Credit: NetflixIt’s official: Disney has updated the canon timeline of the MCU, and changed the order on Disney+ accordingly.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off with Iron Man (2008) 15 years ago and in that time we’ve seen dozens of new projects added to the ever-growing universe – especially since the dawn of Disney+. The franchise’s official timeline has grown ever-more confusing in this time, with fans often debating the right (and wrong) ways to watch its many films and TV shows.
Technically, the only right way to watch the series is the official order shown on Disney+. This timeline is routinely updated as per new releases, but just received a major update with a few projects that hit our screens nearly a decade ago.
Disney has slotted Marvel shows previously hosted on Netflix – Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and Punisher – into the MCU timeline, adding fuel to the fire that we could see several characters pop up again in the future.
According to the new timeline provided on the streaming platform, the events of Daredevil and Jessica Jones take place after Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (2017), and I Am Groot, but before Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
Meanwhile, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Defenders are all set in between Ant-Man (2015) and Captain America: Civil War (2016), while Punisher takes place in between Black Panther (2018) and Doctor Strange (2016).
All of the shows have also been grouped together in their own saga known as “Defenders.” Marvel’s latest release, Echo – which follows Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as she returns to her home in Oklahoma while on the run from the Tracksuit Mafia – has also been added to this collection.
In November, Marvel announced a new branch of the MCU under which Echo also falls. Marvel Spotlight has been described as the banner for projects that will act as grounded, standalone series within the Marvel universe.
“Marvel Spotlight gives us a platform to bring more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen, and in the case of Echo, focusing on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity,” said Marvel’s Head of Streaming Brad Winderbaum.
The biggest difference between Marvel Spotlight and the rest of the MCU is that fans won’t need to have seen other projects to understand the plot. Inspired by a Marvel Comics anthology series of the same name from the 1970s, it also comes with its own unique opening, composed by Michael Giacchino.
Which character from the Defenders would you like to see reappear in the MCU? Let us know in the comments!