User blog:BEJT/Why The Avengers Has to Be in 2012, Civil War (and Thus Homecoming) Has to Be in 2016, and "8 Years Later" Cannot Work

'''This blog has been fully written out, but parts towards the end and in the references in particular were written at haste. I am still proofreading and adding images and links, and the hastier-written parts will be properly edited.'''

2 notes before we begin:
 * 1) I am very happy for this to be shared around - I'd love for that to happen! While I know that is unlikely, nonetheless, just in case, please do!
 * 2) Until Spider-Man: Homecoming, the MCU timeline generally worked out, and so it was not urgent to compile all the hundreds of notes that I and others have made physically, digitally, and mentally on the timeline over the years. Things could individually be explained in small bursts whenever questions were asked. I simply do not have the time yet to explain the decade of timeline evidence which the MCU has accumulated. I have kicked off that project, but will not have a chance to work on it properly until summer. Without that, however, this blog is difficult to write. It has the possibility of becoming messy, due to the interconnected nature of all the timeline evidence. I have done my best to arrange it properly. As part of this, to avoid going off on tangents about why things are firmly placed on certain dates all the time, I have incorporated citations/references like this . So, if I talk about a firm date, click on the reference to find out why. I hope my dedication and understanding of the timeline is made clear.

What This Is For
So... allow me to go full super-nerd. The Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline has been a huge point of discussion in the time since Spider-Man: Homecoming was released, and it has generated much conversation from fans trying to work out how things can possibly make sense. As well as this, it is also something I have had a strong passion for, and put a lot of time and effort into (frankly, far too much), for years now. Many people have brought up individual pieces of evidence, but here I aim to provide as much all-encompassing information as I can. Hopefully this can serve, to people who do not have the full picture, as the full set of information about the issues with "8 years later".

What Has Happened
The timeline has actually been somewhat broken for a long time. There have been many continuity errors in background props and the like, but none extremely significant. The only major difficulty with the timeline that could not work out nicely was Phase One - but there was still a reasonable solution, the full breakdown of which can be seen in my blog, here (currently under major update, but still, I feel, comes to a reasonable conclusion). Past Phase One, everything was reasonably fine, and it was nice to just leave the complications of that phase behind - let it settle and solidify, and move forwards with the much-more-packed Phases Two and Three. It was more important to work with the integrity of everything past 2012, seeing as this is when the TV shows were introduced and began interweaving, and everything became more reliant on/connected to the films' placements, in a working and functional timeline. Compromises had been made with Phase One, and now everything was unfolding pretty nicely.

Marvel's The Avengers was/is very firmly set in May 2012, and Captain America: Civil War was/is very firmly set in May-June 2016. This is not, as some have assumed, just because of a belief in "real time" settings, but due to an enormous amount of hard evidence. So, when Spider-Man: Homecoming opened with the aftermath of the Battle of New York, then cut to "8 years later" to a Vulture scene, and then Peter's adventures during Captain America: Civil War - thus supposedly putting a scene set before Captain America: Civil War "8 years" after Marvel's The Avengers - it was upsetting and frustrating for me, and for many others. I don't want to sound too serious or like I'm super-overreacting; the MCU is fun and great, but for people who worked for years on the timeline, it genuinely does mean a lot. This supposed time span does not fit on any level with the enormity of evidence so far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for them only being 4 years apart. It does not even fit with the already-too-long time span between Iron Man and Captain America: Civil War that Vision gives when he says in the latter, "In the 8 years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man."

With this new reference, there have been a lot of people online saying things such as, "Wait, is Spider-Man: Homecoming set in 2020? Or is Marvel's The Avengers set in 2009?" And with these questions, people have latched onto the one main piece of evidence within the film itself for which year it is set in: when Peter has Karen call up Aaron Davis/Prowler's profile, it says that his date of birth is April 1984, and Karen says that he is "33". With Spider-Man: Homecoming clearly set in September of whichever year, people have, understandably, used that one piece of evidence to place Spider-Man: Homecoming in September 2017.

Some quick side notes: There are 4 other things in Spider-Man: Homecoming to quickly address. However, a 2009 setting for Iron Man is implied by: The second half of Iron Man 2, the events of Thor, and the second half of The Incredible Hulk are all set in the same week, known as "Fury's Big Week", as detailed in the Marvel's The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week comic, on Marvel's timeline, and shown in the films. Iron Man 2 also cannot span more than a few weeks, because: A 2010 setting is implied for Fury's Big Week by: However, a 2011 setting for Fury's Big Week is implied by: Fury's Big Week is 6 months after "I am Iron Man". This is shown from: So, Iron Man is set in February-November of 2008 or 2009, Fury's Big Week is set in May-June of 2010 or 2011, and Fury's Big Week is 6 months after "I am Iron Man". The best solution possible, to satisfy the most evidence with the most importance, is reasoned out as Iron Man being set from February-November 2009 and Fury's Big Week being set in May-June 2010. To see a full, detailed description, calculation, and explanation of the reasoning, see here. . It can simply be taken that Happy has had an engagement ring on him since around the time just before Iron Man, whether it's simply for whomever Tony should want to marry, or an attempt to tie Tony down during his promiscuous days.
 * One is Toomes' line, "8 years. Not a word from the feds, nothing from those Hallowe'en costume-wearing bozos up there over at Stark Tower." While this supports the "8 years later" card, it can just about be dismissed as Toomes saying, "I've run a business for 8 years. In those 8 years, Hallowe'en costume-wearing bozos have begun popping up, and more and more have arrived on the scene, but not one of them caused us trouble. Sure, Tony Stark interfered in our business 4 years ago, but indirectly, and it wasn't Iron Man - no superhero has ever interfered, until now."
 * Another thing is that when Ned is using his laptop during the climax, "2017" software is shown. While this also suggests 2017, this is not the end of the world, since companies quite often release the software titled after the next year around the end of the previous year, so it's possible that by September 2016, a 2017 software had been released.
 * Another is a quick point about the "April 15th 1984" - on-screen small dates in the MCU like the 1984 date are very, very commonly just mistakes. For example, Marvel's Agent Carter: Season 1, Episode 1 - Now Is Not the End has a newspaper saying it is late April 1946, then another one saying it is June 1946, and that Colleen O'Brien was born on May 23, 1922 and died aged 24. However, in Episode 5 - The Iron Ceiling, it is said that "April 27th" is "less than 2 days from now" and then Episode 8 - Valediction is said to be "May 8th", the first anniversary of V-E Day. This clearly puts the premiere at the very latest in mid-April 1946, overruling the props. The paper mentioning Colleen's death also shows dates from 2009 and 1996, despite it being set in 1946. Another example is that a newspaper in Iron Man 3 puts it in December 2013, when the film clearly, repeatedly says it is Christmas and "13 years" since December 1999, and thus December 2012, supported by other evidence as wellKillian2-IM3.pngIron Man 3 is set at Christmas time, with the final battle the night of Christmas Eve-Day. December 31, 1999, as shown in the Bern flashbacks, is referred to as being 13 years ago, when Killian states, "You know, I invited Tony to join A.I.M. 13 years ago," and StarkKillian-HansensThreat.jpeg says to Maya, "And here you are 13 years later." 13 years after New Year 1999-2000 gives New Year 2012-2013, and with this being Christmas, Christmas 2012 is therefore only a few days out from 13 exact years, as opposed to Christmas 2013 being a few days under 14 years. MayaHansen3-IM3.png also says to Maya earlier in the film, "Please don't tell me there's a 12-year-old kid waiting in the car that I've never met." They slept together on December 31, 1999, which, if she had become pregnant, would have meant she gave birth around September 2000, making the child 12 years old from September 2012-September 2013 - and with it being December, again, it must be December 2012. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot is firmly set in September 2013, as is fully explained here. It follows up on the release of Extremis in Iron Man 3, showing that Iron Man 3 is set before September 2013 - again, December 2012. Marvel's The Avengers is firmly set in May 2012, for all the reasons explained in this article, and Iron Man 3 is set "some months" later, about "6 months", Kevin Feige somewhat confirmed and as is apparently said in the Iron Man 3 Junior Novel. While it actually has to be 7½ months, this fits well enough. Again, Iron Man 3 is very firmly December 2012. The only issues with its placement are that when Tony has J.A.R.V.I.S. call up incidents from the last year, a tiny 2013 date appears on one case, and when Tony meets Harley, he hands him a newspaper saying "December 23, 2013". These, however, are taken to be continuity errors, contradicted heavily, by all the other evidence, and thus overruled. . There are many, many examples of this sort of mistake - it should not overrule the very strong evidence putting the main events of Captain America: Civil War in late June 2016.
 * Finally, Happy's line about having the engagement ring on him since 2008. While this would suggest Iron Man 2 is in 2008, a huge amount of evidence negates thisThe Avengers Deleted Scene - Tony Stark File.png timeline placements for Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and The Incredible Hulk are fraught with contradictions and problems. As detailed in Marvel's official 2012 Avengers: The Art of Marvel's The Avengers timeline, Iron Man spans 9 months from Tony's kidnapping to "I am Iron Man", then Iron Man 2 is 6 months later. USC Avengers Props Exhibition.jpg Tony's birthday appearing in Iron Man 2, which is May 29th (as shown on a file in a deleted scene from Marvel's The Avengers and on official display at an event, and lines up with other evidence placing the film in May), Iron Man 2 is set mostly in May, and Iron Man is February-November of the year before, which also lines up with its own evidence. However, the evidence for which years they are set in is contradictory. Iron Man - Mad Money.jpg A 2008 setting for Iron Man is implied by:
 * A date on a TV in Iron Man which says "May 4, 2008".
 * Vision's line from Captain America: Civil War, firmly on June 19, 2016, saying, "In the 8 years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man."
 * A statement from Kevin Feige (1, 2) implying 4 years between Iron Man and Marvel's The Avengers, which is firmly set in May 2012.
 * Marvel-Movie-Universe.jpegl's official timeline showing that "I am Iron Man" is 67 years after March 1942 (date shown on-screen in Captain America: The First Avenger), when Schmidt took the Tesseract, 67 years after June 22, 1943 (date given by newspaper in Captain America: The First Avenger and confirmed by Marvel), when Steve went through Project Rebirth, 64 years after early February 1945 (date given by auctioned prop from Captain America: The First Avenger and supported by newspaper in Captain America: The Winter Soldier from a while after the disappearance, as well as Reinhardt's arrest date a while after Red Skull's death, shown in The Things We Bury - all explained here), when Steve went into the ice, meaning the timeline overall presents late 2009 for "I am Iron Man".
 * Jon Watts saying that "the eight-year-old Peter had seen Stark say, 'I am Iron Man,' on TV," and again that Peter was 8 at that moment, with the fact that Peter was born in early 2001 Melinda - 7 Years Ago.png(from him being 15 in Captain America: Civil War, June 2016, and "15" in Spider-Man: Homecoming, September 2016, as well as a New York sophomore in 2016-17, meaning he was born in 2001).
 * Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Episode 17 - Melinda, set firmly in April 2015 in the lead-up to Avengers: Age of Ultron (as explained here), flashing back to "7 years ago" when the Avengers Initiative was just starting up, seemingly a while before Iron Man.
 * The Expo is said to only be a year long, and there is "362 days left" on the day of Pepper's hiring and "343 days left" on the day of the Battle at Stark Expo.
 * Tony jokes that Pepper has only been CEO for "a week" after the Expo fight. Although the "days left" just mentioned shows it has been 19 days, still, it cannot be any longer.
 * Marvel-Movie-Universe.jpegIM2 6 Months Later.jpg Monaco incident, which is after Pepper's hiring, is shown on Marvel's timeline to still be 6 months after "I am Iron Man", when the senate meeting before her hiring is also said by Hammer to be "6 months" after the end of Iron Man and the Expo opening before that is shown to be "6 months later" (confirmed by Jon Favreau in DVD commentary to refer to the time since "I am Iron Man"). So, the Monaco incident is definitely within a month of the Expo opening.
 * The inspired canon Marvel's The Avengers: Iron Man Mark VII comic shows that the ice problem test flight in Iron Man is on or after "Day 1", that the fight in Monaco is between "Day 189" and "Day 199", and that the Battle at Stark Expo in Fury's Big Week is before "Day 199", meaning that the end of Iron Man 2 is still just over 6 months maximum after.
 * The rate at which Tony's palladium poisoning is increasing means that the film cannot realistically span more than a few weeks anyway.
 * Stark Expo 2010 Pre-Opening Website.pngFile34-Stark Expo 'memo'.jpg Stark Expo 2010 website saying that the Expo - the first Expo since 1974, the same one shown in the film - begins on "May 7th 2010".
 * Vanko-espoinnage-date-reference-iron-man-2-1-.png computer in Iron Man 2 saying "05.06.10".
 * The Grand Prix de Monaco Historique appearing in Iron Man 2, which is a biannual event which was held in May 2010.
 * Blonsky being known to have been born on "March 1, 1971", as said in a deleted scene, and saying in The Incredible Hulk' that he is "39".
 * Fury saying Steve slept for "almost 70 years" in Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve saying he slept for "70 years" in Marvel's The Avengers, and then more specific with "65 years" in Spider-Man: Homecoming - overall implying he slept for about 66½-66¾ years. And, having gone into the ice in February 1945, this therefore implying he woke around late 2011, and Marvel's The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week shows that this is "one year later" after the end of Fury's Big Week.
 * Tony Stark's file, on display at an event and shown in a deleted scene from Marvel's The Avengers, saying he was CEO of Stark Industries until 2010.
 * Natasha saying to Bruce on May 2, 2012, "You've been more than a year without an incident. I don't think you wanna break that streak," when we know he had incidents in Harlem, then a month later in British Columbia (both in The Incredible Hulk), and those incidents were in June and July respectively, meaning they cannot be 2011.
 * The Iron Man 3 Prelude showing that 10 months before Marvel's The Avengers, in July 2011, enough time had passed since Iron Man 2 that all of the damage at the Expo had been cleaned up, Stark Tower had been fully planned, the foundations had been laid, and the first few levels had already been constructed.
 * Nick Cap.jpg saying on May 4, 2012 in Marvel's The Avengers, "Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that levelled a small town," implying the Battle of Puente Antiguo was last year.
 * MTTDWP - Jane and Darcy.png Thor: The Dark World Prelude comic showing Darcy, on May 4, 2012, saying to Jane that "it's been a year", implying it has been a year since Thor left.
 * Darcy saying in Thor: The Dark World, "He's gonna come back. Except, you know, last time he was gone for like, 2 years," seemingly referring to it being 2 years from him leaving Jane before he returned on November 11, 2013 (but potentially just meaning, "Last time he left you, it was 2 years before he returned to Earth," referring to Marvel's The Avengers).
 * The 2011 song Walk by Foo Fighters playing in a bar which Thor and Selvig visit during Thor.
 * 2010 iron man 2 012.jpgn Hammer saying in Iron Man 2, "We all know why we're here. In the last 6 months, Anthony Stark has created a sword with untold possibilities."
 * Marvel's timeline showing that both the Ambush in Rio de Janeiro (which is shown in The Incredible Hulk to be "17 days" before Banner arrived at Culver University on Day 3 of Fury's Big Week) and the Duel of Monaco (which is days before Fury's Big Week) were 6 months after "I am Iron Man".
 * Iron Man 2 beginning with "I am Iron Man" and showing a montage of Vanko working, then showing "6 months later", the Stark Expo opening. Jon Favreau confirmed on the DVD commentary that the Vanko montage covers the 6 months, with "6 months later" referring to the time since "I am Iron Man".
 * 2010 iron man 2 063.jpgr joking in Monaco that Christine Everhart slept with Tony "last year" (which was 9 months before "I am Iron Man").
 * The inspired canon Marvel's The Avengers: Iron Man Mark VII comic showing about 197 days between the test flight with the icing problem and the Battle at Stark Expo.

However, publications have hinged the whole MCU timeline around the one or two pieces of evidence placing Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017. Numerous outlets have reported on how the timeline supposedly "works", with a solution along the lines of: While well-intended, this is very ignorant of the TV shows also set in the MCU, and tonnes of evidence to the contrary (as well as, on a trying-not-to-sound-bitter personal note, disregarding years and years of work on the parts of timeline fans). It is understandable that people would make these assumptions, as Spider-Man: Homecoming does indeed present this, and the large majority of fans do not have the time to have made detailed notes on every part of the timeline while watching every instalment in the MCU. But that is what us at the wiki, and on other forums, are here for. As people who are very - again, I'm happy to admit to being too - passionate about the timeline, it has been, in all honestly, a bit hurtful, stressful, and distressing reading/hearing/watching as people continue to discuss the topic as if they know the solution, based on minimal evidence.
 * 2008 - Iron Man
 * 2008 or 2009 - Iron Man 2, Thor, The Incredible Hulk
 * 2009 or 2010 - Marvel's The Avengers
 * 2012 or 2013 - Iron Man 3
 * 2013 - Thor: The Dark World
 * 2013 or 2014 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier
 * 2014 - Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
 * 2015 or 2016 - Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man
 * 2016-2017 - Doctor Strange
 * 2017 - Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming

How Did "8 Years Later" Come to Happen?
If it's such a massive blunder, how did it come to happen? It's perhaps a little more understandable if someone going through were to decide that Iron Man is set in 2008, Fury's Big Week in 2009, and Marvel's The Avengers in 2010 (even if - yes, again, I know - it doesn't fit with later major evidence), but it is very difficult to see why Marvel would insist on Marvel's The Avengers being pushed back all the way to 2009. However, that definitely appears to be the case. I believe their reasoning for this may come from a line in Iron Man 3. I will address the many issues with this reasoning afterwards.

In Iron Man 3, Tony says, "1983 [...] I'm 14 years old," which would mean that Tony was born between January 2, 1968 and December 31, 1969. Iron Man shows that Tony was 21 when he took over Stark Industries, a little while after his parents' deaths on, as we are told repeatedly in Captain America: Civil War, "December 16, 1991". Considering Obadiah took over as interim CEO for a little while, Tony cannot possibly have taken over the company until at the very least December 23, 1991. This would mean that Tony must have been born on, or after, December 24, 1969, to still be 21 at some point on or after December 23, 1991. And overall, this gives very little leeway for his birthday - between December 24 and 31, 1969, suggesting his birthday would be around late December 1969.

The reason this is significant is because Iron Man 2 is set around Tony's birthday. So, if they have Tony's birthday in December, they must have wanted Iron Man 2, with Tony celebrating his birthday, to be late in whichever year it is set, rather than in the middle of the year. And since it's 6 months after "I am Iron Man" (while the title card "6 months later" is unclear whether it is referring to "since "I am Iron Man"" or "since Vanko finished work on his suit", Hammer's dialogue in the senate scene confirms it refers to "I am Iron Man", Jon Favreau also confirmed it refers to "I am Iron Man" in the DVD commentary, and the official MCU timeline from 2012 in Avengers: The Art of Marvel's The Avengers confirms it as well), if Iron Man 2 is late in its year, they must have placed it in the same year as "I am Iron Man", with that being a bit before mid-year (instead of the evidence actually pointing to Iron Man 2 being the calendar year after, with "I am Iron Man" being late in the previous year).

However, in Iron Man 2, Pepper does say that Tony slept with Christine "last year". Since they must be placing Iron Man in 2008 (despite the many issues it creates), that must mean they have pushed the very beginning of Iron Man back into the previous year, 2007. There is a "JAN.2008" WIRED magazine in the Apogee award scene at the beginning, and that magazine was released on December 27, 2007 (1, 2), so they must have placed the beginning of the film at the very end of December 2007. Tony returns "3 months" later, which would mean they have it placed in March, and then the scene where Pepper helps Tony with his arc reactor features a TV with "May 4, 2008". As it stands otherwise, it's a problematic date that has to be taken as a continuity error with the slew of evidence further down the line that pushes Iron Man later than 2008, but I am sure they have gone with this date. Then, we know "I am Iron Man" is on the 25th of whichever month it is in, because Coulson books an appointment for "the 24th" and then arrives for it in the climax of Iron Man, the day before the press conference. Considering they have to have made "I am Iron Man" as early as possible for there to be any chance of this working (as will be shown in a minute), they must have placed "I am Iron Man" on May 25, 2008.

What's the earliest date you can possibly call "6 months" after May 25, 2008? '''The very beginning of November, the 6th month after May: November 1, 2008. So, that must be when Marvel have the Expo opening dated to' (again, for Marvel's The Avengers'' to just about squeeze into 2009, it has to be as early as possible, as will be explained). For it to work, they must also have considered the statement in the film that the Expo will run for a whole year to mean that there is 364 days remaining on opening day, not 365, therefore putting the scene where Tony appoints Pepper, which is when there is "362 days remaining" (shown on the screen), as soon as possible after that. So, that scene has been placed on November 3, 2008.

Then, on Day 3 of Fury's Big Week, it is shown that there is "343 days remaining" of the Expo, so that has to be 19 days later, meaning the very earliest they could possibly have placed that is November 22, 2008 - this, in turn, means Fury's Big Week, at Marvel's absolute earliest placement, is November 20-26, 2008. This would also explain why Happy says in Spider-Man: Homecoming that he has had Tony's engagement ring on him "since 2008" - Pepper and Tony got together the night of the Stark Expo battle. Tony then celebrates his birthday (on Fury's Big Week Day 1) a month before the actual day - I guess they would say because he knows he is dying. They literally cannot have his birthday a single day later than November 20, 2008 if Marvel's The Avengers is going to squeeze into 2009, because...

The Duel of Harlem in The Incredible Hulk is on Fury's Big Week Day 7, so that is November 26, 2008. Bruce then has an incident "31 days" later at the end of the film, so the earliest they could possibly have that dated to is December 27, 2008. Then, finally, in Marvel's The Avengers, it is said that the events of Thor were "last year", but when Bruce is picked up by Natasha, she says it has been "more than a year" since his last incident. So, the absolute, absolute earliest they could possibly have that scene with Bruce and Natasha - if they were to use the "31 days without incident" British Columbia incident as the "last" incident she is referring to (some, admittedly only "inspired canon", comics have hinted he had more incidents after this one) - is December 28, 2009, exactly a year and 1 day after. The Battle of New York is 2 days after this scene, so the very very earliest they could possibly have it on is December 30, 2009 (meaning Thor is still just about "last year"). Which means that, finally, the very very earliest they can possibly have the Toomes scene on is literally December 31, 2009... the last day of the year.

Cut to "8 years later", Toomes' "business is good" scene, then Peter returns home after Captain America: Civil War, and Spider-Man: Homecoming picks up "two months later". And in that film, which is clearly set in September, it is shown that Aaron Davis was born in April 1984 and said that he is "33 years old"... which, yes, on its own implies September 2017. This, by their timeline, places the "8 years later" scene no later than June 2017, just before Peter returns home from Germany. Just about, by the skin of its teeth, 8 years after the Toomes scene (7.48 years, 8 calendar years)... So, that is what I believe they have based their Phase One timeline around. Why they chose 2017 instead of 2016, as Captain America: Civil War had presented, I have no idea, but hey, none of this really makes sense.

And a quick note on that before we move on - this is the main reason why "8 years later" is a problem. If it were only moving Marvel's The Avengers, it still wouldn't make sense, for many reasons, but it wouldn't be the end of the world because things could still continue as usual.. But this apparent movement of Captain America: Civil War screws up all the ongoing present day-set TV shows as well, and all the evidence they present. And as well as this, the Spider-Man sequels are supposedly going to be set in subsequent school years, with Peter being a junior in Spider-Man 2 and a senior in Spider-Man 3. While the correct timeline would place his sophomore year as beginning in September 2016, making his junior year September 2017-June 2018 and his senior year September 2018-June 2019, if Spider-Man: Homecoming is being placed in 2017, this instead makes his junior year September 2018-June 2019 and his senior year September 2019-June 2020. "8 years later" essentially means that we can look forward to another several years of mess from upcoming films' placements in relatino to Peter Parker's school years.

Marvel's Apparent Film Timeline
So, their timeline would shake out like:
 * c. December 27, 1969 - Tony is born.
 * c. December 27-31, 1983 - The days in which Tony is 14 years old and it is 1983.
 * December 16, 1991 - The Starks are killed. Obadiah Stane takes over as interim CEO.
 * c. December 26, 1991 - Tony becomes CEO of Stark Industries, aged 21.
 * c. June 2002 - Peter Parker is born.
 * Kevin Feige says Peter was 5 at "I am Iron Man" (despite Jon Watts saying twice that he was 8), which they seemingly have placed in May 2008. It has been said that he is 15 in Captain America: Civil War, which they seemingly have placed in Summer 2017, and it is said in Spider-Homecoming that he is 15, which they seemingly have placed in September 2017. So Peter would have had to be 5-going-on 6 in May 2008, and just-turned-15 in Captain America: Civil War.
 * December 2007-May 25, 2008 - Iron Man.
 * c. December 28, 2007 - "36 hours earlier" Apogee award scene. Tony sleeps with Christine Everhart.
 * c. December 30, 2007 - Beginning of Iron Man. Tony is kidnapped.
 * The scene is "36 hours" after the Apogee award scene.
 * March 2008 - Tony gets back home, 3 months after capture.
 * May 4, 2008 - Pepper helps Tony with his arc reactor.
 * May 25, 2008 - "I am Iron Man".
 * November 1-November 24, 2008 - Iron Man 2.
 * November 1, 2008 - The Expo opens, 6 months after "I am Iron Man".
 * November 3, 2008 - Tony gets home.
 * November 2008 - The Duel of Monaco, the year after Tony slept with Christine.
 * November 20, 2008 - Tony's birthday party, a month early. Beginning of Fury's Big Week.
 * November 22, 2008 - The Stark Expo battle on Fury's Big Week Day 3.
 * November 24, 2008 - Tony has his debrief on Fury's Big Week Day 5.
 * November 22-c. December 1, 2008 - Thor.
 * November 22, 2008 - Thor comes to Earth on Fury's Big Week Day 3.
 * November 24, 2008 - Thor returns to Asgard on Fury's Big Week Day 5.
 * October 4-December 27, 2008 - The Incredible Hulk.
 * October 4, 2008 - The Incredible Hulk begins. Bruce hasn't had an incident in 158 days.
 * November 5, 2008 - Ambush in Rio de Janeiro, 190 days since Bruce's last incident.
 * November 22, 2008 - Bruce arrives at Culver University on Fury's Big Week Day 3, 17 days since his last incident.
 * November 26, 2008 - The Duel of Harlem on Fury's Big Week Day 7.
 * December 27, 2008 - Bruce has another incident, 31 days after the Duel of Harlem.
 * c. December 2009 - Captain America: The First Avenger.
 * In Spider-Man: Homecoming, he says he slept for "65 years" and we know for certain that he went into the ice in February 1945Marvel-Movie-Universe.jpeg The 2012 official MCU timeline places Steve going into the glacier 3 years after Schmidt invaded Tønsberg ("67 years BIM" and "64 years BIM"), which is clearly shown in Captain America: The First Avenger to be "March 1942". MTAPFBW Trade Paperback 1945 Change Scan.jpgMarvel's The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week initially labelled the battle in the Valkyrie as "1943" in the digital copy, but after noticing the mistake, it was corrected in the trade paperback to "1945". Natasha confirms this in Captain America: The Winter Soldier when she asks Steve if it is his first kiss "since 1945". It is said by Arnim Zola later in the film that Steve captured him in "1945", which we know is a few days before the battle in the Valkyrie. Rogers Disappears.jpg mentions in Captain America: Civil War that Steve and Bucky worked together in "1945", and again, the battle in the Valkyrie is soon after Bucky's "death". We are shown in Captain America: The First Avenger that it is before V-E Day, so it is definitely between January and May 1945. Lovely picture.PNGCaptain America: The Winter Soldier also shows that Steve's "death" was revealed to the public and reported in papers on "Monday March 5, 1945". Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Episode 8 - The Things We Bury shows that the day Peggy and the Howling Commandos take down Reinhardt (as shown in Episode 1 - Shadows) was "3 · 2 · 45" (March 2, 1945). This is presented to be a while after Steve's supposed death - they have since been hunting down Hydra outposts and this is the final one, and Peggy is no longer deeply grieving Steve, being reasonably cheerful. Faked-Telegram-SSR-SHAEF.jpg implies that Steve crashing into the glacier is more like February 1945. A prop from Captain America: The First Avenger was auctioned, showing that the date of Phillips interrogating Zola is "Feb 3rd 1945". This is within a few days of Zola's capture, when Bucky fell and seemingly died. After the interrogation scene, we see Red Skull prepare for his launch "tomorrow". We then see Steve mourning Bucky, failing to get drunk, and Peggy coming to console him. This is therefore still within a few days of Bucky's fall, and the night before the battle in the Valkyrie. Therefore, overall, the Battle in the Valkyrie is approximately February 5, 1945, and firmly in early February 1945. . I guess they're deciding it's just under 65 years, despite them saying it was closer to 70 years in both Captain America: The First Avenger and Marvel's The Avengers.
 * December 26-31, 2009 - Marvel's The Avengers.
 * December 26, 2009 - Loki makes a deal with Thanos.
 * December 27, 2009 - Loki comes to Earth.
 * December 28, 2009 - Bruce is picked up. It has been "more than a year" since his last incident.
 * December 30, 2009 - Hawkeye attacks the Helicarrier. The year after Thor first came to Earth. The Battle of New York.
 * December 31, 2009 - The Avengers disband.
 * December 31, 2009 - Toomes picks up after the Battle of New York.
 * Anywhere between late 2010 and mid-2012, or in 2013 - Thor: The Dark World.
 * When Jane worries if Thor will come back to her again, Darcy says, "Last time, [Thor] was gone for, like, 2 years." This line was almost certainly intended to say that Thor was gone for 2 years since New Mexico before returning to Jane, and Feige all-but confirmed this. In that case, with this timeline, Thor: The Dark World would be placed in late 2010. For the Phase One compromises to work, which clicks the rest of the much more important parts of the timeline into a working place from 2012 onward, it has to be interpreted as "the last time Thor left you, he was gone for, like, 2 years until he came back to Earth", meaning it was 2 years from Thor to Marvel's The Avengers. They could have done the opposite, interpreting it as referring to "the last time Thor left Earth, he was gone for, like, 2 years," meaning it was 2 years from Marvel's The Avengers to Thor: The Dark World. This would mean that you could push Thor: The Dark World into 2011. At the most, considering they have Thor's return to Asgard dated to December 31, 2009, they could not only fudge the interpretation, but also stretch it to a rounded 2 years, down from just under 2.5 years, taking Thor: The Dark World to an absolute latest of June 2012. This, of course, makes no sense considering the film presents a 2013 calendar and "14/11/13" release papers for Selvig, as well as Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. strongly placing it in November 2013, but again, I will get into that. The final option is that they went with the 2013 dates in the film, and ignored Darcy's line entirely, which would match what Tom Hiddleston has said since about Thor: Ragnarok being 4 years after Thor: The Dark World.
 * December 2012-January 2013 or December 2013-January 2014 - Iron Man 3.
 * It is firmly in December 2012 to January 2013. The dialogue should overrule the props, and so the fact that a newspaper appears placing the film in December 2013 has always been taken as a slight continuity error (there are many of these in the MCU, as mentioned above). However, Kevin Feige commented in October 2017 about newspapers in the films giving some timeline dates, suggesting that they might actually choose this over the dialogue.
 * October 2013 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
 * "2013.10.12" appears on a live feed shown in the film.
 * 2014 - Guardians of the Galaxy.
 * "1988" + "26 years later".
 * 2014 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
 * "1980" + "34 years later".
 * Summer 2015 - Avengers: Age of Ultron.
 * "2 years" before Thor: Ragnarok. Said in Captain America: Civil War to have been "summer". They have to have repurposed Sam's dialogue from Captain America: Civil War, "We looked for [Bucky] for 2 years" (before he was found), to have meant they gave up after only 2 years instead of it actually being 2 years between Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, and considering Sam mentions he's still searching for Bucky in Avengers: Age of Ultron, "a missing persons case", that would mean they have to have put this within 2 years of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which they have in October 2013.
 * Late 2016-Early 2017 - Ant-Man.
 * The ending has to be within 6 months of Captain America: Civil War, as Spider-Man is indirectly mentioned as being around, and Peter says in Captain America: Civil War that he has had his powers for 6 months.
 * Late 2015/Early 2016-Late 2016/Early 2017 - Doctor Strange.
 * Watch date at the beginning says February 2, 2016. Evidence given suggests Strange's crash to the final fight is about a year, and the opening scene is a little while before his car crash. Avengers Tower still around at the end (this isn't a problem if you assume they just took a while to renovate it after Spider-Man: Homecoming, but still, if this is before that film, that does make a little more sense - it just can't be before then if you look at the timeline evidence).
 * June 2017 - "8 years later" moment, "Business is good".
 * May/June-June/July 2017 - Captain America: Civil War.
 * "In the 8 years" since "I am Iron Man" repurposed to mean "the 8 calendar years following "I am Iron Man", before this year" (so 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). "For the past 4 years, you've operated with unlimited power... and no supervision" repurposed to mean "you've operated for 4 years without supervision since Captain America: The Winter Soldier, when S.H.I.E.L.D. went down". Sam saying they searched for Bucky for "2 years" repurposed to mean they only searched for 2 years, then for some reason gave up (despite it being nothing like the characters to do that). Peter is in school in July apparently... Zemo saying he has been thinking of his revenge for "over a year" since Sokovia repurposed to mean either for whatever reason he calls what is actually over 2 years "over a year", or he only decided to get revenge, for whatever reason, a year after his family died.
 * c. Summer 2017 - Thor: Ragnarok.
 * Set "2 years" after Avengers: Age of Ultron, a little while after Doctor Strange, and, according to Brad Winderbaum, set roughly at a similar time to Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, as well as saying on the blu-ray that it is the same time as Captain America: Civil War. I don't know how they'd explain the fact that they've also said it's "4 years" after Thor: The Dark World.
 * July 2017 - Black Panther.
 * "A week" after T'Chaka's death in Captain America: Civil War. Not sure why the first issue of the Black Panther Prelude suggested that "I am Iron Man" was 10 years before the film, when, even by this extremely stretched timeline, it can be no more than a bit over 9 years.
 * September 2017 - Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Aaaaand it causes numerous major, major issues, breaking the whole universe's timeline. Fantastic! Let's take an even deeper dive.

Why Marvel's The Avengers Has to Be 2012
'''Some of these reasons are more important than others, ranging from comments from people involved and evidence from deleted scenes right up to exact, direct dialogue completely in-canon. They are arranged in the order that each piece of evidence came up (real world date).'''

Number 1 Number 2 Number 3 Number 4 Number 5 Number 6 Number 7 In Episode 5 - Girl in the Flower Dress, a few weeks later, Miles Lydon's phone shows, reaffirming it is after September 8, 2013. A couple of months after Pilot is Thor: The Dark World (which from its own evidence, such as Selvig's release papers saying "14/11/13", places itself in November 2013 - see here). Another several weeks later is Episode 12 - Seeds. In this episode, Richard Lumley says, "24 years ago, an entire S.H.I.E.L.D. team in a small village was massacred in attempt to secure you." This is referring to the massacre in Hunan Province just before Skye is dropped off at St. Agnes Orphanage on, as shown in Episode 5 - Girl in the Flower Dress, "04-23-89". This is reaffirmed to be 1989 in Season 2, Episode 8 - The Things We Bury, when it shows it to be "44 years later" after "1945". A few days after that, in late December 2013, is Episode 14 - T.A.H.I.T.I., in which Simmons says it is "a few months" since Pilot. Episode 16 - End of the Beginning is "a few weeks" after T.A.H.I.T.I., as said by Triplett, and overlaps with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Therefore, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, firmly in January 2014 (see here) is "a few months" + a "few weeks" after Pilot, again reaffirming its September 2013 placement. A couple of days after the Battle at the Triskelion, Ward breaks away from Coulson's team, outed as Hydra. In Season 2, Episode 8 - The Things We Bury, Ward says he only lived with the team for "months", again reaffirming Pilot being September 2013. . In Pilot, they are talking about how "the secret is out" about heroes, gods, and aliens - that the world has just changed, and Coulson has only recently returned from a holiday following his resurrection just after Marvel's The Avengers. 16 months is already quite long for this, but necessary for the evidence and still possible. However, it cannot be much longer than this. Coulson cannot have gone to "Tahiti" for 4 years, and it is not suddenly this "whole new world" 4 years later. In Yes Men, Coulson and Skye discuss how long he's had the G.H. formula, the language very much implying only a year or two, especially since he's not yet showing symptoms of the G.H. madness. It's not 4 years. Interviews also revealed that "the show is set right after the battle of New York", and an official synopsis (1, 2) said "it's just after the Battle of New York". All of this tells us Marvel's The Avengers is much less than 4 years before September 2013, closer to 1. Number 8 A calendar in the film shows it is 2013, backing this up. Producer Craig Kyle said that the film picks up "over a year" after Marvel's The Avengers, and Kevin Feige said "You know, we think it’s been at least a year from the end of The Avengers and that between Loki being sentenced to the dungeons and Thor finishing up putting out the fires between the nine realms that it's been about a year." It has to be more like 1½ years, 1 calendar year, to work with Marvel's The Avengers being firmly in May 2012 (as explained in the article), but this still works reasonably well. Taika Waititi also said that "Thor spent two years on Earth hanging out with [Tony Stark "], referring to the time between Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron. It has to be more like 1½ years, 2 calendar years, to work with Avengers: Age of Ultron being firmly in Spring 2015 (as explained [{insert link here} here]), but this still works reasonably well. Thor: Ragnarok takes place firmly in 2017 in either timeline, "2 years" after Avengers: Age of Ultron. Tom Hiddleston said at San Diego Comic-Con 2017, "It's been 4 years since Thor: The Dark World, and Loki is pretending to be Odin." This would also place Thor: The Dark World in 2013. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot is firmly set in September 2013, as explained here. The events of Thor: The Dark World are just before Episode 8 - The Well, which is presented as approximately 2 months later, fitting as November 2013. Another several weeks later, in Episode 14 - T.A.H.I.T.I., Simmons refers to the events of Pilot as being "a few months" ago, cementing Thor: The Dark World as being "a few months" minus several weeks after Pilot in early September 2013. Season 1 continues and presents roughly 2 months between Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is firmly set in January 2014, as explained here. Again, this presents November 2013. The events of Pilot, before both films, and Episode 19 - The Only Light in the Darkness, after both films, are referred to in Season 2, Episode 8 - The Things We Bury as being only "months" apart, cementing the fact that the two films are a few months or less apart from each other. . Darcy Lewis says in the film, "He'll come back. Only, last time he was gone for, like, 2 years." This is seemingly a reference to the date Thor left Jane in Thor being 2 years earlier, which Kevin Feige all-but confirmed. This would mean Marvel's The Avengers (which, as explained above, is at least 13½ months after Thor) is only around a year before Thor: The Dark World, making it 2012. There is two other ways to take this: "Last time he left you, he was gone for, like, 2 years before he came back to Earth" (ie. 2 years between Thor and Marvel's The Avengers, the fudged interpretation needed for Phase One to work), or, "Last time he left Earth he was gone for, like, 2 years before he came back to you" (ie. 2 years between Marvel's The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World). But even if this is taken to mean that longest possible interpretation, that still puts Marvel's The Avengers only 2 years before November 2013, meaning at the very earliest it is in 2011. Number 9 Number 10 Number 11 Number 12 In Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1, Episode 1 - Into the Ring, Karen says, "The last 2 years have transformed [Union Allied]," and Matt responds, "Yeah, the world watched half of New York get destroyed." This would imply that it is 2014, 2 years since Marvel's The Avengers in May 2012, but it has to be January 2015 as explained above. Since it is January, it could be considered that she is referring to Union Allied's business in the last 2 calendar years, the years of 2013 and 2014, since the battle, benefiting from the cleanup of New York. So: Number 13 Number 14 Number 15 Number 16 Number 17
 * Iron Man is set in 2009, and Iron Man 2, Thor, and The Incredible Hulk are set in 2010 . Iron Man can be no earlier than 2009. The blog I have written to find these placements does function on Marvel's The Avengers being firmly in May 2012, and Captain America: Civil War being firmly in May-June 2016 (as the evidence has firmly suggested outside of "8 years later"), but even removing those predefined dates, it would produce a similar result. And, if Captain America: Civil War were moved to later, it would especially mean Iron Man cannot be any earlier than 2009, considering Vision's line talking about "the 8 years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man". Now, Marvel's The Avengers is, supposedly, set at least 31 days + "more than a year" after Fury's Big Week. This comes from the fact that The Incredible Hulk shows that "31 days" after the Duel of Harlem, Bruce had an incident in British Columbia. We know he then continued to travel, through several countries, to Kolkata, refraining from an incident. Marvel's The Avengers: The Avengers Initiative does suggest that he "Hulked out" on the border, but this is only "inspired canon", so really does not have to be taken as fact (though there is a decent chance he had another incident since British Columbia, which would make the time span even longer). Natasha India.pngha then says in Marvel's The Avengers, "You've been more than a year without an incident. I don't think you wanna break that streak." Therefore, a month to British Columbia + "more than a year" means that ideally it is at least 14 months in total, and it is absolutely at least 13½ months. Avengers27.jpg is also, supposedly, the year after Thor, as Fury says, "Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that levelled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned," the implication being that he is referring to the Battle of Puente Antiguo. This would overall place it ideally, just from this evidence, in late 2011, around October (so as to match the Stuttgart gala shown being the closing ceremony of the exhibition - a banner shows it runs "4.MAI - 21.OKT"). Yes, this is not 2012, but still, it shows that October 2011 really is the earliest possible. And, with the other evidence for 2012 and the gap being longer than a year (as explained here), the "last year" is treated as a slight continuity error anyway, with it being nearly 2 years since Thor. In the blog it can be seen why this pulls into this position and still generally works as best as possible.
 * Searching for Loki.jpg Marvel's The Avengers, a computer on the Helicarrier is shown with a 2012 date. While the date itself does not work, being "12.02.2012" (when Marvel's The Avengers really cannot be earlier or later than mid-2012, and a banner at Stuttgart in the film tells us, with it being seemingly the opening or closing gala for the exhibition running "4.MAI - 21.OKT", that it must be the night before "4.MAI", as well as Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 4, Episode 12 - Hot Potato Soup showing Coulson's date of death as "May 4, 2012"), still, it is worth just adding here as another thing which presents 2012.
 * Black Widow Strikes - Sochi in 2 Years.png the official canon (with a red MCU canon stamp) comic Marvel's The Avengers: Black Widow Strikes, it says at the beginning, "Note: This story takes place between the events of Iron Man 2 and Marvel's The Avengers." As Natasha travels to Sochi in Part Two, she says, "They're connecting the capital to Sochi on the coast, where the Winter Olympics will be held in two years." The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics were held from February 7-23, 2014, placing this in early 2012. At the very earliest, it could be late 2011, rounded to 2 years. The argument could just about be made that the Winter Olympics are on different years in the MCU to the real world, but that would make very little sense - for the Winter Olympics to for some reason be a few years earlier, and coincidentally in exactly the same location. With this clearly set in early 2012 (at the very earliest, late 2011), and Marvel's The Avengers being set after this, it again clearly shows that the film is in 2012, and at the very very earliest, late 2011.
 * Iron Man 3 is set in December 2012 (well, technically January 2013, with Tony telling the story to Bruce Banner about the events in December 2012) . Iron Man 3 is "months", roughly "6 months" after Marvel's The Avengers, as stated by set reports and semi-confirmed by Feige, plus apparently it is said to be 6 months in the Iron Man 3 Junior Novel, and some claim it is in a trailer/TV spot, though I have not found this yet. It is definitely the widely accepted time span as well. Now, granted, this would be overruled by any direct dates/time spans shown/said in the films, but this otherwise fits with the evidence, and it certainly also seems like only several months. Tony cannot have spent 3 or 4 years having anxiety attacks before he found out his diagnosis. The world would not still be reeling from the events in New York and asking him purely about that event all the time if it were now 3 or 4 years later. Tony, having spent all of his time designing more and more suits since New York - and when we know he can make a new suit very fast - cannot have only made 35 suits over 3 or 4 whole years. Pepper cannot have been putting up with his introverted behaviour/lack of sleep etc. that we see her bothered by in the film for 3 or 4 years before mentioning it to him. Tony cannot have spent 3 or 4 years unable to sleep. 3.0 or 4.0 years would make it 6 or 8 times longer than the supposed "6 months". Thematically and clearly, Iron Man 3 is only months after Marvel's The Avengers. At an absolute maximum, it's a year. Again, Marel's The Avengers is 2012 - at the very earliest from this, late 2011.
 * The Dark World Prelude - Game of Thrones.png the official canon (with a red MCU canon stamp) comic, Marvel's Thor: The Dark World Prelude, Tony is shown asking Thor during the Battle of New York if he has ever watched Game of Thrones, and discussing the show's reputation. Yes, there is the slim chance that the show could have, for whatever reason, started several years earlier in the MCU than the real world, but still, in the real world the show started in April 2011, which would place it no earlier than then. It happens to fit nicely at the moment in May 2012, with it being in public consciousness in its second season and having had time to gain its reputation.
 * At New York Comic-Con 2013, a reel was shown ending with "Rest in Peace, Agent Phil Coulson 1969-2012". While, admittedly, this is not particularly important, and the 1969 date is contradicted by a July 8, 1964 date of birth shown on Coulson's ID in Marvel's The Avengers and Pilot and in his obituary from Hot Potato Soup, it still suggests that Coulson died in 2012.
 * Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot is firmly set in September 2013Ward Level 7 ID.jpg Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot, Ward is upgraded to S.H.I.E.L.D. Level 7, and his new ID card says "2013SEP09". This matches the fact that it is supposedly a while after Iron Man 3, with Extremis having been released into the world, and the events of that film are firmly in December 2012.
 * TTDW - Last Time He Was Gone for, like, 2 Years.jpgThor: The Dark World is firmly set in November 2013, and very very firmly in 2013Selvig 14.11.13.jpg Thor: The Dark World, Selvig's release papers say "14/11/13", placing the scene on November 14, 2013.
 * Again, Thor: The Dark World is firmly set in November 2013, and very very firmly in 2013 . Producer Craig Kyle said that the film picks up "over a year" after Marvel's The Avengers, and Kevin Feige said "You know, we think it’s been at least a year from the end of The Avengers and that between Loki being sentenced to the dungeons and Thor finishing up putting out the fires between the nine realms that it's been about a year." So, Thor: The Dark World is a year/a bit over a year after Marvel's The Avengers, thus making Marvel's The Avengers 2012. It has already been stretched to 18 months to fit with Marvel's The Avengers being May 2012, it cannot be any earlier.
 * Scarlett Johansson said about Captain America: The Winter Soldier, "This film is in real time. It's been 2 years since the characters appeared, and now both are agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fighting in the streets." The film is seemingly set around January 2014, and very very firmly between October 2013 and early 2014Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1 covers events before Thor: The Dark World, between Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and in the wake of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It begins in September 2013, as explained here, and Thor: The Dark World is November 2013, as explained here, taking Captain America: The Winter Soldier to late 2013-early 2014. This matches with the fact that Steve says he is "95", when his date of birth is shown in Captain America: The First Avenger to have been "July 4th 1918" - reaffirmed in this film when Zola says Steve was born in "1918". When Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Episode 1 - Shadows picks up, Talbot mentions that in the time since he last encountered Coulson, days after the climax of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, they "managed to evade [his team] for an entire winter". This would suggest that the film is around November-December 2013. However, Season 2, Episode 12 - Who You Really Are is firmly in Spring 2015 in the lead-up to Avengers: Age of Ultron and a little while after Hunter says "Red Skull's been dead for over 70 years", Red Skull's death being firmly in February 1945 (as explained here). In that episode, Coulson refers to the events of Season 1, Episode 15 - Yes Men, just before Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as "last year". This would suggest that the episode is actually in 2014, and thus the film as well. In Captain America: Civil War, firmly in June 2016 for the reasons explained throughout the article, Sam talks about their search for Bucky since the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, saying, "Steve, we looked for the guy for 2 years and found nothing."This would place Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014 rather than 2013 as well. In Season 5, Episode 12 - The Real Deal, a "12-06-2017" date is shown, matching with the evidence placing it soon after November 26, 2017. At least 4 weeks (1, 2) after Yo-Yo's arms were cut off 2 days prior to the "12-06-2017" date, based on the fact that Yo-Yo's arm stumps have healed over, the events of Episode 14 - The Devil Complex take place. The next episode, the next day, Episode 15 - Rise and Shine shows that events in April 2016 were "2 years ago", confirming that this is now 2018 - most likely early January. Then, "2 days" later, in Episode 16 - Inside Voices, a flashback is shown to "4 years ago", showing events immediately after the Season 1 finale, Episode 22 - Beginning of the End, which itself is only days after the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This, again, suggests that the film is set in 2014, not 2013. Finally, 2014 fits with Scarlett Johansson's quote that the film takes place 2 years after Marvel's The Avengers, firmly set in May 2012 for the reasons given in this article. Therefore, Season 1, Episode 15 - Yes Men picks up in very early January 2014, the earliest it can be to still be the year before Who You Really Are in Spring 2015, and to still maximise the amount of "winter" that occurs after Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The film then takes place as early as possible: early-to-mid-January 2014, still in early winter, with the rest of winter from January-March still occurring before Season 2, Episode 1 - Shadows in May 2014. A "2013.10.12" date appears in the film, but this does not fit. It cannot be October 2013 for all the reasons given above, as well as the fact that it takes place after Thor: The Dark World, which is firmly in November 2013. If, instead, it were fudged to mean December 2013, this would work a little better, but still cannot fit for all the reasons just listed, overruling the date. . It's a little unclear if she's referring to their first appearances, Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The First Avenger, or since Marvel's The Avengers. It definitely seems like the latter though, if she's referring to it being "real time" 2 years, since the film that came out 2 years prior was Marvel's The Avengers. 2 years before Captain America: The Winter Soldier would mean that Marvel's The Avengers is in early 2012 - at the very earliest late 2011, rounded to 2 years. Yes, this statement would be overruled by in-universe evidence, but it is still important, especially since it fits very well with all the other evidence provided in the films and shows.
 * Talbot UN.pngThis is, frankly, the final nail in the coffin. In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Episode 6 - A Fractured House, Talbot says, "I was here in 2012 when the sky tore open and the Chitauri rained down on us." A link to the clip can be found here. There is no ambiguity here - Marvel's The Avengers is specifically and explicitly stated to take place in 2012.
 * Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1 is firmly set in January-February 2015. It is very very firmly set in early 2015The first 4 Marvel Netflix seasons - Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1, Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1, Marvel's Daredevil: Season 2, and Marvel's Luke Cage: Season 1 - are connected in a firm 2015 placement. Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1 is set in early 2015. Trish says in Episode 1 - AKA Ladies Night, "It's been a year, Jess. You saw [Kilgrave] die," and in Episode 2 - AKA Crush Syndrome, Jessica asks for information on the bus crash "a year ago", on "January 20th". When they search for the hospital records from the day of the accident, they search for "1/20/2014", finding results for Reva and Charles from that date. So, it's a year since January 20, 2014. The weather goes from snowy to springtime, suggesting around March 2015. Marvel's Luke Cage: Season 1 is set in late 2015. In Moment of Truth, Shameek asks about the New York Knicks, "What's their record this year, anyway, like?" Pop replies "17 and 65". 17-65 was the New York Knicks' record in the season ending April 2015, placing this some time within the months after that. Mike Colter said that it takes place "3-5 months" after Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1. though in Episode 2 - Code of the Streets, Luke says he has worked at Pop's for "5 months", suggesting Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1 ended a little over 5 months prior. That would suggest that this is around August-September 2015. A clear "DEC-01" date is shown, however, placing the season firmly in November-December 2015. This, in turn, would suggest Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1 ends closer to May-June 2015. However, it is before Avengers: Age of Ultron, with Hulk being referred to with language suggesting he's still around on Earth, and the weather means it cannot be later than March-April. So, Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1 places in March-April 2015. Marvel's Daredevil: Season 2 places late in the year, with the season running without any possible breaks until the finale, Episode 13 - A Cold Day in Hell's Kitchen ends with a few weeks' time jump to Christmas. It is after Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1, as proven by dialogue from Claire in Episode 3 - New York's Finest referring to the events of Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1, Episode 13 - AKA Smile. Episode 11 - .380 is set seemingly just before Marvel's Luke Cage: Season 1, Episode 5 - Just to Get a Rep, as Claire quits her job at the hospital in Marvel's Daredevil and leaves to go to see her mother in Marvel's Luke Cage. This matches the fact that both scenes naturally place in November 2015, and that Charlie Cox spoke of a timeline overlap between the two seasons. So, Marvel's Daredevil: Season 2 is October-November 2015, with a time jump of a month at the end to Christmas 2015. This also matches the fact that A Cold Day in Hell's Kitchen shows a "September 2015" calendar get changed to "December 2015" (presumably a little prematurely), and that Frank Castle's family murder is referred to in Episode 5 - Kinbaku as having been in "April" (ie. April just been, 7 months ago), and a massacre of Frank's from since then is shown repeatedly in Episode 2 - Dogs to a Gunfight to have been on July 21, 2015, thus placing this within a few months of July 2015, working as October-November 2015. Finally, Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1 was said by Charlie Cox to finish "about 6 months" before the start of Season 2, which would place it as ending around April 2015. However, the winter weather shown at the end of the season would suggest it is more like December 2014. In Season 2, Episode 10 - The Man in the Box, in November 2015, Fisk mentions that when he met Matt Murdock in Season 1 was "several months ago", meaning it is within 2015, not as far back as 11 months/1 calendar year ago. This would overall suggest January-February 2015 for Season 1, which matches the January 2015 WHiH World News post implied to be about the Man in the Mask, and the fact that an official canon tie-in comic, Marvel's Jessica Jones is set after Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1 and before Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1, placing Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1 as beginning, in March 2015 some time after the end of Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1, in February 2015.
 * January-February 2015 - Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1. 2 full calendar years since Marvel's The Avengers.
 * March-April 2015 - Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1. A year since January 2014, snow turning to spring weather, several weeks later in June, Luke begins working at Pop's. Before Avengers: Age of Ultron.
 * October-November 2015 - Marvel's Daredevil: Season 2. Picks up "about 6 months" after the end of Season 1 (8 months). Leads up to Christmas. Within a few months of July 21, 2015. Last few episodes overlap with the first few episodes of Marvel's Luke Cage: Season 1. "Several months" since Season 1.
 * November-December 2015 - Marvel's Luke Cage: Season 1. 5 months since Luke began working at Pop's, which was a little while after Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1. "DEC-01" clearly shown in DWYCK. The Knicks' most recent record is 17-65.
 * December 2015 - Marvel's Daredevil: Season 2, Episode 13 - A Cold Day in Hell's Kitchen epilogue. Christmas. . In Episode 1 - Into the Ring, Karen says, "The last 2 years have transformed [Union Allied]," and Matt responds, "Yeah, the world watched half of New York get destroyed." [[File:Murdock-Nelson-meet-Karen-Page.jpg|thumb|250px|Karen: "The last 2 years have transformed [Union Allied]." Matt: "Yeah, the world watched half of New York get destroyed."]]Clearly, everyone in New York knows that a reference to "the last 2 years" is referring to the time since the Battle of New York. This would imply that Marvel's The Avengers is set around 2013 - but it can just about work as 2012, as with this being said in January 2015, it could be considered that she is referring to Union Allied's business in the last 2 calendar years, the years of 2013 and 2014, since the battle - benefiting from the cleanup of New York. But it absolutely cannot be any earlier than 2012. Also, with Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1 presenting itself as 2-3 years after the battle, but Captain America: Civil War being "8 years later", that would imply the film is set 5-6 years after Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1, which is just impossible and ludicrous. It should be only approximately 16 months... big difference.
 * Captain America Civil War 27.pngCaptain America: Civil War is firmly set in 2016, for the reasons explained below. Thaddeus Ross says in the film, "For the past 4 years, you've operated with unlimited power... and no supervision." While some have argued that this could refer to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, when the Avengers lost supervision, all evidence points to it only being 2 years since Captain America: The Winter Soldier and 4 years since Marvel's The Avengers (as explained in the reference here and all the Marvel's The Avengers and Captain America: Civil War evidence explained in this blog), which makes more sense with the dialogue. In 2016, it has been 4 years since the Avengers assembled, placing that in 2012.
 * Coulson July 8, 1964-May 4, 2012.jpg Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 4, Episode 12 - Hot Potato Soup, we see Coulson's newspaper obituary from the month of his death. The dates clearly read as "July 8, 1964-May 4, 2012". The July 8, 1964 date matches Coulson's date of birth from his ID in Marvel's The Avengers and Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot, and the May 4, 2012 matches perfectly with the 2012 setting for Marvel's The Avengers and the "4.MAI" banner at the Stuttgart exhibition showing it begins on May 4th, making that night, the night before Coulson's death and seemingly the opening gala for the exhibition, May 3rd. Again, Marvel's The Avengers is firmly set in May 2012.
 * SMH Junior Novel Five Years Ago.jpgSpider Man: Homecoming: The Junior Novel describes the Battle of New York as being "five years" ago. With Spider-Man: Homecoming set, considering all the evidence, in September 2016, this would suggest Marvel's The Avengers is set in late 2011. While it should be 2012, and 4.3 years, it can be taken that the news broadcast is rounding to the nearest 5. It stands by, however, the fact that Marvel's The Avengers should not be earlier than 2011.
 * Cap Fury.jpgin America goes into the glacier in February 1945 . That is a fact. Then, in Captain America: The First Avenger, after Steve wakes, Fury says, "You've been asleep, Cap... for almost 70 years." This would imply about 66½-69¾ years. TheAvengers-0896.jpg Marvel's The Avengers, Steve says, "I slept for 70 years, sir," which can of course be a rough rounded figure, but implies about 67-73 years. SMH Detention 4.pnger, in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Steve says he was "frozen for 65 years", and this is more specific than the 70, implying about 63½-66½ years. Overall, it can be seen that about 66½-66¾ years elapsed, which is the best way to satisfy all of these. You cannot really deviate much from that either way and have it still work. This takes us to Autumn/Fall 2011 (it's specifically reasoned as October (again, see here)). Steve wakes not long before Marvel's The Avengers - anywhere from 1 to several months, placing Marvel's The Avengers no earlier than late 2011 (and fitting reasonably as 7 months later, in May 2012).
 * The official description for The Road to Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War - The Art of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 2 reads, "The Avengers have come a long way since they first assembled to fight off an alien invasion. The past five years have brought more and more challenges, and Earth's Mightiest Heroes have always risen to face them. But have they finally met their match in the intergalactic despot Thanos, who seeks to inflict his twisted will on all of reality?" This suggests that Avengers: Infinity War is set 5 years after Marvel's The Avengers. When asked if Avengers: Infinity War is set 4 years after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Feige said yes. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 firmly set in 2014 ("1980" + "34 years later"), that would make this 2018 (which matches that Scarlett Johansson says it has been 2 or 3 years since Captain America: Civil War, the Russos say it has been 2, and Chris Evans says it's been a couple of years, overall suggesting it's been 2 years (it cannot be more than 2 years for Peter Parker to, after the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, return to his junior year, since 2 exact years after Captain America: Civil War would be right at the end of his junior year), and Captain America: Civil War at least should be set in mid-2016). If Marvel's The Avengers is 5 years before 2018, that would suggest it is set in 2013. It is possible that there is some rounding here, and obviously the rest of the evidence pulls it to 2012, not 2013 - but yet again, Marvel's The Avengers cannot be earlier than 2012.

Why Captain America: Civil War (and Thus Spider-Man: Homecoming) Has to Be 2016
It should be noted that Captain America: Civil War begins in May of the year it is set (which should definitely be 2016) with the Lagos scenes. It then cuts to the following month, when Steve and Wanda watch the news before General Ross arrives - the news refers to the Lagos incident as "last month". Ross then says the signing of the Accords is in Vienna "in 3 days", putting the Bombing of the Vienna International Centre 3 days later. In the Spider-Man: Homecoming Prelude comic, it shows the bombing is "one month later" after Lagos, which lines up - it's still June. The next day, Steve, Bucky, and Sam are caught and taken to Berlin, where Bucky escapes. Tony is given 36 hours and picks up Peter. The day after he was given the deadline, the airport battle occurs, and 48 hours later, Peter is dropped home, having been away for "the weekend" (from Thursday afternoon to the early hours of Sunday, as confirmed when, in the extended version of "A Film by Peter Parker", the day after the Clash of the Avengers is shown to be "Samstag", a Saturday). Spider-Man: Homecoming then cuts to "two months later", to the beginning of the rest of the film, the day before Liz's party, which is the "Friday" before the decathlon on "September 14th" (and 2 weeks before the homecoming dance on September 23rd). So, it is early September, roughly 2.4 months from late June. These should all be 2016 - Lagos is May 3, 2016, as given by WHiH World News, lining up with the films' evidence perfectly. Ross visiting is Sunday, June 19, 2016 (which works as Lagos being "last month"), the Bombing of the Vienna International Centre is then Wednesday, June 22, 2016, which just about fits as "one month" after Lagos (1½ months, but 1 month by the general maths of "May + 1 month = June"). Peter is picked up on Thursday, June 23, 2016, and returned in the early hours of Sunday, June 26, 2016 (only a few days before the end of term), before cutting to 2 months later (2.4 months, rounded) to Thursday, September 8, 2016. Even ignoring the fact that this lines up with WHiH World News, it is still definite that whatever year it is, Lagos is May, the main events are late June, and Spider-Man: Homecoming picks up in early September. Captain America: Civil War cannot be in July, as Peter is still in school (he gets home from school and talks about how he has homework to do, which is why he says he feels he cannot go to Germany. He says that he can't just drop out of school). It has to be late June to still be school time and a rounded 2 months before early September, at the beginning of the new school year.

'''Some of these reasons are more important than others, ranging from comments from people involved right up to exact, direct dialogue completely in-canon. They are arranged in the order that each piece of evidence came up (real world date).'''

Number 1 Number 2 Number 3 Number 4 Number 5 Number 6 Number 7 In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3, Episode 1 - Laws of Nature, the day after Simmons gets back from her 4,722 hours on Maveth (which began a few days after the climax of Avengers: Age of Ultron (firmly in April-May 2015, explained here)) from May-November 2015, Coulson mentions that during Simmons' time being missing, "After hearing about the Pym technologies disaster, [Fitz] even thought she'd been reduced to a microscopic level." So, the climax of Ant-Man takes place between May and November 2015, matching nicely as August 2015. A month into Simmons' time on Maveth, she actually confirms that it is "2015" as well. . It can be assumed that after Scott and Hope's kiss, there is a time jump before the final minutes with the Langs' dinner and Sam looking for Scott. When Sam is shown to have been searching for Scott, there are references to a new superhero - "Well, we got everything nowadays. We got a guy who jumps, we got a guy who swings, we got a guy who crawls up the walls." Spider-Man is around. In Captain America: Civil War, Peter says, "I've had these powers for 6 months." This is already stretched to the limit - it is assumed that by 6 months he is referring to "June - 6 months = December", so as early as possible, Peter got his powers on December 1, 2015. He started being Spider-Man by around December 10th, and Sam looks for Scott around December 13th, with the woman he speaks to having heard rumours of another new hero with those powers. This puts the Ant-Man dinner scene on December 14th, over 4 months after Hope and Scott's kiss, which is just about feasible - but it cannot be any longer. If Captain America: Civil War were indeed set in 2017, this would mean there would need to be at least 16½ months between the scenes (because despite what their timeline might suggest, Ant-Man has to be in 2015 to fit at all with explicit dialogue from WHiH World News and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Even if the "Friday 9 October" phone date in the film were taken as canon over WHiH World News, that is still an over-14-month jump. This is frankly impossible - that Scott would have spent 14-16½ months waiting for Paxton to get his record cleared, or to have a meal with his family to talk together about the incidents, or for Sam to look for Scott. And if Ant-Man were instead moved to 2016, it would break Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and WHiH World News. Number 8 Number 9 Number 10 Number 11 Number 12 Number 13 Number 14 Number 15 Number 16 Number 17 Number 18 So, the season firmly begins in April 2017, with the majority set in May 2017, and the "5/5/2017" date matching the evidence nicely. . In the second half of the season, from Episode 8 - AKA Ain't We Got Fun to Episode 13 - AKA Playland, the Raft is referenced several times, mentioned as a prison for super-powered people that is in the public consciousness. In Captain America: Civil War. the Raft has just been built, and no one has heard about it. This means that in May 2017, it has been a while since the events of Captain America: Civil War. With the main events of the film being set in late June, this means that the latest Captain America: Civil War can be set is late June 2016. Number 19 Number 20 Number 21 Number 22
 * Peggyfuneral.jpg a behind-the-scenes photo of an order of service for Peggy's funeral, it clearly says "1921-2016", which would place Captain America: Civil War in 2016. This would be overruled by actual on-screen dates, but it lines up with the other evidence as well.
 * When asked about when Captain America: Civil War takes place in relation to Avengers: Age of Ultron, Joe Russo said, "We like to say that the amount of time that has passed in between films is the amount of time that has passed in the movies. So, it's about that amount time". This supports the fact that the film is set only a year after Avengers: Age of Ultron, which is firmly set in 2015Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Episode 20 - Scars follows immediately on from the Battle of Sokovia, and flashes back to the events of Episode 1 - Shadows, "one year ago". In Shadows, it is said to be "months" since the events of Season 1, Episode 22 - Beginning of the End, which is only days after Captain America: The Winter Soldier in January 2014 as explained here. Shadows also suggests that winter ended reasonably recently, overall suggesting it is around April-May 2014. This would place Scars, and thus Avengers: Age of Ultron, around Spring-Summer 2015. Tony Stark says in Captain America: Civil War, Tony says, "That's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul... before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia." This means that the Battle of Sokovia takes place during the college summer holidays. However, soon after the Battle of Sokovia, in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Episode 22 - S.O.S. Part 2, Jemma Simmons is swallowed by the Monolith and sent to the planet of Maveth. In Season 3, Episode 2 - Purpose in the Machine, she returns from 4,722 hours on the planet (as chronicled in Episode 5 - 4,722 Hours, 6.5 months. The episode shows that the next day, after her return, Werner von Strucker enlists onto Andrew Garner's psychology course at university. The university still has autumn/fall colours, and Garner asks him, "You okay with a few weeks' makeup work?" This suggests that it's only a few weeks into autumn/fall term, around October, which would place Avengers: Age of Ultron around March-April. This is not possible, with it being college summer holidays. So, Avengers: Age of Ultron has to be as early as possible in the holidays to still fit while making Strucker's enlistment as early as possible in the term. Therefore, the Battle of Sokovia is in early May 2015. The party early in the film is said to be "Saturday", which would make it Saturday, May 2, 2015. The Avengers returning from attacking the Sokovian Hydra base is said to be "3 days" before that, making it April 29, 2015. This also means that, with Simmons being taken to Maveth in mid-May 2015, she returns in late November. Strucker enlists in late November, several weeks into term. Either Garner is referring to "a few" as a bit more than is standard, or he's referring to simply the essentials adding up to "a few week's" worth. A month into Simmons' time on Maveth as shown in 4,722 Hours, so a little over a month after the Battle of Sokovia, Simmons specifically says it's "2015", reaffirming the dates. This also fits, since Season 3, Episodes 1-8 run consecutively to December 2015, then there is about 1 month's jump to Episodes 9 and 10 (stretched to 1½ months), late January 2016, and about another month's jump to Episode 11 (stretched to 1½ months), which is "three months" from the main events of Captain America: Civil War, firmly in June 2016. In terms of other things which fit with Avengers: Age of Ultron being in April-May 2015, Zemo says in Captain America: Civil War in late June 2016 that he has been thinking of nothing but revenge for "over a year" since the Battle of Sokovia, fitting well as early May 2015, 13½ months. It also fits with the Russos saying that Captain America: Civil War is set roughly a year after Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Captain America: Civil War is, as is explained through the article, firmly in June 2016. Taika Waititi referred to Thor spending 2 years living with Tony Stark between Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Thor: The Dark World is firmly set in November 2013, as explained here, working as 2 calendar years/1½ years. Thor: Ragnarok also refers to Avengers: Age of Ultron repeatedly as being "2 years" ago, and that film is firmly set in 2017, 4 years after Thor: The Dark World as said by Tom Hiddleston, and some time before Avengers: Infinity War in early 2018..
 * [[File:WHiH Twitter - 03-05-2016 (10).jpg|thumb|275px|"3 May 2016 [...] Newsfront is live on the scene in Lagos".]]The WHiH World News series is proven to be set in real time, when the posts and episodes were made and released . WHiH World News places the Lagos incident on May 3, 2016, which fits nicely with the rest of Captain America: Civil War being in late June and referencing Lagos as "last month", as well as Spider-Man: Homecoming Prelude cutting from the day of Lagos to the Vienna bombing "one month later". This is explained above. It works perfectly, and is very important, clearly corroborating the mid-2016 settings for Captain America: Civil War (and the end of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3).
 * CACW - 2016 Election Conversations.jpg Captain America: Civil War, in Lagos, Steve looks at a recent newspaper about Crossbones, and it shows "2016 election conversations" as being on "March 22". The newspaper is implied to be very recent, and while ideally it would be the exact date of the Lagos attack, this does not fit with the fact that dialogue, on-screen references, and WHiH World News overrule it, meaning this scene has to be set in May, as explained above. However, it can taken to be reasonably recent (6-7 weeks ago) instead, but again, it clearly presents 2016 (as well as the fact it shows it is an election year).
 * Captain America Civil War 27.pngMarvel's The Avengers is firmly set in 2012, for the reasons explained above. Thaddeus Ross says in the film, "For the past 4 years, you've operated with unlimited power... and no supervision." While some have argued that this could refer to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, when the Avengers lost supervision, all evidence points to it only being 2 years since Captain America: The Winter Soldier and 4 years since Marvel's The Avengers, which makes more sense with the dialogue. It has been 4 years since the Avengers assembled, placing Captain America: Civil War in 2016.
 * SWilson-WeLookedForBarnes.jpg Captain America: Civil War, Sam, Steve, and Sharon discuss how suspicious it is that the Winter Soldier was found so fast. Sam says, "Steve, we looked for the guy for 2 years and found nothing." This would suggest that it has been 2 years since Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is firmly set in January 2014 . While it could be suggested that Sam simply means that they searched for Bucky for 2 years before giving up, all other evidence points to this being 2 years and a few months since Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and it is absolutely not in-character for Steve to give up on Bucky. In Marvel's Captain America: Civil War Prelude Infinite Comic, it is also shown that Steve and Bucky are still following leads on Bucky right up to the day of the attack in Lagos. 2 years after early 2014 would place the film around early 2016 - the main events are set in June, however, making it June 2016.
 * Ant-Man - Spider-Man Reference.jpg main events of Ant-Man are set from July 17-early August 2015, and extremely firmly in the second half of 2015WHiH World News is proven to be set in real time (as explained here). Throughout July 2015, WHiH World News mentions that Scott is due to be released on "July 17th", placing Scott's release at the beginning of Ant-Man on July 17, 2015. On July 15, 2015, WHiH World News posted after an interview with Daren Cross that his ""astonishing" new venture [is] to debut this week." This means that his announcement of the Yellowjacket suit after Scott's arrest has to be within the week of July 15th (no earlier than July 17th, since it's after Scott's release). In that scene, Mitch Carson says he will return in "2 weeks", which refers to the climax of the film, placing that in late July/early August 2015. While a "Friday 9 October" date is shown on Darren Cross' phone in the climax, this is overruled by WHiH World News (but it would also suggest 2015, October 9th was a Friday in 2015).
 * ZemoRevealsTrueIntentions.jpgOver-a-year-Prelude.png Captain America: Civil War, Zemo talks to Steve, Tony, and Bucky about his drive for revenge after his family died in the Battle of Sokovia. He tells them that since his family's deaths, he "thought about nothing else [than revenge] for over a year" until he enacted his plan, and Steve recognises this as referring to Sokovia - "You're Sokovian. Is that what this is about?" This suggests that it has been around 13-15 months since Avengers: Age of Ultron. With Avengers: Age of Ultron set firmly in Spring 2015, or a little bit later as Summer 2015 in this timeline, this places Captain America: Civil War around Summer 2016. This matches with the main events of the film being set in late June, making it 2016 - not 2017, which would be over 2 years.
 * [[File:Emancipation Peggy.png|thumb|300px|"Margaret 'Peggy' Carter [...] Dead at Age of 95 [...] Born [...] on April 9, 1921".]]In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3, Episode 20 - Emancipation, it is shown that Peggy was born on April 9, 1921, and died aged 95. This means she died (the night before Ross visits the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War) between April 9, 2016 and April 8, 2017. With the fact this is set in late June of its year, as explained above, it is clear that it has to be late June 2016 - lining up perfectly with all the other evidence for how Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America: Civil War fit into the timeline.
 * This is a big one. In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Episode 19 - The Dirty Half Dozen. the last episode before Avengers: Age of Ultron which also leads into the film, Ward and the team work together again before he betrays them for a second time. In the Season 2 finale, Episode 22 - S.O.S. Part 2, only several days after Avengers: Age of Ultron, 4,722 Hours - Simmons Says It Is 2015.jpgns is swallowed up by the Monolith, and 4,722 Hours shows us how she spent 4,722 hours (196.75 days, 6.47 months) on the planet before returning in Season 3, Episode 2 - Purpose in the Machine. During those 4,722 hours, at 853 hours (35.54 days, 1.17 months), Simmons directly says that the year is "2015". AoS 311 Three Months From Now.jpg in the season, in Episode 11 - Bouncing Back, it flashes forward to Lincoln Campbell's death, "Three months from now". Campbell's death appeared in Episode 22 - Ascension, which is days after Captain America: Civil War (Episode 20 - Emancipation, discusses how Steve has gone missing after his conflict with Tony, and shows a newspaper about Peggy's death). In Episode 13 - Parting Shot, set during those 3 months preceding Ascension (and thus also within 3 months preceding Captain America: Civil War), Hunter talks about teaming up with Ward "last year". So, he is referring to an event which is several weeks before a moment where Simmons specifically says it is "2015" as being "last year". This alone puts Parting Shot absolutely at the latest in December 2016 (though really, at the latest, working it through, it is March 2016), and it is less than the "3 months" until Captain America: Civil War, putting Captain America: Civil War at the very latest, by this evidence alone, in March 2017. Except we know it has to be set in late June of its year, as explained above. This means, yet again, that Captain America: Civil War cannot be later than June 2016. To recap. the chronological order of these events (just the ones relevant to this point):
 * Ward and Coulson's team work together.
 * Avengers: Age of Ultron.
 * On Maveth, Simmons specifically says it is "2015".
 * Season 3, Episode 11 - Bouncing Back. Episode 22 - Ascension is "three months from now". (This happens to be about 3.5 months after Simmons gets back, itself 6.5 months after she left, a few days after Avengers: Age of Ultron.)
 * Season 3, Episode 13 - Parting Shot. Hunter says they worked with Ward "last year".
 * Main events of Captain America: Civil War in late June.
 * Season 3, Episode 22 - Ascension. 3 months after Episode 11 - Bouncing Back.
 * WHiH Newsfront Top Surgeons.png WHiH Newsfront Exclusive: President Ellis Discusses the Avengers, and on the WHiH World News Twitter page the day before, it is shown that the news organisation has been interviewing "Top NYC surgeon Dr. Stephen Strange" about new experimental methods his group is using - the experimental methods he is using at the beginning of Doctor Strange. WHiH Ellis Video Stephen Strange.png video was released on the same day as the Lagos incident, therefore suggesting Strange's accident is after Lagos . Strange's watch in Doctor Strange tells us it is February 2, 2016 on the day of his accident, which was reaffirmed by Scott Derrickson. This does not quite line up, with Lagos having to be set in May, but it can be stretched a little mean that the interview happens during Strange's recovery period. It cannot be after he has left for Kathmandu though. Scott Derrickson said of Strange's recovery time, "It's months that he's in recovery, I think it's between 3 and 6 months. Yeah, I think it's about 3 to 6 months. Somewhere in there." This lined up with all other evidence as well. Therefore, Strange leaving for Kathmandu has to be within 3-6 months after February 2016, meaning it is absolute latest August 2016 (and, as this shows, really it is more like May 2016). The attack in Lagos has to be before this, meaning it is absolute latest August 2016. As established, the attack is in May, meaning, again, it cannot be 2017 - it has to be May 2016.
 * Friday September 23 Homecoming Ticket.jpg ticket for the homecoming dance in Spider-Man: Homecoming, revealed by an extra and then displayed officially at an event in Tokyo, shows "Friday September 23". This date lines up perfectly with the film's internal dates (such as the decathlon poster showing "September 14th" and the film beginning on September 8th, "two months" after Captain America: Civil War in late June), and 2016 was the year when September 23rd was a Friday. While days of the week do not always match the dates in the MCU, there is no consistency to the offset difference, and there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the days of the week are the same in the MCU as in the real world
 * Jeffrey Mace mentions in Season 4, Episode 10 - The Patriot that "a few months" after the Bombing of the Vienna International Centre, he went through Project Patriot to become the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Very soon after this, when Mace has just taken over as director, the events of the flashbacks in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot play out, and Mack and Coulson leave for the first of many trips (Mack mentions in Episode 2 - Meet the New Boss that they had many long trips: "It's these long deployments, Turbo. Weeks at a time") hunting Quake. Coulson says in Episode 11 - Wake Up, "I spent 6 months on a plane with [Mack]", so they spent 6 months hunting Quake, returning to the Playground from their final trip in Season 4, Episode 1 - The Ghost. Hope 1.jpg about 4 weeks later (cannot be any longer due to episodes being consecutive or references to "last week", "5 days ago" and the like), in Episode 11 - Wake Up, Mack discusses how his daughter, Hope, died "11 years ago", aged only 4 days, and it would be her birthday "tomorrow". In Episode 7 - Deals with Our Devils, it is show very clearly that Hope's birthday was "4/18/06". Therefore, she died on April 22, 2006, and we are now 11 years later, April 2017. Tomorrow would be her birthday, so tomorrow is April 18th, making it firmly April 17, 2017. The implication is that Hope was prematurely born, which is somewhat corroborated, as we know that Hope actually made it through in the Framework reality, presumably born at full term instead, making her birthday more like Summer 2006 - and, in Season 4, Episode 21 - The Return (in May 2017), Daisy tells Yo-Yo that Hope is "10" in the Framework. Now, Working back, this also places the beginning of the season firmly in March 2017, around March 19, 2017In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 4, Episode 11 - Wake Up, Mack says, "Hope was my daughter. She died [...] 11 years ago. My ex, Nicole, we had a life planned together. She got pregnant, we were happy. But, when Hope was born, it was touch and go... she only lived for 4 days. Her story was over before it even started [...] Tomorrow's Hope's birthday, and Nicole has a hard time with it, that's why she texted me. So I went to see her so she wouldn't be alone." In Episode 7 - Deals with Our Devils, Mack is shown holding a photo of Hope, with her date of birth, "4/18/06". So Hope was born on April 18, 2006, and lived until April 22, 2006. It is now 11 years later, April 2017, and is the day before her birthday, so April 17th. The date is firmly April 17, 2017. The episode shows that the events of Episode 8 - The Laws of Inferno Dynamics were "5 days ago", making it April 12, 2017. The concluding events of Episode 7 - Deals with Our Devils could occur anywhere from the day before up to about a week before. In Episode 5 - Lockup, there are jokes about it being "Taco Tuesday," and it is said in Episode 6 - The Good Samaritan that this was "yesterday", putting the events of that episode and Deals with Our Devils on a Wednesday. April 12th was a Wednesday, so the earliest Wednesday before that is April 5th, putting the events of Episode 4 - Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire to Episode 7 - Deals with Our Devils from April 3 to April 5, 2017. The events of Episode 1 - The Ghost to Episode 3 - Uprising occur shortly before, suggesting late March to early April. In Episode 1 - The Ghost, Fitz refers to it being the Scottish football League Cup final. While this was changed for the 2016-17 season to November, every season before that it would take place in March. If, for whatever reason, the date was not changed for the 2016-17 season in the MCU, it would have been on March 19th, fitting with the evidence placing it in March. So, Episode 1 - The Ghost takes place on March 19, 2017. This fits since, in Wake Up, Coulson says that he spent "6 months" on trips with Mack - the first of which is shown in the flashbacks from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot. This would place those as beginning in September 2016. The flashbacks occur just after Jeffrey Mace has become the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D., which was soon after he went through Project Patriot. Mace says in Episode 10 - The Patriot that he went through the project "a few months" after the bombing in Vienna, which fits with that being June 2016, and the project being September 2016. . Coulson and Mack left "6 months" prior, making that September 2016. Therefore, Mace went through Project Patriot around September 2016. This was "a few months" after the Vienna bombing, placing the Vienna bombing around March-June 2016. When does the Vienna bombing place from all the other evidence? June 2016, fitting perfectly with this, and not at all working if Captain America: Civil War has to be pushed into 2017. In Season 4, Episode 13 - BOOM (still April 2017), there are also references to Radcliffe working with Hive, which was in the lead-up to and aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, being "last year", as well as Coulson killing Ward (a few months before Captain America: Civil War) "last year". There are also smaller pieces of evidence, such as car registration and inspection stickers, which would also be contradicted by any movements. As can be seen, Season 4 is clearly and firmly set in March-May 2017, and picks up roughly 9 months after the Vienna bombing. The Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3 and 4 timeline worked out very nicely until Spider-Man: Homecoming, and has worked out nicely continuing on from this with Season 5, if one were to ignore that film. Moving Captain America: Civil War would break their whole timeline, creating innumerable continuity errors for the show.
 * SMH Ferry Car 2016 Registration and Inspection.jpg Spider-Man: Homecoming, on the Staten Island ferry, a car is shown with "6 16" and "2016" registration and inspection stickers. While this would suggest it is before June 2016, it cannot be, as it is September, and cannot be earlier than September 2016. However, being 3 months out-of-date is a lot more believable than it being 15 months out-of-date, suggesting much more that it is September 2016 than September 2017.
 * Terrigen_Map.jpg Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3, Episode 1 - Laws of Nature, Coulson checks a seemingly very detailed simulation on the dispersal of the Terrigen, and it shows that the outbreak will be complete after "17 months 21 days". With the dispersal beginning in Season 2, Episode 22 - S.O.S. Part 2 in early May 2015, this means the dispersal will be over around late October 2016. In Marvel's Inhumans: Season 1, the Terrigen outbreak is ongoing and its dispersal into the water is referred to as "recent". While it is possible that the outbreak is ongoing after the complete dispersal, it certainly seems like it should be during the outbreak time, which is before late October 2016. In Season 1, Episode 6 - The Gentleman's Name Is Gorgon, Audrey references the Sokovia Accords, bringing up to Crystal that the Inhuman royal family should "be on a register or something". This places it after the Accords were ratified, thus meaning that the Accords were ratified before October 2016. With their ratification being in June, again, this means the Accords cannot have been ratified later than June 2016. Even if this were a little after the end of the Terrigen dispersal, it is highly unlikely that it would be another 8 months later, to be able to push Marvel's Inhumans: Season 1 later than June 2017.
 * Rewind - 74 Years Later.jpg In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 5, Episode 5 - Rewind, we see what happened to Fitz after his friends were transported into the future. When he asks Enoch, the alien who sent the agents into the future, where they are, Enoch responds, "Earth year 2-0-9-1". The next day, Fitz puts himself into cryogenic freeze, to wake up in 2091 and join his friends. It then cuts to "74 years later", to Fitz waking up a couple of days before his friends' arrival in 2091. With 2091 being 74 years after Fitz going to sleep, that reaffirms that Fitz goes to sleep in 2017. Fitz going to sleep is the day after Fitz escapes from Blue Raven Ridge. That day is said to be "6 months" after his capture, and it is specifically shown to be 197 days (Fitz draws a monkey face on his wall every day he is in his cell, and it shows 197 monkey faces), 6.48 months. His capture is about 8 weeks (from dialogue, on-screen time references, consecutive events, etc.) after the beginning of Season 4. The beginning of Season 4 is "6 months" after the flashbacks of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot, as said in Season 4, Episode 11 - Wake Up and explained above. Those flashbacks are a short amount of time after Mace became the Patriot. He became the Patriot "a few months", as said in Season 4, Episode 10 - The Patriot and explained above, after the bombing in Vienna. So, Fitz going to sleep in 2017 is 1 day + 197 days + about 8 weeks + "6 months" + a short amount of time + "a few months" after the bombing in Vienna. This is absolute minimum 16½ months. This means that even if Fitz went to sleep on December 31, 2017, the bombing in Vienna would be absolute latest August 2016. And even if Fitz went to sleep absolute latest June 2018 and wakes up in December 2091, and the "74 years" is rounded up from 73.5, 16½ months minimum back from late June 2018 would mean the Vienna bombing is absolute absolute latest February 2017. And since the bombing is in June, and is definitely before August 2016, definitely before February 2017, then the latest it can be is June 2016. Also, actually working it through, it's 17 months, and Fitz has to go to sleep before December 2017, because a while after he goes to sleep, Episode 12 - The Real Deal shows it to be "12-06-2017". And it works out as:
 * Late June 2016 - Vienna bombing.
 * September 2016 - "A few months" later, Mace becomes the Patriot.
 * Late September 2016 - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot flashbacks. Mack and Coulson leave for their first trip.
 * Roughly March 19, 2017 - After "6 months" of trips, Coulson and Mack return to the Playground after their final trip in Season 4, Episode 1 - The Ghost.
 * April 17, 2017 - Season 4, Episode 11 - Wake Up. 11 years since Hope Mackenzie died, which was "4 days" after her birth on "4/18/06". It's currently the day before what would have been her birthday.
 * Roughly May 12, 2017 - Season 4, Episode 22 - World's End. Fitz is captured.
 * Roughly November 25, 2017 - Fitz escapes Blue Raven Ridge.
 * Roughly November 26, 2017 - Fitz goes to sleep. "74 years later" is 2091.
 * December 4, 2017 - The agents return from the future. The date they return to is after Fitz's escape from Blue Raven Ridge and him going to sleep, because the Quinjet is where he and Hunter left it on roughly November 26, 2017.
 * December 6, 2017 - 2 days later, in Episode 12 - The Real Deal, Yo-Yo's monitor says "12-06-2017". More on that later...
 * The official description for The Road to Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War - The Art of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 2 reads, "The Avengers have come a long way since they first assembled to fight off an alien invasion. The past five years have brought more and more challenges, and Earth's Mightiest Heroes have always risen to face them. But have they finally met their match in the intergalactic despot Thanos, who seeks to inflict his twisted will on all of reality?" This suggests that Avengers: Infinity War is set 5 years after Marvel's The Avengers. Marvel's The Avengers is set firmly in 2012, as explained above. This would then suggest that Avengers: Infinity War is set in 2017. Scarlett Johansson says that in Avengers: Infinity War, it has been 2 or 3 years since Captain America: Civil War, the Russos say it has been 2, and Chris Evans says it's been a couple of years, overall suggesting it's been 2 years (it cannot be more than 2 years for Peter Parker to, after the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, return to his junior year, since his junior year ends 2 exact years after Captain America: Civil War). This would suggest that Captain America: Civil War is set in 2015. However, this is impossible, the earliest (and latest) it can be set being 2016. The 5 years can be taken to be a slight rounding, but still, this pulls Captain America: Civil War as early as possible - no later than 2016.
 * Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 2 is very firmly set in April-May 2017In Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1, Episode 12 - AKA Take a Bloody Number, it is shown that the medical bills for Jessica following her family's car crash are from "04/13/00". This would suggest that the accident was soon before this date. This fits with the fact that when Jessica looks at her diary from old home in Episode 7 - AKA Top Shelf Perverts, it is shown that her entries were infrequent, and her last was in September 1999. A 2000 date for the car crash was supported by Season 2, when, in Episode 1 - AKA Start at the Beginning, Phillip Jones' ashes box says "Birth/Death Year: 1990-2000", and in Episode 2 - AKA Freak Accident and Episode 3 - AKA Sole Survivor show on death certificates that Brian Jones was born in "1954" and died aged "46", Alisa Jones was born in "1956" and died aged "44", and Phillip Jones was born in "1990" and died aged "10" (which was his age at death given in Season 1, Episode 8 - AKA WWJD? as well. Throughout Season 2, the car crash is referred to many times as being "17 years" ago, placing this firmly in 2017. 3 contradictory (there is no possible way to make any of them fit together) dates appear in the season - a "5/5/2017" date in Episode 3 - AKA Sole Survivor, a "Thursday, June 1" date in Episode 5 - AKA The Octopus, and a "Wednesday, July 5" date in Episode 6 - AKA Facetime. The "Thursday, June 1" date does not work, since 8-12 days prior in Episode 1 - AKA Start at the Beginning, the Empire State Building is lit up green, and there was no time that this happened between May 20 and 24, 2017. The "Wednesday, July 5" date especially does not work, since it is 17-29 days since the green-lit Empire State Building, and there was no date where that happened between June 6 and 22, 2017, but it also explicitly a "Monday". On top of all this, Nichelle tells Malcolm in Episode 6 - Facetime that it is "3 more months till [her] master's". A master's cannot be taken later than August, making this no later than May. May matches with the "5/5/2017" date, which also lines up with other evidence:
 * It is just over 3 days since the green-lit Empire State Building - the building was lit up green on the night of May 1st for mental health awareness, and this is now the night of May 4th-5th (early hours of the 5th).
 * It is a Thursday-Friday night, matching with it being a "school night" and the next morning being a Trish Talk day, with Trish Talk being a "weekday" show.
 * It works with the weather, starting colder but, by Episode 4 - AKA God Help the Hobo, becoming hot.
 * Melissa Rosenberg stated that the season picks up 6 months to a year after Marvel's The Defenders: Season 1, and April 2017 is 11 months after the season.
 * The Real Deal - 12-06-2017.png In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 5, Episode 5 - The Real Deal, 2 days after the team return from the future, Yo-Yo's monitor says that it is "12-06-2017". This means that the agents return the morning of December 4, 2017. When the agents return, they return to a date that is after the events of Episode 5 - Rewind, because they go to pick up the Quinjet from where Fitz and Hunter left it in that episode, just before Fitz went into cryogenic freeze. In Rewind, we see that Fitz goes into cryogenic freeze the day after he escapes from Blue Raven Ridge. That day is said to be "6 months" after his capture, and it is specifically shown to be 197 days (Fitz draws a monkey face on his wall every day he is in his cell, and it shows 197 monkey faces), 6.48 months. His capture is about 8 weeks (from dialogue, on-screen time references, consecutive events, etc.) after the beginning of Season 4. The beginning of Season 4 is "6 months" after the flashbacks of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot, as said in Season 4, Episode 11 - Wake Up and explained above. Those flashbacks are a short amount of time after Mace became the Patriot. He became the Patriot "a few months", as said in Season 4, Episode 10 - The Patriot and explained above, after the bombing in Vienna. So, the team returning on December 4, 2017 is some time + 1 day + 197 days + about 8 weeks + "6 months" + a short amount of time + "a few months" after the bombing in Vienna. This is absolute minimum 16½ months. This means that even if the team returning on December 4, 2017 were the day after Fitz went into cryogenic freeze, the bombing in Vienna would be absolute latest July 2016. And since the bombing is in June, and definitely before July 2016, then the latest it can be is June 2016. Also, actually working it through, it's 17½ months, and the team returns about 8 days after Fitz went to sleep. It works out as:
 * Late June 2016 - Vienna bombing.
 * September 2016 - "A few months" later, Mace becomes the Patriot.
 * Late September 2016 - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot flashbacks. Mack and Coulson leave for their first trip.
 * Roughly March 19, 2017 After "6 months" of trips, Coulson and Mack return to the Playground after their final trip in Season 4, Episode 1 - The Ghost.
 * April 17, 2017 - Season 4, Episode 11 - Wake Up. 11 years since Hope Mackenzie died, which was "4 days" after her birth on "4/18/06". It's currently the day before what would have been her birthday.
 * Roughly May 12, 2017 - Season 4, Episode 22 - World's End. Fitz is captured.
 * Roughly November 25, 2017 - Fitz escapes Blue Raven Ridge.
 * Roughly November 26, 2017 - Fitz goes to sleep. "74 years later" is 2091.
 * December 4, 2017 - The agents return from the future. The date they return to is after Fitz's escape from Blue Raven Ridge and him going to sleep, because the Quinjet is where he and Hunter left it on roughly November 26, 2017. Yo-Yo's arms are cut off that night.
 * December 6, 2017 - 2 days later, in Episode 12 - The Real Deal, Yo-Yo's monitor says "12-06-2017".
 * Early January 2018 - At least 4 weeks (1, 2) after Yo-Yo's arms were cut off, since her stumps have healed over, the events of Episode 14 - The Devil Complex play out. There is snow on the ground as well. The next day, in Episode 15 - Rise and Shine, events leading up to Captain America: Civil War are referred to as "2 years ago". More on that later...
 * When asked if Avengers: Infinity War is set 4 years after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Kevin Feige said yes. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 firmly set in 2014 ("1980" + "34 years later"), that would make this 2018. Scarlett Johansson says that in Avengers: Infinity War, it has been 2 or 3 years since Captain America: Civil War, the Russos say it has been 2, and Chris Evans says it's been a couple of years, overall suggesting it's been 2 years. It cannot be more than 2 years, since, regardless of the years the films are set, if we label Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming as being set in "Year 1", Peter Parker is starting his sophomore year in September of Year 1. That means he is a sophomore from September Year 1 to June Year 2, and then a junior from September Year 2 to June Year 3. Spider-Man 2 has been confirmed to take place after Avengers 4 and in Peter's junior year, meaning it has to be June Year 3 at the latest. This means Avengers 4 has to be before then, and Avengers: Infinity War before that, so Avengers: Infinity War is absolute latest June Year 3. With Captain America: Civil War set in June Year 1, that means Avengers: Infinity War is less than 2.0 years after Captain America: Civil War. So, yes, with Avengers: Infinity War confirmed to be taking place approximately 2 years after Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War said to be 2018, this means that Captain America: Civil War is set, once again, in 2016.
 * Rise and Shine - 2 Years Ago.png Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 5, Episode 14 - The Devil Complex, at least 4 weeks (1, 2) have passed since Yo-Yo's arms were cut off, because her stumps have healed over. Her arms were cut off in Episode 11 - All the Comforts of Home, on December 4, 2017, 2 days before Episode 12 - The Real Deal shows the date to be "12-06-2017". This means that The Devil Complex picks up in early January 2018 at the earliest. There is snow on the ground as well. The next day, in Episode 15 - Rise and Shine, we a series of flashbacks - to "28 years ago", "2 years ago", "6 months ago", and "24 hours ago". The "2 years ago" is significant. The events shown take place during Season 3, Episode 17 - The Team, while S.H.I.E.L.D. have Gideon Malick in custody, just before Talbot destroys HYDRA. The events of The Team take place in the "three months" between Episode 11 - Parting Shot and Episode 22 - Ascension, which is a few days after Captain America: Civil War. It is specifically 1 week before the Lagos incident, as given by references in WHiH World News to Transia Corporation losing their CEO and HYDRA being destroyed. Therefore, the events leading up to Captain America: Civil War are "2 years ago" before January 2018. This means that the events of Season 3, Episode 17 - The Team can be no later than early July 2016, to still be "2 years" before January 2018 (minimum 1.5). Therefore, Lagos, 1 week later, is also absolutely no later than July 2016. The attack in Lagos is set in May, therefore meaning, again, that it can be no later than May 2016 - and The Team, as given by WHiH World News, is April 26, 2016.
 * Just working through the timeline for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it is completely impossible. I will try to explain this simply with some of the evidence, but the truth it it is more complicated and messy, and hard to explain.
 * Ward Level 7 ID.jpgMarvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. begins in September 2013 (the same month it started in real life), as shown by Ward's new ID card saying "2013SEP09".
 * The first 7 episodes span 2 months, which fits perfectly with the feeling of the show's span and later evidence.
 * Selvig 14.11.13.jpgThor: The Dark World then occurs in November 2013, which matches up with its own evidence perfectly, including a "14/11/13" date on Selvig's release papers, the time of release, comments from crew about it being a little over a year since Marvel's The Avengers (1, 2), and a calendar in the film.
 * The next 7 episodes, Episodes 8-14, span 6 more weeks to late December. In Episode 12 - Seeds, it is still 2013, "24 years" since Skye was admitted to St. Agnes' Orphanage in Spring 1989 (Episode 5 - Girl in the Flower Dress shows Skye's medical file as "04-23-89"). In late December, Episode 14 - T.A.H.I.T.I. features Simmons saying that she met Skye "a few months" ago (3½ months).
 * The next 2 episodes, Episode 15 and 16, are early January 2014. Captain America: The Winter Soldier then occurs in January 2014, and the rest of Season 1 plays out during the month. In Season 2, Episode 8 - The Things We Bury, Ward says he only lived with the team (from Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot to Episode 19 - The Only Light in the Darkness) for "months" - 4 months.
 * "Months" later is Season 2, Episode 1 - Shadows in May 2014. Talbot mentions that the rest of "winter" passed since Captain America: The Winter Soldier (January-March, the remainder of winter).
 * Season 2, Episodes 2-6 cover quite a lot of ground, with several months of time jumps. Episodes 6-19 then occur consecutively from early March through to late April 2015. Hunter says in Episode 8 - The Things We Bury that "Red Skull's been dead for over 70 years". With Red Skull's death firmly in February 1945, this fits with it now being March 2015. Episode 12 - Who You Really Are refers to Season 1, Episode 15 - Yes Men as "last year" - January 2014.
 * Avengers: Age of Ultron then occurs, beginning in late April 2015 and the rest being early May . Tony refers in Captain America: Civil War to the Battle of Sokovia being in Charles Spencer's "summer". It has to be as early as possible, because a few days + 4,722 hours (6½ months) + 1 day later, in Season 3, Episode 2 - Purpose in the Machine, it is shown to be reasonably early in the academic term as Strucker applies to Garner's course. It is still autumnal colours and Strucker has only "a few weeks' makeup work" to do. So, the Battle of Sokovia is early May, at the beginning of an early college summer, and the Purpose in the Machine scene is late November, several weeks into term.
 * Scars - One Year Ago.jpgn 2, Episode 20 - Scars then follows the day after the Battle of Sokovia, and shows that Episode 1 - Shadows was "one year ago" - May 2014. Then, Episodes 21 and 22 happen. Simmons is swallowed by the Monolith and ends up on Maveth for 4,722 hours (shown in the episode 4,722 Hours). 35.5 days into her time there ("853 hours"), Simmons specifically says that it is "2015".
 * So, 6½ months after she is taken to Maveth, Simmons returns in late November in Season 3, Episode 2 - Purpose in the Machine. Just before, in Episode 1 - Laws of Nature, Coulson mentions that Pym Tech's destruction happened during Simmons' time on the planet, fitting as August 2015. There is then 2 weeks (from direct dialogue and the episodes' consecutive settings) from Episode 2 to Episode 8 - Many Heads, One Tale in December 2015.
 * Following this, there is a small amount of time - ideally about a month based on dialogue, actions, and Andrew Garner's beard - to Episode 9 - Closure and Episode 10 - Maveth. It is stretched to 6½ weeks to fit with Captain America: Civil War, taking us to late January 2016.
 * About another month (based on dialogue, actions, and Hive's recuperation time) passes to Episode 11 - Bouncing Back. This has been stretched to 6 weeks to fit with Captain America: Civil War, taking it to mid-March 2016. Episode 12 - The Inside Man and Episode 13 - Parting Shot follow on, with Parting Shot being March (at the end of "winter" in Russia), and including a reference to Season 2, Episode 19 - The Dirty Half Dozen (just before Avengers: Age of Ultron) as being "last year".
 * The events of Episodes 15 - Spacetime to Episode 18 - The Singularity then line up in late April with the WHiH World News series mentioning events from the episodes.
 * The attack in Lagos occurs on May 3, 2016, as given by WHiH World News. The main events of Captain America: Civil War occur the next month (Lagos was "last month")/"one month later" as given in the Spider-Man: Homecoming Prelude comic, from June 19-26, 2016, and Season 3, Episode 19 - Failed Experiments takes place on June 20-21, 2016, between Steve finding out about Peggy's death and Peggy's funeral. Zemo says that, since his family's deaths in the Battle of Sokovia, he has thought of nothing but revenge for "over a year" (13½ months). Sam says they searched for Bucky for "2 years" before the Joint Counter-Terrorist Force found him, referring to the time since Captain America: The Winter Soldier in early 2014, and Ross says that the team have operated for "4 years" - since Marvel's The Avengers in May 2012.
 * Season 3, Episode 20 - Emancipation picks up the day after the Clash of the Avengers - June 25, 2016. Approximately 3 days later, 2 days after the end of Captain America: Civil War, the events of Episode 21 - Absolution and Episode 22 - Ascension take place. Lincoln Campbell dies, which was shown in Episode 11 - Bouncing Back to be "three months from now".
 * SMH Cindy Decathlon.jpg"Two months later" (2.4 months, rounded) after Tony returns Peter home on June 26, 2016, Spider-Man: Homecoming picks up on Thursday, September 8th. Soon after is the Washington Monument incident on "September 14th" (shown on the poster in Peter's room and confirmed by this image shared by Tiffany Espensen), and the Friday after is the homecoming dance on Friday, September 23rd, lining up perfectly.
 * "A few months" (as said by Mace in Season 4, Episode 10 - The Patriot) after the bombing in Vienna, Jeffrey Mace went through Project Patriot - around September, nearly 3 months after the bombing on June 22, 2016. He then became the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Just after he has become director is the events of the flashbacks in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot, when Mack and Coulson leave for the first of many trips (Mack mentions in Meet the New Boss, "It's these long deployments, Turbo. Weeks at a time") hunting Quake.
 * They did this for "6 months" (as mentioned by Coulson in Season 4, Episode 11 - Wake Up, "I spent 6 months on a plane with [Mack]"), finishing with their last trip, returning to the Playground on March 19, 2017 in Season 4, Episode 1 - The Ghost. It is said to be the Scottish League Cup Final, but for the first year ever in the real world, that final had been moved to November. However, all evidence before and after points to this being March 2017. Every year until 2016, the cup was held in March, and if that had not been changed in the MCU for the 2016-17 season, it would have been March 19th.
 * Season 4 then spans 2 months, with Episode 11 - Wake Up being set very firmly on April 17, 2017, as Mack discusses how his daughter, Hope, died "11 years ago", aged only 4 days, and it would be her birthday "tomorrow" - when, in Episode 7 - Deals with Our Devils, it is shown that Hope's birthday was "4/18/06". Therefore, she died on April 22, 2006, and we are now 11 years later on April 17, 2017, the day before what would have been her 11th birthday. The implication is that she was prematurely born, which is somewhat corroborated, as we know that Hope actually made it through in the Framework reality, presumably born at full term instead, making her birthday more like Summer 2006 - and, in Season 4, Episode 21 - The Return (in May 2017), Daisy tells Yo-Yo that Hope is "10" in the Framework. During these episodes, there are also references to Radcliffe working with Hive, which was in the lead-up to and aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, being "last year", as well as Coulson killing Ward (Season 3, Episode 10 - Maveth) being "last year".
 * The agents are taken to the future around May 12, 2017, and Season 5, Episode 5 - Rewind details how Fitz spent "6 months", specifically shown as 197 days, incarcerated at Blue Raven Ridge. Fitz then escapes around November 25, 2017, reuniting with Hunter. They steal the Quinjet back and park it on November 26, 2017, with Fitz going into cryogenic freeze to join his friends "74 years" in the future in "Earth year 2-0-9-1".
 * Inside Voices - Four Years Ago.png agents return from the future in Episode 11 - All the Comforts of Home, to December 4, 2017. 2 days later, in Episode 12 - The Real Deal, it is shown to be "12-06-2017". At least 4 weeks after All the Comforts of Home (1, 2), since Yo-Yo's sliced-off arm stumps have healed, is Episode 14 - The Devil Complex. This takes us to early January 2018. The next day is Episode 15 - Rise and Shine, and the events of Season 3, Episode 17 - The Team are referred to as "2 years ago" - April 2016. "2 days" later is Episode 16 - Inside Voices, and the events of Season 1, Episode 22 - Beginning of the End are referred to as "four years ago" - January 2014.
 * As you can see, the timeline for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. works out nicely, naturally placing Captain America: Civil War in June 2016. There is no possible way to fit in gaps to push the film a year later, and there is no possible space following the film for everything else to occur if it is moved forwards. Moving Captain America: Civil War would break the whole timeline.

And the Other Problems...
'There will not be any issues with Marvel's The Avengers not being 2012 or Captain America: Civil War'' not being 2016 listed, as these have already been addressed. However, if one of the issues listed before also pertains to something else's placement, the issue with that being moved as a repercussion of this timeline will be addressed again, in that context.''' It is worth remembering that Marvel's The Avengers cannot be in 2009 because of it being over a year after Fury's Big Week in 2010, the computer saying "2012", the Sochi Olympics being 2 years away some time before the film, it being about 6 months before Iron Man 3 in December 2012, it being after Game of Thrones has premiered, the Comic-Con presentation showing that Coulson died in "2012", it being not long before Pilot in September 2013, it being maximum 2 years before Thor: The Dark World in November 2013, it being supposedly only a bit over a year before Thor: The Dark World in November 2013, it being supposedly only 2 years before Captain America: The Winter Soldier in January 2014, Talbot specifically saying it was "2012", Karen telling us it's only a bit over 2 years before Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1 in January 2015, Ross telling us it's only 4 years before Captain America: Civil War in June 2016, Coulson's obituary showing he died on "May 4, 2012", Spider-Man: Homecoming - The Junior Novel showing that the Battle of New York was about 5 years before Spider-Man: Homecoming in September 2016, Steve sleeping for about 66½-66¾ years since February 1945, and The Road to Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War - The Art of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 2 saying that it is about 5 years before Avengers: Infinity War in 2018. And it is worth remembering that Captain America: Civil war cannot be in 2017 because of Peggy's order of service showing she died in "2016", the Russos saying it has been about a year since Avengers: Age of Ultron, WHiH World News firmly placing the attack in Lagos in May 2016, a newspaper showing it is "2016", Ross telling us it's only 4 years since Marvel's The Avengers in May 2012, Sam telling us it's only 2 years since Captain America: The Winter Soldier in January 2014, Peter having been Spider-Man for 6 months since the end of Ant-Man in December 2015, Zemo telling us it's been only a little over a year since Avengers: Age of Ultron in May 2015, the newspaper showing that Peggy was born in April 1921 and died aged 95, Hunter saying in the March/April 3 months before the film that they worked with Ward "last year" which is explicitly no later than "2015", Lagos being before Strange has left for Kathmandu which is in May 2016, the homecoming tickets saying "Friday September 23", it being about 10 months before Hope Mackenzie's birthday very firmly in April 2017, registration and inspection stickers in Spider-Man: Homecoming showing it's 2016, it being before Marvel's Inhumans: Season 1 which is before late October 2016. it being roughly 17 months before a date which is "74 years" before 2091, it being 2 years before Avengers: Infinity War in 2017/2018, it being before Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 2 in May 2017, it being at least 17 months before "12-06-2017", and it being just after an event "2 years ago" before January 2018.

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 * USC Avengers Props Exhibition.jpgProblem with moving Tony's date of birth to December 1969 - In Tony's S.H.I.E.L.D. file on official display at a USC School of Cinematic Arts event, it is shown that his date of birth is "05/29/1970" - a date which perfectly matches all other evidence for his date of birth and for Iron Man 2, just does not quite match the Iron Man 3 line. Here, I analyse why May 29th fits almost perfectly with Iron Man 2. November, based on a December date of birth, does not fit at all.
 * The Avengers Deleted Scene - Tony Stark File.pngProblem with moving Tony's date of birth to December 1969 - In a deleted scene from Marvel's The Avengers, the same file is shown, again with Tony's date of birth as "05/29/1970" - a date which perfectly matches all other evidence for his date of birth and for Iron Man 2, just does not quite match the Iron Man 3 line. Here, I analyse why May 29th fits almost perfectly with Iron Man 2. November, based on a December date of birth, does not fit at all.
 * USC Avengers Props Exhibition.jpgProblem with moving Tony's date of birth to December 1969 - In Tony's S.H.I.E.L.D. file on official display at a USC School of Cinematic Arts event, it is shown that he took over Stark Industries in "1992" - a date which perfectly matches the fact that it is shown in Iron Man that he was "21" when he took over the company, and since we are told elsewhere that he was born in May 1970. He would be 22-23 in 1992 if he were born in December 1969.
 * The Avengers Deleted Scene - Tony Stark File.pngProblem with moving Tony's birthday to December 1969 - In a deleted scene from Marvel's The Avengers, the same file is shown, again with the fact that he took over Stark Industries in "1992", which perfectly matches the fact that it is said in Iron Man that he was "21" when he took over the company - and we are told elsewhere that he was born in May 1970. He would be 22-23 in 1992 if he were born in December 1969.
 * USC Avengers Props Exhibition.jpgProblem with moving Tony taking over as CEO to December 1991 - In Tony's S.H.I.E.L.D. file on official display at a USC School of Cinematic Arts event, it is shown that he took over Stark Industries in "1992" - a date which perfectly matches the fact that it is shown in Iron Man that he was "21" when he took over the company - and we are told elsewhere that he was born in May 1970. This also gives him a more realistic amount of time after his parents' deaths on December 16, 1991 before he took over the company, not just 10 days of mourning and Stane being in charge.
 * The Avengers Deleted Scene - Tony Stark File.pngProblem with moving Tony taking over as CEO to December 1991 - In a deleted scene from Marvel's The Avengers, the same file is shown, again with the fact that he took over Stark Industries in "1992" - a date which perfectly matches the fact that it is said in Iron Man that he was "21" when he took over the company - and we are told elsewhere that he was born in May 1970. This also gives him a more realistic amount of time after his parents' deaths on December 16, 1991 before he took over the company, not just 10 days of mourning and Stane being in charge.
 * Marvel-Movie-Universe.jpegProblem with moving the span of Iron Man to December 2007-May 25, 2008 - The 2012 official MCU timeline places Tony's kidnapping as "9 mo BIM". This fits at the moment, with Iron Man 2 presenting lots of evidence for a May setting, and therefore Iron Man (6 months earlier) finishing in November. With the kidnapping "9 mo BIM" (9 months earlier), that places it in February, and we know Tony returns "3 months" after that, which the film shows to be "May". However, if "I am Iron Man" is moved to May 25, 2008 and Tony's kidnapping to around December 30, 2007, this is 4.8 (5 calendar) months, not 9.
 * Problem with moving the span between Tony's escape/return to the U.S. and Pepper helping Tony with his arc reactor to March 2008-May 4, 2008 - In the official canon comic Iron Man: I Am Iron Man! #1, after Tony's press conference on returning to the U.S., it cuts to "the next day", to Pepper helping Tony with his arc reactor. This scene, in the film, is immediately after Pepper watches Mad Money on TV and a "May 4" date is shown. This fits with the 2012 official MCU timeline, since Iron Man 2 is firmly set in May, and has a multitude of evidence placing the majority of the film "6 months" after "I am Iron Man", making it November. The official timeline then shows Tony's kidnapping as "9 mo") (9 months) before that, making it February, and Tony's return is said in Iron Man to be "3 months" later, naturally making it May, and fitting with the "May 4" date. However, with this timeline placing Tony's kidnapping in December 2007, Tony's return must be in March 2008. With Pepper helping Tony with his arc reactor being May 4, 2008, this cannot work as "the next day" after his return.
 * Marvel-Movie-Universe.jpegProblem with moving "I am Iron Man" to May 25, 2008 - The 2012 official MCU timeline places Schmidt invading Tønsberg as "67 years BIM" (before "I am Iron Man"). It is shown directly on-screen in Captain America: The First Avenger to be "March 1942". Marvel-Movie-Universe.jpeg If "I am Iron Man" is moved to May 2008, this is 66.2 (66 calendar) years, not 67.
 * Nazis in New York.pngProblem with moving "I am Iron Man" to May 25, 2008 - The 2012 official MCU timeline places Steve becoming Captain America as "67 years BIM" (before "I am Iron Man"). This is shown in Captain America: The First Avenger to have been a while after "June 14, 1943", on Steve's "4F" enlistment, and a newspaper specifies it to have been the day before "June 23, 1943", as has been confirmed by Marvel - June 22, 1943. If "I am Iron Man" is moved to May 2008, this is 64.9 (65 calendar) years, not 67.
 * Marvel-Movie-Universe.jpegProblem with moving "I am Iron Man" to May 25, 2008 - The 2012 official MCU timeline places Steve crashing into the glacier as "64 years BIM" (before "I am Iron Man"). Steve's death is very firmly in early February 1945 . If "I am Iron Man" is moved to May 2008, this is 63.3 (63 calendar) years, not 64.
 * Problem with moving "I am Iron Man" to May 25, 2008 - The official MCU timeline places Bruce Banner becoming the Hulk as "5 years BIM". This is hinted to be around 2004-2006 in the film itself, as there is a newspaper from the event which shows "-06" at the end, although granted, this does not 100% have to mean "2006". There is also surveillance footage from "04/18/2004", though it does not have to be after Bruce's incident necessarily, as it is of Banner, not the Hulk. The dates from the manhunt of Bruce also only begin in 2006, suggesting the incident is around early 2006. The "inspired canon" comic The Incredible Hulk: The Big Picture places the event on April 16, 2005, though this does not have to be taken as fact (but does fit nicely with the 2009-2010 placements, with "I am Iron Man" being a rounded 5 years later in November 2009 and The Incredible Hulk being "5 years" later, as said in that film, in May-June 2010). However, it's clear that no evidence places it any earlier than 2004. If "I am Iron Man" is moved to May 2008, this is maximum 4 years, not 5 - or the incident is moved to 2003, which does not fit with the evidence given.Iron Man 2 - Time Person of the Year.jpg
 * File18-Stark Expo 'full site'.jpgProblem with moving the gap between Iron Man and Iron Man 2 to May 25-November 1, 2008 - In the opening of Iron Man 2, it is shown that between Iron Man and Iron Man 2, Iron Man won the Time magazine "Person of the Year" award. This is always awarded in December of the respective year. If Iron Man 2 is moved to the same year as Iron Man, with the first finishing on May 25, 2008 and the second beginning on November 1, 2008, there is no December that falls between the two films.
 * File34-Stark Expo 'memo'.jpgProblem with moving Stark Expo opening to November 1, 2008 - The Iron Man 2 Stark Expo 2010 promotional campaign, which includes a letter supposedly written by Tony Stark explaining how it is the first Stark Expo since his return from the cave (so it is not just another Expo after Iron Man 2), Stark Expo 2010 Pre-Opening Website.pngly indicates in its title (1, 2) that the Expo is 2010, not 2008.
 * Problem with moving Stark Expo opening to November 1, 2008 - The Iron Man 2 Stark Expo 2010 promotional campaign website specified that the Expo would open on "May 7th 2010". This also perfectly matches the May dates and evidence for Iron Man 2 and the date otherwise given for Tony's birthday, as specified and explained here. This does not match it opening on November 1, 2008.
 * USC Avengers Props Exhibition.jpgProblem with moving Tony stepping down as CEO to November 3, 2008 - In Tony's S.H.I.E.L.D. file on official display at a USC School of Cinematic Arts event, it is shown that he stepped down from being Stark Industries CEO in "2010" - a date which matches the total evidence for the placement of Iron Man 2 . In the film, it is specifically said that he is stepping down "effective immediately". This does not work as November 2008.
 * The Avengers Deleted Scene - Tony Stark File.pngProblem with moving Tony stepping down as CEO to November 3, 2008 - In a deleted scene from Marvel's The Avengers, the same file is shown, again with the fact that he stepped down from being Stark Industries CEO in "2010" - a date which matches the total evidence for the placement of Iron Man 2 . In the film, it is specifically said that he is stepping down "effective immediately". This does not work as November 2008.
 * Problem with moving the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique to November 2008 - The Grand Prix de Monaco Historique is a biannual event on even-numbered years, in May. It was held in May 2008 and in May 2010. It can be taken that the event is held on different dates in the MCU, but with Iron Man 2 moved to November 2008, this is completely different, and does not match the real-world dates or any logical explanation.
 * Vanko-espoinnage-date-reference-iron-man-2-1-.pngProblem with moving Tony and Rhodey talking to November 2008 - In Iron Man 2, the day after the Monaco incident (Rhodey says in the scene that the fight with Vanko was "yesterday"), the date "05.06.2010" is shown on a computer. With this scene moved to November 2008, this does not work.
 * Problem with moving Fury's Big Week Day 1 to November 20, 2008 - While I have not found the scene, several sources say that in an extended scene from The Incredible Hulk, it is said that Emil Blonsky was born on March 1, 1971. In the film, between May 15, 2010 ("1 day without incident") and May 31, 2010 ("17 days without incident", Fury's Big Week Day 3), Blonsky says that he is "39", placing this scene (correctly) between March 1, 2010 and February 28, 2011. However, if The Incredible Hulk is moved to late 2008, Blonsky would be 37, not 39.
 * Problem with moving Fury's Big Week Day 4 to November 23, 2008 - During Fury's Big Week, on Day 4 (as shown on the 2012 official MCU timeline and in the Marvel's The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week comic), Betty Ross says it is "Friday night". Despite some contradictions, there is sufficient proof that the days of the week for dates in the MCU match the days of the week for dates in real life . Yet, with the only way this timeline can possibly work meaning that Day 4 of Fury's Big Week is on November 23, 2008, this is not a Friday, but a Sunday.
 * Problem with moving Fury's Big Week Day 4 to November 23, 2008 - In Thor, when Selvig and Thor drink, the song Walk by Foo Fighters can be heard playing in the bar. This song was not recorded until 2010 and not released until 2011, suggesting that this scene cannot be 2008.
 * Problem with moving Fury's Big Week Day 5 to November 24, 2008 - In this interview, Kevin Feige confirms that Thor: The Dark World is intended to be set 2 years after Thor. Thor: The Dark World is firmly set in November 2013, very firmly in 2013 . Admittedly, the compromise for Phase One means it has been stretched to 3 years, but if Thor were moved to November 2008, this is 5.0 years, nowhere near 2. The other option is that Thor: The Dark World is pulled earlier, but this is actually far worse, completely breaking Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and that film's own timeline.
 * Problem with moving Fury's Big Week Day 6-7 to November 25-26, 2008 - In The Incredible Hulk, Ross says that Banner has been on the run for "5 years", also mentioning this in a deleted scene with Leonard Samson. This is hinted to be around 2004-2006 in the film itself, as there is a newspaper from the event which shows "-06" at the end, although granted, this does not 100% have to mean "2006". There is also surveillance footage from "04/18/2004", though it does not have to be after Bruce's incident necessarily, as it is of Banner, not the Hulk. The dates from the manhunt of Bruce also only begin in 2006, suggesting the incident is around early 2006. The "inspired canon" comic The Incredible Hulk: The Big Picture places the event on April 16, 2005, though this does not have to be taken as fact (but does fit nicely with the 2009-2010 placements, with "I am Iron Man" being a rounded 5 years later in November 2009 and The Incredible Hulk being "5 years" later, as said in that film, in May-June 2010). However, it's clear that no evidence places it any earlier than 2004. If The Incredible Hulk is moved to November 2008, this is maximum 4 years, not 5 - or the incident is moved to 2003, which does not fit with the evidence given.
 * Black Widow Strikes - Sochi in 2 Years.pngProblem with moving Marvel's The Avengers: Black Widow Strikes to December 2009 - In Marvel's The Avengers: Black Widow Strikes, it is said specifically, "Note: This comic takes place between the events of Iron Man 2 and Marvel's The Avengers," and the cover specifically calls it a prelude to Marvel's The Avengers. This would mean that absolute latest, by this timeline, it is December 2009. In the comic, Natasha says talks about Sochi, saying, "Sochi on the coast, where the Winter Olympics will be held in two years." The Sochi Winter Olympics were held in February 2014. December 2009 is 4.2 (5 calendar) years from the Sochi Winter Olympics, not fitting as 2 years out by any stretch.
 * Cap Fury.jpgProblem with moving Captain America: The First Avenger to December 2009 - In Captain America: The First Avenger, when Steve wakes up in present day, Nick Fury says to him that he has "been asleep for almost 70 years." Steve going into the glacier in February 1945, very firmly . If he wakes up in December 2009, that is 64.8 (64 calendar) years. It is less than 65, actually closer to 60 than 70, and is also only 6 calendar decades - in no way "almost 70".
 * TheAvengers-0896.jpgProblem with moving Captain America: The First Avenger to December 2009 - In Marvel's The Avengers, Steve says that he "slept for 70 years". Steve going into the glacier in February 1945, very firmly . If he wakes up in December 2009, that is 64.8 (64 calendar) years. It is less than 65, actually closer to 60 than 70, and is also only 6 calendar decades - in no way "60".
 * Problem with moving the span between Iron Man and Marvel's The Avengers to May 2008-December 2009 - Kevin Feige made a statement in the lead-up to Spider-Man: Homecoming about how Peter Parker experienced the events of the MCU through his childhood (1, 2). While the ages he gave do not make much sense, placing Marvel's The Avengers about 6 years before Captain America: Civil War and thus not fitting either side of things, simply looking at the fact that his statement suggests that Peter was 4 years of age older in the Battle of New York than at "I am Iron Man" would mean that there is 3.003-4.997 years between those dates. Now, as explained here, it absolutely cannot be more than 2½ years, so the current timeline doesn't quite fit with that either, but it's closer to fitting than this timeline, where it is only 1½ years.
 * Grant-Ward-Rejoins-HYDRA.jpgProblem with moving Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot to anywhere before January 2013 (which would have to happen if Thor: The Dark World ends up pulled earlier, since this is a while before Thor: The Dark World) - In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Episode 8 - The Things We Bury, Ward says, "I was a member of Coulson's team. Lived with them for months." This means that Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot is only "months" before Episode 19 - The Only Light in the Darkness, which is only couple of days after the climax of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, thus meaning that Pilot has to be "months" before Captain America: The Winter Soldier. They should be September 2013 and January 2014 respectively, but if Captain America: The Winter Soldier has been placed in October 2013, then Pilot has to absolutely be January 2013 or later. This does not work at all if they're insisting on pushing Thor: The Dark World back to 2010, 2011, or 2012, since Pilot is a while before Thor: The Dark World.
 * T.A.H.I.T.I. - A Few Months.jpgProblem with moving Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot to anywhere before March 2013 (which would have to happen if Thor: The Dark World ends up pulled earlier, since this is a while before Thor: The Dark World) - In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 14 - T.A.H.I.T.I., Triplett talks to Simmons about her friendship with Skye, asking, "You guys go back a ways?" Simmons replies, "Not really. A few months." This means that Episode 1 - Pilot is only a few months before T.A.H.I.T.I.. When we next see Garrett and Triplett 2 episodes later in Episode 16 - End of the Beginning, Triplett says, "Agent Garrett and I have been tracking [Deathlok] the last few weeks," referring to the time since Episode 14 - T.A.H.I.T.I.. End of the Beginning overlaps with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, meaning that Pilot has to be a "few weeks + "a few months" before Captain America: The Winter Soldier. They should be September 2013 and January 2014 respectively, but if Captain America: The Winter Soldier has been placed in October 2013, then Pilot has to absolutely be before March 2013, which does not work at all if they're insisting on pushing Thor: The Dark World back to 2010, 2011, or 2012, since Pilot is a while before Thor: The Dark World.
 * Ward Level 7 ID.jpgProblem with moving Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot to anywhere before September 9, 2013 (which would have to happen if Thor: The Dark World ends up pulled earlier, since this is a while before Thor: The Dark World) - In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot, it is shown that when Ward is promoted to Level 7, he receives his new ID, which clearly says it is valid from "2013SEP09". This places the scene on September 9, 2013 - or, if really necessary, it can be taken to be after that and not a new ID/his ID has not yet been updated. However, this cannot work at all before September 9, 2013. This does not work at all if they're insisting on pushing Thor: The Dark World back to 2010, 2011, or 2012, since Pilot is a while before Thor: The Dark World.
 * Girl in the Flower Dress - 9-8-13.jpgProblem with moving Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 5 - Girl in the Flower Dress to anywhere before September 8, 2013 (which would have to happen if Thor: The Dark World ends up pulled earlier, since this is a while before Thor: The Dark World) - In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 5 - Girl in the Flower Dress, it is shown when Miles Lydon is driving that his phone has files from "4/10/13" (April 10, 2013) and "9/8/13" (September 8, 2013). This means that Girl in the Flower Dress takes place after September 8, 2013 (which makes sense, since Pilot a few weeks prior is after "2013SEP09", as explained below). This does not work at all if they're insisting on pushing Thor: The Dark World back to 2010, 2011, or 2012, since Girl in the Flower Dress is a while before Thor: The Dark World.
 * Problem with possibly moving Thor: The Dark World to anywhere before January 2013 - Taika Waititi said that "Thor spent two years on Earth hanging out with [Tony Stark "], referring to the time between Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron. With Avengers: Age of Ultron firmly set in Spring 2015 or a little later, around Summer 2015 by this timeline, this means that Thor: The Dark World should indeed be 2013. This does not work at all if they're insisting on pushing Thor: The Dark World back to 2010, 2011, or 2012.
 * Problem with possibly moving Thor: The Dark World to anywhere before January 2013 - Thor: Ragnarok takes place firmly in 2017 in either timeline, "2 years" after Avengers: Age of Ultron. Tom Hiddleston said at San Diego Comic-Con 2017, "It's been 4 years since Thor: The Dark World, and Loki is pretending to be Odin." This would therefore place Thor: The Dark World in 2013. This does not work at all if they're insisting on pushing the film back to 2010, 2011, or 2012.
 * Thor The Dark World 2013 Calendar.jpgProblem with possibly moving Thor: The Dark World to anywhere before January 2013 - During the ending of Thor: The Dark World, a 2013 calendar is clearly visible behind Jane, placing the film firmly in 2013, which does not work if it has to be moved to earlier. But, with Darcy's dialogue, it would have to be pulled earlier... but then it can't because of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and other evidence ... There is no functional outcome for Thor: The Dark World in this timeline.
 * Selvig 14.11.13.jpgProblem with possibly moving Thor: The Dark World to anywhere before November 2013 - In Thor: The Dark World, when Darcy and Ian pick up Selvig from the mental hospital, his files say "14/11/13", placing the scene on November 14, 2013. This does not work if it has to be moved to earlier.
 * Problem with moving Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 11 - The Magical Place to anywhere before September 2013 (which would have to happen if Thor: The Dark World ends up pulled earlier, since this is less than "a few months" after Thor: The Dark World) - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 14 - T.A.H.I.T.I. is set maximum a couple of months after Thor: The Dark World, since Simmons says that she has only known Skye for "a few months" since Episode 1 - Pilot, which is a while before Thor: The Dark World. Therefore, Episode 11 - The Magical Place is even closer to Thor: The Dark World. So, if Thor: The Dark World is pulled to 2010, 2011, or 2012, this also pulls Episodes 1-14, up to T.A.H.I.T.I. at least, into those years. However, in The Magical Place, Vanchat's latest bank statement is shown to have been "21/09/13". Therefore, this has to be later than September 21, 2013. Since this is soon after Thor: The Dark World, then that film cannot work if it has been pushed back to earlier than Summer 2013.
 * Problem with moving Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 12 - Seeds to anywhere before January 2013 (which would have to happen if Thor: The Dark World ends up pushed back, since this is less than "a few months" after Thor: The Dark World) - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 14 - T.A.H.I.T.I. is set maximum a couple of months after Thor: The Dark World, since Simmons says that she has only known Skye for "a few months" since Episode 1 - Pilot, which is a while before Thor: The Dark World. Therefore, Episode 12 - Seeds is even closer to Thor: The Dark World. So, if Thor: The Dark World is pulled to 2010, 2011, or 2012, this also pulls Episodes 1-14, up to T.A.H.I.T.I. at least, into those years. However, in Seeds, Richard Lumley says, "24 years ago, an entire S.H.I.E.L.D. team in a small village was massacred in attempt to secure you." This is referring to the massacre in Hunan Province just before Skye is dropped off at St. Agnes Orphanage on, as shown in Episode 5 - Girl in the Flower Dress, "04-23-89". This is reaffirmed to be 1989 in Season 2, Episode 8 - The Things We Bury, when it shows it to be "44 years later" after "1945". So, Seeds is set in 2013, 24 years after 1989. However, since this is soon after Thor: The Dark World, then that film cannot work if it has been pushed back to earlier than late 2012.
 * Problem with moving Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 14 - T.A.H.I.T.I. to anywhere before September 2013 (which would have to happen if Thor: The Dark World ends up pulled earlier, since this is less than "a few months" after Thor: The Dark World) - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 14 - T.A.H.I.T.I. is set maximum a couple of months after Thor: The Dark World, since Simmons says that she has only known Skye for "a few months" since Episode 1 - Pilot, which is a while before Thor: The Dark World. So, if Thor: The Dark World is pulled to 2010, 2011, or 2012, this also pulls Episodes 1-14, up to T.A.H.I.T.I. at least, into those years. However, in Episode 16 - End of the Beginning, which overlaps with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Triplett says that since Episode 14 - T.A.H.I.T.I., he and Garrett have been tracking Deathlok for "a few weeks". While Captain America: The Winter Soldier should be in January 2014, this timeline seemingly has it placed in October 2013, which would mean that at the latest, T.A.H.I.T.I is September 2013. Since this is only a couple of months since Thor: The Dark World, then that film cannot work if it has been pushed back to earlier than Summer 2013.
 * Problem with moving Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 15 - Yes Men to 2013 (which would have to happen with Captain America: The Winter Soldier pulled earlier to October 2013, since this is before Captain America: The Winter Soldier) - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Episode 12 - Who You Really Are is firmly set in Spring 2015, in the lead-up to Avengers: Age of Ultron and a while after Hunter saying in Episode 8 - The Things We Bury that "Red Skull's been dead for over 70 years", when Red Skull's death was firmly in February 1945 . In Who You Really Are, Coulson says that their last time working with Sif in Season 1, Episode 15 - Yes Men was "last year". However, Yes Men is before Captain America: The Winter Soldier. If that film is pulled forwards to October 2013, then Yes Men, before that, is no longer "last year" from Who You Really Are in Spring 2015.
 * Problem with possibly moving Iron Man 3 to December 2013 - Iron Man 3 is set at Christmas time, with the final battle the night of Christmas Eve-Day. New Year 1999-2000, as shown in the Bern flashbacks, is referred to as being 13 years ago, when Killian states, "You know, I invited Tony to join A.I.M. 13 years ago," and Tony says to Maya, "And here you are 13 years later." 13 years after New Year 1999-2000 gives New Year 2012-2013, and with this being Christmas, Christmas 2012 is therefore only a few days out from 13 exact years, as opposed to Christmas 2013 being a few days under 14 years. Tony also says to Maya earlier in the film, "Please don't tell me there's a 12-year-old kid waiting in the car that I've never met." They slept together on December 31, 1999, which, if she had become pregnant, would have meant she gave birth around September 2000, making the child 12 years old from September 2012-September 2013 - and with it being December, again, it must be December 2012.
 * Problem with possibly moving Iron Man 3 to December 2013 - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot is firmly set in September 2013 . It follows up on the release of Extremis in Iron Man 3, showing that Iron Man 3 is set before September 2013 - again, December 2012. This does not fit with Thor: The Dark World
 * Problem with possibly moving Iron Man 3 to December 2013 - Iron Man 3 is set "some months" after Marvel's The Avengers, about "6 months", Kevin Feige semi-confirmed and is apparently said in the Iron Man 3 Junior Novel. This already does not fit with the move of Marvel's The Avengers to 2009, making it 3 years between the two films, and would work even less with Iron Man 3 moved to 2013, 4 years later.
 * Problem with possibly moving Iron Man 3 to December 2013 - Iron Man 3 presents itself as clearly being only months after Marvel's The Avengers. This already does not fit with the move of Marvel's The Avengers to 2009, making it 3 years between the two films, and would work even less with Iron Man 3 moved to 2013, 4 years later. Tony cannot have spent 4 years having anxiety attacks before he found out his diagnosis. The world would not still be reeling from the events in New York and asking him purely about that event all the time if it were now 4 years later. Tony, having spent all of his time designing more and more suits since New York - and when we know he can make a new suit very fast - cannot have only made 35 suits over 4 whole years. Pepper cannot have been putting up with his introverted behaviour/lack of sleep etc. that we see her bothered by in the film for 4 years before mentioning it to him. Tony cannot have spent 4 years unable to sleep.
 * Problem with possibly moving Iron Man 3 to December 2013 - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot follows up on the release of Extremis in Iron Man 3, and Season 1 goes on to show the events of Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Therefore, Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier are both firmly set after Iron Man 3. However, by this timeline, if Iron Man 3 were moved to December 2013 it would take place after both films, which cannot work at all.
 * Whih twitter post 15 july.pngProblem with possibly moving Ant-Man to 2016 - WHiH World News is proven to be set in real time . Throughout July 2015, WHiH World News mentions that Scott is due to be released on "July 17th", placing Scott's release at the beginning of Ant-Man on July 17, 2015. On July 15, 2015, WHiH World News posted after an interview with Daren Cross that his ""astonishing" new venture [is] to debut this week." This means that his announcement of the Yellowjacket suit after Scott's arrest has to be within the week of July 15th (no earlier than July 17th, since it's after Scott's release). In that scene, Mitch Carson says he will return in "2 weeks", which refers to the climax of the film, placing that in late July/early August 2015. While a "Friday 9 October" date is shown on Darren Cross' phone in the climax, this is overruled by WHiH World News (but it would also suggest 2015, October 9th was a Friday in 2015). If Ant-Man is moved to 2016, this disregards all of the July 2015 campaign from WHiH World News and the evidence listed.
 * Coulson Prosthesis Port.jpgProblem with possibly moving Ant-Man to 2016 - In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3, Episode 1 - Laws of Nature, the day after Simmons gets back from her 4,722 hours on Maveth (which began a few days after the climax of Avengers: Age of Ultron (firmly in April-May 2015 )) from May-November 2015, Coulson mentions that during Simmons' time being missing, "After hearing about the Pym Technologies disaster, [Fitz] even thought she'd been reduced to a microscopic level." So, the climax of Ant-Man takes place between May and November 2015, matching nicely as August 2015. A month into Simmons' time on Maveth, she actually confirms that it is "2015" as well. None of this works with it being 2016. With this timeline still placing Avengers: Age of Ultron around Summer 2015, and Simmons going to Maveth a few days after the Battle of Sokovia, then the Pym Tech incident being within 6.5 months of that, this also means that the Pym Tech incident absolutely has to be less than 7 months after the Battle of Sokovia. The incident simply cannot be pushed back past late 2015 due to the incredibly specific time span given in 4,722 Hours.
 * Russian Inhuman Sanctuary.pngProblem with moving Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3, Episode 11 - Parting Shot to March 2017 (which would happen if Captain America: Civil War is moved to mid-2017) - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3, Episode 13 - Parting Shot is set several days after Episode 11 - Bouncing Back, which shows that Episode 22 - Ascension (a few days after the battle in Siberia in Captain America: Civil War) is "three months from now". So, Parting Shot would be in March/April 2017 if Captain America: Civil War is in June/July 2017. However, in Parting Shot, Hunter refers to working with Ward "last year". That event was in the days leading into Avengers: Age of Ultron, firmly in Spring 2015, or a little later in Summer 2015 by this timeline, and is 1½ months before Simmons explicitly says it is "2015" in flashbacks in Season 3, Episode 5 - 4,722 Hours. This means that Parting Shot is absolutely no later than 2016, not working if it has to be pushed to 2017, nearly 2 years after they worked with Ward.
 * Vision-AccordsDiscussion.jpgProblem with moving the span between Iron Man  and Captain America: Civil War to May 2008-June/July 2017 - In Captain America: Civil War, Vision says, "In the 8 years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man." However, while it can be taken that he is counting inclusively, with them being May 2008 and June/July 2017 respectively, this would be more than 9 years, not working as 8.
 * Problem with moving the span between Iron Man and Captain America: Civil War to May 2008-June/July 2017 - Jon Watts has stated twice that Peter Parker was 8 at the point of "I am Iron Man". On page 66 of Empire magazine's "Summer 2017" edition, Jon Watts said, "the eight-year-old Peter had seen Stark say, 'I am Iron Man,' on TV." He reaffirmed this just 2 days before the U.S. release of the film. This matches with Peter being Peter was 15 by June 23-26, 2016 in Captain America: Civil War and still "15" in Spider-Man: Homecoming in September 2016, meaning he was born between September 2000 and June 2001, as well as being a sophomore in September 2016, meaning he was born between January 2001 and December 2001 - overall, he was born January 1-June 22, 2001, making him 8 at the time of "I am Iron Man" in November 2009. If, instead, Peter is 15 in July 2017 and September 2017, he would have been born between September 2001 and June 2002, as well as being a sophomore in September 2017, meaning he was born between January 2002 and December 2002 - overall, he was born between January and June 2002. This would make him 5-6 at the time of "I am Iron Man", not 8.
 * Problem with possibly moving Captain America: Civil War to July - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3, Episode 13 - Parting Shot is set several days after Episode 11 - Bouncing Back, which shows that Episode 22 - Ascension (a few days after the battle in Siberia in Captain America: Civil War) is "three months from now". So, Parting Shot would be in April if Captain America: Civil War is in July. However, in Parting Shot, the Russians mention that it is "the dead of winter". Russian winter can be considered to last a little longer considering the cold weather, but by April, it is in no way still "the dead of winter".
 * Problem with possibly moving Captain America: Civil War to July - When Tony picks up Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War, it is clearly still school time. Peter is worried about missing school if he goes to Germany and has homework that he needs to get done. If Captain America: Civil War is moved to July, this is during the summer holidays in New York, not fitting.
 * Problem with moving the span of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3 to late 2015 through to Summer 2017 (which would happen if Captain America: Civil War is moved to mid-2017) - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3, Episode 2 picks up 4,722 hours (as chronicled in Episode 5 - 4,722 Hours) after the Monolith took Simmons to Maveth in Season 2, Episode 22 - S.O.S. Part 2, several days after the climax of Avengers: Age of Ultron in early May 2015, or a bit later in Summer 2015 according to this timeline. Therefore, Season 3 picks up in late 2015 - late November 2015 by the correct timeline. However, the season ends in the days following Captain America: Civil War, which would mean the season would have to span over a year-and-a-half, which is impossible. Episodes 1-3 are consecutive, Episode 4 refers to Episode 3 as "last week", and Episodes 4-8 are also consecutive, taking Episode 8 to about 2 weeks after Episode 1 - December 2015. Episodes 9 and 10 are effectively a two-parter, stuck together. Then, Episode 11 is set firmly 3 months from the finale, Episode 22, since it flashes forward to events from Episode 22 "three months from now". Episode 22 is a few days after the battle in Siberia from Captain America: Civil War, and if that has been moved to June/July 2017, that means that Episode 11 takes place in March/April 2017. This would therefore mean that 15-16 months has to pass between Episode 8 and Episode 11, with only two possible gaps, between 8 and 9, and between 10 and 11. This cannot work. Episode 9 is presented as being only a few weeks after Episode 8 due to character behaviour and Andrew Garner's beard from his incarceration time. Episode 11 is presented as only being another several weeks after Episode 10, with Coulson just following up with President Ellis about the ATCU, the team being unsure about Lincoln, who has just joined the team, Fitz still feeling uncomfortable from having destroyed Will's body in Episode 10, and Hive still recuperating, having only recently got back from Maveth in Episode 10. No more than 3 months, absolute maximum 4 months can possibly pass between Episode 8 and Episode 11, but this would ask us to believe that 4 or 5× the maximum amount of time passes. In the correct timeline, it works out nicely, with Episode 8 finishing in December 2015, Episodes 9 and 10 taking place 1½ months later in late January 2016 and then Episode 11 picking up 1½ months after that in March 2016, 3 months before Episode 22 - Ascension in late June 2016, just after Captain America: Civil War.
 * Problem with moving the span between Captain America: Civil War and Thor: Ragnarok to June/July 2017-Summer 2017 - In Captain America: Civil War, Zemo revers to it being "over a year" since the Battle of Sokovia, fitting with the evidence placing them 13½ months apart. This matches with what the Russos have said in answer to the length of time between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, "We like to say that the amount of time that has passed in between films is the amount of time that has passed in the movies. So, it's about that amount time," as well as matching Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3 presenting evidence for 13½ months as well, along with, generally, all the evidence placing Avengers: Age of Ultron in April-May 2015 and Captain America: Civil War in May-June 2016, as explained above. In short, the main events of Captain America: Civil War are set a little over a year, 13½ months, after the Battle of Sokovia. Throughout Thor: Ragnarok, there are references to it being "2 years" since the Battle of Sokovia, as well as many people involved reaffirming this. The film is firmly set in 2017, 2 years after Avengers: Age of Ultron and 4 years after Thor: the Dark World, firmly in November 2013 . But, in short, Thor: Ragnarok is set 2 years after the Battle of Sokovia. And yet, according to Brad Winderbaum, and as is reportedly said on the blu-ray special features, Marvel seem to place Thor: Ragnarok at the same time as Captain America: Civil War. This does not work at all, with a whole year between the two films' timeline placements. As well as this, 17½ months (which matches that it is "a few months" until Mace becomes the Patriot, plus a short amount of time before he becomes director, + "6 months" of Mack and Coulson on a plane, plus Season 4 spanning 8 weeks, plus 197 days of Fitz's incarceration, and then the team returning to the present some time after his escape from incarceration) after Captain America: Civil War, on December 4, 2017 (2 days before "12-06-2017" is shown), when the agents return to the present day from 2091 in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 5, Episode 11 - All the Comforts of Home, the Chronicom Noah refers to the events of Thor: Ragnarok, mentioning that recently, there was an "Asgardian in the city". While this does not necessarily have to refer to Thor: Ragnarok, it was the show's first opportunity to refer to the film's events, and is clearly intended as such, and is worth a mention as an extra thing suggesting over a year between the films.
 * WHiH Newsfront Top Surgeons.pngProblem with moving the span between Captain America: Civil War and Thor: Ragnarok to June/July 2017-Summer 2017 - In WHiH Newsfront Exclusive: President Ellis Discusses the Avengers, and on the WHiH World News Twitter page the day before, it is shown that the news organisation has been interviewing "Top NYC surgeon Dr. Stephen Strange" about new experimental methods his group is using - the experimental methods he is using at the beginning of Doctor Strange. WHiH Ellis Video Stephen Strange.png video was released on the same day as the Lagos incident, therefore suggesting Strange's accident is after Lagos . Strange's watch in Doctor Strange tells us it is February 2, 2016 on the day of his accident, which was reaffirmed by Scott Derrickson. This does not quite line up, with Lagos having to be set in May, but it can be stretched a little mean that the interview happens during Strange's recovery period. It cannot be after he has left for Kathmandu though. Scott Derrickson said of Strange's recovery time, "It's months that he's in recovery, I think it's between 3 and 6 months. Yeah, I think it's about 3 to 6 months. Somewhere in there." This lined up with all other evidence as well. Therefore, Strange leaving for Kathmandu has to be within 3-6 months after February 2016, meaning it is absolute latest August 2016 (and, as this shows, really it is more like May 2016). The attack in Lagos has to be before this, meaning it is absolute latest August 2016. However, if the attack in Lagos is Captain America: Civil War is pushed back to May/June 2017, this means that Strange cannot leave for for Kathmandu until May/June 2017. Not only does this not match the fact he is only in recovery for 3-6 months, not 15/16 months, but it shows again that Thor: Ragnarok has to be set a long time after Captain America: Civil War. All of Strange's training and the climax of Doctor Strange have to elapse after the attack in Lagos and before Thor: Ragnarok, and that in no way lasts only the several weeks between the Lagos attack and the main events of Captain America: Civil War - not least because Mads Mikkelsen says it takes 9 months.
 * Problem with moving Marvel's Inhumans: Season 1 to July 2017 (which would happen if Captain America: Civil War is moved to June/July 2017) - In Marvel's Inhumans: Season 1, Episode 6 - The Gentleman's Name Is Gorgon, Audrey references the Sokovia Accords, bringing up to Crystal that the Inhuman royal family should "be on a register or something". This places it after the Accords were ratified. If Captain America: Civil War were moved to June/July 2017, this would mean that Marvel's Inhumans: Season 1 is, at the very earliest, July 2017. However, in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 3, Episode 1 - Laws of Nature, Coulson checks a seemingly very detailed simulation on the dispersal of the Terrigen, and it shows that the outbreak will be complete after "17 months 21 days". With the dispersal beginning in Season 2, Episode 22 - S.O.S. Part 2 in early May 2015 and not much later by this timeline since it is just after the Battle of Sokovia, this means the dispersal will be over around late October 2016. In Marvel's Inhumans: Season 1, the Terrigen outbreak is ongoing and the dispersal is referred to as "recent", which does not fit if this is July 2017, 9 months after the dispersal would have ended.
 * Problem with moving Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 2 to June/July-July/August 2017 (which would happen if Captain America: Civil War is moved to June/July 2017) - In Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 1, Episode 12 - AKA Take a Bloody Number, it is shown that the medical bills for Jessica following her family's car crash are from "04/13/00". This would suggest that the accident was soon before this date. This fits with the fact that when Jessica looks at her diary from old home in Episode 7 - AKA Top Shelf Perverts, it is shown that her entries were infrequent, and her last was in September 1999. A 2000 date for the car crash was supported by Season 2, when, in Episode 1 - AKA Start at the Beginning, Phillip Jones' ashes box says "Birth/Death Year: 1990-2000", and in Episode 2 - AKA Freak Accident and Episode 3 - AKA Sole Survivor show on death certificates that Brian Jones was born in "1954" and died aged "46", Alisa Jones was born in "1956" and died aged "44", and Phillip Jones was born in "1990" and died aged "10" (which was his age at death given in Season 1, Episode 8 - AKA WWJD? as well. Throughout Season 2, the car crash is referred to many times as being "17 years" ago, placing this firmly in 2017. 3 contradictory (there is no possible way to make any of them fit together) dates appear in the season - a "5/5/2017" date in Episode 3 - AKA Sole Survivor, a "Thursday, June 1" date in Episode 5 - AKA The Octopus, and a "Wednesday, July 5" date in Episode 6 - AKA Facetime. The "Thursday, June 1" date does not work, since 8-12 days prior in Episode 1 - AKA Start at the Beginning, the Empire State Building is lit up green, and there was no time that this happened between May 20 and 24, 2017. The "Wednesday, July 5" date especially does not work, since it is 17-29 days since the green-lit Empire State Building, and there was no date where that happened between June 6 and 22, 2017, but it also explicitly a "Monday". On top of all this, Nichelle tells Malcolm in Episode 6 - Facetime that it is "3 more months till [her] master's". A master's cannot be taken later than August, making this no later than May. May matches with the "5/5/2017" date, which also lines up with other evidence:
 * It is just over 3 days since the green-lit Empire State Building - the building was lit up green on the night of May 1st for mental health awareness, and this is now the night of May 4th-5th (early hours of the 5th).
 * It is a Thursday-Friday night, matching with it being a "school night" and the next morning being a Trish Talk day, with Trish Talk being a "weekday" show.
 * It works with the weather, starting colder but, by Episode 4 - AKA God Help the Hobo, becoming hot.
 * Melissa Rosenberg stated that the season picks up 6 months to a year after Marvel's The Defenders: Season 1, and April 2017 is 11 months after the season.
 * So, the season firmly begins in April 2017, with the majority set in May 2017, and the "5/5/2017" date matching the evidence nicely. If Captain America: Civil War is pushed back to June/July 2017, this means that the season cannot begin until June/July 2017 and spans through to July/August 2017, since, in the second half of the season, the Raft is mentioned numerous times as a prison for super-powered people that is well-known to the public, meaning it is after Captain America: Civil War, where the Raft has just been built and is top secret. Pushing Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 2 later than April-May 2017 does not fit with the evidence listed.
 * Problem with moving Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 4, Episode 11 - Wake Up later than April 2017 (which would happen if Captain America: Civil War is moved to June/July 2017) - In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 4, Episode 11 - Wake Up, Mack says, "Hope was my daughter. She died [...] 11 years ago. My ex, Nicole, we had a life planned together. She got pregnant, we were happy. But, when Hope was born, it was touch and go... she only lived for 4 days. Her story was over before it even started [...] Tomorrow's Hope's birthday, and Nicole has a hard time with it, that's why she texted me. So I went to see her so she wouldn't be alone." In Episode 7 - Deals with Our Devils, Mack is shown holding a photo of Hope, with her date of birth, "4/18/06". So Hope was born on April 18, 2006, and lived until April 22, 2006. It is now 11 years later, April 2017, and is the day before her birthday, so April 17th. The date is firmly April 17, 2017. Just in case anyone thinks there's a possibility that Mack is, in fact, saying it was "11 years ago" because he's thinking about the fact that Hope would be 11, and she's about to turn 12, aside from not making sense with it being 11.99 years, very much not 11, it is proven to not be the case in Episode 20 - Farewell, Cruel World!. Hope was implied to have been born prematurely, not making it past 4 days old, but in the Framework virtual reality that the agents enter, Hope made it to full term and survived. She would likely have been born around Summer 2006. Then, 3½ weeks after Episode 11 - Wake Up, in Episode 20 - Farewell, Cruel World!, Hope is said to be "10" in the Framework. This works with it being May 2017, and cannot be any later. These events are 10 and 11 months after Captain America: Civil War respectively. In Episode 10 - The Patriot, Mace says that he went through Project Patriot "a few months" after the bombing in Vienna. Soon after, he became the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and soon after that, the flashbacks of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot take place. "6 months" later, Coulson and Mack return to the Playground after their final trip, in Season 4, Episode 1 - The Ghost, March 2017.
 * Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 4 has a lot of integrity to its timeline that would be broken. As explained, Hope's birthday places the middle of the season firmly in April 2017. The season opens about 4 weeks prior, matching with a March 19th Scottish League Cup date, and that being "6 months" (as said by Coulson in Episode 11 - Wake Up) since the flashbacks of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot in September 2016, just after Mace became the Patriot earlier that month, which itself was "a few months" (as said by Mace in Episode 10 - The Patriot) after the bombing in Vienna in June 2016. And, on the other side of things, a little under 4 weeks after the April 17th date, the season ends on May 12, 2017. Season 5, Episode 5 - Rewind chronicles how Fitz spent "6 months", specifically shown as 197 days, incarcerated. He then goes into cryogenic freeze to sleep for 74 years and join his friends, and the date that the agents return to in the present day after being in the future is soon after Fitz went to sleep. The date that they come back to is December 4, 2017, 2 days before "12-06-2017" is shown in Episode 12 - The Real Deal. This fits nicely with it being 8 days since Fitz went to sleep, the day after he escaped 197 days after the end of the season. The show has had a lot of integrity to its timeline that would be completely broken.
 * Problem with moving Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 5, Episode 5 - Rewind to November 2018 (which would happen with Captain America: Civil War moved to June/July 2017) - The last ⅔ of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 5, Episode 5 - Rewind is set 17 months after the main events of Captain America: Civil War, 74 years later is 2091.
 * Problem with moving Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 5, Episode 12 - The Real Deal to late 2018 (which would happen with Captain America: Civil War moved to June/July 2017) - When the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. return to the present after their time spent in 2091, it is some time after the end of Episode 5 - Rewind. Fitz and Hunter parked the Quinjet in that episode, and Episode 11 - All the Comforts of Home, follows with them picking it up from where it was left, as well as following up with General Hale. When Fitz parked the Quinjet and went into cryogenic freeze in Rewind, it was the day after his escape, which was 197 days after he was arrested at the end of Season 4, which was 8 weeks after the beginning of Season 4, which was "6 months" (as said by Coulson in Episode 11 - Wake Up) since the flashbacks of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot in September 2016, just after Mace became the Patriot earlier that month, which itself was "a few months" (as said by Mace in Episode 10 - The Patriot) after the bombing in Vienna. Their return date, some time after this, is followed 2 days later in Episode 12 - The Real Deal with a "12-06-2017" date. So, they return on December 4, 2017, and that is minimum 17 months since the bombing in Vienna. If the bombing was moved to June/July 2017, this means their return cannot be until November 2018-January 2019, not fitting with this date. A few weeks later in Episode 15 - Rise and Shine, it is shown that events just preceding the attack in Lagos were "2 years ago", which, if Captain America: Civil War were in June/July 2017, would mean the episode is at least in January 2019 - again not fitting with the fact that a few weeks prior is "12-06-2017".
 * Problem with moving the span between Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 22 - Beginning of the End and Season 5, Episode 16 - Inside Voices to October 2013-January 2019 (which would happen with Captain America: The Winter Soldier moved to October 2013 and Captain America: Civil War moved to June/July 2017) - In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 16 - Inside Voices, set firmly in January, 18-19 months after Captain America: Civil War, a flashback is shown to events only days after Captain America: The Winter Soldier, "4 years ago". This currently works as January 2018 referring to January 2014. However, if this were moved to January 2019 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier were moved to October 2013, this is instead 5.2 years/6 calendar years, in no way "4 years".
 * Problem with moving late Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 5 to early 2019 (which would happen with Captain America: Civil War moved to June/July 2017) - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 5, Episode 8 - The Last Day shows, from the future, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they escape following the Earth being cracked apart, with the screen showing it is "2018". The agents return to the present day and the season is building to that incident. However, by Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 14 - The Devil Complex, the show is now 18-19 months after Captain America: Civil War and in January. This works as January 2018 currently, but with Captain America: Civil War moved to June/July 2017, this would mean that the events are taking place in January 2019. With the "2018" event yet to happen, this cannot fit at all if the event occurs in 2019.

By Marvel
When I found out in October 2017 that Kevin Feige had addressed the "8 years later", I was excited to hopefully finally put this all behind us. To finally perhaps have a confirmation of it being a mistake, allowing us to discard it, shrug it off, breathe a huge sigh of relief, and move on. I was gutted and stressed to hear that instead of this, Feige had stood by the card, and revealed what I had feared - that Marvel intend on releasing an official timeline soon. Feige is an incredible man whom I have the utmost respect for, and he has created this incredible achievement in cinema, with the help of everyone else at Marvel Studios and Marvel Television. I can never thank them enough for what they have given us, and they owe us absolutely nothing. But I'm just going to address what I would like to see, with realism.

I have tried to remain simply upbeat or factual during this blog post because otherwise it could easily come across as too bitter. However, please do allow me 1 minute to be candid. As you can no doubt guess, I am obsessive compulsive. I have many personal life issues and a huge part of what attracted me to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is disappearing into this world - a big part of the construction of that world, in my mind, is its interconnected timeline and the problem-solving around it. For years, I have devoted spare time to the challenge or used it as a distraction, and found a sense of accomplishment when results are completed, timelines constructed, watch orders worked out. To see it ignored has actually hurt, and watching the Internet in the time since Spider-Man: Homecoming has genuinely repeatedly affected me. It massively stresses me and frustrates me to see people who think they know the answer spread the word about how it "actually works" and how "Homecoming is set in 2017" and "Avengers is actually 2010" or "2009". Spider-Man: Homecoming was a wonderful film that I enjoyed very much, but I cannot see anything about it come up without panicking and thinking "please don't try to address the timeline". Videos have been made spreading the wrong message and instead of the timeline being a fun venture of escapism, it has been a stressful, incredibly time-consuming (in a time in my life where I am in desperate need of more time) challenge that has become upsetting and given a feeling of constant defeat instead of achievement. I can't just give it up, because I have devoted too much so far and care a lot, and people are relying on me as one of the top couple of timeline users on this website. It's probably my fault because "who cares", right? I let myself care too much. But this blog, while tedious to write, has been somewhat of a relief for me. It's my chance to get everything off my chest, and I will be sending this around where I can, so that even if everything continues to go wrong, at least I have done what I feel I realistically can.

Now, obviously, in an ideal world, I'd love to see an MCU timeline released which perfectly matches our years of work and reaffirms everything, and Marvel to say, "Hey, we're sorry we messed up with "8 years later" and we know it's meant a lot to some people, we acknowledge it's a big mistake," and everything's fine. But that's highly unlikely to happen.

What is realistic? Well, Feige suggested in October 2017 that the belief that "8 years later" is wrong simply comes from an assumption of "real time" settings, which I hope the 102 reasons listed above has, at the very least, proven is not the case, or else this has achieved nothing😂. I would really appreciate an acknowledgement that there is impossible-to-reconcile contradictions in the films (and shows). I also appreciate that Feige has said that they won't do things the same way again, since "8 years later" was not even necessary when it could have instead cut to simply "years later" or "present day". If an aim is made to be a bit less specific, that would help, allowing timeline fans more flexibility to fit with other evidence. Some more attention being paid to online timeline discussions from fans like myself would also really help.

I am also aware that there are difficulties between Marvel's film and television divisions, but some more awareness and conversation pertaining to timelines between the two divisions would also benefit the timeline a lot, if it were at all possible.

I don't know what's a realistic ask, and the quality of the films obviously matters more than the timeline details, but something more than, "No, it pretty much works," would be nice. And Marvel, if you're reading this, I'm certainly not against a renouncement of "8 years later" and reaffirmation of all our work😂! Oh, and, as should always be remembered for a sense of perspective throughout all of this, despite these quibbles, thank you so much for making incredible films and changing my life.

By Us
Wiki administrators permitting, something that we can do is not take the "official timeline" as gospel. Hopefully, this "official timeline" will not be released until after the summer, when my full project is done and we are more prepared. Our system will not change, we always assess all the evidence and find the best possible solutions, even if they're sometimes compromises, to best satisfy all of the available evidence.

If, and inevitably when, this timeline is released, it will be incorporated into the system like everything else. And while everything currently is pretty nicely and firmly placed, with Phase One being the only compromises, it will end up that the timeline is in constant flux, teetering on the edges pushing different events to different dates.

And it's going to be a horrible uphill battle against the people who are going to simply look at the "official timeline" and take it as gospel, and people will lose faith in the wiki timeline if it doesn't match it, and it's going to be a mess moving forwards. It's going to cost a lot of time and effort and stress and difficulty and make the job 10 × harder than it already is, just like how "8 years later" made the job 10 × more arduous. But that's all we can do. Hopefully, links such as this article and my upcoming project will be at-the-ready for doubters.

Conclusion
If you have made it this far, I applaud and thank you. Even if you have skim-read, which I completely get - this is long and tedious. I tried to spruce it up with images...

I hope that these 102 reasons are enough to persuade you that "8 years later" is indeed a mistake, and would break the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline. I also hope that this is not dismissed as "a bunch of TV stuff which doesn't matter", because A - the TV shows do matter and are just as canon as the films, and B - it is far from just the TV shows. You could eliminate every single TV-related piece of evidence from this blog and still have a full argument for why "8 years later" is wrong. The other worry I have is that some of this might be dismissed as "the same point repeated again and again". While some pieces of evidence appear multiple times in the explanations for other pieces of evidence, this is simply due to the inter-connectivity of the timeline and/or a problem being connected to two different events. I have done my best not to actually repeat points for why one thing cannot be in a certain place.

In the summer, I will work properly on my project to write up every single timeline note and all the maths and everything in one place. Recently, timeline users have also been writing out full references in the references section of the year pages, starting at Before 20th Century. These aim to explain every placement of everything in the timeline for readers who wish to understand. Currently, the references sections can be a little messy in places or underwritten, and not each and every event on each and every page had been thoroughly checked - the wiki is open to all users to edit, and so many things slip through the cracks. Another job for summer. We will continue to improve the quality of the articles and references.

However, the shortened, film timeline is: Check the year articles from Before 20th Century to 2091 for the exact placements of every event (this is separate from the page titled "Timeline", which is run by admins on a simple real time policy), and check my IMDb list for the full watch order of the MCU, constantly being kept up-to-date.
 * March 1942-May 1945 (midpoint of flashbacks set November 1943) - Captain America: The First Avenger flashbacks
 * February-November 2009 (midpoint of film set October 2009) - Iron Man
 * May-June 2010 (midpoint of film set May 29, 2010) - Iron Man 2
 * May-June 2010 (midpoint of film set June 1, 2010) - Thor
 * April-July 2010 (midpoint of film set June 2, 2010) - The Incredible Hulk
 * October 2011; credits May 2012 - Captain America: The First Avenger
 * May 2012 - Marvel's The Avengers
 * January 2013 - Iron Man 3
 * November 2013 - Thor: The Dark World
 * January 2014 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier
 * c. August 2014 - Guardians of the Galaxy
 * c. October 2014; credits c. October 2014-2018 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
 * April-May 2015 (midpoint of film set May 2015) - Avengers: Age of Ultron
 * July-December 2015 (midpoint of film set July 2015); credits August 2015-June 2016 - Ant-Man
 * May-June 2016 (midpoint of film set June 2016); credits June-July 2016 - Captain America: Civil War
 * June-July 2016 (midpoint of film set July 2016); credits July 2016-2017 - Black Panther
 * June-September 2016 (midpoint of film set September 2016); credits June 2012-September 2016 - Spider-Man: Homecoming
 * October 2015-January 2017 (midpoint of film set January 2017); credits 2017 - Doctor Strange
 * 2017 - Thor: Ragnarok

Extra Note
Feige has also mentioned how much he likes the system, like Star Wars, of years before and after a certain event (Star Wars has "BBY" and "ABY", before and after the Battle of Yavin in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), and that their main event is Tony Stark announcing himself to the world as Iron Man. This was the system used in the 2012 official timeline, with "BIM" and "AIM". There is a possibility that the timeline at Marvel Studios is purely done like that, which would explain the issues, going simply by dialogue and ignoring actual dates. This is too difficult to address in a blog, so I will simply address it in an extra note here.

If Marvel are purely working off a system without dates, then they have likely worked it out as something like:
 * 0 - "I am Iron Man".
 * 6 months AIM - Beginning of Iron Man 2.
 * From the title card in Iron Man 2.
 * 6 months AIM - Fury's Big Week.
 * 7 months AIM - End of The Incredible Hulk.
 * "31 days without incident".
 * 20 months/1.7 years AIM - Marvel's The Avengers.
 * Said to be "over a year" since Bruce's last incident, assuming they are using the British Columbia incident as his last one. The events of Thor are mentioned to be "last year".
 * 19 months/1.6 years AIM - Captain America: The First Avenger.
 * Not long before Marvel's The Avengers.
 * 26 months/2.2 years AIM - Iron Man 3.
 * Said to be 6 months since Marvel's The Avengers.
 * 31 months/2.6 years AIM - Thor: The Dark World.
 * Said to be 2 years since Thor, which would make it roughly 30 months AIM, and 1 year since Marvel's The Avengers, which would make it roughly 32 months AIM - overall, about 31 months.
 * 106 months/8.8 years AIM - Main events of Captain America: Civil War.
 * Said by Vision to be 8 years since "I am Iron Man", which would make it roughly 96 months AIM. Shown in Spider-Man: Homecoming to be after a scene "8 years" after Marvel's The Avengers, which would make that scene roughly 116 months AIM. Assuming the main events of Captain America: Civil War are very soon after this scene, because it's already too long even by this timeline, then that would make the main events of the film roughly 116 months AIM. Overall, roughly 106 months AIM.
 * 105 months/8.8 years AIM - Opening of Captain America: Civil War.
 * Said to be "last month" as the main events begin, and shown in Spider-Man: Homecoming Prelude that the Vienna bombing was "1 month later" after the attack in Lagos.
 * 100-101 months/8.3-8.4 years AIM - Ant-Man.
 * Said in Captain America: Civil War that Peter has had his powers for "6 months". That would suggest he got his powers around 100 months AIM, and became Spider-Man around 100-101 months AIM. At the end of Ant-Man, Spider-Man is referenced as having recently began appearing.
 * 92 months/7.7 years AIM - Avengers: Age of Ultron.
 * Said by Zemo in the main events of Captain America: Civil War to have been "over a year" ago, so about 14 months.
 * 58 months/4.8 years AIM - Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
 * If they're placing Captain America: Civil War about 7.2 years after Marvel's The Avengers, and not 4, then they must have repurposed General Ross' line, "You've operated for 4 years with unlimited power and no supervision" to be referring to the time since S.H.I.E.L.D. fell rather than the Avengers first assembling - thus also meaning that they have repurposed Sam's line about searching for Bucky for "2 years" to mean that Steve and Sam stopped searching after 2 years. This would mean they have Captain America: The Winter Soldier placed 4 years before Captain America: Civil War.
 * 108 months/9.0 years AIM - Spider-Man: Homecoming.
 * Shown to be "two months later" after the main events of Captain America: Civil War.

So, overall:
 * 0 - "I am Iron Man".
 * 6 months AIM - Beginning of Iron Man 2.
 * 6 months AIM - Fury's Big Week.
 * 7 months AIM - End of The Incredible Hulk.
 * 19 months/1.6 years AIM - Captain America: The First Avenger.
 * 20 months/1.7 years AIM - Marvel's The Avengers.
 * 26 months/2.2 years AIM - Iron Man 3.
 * 31 months/2.6 years AIM - Thor: The Dark World.
 * 58 months/4.8 years AIM - Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
 * Around here - Guardians of the Galaxy.
 * The placement of both Guardians of the Galaxy films comes purely from dates given in the films placing them in 2014, and since this hypothetical timeline works without dates, it's impossible to place here, but one could assume they have Guardians of the Galaxy placed between Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron, in release order.
 * Around here - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
 * James Gunn has made clear that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is set 2 months after the first film.
 * 92 months/7.7 years AIM - Avengers: Age of Ultron.
 * 100-101 months/8.3-8.4 years AIM - Ant-Man.
 * 105-106 months/8.8 years AIM - Captain America: Civil War.
 * Around here - Doctor Strange.
 * The placement of Doctor Strange comes mainly from dates given in the film placing it from 2016 into 2017, and since this hypothetical timeline works without dates, it's impossible to place here, but one could assume they have the main events of Doctor Strange placed approximately around Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, in release order.
 * 108 months/9.0 years AIM - Spider-Man: Homecoming.

That still doesn't actually work as 8 years, with it being 7, but if dates have been ignored, then it's a bit more understandable.

However, the reason this is impossible to address is because it does not make sense as a system for the MCU timeline. It works for Star Wars, because it is "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away", but the MCU is set in a present day Earth, where dates exist, and dates are very frequently used throughout the universe. Ignoring them does not make sense, because the films date themselves, and without any dating system there is no application of the timeline and it cannot work.