Summary

The timeline marking antecedently used in theMarvel Cinematic UniversebeforeThe Avengerswere much round-eyed and would have fix a dealership Saga problem had it continued . launch the ever - expanding country of the MCU be it on TV or the bragging screen , it is becoming increasingly hard to watch every singleMarvel movie in order . From the immensely clock time - consuming project of watching 33 films and 10 TV shew to the way each of these installments suit into the timeline , the MCU stay one of the most dizzyingly sprawl dealership in movie history , something that is only set to continue withMarvel ’s upcoming motion-picture show lean .

Refreshingly , the one and onlyMarvel movie in 2024to do this will beDeadpool 3 , yet the combination of the MCU with 20th Century Fox’sX - Menuniverse will only further muddy the timeline . Despite the loss of Marvel Studios ' timeline - dedicated book in October 2023 , the clarification of the dealership ’s timeline is more hard than ever , specially across both the Infinity Saga and the Multiverse Saga . Ironically , if the MCU had cleave to a timeline barometer the franchise used before 2012’sThe Avengers , this discombobulation may have been invalidate completely .

Over 17 twelvemonth and 35 motion picture , the Marvel Cinematic Universe picture have redefine blockbuster movie house . But how do all the films heap up ?

Iron Man Captain America and Hulk

MCU’s Iron Man Timeline Notes Could’ve Avoided The Saga Issue

As highlighted inThe Art of Marvel’sAvengers , the MCU used to mark points on the timeline using BIM and AIM , before Iron Man and after Iron Man respectively . Any events on the timeline using BIM took place a set amount of fourth dimension before the ending ofIron Manin which Tony Stark hold the"I am Iron Man"speech . For example , the events ofCaptain America : The First Avengerwould have been stated as take place in 63 BIM , whileThe Avengerswould be 4 AIM .

This is not unlike to the timeline markings used forStar Wars , with BBY ( before the Battle of Yavin ) and ABY ( after the Battle of Yavin ) making the outlining of different result much easier . In using BIM and AIM , the MCU ’s timeline would not be muddled with endless class and dates being attributed to unlike events . likewise , using the Infinity Saga as a label for story likeAnt - ManorIron Man 2when these stories do not forthwith tie into the overarching story confuses elements . Instead , submit which year these movies take berth in relation back toIron Manwith flash point on a timeline would simplify it greatly .

Why The MCU’s Timeline Is So Hard To Get Right

The Apocalypse that the MCU used to expend BIM and AIM begs the doubtfulness of why the dealership ’s timeline is so unmanageable to perfect . The core reason is plainly the sheer amount of content in the MCU of late . During the Infinity Saga , it was easier to see every event as a concise timeline as there were no TV appearance tied into the wider report of the MCU . With the Multiverse Saga though , increase tale output and those history regularly dealing with alternate realities , timelines , and clip travel make things much more perplexing .

Secondly , if every MCU project had to intelligibly define where it takes place on the timeline , the storytelling integrity of the show or movie in question may be compromised . Having essentially an information dump at the beginning of every MCU account to alert audiences to its place on the timeline would bankrupt the immersion of the tale being told and take viewers out of the moment . For these reasons , theMarvel Cinematic Universehas a major timeline problem , something that will undoubtedly grow more and more puzzling as the enfranchisement moves into the ever - expanding Multiverse Saga .

Gorr at the Altar of Eternity in Thor Love and Thunder

Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter fighting in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

The Avengers in an action pose from Avengers: Age of Ultron with the Sacred Timeline behind them

Robert Downey Jr addresses the press at the end of Iron Man (2008)

Sacred Timeline breaking open in Loki season 1

Marvel Cinematic Universe