Marvel Cinematic Universe saga

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the highest-grossing franchise in film history. It began in 2008 with 'Iron Man', directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr., and its big idea was that every film would share one world: characters cross over, post-credits scenes tease what comes next, and the stories are grouped into phases and two great sagas.

The Infinity Saga (phases 1 to 3) assembled the heroes in 'Avengers Assemble' (2012) and built to 'Avengers: Infinity War' and 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019), which took more than $2.7 billion and became the cinema event of its decade. The Multiverse Saga opened the door to other realities with 'Spider-Man: No Way Home', which brought three Spider-Men together, and 'Deadpool & Wolverine' (2024), the highest-grossing R-rated film ever. 2025 brought 'Captain America: Brave New World', 'Thunderbolts*' and 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps', which opened phase 6.

Next comes the end of this era: 'Avengers: Doomsday', in December 2026, with Robert Downey Jr. back, this time as Doctor Doom, and 'Avengers: Secret Wars' in 2027, both from the Russo brothers. To watch them in chronological order, start with 'Captain America: The First Avenger', set in the Second World War, then 'Captain Marvel', set in the nineties.