Non-Essential Intel

Skip it. This is the only MCU film starring Edward Norton, and Marvel has spent every film since trying to act like it did not happen. Bruce Banner's origin gets covered in dialogue in The Avengers. You lose nothing.

Skip it. The film exists to introduce Black Widow and War Machine and to set up The Avengers. You will meet both characters in better films. Whiplash is one of the weakest MCU villains. Tony's arc here is "deal with the same emotional issues as Iron Man 1 again, with a new prop."

Skip it. Thor's character development here gets undone by Thor: Ragnarok in a deliberate, much better way. The Earth scenes feel like a Hallmark movie with a hammer. The Asgard scenes look small in a way Ragnarok will later make look ridiculous. If you want Thor's story, start with Ragnarok.

Skip it, unless you specifically want to see Tony deal with PTSD after The Avengers. Shane Black's instincts as a director are interesting, but the Mandarin twist is one of the most divisive choices Marvel has ever made, and the film overall feels like it is fighting the genre it is supposed to be in. Tony's arc gets resolved better in Endgame.

Skip it. Most Marvel fans agree this is the weakest MCU film. Malekith is a villain with no presence. The plot exists to move an Infinity Stone from point A to point B. Ragnarok specifically jokes about how forgettable this film is.

Skip it, with one caveat. Ultron is a fun villain and James Spader is great. But the film tries to do too much (introduce Vision, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, expand the team, set up Civil War, and resolve a global threat) and ends up doing most of it half-well. Vision and Wanda matter later, but you can pick them up in their own shows or in Civil War without losing the thread.

Skip it. This was supposed to launch Kang as the next big bad. Then Jonathan Majors was fired, Marvel scrapped the Kang storyline, and this film essentially became a dead end. The film itself is also not strong. The Quantum Realm visuals are creative; everything else struggles.

A charming heist film. Paul Rudd is great. The shrinking gimmick works better here than in any sequel. But Scott Lang's larger MCU role comes from Endgame, not from this film. You can pick him up in Civil War.

Same situation. Lighter than the first, fine on its own. The post-credits scene matters slightly for Endgame but not enough to require the whole film.

This one hurts to cut. Shang-Chi is a genuinely good film. The fight choreography is the best the MCU has done. The cast is excellent. Simu Liu is going to be a major part of the next phase. But Doomsday does not actually depend on Shang-Chi's events, and the film is not connected to the multiverse threads we need. Watch it after Doomsday if you have not already.

Chloe Zhao made a beautiful, slow, contemplative film that was sold as a superhero blockbuster. The result divided everyone. The film has some of the best visuals in the MCU. It also moves at a pace that frustrates most viewers. The events do not affect Doomsday in any visible way. Skip unless you specifically want the experience.

Sam Wilson's first solo film as Cap. The premiere did not generate the buzz Marvel hoped for. The film deals with Sam's identity as Captain America and the political fallout of inheriting the shield. None of it strictly feeds Doomsday. Skip if time-crunched.

This one is worth a note. It was better received than most recent Marvel releases. The team of misfits and antiheroes that forms here will likely play a role in the broader Marvel future, but Doomsday does not require them. If you have time and want a non-required watch that is also genuinely fun, add this one. Otherwise, skip.

Already covered in Extra Credit. It is a sequel to Captain Marvel and technically a Doomsday feeder, but the connection is thin enough to skip.