Over 13 years and 30 feature films, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown and evolved from an experiment (Iron Man) to the most successful film franchise in history. Full of origin stories, team-ups, and big events, just like the source material on which it’s based, the MCU has weaved compelling narratives throughout narratives and across phases; however, as it has expanded, so too has the need to tell longer stories. With that in mind, we present a complete collection and analysis of the runtimes of the MCU, both by Phase and from shortest to longest.
Phase One
By necessity, two-thirds of Phase One’s films told the origins of the core group of Avengers who would team up in 2012’s The Avengers. And, of course, Phase One set up that big team-up with the first of what would become an MCU staple: a stinger featuring Nick Fury.
Iron Man
Release Date: May 2, 2008
Runtime: 2 hours 6 minutes
Number of stingers: 1
The Incredible Hulk
Release Date: June 13, 20008
Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes
Iron Man 2
Release Date: May 7, 2010
Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes
Thor
Release Date: May 6, 2011
Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
Captain America: The First Avenger
Release Date: July 29, 2011
Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes
The Avengers
Release Date: May 4, 2012
Runtime: 2 hours 23 minutes
Total Phase One Runtime: 744 minutes (12 hours 24 minutes)
Average Phase One Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes
The success of Phase One dictated that Phase Two would be sequel heavy, but Marvel Studios also needed to take some chances and introduce some new characters. They did so in Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man, but it was the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier that paved the road for what would become the central plot of the future of the MCU. Phase Two films were only slightly longer, on average, than Phase One.
Phase Two
Iron Man 3
Release Date: May 3, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes
Number of stingers: 1
Thor: The Dark World
Release Date: November 8, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes
Number of stingers: 2
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Release Date: April 4, 2014
Runtime: 2 hours 16 minutes
Number of stingers: 2
Guardians of the Galaxy
Release Date: August 1, 2014
Runtime: 2 hours 2 minutes
Number of stingers: 2
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Release Date: May 1, 2015
Runtime: 2 hours 21 minutes
Number of stingers: 1
Ant-Man
Release Date: July 17, 2015
Runtime: 1 hour 57 minutes
Number of stingers: 2
Phase Three saw the greatest expansion of main characters in the MCU and featured two of the most successful films in the history of Hollywood. Comprised on 11 films, Phase Three nearly equaled the combined output of Phases One and Two and cemented the MCU’s legacy. The average runtime became significantly longer with only two of the 11 films coming in under two hours and Avengers: Endgame becoming the first to cross the 3-hour mark.
Phase Three
Captain America: Civil War
Release Date: May 6, 2016
Runtime: 2 hours 27 minutes
Doctor Strange
Release Date: November 4, 2016
Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Release Date: May 5, 2017
Runtime: 2 hours 17 minutes
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Release Date: July 7, 2017
Runtime: 2 hours 13 minutes
Thor: Ragnarok
Release Date: November 3, 2017
Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes
Black Panther
Release Date: February 16, 2018
Runtime: 2 hours 14 minutes
Avengers: Infinity War
Release Date: April 27, 2018
Runtime: 2 hours 29 minutes
Ant-Man and The Wasp
Release Date: July 6, 2018
Runtime: 1 hour 58 minutes
Captain Marvel
Release Date: March 8, 2019
Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes
Avengers: Endgame
Release Date: April 26, 2019
Runtime: 3 hours 1 minute
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Release Date: July 2, 2019
Runtime: 2 hours 9 minutes
Total Phase Three Runtime: 24 hours 57 minutes (1,497 minutes)
Average Phase Three Runtime: 2 hours 16 minutes
Like Phase One, Phase Four has to date been heavily comprised of origin stories as the MCU sets a new course. Unlike previous Phases, Phase Four has also had the benefit of Disney Plus serving as a storytelling companion. Phase Four ended up with the longest average runtime of any phase of the MCU to date.
Phase Four
Black Widow
Release Date: July 9, 2021
Runtime: 2 hours 14 minutes
Number of stingers: 1
Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Release Date: September 3, 2021
Runtime: 2 hours 12 minutes
Number of stingers: 2
Eternals
Release Date: November 5, 2021
Runtime: 2 hours 36 minutes
Number of stingers: 2
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Release Date: December 17, 2021
Runtime: 2 hours 28 minutes
Number of stingers: 2
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Release Date: May 5, 2022
Runtime: 2 hours 6 minutes
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release Date: July 8, 2022
Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes
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