X-Men Film Series Guide and Watching Order

 Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was Fox's X-Men series. 

The one-two punch of Bryan Singer's X-Men in 2000 and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in 2002 (and to a lesser extent 1998's Blade) had a tectonic effect on the Hollywood film industry. They instigated a new wave of relatively serious big-budget superhero films after the genre had long descended into camp and self-parody, leading to a genre renaissance that we are arguably still experiencing to this day. They also placed Marvel's superheroes at the forefront of the public's consciousness, after the previous handful of successful superhero flicks had all been from the DC stable.

No self-respecting Marvel fan, or superhero movie fan in general, would go without versing themselves in the first big superhero franchise of the 21st century, especially as the original X-Men canon has seen itself slowly integrated into the main MCU since Disney's acquisition of Fox's IPs in 2019, coming to a head with the two franchises fully crossing over in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine. This page is your ultimate guide to navigating the entire X-Men movie franchise and its associated spin-offs in order and in depth, whether you're new to the series or an established True Believer.

The X-Men franchise feels different from the MCU in a number of ways. For one, it leans toward a more mature audience than the later Marvel films, with many entries being rated R and even the PG-13 installments being rather more dark, violent, and thematic than one might expect from Hollywood superhero films. The franchise also never paid as much attention to things like continuity or a unified authorial voice as the MCU, and over time this caused the series to break down into a number of loosely related sub-franchises, which I will denote in the list by color-coding the titles like so:

Original Timeline: The present-day timeline established by the original X-Men trilogy, created by Bryan Singer.

First Class Timeline: In 2011, Fox released the Matthew Vaughn-directed X-Men: First Class, a semi-prequel to the original trilogy with an entirely new cast which served as a partial reboot of the franchise, subtly contradicting the established canon in a number of ways. First Class would receive a number of sequels which would increasingly place it in its own timeline separate from the original, but still frequently referencing its parent trilogy.

Crossover: A crossover between two separate sub-franchises.

Deadpool films: The satirical spin-off series starring Deadpool plays fast and loose with canon and doesn't much care which of the established timelines it takes place in, freely referencing both.

Other Spin-offs: One-off films and television series that don't fit into any of the above sub-franchises.

Each entry in the list will include basic information such as release date, director, MPAA rating, and synopsis. I will also detail which comic stories each individual film/series draws on as source material for those interested in checking out the comics, though this is a tricky business. In general, when superhero comics are adapted, they are not treated like literature, where the story would be translated as directly and linearly from page to screen as possible while making concessions for the new medium. Rather, they are treated like mythology, where the most recognizable characters and iconography from throughout the comic's history are drawn upon and condensed together without directly interpreting any one individual author's work.

I will also make notes as to how each film/series fits into the greater continuity of the franchise, and whether each film has any post-credits scenes you may want to stick around for. I will keep spoilers to a minimum, but as this guide will discuss matters of canon and continuity, some minor spoilers might be inevitable. Without further ado:

X-Men
Release date: July 14, 2000
Director: Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil)
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: In a world where a minority of the human population are born as "mutants" with unique superhuman abilities and persecuted for it, amnesiac loner Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), is recruited into a team of heroic mutants called the X-Men, led by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). Their mission: to stop the terrorist acts of Xavier's former friend turned mutant extremist Magneto (Ian Mckellan) and his brotherhood of villainous mutants.
Source material: Takes general characters and ideas from throughout X-Men comic history, especially the seminal 1975-1991 run on the comic by Chris Claremont. The X-Men were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and they and their nemesis Magneto first appeared in X-Men #1 in 1963. However, the most recognizable rendition of the team wouldn't debut until Claremont, Len Wein, and artist Dave Cockrum resurrected the series after a five-year hiatus in 1975, introducing iconic characters like Wolverine and Storm, who feature here.
Notes on continuity: None.
Credits scenes: None.

X2: X-Men United
Release date: May 2, 2003
Director: Bryan Singer
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: The X-Men and Magneto's (Mckellan) Brotherhood strike up an uneasy alliance (uniting, one might say) as they face a new mutual threat with ties to Wolverine's (Jackman) mysterious past in the form of mutant-hating military scientist Colonel William Stryker (Brian Cox).
Source material: Borrows broad strokes from both Wolverine's backstory as detailed in the 1991 "Weapon X" arc in Marvel Comics Presents by Barry Windsor-Smith and the iconic 1982 graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills by Claremont and artist Brent Anderson, which introduced the character of William Stryker, there a genocidal reverend rather than a military colonel.
Notes on continuity: Direct sequel to X-Men and early high point for the franchise. Simple enough so far.
Credits scenes: None.

X-Men: The Last Stand
Release date: May 26, 2006
Director: Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Red Dragon)
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: The discovery of a so-called "mutant cure" which robs mutants of their abilities tears the mutant community asunder. Meanwhile, a long-lost teammate of the X-Men returns with a destructive new personality.
Source material: Combines cues from the then-recent 2004 "Gifted" arc by Joss Whedon and artist John Cassady that kicked off Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men, and the epic "Dark Phoenix Saga" written in 1980 by Claremont and artist John Byrne in the pages of The Uncanny X-Men.
Notes on continuity: A controversial conclusion to the original X-Men trilogy (which many blame on the departure of Singer in the director's chair) that most later films would make an effort to distance themselves from. Things start getting messy here.
Credits scenes: One of the earliest superhero post-credits scenes, this one didn't foreshadow any project in particular and was mostly never followed up on in later films except by implication.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Release date: May 1, 2009
Director: Gavin Hood (Tsotsi)
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: This fast-paced prequel details the mysterious origins of the titular leading X-Man over the course of several decades, from the recruitment of Logan (Jackman) and his brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber) into a covert mutant strike force, to his time as a test subject for Weapon X, to his subsequent escape and attempts to go into hiding from his former colleagues and estranged brother.
Source material: This movie takes elements from multiple different renditions of Wolverine's backstory, particularly the aforementioned "Weapon X" and the 2001-2002 limited series Wolverine: Origin by Bill Jemas, Joe Quesada, Paul Jenkins, and artist Andy Kubert.
Notes on continuity: This movie brazenly ignores and contradicts what little we learn of Wolverine's past in the original trilogy. An early exercise in superhero franchise building, this movie was intended to be the first in a series of X-Men Origins films, including one focused on Magneto, but its critical failure and lackluster box office returns led to the idea being mostly nipped in the bud. It is perhaps telling that the video game tie-in, X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Uncaged Edition, was received more warmly by fans and critics than the film itself. This film was mostly ignored by subsequent installments in the franchise.
Credits scenes: One of the first superhero films to have multiple credits scenes, with different ones playing in different theaters. One reveals the fate of one of the film's villains after the end of the movie, another vaguely suggests the return of Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool in his own spin-off film, and one foreshadows the eventual second Wolverine spin-off film. All are available on the home media releases.

X-Men: First Class
Release date: June 3, 2011
Director: Matthew Vaughn (Stardust, Kick-Ass)
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: A period piece set in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, this prequel/reboot of the X-Men franchise shows the first meeting of Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) as they recruit the first ever team of X-Men to take down a mutant supremacist named Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) who plots to wipe out humanity by jumpstarting a nuclear war.
Source material: Borrows its title and basic premise (showing the early adventures of the original team of X-Men) from the 2006-2007 limited series X-Men: First Class by Jeff Parker and artist Roger Cruz, but with a wildly different team line-up, tone, and story.
Notes on continuity: Marketed as a prequel, though Vaughn considered the film to be more like Marvel's Ultimate Comics line, which offered reimagined interpretations of their existing heroes for a new, younger audience. This film freely homages and contradicts the original trilogy in equal measure, and its success led to a number of sequels featuring this same cast, effectively rebooting the franchise.
Credits scenes: None.

The Wolverine
Release date: July 26, 2013
Director: James Mangold (Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma)
Rating: PG-13, with gorier unrated director's cut (Mangold directed the film with the intent of it being rated R, but the final product was censored by the studio to earn a PG-13 for theatrical release; the "Unleashed Extended Edition" restores the cut violence and language, along with other deleted footage.)
Synopsis: Haunted by the events of The Last Stand, Wolverine (Jackman) retreats to Japan where he gets embroiled in shady clan politics involving an old World War II acquaintance in this homage to classic samurai films.
Source material: Primarily a loose adaptation of the 1982 Wolverine limited series by Claremont and Frank Miller.
Notes on continuity: A direct sequel to The Last Stand that largely ignores the previous Wolverine stand-alone. Has its own couple of continuity-related plot holes but is largely consistent with the original trilogy.
Credits scenes: One post-credits scene foreshadowing the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past.

X-Men: Days of Future Past
Release date: May 23, 2014
Director: Bryan Singer
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: In the distant future of 2023 (just go with it), mutants have been rendered all but extinct by a race of super-advanced killer robots called Sentinels. The X-Men's last hope for survival is to send Wolverine (Jackman) back in time to 1973 to change the past and prevent this dystopic future from ever occurring. Why yes, it is basically X-Men-meets-Terminator.
Source material: A relatively faithful, by this series' standards, adaptation of Claremont and Byrne's classic 1981 "Days of Future Past" storyline from the pages of The Uncanny X-Men, with changes made to allow the story to fit the universe established by the films.
Notes on continuity: Considered something of a return to form for the franchise by critics and fans, a turn often attributed to the return of original director Bryan Singer. This installment serves as essentially a crossover between the original and First Class versions of the characters, attempting to patch up the holes in continuity created by the latter film. At the same time, it uses its time travel premise to erase a number of controversial plot developments from the post-Singer films and allow the First Class timeline to take over as the primary continuity for the series moving forward, in something of a passing of the torch. Don't miss the superior "Rogue Cut" version, which restores a large amount of cut content, most notably reinstating the series mainstay character of Rogue (Anna Paquin), whose story was almost entirely removed from the theatrical version.
Credits scenes: One post-credits scene foreshadowing X-Men: Apocalypse.

Deadpool
Release date: February 12, 2016
Director: Tim Miller
Rating: R
Synopsis: Mouthy, flamboyant, and oh-so-violent mutant mercenary Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) hunts down the people responsible for his traumatic past, much to the chagrin of the strait-laced X-Men trying to stop him, in this gory and irreverent superhero send-up for adults only.
Source material: Deadpool was technically created by infamous comic auteur Rob Liefeld and debuted in a 1991 issue of The New Mutants, but this film draws more on the later work of Fabian Nicieza and Joe Kelly, who established the character's backstory and fleshed him out from Liefeld's two-dimensional rip-off of DC's Deathstroke into the fourth wall-breaking lunatic fans know and love. Kelly and artist Ed McGuinness's 1997 series offers the definitive take on the character.
Notes on continuity: This mostly stand-alone comedy really only requires a passing familiarity with X-Men lore, though fans are rewarded with a number of subtle in-jokes. Reynolds reprises his role as the Merc with a Mouth from X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but in a wildly different and far more comic-accurate interpretation of the character that ignores his appearance in the other film except to poke fun at it. Colossus, the one other returning character in this film, is played by a different actor (Stefan Kapicic taking over from Daniel Cudmore) and is also depicted wildly differently (and again, more comic-accurately) than in previous films. The film's parodic tone and general contempt for the fourth wall mean that it isn't worrying too much about canon or continuity, so probably neither should we.
Credits scenes: One tongue-in-cheek post-credits gag.

X-Men: Apocalypse
Release date: May 27, 2016
Director: Bryan Singer
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: Set ten years after the past segments of Days of Future Past, this film sees the young X-Men taking up arms against the megalomaniacal supervillain Apocalypse, a near-godlike being from Ancient Egypt who is said to be the first ever mutant and who has arisen from his slumber to destroy the Earth and remake it in his image.
Source material: Apocalypse was created by Louise Simonson and artist Jackson Guice and debuted in 1986 as the main villain of their run on X-Factor. This film draws much of its inspiration from the 1988 "The Fall of the Mutants" storyline from said run, which saw the team's first major run-in with Apocalypse and his Four Horsemen. As with Days of Future Past, this is in many ways a more direct and faithful adaptation of the storyline than the series usually musters. The film also features an extended sequence that once again references Windsor-Smith's "Weapon X" story.
Notes on continuity: The third film in the First Class continuity, and the last to be directed by Singer. This film picks up on storylines from both First Class and Days of Future Past and introduces the younger First Class renditions of a number of characters from the original films, including Cyclops, Jean Gray, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Angel, all played by new actors. Indeed, other than some aesthetic similarities, an extended cameo by Hugh Jackman as Wolverine remains the film's only palpable connection to the original series.
Credits scenes: One post-credits scene vaguely foreshadowing Logan.

Legion
Premiere date: February 9, 2017
Creator: Noah Hawley (Fargo)
Rating: TV-MA
Synopsis: David Haller (Dan Stevens) is a powerful mutant, that much is certain, but how much of the strange, horrific experiences he's lived through are the result of his mutant heritage and how much are the delusional product of his schizophrenic, disassociated mind? He joins an X-Men-like team of misfit mutants to find out in this psychedelic sci-fi psychological horror series (3 seasons, 27 episodes).
Source material: Professor X's insane antiheroic son Legion debuted in a 1985 issue of The New Mutants written by Claremont and drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz and got his own series in the 2012 version of X-Men Legacy by Simon Spurrier, but this show's trippy aesthetics and most of its idiosyncratic characters are 100% Noah Hawley.
Notes on continuity: Legion is the result of an early team-up between Fox and Marvel Television, and the first season keeps it deliberately ambiguous how much this show is canon to the films, keeping it vague enough that it could go either way. However, as the show goes on it becomes increasingly unlikely that it is in-continuity, and by the time flashbacks in the third season introduce a young Charles Xavier played by Harry Loyd with a wildly different history than the McAvoy version, it is clear that Legion takes place in its own weird little universe that only sometimes nods toward the X-Men films, mostly in its aesthetics. 

Logan
Release date: March 3, 2017
Director: James Mangold
Rating: R
Synopsis: As much an homage to 50s Westerns as The Wolverine was to 50s samurai films, Logan sees the titular former superhero (Jackman) become an aging muscle-for-hire caring for an elderly and senile Charles Xavier (Stewart) in a future where the X-Men are dead and mutants have gone largely extinct. Logan's heroic instincts are reignited one last time when he comes into the custody of a little girl (Dafne Keen) with powers similar to his own and must protect her from the evil scientists who created her and want her back.
Source material: The film borrows its basic premise from the 2008-2009 "Old Man Logan" Wolverine storyline by Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven, though offering a wildly different take on the concept. It also adapts a version of Laura Kinney a.k.a. X-23's 2006 origin story "Innocence Lost" from her self-titled series by Christopher Yost and artist Craig Kyle.
Notes on continuity: Serves as something of a bittersweet swan song for the versions of these characters introduced in the original X-Men. I might even recommend saving this movie for very last in watching order to allow the X-Men series a proper grand finale rather than the whimper it would actually die on. Don't miss the gorgeous black-and-white Logan Noir version of the film which serves to deepen the retro genre homage.
Credits scenes: None.

The Gifted
Premiere date: October 2, 2017
Details coming soon!

Deadpool 2
Release date: May 18, 2018
Director: David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde)
Rating: R (and unrated "Super Duper Cut")
Synopsis: After a startling loss, a depressed and apathetic Deadpool (Reynolds) finds new meaning in his life when he takes it upon himself to protect foulmouthed young mutant Russell Collins (Julian Dennison) from time travelling assassin Cable (Josh Brolin), who wants Russell dead for crimes he will commit in the future.
Source material: While Cable debuted in a 1986 issue of The New Mutants by Liefeld and Simonson, the concept of a Deadpool/Cable team-up, and the pair's general comedic dynamic, originates in Nicieza's classic 2004-2008 Cable & Deadpool series. The movie also sees the formation of X-Force, a team created by Liefeld in the pages of The New Mutants in 1991.
Notes on continuity: A direct sequel to the original Deadpool, and just as much in its own little corner of the universe (though the X-Men: Apocalypse version of the X-Men do make a very brief cameo, for what it's worth, even if that makes no sense from a timeline perspective). Like Colossus, the Juggernaut returns for the first time since The Last Stand and is reworked from the ground up to more closely resemble his comics counterpart.
Credits scenes: A plethora, most of them brief tongue-in-cheek gags.

Dark Phoenix
Release date: June 7, 2019
Director: Simon Kinberg (writer of several earlier films in the series)
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: Following the events of Apocalypse, the X-Men fly into space to rescue a NASA mission gone wrong, where young Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) is inadvertently exposed to a mysterious cosmic energy that is absorbed into her body. The energy awakens the true potential of Jean’s mighty abilities but also threatens to warp her personality toward darkness. Not helping matters is the arrival on Earth of a race of shapeshifting aliens who want to use this power for themselves.
Source Material: This film is another attempted adaptation of the iconic Dark Phoenix Saga of the comics, following The Last Stand's earlier try at the story, This iteration is generally more faithful than The Last Stand, incorporating the significant cosmic elements of the story that the previous version excised.
Notes on continuity: Ultimately serves as the final installment of the First Class timeline, with the characters being handed off to Disney and Marvel Studios for rebooting after this.
Credits scenes: None.

The New Mutants
Release date: August 28, 2020
Director: Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars)
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: In this horror-tinged spin-off of the X-Men films, young Cheyenne mutant Dani Moonstar (Blu Hunt) finds herself locked away in a mental hospital designed to help her gain control of her powers, alongside several other unstable young mutants with dangerous abilities. Unfortunately, Dani's lack of control over her destructive power to make others' nightmares become reality unleashes a grotesquery of horrors on the hospital that she and her new friends must overcome. Meanwhile, it becomes increasingly clear that not everything about this place is as benign and helpful as it initially appears...
Source material: The team known as the New Mutants debuted in the graphic novel of the same name by Claremont and artist Bob McLeod in 1982. The film is principally a loose adaptation of the subsequent series' most iconic storyline the "Demon Bear Saga", which ran in issues #18-20 of The New Mutants in 1984 and was written by Claremont and Sienkiewicz.
Notes on continuity: This spin-off introduces a new team of young mutant heroes who could have made for the perfect core of a soft reboot of the franchise. The film even picks up on some loose threads from Apocalypse and manages to tie them in to Logan. Unfortunately, nothing will ever come of any of this, as by the time this film was released it was already well known that the franchise was coming to an end ahead of Disney and Marvel Studios' presumed reboot of the series after acquiring 20th Century Fox.
Credits scenes: None.

For future live-action adventures by Marvel's mutant characters, see the MCU.

Buffyverse Guide and Watching Order

The cult classic 1990s Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series has, with the addition of various spin-offs and comic series, become a sprawling franchise unto itself. This binging guide, like my similar guides for the MCU, New Who, and the DCAU, seeks to put all of the shows and comics into one digestible list to make binging the whole franchise easy and painless.

While there are a multitude of Buffy tie-in comics, only the ones beginning with the Joss Whedon helmed Season Eight are considered official canon (with a couple of exceptions, as noted below), and are thus the only ones featured in this guide. Not to say that the other comics are of lower quality, simply that there are too many to chronicle the canon and non-canon alike.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Film, 1992)
Directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui. The original Buffy film is not quite canon with the later stories. The actors are different, the tone is off, events do not quite match up, and the look and rules of the supernatural elements of the film are way different from what the series would solidify. However, the broad strokes of the film's events do set up the series, so it is best to watch it to get the background. Alternatively, some would suggest instead reading Joss Whedon's original screenplay for the film (which still does not quite match up, but is tonally much closer to the series) or Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Origin, a comic book adaptation by Dan Brereton and Christopher Golden that rewrites the film's narrative to line up more comfortably with the series (though the comic does still have its weird idiosyncrasies).

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season One (Television, 1996-1997)
Created by Joss Whedon. First season of the television series, which is the backbone of the franchise.

Buffy: The High School Years (Comic, 2016-present)
By Faith Erin Hicks. A still-ongoing series of standalone graphic novels set during the first season of the show.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Seasons Two and Three (Television, 1997-1999)

Buffy Season Four / Angel Season One (Television, 1999-2000)
Angel (created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt) is Buffy's spin-off series, which ran alongside its sister show for most of its run. The two shows crossover constantly, so at least on first-time viewing you really need to stagger the shows rather than watch them separately so as not to get lost. There are already plenty of good pieces online for how to stagger the two shows, such as this one right here, so this guide will not address that.

Buffy Season Five / Angel Season Two (Television, 2000-2001)

Buffy Season Six / Angel Season Three (Television, 2001-2002)

Fray (Comic, 2001-2003)
By Joss Whedon. A comic miniseries set int he distant future of the show. Sets up some concepts for the seventh season of Buffy.

Buffy Season Seven / Angel Season Four (Television, 2002-2003)
Season seven is the final televised season of Buffy, though later seasons would be released in comic book form.

Angel Season Five (Television, 2003-2004)
The final season of Angel.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales (Comic, 2011)
By various. A collection of assorted canon comic stories expanding on the world and characters of Buffy and Angel.

Spike: Asylum (Comic, 2006-2007)
By Brian Lynch. Miniseries set roughly some time during season five of Angel.

Spike: Shadow Puppets (Comic, 2007)
By Brian Lynch. Sequel to Asylum. Both series are wobbly in regards to canon, and Shadow Puppets in particular uses its story to poke fun at the idea of "official canon" in general.

Spike: After the Fall (Comic, 2008)
By Brian Lynch. Essentially the third part of a trilogy of Spike miniserieses, and leads directly in Angel: After the Fall.

Angel: After the Fall Vol. 1-4 (Comic, 2007-2009)
By Brian Lynch. Sister series to Buffy Season Eight, and often referred to as Angel Season 6, though it takes place before Buffy Season Eight. IDW would continue the series for a while past Vol. 4, but those issues lacked franchise creator Joss Whedon's involvement and are not considered canonical.

Spike (Comic, 2010-2011)
By Brian Lynch. A spin-off of Angel: After the Fall leading into Buffy Season Eight.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Vol. 1-8 (Comic, 2007-2011)
By various. The official comic continuation of Buffy.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine (Comic, 2011-2013)
By various. Split into two sister series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel & Faith, plus some miniseries, as follows:
A&F Vol. 1
Buffy Vol. 1
A&F Vol. 2
Buffy Vol. 2
A&F Vol. 3
Buffy Vol. 3
Willow: Wonderland
A&F Vol. 4
Buffy Vol. 4
A&F Vol. 5
Spike: A Dark Place
Buffy Vol. 5

Buffy Season Ten (Comic, 2014-2016)
By various. As follows:
A&F Vol. 1
Buffy Vol 1
A&F Vol. 2
Buffy Vol. 2
A&F Vol. 3
Buffy Vol. 3
A&F Vol. 4
Buffy Vol. 4
A&F Vol. 5
Buffy Vol. 5
Buffy Vol. 6

Buffy Season Eleven (Comic, 2016-2018)
By various. The Angel & Faith series was replaced by an Angel ongoing. As follows:
Buffy Vol. 1
Angel Vol. 1
Angel Vol. 2
Angel Vol. 3
Buffy Vol. 2
Giles

There are also, in addition to the aforementioned non-canon comics, a ton of non-canon novels and a handful of video games, including two well-regarded quasi-canon installments for the Xbox (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Reigns).

So You Want to Watch the Marvel Movies: An MCU Binging Guide

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (the official collective term for Marvel Studios' entire multimedia franchise) is currently clocking in at over twenty films and counting at the time of this writing, not to mention television spin-offs, short films, web series, and so on. Part of Marvel's business model is making all of these films interconnected and interdependent, which many would argue makes for a richly written and engaging mythology.

The problem is, though, that new installments in the franchise increasingly depend on consumers having a working knowledge of all the other elements of the franchise. For new viewers wanting to navigate the universe, figuring out where to start and what order to watch things in can be difficult. That is the point of this guide; to be a resource for making binge-watching the MCU franchise as easy and enjoyable as possible.

The order here factors in release date, chronological order when it make sense, as well as general coherence and narrative flow.

An easy way to think about consuming the MCU is to treat it as one massive television show. It is very serialized like a TV show, and indeed the film side is released and marketed in "phases" much like television seasons. This guide will be roughly broken up into these phases, though with some installments shifted around for cohesion.

The guide will also make note of each film's credit scenes, including how many there are, where in the credits they are placed, and how necessary it is to stick around for them.

Pre-MCU

These films are Marvel adaptations that pre-date or otherwise initially existed outside the MCU franchise. They later were introduced into the MCU canon as a part of the larger Marvel multiverse, with characters from these films showing up in MCU films.

Fox's X-Men franchise (Film and Television, 2000-2020)

Long-running multimedia franchise focusing on the titular Marvel superhero team and related characters. The first film, along with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, paved the way for the huge superhero boom of the 2000s that is still going strong today. Officially ended with Disney's acquisition of Fox and all of their properties. How much if any of this franchise's influence will be seen in the MCU remains unknown, but the MCU has already made some joke references to the series and cameos, and a version of Deadpool very similar to the one in this universe is set to appear in the MCU in the near future. Regardless, the MCU has made enough references to this series that it would behoove the viewer to have seen these prior to the MCU films.

Spider-Man trilogy (Film, 2002-2007)

Credit scenes: None.

Directed by Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Darkman). The original and still probably most iconic cinematic take on the Spider-Man franchise starring Tobey Maguire. The first film played a huge part in kicking off the superhero movie boom of the 2000s that would lead directly to the birth of the MCU.

The Amazing Spider-Man duology (Film, 2012 and 2014)

Credit scenes: The first film has one teasing the second film, and the second film had a teaser for the unrelated superhero film X-Men: Days of Future Past in theaters.

Directed by Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer). A second take on the Spider-Man story starring Andrew Garfield. Initially intended to kick off its own shared universe of Sony-produced Spider-Man-related superhero films separate from the MCU, but plans fell through due to lackluster financial performance.

Phase One

Phase One is made up mostly of origin stories, so really most of the films (barring direct sequels like Iron Man 2 and of course The Avengers) can be watched in any order. The order here is done roughly chronologically, though you can certainly go in release order if you prefer.

Captain America: The First Avenger (Film, 2011)
Credit scenes: None, barring the teaser trailer for The Avengers that plays after the credits.
Directed by Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, Jumanji). Origin story for the titular patriotic super-soldier (Chris Evans); set during WW2 and serving as a throwback to 40s pulp adventure stories. Not the first film by release order. In fact, it is really the penultimate episode of Phase One, released between Thor and The Avengers. However, it is chronologically the first film in the franchise and does an excellent job of establishing the shared universe.

Agent Carter Seasons One and Two (Television, 2015-2016)
Created by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, regular screenwriters for the MCU. This series serves as a spin-off from Captain America: The First Avenger starring Cap's love interest, secret agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), in a science-fiction spy procedural. Characters introduced in the series would go on to appear in other Marvel series and films. As above, Agent Carter did not debut until well into Marvel's Phase Two, and yet again it most makes sense watched here right after Captain America, as it picks up soon after said film and continues its narrative.

Iron Man (Film, 2008)
Credit scenes: One post-credit scene teasing Iron Man 2 and The Avengers.
Directed by Jon Favreau (Elf, Zathura). Action-comedy origin story for the titular genius millionaire playboy philanthropist (Robert Downey, Jr.). The first installment of the MCU in release order, and thus also a great place to start watching.

Iron Man 2 (Film, 2010)
Credit scenes: One post-credit scene teasing Thor.
Jon Favreau returns to direct. Actually released after The Incredible Hulk, but takes place at roughly the same time as said film and picks up immediately after the first Iron Man movie. The two Iron Man films work well if watched as one big two-parter.

The Incredible Hulk (Film, 2008)
Credit scenes: None.
Directed by Louis Leterrier (The Transporter). Interestingly not an origin story, relying on viewer background knowledge from sources like Ang Lee's recent Hulk film. This angsty creature feature follows Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) evading the U.S. military and struggling with his radioactive monster alter-ego (Lou Ferrigno reprising his role from the 70s television series of the same name). Again, this film makes more narrative sense watched after Iron Man 2.

The Consultant (One-Shot, 2011)
Directed by Leythum. Included on Thor Blu-Ray release. Marvel's One-Shots were a series of shorts released online and as extras on the Blu-Ray releases of the films. They generally serve the purpose of wrapping up loose threads from the films, patching plot holes, and setting up potential future ideas for later stories. It seems Marvel is making no more of these, as none have been released since 2014. This particular One-Shot tidies up some loose ends from The Incredible Hulk, starring recurring S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Jasper Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernández). 

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer (One-Shot, 2011)
Directed by Leythum. Included on the Captain America: The First Avenger Blu-Ray release. Serves as a prelude to Thor starring Agent Phil Coulson.

Thor (Film, 2011)
Credit scenes: One post-credit scene teasing The Avengers.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh (Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet). Shakespearian-influenced origin story for the titular fish-out-of-water Norse god (Chris Hemsworth). Probably the most "required viewing" to understand the first Avengers film.

The Avengers (Film, 2012)
Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene of some significance and one post-credit gag.
Directed by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly). Works like a season finale for this phase. Obviously a big crossover film, featuring the heroes of all previous films (with Mark Ruffalo replacing Norton and Ferrigno as Bruce Banner/the Hulk) teaming up to thwart an alien invasion.

Item 47 (One-Shot, 2012)
Directed by Louis D'Esposito. Included on The Avengers Blu-Ray release. An epilogue to The Avengers, and also a subtle setup for the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series, starring Agent Jasper Sitwell.

Phase Two

Again, release order from here on out would be fine and is mostly how the phase is sorted, though some later films have been moved around for coherence sake. The real challenge here is the introduction of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series, which runs concurrently with the films from here out and frequently makes mention of the events of the films. So if you want to binge Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., either stagger your viewing of the series with the films as recommended by this guide, or just watch all the movies and then go back and catch up on the series.

Iron Man 3 (Film, 2013)
Credit scenes: One post-credit gag teasing Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Directed by Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). Sequel to Iron Man 2 with strong references to The Avengers as Tony Stark grapples with his post-Battle-of-New-York PTSD while fighting terrorists at Christmas time.

All Hail the King (One-Shot, 2014)
Directed by Iron Man 3 co-writer Drew Pearce. Included on the Thor: The Dark World Blu-Ray release. Ties up some loose ends from Iron Man 3, and sets up ideas that would finally be followed up on seven years later in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Follows the prison exploits of actor Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley).

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season One "Pilot" through "The Hub" (Television, 2013)
Created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen. Details the adventures of a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by one of the characters of the films in what starts as an X-Files-style sci-fi procedural. Primary television side of the MCU for several years. Most episodes have tags before the credits, mirroring the credit scenes of the films, so watch for those.

Thor: The Dark World (Film, 2013)
Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene teasing Guardians of the Galaxy and one post-credit scene of some significance.
Directed by television director Alan Taylor. Sequel to Thor continues to emphasize his romance with human scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and introduce concepts building up to later franchise crossovers.

Doctor Strange (Film, 2016)
Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene teasing Thor: Ragnarok (actually a scene taken from said film) and one post-credit scene teasing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister). Fantastical origin story for the titular sorcerer (Benedict Cumberbatch). This one is kind of weird to place chronologically. If you want to watch it in release order (Phase Three, after Captain America: Civil War), you certainly can. The "official" timeline places it in its release year, 2016. Evidence in the film itself indicates it probably does not take place then, however. Early parts of the film definitely take place around the time of Iron Man 2, and later parts only explicitly occur at some point after The Avengers. A line from Captain America: The Winter Soldier suggests that said film takes place after this one. The post-credit scenes absolutely happen later, and the first one by nature has some spoilers for Thor: The Dark World, so this guide recommends placing this film roughly here.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season One "The Well" through "End of the Beginning" (Television, 2013-2014)
The episode "The Well"  picks up immediately after the events of Thor: The Dark World.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Film, 2014)
Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene teasing Avengers: Age of Ultron and one post-credit scene teasing Captain America: Civil War.
Directed by television directing duo and brothers Joe and Anthony Russo. Loose sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger, with strong references to The Avengers, as Captain Rogers acclimates to the modern world and his new status as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Tonally more of a dark political thriller as opposed to the first film's pulp adventure. One of the biggest "required viewing" films in the franchise, especially for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season One "Turn, Turn, Turn" through "Beginning of the End" (Television, 2014)
"Turn, Turn, Turn" picks up on the events of Winter Soldier. Carries through the remainder of season one.

Guardians of the Galaxy (Film, 2014)
Credit scenes: One post-credit gag.
Directed by James Gunn (Slither, Super). Space Western flavored origin story for the titular C-list spacefaring superhero team. Unique in that it (and, to a slightly lesser extent, its sequel) can be easily watched standalone without watching the other Marvel films, though it is indispensable for setting up later Marvel films.

Daredevil Season One (Netflix, 2015)
Created by Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods). Gritty origin story for the titular blind lawyer by day, vigilante by night (Charlie Cox). In addition to its primary films and series, Marvel also produced several Netflix original series set in the MCU but at first by-and-large not directly connected to the other stories. With Disney closing down Marvel's television branch in favor of future shows being produced in-house by Marvel Studios and all future streaming projects being produced for Disney+ (all of the Netflix-produced Marvel shows would get moved over to Disney+ in 2022), this particular branch of the franchise ended rather unceremoniously with the third season of Jessica Jones. Characters from this series would later show up again in other MCU films and series. Note that the Netflix Marvel series are intended for more mature audiences than the rest of the basically family-friendly MCU, with darker themes, significantly more bloody violence, and adult content.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Two "Shadows" through "The Dirty Half Dozen" (Television, 2014-2015)
Majority of season two. The Events of "The Dirty Half Dozen" lead into Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (Film, 2015)
Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene teasing Avengers: Infinity War.
Joss Whedon returns to direct. Sequel to The Avengers, dealing with the rise of the titular megalomaniacal AI (James Spader). Functionally, if not officially, the finale for Phase Two.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Two "Scars" through "S.O.S." (Television, 2015)
Last few episodes of season two.

Jessica Jones Season One (Netflix, 2015)
Created by Melissa Rosenberg (The Twilight Saga). Details the noir-flavored cases of the titular jaded superpowered private eye (Krysten Ritter).

Phase Three

WHIH Newsfront Episodes 1-5 (Web, 2015)
A viral marketing web series treated as an in-universe newscast used to set up incoming film projects. Episodes 1-5 set up Ant-Man. Available on the Ant-Man Blu-ray release.

Ant-Man (Film, 2015)
Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene teasing Captain America: Civil War (actually a scene taken from said film) and one post-credit scene teasing Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Directed by Payton Reed (Bring it On, Yes Man). Origin story for the titular size-shifting professional criminal (Paul Rudd) in a comedic superhero heist film. Released as the last installment of Phase Two, but functionally serves as the beginning of Phase Three.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Three "Laws of Nature" through "Failed Experiments" (Television, 2015-2016)
Majority of the third season.

WHIH Newsfront Episodes 6-10 (Web, 2016)
Sets up Captain America: Civil War. Not included on said home video release, however, and now difficult if not impossible to find online, so may have to be skipped.

Captain America: Civil War (Film 2016)
Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene teasing Black Panther and one post-credit scene teasing Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Joe and Anthony Russo return to direct. Really as much an Avengers film as a Captain America film, and another "required viewing." Details a rift in the Avengers leading to an all-out battle between two factions of the team.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Three "Emancipation" through "Ascension" (Television, 2016)
The remaining three episodes of season three. "Emancipation" picks up on the plot of Civil War.

Daredevil Season Two (Netflix, 2016)

Black Panther (Film, 2018)
Credit scenes: One significant mid-credit scene and one post-credit scene teasing Avengers: Infinity War.
Directed by Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed). Released after Thor: Ragnarok, but explicitly takes place shortly after Civil War. Not an origin story, as the character was already introduced in Civil War. Follows the titular superpowered king (Chadwick Boseman) of the African nation of Wakanda dealing with a potential usurper to the throne (Michael B. Jordan).

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Four "The Ghost" through "The Laws of Inferno Dynamics" (Television, 2016)
First arc of the season.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot (Web, 2016)
A web series tie-in to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., released and framed during the fourth season, detailing the past exploits of superpowered teammate Yo-Yo (Natalia Córdova-Buckley).

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Four "Broken Promises" through "World's End" (Television, 2016-2017)
Remainder of season. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 released between the episodes "Farewell, Cruel World" and "The Return," but the two of course make no reference to one another so you can just save GOTG Vol. 2 for after the rest of the season.

Luke Cage Season One (Netflix, 2016)
Created by Cheo Hodari Coker. Blaxploitation-influenced spin-off of Jessica Jones starring her indestructible on-again-off-again love interest (Mike Colter).

Iron Fist Season One (Netflix, 2017)
Created by Scott Buck. Martial arts series detailing the origin of the titular supernatural martial arts master (Finn Jones).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Film, 2017)
Credit scenes: Several, to the point of feeling like a parody of the concept. Sprinkled all throughout the credits.
James Gunn returns to direct. Ostensibly set soon after the first film, but at least one joke only lands if you have seen Civil War, so it is best to just watch it here by release order. The further adventures of the space-faring team of outlaws see the team roster expand and team leader Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) uncover the mystery of his origins.

The Defenders (Netflix, 2017)
Created by Douglas Petrie and Marco Ramirez (who also worked on Daredevil). Avengers-style crossover miniseries featuring the heroes of all four then-released Netflix series battling a supernatural secret society.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (Film, 2017)
Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene and one post-credit gag.
Directed by Jon Watts (Clown). Much like the Hulk film above, this does not serve as an origin story, relying on audience exposure to the character's origin in the various other Spidey adaptations released before the MCU. As with Black Panther, this Spider-Man was first introduced in Civil War and his story here picks up from there. Follows Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in his struggles juggling high school, his friendly neighborhood superheroics, and his newfound potential place among the Avengers.

Inhumans (Television, 2017)
Created by Scott Buck, who previously created Iron Fist. Loosely picks up on story threads from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Two and forward, featuring a team of superpowered humans from the moon. Only lasted a single season, though due to poor ratings and critical reception (a rarity for Marvel on both counts) rather than the Marvel Television shutdown. This hasn't stopped characters from this series making cameos in future MCU projects.

The Punisher Season One (Netflix, 2017)
Created by Steve Lightfoot. Spin-off of Daredevil following the titular gun-toting murderous vigilante (Jon Bernthal).

Thor: Ragnarok (Film, 2017)
Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene teasing Avengers: Infinity War, and one post-credit gag.
Directed by Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople). Loose sequel to the prior Thor films jettisons much of the supporting cast and takes on a more irreverent tone, with Thor finding himself stranded on a strange planet and forced to participate in some violent gladiator games.

Jessica Jones Season Two (Netflix, 2018)

Despite some being released after, the remainder of the Marvel/Netflix series must take place prior to Infinity War.

Luke Cage Season Two (Netflix, 2018)

Iron Fist Season Two (Netflix, 2018)

Daredevil Season Three (Netflix, 2018)

The Punisher Season Two (Netflix, 2019)

Jessica Jones Season Three (Netflix, 2019)
Final installment of the Marvel/Netflix franchise.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Five "Orientation" through "All Roads Lead" (Television, 2017-2018)
Majority of fifth season.

Avengers: Infinity War (Film, 2018)
Credit scenes: One post-credit scene teasing Captain Marvel.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, who previously helmed the second and third Captain America films. Culmination of every Marvel film so far, and seriously requires you to have watched all of the previous films to make any sense. Archvillain Thanos (Josh Brolin) threatens universe-wide genocide, requiring every hero in the MCU to band together to stop him.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Five "Option Two" through "The End" (Television, 2018)
The last few episodes of the season take place alongside Infinity War and make some reference to the film.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (Film, 2018)
Credit scenes: One significant mid-credit scene and one post-credit gag, both tying into Infinity War and Endgame.
Peyton Reed returns to direct. Sequel to Ant-Man. Seems to take place at roughly the same time as Infinity War, and the credit scenes contain spoilers for said film, so watch here. Sees Ant-Man joined by his flying female counterpart and love interest, the Wasp (Evangeline Lily).

Venom (Film, 2018)

Credit scenes: One mid-credit teaser for Venom: Let There Be Carnage and one post-credit teaser for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland). Initially not a part of the MCU franchise, but its sequel would establish it to be part of the larger multiverse. Origin story for the titular anti-hero and usual Spider-Man nemesis (Tom Hardy).

Captain Marvel (Film, 2019)
Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene teasing Avengers: Endgame and one post-credits gag.
Directed by Anne Boden and Ryan Fleck. Origin story for the titular alien super-soldier (Brie Larson) sees her teaming up with a young Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson reprising his recurring role). Is set in the nineties, and thus falls between Agent Carter and Iron Man chronologically, but cannot fit there in viewing order as the credit scene is too big of a spoiler and would make no sense to someone who has not seen Infinity War.

Avengers: Endgame (Film, 2019)
Credit scenes: None, though later theatrical re-releases would add some trailers and cut footage as a marketing ploy.
Joe and Anthony Russo return to direct. Functionally the second half of a two-part film with Infinity War, and again every previous Marvel film must be watched for this to make sense. Serves as something of a grand finale for the "Infinity Saga," which is what Marvel is calling Phases 1-3 of the MCU.

Phase Four

Wherein Marvel Television is closed down, and instead Marvel Studios themselves begins producing television content for the MCU and hosting it on Disney+. Now no longer are the TV series tangentially related spin-offs, but full parts of the canon just as necessary to watch as the movies themselves. Perhaps partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the film and television industry in 2020, chronology here is all over the place. Installments have been released in almost arbitrary order, so I have done my best to arrange them properly here.

Loki Season One (Disney+, 2021)

Credit scenes: One in episode four

Created by Michael Waldron. A sort-of spin-off of the Thor films featuring that series' iconic anti-villain (Tom Hiddleston) getting up to some time travel hijinks. Actually the third of the Disney+ Marvel series, but the plot picks up immediately after the events of Endgame, so we will place it here. The first one to be a full series with multiple seasons announced rather than a miniseries.

What If...? Season One (Disney+, 2021)

Created by A. C. Bradley. An animated anthology series detailing alternate universes wherein the events of the MCU films played out differently. Released after Loki and implicitly related to that series' events.

WandaVision (Disney+, 2021)

Credit scenes: One in episode eight and two in episode nine.

Created by Jac Schaeffer. Nine-episode miniseries. Focuses on former Avengers Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and The Vision (Paul Bettany) dealing with the aftermath of Endgame in the form of a surreal sitcom. The debut of Marvel's new television initiative on Disney+, which aims to be more closely interwoven with the films than previous TV spin-offs.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+, 2021)

Credit scenes: one each in episodes five and six.

Created by Malcolm Spellman. Six-episode miniseries. Pseudo-sequel to the Captain America films starring Cap's two closest allies (Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan) takes on strong sociopolitical commentary. Released and set after WandaVision.

Peter's To-Do List (Short, 2019)

Directed by Jon Watts. A short film compiled from deleted footage from Far From Home, included on said film's Blu-ray release.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (Film, 2019)
Credit scenes: Two, both containing extremely pivotal plot information. Less like teasers and more like full film scenes excised from the run time and interspersed into the credits.
Jon Watts returns to direct. Sequel to Homecoming sees Peter's superheroics getting in the way of enjoying a school trip. Technically the last film of Phase Three and something of an epilogue to the Infinity Saga, this actually takes place well after most of the 2021-released Disney+ series, so we are bumping it up here.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Film, 2021)

Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene teasing the character's appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Directed by Andy Serkis (Mowgli). Sequel to 2018's Venom features the titular quirky anti-hero facing off against his evil counterpart, Carnage (Woody Harrelson). Needs to be watched prior to No Way Home to understand that movie's credit scene.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Film, 2021)

Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene tying in to Venom: Let There Be Carnage and one post-credit scene that is a literal teaser trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Jon Watts directs once again. Conclusion of the MCU Spider-Man "Home" trilogy picks up immediately where Far From Home left off. Peter gets up to some multiverse-related shenanigans with Doctor Strange, causing characters from the Sam Raimi helmed Spider-Man trilogy and The Amazing Spider-Man series to enter the MCU. Also has a cameo from a character from one of the Netflix series, and a credit scene featuring Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock/Venom from the recent Venom films.

Black Widow (Film, 2021)

Credit scenes: One post-credit scene teasing Hawkeye.

Directed by Cate Shortland. The long-awaited solo outing for the titular recurring Avenger (Scarlett Johansson), exploring her backstory in a grim modern spy caper. Principally set between Civil War and Infinity War, but the credit scene is set later and is a huge spoiler for Endgame, so we will just place it here by release date.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Film, 2021)

Credit scenes: One lengthy mid-credit scene and one post-credit teaser.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy). Wuxia-influenced origin story for the titular master of Kung-Fu (Simu Liu) picks up on plot threads from Iron Man 3 and All Hail the King.

Eternals (Film, 2021)

Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene teasing Blade and one significant post-credit scene.

Directed by Chloe Zhao (Nomadland). Centuries-spanning science-fiction epic starring a large group of immortal superheroes.

Hawkeye (Disney+, 2021)

Credit scenes: One in episode six.

Created by Jonathan Igla. Six-episode miniseries focusing on the titular Avenger (Jeremy Renner) as he takes on a new protégée (Hailee Steinfeld) and tries to put his dark past behind him at Christmas time. Also picks up on stories from Black Widow and Daredevil.

Morbius (Film, 2022)

Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene and one post-credit scene, one following up on the other and both tying this film to the events of No Way Home.

Directed by Daniel Espinoza. Set in the same universe as Sony's Venom films, and thus the wider Marvel multiverse. Focuses on Michael Morbius (Jared Leto), an anti-heroic "living vampire" and traditional Spider-Man supporting character.

Moon Knight (Disney+, 2022)

Credit scenes: One in episode six.

Created by Jeremy Slater (The Exorcist). Six-episode miniseries depicting the globetrotting adventures of Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), a mercenary suffering from Disassociative Identity Disorder who has taken up the mantle of supernatural avatar of Egyptian god of justice Khonshu (F. Murray Abraham). Mostly self-contained, this is the first Disney+ installment not to star an established character from the films.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Film, 2022)

Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene presumably teasing a future Doctor Strange film, and one post-credit gag.

Directed by Sam Raimi, who previously helmed the original Spider-Man trilogy. Doctor Stephen Strange tasks himself with protecting multiverse-hopping teenage heroine America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) from a sinister force that wants to steal her abilities for its own ends. Scarlet Witch makes her return here, and this film is really as much a continuation of WandaVision as it is a sequel to Doctor Strange, not to mention picking up on ideas of the multiverse established in Loki, What If...?, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. While still PG-13, this is a notably darker and more violent film than is usual from Marvel, and is likely to be upsetting for younger children.

Ms. Marvel (Disney+, 2022)

Credit scenes: One in episode one.

Created by Bisha K. Ali. A six-episode miniseries focusing on Pakistani American youth and Carol Danvers superfan Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) as she awakens her ancestral superpowers and tries to follow in her hero's footsteps.

Thor: Love and Thunder (Film, 2022)

Credit scenes: One mid-credit scene and one post-credit scene.

Waititi returns to direct this follow-up to Thor: Ragnarok that sees Thor teaming up with old flame Jane Foster to take on genocidal villain Gorr the God-Butcher (Christian Bale). Picks up on Thor's story from where it left off at the end of Avengers: Endgame, and features an appearance by the restructured Guardians of the Galaxy.

Other Marvel Shows

Other television/streaming series that do not fit comfortably into the main timeline and are not a part of the Netflix series. Can be easily enjoyed separately or ignored for the sake of binging the main franchise. All of these series have been cancelled following the above-mentioned shutdown of Marvel Television.

Runaways (Hulu, 2018-2020)
Created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl). Lasted three seasons, following an angsty gang of superpowered teenagers fleeing their villainous parents. The final season features a crossover with Cloak & Dagger (below).

Cloak & Dagger (Television, 2018-2019)
Created by Joe Pokaski. Lasted two seasons. An inner-city parable following a pair of supernaturally-empowered teens (Aubrey Joseph and Olivia Holt).

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Seasons 6 & 7 (Television, 2019-2020)
It seems that the last two seasons of AOS have separated from the main Marvel continuity and are doing their own thing, though given the recent introduction of alternate universes to the franchise, this does not necessarily mean they are non-canon.



Other

Various parts of the franchise that do not quite fit into canon.

Agent Carter (One-Shot, 2013)
Directed by Louis D'Esposito. Included on Iron Man 3 Blu-Ray release. A weird beast. Has the same basic premise as the later Agent Carter series, but seems to have been roughly replaced by it in the timeline. The pilot of the series does feature flashbacks to this short, even though if this short is canon it must take place after the series.

Civil War: Team Thor (Teaser, 2016)
Directed by Taika Waititi. A humorous teaser short film from the San Diego Comic-Con for Thor: Ragnarok. Later released online and on the Blu-Ray for Captain America: Civil War. Decidedly non-canon. Followed up by Team Thor: Part Two on the Doctor Strange Blu-Ray and Team Darryl on the Thor: Ragnarok Blu-Ray.

Helstrom (Hulu, 2020)

Created by Paul Zbyszewski (Day Break). Series. Part of a planned franchise of spin-offs dubbed "Adventures Into Fear" which would have also featured a series starring the Ghost Rider from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. played by Gabriel Luna. This project was canceled when Marvel Studios decided to close down Marvel Television and start doing the TV spin-offs themselves on Disney+. Helstrom thus only made it one season, and is now not officially considered a part of the same universe as the rest of the MCU. Details the horror-tinged supernatural adventures of the Helstrom siblings (Sydney Lemmon and Tom Austen), better known in the comics as Satana and Hellstorm.

This guide of course will not cover the various comic book or video game tie-ins to the franchise, which range from ambiguously canon to firmly non-canon.



Related Projects

Other films or shows with some connection to the MCU, but which are not officially canon.

X-Men (Television, 1992-1997)

Created by Eric Lewald, Sidney Iwanter, and Mark Edens. This seminal animated adaptation of the X-Men would have a major influence on the later X-Men film series and would be indirectly but notably referenced by the MCU as well. Is set to receive a 2023 revival series on Disney+ produced by Marvel Studios.

Hulk (Film, 2003)
Directed by Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Rebooted with Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk. The films do contradict one another, but interestingly this film tells Hulk's origin story, which the later film largely skips, and ends in basically the same place that the next one starts. Has a feeling of quasi-canon.

Fantastic Four duology (Film, 2005 and 2007)

Directed by Tim Story (Barbershop). As with Hulk and Spider-Man, when the MCU versions of the Fantastic Four characters start appearing, they assume a prior familiarity on the audience's part from previous adaptations like this. One could also put Josh Trank's 2015 reboot here, but these original films are much closer to the traditional depiction of the characters.

Ghost Rider series (Film, 2007 and 2012)
A Ghost Rider very similar to this version of Ghost Rider (Nicholas Cage) makes a cameo in Agents of SHIELD.

Slither (Film, 2006)
Directed by James Gunn. An R-Rated sci-fi horror/comedy from the director of GOTG. Largely completely unrelated to the MCU, but the alien parasites of this film do make a cameo appearance in GOTG as a directorial in-joke.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Film, 2018)

Directed by Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, and Bob Persichetti. Animated film featuring multiversal Spider shenanigans, starring Peter Parker's successor Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). Part of the same "Spider-Verse" as Venom, going by said film's credit scene.

DC Animated Universe Guide and Watching Order

Way back in the 90s, way before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a flicker in anyone's eye, DC beat them to the punch with their own shared universe of popular animated series and films, generally referred to as the DC Animated Universe (which likely inspired the name of Marvel's later shared universe). The franchise began with the award-winning Batman: the Animated Series in 1992 and concluded with Justice League Unlimited in 2006 and proved to be deeply, wildly influential, to the point that often these versions of the characters and their stories are considered the definitive versions (sometimes more so than even the original comics). Many beloved characters and stories, including Harley Quinn and her backstory, originate here.
Like my other viewing guides for the MCU and for Doctor Who, this is a breakdown on how to watch and enjoy this franchise in the most straightforward, easy, and enjoyable order (from my subjective perspective). It will take into account chiefly release order, but also factor in narrative flow and accessibility. It will also make mention of egregious cases where episodes were aired (and thus released) out of order.
Without further ado:

Batman: The Animated Series Season One (Television, 1992-1993)
Developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski. Released on DVD as Batman: The Animated Series Volume One and Volume Two. The animated short (which can be found online) "The Dark Knight's First Night" serves as a pilot to the series, and the inspiration for the series' iconic opening sequence.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (Film, 1993)
Directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm. Its place in continuity with regards to the earlier season is foggy (Robin is nowhere to be seen, but then that is often the case even in other episodes of the show). It details Batman's origin via flashbacks, so some would place it before season one, but the tone and animation quality are more in line with later episodes.

Batman: The Animated Series Season Two, aka The Adventures of Batman & Robin (Television, 1994-1995)
Released on DVD as Batman: The Animated Series Volume Three. As stated above, is a partial re-branding of the series that emphasizes Robin as a supporting character.

Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero (Film, 1998)
Directed by Boyd Kirkland. Released in '98, but produced earlier and uses the art style of the original Batman: The Animated Series rather than the redesign seen in contemporary installments, which coupled with some minor character details seems to place it about here.

Superman: The Animated Series Season One and Season Two (Television, 1996-1998)
Developed by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini. Season two (and later season three) aired as part of a programming block with The New Batman Adventures called The New Batman/Superman Adventures, and features a crossover with TNBA ("World's Finest," also released as a stand-alone film) that works well as an introduction to said series.

The New Batman Adventures (Television, 1997-1999)
Developed by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. Released on DVD as Batman: The Animated Series Volume Four. Serves as a major retool to the prior series to accompany the change in network, with an adjusted premise focusing on the "Bat Family" of characters (Batman, a new Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl) and an overhauled art style meant to match the more stylized look of Superman. Features a crossover episode with characters from Superman. The Christmas episode "Holiday Knights," which is placed first on some releases, takes place and should definitely be watched later, at least after the episode "Growing Pains."

Superman: The Animated Series Season Three (Television, 1998-2000)
Features multiple crossovers with characters from TNBA.

Gotham Girls (Web, 2000-2002)
Written by Paul Dini and Hilary Bader. A Flash-animated web series spin-off of TNBA focusing on the female supporting cast and villains. Non-essential to the overall narrative; features writers and voices from the original series, but the rudimentary animation might be off-putting.

Chase Me (Short, 2003)
Directed by Curt Geda. A short released alongside Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman set during the time of TNBA.

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (Film, 2003)
Directed by Curt Geda. Released much later, but meant to serve as a finale to TNBA and to bridge the story gap between said series and Justice League.

Batman Beyond Season One and Season Two (Television, 1999-2000)
Created by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. Set in the distant future of the rest of the DCAU, but thanks to time travel shenanigans in later shows still needs to be watched here. The second season episode "Zeta" spins off into The Zeta Project.

The Zeta Project Season One and Season Two (Television, 2001-2002)
Created by Robert Goodman. A spin-off of Batman Beyond. Season one features a crossover with Batman Beyond's third season, released on the same day as said series' crossover episode.

Batman Beyond Season Three (Television, 2000-2001)
Crosses over with Zeta as noted above. Introduces the Justice League Unlimited of the future, setting a precedent for the later Justice League series and its sequel series.

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (Film, 2000)
Directed by Curt Geda. Released during season three, but can be watched after finishing the season just fine.

Batman Beyond (Short, 2014)
Directed by Darwyn Cooke. A short celebrating Batman's 75th anniversary, featuring the art style and voices of the Batman Beyond series. Can safely be assumed to be a canonical installment, even if it is a bit silly and released way after the DCAU ended.

Static Shock Season One and Season Two (Television, 2000-2002)
Created by Dwayne McDuffie. Initially a separate project from the DCAU, it was folded in when season two featured a crossover with TNBA.

Justice League Season One (Television, 2001-2002)
Created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. Is to the DCAU what the Avengers films are to the MCU. Note that on some releases (thanks to a late air-date) the episode "Injustice for All" is placed incorrectly. The episode should follow the episode "The Enemy Below." While differing production orders and air-date orders are common in the DCAU, this is the only one that actually messes up the story. If you are concerned about watching other episodes out of order, check out the episode orders given at worldsfinestonline.com.

Static Shock Season Three and Season Four (Television, 2003-2004)
Features crossovers with TNBA, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and Superman.

Justice League Season Two (Television, 2003-2004)

Justice League Unlimited Season One through Season Three (Television, 2004-2006)
Sequel series to Justice League. Features crossovers with Static Shock and Batman Beyond, serving as a fully absorbed finale to both series as well as the DCAU as a whole.

Tenuous Installments

These shorts, series, films, etc. have some connection to the DCAU, but for one reason or another cannot be confirmed as an official part of it.

Lobo (Web, 2000)
A Flash series in the vein of Gotham Girls. Is often treated as a part of the DCAU, but has a wildly different art style, a different actor voicing Lobo, and a reliance on graphic violence and juvenile sexual humor that sets it apart tonally.

Teen Titans (Television, 2003-2006)
Created by Glen Murakami. Not officially a part of the DCAU (with a story that does not quite match up and a wildly different tone and art style), but there are some indications of possible connection (which would make this series a prequel set some time prior to Batman). These include an offhanded mention of "the Titans" in Static Shock, and an appearance by a younger version of Wally West in Teen Titans, with the same personality and voice actor as in Justice League (though note that different iterations of the DC franchise sharing VAs is quite common). Official word from the creators is pretty flip-floppy on this.

Superman: Brainiac Attacks (Film, 2006)
Directed by Curt Geda. Released as a tie-in to the live action film Superman Returns. Definitely not canon to Superman: The Animated Series due to very different depictions of some characters (Lex Luthor in particular hewing much closer to his movie counterpart), but uses identical character designs and many of the same voice actors and is also directed by a veteran of the DCAU's own straight-to-video films.

Legion of Superheroes (Series, 2006-2008)
Created by Amy Wolfram. The show's canonicity to the DCAU is flip-floppy in a similar manner to the above Teen Titans, with which it shares a character designer. Like Titans, the art style and tone are very different, but nothing in the canon actively contradicts that of the DCAU and some elements are very similar, such as the portrayals of Brainiac, so it is really up to the individual viewer.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (Film, 2010)
An installment of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies direct-to-video line directed by Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu. Officially not a part of the DCAU (and featuring a slightly different Justice League line-up), but based on an unused script for JLU by Bruce Timm. It is at least very tonally similar to the DCAU. Many other films in the line, such as the earlier Superman: Doomsday and the later Justice League: Gods and Monsters, also feature art styles that are clear homages to Timm's designs (with Gods and Monsters being co-created by Timm) and the return of veteran voice actors from the DCAU.

Batman and Harley Quinn (Film, 2017)
Another DC Universe Animated Original Movie directed by Sam Liu. This one was written by Bruce Timm and features the same art style and many of the voices from the DCAU. Timm claimed in early interviews that he intended this film to be a part of the DCAU, but inconsistencies in the film and some backtracking in later interviews leave the status foggy.

Justice League vs. The Fatal Five (Film, 2019)
Directed, again, by Sam Liu. Like the above film, this one features a script by Bruce Timm and carries his distinctive style and is considered, by Timm at least, to be an official installment of the franchise.

And then, of course, there are a slew of tie-in comics and video games which I am not going to cover here. Many of the comics are of high quality and influenced the DCAU and wider DC universe in their own right (for example, Harley Quinn's now-famous origin story originated in one of these comics). The same cannot be said of the games; many of the DCAU video game tie-ins are notoriously considered some of the lowest-quality games in the history of the medium.

New Doctor Who Guide and Watching Order

Doctor Who is Britain's longest-running and most popular science fiction series, and has quite the following in the States and the rest of the world. So it is only natural that you would want to see what all of the hubbub is about.

But the thing is, Doctor Who has been on for more than fifty years. That's a lot of Who, not factoring in specials and spin-offs and web shorts and so on. Plus, it doesn't help that many streaming services such as Amazon Prime have the episodes/seasons grouped in a horribly counter-intuitive manner. So where/how does one get into this monster?

This guide, like my Marvel Viewing Guide, exists to help you out with that, making your "Whoniverse" viewing experience as easy and enjoyable as possible. This will mostly be organized via release order, with only a few things moved around for the sake of coherence and narrative flow.

So for starters, note that this viewing guide will focus only on the revival series that has been on air since 2005, as well as its associated media. This really is the best place for new viewers to jump on board, as the original series is difficult (and in the case of some episodes impossible) to find, expensive, and somewhat inaccessible. The revival series (or New Who, Nu Who, etc.) is of course written with new viewers in mind, and specific references to the original series are kept few and subtle. This guide will also not spend much energy on any of the novels, audio dramas, comic books, parody films, computer games, etc. as these are of a massive volume and not strictly canon anyway.

Also a note for American audiences that might not be used to binging British TV: in British television, the word "series" is often used in place of what we in the U.S. would typically call a "season," as is the case with New Who, so please do not let that be a source of confusion.

Main televised installments will be in bold. Web shorts and the like will not.

So without further ado:

New Who and Spin-Offs

Doctor Who Series One (Main Series, 2005)

Doctor Who untitled minisode (Short, 2005)
Sometimes referred to as "Pudsey Cutaway" or "Born Again." A short film produced for BBC's Children in Need charity. Functions as a brief tag to the end of the Series One finale, or alternatively as a prequel to the upcoming Christmas Special. Most of these minisodes and things can be found online via Youtube or Daily Motion.

Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion (Christmas Special, 2005)

Doctor Who: Attack of the Graske (Interactive Short, 2005)
An interactive short originally made for BBC's Red Button service, but which can now be played online at their website.

Doctor Who Series Two (Main Series, 2006)
The second series of Doctor Who was released alongside a series of online "Tardisodes" which act as teasers to each episode of Series Two. However, like many of the little "prequel episodes" that will follow, they can be safely skipped.

Torchwood Series One (Spin-Off Series, 2006)
A darker and more violent spin-off starring Captain Jack Harkness.

Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride (Christmas Special, 2006)

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Invasion of the Bane (Spin-Off Special, 2006)
Pilot film for the Sarah Jane Adventures spin-off children's series.

Doctor Who Series Three (Main Series, 2007)

Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest (Animated Shorts, 2007)
Takes place during Series Three.

The Sarah Jane Adventures Series One (Spin-Off Series, 2007)

Doctor Who: Time Crash (Short, 2007)
Another Children in Need minisode.

Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned (Christmas Special, 2007)

Torchwood Series Two (Spin-Off Series, 2008)

Doctor Who Series Four (Main Series, 2008)

The Sarah Jane Adventures Series Two (Spin-Off Series, 2008)

Doctor Who: The Next Doctor (Christmas Special, 2008)

The Sarah Jane Adventures: From Raxicoricofallapatorius With Love ( Spin-Off Short, 2009)
A short for the Comic Relief / Red Nose Day charity.

Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (Easter Special, 2009)
The first installment of the "Year of the Specials," so-called because 2009 went without a formal series and just released several specials over the course of the year.

Torchwood: Children of Earth (Spin-Off Miniseries, 2009)

The Sarah Jane Adventures Series Three (Spin-Off Series, 2009)

Doctor Who: Waters of Mars (Christmas Special, 2009)

Doctor Who: Dreamland (Animated Shorts, 2009)

Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part One and Part Two (Christmas Special, 2009)

Doctor Who Series Five (Main Series, 2010)

Doctor Who: Meanwhile in the TARDIS (Shorts, 2010)
A pair of shorts released after Series Five. Chronologically, Part One should be placed after the episode "The Eleventh Hour" and Part Two after "Flesh and Stone."

The Sarah Jane Adventures Series Four (Spin-Off Series, 2010)

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (Christmas Special, 2010)

Doctor Who: Space and Time (Shorts, 2011)
More Red Nose Day shorts.

Doctor Who: Night and the Doctor: Bad Night and Good Night (Shorts, 2011)
The Night and the Doctor shorts were made as a special feature for the Series Six DVD. The first two (of five) take place roughly here.

Doctor Who Series Six Part One (Main Series, 2011)
Starting with Series Six, we get short prequel episodes which serve as teasers to certain episodes. The episodes "The Impossible Astronaut," "Curse of the Black Spot," and "A Good Man Goes to War" all have prequel episodes.

Doctor Who: The Battle of Demon's Run: Two Days Later (Short, 2012)
Released later, but obviously an epilogue to "A Good Man Goes to War."

Torchwood: Miracle Day (Spin-Off Miniseries, 2011)
As of now the last season of Torchwood. See also Web of Lies, a series of animated shorts released alongside Miracle Day.

Doctor Who Series Six, Part Two (Main Series, 2011)
"Let's Kill Hitler" and "The Wedding of River Song" have prequel episodes. Also, the Night and the Doctor short Up All Night likely takes place some time after "The God Complex" but before "The Wedding of River Song."

Doctor Who: Death is the Only Answer (Short, 2011)
A silly short minisode produced as part of a competition wherein children would submit scripts for a Doctor Who short and the winning script would be produced.

Doctor Who: Night and the Doctor: First Night and Last Night (Shorts, 2011)

The Sarah Jane Adventures Series Five (Spin-Off Series, 2011)
Cut short by star Elizabeth Sladen's untimely passing.

Doctor Who: The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe (Christmas Special, 2011)

Doctor Who: Good as Gold (Short, 2012)
Another children's competition minisode and tie-in to the London 2012 Olympics.

Doctor Who: Pond Life (Shorts, 2012)
A series of web shorts leading up to Series Seven.

Doctor Who Series Seven, Part One (Main Series, 2012)
The episodes "Asylum of the Daleks" and "A Town Called Mercy" have prequel shorts.

Doctor Who: P.S. (Animated Short, 2012)
An animation based on an unfilmed scene from the script for the episode "The Angels Take Manhattan."

Doctor Who: The Inforarium (Short, 2013)
Released after Series Seven, but clearly set earlier. Here is as good a place as any.

Doctor Who: The Great Detective and Vastra Investigates (Shorts, 2012)
Prequels to the upcoming Christmas Special.

Doctor Who: The Snowmen (Christmas Special, 2012)

Doctor Who: Rain Gods (Short, 2013)

Doctor Who Series Seven, Part Two (Main Series, 2013)
The episode "The Bells of Saint John" has a prequel, as does "The Name of the Doctor" in the form of the short She Said, He Said.

Doctor Who: Clara and the TARDIS (Short, 2013)
Takes place some time during Series Seven, Part Two.

Doctor Who: Clarence and the Whispermen (Short, 2013)
Takes place before "The Name of the Doctor." A deleted scene from said episode.

Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor and The Last Day (Shorts, 2013)
Lead-ups to the 50th Anniversary Special.

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor (Anniversary Special, 2013)

Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor (Christmas Special, 2013)

Doctor Who Series Eight (Main Series, 2014)

Doctor Who: Last Christmas (Christmas Special, 2014)

Doctor Who: Series Nine Prologue and The Doctor's Meditation (Shorts, 2015)

Doctor Who Series Nine (Main Series, 2015)

Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song (Christmas Special, 2015)

Class Series One (Spin-Off Series, 2016)

Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio (Christmas Special, 2016)

Doctor Who Series Ten (Main Series, 2017)

Other Who

Classic Doctor Who Seasons One through 26 (Main Series, 1963-1989)
The original series. As stated above, many episodes from the first several seasons are permanently lost. During this time we also have the spin-off pilot K-9 and Company (a sort-of prototype for the later show The Sarah Jane Adventures), the special The Five Doctors (between Seasons 20 and 21) and the initially unreleased episode "Shada" (between Seasons 17 and 18).

Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time (Special, 1993)
A Children in Need charity special of dubious canonicity.

Doctor Who (Television Movie, 1996)
the first effort to revive Doctor Who during the 16 year hiatus. Failed to launch a follow-up series. Considered broadly canonical.

Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death (Parody Special, 1999)
A comedic and certainly non-canonical Red Nose Day special.

Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka (Animated Shorts, 2003)
Another early attempt to revive the series. Ultimately replaced by New Who and thus rendered non-canon.

There are also a massive quantity of pseudo-canonical comics and novels, as well as the beloved audio dramas produced by Big Finish. On the other hand, the two 1960s films starring Peter Cushing are firmly non-canon.