Marvel Age-by-Age Guide
Find out which Marvel movies, TV shows, books, apps, and games are appropriate for your kids.
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Recommendations
Marvel Comics has been entertaining families with popular characters like Spider-Man, Captain America, and Iron Man since 1939. And after Disney took the reins of the movie franchise in 2009, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) transformed into one of the most successful franchises of all time. The movies have even inspired kids to pick up the classic comics and spin-off books, helping them develop a love of reading along the way.
Even very young kids love Marvel heroes, but that doesn't mean that every superhero adventure is appropriate for them. The cartoony action in the Lego Marvel Super Heroes game is very different from the graphic hijinks in the movie Deadpool.
Luckily, there are many age-appropriate options for kids if they're ready to dive into the Marvel multiverse. Not every title in our list below is part of the official MCU timeline, but all are full of comic book action and memorable characters.
Keep in mind that all kids are different, so consider your child's ability to handle peril and conflict before exploring the content below.
Age 4–7
Keep it mild with animated action that's not too scary or intense.
Watch:
- Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends (TV show)
- Marvel Super Hero Adventures (TV show)
- I Am Groot (TV show)
- Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel (Movie)
- Marvel Battleworld: Mystery of the Thanostones (TV show)
- Marvel's Spider-Man (TV show)
- Marvel's Rocket & Groot (TV show)
- Ultimate Spider-Man (TV show)
Read:
Play:
Age 8–9
Dial up the intensity with these (still kid-friendly) cartoons and books.
Watch:
- The Fury Files (TV show)
- Marvel's Avengers Assemble (TV show)
- Marvel's Avengers Secret Wars Shorts (TV show)
- Marvel Future Avengers (TV show)
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (TV show)
- Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (TV show)
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Movie)
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Movie)
Read:
- Captain America: The Ghost Army
- Shuri: A Black Panther Novel, Book 1
- The Vanished Shuri: A Black Panther Novel, Book 2
Age 10–11
Start introducing popular titles with recognizable characters and lighter action violence.
Watch:
- Captain Marvel (Movie)
- Ms. Marvel (TV show)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (Movie)
- WandaVision (TV show)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (Movie)
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV show)
- Hawkeye (TV show)
- Loki (TV Show)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Movie)
- Spider-Man (Movie)
- Spider-Man 2 (Movie)
- Spider-Man: Far from Home (Movie)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (Movie)
Read:
- Miles Morales: Shock Waves: Original Spider-Man Graphic Novel, Book 1
- Miles Morales: Stranger Tides: Original Spider-Man Graphic Novel, Book 2
Play:
- Marvel Puzzle Quest (App)
- Lego Marvel Super Heroes (Game)
- Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 (Game)
- Lego Marvel's Avengers (Game)
Age 12–13
As your kid feels ready, dig into all of the action-packed movie blockbusters, plus their sequels and tie-ins.
Watch:
- Ant-Man (Movie)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (Movie)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Movie)
- Black Panther (Movie)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Movie)
- Black Widow (Movie)
- Doctor Strange (Movie)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (Movie)
- Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (Movie)
- Marvel's Agent Carter (TV show)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (Movie)
- Thor: Ragnarok (Movie)
- What If...? (TV show)
- The Avengers (Movie)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie)
- Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
- Avengers: Infinity War (Movie)
- Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Movie)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Movie)
- Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (Movie)
- Iron Man (Movie)
- Iron Man 2 (Movie)
- Iron Man 3 (Movie)
- Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV show)
- Secret Invasion (TV show)
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (TV show)
- Thor (Movie)
- Thor: The Dark World (Movie)
Read:
- Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Book 1
- Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man Novel
- Okoye to the People: A Black Panther Novel
Play:
- Marvel Future Revolution (App)
- Marvel Snap (App)
- Marvel Strike Force (App)
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance (Game)
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (Game)
- Marvel's Avengers (Game)
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (Game)
- Marvel's Iron Man VR (Game)
- Marvel's Midnight Suns (Game)
- Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales(Game)
- Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Game)
Age 14–15
Consider some of the edgier spin-off series and video games.
Watch:
- Eternals (Movie)
- Runaways (TV show)
- Werewolf by Night (TV show)
- Daredevil (TV show)
- Marvel's Hit-Monkey (TV show)
- Moon Knight (TV show)
- Marvel's M.O.D.O.K. (TV show)
Play:
- Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered (Game)
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (Game)
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series (Game)
Age 16+
Teens can likely handle most of what the MCU has to offer at this stage, including these racier (and often very violent) stories.
Watch:
Marvel Comics has been entertaining families with popular characters like Spider-Man, Captain America, and Iron Man since 1939. And after Disney took the reins of the movie franchise in 2009, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) transformed into one of the most successful franchises of all time. The movies have even inspired kids to pick up the classic comics and spin-off books, helping them develop a love of reading along the way.
Even very young kids love Marvel heroes, but that doesn't mean that every superhero adventure is appropriate for them. The cartoony action in the Lego Marvel Super Heroes game is very different from the graphic hijinks in the movie Deadpool.
Luckily, there are many age-appropriate options for kids if they're ready to dive into the Marvel multiverse. Not every title in our list below is part of the official MCU timeline, but all are full of comic book action and memorable characters.
Keep in mind that all kids are different, so consider your child's ability to handle peril and conflict before exploring the content below.
Age 4–7
Keep it mild with animated action that's not too scary or intense.
Watch:
- Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends (TV show)
- Marvel Super Hero Adventures (TV show)
- I Am Groot (TV show)
- Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel (Movie)
- Marvel Battleworld: Mystery of the Thanostones (TV show)
- Marvel's Spider-Man (TV show)
- Marvel's Rocket & Groot (TV show)
- Ultimate Spider-Man (TV show)
Read:
Play:
Age 8–9
Dial up the intensity with these (still kid-friendly) cartoons and books.
Watch:
- The Fury Files (TV show)
- Marvel's Avengers Assemble (TV show)
- Marvel's Avengers Secret Wars Shorts (TV show)
- Marvel Future Avengers (TV show)
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (TV show)
- Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (TV show)
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Movie)
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Movie)
Read:
- Captain America: The Ghost Army
- Shuri: A Black Panther Novel, Book 1
- The Vanished Shuri: A Black Panther Novel, Book 2
Age 10–11
Start introducing popular titles with recognizable characters and lighter action violence.
Watch:
- Captain Marvel (Movie)
- Ms. Marvel (TV show)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (Movie)
- WandaVision (TV show)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (Movie)
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV show)
- Hawkeye (TV show)
- Loki (TV Show)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Movie)
- Spider-Man (Movie)
- Spider-Man 2 (Movie)
- Spider-Man: Far from Home (Movie)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (Movie)
Read:
- Miles Morales: Shock Waves: Original Spider-Man Graphic Novel, Book 1
- Miles Morales: Stranger Tides: Original Spider-Man Graphic Novel, Book 2
Play:
- Marvel Puzzle Quest (App)
- Lego Marvel Super Heroes (Game)
- Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 (Game)
- Lego Marvel's Avengers (Game)
Age 12–13
As your kid feels ready, dig into all of the action-packed movie blockbusters, plus their sequels and tie-ins.
Watch:
- Ant-Man (Movie)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (Movie)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Movie)
- Black Panther (Movie)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Movie)
- Black Widow (Movie)
- Doctor Strange (Movie)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (Movie)
- Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (Movie)
- Marvel's Agent Carter (TV show)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (Movie)
- Thor: Ragnarok (Movie)
- What If...? (TV show)
- The Avengers (Movie)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie)
- Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
- Avengers: Infinity War (Movie)
- Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Movie)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Movie)
- Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (Movie)
- Iron Man (Movie)
- Iron Man 2 (Movie)
- Iron Man 3 (Movie)
- Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV show)
- Secret Invasion (TV show)
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (TV show)
- Thor (Movie)
- Thor: The Dark World (Movie)
Read:
- Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Book 1
- Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man Novel
- Okoye to the People: A Black Panther Novel
Play:
- Marvel Future Revolution (App)
- Marvel Snap (App)
- Marvel Strike Force (App)
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance (Game)
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (Game)
- Marvel's Avengers (Game)
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (Game)
- Marvel's Iron Man VR (Game)
- Marvel's Midnight Suns (Game)
- Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales(Game)
- Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Game)
Age 14–15
Consider some of the edgier spin-off series and video games.
Watch:
- Eternals (Movie)
- Runaways (TV show)
- Werewolf by Night (TV show)
- Daredevil (TV show)
- Marvel's Hit-Monkey (TV show)
- Moon Knight (TV show)
- Marvel's M.O.D.O.K. (TV show)
Play:
- Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered (Game)
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (Game)
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series (Game)
Age 16+
Teens can likely handle most of what the MCU has to offer at this stage, including these racier (and often very violent) stories.
Watch: