The Marvel series of movies and shows bring to life some of the world’s most popular comic books. The intersecting characters and plot lines create a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that’s fun to watch over and over again, regardless of whether or not you’ve read the comics.
Instead of paying for constant rentals or trying to catch your favorite MCU movies and shows on cable, discover the best ways to stream them so you can view them on your own schedule and for a much better price.
Your guide on how to stream Marvel movies and shows
Disney+ is the primary location for Marvel content. Here is what to expect in terms of pricing options (or start off with a one-week free trial).
| Plan | Price |
| Disney+ (monthly) | $6.99/mo. |
| Disney+ (annual) | $69.99/yr. |
| Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ | $12.99/yr. |
Disney+ owns the vast majority of Marvel content, making it easy to find almost all of your favorites like Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel, plus all of the full Avengers movies. In addition to these major box office hits, Disney+ also has a substantial amount of animated Marvel content. Revisit the nostalgia of your childhood with cartoon classics like the 1980s-era Spiderman series and 90s classics like Iron Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk.
It’s easy to navigate these various categories on Disney+ rather than having to know exactly what you want to search for. Simple click on the Marvel logo and you’ll find eight distinct categories you can browse. In addition to the general MCU, you’ll find separate rows for Phases One, Two, and Three. You can also watch the movies in timeline order according to the story. Disney+ also has a separate section for legacy movies like the X-Men series, plus rows for specials and cartoons.
Another advantage of using Disney+ to stream your favorite Marvel hits is to watch them in 4K. This is included in your regular subscription price, but you will need a 4K television and compatible streaming device in order to get the best picture quality.
Amazon Prime members also have access to a few Marvel movies, but availability can change since Disney actually owns the franchise.
Renting vs. buying Marvel movies
There is no shortage of streaming platforms you can choose from to either rent or buy Marvel movies. If you tend to gravitate to just one character’s storyline or rarely dive in for an MCU marathon, then picking just your favorites might make more sense than paying for an ongoing platform like Disney+.
Amazon is a good place to start when looking for individual Marvel movies. Expect to pay around $2.99 for an SD rental and $3.99 for an HD rental. An HD purchase typically costs $19.99 on Amazon. Google Play Store is another option to consider, with comparable rental prices. However, you may find better bundling deals. For example, you can purchase all three Iron Man movies for $34.99 (in 4K, no less). That’s a significant savings compared to buying each one separately on Amazon. Rather than paying $19.99, the bundle averages each movie to under $12. Similarly, the Avengers four-movie collection costs just $43.99 on Google Play Store, bringing the price down to just $11 for each 4K film.
Marvel movies are available on iTunes as well, but rental prices may be slightly higher. For instance, you’ll pay $4.99 to rent Avengers: Endgame, although Ant-Man and Thor each costs just $2.99.
How to stream Marvel movies in order
Marvel fans know that release dates don’t necessarily match up with the order of the MCU timeline. That’s why you may consider watching the franchise movies in chronological order rather than when they were released. Disney+ makes it easy to do this by providing a browsing option in timeline order. Or you can reference this list:
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Iron Man (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Thor (2011)
- Avengers (2012)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (2017)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Black Panther (2018)
- Doctor Strange (2016)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
If you’ve never watched the Marvel movies in true timeline order, you’ll have a much more enjoyable viewing experience, especially as different storylines and plots begin to intersect.
How to stream Marvel shows
Movies aren’t the only way to get your Marvel fix. The franchise has also created a swath of popular television shows that better develop side characters and other familiar faces from the movies. These shows are currently spread across multiple streaming services. Here’s what you’ll find on each platform.
Netflix currently hosts shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Punisher, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and The Defenders. There is also a fair amount of Marvel cartoons, including several Hulk series and Lego Marvel Super Heroes. Hulu is also home to some Marvel shows, including Runaways, Cloak and Dagger, The Gifted, Legion, and Helstrom. Plus, you can get a bundle deal for Hulu and Disney+ to enjoy almost comprehensive streaming for Marvel content.
Wondering what recent Marvel shows you might be missing? Here’s a list of what is available across the various streaming platforms.
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-2020)
- Agent Carter (2016-2016)
- Daredevil (2015-2018)
- Jessica Jones (2015-2019)
- Luke Cage (2016-2018)
- Legion (2017-2019)
- Iron Fist (2017-2018)
- The Defenders (2017)
- Inhumans (2017)
- The Gifted (2017-2019)
- The Punisher (2017-2019)
- Runaways (2017-2019)
- Cloak and Dagger (2018-2019)
- Helstrom (2020)
Several new Disney Plus Marvel shows are also under development, including stories following Loki, Ms. Marvel, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and She-Hulk.
Marvel movies and shows missing from Disney+
Disney bought the Marvel franchise in 2009 but didn’t launch its own streaming service until 2019. While most movies and shows are currently available on Disney+, your Spidey sense may have noticed that there are some glaring omissions. One of the most obvious is, of course, Spiderman. Sony currently owns the film rights for Spiderman, but did strike a deal with Disney to have the character appear in other MCU films. If you want to view the latest Spiderman: Homecoming or Far From Home films, you’ll have to watch it elsewhere.
Similarly, Disney+ does not have any of The Incredible Hulk movies. These films are owned by Universal Pictures and not currently available through Disney+. In fact, you can’t stream the Hulk anywhere at the moment. If you want to watch Bruce Banner and his alter ego, you’ll need to either rent or buy it.
The final cut
Service availability frequently changes with Marvel content, especially considering the number of streaming platforms currently offering both movies and shows. Watch them now before they’re taken off and moved elsewhere. After all, since Disney+ now owns the majority of the Marvel Universe, it has become the ultimate destination for most movies and shows.
Take a risk-free spin with Disney+ by signing up for a free one-week trial. Not only do you get to access a huge vault of Disney Plus Marvel movies, you also get to take advantage of some amazing organization tactics that let you easily view the films in whatever order you prefer. Also consider a bundle deal to get even more streamed content at a better value.