Sample Projects

This API project is live and running under the side https://snapshot.earth616.org/

If you want to take a look at the above project itself, you can take a look at https://github.com/Tornevall/mcu-timeline-api. The project is basically only based on AJAX requests.

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