The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a cultural phenomenon since its inception in 2008, bringing Stan Lee's artistic visions to life on the big screen. With new releases continually expanding this cinematic universe, many Marvel fans wonder exactly how long it would take to binge-watch every Marvel movie from start to finish.
Whether planning a marathon weekend or spacing out your viewing over several weeks, we've compiled everything you need to know about the total runtime of all Marvel Studios films.
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How Long Would It Take To Watch All the Marvel Movies?
With 30 movies in total, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero movies [1] will take you more than two days to finish and that’s without meal or bathroom breaks!
Here's a complete rundown of each movie and its runtime:
| Marvel Movie Title | Official Runtimes |
| Iron Man | 2 hours and 6 minutes |
| The Incredible Hulk | 1 hour and 52 minutes |
| Iron Man 2 | 2 hours and 4 minutes |
| Thor | 1 hour and 55 minutes |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | 2 hours and 4 minutes |
| The Avengers | 2 hours and 23 minutes |
| Iron Man 3 | 2 hours and 10 minutes |
| Thor: The Dark World | 1 hour and 52 minutes |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | 2 hours and 16 minutes |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | 2 hours and 1 minute |
| Avengers: Age of Ultron | 2 hours and 21 minutes |
| Ant-Man | 1 hour and 57 minutes |
| Captain America: Civil War | 2 hours and 27 minutes |
| Doctor Strange | 1 hour and 55 minutes |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | 2 hours and 16 minutes |
| Spider-Man: Homecoming | 2 hours and 10 minutes |
| Thor: Ragnarok | 2 hours and 13 minutes |
| Black Panther | 2 hours and 14 minutes |
| Avengers: Infinity War | 2 hours and 40 minutes |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp | 2 hours and 5 minutes |
| Captain Marvel | 2 hours and 3 minutes |
| Avengers: Endgame | 3 hours and 2 minutes |
| Spider-Man: Far From Home | 2 hours and 9 minutes |
| Black Widow | 2 hours and 14 minutes |
| Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | 2 hours and 12 minutes |
| Eternals | 2 hours and 37 minutes |
| Spider-Man: No Way Home | 2 hours and 28 minutes |
| Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | 2 hours and 6 minutes |
| Thor: Love and Thunder | 1 hour and 59 minutes |
| Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | 2 hours and 41 minutes |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania | 2 hours and 4 minutes |
| The Marvels | 1 hour and 45 minutes |
| Deadpool & Wolverine | 2 hours and 7 minutes |
| Captain America: Brave New World | 2 hours and 11 minutes |
Marvel Movie Marathon: Breaking It Down by Phase
The Infinity Saga (Phases 1-3)
The first three phases of the MCU, collectively known as The Infinity Saga, include 23 films with a total runtime of approximately 50 hours. These phases build toward the epic confrontation with Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
The Multiverse Saga (Phases 4-5)
The newer phases focus on exploring the multiverse concept. So far, 11 films have been released, totaling approximately 18.6 hours. Phase 4 and beyond introduce new heroes like Shang-Chi and the Eternals while continuing the stories of established characters.
What’s the Best Order to Watch the Movies?
We recommend watching these Marvel movies in chronological order if you’re aiming for continuity of the storylines. We think it would make the most sense, too.
1. Captain America: The First Avenger
Released: 2011
The movie introduces us to the vital points in the entire MCU - Stark Industries, SHIELD, and the Tesseract that holds one of the Infinity Stones.
2. Captain Marvel
Released: 2019
In the movie, Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes as we glimpse the young Nick Fury and his early years in SHIELD.
Read: Marvels Premiere: Full Guide
3. Iron Man
Released: 2008
The first MCU film where, after watching Howard Stark in Captain America: The First Avenger, we finally meet his son, Tony.
4. The Incredible Hulk
Released: 2008
The Incredible Hulk movie is connected to the first two films as it also introduces the Super Soldier program and the Avengers initiative.
5. Iron Man 2
Released: 2010
Nick Fury recruits Tony Stark to work alongside the Avengers. In the film, we also meet Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow.
6. Thor
Released: 2011
We finally meet the God of Thunder in this film franchise. The movie also introduced the character of Hawkeye and the ongoing presence of SHIELD.
7. The Avengers
Released: 2012
In the movie, we see all our Marvel Studios heroes meet for the first time. Of course, there’s also Loki and Eric Selvig.
Also Read: Our Favorite Avengers Quotes
8. Thor: The Dark World
Released: 2013
The story continues for Thor, Loki, and Eric Selvig. In this MCU movie, we see the second Infinity Stone - the Reality Stone, and we are also introduced to the infamous Collector.
9. Guardians of the Galaxy
Released: 2014
In Guardians of the Galaxy, we see Thanos and learn that he’s looking for the Infinity Stones. Aside from the Dark World, we get familiar with the cosmic universe of the MCU.
10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Released: 2017
The movie continues with the next adventure of the Guardians of the Galaxy. We see Quill/Star Lord meeting his alien “father” for the first (and last) time.
11. Iron Man 3
Released: 2013
Now that the heroes are back on Earth, Tony Stark suddenly experiences bouts of anxiety attacks.
12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Released: 2014
Sharing similar aspects with Iron Man 3, this film shows exactly where SHIELD and Captain America were. We also get to meet Falcon for the first time.
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13. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Released: 2015
In Age of Ultron, we catch our first glimpse of Vision and Scarlet Witch. Tony is also seen to be struggling with trying to protect the Earth.
14. Ant-Man
Released: 2015
We meet cat burglar Scott Lang as Ant-Man (thanks to Dr. Hank Pym’s Pym Particles), who tries to sneak into the Avengers compound. We learn that there’s a different dimension somewhere in the Quantum Realm.
15. Captain America: Civil War
Released: 2016
This film continues the Age of Ultron storyline and provides us more details about the Marvel characters of Scarlet Witch and Vision. We first heard about Wakanda and the Black Panther in the movie.
16. Black Panther
Released: 2018
In this movie, we learn about the indestructible element Vibranium that impacted the Wakandan environment. Take note that Howard Stark made Captain America’s shield out of this element.
17. Spider-Man: Homecoming
Released: 2017
The film is set on Earth, with concurrent appearances by Captain America and Iron Man.
18. Ant-Man and The Wasp
Released: 2018
With Ant-Man and the Wasp, we delve deeper into how the Quantum Realm works.
19. Doctor Strange
Released: 2016
The concept of time travel is further explained in this film, along with the idea of magic. We see the fourth Infinity Stone - the Time Stone here.
20. Thor: Ragnarok
Released: 2017
Just when things were finally starting to go well with Thor and Loki, Thanos invades their ship in his quest for the Infinity Stones.
21. Avengers: Infinity War
Released: 2018
Thanos wishes to restore balance in the universe by disintegrating half of all life forms. Nick Fury signals an unknown hero.
22. Avengers: Endgame
Released: 2019
Every hero we’ve seen from the previous films comes together to restore Earth, but sacrifices had to be made.
23. Spider-Man: Far from Home
Released: 2019
We see a world without Thanos and Iron Man in Far From Home. Spider-Man also reveals his identity to the public.
23. Black Widow
Released: 2021
Natasha deals with her broken relationships, history as a spy and her life before she became an Avenger.
24. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Released: 2021
Shang Chi confronts the past when drawn into the web of Ten Rings organization.
25. Eternals
Released: 2021
The race of immortal beings, The Eternals, with superhuman powers secretly lives on Earth and reunite to fight evil Deviants.
26. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Released: 2021
Now the Spider-Man's identity is reveled, he is no longer able to separate his normal life and being a superhero. Something dangerous was revealed when Peter asked help from Doctor Stranger.
27. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Released: 2022
Doctor Strange teams up with a teenage girl who can travel across multiverses including the other universe which threatens to wipe out millions.
28. Thor: Love and Thunder
Released: 2022
Thor faces a quest for inner peace and his retirement gets interrupted by a galactic killer.
29. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Released: 2022
In the wake of King T'Challa's, Queen Ramonda and the Mountain Tribe fight to protect their nation. Wakandans embrace the new path for their beloved kingdom.
30. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Released: 2023
Scott wrestles with the consequences of his choices but Hope and Dr. Hank approached him once again for an urgent mission.
31. The Marvels
Released: 2023
Carol Danvers teams up with Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan in this cosmic adventure, in which their powers become mysteriously intertwined.
32. Deadpool & Wolverine
Released: 2024
The Merc with a Mouth teams up with Wolverine in a multiversal adventure that officially brings the characters into the MCU. Deadpool's introduction is a major shift for the franchise.
33. Captain America: Brave New World
Released: 2024
Sam Wilson fully embraces the mantle of Captain America while facing new threats in a world still recovering from the Blip. Brave New World introduces the Thunderbolts to the universe.
Planning Your Marvel Movie Marathon
If you're planning to watch all Marvel movies in a marathon, consider these approaches:
- Weekend Warrior: Watch 4-5 movies per day over a long weekend
- Phase by Phase: Complete one phase per weekend
- Character Arcs: Follow specific character journeys (e.g., all Thor or Iron Man movies)
- Timeline Order: Follow the chronological sequence for the most cohesive story experience
Essentials for Your Marvel Marathon
- Comfortable seating
- Plenty of snacks and drinks
- Scheduled breaks between films
- Marvel-themed decorations
- A viewing checklist to track your progress
FAQs
What is the longest movie in Marvel?
Avengers: End Game is the longest movie in Marvel with 182 minutes run time [2].
What is the shortest movie in Marvel?
Thor: The Dark World and Incredible Hulk are the two shortest movies in Marvel with 1 hour and 52 minutes run time.
How have Marvel movie runtimes changed over time?
The average runtime of Marvel's films has gradually increased, with Phase 3 entries, when more fans began to watch MCU content seriously, averaging about 15 minutes longer than Phase 1 films. Marvel movies in chronological order, especially the Avengers team-up films, typically run longer, with Endgame being the longest at just over 3 hours.
Which Marvel phase takes the longest to watch?
Phase 3 is the longest to watch, at approximately 25 hours, and it contains 11 movies, including the lengthy Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
So, How Long Would It Take You To Watch All MCU Films?
It would take you approximately 68.6 hours (2 days and 20.6 hours) of continuous viewing to watch all 34 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies released to date. That's without any breaks for food, sleep, or bathroom visits!
If you're planning a movie marathon over a weekend, make sure you have enough popcorn on hand—and perhaps schedule a few days off work to recover.
Also, you may want to check out these Marvel Cinematic Universe fan items to add to your collection!
References:
1. https://www.marvel.com/movies
2. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/avengers-endgame-clocks-at-3-hours-longest-marvel-movie-1197113/
