Here Are the Must-Watch Marvel Movies To Understand the MCU (And the Ones You Can Quietly Skip Past)
A totally unbiased and not at all subjective list.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is 14 years old and still going strong! But with each movie connecting to (at least) a couple of others, and many stories not making sense unless you’ve seen a bunch of movies leading up to them, trying to find an entry point into the MCU can feel overwhelming. Where do you start if you’re new to Marvel? Will you be totally lost unless you watch all 27 movies in order? (I mean, my God, that’s roughly 60 hours of your life!) Are there any Marvel movies that can be skipped?
Look, I’ll admit it—although Marvel movies are a lot of fun, the MCU can be pretty uneven. Some movies are amazing, others are kind of forgettable, and some are just cringey. Here are a few groupings to give you a sense of which Marvel movies are must-sees … and which can be thrown out the airlock. In each of these lists, consider all the others not listed as skip-able (if they aren’t there).
For simplicity’s sake, these groupings only cover phases 1-3, which is why you won’t see Shang-Chi or Eternals in the list. We’re too early in phase 4 to make the call!
If You Want to Get to Know the Avengers
The Avengers, a group of extraordinary individuals who are called by S.H.I.E.L.D. to come together and learn to work as a team, were the focal point of MCU’s phases 1-3. Here are all the movies you need to watch to get the story of where each Avenger comes from and how they all deal with each others’ egos.
WATCH:
Captain America: The First Avenger. As the title suggests, this movie introduces us to Steve Rogers— way back in the 1940s, when he’s a scrawny kid in serious need of some super serum.
Iron Man. This one introduces Tony Stark, the cocky millionaire weapons manufacturer. When Tony comes to understand how devastating his weapons are, though, he turns his attention to building a flying suit of armor.
Iron Man 2. Okay, the first thing you need to know about Iron Man 2 is that it’s not a good movie. However, it does introduce Natasha Romanov, so if you want to see Black Widow get her start in the MCU, then you’ll need to power through this one.
Thor. Although not one of the MCU’s better entries (Director Kevin Branaugh and leads Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston do an admirable job with the material they’re given, but the story just isn’t that interesting), Thor does introduce us to the God of Thunder and his brother Loki, who shows up again as the villain who brings the Avengers together in The Avengers. Clint Barton also makes his debut in a cameo.
The Avengers. It’s pretty hard to get to know the Avengers without watching their origin story! After the set-up of the previous three movies, all six core Avengers assemble for the first time.
The Avengers: Age of Ultron. This one introduces Wanda Maximoff, Vision, and Sam Wilson, who join the Avengers line-up.
Captain America: Civil War. This entry chronicles the fallout from the events of Age of Ultron and the rifts that form within the Avengers’ ranks. It has some vital setup for where the Avengers will find themselves when Infinity War rolls around. Why is it a Captain America movie instead of a proper Avengers movie? I honestly don’t know. Maybe because Thor and the Hulk aren’t in it? Anyway, it’s basically an Avengers movie.
Avengers: Infinity War. This is where the MCU really raised the stakes and brought a more cosmic scope to the Avengers. It also saw all the various far-flung corners of the MCU finally coming together. The parts with the Guardians of the Galaxy may be a little confusing at first if you haven’t seen those movies, but you’ll catch up.
Avengers: Endgame. Endgame brings it all home! Kevin Feige called Endgame “the final Avengers movie,” and it concludes the story that the MCU started telling with 2008’s Iron Man.
If You Want to Follow the Infinity Saga
Although the Avengers movies followed the MCU’s six main characters through their personal journeys as superheroes, the Infinity Saga laid the groundwork for the biggest challenge they would face: Thanos and his desire to erase half of all life in the universe using six mystical gems called the Infinity Stones. Here are the movies you need to watch to understand where each stone comes from and what it does.
WATCH:
Captain America: The First Avenger. This movie introduces the Tesseract, a glowing cube that can bend space and time.
The Avengers. The story of the Tesseract continues, accompanied by Loki’s scepter, another mysterious cosmic relic.
The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Age of Ultron features the scepter again and reveals its true form. It also contains the first hint of the Infinity Stones’ deeper significance in the MCU.
Thor: The Dark World. This movie introduces the Aether, a red mist that (surprise!) isn’t what it seems.
Guardians of the Galaxy. The MacGuffin in this movie is a small orb that’s revealed to contain something powerful enough to destroy planets.
Doctor Strange. This entry introduces the Eye of Agamoto, a pendant that allows its wearer to control the flow of time.
Thor: Ragnarok. There are no new stones introduced in Ragnarok, but if you were wondering what happened to the Tesseract, you’ll find out!
Avengers: Infinity War. After spending all that time watching the stones turn up throughout the galaxy, it wouldn’t make sense not to see them in action! In Infinity War, Thanos finally sets off on his quest to collect all the stones.
Avengers: Endgame. The Avengers deal with the fallout from Infinity War and try to get the Infinity Stones for themselves.
If You Just Want to Watch the Best Movies
What if you don’t care about tracking all six Infinity Stones through 10 years of movies? What if you don’t love the Avengers enough to want to watch all of their backstories and MCU debuts? That’s okay! We all have our own thing that we’re into, and contrary to what some annoying guy at Comic-Con might have told you, watching superhero movies shouldn’t feel like a chore.
Here are the movies to watch if you only want the very best. If these are the only ones you’re watching, prepare to be a little confused during the parts that reference other movies (Ant-Man and the Wasp, for example, is the sequel to the first Ant-Man, but the superior film so, who cares!). If there’s a reference you don’t get, though, just let it roll off your back because these movies are worth it. And there’s plenty to ground you even if a reference or two goes over your head.
WATCH:
Captain America: The First Avenger. A fantastic blend of humor, romance, weird science, and good ol’ fashioned heroism.
Iron Man. Tony Stark is an unforgettable character from the very start, and it’s fun to see Tony fiddle with the first Iron Man prototypes.
The Avengers. Watching the Avengers learn to deal with each other is great, and Loki is one of the best Marvel villains of all time.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Captain America does espionage! Also, I wonder what happened to Bucky?
Guardians of the Galaxy. This one is an immensely enjoyable cosmic romp with a killer 70’s soundtrack.
Ant-Man and the Wasp. If you’re not watching a movie with a giant Hello Kitty Pez dispenser bouncing through the streets of San Francisco, then what are you even doing with your life?
Black Panther. This movie absolutely exploded when it was released, and with good reason. Not only was it an important milestone in terms of diversity in the MCU, but every single aspect of the movie—the writing, the characters, the world-building the visual effects—is lovingly crafted. Chadwick Boseman absolutely shines as T’Challah, and the rest of the cast is just as unforgettable.
Thor: Ragnarok. Hands down one of the best Marvel movies to date. After the stuffy tone of Thor 1 and 2, Taika Waititi took the helm and transformed the God of Thunder into a rollicking comic hero.
Avengers: Infinity War. The stakes in Infinity War are so incredibly high, and if the ending doesn’t gut you, then you have no soul.
Avengers: Endgame. Endgame is worth watching for the emotional payoff of the final battle alone, let alone its explorations of grief and the brilliance of the time heist.
Spider-Man: Homecoming. Spider-Man is owned by Sony instead of Disney, so the Spider-Man movies are kind of peripheral to the rest of the MCU, but Homecoming is a great intro to the MCU’s Peter Parker.
What Movies Can be Skipped Entirely?
That’s a tough question because all the MCU movies are designed to be interlocking. At the end of Infinity War, for example, you see a symbol on Nick Fury’s beeper that turns out to be a beacon to Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel doesn’t play any part in the majority of Phases 1-3, but you’ll need to watch her entire movie in order to understand who the glowing lady answering the beacon is in Endgame.
Plus, most of the movies that didn’t make it into any of the lists above are still good movies. The first Ant-Man is good! So are Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Iron Man 3! They just aren’t necessarily essential.
So, which movies in Phases 1-3 can be skipped completely?
The Incredible Hulk.
That’s the one. You can skip it. If you seriously need a whole movie to explain what Bruce Banner’s deal is, then I don’t know what to tell you.
That’s my two cents! Which Marvel movies do you think can be skipped? Which ones do you think are must-sees? Are there any groupings that you would use to organize the MCU? Let us know in the comments!
(image: Marvel)
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