12 MCU Movies & TV Shows That Make Sense If You Don't Follow The Franchise

Catching up with the MCU has become very tricky after four phases, but some MCU movies and TV shows do not require any previous knowledge.

•  Iron Man (2008) is a standalone movie that introduced audiences to Tony Stark and kickstarted the MCU, requiring no prior knowledge of Marvel or the franchise.
•  Captain America: The First Avenger serves as an origin story for Captain America, and it is another example of a Marvel movie that can be enjoyed without seeing previous films, despite its importance in the overall timeline.
•  Another example is Guardians of the Galaxy, which can be watched as someone's first Marvel movie, featuring new characters and a separate storyline from the Avengers.

Catching up with the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe becomes more difficult with each new release, but some MCU movies and TV shows do not require previous knowledge of the franchise. The MCU’s interconnectivity is arguably what made the saga so special compared to other superhero movie franchises. The cameos and crossovers that had always been part of Marvel Comics were now on screen, from Nick Fury in Iron Man to hundreds of characters fighting Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. However, as a result, getting into the MCU 15 years later can be tricky.

For example, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness required viewers to have watched WandaVision, a six-episode series that directly references at least four Marvel movies. Likewise, Marvel deals with the aftermath of three Disney+ MCU TV shows, namely WandaVision, Ms. Marvel, and Secret Invasion. With that considered, here are 12 MCU movies or TV shows that still make sense for someone who does not follow the franchise.

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12 PHOTOS

12. Iron Man

As the first MCU movie, Iron Man stood on its own and built the foundation for what would become Hollywood’s biggest franchise. Even though Marvel already had franchises for characters such as Blade, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four, Iron Man (2008) stood out from other releases and promised a new era of comic book adaptations. Iron Man features some classic origin story tropes, but it does it uniquely. No Marvel or MCU knowledge is required for Iron Man, which spends most of its runtime introducing audiences to Tony Stark. Even Iron Man’s post-credits scene works for those who are not familiar with Marvel.

11. Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger features a bit more of MCU worldbuilding compared to Iron Man. Still, as an origin story of a Phase 1 Marvel character, The First Avenger does not require viewers to have seen previous films. The first MCU Captain America movie featured all the classic elements of Steve Roger’s origin story, combining the original comics with aspects of the Ultimate Universe. Therefore, The First Avenger is a perfect introduction to Captain America, especially for those who have yet to become familiar with the character. Even though The First Avenger’s placement in the MCU timeline is crucial for the saga, the movie itself is a standalone story.

10. Thor

Marvel’s Phase 1 introduced audiences to some of the characters that would form the Avengers in 2012. This includes Thor, whose first MCU movie stands on its own and does not require any previous knowledge. While Agent Coulson and SHIELD were introduced in Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011) offers more than enough context on those elements, as if they were appearing in the franchise for the first time. Important MCU plot points leading up to The Avengers were introduced by Thor, but there is nothing from previous films that really affected the story. Thor (2011) is the only MCU Thor movie that works as a standalone film.

9. Ms. Marvel

Marvel’s Phase 4 was similar to Phase 1 in the sense that it introduced characters ahead of potential crossovers. For example, Ms. Marvel served as the origin story of Kamala Khan. While Ms. Marvel is set in a world where the Avengers are famous superheroes, no previous MCU knowledge is necessary to enjoy the show. Kamala Khan is a fan of superheroes, namely the powerful Captain Marvel, which is something the show establishes from its very first scene. No Ms. Marvel villain or supporting character had been in the MCU before, meaning the plot and the twists do not require viewers to have seen previous MCU films.

8. Ant-Man

Ant-Man (2015) is one of the most self-contained MCU movies, which is interesting considering it was released at the end of Phase 2. Still, given that an Ant-Man film had been in various stages of development since Phase 1, it made sense for the final result to be somewhat self-contained. Ant-Man is an origin story that feels like an MCU Phase 1 movie, with relatively low stakes and a new set of characters that had never appeared in live-action. Ant-Man references the Avengers and features MCU characters like Peggy Carter and Sam Wilson. However, not knowing those characters does not remove from the experience of meeting Scott Lang.

7. Guardians Of The Galaxy

The Guardians of the Galaxy existed in their own corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe until Avengers: Infinity War. The first Guardians of the Galaxy is especially self-contained compared to other MCU films, as it begins a story from scratch, featuring characters and locations that had never appeared in the franchise. Guardians of the Galaxy can be watched as someone’s first Marvel movie, as most of those characters had nothing to do with what was happening with the Avengers on Earth. The only exception is Thanos, who debuted in The Avengers’ post-credits scene. Even still, Thanos is treated as a new character in Guardians of the Galaxy

6. Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is one of the best examples of how Marvel’s Phase 4 was similar to Phase 1. After two phases of interconnected movies and crossover films like Captain America: Civil War and Thor: Ragnarok, Marvel went back to basics with origin stories for new superheroes. Shang-Chi introduces the titular character and follows the classic hero journey that had worked so well for Iron Man at the beginning of the franchise. The Wong and Abomination cameos added to the MCU’s worldbuilding but work just fine without context. Apart from its post-credits scene, Shang-Chi is a self-contained MCU movie.

5. The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk’s MCU canon status can be confusing. On one hand, it works as a soft reboot of Ang Lee’s Hulk, especially because it skips the origin story covered in the 2003 film. On the other hand, it is set in the MCU and features Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in the post-credits scene. However, none of this changes the fact that The Incredible Hulk is very much a standalone movie, despite not being an origin story. Even in terms of the MCU, the events of The Incredible Hulk would only really be acknowledged several years later in What If…? and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

4. Eternals

Eternals takes place in a post-Avengers: Endgame MCU, but it follows an entirely new set of characters with little to no ties to the broader franchise. Elements such as the Blip and Thanos are referenced, but the story told over thousands of years never is focused entirely on the Eternals and their mysterious origins. Where and when the Eternals will return is a mystery, one that shows how disconnected from the larger MCU the film was. Eternals changed the MCU’s power scale and added a lot to the saga’s lore, but it is a self-contained Marvel film about a group of characters that had never appeared on screen.

3. Moon Knight

Oscar Isaac, who starred and served as an executive producer in Moon Knight, mentioned several times how Iron Man (2008) influenced the show. The idea was to tell a self-contained origin story about a character that was not too popular beyond Marvel Comics, just like Iron Man had done more than a decade ago. As a result, Moon Knight is arguably Marvel’s Phase 4 most self-contained release, with little to no connections to the MCU. It is even difficult to determine when Moon Knight takes place in the MCU’s timeline, as there are not too many references or callbacks to major Marvel movie events.

2. Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was criticized for being not just Doctor Strange 2, but also a sequel to WandaVision and a setup for future Avengers movies. Doctor Strange (2016), on the other hand, was entirely focused on Stephen Strange and his lore. The first Doctor Strange movie was a much-needed change of pace for a convoluted Marvel Phase 3, steering away from big crossover events to deliver a personal story that brought Doctor Strange into the MCU. Apart from the post-credits scene featuring Thor, Doctor Strange (2016) is one of the best examples of a standalone MCU movie.

1. Black Panther

T’Challa’s introduction and the death of King T’Chaka happened in Captain America: Civil War. However, Black Panther does not ask audiences to have seen Civil War to understand the film. T’Challa is treated as a new character, and the death of King T’Chaka is addressed right at the beginning of the movie. Likewise, while Klaue had already appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the importance of Vibranium is treated as a new storyline. Black Panther went on to claim more than a billion at the box office without any crossovers or setups for other MCU movies, which shows how well the film worked as a standalone story.