Disney+ Reveals New MCU Timeline Order With Phase 4 Correction

A recent update to the MCU timeline on Disney+ provided a major change to the first projects in Phase 4.

Disney+ recently made a significant alteration to the MCU timeline, specifically related to the I Am Groot streaming series, consolidating it into one entry which came between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

This comes as the MCU timeline continues to shift, placing Guardians of Galaxy Vol. 3 as one of the most recent events, despite its original 2020 release date if James Gunn hadn't been fired and then re-hired by the studio.

Shang-Chi's Timeline Position Updated

Disney+ recently updated its official MCU timeline, placing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in the correct position in Phase 4.

This strategic placement now positions it between the events of WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (the beginning of Phase 4), rather than its former position following Spider-Man: Far From Home (the end of Phase 3).

In a universe spanning over 43 projects, from Captain America: The First Avenger to Secret Invasion, here's a look at the full MCU timeline on Disney+:

1. Captain America: The First Avenger
2. Captain Marvel
3. Iron Man
4. Iron Man 2
5. The Incredible Hulk
6. Thor
7. The Avengers
8. Thor: The Dark World
9. Iron Man 3
10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
11. Guardians of the Galaxy
12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
13. I Am Groot
14. Avengers: Age of Ultron
15. Ant-Man
16. Captain America: Civil War
17. Black Widow
18. Black Panther
19. Spider-Man: Homecoming
20. Doctor Strange
21. Thor: Ragnarok
22. Ant-Man and the Wasp
23. Avengers: Infinity War
24. Avengers: Endgame
25. Loki
26. What If...?
27. WandaVision
28. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
29. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
30. Spider-Man: Far From Home
31. Eternals
32. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
33. Hawkeye
34. Moon Knight
35. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
36. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
37. Ms. Marvel
38. Thor: Love and Thunder
39. Werewolf by Night
40. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
41. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
42. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
43. Secret Invasion

Visually, here's a glance at Shang-Chi's new place on the MCU timeline. It's notable within the early phases of the MCU that TV series and shorts like Agent Carter, Item 47, and All Hail the King are included:

Is the MCU Timeline Order Important?

During the Infinity Saga, when Marvel Studios was producing significantly fewer projects (primarily movies), it was much easier to follow the successive events.

Since 2021, when the Multiverse Saga kicked off with WandaVision, it has become much more of a challenge considering all of the films or series that are released out of timeline order.

For example, the latest adjustment was Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, placing before two projects that it was released after.

However, the MCU hasn't always been told linearly, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 takes place right after the events of its predecessor, making its release years after the time it took place canonically within the MCU.

As Marvel Studios continues to move forward, it's always gratifying for fans to get event films like Avengers: Endgame which confirms many of the years when projects were set.

It's unclear when that could happen during Phase 5 or Phase 6, but Marvel recently released an official timeline book, confirming and explaining the full events of the MCU up until this point.

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