A new listing on publisher Penguin Random House’s official website shows that an exciting new Marvel-focused volume is slated for release in September 2023.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been expanding for over 14 years. It started, of course, with Jon Favreau Iron Man in 2008 and it didn’t take long for the MCU to cement itself as one of the biggest and most successful franchises of all time.

Now, in-universe, the MCU has twisted, turned, and sometimes time-travelled, and a grand and storied history for the fictional universe has been established. Indeed, the timeline of Marvel Studios’ story spans from the Big Bang all the way to the year 2025.

Dorling Kindersly (DK) is quite well-known in the geekdom field for its colorful and well-arranged visual dictionaries and character encyclopedias for many popular shows and movies. They even released the Marvel Studios Visual Dictionary in 2018 and now it looks like the publisher is making a good return to the MCU.

Official MCU Timeline Book Arriving in 2023

A new product listing on the Penguin Random House website has revealed that a new book titled Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline is on the way.

Described as “the definitive, filmmaker-approved guide to the lore, timelines, and characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe”, the 320-page book is slated for release on September 5, 2023. Its current pre-order price is listed at $50.

The site description for the book published in DK reads:

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is vast, incredibly varied, and richly complex. Different worlds, different timelines, countless characters. It is the guide of this universe. Created in close collaboration with Marvel Studios, it will answer the biggest questions: what happened, when, where and why.

Follow all of the MCU’s history from before the Big Bang to the Blip and beyond. Along the way, learn about the evolution of Iron Man’s armors, the hunt for the Infinity Stones, and the formation of the multiverse. Want to know how many times aliens have invaded Earth, or the full story of Cap’s Shield? Look no further!

A treasured keepsake for any movie buff, filled with exclusive infographics, illuminating timelines, and incredible film stills, this book will have a place on any MCU fan’s shelf.

Interestingly enough, one of the authors of this volume is film journalist Anthony Breznican, who is known to write frequently about the MCU in conjunction with online publications.

The current MCU timeline according to Disney+ can be seen here:

Official MCU timeline: A box of worms?

Now, the in-universe timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is pretty airtight (Spider-Man: Homecomingdespite the infamous “Eight Years Later” title card.)

Still, fans can be a little… picky about how events are organized in the MCU, with some insisting that how they view the way things happen is the absolute end of the stance.

Could Marvel Studios be opening a Pandora’s box by releasing its officially approved vision for the MCU timeline? Followers could have strong reactions if the book doesn’t stick with the version in their head.

It’s also worth noting that there could quite possibly be a ton of errors in this timeline book. Look no further than the MCU’s ‘chronological order’ available on Disney+, which is very far from basic and quite inaccurate.

However, it has been mentioned by those who have worked with Marvel Studios, that Feige and co. have indeed appointed an official timekeeper who coordinates and tracks all MCU events to make sure things stay consistent.

So maybe there is nothing to worry about? Unfortunately, this question will not be answered until Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline released in September 2023.