With a running total of 20 films, and 20 seasons of television the Marvel Cinematic Universe might seem a little overwhelming, and you might be hesitant to dive right into the MCU, but you don’t have to watch everything to know what’s going on, so here is my guide on how to maneuver your way through the MCU. Before I begin with my list I should mention that to see the main MCU (aka the movies) you don’t need to watch any of the TV shows or extra stuff such as the one shots, tie in comics, and the web series WHIH Newsfront. Still 20 movies is a lot of movies to watch so the question remains do you need to see all of them? The answer is no, you don’t have to. However if you want to understand all the reference and character to the fullest; I would just watch all of them. Anyways here’s a list of what films you should see in the MCU. Note: the order I list here is in order the films are released not when they appear on the timeline if you want to watch all of them this is the order I would suggest watching them in. 1. Iron Man~2008 Possibly the best film to start of watching the MCU is the movie that started it all. You need absolutely no prior knowledge whatsoever to understand this film to the fullest. 2. Incredible Hulk~2008 This film is the only Hulk film that’s part of the MCU cannon, and personally I would skip this one entierely. This movie is hardly referenced in the rest of the MCU, and they replaced the actor for the Hulk. In fact you might actually be more confused if you watched this movie then if you skip it. But if your dead set on watching this you don’t need to watch Iron man in order to watch this. 3. Iron Man 2~2010 Iron Man 2 might not be the best film, but it is necessary to the rest of the MCU as it’s the first film to introduce Black Widow a staple in the MCU and the first film to really introduce Nick Fury who plays a key part in The Avengers. The only film you need to see in order to know what’s going on is the first Iron man movie. 4. Thor~2011 The first film to introduce Thor, Asgard, and the all amazing Loki. Thor is not a movie you should miss. You don’t need to watch any movies before this one however I would suggest at least watching the first Iron Man movie so you are at least introduced to Colson who plays a large role in this movie. 5. Captain America: The First Avenger~2011 This is a key lynch pin in the MCU and needs to be watched. Since most of this film takes place in the 40’s you don’t need to watch any other film to fully enjoy this one. 6. The Avengers~2012 What I would consider the most important movie in the MCU The Avengers is a movie you can not skip. Before watching this movie I would at least watch Captain America: The First Avenger, and would highly suggest watching Thor. You should also probably watch Iron Man 1 and 2, though you could skip them if you wanted. I would suggest at least watching Iron Man. 7. Iron Man 3~2013 This movie is actually more confusing to watch rather than not to watch, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to skip it. However if you do want to watch this movie you need to see the first 2 Iron Man movies and The Avengers(6). 8. Thor: The Dark World~2013 Though critical the worst film in the MCU to date it is important to the overall story of the MCU, so I would watch it. You actually only need to see the first Thor movie in order to understand this one, though I would also highly suggest watching The Avengers(6). 9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier~2014 Known as one of the best films in the MCU The Winter Soldier is not only enjoyable but shook up the entire MCU forever. In order to watch this movie you need to see Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers(6) 10. Guardians of the Galaxy~2014 Guardians of the Galaxy is a fun lovable movie that almost everyone enjoys. You actually don’t need to watch any marvel movies to understand this one it truly stands out on its own. 11. Avengers: Age of Ultron~2015 The follow up to the all too successful The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Alton is a good movie that intrudes my personal favorite character Scarlet Witch along with her brother Quicksilver. Before seeing this movie you should definitely watch The Avengers(6). Plus I would highly suggest watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 12. Ant-Man~2015 Probably the most underrated film in the MCU Ant-Man is a fun little adventure, and I would suggest checking it out. You don’t actually need to see any other films in order to see this one though it wouldn’t hurt to watch Avengers: Age of Ultron(11). 13. Captain America: Civil War~2016 Sometimes called Avengers 2.0, Captain America Civil War is one of the best movies in the MCU that brings together almost all of the Avengers and the first introduction to two of my favorite characters Spider-Man and Black Panther. To see this movie you need to see Captain America: First Avenger, Captain America: Winter Soldier, The Avengers(6), and Avengers: Age of Ultron. I would also highly suggest watching Ant-Man, but it’s not completely necessary. 14. Doctor Strange~2016 Though not the best movie Doctor Strange still plays an important part in the overall story of the MCU. This movie actually completely stands on its own though it wouldn’t hurt to watch Thor and Thor: The Dark World. 15. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2~2017 Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a movie you don’t want to skip. In order to watch this movie the only movie you need to see is Guardians of the Galaxy. 16. Spider-Man: Homecoming~2017 The only MCU Spiderman movie Spiderman Homecoming is a refreshing low stakes movie that actually does a good job betraying Spiderman as a teenager. In order to watch this movie you should watch Captain America: Civil War(13) and all movies associated with it. 17. Thor: Ragnarok~2017 Thor: Ragnarok is still a really funny movie that almost everyone enjoys, and is probably one of the most important films in the MCU as a whole. In order to watch this you should see Thor, The Avengers(6), Thor: The Dark World, and Avengers: Age of Ultron(11). 18. Black Panther~2018 If you haven’t already heard about this movie where have you been for the last 8 months? No, but in all seriousness if you haven’t seen this movie you should it’s truly one of marvel's best. Black Panther is interesting in it was specifically designed for newcomers (I’ll give you one guess why) so while you don’t have to watch any of the other movies I would highly suggest seeing Captain America: Civil War(13) first since it’s the first introduction to Black Panther, and the movie picks up right after those events. 19. Avengers: Infinity War~2018 Ok so let’s get real for a minuet, this is the main reason I made this list so that people could be prepared to watched this epic of a movie that is definitely Marvels best. In order to watch this film you need to see The Avengers(6), Avengers: Age of Ultron(11), Captain America: Civil War (13), Thor: Ragnarok, and Guardians of the Galaxy. I would also highly suggest you watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, and Black Panther, and all the movies associated with The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War. It would also be a good idea to watch Doctor Strange and Spider-Man: Homecoming, but the base of those characters is covered in Thor: Ragnarok and Civil War respectively, so if need or want be you could skip them. 20. Ant-Man and the Wasp~2018 The latest film in the MCU (as of October of 2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp is good movie that might play an essential aspect in the untitled Avengers 4 film coming out next year. In order to watch this film you need to see Ant-Man, and Captain America: Civil War (13) and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to see Avengers: Infinity War as well though it’s not necessary.
1 Comment
Maggie Fouts
10/10/2018 07:46:18 am
Emily, I think that your guide to watching the MCU was amazing! That universe has really been a big part of my life and it’s great to see someone who is passionate about it as well. I agreed with a big portion of what you said, although there were some things that I thought could be changed, though I thought that the list was pretty accurate. I do think that when you said that viewers could potentially skip Iron Man and Iron Man 2 prior to watching Avengers is not entirely true, since Iron Man is a huge character in the movie and the second installment of Iron Man, as you said, introduces Black Widow, but I agreed with watching Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor before watching Avengers, as those are also extremely important.
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AuthorMy name is Emily Kerman. I'm a senior in high school, and an aspiring author. I have been in love with the MCU (marvel cinematic universe) since 2015 when I first saw Captain America First Avenger (yes I know I joined the game late and watched it out of order). Archives |