One of the most important films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Avengers 4 or the part 2 to Infinity War is possibly the most anticipated film among comic book movie fans. It arrives at screens in May 2019 and the yet-to-be-titled film will tie up and bring to a conclusion of over ten years and three phases of Marvel films that have an intricately weaved a single storyline that includes 20 films, TV shows, and web-series.
While hardcore Marvel fans have been able to keep track of all the happenings in the MCU, there has always been the ongoing debate about the exact timeline of where each movie starts and how they fit into the happenings both on and off world. Marvel themselves have finally laid the debate to rest and released the official timeline within which all the Marvel films fit into and they are not in order of release, not strictly.
While not all films in the MCU are included in the list, the ones that are left out can be easily fit in by most who have watched them. By order of when they happened, here is the official Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline:
1943-1945: Captain America: The First Avenger
2010: Iron Man
2011: Iron Man 2
The Incredible Hulk
Thor
2012: The Avengers
Iron Man 3
2013: Thor: The Dark World
2014: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2015: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ant-Man
2016: Captain America: Civil War
Spider-Man: Homecoming
2016 to 2017: Doctor Strange
2017: Black Panther
Thor: Ragnarok
Avengers: Infinity War
According to a report by Cinema Blend, there was never really any confusion with fans about where each film fit and a general idea of what happened when was simply attributed to real time, or that the events happened the year the film was released.
Spider-Man: Homecoming, threw a wrench in the works by having the film say that Avengers—the first—took place eight years before it. That means there is no other way to explain it other than to have the first Avengers take place in 2009.
The Russo brothers have pointed out that this mention was inaccurate, notes the report, prompting Kevin Feige, Marvel head honcho to release this timeline that clears everything up. For now.
The Black Panther to Captain America: Civil War lapse seems a bit off. Also, Tony Stark has said in the "battle of New York" that took place in Avengers, the first took place six years in Infinity War. Infinity War clearly takes place exactly after Thor Ragnarok. More confusions. Factor in the point that Bruce Banner has been the Hulk for two years now, adding to even more inaccuracies and confusions.
It is also still unclear where the Captain Marvel movie will fit in here. The timeline came in the Marvel Studios: The First 10 Years sourcebook, notes the report.