Marvel Marvel Movie Universe

[Ome]

Our daughter is a fan of the Marvel movies and has often expressed how much she wants me to watch them. I'm a Star Trek fan first, then Star Wars and I go in and out of fads with superhero movies/series. Anyway, a while back I thought I would watch them, but I wanted to do it in MU order and not the order of film releases, so this was the plan.

• Captain America: The First Avenger (takes place during WWII)
• Captain Marvel (takes place in 1995)
• Iron Man (takes place in 2010)
• Iron Man 2 (takes place after Iron Man)
• The Incredible Hulk (time unspecified, pre-Avengers)
• Thor (takes place six months before Avengers)
• The Avengers (takes place in 2012)
• Iron Man 3 (takes place six months after The Avengers)
• Thor: Dark World (post-Avengers, pre-Ultron)
• Captain America: Winter Soldier (post-Avengers, pre-Ultron)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (sometime in 2014)
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (after Guardians)
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (takes place in 2015)
• Ant-Man (takes place in 2015)
• Captain America: Civil War (post-Ultron, pre-Infinity War)
• Spider-Man: Homecoming (post-Civil War, pre-Infinity War)
• Doctor Strange (takes place in 2016)
• Black Panther (takes place in 2017)
• Thor: Ragnarok (post-Ultron, pre-Infinity War)
• Avengers: Infinity War (takes place in 2017)
• Ant-Man and The Wasp (ambiguous, but fits nicely between IW and Endgame)
• Avengers: Endgame (starts in 2017, finishes in 2022)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (eight months post-Endgame)

23 films in total and we did Endgame last night, leaving the final movie Spiderman for tomorrow night.


Having watched them back to back over the past couple of weeks has been great fun, but it's also meant that all the stories merge together and it's difficult for me to think of a particular angle and remember which film it came from.

I can say that as far as characters go, here's my preferred list

1. Thor
2. Black Panther
3. Peter Quill
4. Doctor Strange
5. Rocket
6. Captain Marvel
7. Spider-Man
8. Ant-Man
9. Wanda
10. Falcon


As for Movies

1. Thor: Ragnarok
2. Black Panther
3. Thor
4. Guardians of the Galaxy
5. Spider-Man: Homecoming
6. Avengers: Endgame
7. Thor: Dark World
8. Captain Marvel
9. Doctor Strange
10. Avengers: Infinity War

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Wow. That's really impressive Ome.

I've seen exactly two films from the MCU, but I'm really hoping to watch all of them in release order at some point. I think doing it chronologically might have blown my mind a little, so I applaud the effort you and your daughter have gone to in working out the chronology and then watching them this way.

Was there anything that struck you as noticeable in terms of when the films were made? Or were there any spoilers from watching this way? For instance, obviously The First Avenger and Iron Man were made some years before Captain Marvel. So did the CM film still fit in between them in terms of how it looked or little references that were made?

 

[Ome]

I think doing it chronologically might have blown my mind a little,

What makes you think that? It might be that I'm not familiar with any of the characters up until now. I had watched all the Marvel TV shows, DAREDEVIL, IRON FIST, DEFENDERS, JESSICA JONES, but they don't appear to be part of the movie universe.

I haven't done AGENT CARTER or started WANDA VISION yet.

I have (on the back of the first AVENGERS movie) started Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I applaud the effort you and your daughter have gone to in working out the chronology and then watching them this way.

Oh, that wasn't hard, I just looked it up on the Internet.

Was there anything that struck you as noticeable in terms of when the films were made?

No. I literally got lost in each one and the filming locations never had any impact.

Or were there any spoilers from watching this way?

No, or should I say, not that I noticed any. It truly flowed along nicely.

For instance, obviously The First Avenger and Iron Man were made some years before Captain Marvel. So did the CM film still fit in between them in terms of how it looked or little references that were made?

No, and they were clever in keeping looks/appearances as close to the timeline as possible. There were times when someone's appearance had changed, for example, Steve Rogers was clean-shaven, then had facial hair and back to a clean shave. Other characters would comment on his different look and that worked with other characters too.

Because the whole universe is completely new to me, I spent all my time just enjoying the flow. I'm curious about a re-watch and will they (knowing what I know now) be any hiccups or spoilers.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

What makes you think that?

For me it has to do with the sheer volume of films combined with choosing how to do the journey.

It's similar to the Star Wars films. Because I'd be watching most of them for the first time, it kind of makes sense to start with Episode One, but there are also good arguments for watching them in the order they were made. And of course I can't do both as a first experience.

No, and they were clever in keeping looks/appearances as close to the timeline as possible.

Oh, interesting. That's good to know.

I'm curious about a re-watch and will they (knowing what I know now) be any hiccups or spoilers.

Yes, this kind of thing is always different the second time round. I'd imagine there'd be lots of little Easter eggs and hints that you'd spot now you've got the big picture.

 

[Ome]

For me it has to do with the sheer volume of films combined with choosing how to do the journey.

I'm sure I would have been more confused if I watched them as they were released, especially doing them back to back. Watching them in the years they were released and I've every chance of forgetting lots of stuff.

It's similar to the Star Wars films. Because I'd be watching most of them for the first time, it kind of makes sense to start with Episode One, but there are also good arguments for watching them in the order they were made. And of course I can't do both as a first experience.

I watched Star Wars as they were released, so I had a good few decades between movies. After episode 9 was released and I'd seen it at the pictures, the following year (when episode 9 was released on rental/streaming) I decided to watch the full 9 episodes in chronological order ad it was a wonderful experience, I don't know if I would watch them in release order any more. I'm planning on doing the full set again this year with Wifey.

I'd imagine there'd be lots of little Easter eggs and hints that you'd spot now you've got the big picture.

Yes, absolutely. Because our daughter had watched them at the cinema over the past 14 years, this was the first time she watched then in chronological order and back to back, there were many ' hand over mouth' moments from her as she spotted various treats along the way.

 

[Crimson]

I'm a huge fan of the MCU. Although I've never made the effort to watch them chronologically, I've watched them all individually or more-or-less consecutively numerous times through the years. I don't think there's any other franchise -- Star Wars, DCU, or anything else -- that comes close to matching it for scope or quality.

My own top 10 rankings:

1. CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER
2. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
3. CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
4. THOR: RAGNAROK
5. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
6. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
7. IRON MAN
8. THE AVENGERS
9. SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
10. BLACK PANTHER

THOR: DARK WORLD is my least favorite of the series. I watched it twice; I fell asleep twice.

The MCU TV shows have, for me, been more of a mixed bag. I couldn't get into AGENTS OF SHIELD; every time I dipped into it, I found it very mediocre in a network TV kind of way. I kind of liked AGENT CARTER but drifted away from finishing it. I liked some of the Netflix-Marvel shows (DAREDEVIL; JESSICA JONES; THE PUNISHER; THE DEFENDERS; LUKE CAGE; IRON FIST). Some shows/seasons are notably better than others and, cumulatively, they suffer from a sameyness. It's also, at this point, unconfirmed if they are considered 'canon' with the rest of the MCU. WANDAVISION, the first of the MCU shows on Disney+ is spectacular so far; if I were rolling it into my Top 10, it would slip into the #5 spot even though it still has a few episodes to go. THE FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER, next up, looks very good based on the previews.

 

[Ome]

Star Wars, DCU, or anything else -- that comes close to matching it for scope or quality.

Would you say that's partly down to the timing of the films? With STAR WARS & STAR TREK, they go back to the 70s and so the quality is never going to be as good, whether that be the acting, the writing or the special effects. I must say that I have been completely impressed with all the movies. I watched a couple of 80s STAR TREK movies and even though I know these movies well, I did struggle with the special effects. I'm planning on doing all STAR TREK movies soon, so it will be interesting to see how the latest ST films compare with Marvel.

I watched it twice; I fell asleep twice.

I couldn't get into AGENTS OF SHIELD; every time I dipped into it, I found it very mediocre in a network TV kind of way.

I'm only 5 episodes into season one and it hasn't grabbed me as I had hoped. I'm not quitting, well, not just yet, I want to get to season two before thinking about that. I just don't have that 'can't wait' feeling for the next episode.

Some shows/seasons are notably better than others and, cumulatively, they suffer from a sameyness.

Yes. I also forgot to list LUKE CAGE.

What I did find with these is the villains were far more compelling than the heroes. Fisk and Kilgrave being the outstanding characters, thanks to a couple of great actors.

WANDAVISION,

I'm going to wait until I finish (or quit) S.H.I.E.L.D. before taking on this one.

THE FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER, next up, looks very good based on the previews.

THE FALCON excites me, WINTER SOLDIER, not so much.

 

[Crimson]

Would you say that's partly down to the timing of the films?

To some extent, yeah. I'm pretty indifferent to STAR TREK so I have no opinions there, but STAR WARS has been made over the span of decades, in different generations. Even setting aside the (now) quaint F/X of the earlier films, there's surprisingly little cohesion among the films. For all of George Lucas' claims of having it planned all along, the franchise feels rather slapdash.

The MCU is something that had never been tried before -- a shared universe with a master plan -- and pulled it off. There are continuity quibbles, but it works remarkably well as a whole.

I'm going to wait until I finish (or quit) S.H.I.E.L.D. before taking on this one.

I highly recommend pausing SHIELD and switching to WANDAVISION. For one, the show is a magnitude better than SHIELD; it's brilliant and that's not a word I use easily. It's also a show of surprises and the longer you wait to watch it, the greater the risk of those surprises being spoiled.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

they go back to the 70s and so the quality is never going to be as good, whether that be the acting, the writing or the special effects.

Ooh, interesting I can definitely see that would be the case with SFX and other production elements which all help to create belief, but would you also say that standards of writing and acting were poorer in the Seventies?

The MCU is something that had never been tried before -- a shared universe with a master plan -- and pulled it off. There are continuity quibbles, but it works remarkably well as a whole.

In a way, it's surprising that it took so long for the films to do this, since the template for that was there with the source material and the way the individual and team titles overlapped in the Marvel Universe of the comics. Especially with the success of big crossover events in the comics from the mid-Eighties onwards.

But then the timing was probably against it happening. With a couple of obvious exceptions, superhero films were out of vogue by the late Eighties and remained so for much of the Nineties. And it's natural it would it take a while for the early Noughties resurgence to gain scope and momentum.

Prior to the MCU, I suppose the nearest we had to a live action shared universe were the late Eighties Hulk TV films which featured Daredevil, Thor and the Kingpin.

 

[Crimson]

it's surprising that it took so long for the films to do this, since the template for that was there with the source material and the way the individual and team titles

I think TV & movies are blending more and more. As the quality of TV becomes more cinematic, movies are exploring the idea of being serialized -- something uncommon since the advent of TV. So far, only the MCU has been notably successful, but every studio seems to want a similar shared-universe franchise.

 

[Ome]

The MCU is something that had never been tried before -- a shared universe with a master plan -- and pulled it off. T

I've always enjoyed crossovers in shows such as STAR TREK and ARROW/FLASH/SUPERGIRL, but I can't recall it happening in the movies (apart from STAR TREK) and this is a big reason behind my decision to watch all the movies.

I highly recommend pausing SHIELD and switching to WANDAVISION. For one, the show is a magnitude better than SHIELD; it's brilliant and that's not a word I use easily. It's also a show of surprises and the longer you wait to watch it, the greater the risk of those surprises being spoiled.

I'm pretty good at never catching spoilers. I don't really do social media and so I would have to physically search online for spoilers. Most spoilers that have caught me over the years have usually been from these forums.

That said, I saw an advert for WV last night and I think I'm going to start it this week. I did a few more S.H.I.E.L.D. and still haven't been anywhere near hooked.

would you also say that standards of writing and acting were poorer in the Seventies?

I think in general the standards have improved over the years, more so because of the way we as a human race have evolved. The way we think, the way we speak, the way we perceive something. I don't think it's as obvious unless you watched something from the 70s and then followed it by watching something from the past 10 years.

That doesn't mean I think actors were weaker back then because that would be stupid and clearly untrue. I think it's more about the way we do things against the way we did things back then.

 

[thomaswak]

I highly recommend pausing SHIELD and switching to WANDAVISION. For one, the show is a magnitude better than SHIELD; it's brilliant and that's not a word I use easily. It's also a show of surprises and the longer you wait to watch it, the greater the risk of those surprises being spoiled.

I agree. Wandavision is great. I thought it would be just ok, but it's actually amazing.

 

[darkshadows38]

watching these in order is i think the best way to do it, one can say you should watch The First Avenger 1st (2011) than watch Captain Marvel (2019) but that one also has a scene that takes place i think during Infinity War though apparently that scene is cut from the film. on how i watched them i watched them starting with Iron Man (2008) in short in order of release because i guess i'm just so used to watching them that way but it really doesn't matter i don't think. as long as you don't watch The First Avenger (2011) after The Avengers (2012)i guess than you will be fine well at least that's how i think of it anyways. i dunno what i haven't seen them all yet there's still i think 3 of them i need to see. i have them all on 4K but there's 4 of them left i need to get

 

[The Lovely Sue Ellen]

Omg I actually just did this! I had never seen any of the marvel movies before. But I watched WandaVision at the request of two coworkers and it got me curious
so I watched everything Disney+ had in timeline order!
I can now say I am a huge Tony Stark fan !

here is my movie ranking

Avengers
Iron Man
Wanda Vision
Thor Ragnarok
Avengers Age of Ultron
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Avengers Infinity War
Avengers End Game
Iron man 2
Guardians of the Galaxy
Captain Marvel
Iron man 3
Captain America civil war
Ant man and the wasp
Thor the dark world
Captain America the first avenger
Thor
Captain America the winter soldier
Black panther
Ant man
Doctor strange