What you need to realise as well is that the other 2 Captain America movies are also team up movies. I would argue that Civil War is actually an Avengers movie with Captain America in the title
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Era, sell me on the MCU. Is it even for me?
- Thread starter Sölf
- Start date
Don't think you'd get a lot of push back, I remember talking to a co-worker when the cast announcements were coming out about how it's pretty much a Avengers movie.
The first few films were kind of dull, even for a comic book fan, but they had good special effects, sometimes good humor and sometimes good action. Personally, I've liked most of the MCU films to varying degrees, but the only films that I really wanted to watch again were The Winter Solider, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy 1&2, Civil War, Thor: Ragnarok, Infinity War, End Game and the two Spider-Man Films. Of those, I think The Winter Solider and Guardians of the Galaxy are the best by far.
Didn't really care much for the TV series besides Daredevil and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but especially the latter. Liking WandaVision, but it didn't really pick up for me until the fourth episode.
Didn't really care much for the TV series besides Daredevil and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but especially the latter. Liking WandaVision, but it didn't really pick up for me until the fourth episode.
Fun movies. They are kind of samey but I loved comics growing up so I deal with it. My biggest gripes with them are the cheesy forced humor and terrible fight choreography. You can skip a good chunk of them honestly
Oh hey! Those three would be my picks too. Winter Soldier for the action, Ragnarok for the humour and Black Panther for the cultural importance. Though OP, you're not missing much if you aren't watching any of it.
Agents of Shield is totally MCU. They share characters and reference events from the MCU movies.
Phil Coulson, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Lady Sif, Peggy Carter, Daniel Sousa (from Agent Carter) Jasper Sitwell (Hydra) and a few others, all played by the same actors.
It's set in the same timeline until later season's, where time travel changes the timeline and they end up in alternative MCU timelines.
On topic, it's a great show but probably not one for OP, unless they really gets into the MCU and want to watch everything.
I'd say watch these, then you can always watch more if you get into it.
Captain America The Winter Soldier
Captain America Civil War
Guardians of the Galaxy
Thor Ragnarok
Black Panther
Avengers Infinite War
Avengers End Game
It was only part of the MCU until it wasn't. The show was floundering trying to keep the continuity with the films a bit after The Winter Solider, and when the writers were finally unshackled from that directive, the show improved dramatically. It then became a series that was still "set in the MCU" but wasn't really concerned at all with what was happening in the films anymore. You absolutely do not need to watch the films to get into that series at all. The only ones that truly matter are Avengers and The Winter Soldier, and for the former, all you really need to know is what happened to a specific character that didn't have that much screen time.
The events of Winter Soldier and the Hydra plotline saved Shield as a show, it picked up a lot for the 2nd half of season 1. Then, like you say, it continued to get better from that point, not tied to events of the movies so closely but still dropped enough references and cameos from time to time to show it's still part of the MCU.
Sure, you can watch it without watching the films but if OP isn't a massive fan of the movies, they probably won't be that interested in Shield unless they really get into the MCU.
Based on what you liked so far (the "team-up" aspect) and not liking the catching-up in-between the "big" films, I'd recommend only watching:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – one of the best, if you don't like it, probably reconsider watching the rest unless they stand out to you
Guardians of the Galaxy – great fun, requires no previous knowledge, introduces tons of major characters for later
Avengers: Age of Ultron – pretty unpopular but it's another "team-up" and introduces several major characters and plot points so I'd say don't skip it
Captain America: Civil War – basically Avengers 2.5 in all but name, it's great, introduces Black Panther and Spider-Man
Thor: Ragnarok – complete tonal shift from previous Thor films, lots of fun, very popular, leads directly into Thor's story in Avengers: Infinity War
Black Panther – obviously, unless you didn't care about him in Civil War, then plot-wise it can be skipped (setting & side-characters return in Infinity War though)
Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1 of the "every character ever" massive team-up extravaganza
Avengers: Endgame – Part 2, acts as a kind of "finale" for Phases 1-3 of the MCU, so Phase 4 (current) can branch out, experiment and get weird
You'll still miss out on some character introductions/plot beats, but honestly not much:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – one of the best, if you don't like it, probably reconsider watching the rest unless they stand out to you
Guardians of the Galaxy – great fun, requires no previous knowledge, introduces tons of major characters for later
Avengers: Age of Ultron – pretty unpopular but it's another "team-up" and introduces several major characters and plot points so I'd say don't skip it
Captain America: Civil War – basically Avengers 2.5 in all but name, it's great, introduces Black Panther and Spider-Man
Thor: Ragnarok – complete tonal shift from previous Thor films, lots of fun, very popular, leads directly into Thor's story in Avengers: Infinity War
Black Panther – obviously, unless you didn't care about him in Civil War, then plot-wise it can be skipped (setting & side-characters return in Infinity War though)
Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1 of the "every character ever" massive team-up extravaganza
Avengers: Endgame – Part 2, acts as a kind of "finale" for Phases 1-3 of the MCU, so Phase 4 (current) can branch out, experiment and get weird
You'll still miss out on some character introductions/plot beats, but honestly not much:
- Doctor Strange gets a great "introduction" scene in Thor: Ragnarok so you can skip his film.
- Ant-Man is in Civil War, basically all you need to know is he can shrink really small.
- Ant-Man has a girlfriend called The Wasp who can shrink and fly.
- Captain Marvel is like a cross between Superman and Green Lantern (flying strong beam-shooting superhero who deals with space stuff).
- Guardians 2 added Mantis (a telepath) and started the villain Nebula's redemption arc.
- One of the Infinity Stones was on Asgard during Thor 2 (all you need to know about Thor 2, please don't watch Thor 2).
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These movies don't sound like your cup of tea.
You could just watch the 4 Avenger movies but you'd be missing a lot of perspective for events. Since you did not seem to enjoy most of them I do t think it's worth your time to watch a bunch of stuff you dont care about just to get to the ones you might.
I say skip it all based on your post!
(I loved the whole series but I like junk food movies lol)
You could just watch the 4 Avenger movies but you'd be missing a lot of perspective for events. Since you did not seem to enjoy most of them I do t think it's worth your time to watch a bunch of stuff you dont care about just to get to the ones you might.
I say skip it all based on your post!
(I loved the whole series but I like junk food movies lol)
Unless you're specifically talking about the interactions between the characters, and the dialogue, I just don't agree at all. Aside from a very short window, and random references that aren't all that important, the series can be viewed in a vacuum just fine. The stories on that show aren't even particularly what makes it so great in the first place. Now if they don't like the chemistry between characters, or the quips from the MCU films, then maybe they wouldn't like this series, but that's really the only connection I see.
It can be viewed just like Heroes was, although it's a much better show all around.
I felt exactly the same as you up until that point. Didn't care about the movies, some were pretty bad, and I had a lot of fun with Avengers (it was actually the first I saw in cinemas). Then Winter Soldier came along and I was totally on board. Things get much better from then on, although there will always be better and worse films of course. I'd say just keep watching and see how it goes?
Phase 1mkvies generally has the most individual style and heart. A lot after Avengers 1 is very same-y that it is by design you are watching similar films. If you appreciate individual director takes then it isn't for you. If you want to see a generic individual take on the baddie with a quip here and there and here then it is for you. But just remember if you value representation of what you believe then you are at the whims of Disney and how much they care they can make at the box office.
I think they are worth watching just because there is going to be so much MCU content coming down the pipe now with Disney plus. The first phase is the weakest and they get progressively better imo. I still say watch them all though. With that being said if you get to the 3rd phase movies and still aren't enjoying yourself then stop. Don't get too wrapped up in "...I am more of a DC fan... and Marvel was never really my thing," because if you do then you might as well just skip the entire thing.
I think if people are looking in quality on the MCU movies, they would be disappointed because these movies aren't one without flaws. These are popcorn action flicks afterall. However, there is something special about these because we rarely see a cinematic universe that works.
The first MCU movie I watched was Iron Man 3. Yeah, I somehow skipped Avengers for some reason maybe because I think back then that super hero movies are corny and still bad. For some reason, I find Robert Downey charming enough to carry a somewhat mediocre movie. I then skipped Thor 2 for some reason.
Next movie was Winter Soldier. I enjoyed it and watched the next movies. Suddenly I was hooked up in a cinematic journey, and became excited on the next movies.
I think what I can recommend is start with watching the Phase 2 movies not in one sitting. If it clicked you, then good.
The first MCU movie I watched was Iron Man 3. Yeah, I somehow skipped Avengers for some reason maybe because I think back then that super hero movies are corny and still bad. For some reason, I find Robert Downey charming enough to carry a somewhat mediocre movie. I then skipped Thor 2 for some reason.
Next movie was Winter Soldier. I enjoyed it and watched the next movies. Suddenly I was hooked up in a cinematic journey, and became excited on the next movies.
I think what I can recommend is start with watching the Phase 2 movies not in one sitting. If it clicked you, then good.
Both Winter Soldier and Iron Man 3 are among the best Marvel movies IMHO, and are very different from each other. Winter Soldier is a spy thriller, while Iron Man 3 is a more straightforward fun superhero movie. Iron Man 2 is one of the weakest movies in the entire MCU, so I can perfectly understand why you'd be reluctant to watch 3, but trust me, it's so much better, and if you liked Avengers it's very likely you'll like it.
So my recommendation is to watch Iron Man 3, then Winter Soldier. If this doesn't give you any momentum to keep watching, then give it up, the MCU is not for you (which is obviously perfectly fine).
Edit: also echoing the "watch Guardians of the Galaxy" recommendation above, because it's again a different genre (space opera) and it has no connection to any other movies you haven't watched yet.
The MCU is easier to appreciate once you've seen most, if not all, of the movies. I don't think any of them are Dark Knight-level 10/10 masterpieces, but most of them are solid films and, once you've seen them all, it's interesting looking back to see how meticulously planned everything was. Watching Infinity War and Endgame, I found myself really, really enjoying how Marvel had carefully built the universe and made sure everything led to the inevitable conflict with Thanos.
You could probably skip a few of the lesser ones (Thor: Ragnarok is the only Thor movie worth watching IMO, Incredible Hulk is kinda forgettable, and Captain Marvel isn't good) but as long as you watch all the tentpole entries everything should make sense.
You could probably skip a few of the lesser ones (Thor: Ragnarok is the only Thor movie worth watching IMO, Incredible Hulk is kinda forgettable, and Captain Marvel isn't good) but as long as you watch all the tentpole entries everything should make sense.
Since you're about to hit Phase 2, checkout Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. If neither of those two felt like they were worth your time, then don't bother with the rest or at least just stick to the Avengers movies + watching Civil War before jumping into Avengers: Infinity War. If you decide to push yourself and watch most of the films, just keep in mind not all the movies will be winners. They're just movies. The MCU really didn't strike its mark with me until Phase 3, but even then, I can appreciate the journey it took to get there.
I watched all movies way after release (except the last Spiderman that I watched on theaters). It is all just dumb entertainment, I could t care less about the big fights (honestly I usually sleep when they are happening lol). But it is decently entertaining and some of the characters are charismatic which is enough for me to keep following it (3-4 movies per year is fine).
Personally I'd seen most of them a little while after they were home release and wasn't all that impressed either. It wasn't up until Civil War that I bought into it and really appreciated what they were doing and the groundwork it took to get there.
My advice is to view the whole thing as a long form TV show (so watch them in order either release or chronological, it's up to you). While the individual movies have their own strengths, the true value of the MCU is in the overall story threads combined. Just don't binge them all back-to-back or you will obviously burn out.
My advice is to view the whole thing as a long form TV show (so watch them in order either release or chronological, it's up to you). While the individual movies have their own strengths, the true value of the MCU is in the overall story threads combined. Just don't binge them all back-to-back or you will obviously burn out.
...to a degree though also this. If you aren't into the collective threads by Civil War like I was, then overall it's probably just not gonna click for you.
The MCU movies are like a McDonalds hamburger. You're getting something that is inoffensive and easily digestible, and it's going to taste the same no matter which McDonald's you go to. Sure, it may be imitation meat but it hits those dopamine receptors so you can hardly tell the difference.
After a while even the solo films essentially become team-up movies so you'll be fine if you like those. For example, Winter Soldier is typically a solo film but it includes essentially four Avengers and Nick Fury. Guardians of the Galaxy is Avengers in space. So you can watch the really important films in each phase and then go back to watch more standalone films like Ant-Man if you want to flesh out the character's backstory.
I don't think you need to watch everything.
If I were you I'd try Winter Soldier (my favorite of the MCU movies), Iron Man 3 (if you like the character), Captain America Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy 1 (you can watch 2 if you like 1), and Spider-Man Homecoming. Then jump ahead to Infinity War if you want.
Iron Man 2, Thor 2 (and 1 to a lesser extent 1) and Age of Ultron are all very skippable.
If I were you I'd try Winter Soldier (my favorite of the MCU movies), Iron Man 3 (if you like the character), Captain America Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy 1 (you can watch 2 if you like 1), and Spider-Man Homecoming. Then jump ahead to Infinity War if you want.
Iron Man 2, Thor 2 (and 1 to a lesser extent 1) and Age of Ultron are all very skippable.
If you're into the team-up aspect then I have to say that it only gets (significantly) better post the first Avengers. When I did my full rewatch before IW It felt like Winter Soldier was the point where the quality in general got a big push too. I'm not gonna recommend to only watch the team movies tho, the fun is in watching this universe build. If you're going in after Avengers I'd only really skip The Dark World. I'm not that into IM3 myself but for plenty of other people it's one of their favorites. I like these movies in general and I split up my TDW rewatch in 3 parts, it's so hard to get through. I think you're good watching or reading a summary and checking out the post-credits
But after that you have the one-two punch of Winter Soldier and GotG, the latter is probably still my favorite MCU movie.
But after that you have the one-two punch of Winter Soldier and GotG, the latter is probably still my favorite MCU movie.
I always found it funny how much the crossover was emphasized, because in hindsight you really didn't need to watch the rest of Phase 1 to understand Avengers 1, just Iron Man. I saw it without seeing Cap, Thor or Hulk's movies and it was surprisingly coherent. Captain America? You're told that he was from the past during the movie. Thor? Thor and Loki are gods and brothers, boom, explained in movie. Hulk? He's a different character here, his movie is basically irrelevant. Those movies are kind of fun for context, but the only thing you need to know about them is that their title characters are in the movie. There's a detail here and there that might not make a ton of sense (Thor knows Dr. Selvig? Oh ok) but there's nothing from those previous films that affects the story. Both with and without those other movies, the plot of Avengers 1 is effectively "a super powerful god wants to rule humanity, so his brother and a couple of superheroes assembled by the government attempt to stop him."
The only character that didn't have setup was Iron Man, because the movie kind of assumes you know who he was (he was the most popular of the four at the time). The biggest thing with Phase One was that they weren't confident anyone was going to watch all four movies despite Iron Man's success, and it shows in how Avengers takes a lot time telling you about everyone EXCEPT Tony Stark, because he already had two movies to himself.
To answer your question, if you haven't watched past Phase One, watch whichever movies interest you from it. In fact, I'll deviate from a lot of recommendations and say that if you want to watch Age of Ultron without the four movies leading up to it, you actually don't miss much. Without spoiling it, Ultron pretty much pretends that the ending of Iron Man 3 (and in a few ways, Winter Soldier) may as well not have happened, Thor 2 isn't referenced from what I can tell, and GOTG is a standalone film, so aside from a few lines here and there you could theoretically watch UIltron without seeing the rest of the phase. I do think it's a fun movie, it's just a bit of a mess.
Personally I'd recommend watchin Guardians of the Galaxy or Winter Soldier (a fun, mostly standalone, action-adventure movie and an MCU plot driver featuring characters from the Avengers). Of the movies in Phase 2, these are the sort of films to expect from the MCU going forward. I'd also recommend Iron Man 3, but that's just because I think it's neat. It's actually a good movie, but again, the rest of the series basically pretends it didn't happen (and some people are still pissed about how its villain was handled).
Not at the moment. I wanted to watch Ironman 3 on sunday but something came up. I doubt I will have time before next weekend to watch that.
I don't have Disney+ at the moment and I am not sure if I will get that anytime soon, so not sure if I can get my hands on anything else. I think I actually received Guardians of the Galaxy 1 as a gift a few years ago and knowing me it's still sealed... xD