Marvel movies have had a major impact on people of all ages through characters such as Spiderman, Ironman, Thor, and Captain America. Marvel Studios, established in 2008, has been cranking out superhero content ever since, expanding their characters and stories.
You might be wondering, where should I start? Do I need to read the comics? Do I have to watch every single movie AND tv-show ever since Disney Plus started making original content?
Behold, the ultimate guide to navigate the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
There are different ways to start watching the movies, depending on what type of viewer you are. Imagine a spectrum, with one end being the casual viewer and the other end being the hardcore comic book fan. Identify where you land on the spectrum so you can start watching accordingly.
The Casual Viewer
Aha. I see you’re a casual viewer. Honestly, I completely understand. Marvel is a lot of take in, and not everyone’s watching to see easter eggs from the comics and from other media. You’re here for a good time and to see a good superhero movie. I would recommend watching all the movies in chronological order, by release date. Start with the 2008 “Ironman” and proceed through until “Spiderman: Far From Home.” Also known as the ‘Infinity Saga,’ it encompassed 23 films, with additional 8 short films, known as ‘Marvel One-Shot.’
These 23 movies are dense with story and references to the comics, while also being easy to follow and fun to watch. Once you finish the Infinity Saga, you have the option to watch the ‘Multiverse Saga,’ the movies AND Disney Plus TV shows following “Spiderman: Far From Home.” These movies are a bit more complicated, as they introduce more characters and universes, trying to connect everyone and everything together, as Disney regained their rights to the “X-Men,”” Fantastic Four,”’ and the Daredevil franchises.
The Average Fan
Alas, the fan that lies in between. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and I would recommend watching chronologically first by release date and then watching by either timeline order or even out of order. This way, you’re able to get a sense of the MCU without it going overboard, as many other viewers have watched them in this way. I would also recommend watching breakdowns if you’re interested in the “lore” (the background knowledge and information), or even more. There are many channels on Youtube that connect the projects to the comics and explain the place of each project in the universe as a whole.
The Hardcore Fan
Truth be told, if you’re a hardcore fan, you’ve probably seen everything and you don’t need my help. HOWEVER, worry not, I have multiple ways for you to start watching all Marvel projects.
There are essentially three paths you can take:
- Chronological, by release date
- According to the Sacred Timeline
- Free for all
There are many things that you might miss while watching for the first time, so I recommend rewatching the movies somewhat in this order. First watch by release date, and watch every project as several TV shows heavily influence future movies and stories. Then, watch everything according to how it fits in the overall MCU and the ‘Sacred Timeline.’ Finally, watch them out of order to your liking. I also recommend watching movie and episode breakdowns on YouTube such as ‘New Rockstars’ and ‘ScreenCrush,’ as to those unfamiliar with the comics, it helps to connect what the comics’ stories are to the MCU stories. As a New Rockstars viewer and Marvel fan, I highly recommend checking out their videos.
Here is how to navigate through Disney Plus:
