Summary
The early days of theMarvel Cinematic Universe(also known as theMCU) were much simpler since fans just had to watch 1 or 2 movies per year if they wanted to be up-to-date with everything. But nowadays, it is way harder to catch up,especially with Disney releasing multiple movies and series every year.With interest rising again thanks toDeadpool & Wolverinehitting cinemas on July 25, some fans might want to know what part of theMCUsaga they can skip.
Longtime MCU fans who may have been left behind usually wonder what projects can be skipped, and these are some of the most notable examples. It’s important to keep in mind that the quality of these movies and shows did not factor into their inclusion, just how relevant they are to the overall narrative of this huge cinematic universe.
8Black Widow
Tells The Story Of A Character Who Was Already Dead
Fans had been asking for a soloBlack Widowmovie for many years, and Marvel finally listened to them when they releasedBlack Widow in2021.The film itself is a fun spy thriller with some really charismatic characters, but most people believe it arrived way too late, especially since it’s set after the events ofCaptain America: Civil War.
On top of that,Natasha Romanoffdied in 2019’sAvengers: Endgame, so audiences already knew what her fate was going to be, which removed a lot of the bigger stakes of this story. Most of the members of Natasha’s family were never seen again, with the only exception beingYelena, who would later appear in theHawkeyeshow. But even still, this movie is not really necessary to comprehend her character and motivations.
7What If…?
An Anthology Show Made Up Of Hypothetical Scenarios
What If…?is trulyone of the most interesting and creative shows in the entire MCU. By taking a page from the one-off comic series of the same name, Marvel created an animated anthology with a bunch of hypothetical scenarios from different points of the MCU.
This is a lot of fun and, to the surprise of most viewers, it is eventually revealed that all of these episodes are connected to each other by the end of Season 1. But none of this is relevant to anything else in this cinematic universe.What If…?is just a fun side project that rewards the more curious fans, and it doesn’t need to be anything more than that.
After the huge crossover event that wasAvengers: Endgame, audiences were skeptical about the idea of introducing a brand-new hero to the MCU, butShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsproved them wrong, seeing this as a really entertaining and dynamic martial arts flick starring a charismatic new hero.
But even though it had an intriguing post-credits stinger that hinted at the possibility of a connection to the rest of the universe, neitherShang-Chinor theTen Ringshave appeared in any other MCU installments,and it has already been over 3 years since their introduction. While it is confirmed that this movie will have a sequel in the near future, it’s currently unknown what connections to the other movies or shows it’s going to have.
Eternalsis definitely one of the most divisive MCU movies ever made, seeing as this is more of an experimental project with an ambitious scope that tells the story of a family of heroes who were not very well known by the public. The only problem is that,Eternalsbarely feels like an MCU movie, since there’s barely any mention of events that transpired in previous films.
What’s even weirder is that the premise of this story is thatEternalsthemselves have been fighting theDeviantson Earth since 5000 BC, yet they were never involved in any of the world-ending catastrophes that were featured in previous entries.Not even the newborn Celestial that gets frozen at the end is mentioned in any subsequent films or shows, which feels extremely uncharacteristic for the MCU.
4Moon Knight
A Dark & Isolated Story
TheMoon Knightseries is one of the most interesting installments in the MCU: It follows the story ofMarc Spector, a mysterious man with dissociative identity disorder, and his heroic persona, the titularMoon Knight, as they have to find out the mystery behind his many identities in order to stop a deadly cult leader.
While it’s not without its issues,Moon Knightisa clever show that experiments with a lot of different ideas and has an overall darker tonewhen compared with other projects. But this feels like one of the most disconnected entries in this entire cinematic universe, with barely any mention of other important events or characters. Because of that, this show is accessible for viewers who haven’t watched anything else in the MCU before, but it also means that it can be easily skipped by those who just want to catch up on everything.
Despite having some harsh critics,She-Hulk: Attorney At Lawis considered one of the funniest entries in the MCU, as it’s built like a courtroom sitcom with a lot of fourth-wall-breaking humor that would pave the way forDeadpool’sarrival later down the line. This is a show that is extremely recommended to viewers who want a more relaxed experience that doesn’t rely all that much on knowledge of previous MCU movies or shows.
But even thoughShe-Hulkherself is closely related to one of the biggest heroes in this universe, barely anything relevant happens in her show. Yes, viewers get to see what happened to the Hulk after the events ofAvengers: Endgame, but he’s far away for most of the series, and Abomination’s reappearance was treated as a comedic punchline.She-Hulkalso featuresDaredevil’slong-awaited reintroduction into the MCU, but it’s extremely unlikely that this will factor into his upcoming show.
2I Am Groot
A Colorful Show For Kids, And Nothing More
TheMarvel Cinematic Universefound most of its success due to the fact that every single show or movie was connected in one way or another, which was quite original at that point. While this works quite well most of the time, this also implies that even the most inconsequential projects are forcibly connected to the rest of this gigantic universe, andI Am Grootis one of the most egregious examples.
I Am Groot is a collection of cheerful animated shortsthat showcase the many adventures of Baby Groot. This is a fun kid’s show and nothing more, but it does take place betweenGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1andGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.Not to mention thatJames Gunnconfirmed that it is ambiguously canon to the MCU timeline. However, all the MCU fans who skippedI Am Grootwon’t be missing much.
1Secret Invasion
A Controversial Show That Was Discarded In The Next Movie
TheSecret Invasionseries is an intriguing thriller that has a few interesting ideas,but it was ultimately not very well received by both critics and general audiences. At first glance, it seemed like it was going to be very important to the MCU, as it starsNick Furyin a mysterious plot that involves the entire Skrull population on Earth.
A few months after the final episode ofSecret Invasionaired on Disney+,The Marvelswas released in theaters worldwide. This movie features both a big Skrull civilization and Nick Fury himself, and yet there are 0 mentions of the events of the show. Fury even seems to be his quippy old self, instead of the grizzled and defeated iteration that was seen just a few months prior, and even his Skrull wife,Varra, is nowhere to be seen. All of this, coupled with its mixed reception, means it’s most likelySecret Invasionwon’t be that important for the MCU going forward.
