Timeline of major events in history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Jenny Cheng/Business Insider

It all started with 2008’s “Iron Man,” but the Marvel Cinematic Universe actually stretches back millions of years.

The history includes far more than what we see on the screen. Thankfully, there’s plenty of context within the 20 films so far to give us a sense of just how far back it goes, and when important events not seen in the films take place.

We’ve put together a timeline that details the entirety of the MCU, based on the films (we excluded events from television shows, like the Marvel Netflix series). The timeline can be confusing, and isn’t entirely concrete. We’ve included year ranges with each slide below to give a decent understanding of when events took place. Specific years that we know for sure are noted, as well.

From the birth of the Infinity Stones to the Thanos snap, the MCU has built an impressive timeline of events. We hope this timeline, which puts all major events (including ones you forgot about) together will help you better understand some characters’ backstories and how specific events have shaped the universe so far.

Check out our in-depth MCU timeline below: