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We’re back to guide you through the weird and wonderful world of MCU movies, which ones will interest the general non superhero fan and which ones actually matter to the overall story (or at least the ones that matter the most, specifically the movies of Phase Two (the ones released from 2013 to 2015). To understand how all of this works you can check the article I did for Phase by clicking here. And if you happen to read the whole thing, don’t think that those are your only options for getting started on the MCU since some movies I willl list you can just go in blind if you find them interesting. Now let’s go!
IRON MAN 3 (2013)
Should you watch it?: Not really. Remember how everyone complained that Star Wars: The Last Jedi tried way too hard to subvert expectations and failed as a result. Well it’s definitely the case here.
Is it important to the universe?: Also no. The only thing that’s kind of important is something that happens at the very end and it’s very disconnected from the rest of the story so you can just watch that.
How many movies should you watch prior?: Definitely Iron Man and Avengers, and maybe Iron Man 2.
How many mid or post-credits scenes?: One post-credits scene, but it’s just a funny gag.
THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013)
Should you watch it?: Not really. The Thor and Loki stuff is as compelling as always, but the rest of the movie suffers from a lot of the issues of the last Thor movie, mainly being too Earth-based, and the villain is underwhelming, even by MCU standards.
Is it important to the universe?: Though it’s one of the weakest MCU movies, it’s also one of the most important. The two main reasons are the important changes that happen to Asgard (Thor’s home world) at the end and the fact that another Infinity Stone is introduced (like I explained, these objects are the driving force to the overall story of the universe).
How many movies should you watch prior?: Thor and The Avengers.
How many mid or post-credits scenes?: One mid-credits scene, which is important, and one post-credits scene, which is a funny gag.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014)
Should you watch it?: Yes! This one even people that actively hate the MCU usually get behind, mainly because it feels less like a superhero movie and more like a spy/political thriller, with superb action to boot.
Is it important to the universe?: Yes. It’s important to Captain America as a character, it’s important to S.H.I.E.L.D. (basically the organization responsible for bringing the Avengers together) and it introduces a new hero.
How many movies should you watch prior?: Surprisingly it stands on its own, considering it’s a sequel. But a lot of the big reveals and twists of the movie have more of an impact if you’ve seen Captain America: The First Avenger, and maybe also The Avengers.
How many mid or post-credits scenes?: A mid-credits scene and a post-credit scene, both important.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014)
Should you watch it?: Yes! Especially if you like sci-fi in general, more specifically weird and funny space operas.
Is it important to the universe?: Yes. It introduces the second most important team of heroes of this universe, it introduces the space side of things and it introduces another Infinity Stone.
How many movies should you watch prior?: None.
How many mid or post-credits scenes?:A mid-credits scene and a post-credit scene, both funny gags.
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015)
Should you watch it?: Yes. Just don’t expect it to be as good as The Avengers, mostly because of the over-abundance of sub-plots and the villain Ultron not being as compelling as Loki. But it still has a lot of the stuff that worked from the first movie.
Is it important to the universe?: Yes. The Avengers are the center of this universe and this movie continues their story while also introducing some new members.
How many movies should you watch prior?: Definitely The Avengers, and maybe also Iron Man, the Thor movies and the Captain America movies.
How many mid or post-credits scenes?: One mid-credits scene, which is sort of important.
ANT-MAN (2015)
Should you watch it?: Yes. It’s very funny, Ant-Man’s shrinking powers make for some unique action sequences and the whole thing feels like a heist movie, so definitely watch it if you’re into those.
Is it important to the universe?: Yes. It introduces a new hero, Scott lang/Ant-man, and it introduces something called the Quantum Realm, which will be important later on.
How many movies should you watch prior?: None. Just as long you have a general idea of who the Avengers are and that they exist in this universe.
How many mid or post-credits scenes?: One mid-credits, which is important, and one post-credits scene, which is just a clip from Captain America: Civil War.
And that’s it for Phase Two. We’ll also be doing this for Phase Three, so stay tuned.
Written By: Miguel Coelho
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