The Marvel Cinematic Universe Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|
| Cosmic Prehistory/Before Recorded Human History | The Celestials create and send the Eternals to worlds like Earth to eliminate Deviants and protect the rise of intelligent life. |
| 5000 BCE | The Domo lands, the Eternals fight Deviants for the first time on Earth, and humanity encounters these strange “gods” from the stars. |
| 575 BCE | The team battles Deviants near one of the great ancient cities, while Phastos is shown nudging human technology forward. |
| 400 CE | During humanity’s classical age, Sersi and Ikaris celebrate their love while the Eternals continue watching civilization grow. |
| 1521 | The Eternals destroy the final known Deviants, but Druig is horrified by human violence and the team begins to break apart. |
| 1943-1945 | Steve Rogers becomes Captain America, battles HYDRA during World War II, and is lost in the Arctic. After the atomic bombing, Phastos blames himself for helping humanity advance technologically and retreats from the world. |
1946 | Peggy Carter continues fighting postwar threats while helping lay the groundwork for S.H.I.E.L.D. |
| 1995 | Carol Danvers discovers her past, unlocks her full power, and becomes Captain Marvel. Nick Fury learns that the Skrulls are refugees rather than villains and becomes tied to their search for a new home. |
| 1997 | Fury promises to help find them a permanent home if they help protect Earth from the shadows. Gravik begins as one of the displaced Skrull children, setting up his later resentment when the promise is never fulfilled. |
| 2008 | Tony Stark builds the first Iron Man armor and publicly reveals himself as a superhero. |
| 2010 | Tony faces declining health, government pressure, and new enemies tied to his father’s legacy. Bruce Banner struggles to control the Hulk while being hunted by the military. Agent Coulson stops a robbery while traveling to investigate the fallen hammer in New Mexico. Thor is banished to Earth, learns humility, and proves himself worthy again. S.H.I.E.L.D. manipulates events to keep Emil Blonsky from joining the Avengers Initiative. |
| 2012 | Earth’s mightiest heroes assemble for the first time to stop Loki’s invasion of New York. Two civilians find alien tech after the Battle of New York and draw S.H.I.E.L.D.’s attention. |
| 2013 | Thor battles Malekith and the Dark Elves as the Reality Stone resurfaces. Tony confronts trauma from New York while battling the Mandarin threat and Extremis. |
| 2014 | Trevor Slattery’s fake Mandarin act catches the attention of the real Ten Rings. Steve Rogers uncovers HYDRA’s infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. and faces the Winter Soldier. Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot form the Guardians and stop Ronan. Baby Groot begins his small, chaotic adventures among the stars. The Guardians confront Ego and deepen their bonds as a found family. |
| 2015 | Matt Murdock begins his war against crime in Hell’s Kitchen and brings down Wilson Fisk. Jessica Jones confronts Kilgrave, her abuser, while trying to protect others from his control. The Avengers create and then battle Ultron, leading to the birth of Vision. Scott Lang becomes Ant-Man and helps Hank Pym keep his shrinking technology out of dangerous hands. Matt faces the Punisher, reunites with Elektra, and is drawn deeper into the Hand’s war. Luke Cage becomes Harlem’s reluctant protector while fighting Cottonmouth, Mariah Dillard, and Diamondback. |
| 2016 | Danny Rand returns to New York, reclaims his family company, and confronts the Hand. The Avengers fracture over the Sokovia Accords and the truth about Bucky’s past. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist unite to stop the Hand beneath New York. Natasha Romanoff confronts her past and helps free other Black Widows from the Red Room. T’Challa becomes king of Wakanda and faces Killmonger’s challenge to the throne. Peter Parker tries to prove himself as Spider-Man while facing the Vulture. Frank Castle uncovers the conspiracy behind his family’s murder and embraces his life as the Punisher. |
| 2017 | Jessica investigates the experiments that gave her powers and uncovers painful truths about her past. Stephen Strange becomes a sorcerer and protects Earth from Dormammu. Luke struggles with fame, responsibility, and Harlem’s power vacuum while facing Bushmaster. Danny Rand battles Davos and questions what it really means to wield the power of the Iron Fist. Thor loses Asgard but saves its people while battling Hela. Matt Murdock returns from the dead and faces Wilson Fisk’s most dangerous comeback. |
| 2018 | Frank protects a young woman while being pulled back into war with old and new enemies. Jessica faces a brilliant serial killer while her relationship with Trish Walker falls apart. Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne search for Janet van Dyne in the Quantum Realm. Thanos gathers the Infinity Stones and wipes out half of all life in the universe. |
| 2023 | The surviving Avengers travel through time, undo the Snap, and defeat Thanos. After the Blip is undone, Fury spends time off-world, worsening the feeling among some Skrulls that he abandoned them. Wanda Maximoff creates the Hex around Westview while struggling with grief. |
| 2024 | Shang-Chi confronts his father and claims his place as a hero. Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes confront the legacy of Captain America in a changed world. Peter Parker faces Mysterio while trying to live up to Tony Stark’s legacy. Sam accepts the shield and becomes the new Captain America. Jennifer Walters becomes She-Hulk after exposure to Bruce Banner’s blood. The Eternals reunite after thousands of years on Earth when the Deviants return and they discover the truth about their mission: they were sent to protect the birth of a Celestial, even if it means the destruction of the planet. Peter Parker’s identity crisis leads to a multiversal catastrophe and a painful sacrifice. Doctor Strange and America Chavez face Wanda’s dangerous pursuit through the multiverse. Clint Barton and Kate Bishop uncover a criminal conspiracy during Christmas in New York. |
| 2025 | Jennifer adjusts to superhero law, public attention, and representing unusual clients. Maya Lopez returns home, confronts her past, and faces the shadow of Wilson Fisk. Marc Spector and Steven Grant confront their fractured identity and the power of Khonshu. Wakanda mourns T’Challa while facing Namor and the hidden kingdom of Talokan. Kamala Khan discovers her powers and becomes a young hero in Jersey City. Thor faces Gorr the God Butcher and reunites with Jane Foster, now wielding Mjolnir. Riri Williams continues building advanced armor while being pulled into a conflict between technology and dark magic. Monster hunters gather for a deadly ritual that introduces Jack Russell and Man-Thing. The Guardians celebrate Christmas and reveal Mantis’s connection to Peter Quill. |
| 2026 | Simon Williams enters the strange overlap between Hollywood, celebrity, and superhero identity. Scott Lang, Hope, Janet, Hank, and Cassie are trapped in the Quantum Realm and encounter Kang. The Guardians fight the High Evolutionary while Rocket’s tragic past comes to light. Nick Fury returns to Earth to uncover a Skrull infiltration threatening global stability. Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan become linked by unstable cosmic powers. Agatha Harkness escapes Wanda’s spell and walks the Witches’ Road in search of restored power. Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk return to open conflict as Fisk gains political power in New York. |
| 2027 | Sam Wilson faces a global crisis as Captain America and confronts the rise of the Red Hulk. A team of damaged antiheroes is forced together and pushed toward becoming The Thunderbolts. Matt continues the fight against Fisk’s anti-vigilante New York. Frank Castle returns for another brutal mission tied to the street-level fallout in New York. |
Marvel Plot Points 