Marvel MCU Timeline API - User Guide

Overview

The Marvel MCU Timeline API provides access to a comprehensive chronological database of all Marvel Cinematic Universe content, including movies, TV shows, one-shots, and web series.

Base URL: https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu

Rate Limit: 9000 requests per minute

Key Features

Complete MCU Timeline - All movies, series, and shorts in chronological order
Phase Organization - Content grouped by MCU phases
Categories - Movies, TV shows, one-shots, web series
Collections - Grouped content (e.g., Infinity Saga, Multiverse Saga)
IMDB Integration - Automatic IMDB data enrichment
RSS Feed - Subscribe to timeline updates
Search - Find content by title, keywords, or IMDB ID

Quick Start

Get Full Timeline

curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/timeline"

Returns all MCU content in chronological order, grouped by category (Movies, TV Shows, etc.).

Get Specific Phase

# Phase 4
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/phase/4"

# Multiple phases
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/phase/4,5"

Search for Content

# Find all Spider-Man content
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/find/spider-man"

# Search by actor
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/find/robert+downey"

API Endpoints

Timeline Endpoints

Get Full Timeline

Endpoint: /api/mcu/timeline
Method: GET
Alias: /api/mcu/

Returns the complete MCU timeline organized by categories.

Example:

curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/timeline"

Response:

{
  "mcuTimeLine": {
    "Movies": [
      {
        "mcuid": 1,
        "title": "Captain America: The First Avenger",
        "premiere": "2011-07-22",
        "mcutime": "1942-1945",
        "category": "Movies",
        "phase": 1,
        "imdb": "https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458339/",
        "distribution": "Theatrical Release",
        "ourSortOrder": ["mcutime", "premiere", "season", "episode"]
      }
    ],
    "TV Shows": [...],
    "One-Shots": [...]
  }
}

Get Timeline by Category

Endpoint: /api/mcu/timeline/category/{categoryId}
Method: GET

Get content from a specific category.

Category IDs:

1 = Movies
2 = TV Shows
3 = One-Shots
4 = Web Series

Example:

# Get only movies
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/timeline/category/1"

Get Content by Phase

Endpoint: /api/mcu/phase/{phaseNumber}
Method: GET

Filter content by MCU phase(s).

Phases:

Phase 1: Iron Man through Avengers (2008-2012)
Phase 2: Iron Man 3 through Ant-Man (2013-2015)
Phase 3: Civil War through Far From Home (2016-2019)
Phase 4: WandaVision through The Marvels (2021-2023)
Phase 5: Secret Invasion onward (2023+)

Examples:

# Get Phase 4 content
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/phase/4"

# Get multiple phases
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/phase/3,4,5"

Get Content by Collection

Endpoint: /api/mcu/collection/{collectionId}
Method: GET

Filter by collection (saga grouping).

Examples:

# Get Infinity Saga
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/collection/1"

# Get Multiverse Saga
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/collection/2"

To see available collections:

curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/collections"

Discovery Endpoints

Get Latest Content

Endpoint: /api/mcu/latest
Method: GET

Returns the most recently added content to the database.

Example:

curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/latest"

Get Current Content

Endpoint: /api/mcu/current
Method: GET
Alias: /api/mcu/last

Returns content that is currently airing or most recently released.

Example:

curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/current"

Get Next/Coming Content

Endpoint: /api/mcu/next
Method: GET
Alias: /api/mcu/coming

Returns upcoming MCU releases.

Example:

curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/next"

Search & Filter

Free Text Search

Endpoint: /api/mcu/find/{searchTerm}
Method: GET

Search across titles, keywords, IMDB IDs, and descriptions.

Searchable Fields:

Title
Premiere date
MCU timeline placement
IMDB ID
Distribution method
Content information
Category
Keywords

Examples:

# Search by title
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/find/avengers"

# Search by actor
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/find/chris+evans"

# Search by year
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/find/2023"

# Search by keyword
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/find/multiverse"

Filter by Distributor

Query Parameter: ?distributor= or ?distribution=

Filter content by distribution method.

Common Distributors:

Theatrical Release
Disney+
Netflix
ABC
Hulu

Example:

# Get only Disney+ shows
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/timeline?distributor=Disney%2B"

# Get theatrical releases
curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/timeline?distribution=Theatrical+Release"

Metadata Endpoints

Get Categories

Endpoint: /api/mcu/categories
Method: GET

Returns list of all content categories.

Example:

curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/categories"

Response:

[
  {
    "cid": 1,
    "category": "Movies",
    "phase": 0
  },
  {
    "cid": 2,
    "category": "TV Shows",
    "phase": 0
  }
]

Get Collections

Endpoint: /api/mcu/collections
Method: GET

Returns list of all collections (sagas).

Example:

curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/collections"

Response:

[
  {
    "collectionid": 1,
    "collectionName": "The Infinity Saga"
  },
  {
    "collectionid": 2,
    "collectionName": "The Multiverse Saga"
  }
]

RSS Feed

Endpoint: /api/mcu/timeline?get=rss
Method: GET

Get timeline updates as an RSS/Atom feed.

Example:

curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/timeline?get=rss"

Use Cases:

Subscribe in RSS reader
Get notified of new additions
Track timeline updates
Monitor upcoming releases

Feed URL for RSS readers:

https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/timeline?get=rss

Response Format

Standard Entry

Each content entry includes:

{
  "mcuid": 123,
  "title": "Content Title",
  "premiere": "2023-11-10",
  "premiereUnix": 1699574400,
  "mcutime": "2024",
  "season": null,
  "episode": null,
  "category": "Movies",
  "phase": 5,
  "imdb": "https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234567/",
  "distribution": "Theatrical Release",
  "collectionName": "The Multiverse Saga",
  "contentinformation": {
    "runtime": "120 min",
    "directors": ["Director Name"],
    "writers": ["Writer Name"]
  },
  "imdbcache": {
    "rating": "8.5",
    "genres": ["Action", "Adventure"],
    "cast": [
      {"name": "Actor Name", "character": "Character Name"}
    ]
  },
  "links": {
    "disney": "https://www.disneyplus.com/...",
    "trailer": "https://www.youtube.com/..."
  },
  "keywords": "keyword1, keyword2",
  "ourSortOrder": ["mcutime", "premiere", "season", "episode"]
}

Field Descriptions

mcuid - Unique identifier
title - Official title
premiere - Release/air date (YYYY-MM-DD)
premiereUnix - Unix timestamp of premiere
mcutime - When it takes place in MCU chronology
season - Season number (for TV shows)
episode - Episode number (for TV shows)
category - Movies, TV Shows, One-Shots, Web Series
phase - MCU phase number
imdb - IMDB URL
distribution - How it was released/distributed
collectionName - Saga/collection name
contentinformation - Additional metadata (JSON)
imdbcache - Cached IMDB data (JSON)
links - External links (JSON)
keywords - Searchable keywords
ourSortOrder - Recommended sort order

Sorting

Results are sorted by the ourSortOrder field, which typically is:

mcutime - Chronological MCU timeline
premiere - Release date
season - Season number (if applicable)
episode - Episode number (if applicable)

This ensures content appears in the order it should be watched for chronological viewing.

Common Use Cases

Build a Watchlist App

// Get all MCU content
fetch('https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/timeline')
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then(data => {
    const movies = data.mcuTimeLine.Movies;
    const shows = data.mcuTimeLine['TV Shows'];
    
    // Display chronologically
    movies.forEach(movie => {
      console.log(movie.title, movie.mcutime);
    });
  });

Check What's Coming Next

fetch('https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/next')
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then(data => {
    console.log('Coming soon:', data.mcuTimeLine);
  });

Phase-by-Phase Viewer

async function getPhase(phaseNum) {
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/phase/${phaseNum}`
  );
  const data = await response.json();
  return data.mcuTimeLine;
}

// Get Phase 4
const phase4 = await getPhase(4);

Search and Filter

// Find all Spider-Man content
fetch('https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/find/spider-man')
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then(data => {
    console.log('Spider-Man content:', data.mcuTimeLine);
  });

// Get only Disney+ content
fetch('https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/timeline?distributor=Disney%2B')
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then(data => {
    console.log('Disney+ shows:', data.mcuTimeLine);
  });

Web Interface

View the MCU timeline in a web interface:

URL: https://tools.tornevall.net/mcu

Features:

Visual timeline
Phase filtering
Category grouping
Search functionality
Direct links to IMDB

Rate Limiting

Limit: 9000 requests per minute
Sufficient for: Most applications including real-time apps
Best Practice: Cache responses when possible

IMDB Integration

The API automatically enriches content with IMDB data including:

Ratings
Cast information
Genre classifications
Plot summaries
Runtime information

IMDB data is cached to improve performance.

Troubleshooting

No Results

Problem: Search or filter returns empty results.

Solutions:

Check spelling in search terms
Try broader search terms
Verify phase/category IDs are correct
Use /categories or /collections to see valid IDs

Rate Limit Exceeded

Problem: Receiving 429 errors.

Solutions:

Implement client-side caching
Reduce request frequency
Batch requests where possible
The limit is very high (9000/min), so this is rare

Missing IMDB Data

Problem: imdbcache field is empty or null.

Solution: IMDB data is fetched and cached automatically. If missing, it may not be available yet. Try again later or the content may not have an IMDB page.

Tips & Best Practices

Chronological Viewing Order

Use the default sort order:

curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/timeline"

Results are pre-sorted in chronological MCU order.

Release Date Order

Sort by premiere field if you want release order instead of chronological order.

Filter Multiple Criteria

Combine phase and distributor:

curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/phase/4?distributor=Disney%2B"

Subscribe to Updates

Use the RSS feed in your favorite RSS reader:

https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/timeline?get=rss

Example: Complete MCU Phase 4 Disney+ Shows

curl "https://tools.tornevall.net/api/mcu/phase/4?distributor=Disney%2B" | jq

Returns all Phase 4 Disney+ content in chronological order.

Support

For issues or questions:

Check this documentation
Visit the web interface: https://tools.tornevall.net/mcu
Review Atlassian documentation
Contact the system administrator

Last Updated: 2026-02-09
API Version: 1.0
Data Source: Marvel Cinematic Universe official timeline

Tornevall Networks

mcu-api

Marvel MCU Timeline API - User Guide

Overview

Key Features

Quick Start

Get Full Timeline

Get Specific Phase

Search for Content

API Endpoints

Timeline Endpoints

Get Full Timeline

Get Timeline by Category

Get Content by Phase

Get Content by Collection

Discovery Endpoints

Get Latest Content

Get Current Content

Get Next/Coming Content

Search & Filter

Free Text Search

Filter by Distributor

Metadata Endpoints

Get Categories

Get Collections

RSS Feed

Response Format

Standard Entry

Field Descriptions

Sorting

Common Use Cases

Build a Watchlist App

Check What's Coming Next

Phase-by-Phase Viewer

Search and Filter

Web Interface

Rate Limiting

IMDB Integration

Troubleshooting

No Results

Rate Limit Exceeded

Missing IMDB Data

Tips & Best Practices

Chronological Viewing Order

Release Date Order

Filter Multiple Criteria

Subscribe to Updates

Example: Complete MCU Phase 4 Disney+ Shows

Support