meaning there is no way of telling where specifically Season 2 would land.
In theory, it would best place after Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, as the 2023 blockbuster featured a clip from Loki Season 2 in the post-credits, while the Disney+ show references Kang's defeat in the movie. Thus, Loki Season 2 neatly lands around there on the timeline with a Thunderbolts-esque asterisk.
Phase 5 had some strange timeline placements, with Echo and Ironheart strangely being placed among the Phase 4 movies and Disney+ shows, presumably as both were delayed multiple times after production had wrapped.
What Will the MCU's Phase 6 Timeline Look Like?
The MCU's chronological timeline recently got a historic update as it marked the first change to the franchise's earliest tale in 14 years. While others have featured flashbacks further into history, Eyes of Wakanda replaced Captain America: The First Avenger as the MCU's earliest outing in terms of its main setting.
The next update to Disney+'s MCU Complete Timeline should come with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. That project should land rather early in the timeline order due to its '60s setting, but its placement is less significant than most since it is primarily set in an alternate universe, Earth-828.
Chronologically, the next project added after Thunderbolts* will likely be Wonder Man, unless that has an unexpected placement, since, much like Echo and Ironheart, it wrapped filming some time ago in April 2024.
From that point on, chronological and release order may become the same, as Spider-Man: Brand New Day will take place before Avengers: Doomsday, despite earlier rumors that it may occur after or similtaneously with the 2026 ensemble.
Regardless, everything that comes next for the MCU will likely be set in the 14-month time jump after Thunderbolts* and before its post-credit scene,
