Marvel Studios has built a massive story over the last 17 years through its movie slate, but a few of them are not the most essential to the greater narrative. Having built its success on interwoven storytelling, fans are well aware of how the MCU's dozens of movies tie into one another, building an epic adventure that continues to expand.
Out of the MCU's 36 movies released in theaters, there are six that can be recognized as the least essential for viewing to understand the larger story at hand. Interconnected stories are still as vital as ever for the MCU, as seen with the franchise's most recent theatrical film, Thunderbolts*. However, for those who may not be ready to dive into everything the MCU has ever delivered, a select few projects do not offer as much to the big picture as others.
Marvel Studios' 6 Least Essential MCU Movies (Release Order)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The MCU's second movie after Iron Man was The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton (Bruce Banner), Liv Tyler (Betty Ross), and the late William Hurt (General Thunderbolt Ross). To this day, it is the second-lowest-grossing film in MCU history at the box office ($265 million), and it usually ranks as one of the lesser-praised Marvel movies as well.
Unfortunately, over the years, the storylines from The Incredible Hulk continue to lack a meaningful impact on the rest of the greater story. This is compounded by the fact that this is the only MCU movie featuring Edward Norton's Hulk, as he was replaced by Mark Ruffalo in 2012's The Avengers; Ruffalo has since played the role in 10 live-action and animated projects.
Additionally, Thunderbolt Ross, who becomes the Secretary of State and later the President of the United States, is the only character from this movie to appear in multiple other movies. Liv Tyler's Betty Ross and Tim Blake Nelson's Samuel Sterns also return to the MCU, but not until 2025's Captain America: Brave New World.
As exciting as the Hulk's MCU origins are, plot threads from The Incredible Hulk are simply not crucial to the larger story.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Iron Man 3 became a major hit upon its debut in 2013, still ranking as the eighth-highest-grossing MCU movie to this day at $1.2 billion. Showing Tony Stark's battle with the fake Mandarin and Aldrich Killian, it has even become more popular with fans over the years for its treatment of mental health and trauma.
The biggest thing keeping Iron Man 3 from being a must-watch for the MCU is its relatively self-contained nature. Everything Tony Stark experiences in this film is more or less limited to its own runtime, with only fleeting mentions of its events appearing in movies throughout the next 12 years.
The main tie to this film in the MCU's future is Sir Ben Kingsley's Trevor Slattery, who does not pop up again until 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While Trevor may add more importance to Iron Man 3's place in the MCU later (he is set to play a role in 2025's Wonder Man), this movie still sits as something of a one-off story for Marvel Studios.
Eternals (2021)
Eternals came during a tough era for Marvel Studios. Released in 2021 during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic behind a massive cast of new stars, it garnered mixed reviews and a $400 million box office haul. It became one of the MCU's more unique projects (as well as one of the most expensive Marvel films).
Unfortunately, Eternals may be recognized as arguably the most isolated movie in MCU history when it comes to its place in the larger franchise. In the four years since its debut, none of its characters have shown up or been referenced in another film. Besides a few minor nods to Doctor Strange, Iron Man, and Captain America, Eternals did not use much from its fellow MCU outings.
Simply put, if Eternals had never been made, there would not be many movies from the future that were greatly affected outside of 2025's Captain America: Brave New World, which embraced the dead Celestial in the Indian Ocean. Otherwise, the film is largely forgotten when it comes to tying the MCU together.
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Thor: Love and Thunder is one of the MCU's most controversial releases, featuring Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Christian Bale (Gorr), and Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie). The fourth Thor film earned mostly negative reviews in 2022, but it still became profitable for Marvel by grossing $760 million at the box office.
Similar to most of this list, Love and Thunder's plot is self-contained, focusing on Thor and Jane Foster's quest to defeat Gorr, the God Butcher, and save Asgard's children. Only small references are made to past Thor movies, and outside of Easter eggs for characters from the larger MCU, no other major movies are mentioned or referenced.
Finishing with Jane Foster in Valhalla and Thor pushing forward as an Avenger in Avengers: Doomsday, those heroes' fight against Gorr seems to be an afterthought in the greater narrative.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Following Ant-Man 3, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gave MCU fans one of the best movies Marvel has ever made, behind Chris Pratt's Star-Lord and the entire Guardians crew. It earned stellar reviews across the board as the Guardians took on the High Evolutionary before going their separate ways, and the movie grossed $846 million at the box office, ranking between its two predecessors.
Barely utilizing any connections to past movies (outside of minor ties to Avengers: Endgame), Guardians 3 operated away from anything else happening in the MCU. It used new locations and characters with no ties to anything from the MCU's past, particularly with only one scene taking place on Earth in the film's final moments.
This is the least surprising entry on this list, as the entire Guardians trilogy has largely worked independently of the rest of the MCU, other than Infinity War and Endgame. Its core purpose was to give its leading team one last big send-off after so much success for the MCU, which it accomplished without needing the rest of the franchise to support it.
Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
Captain America: Brave New World kicked off Marvel Studios' 2025 slate of projects, utilizing Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson/Captain America, Danny Ramirez's Falcon, and Harrison Ford's Thunderbolt Ross. Showing Mackie's first solo story as a hero and tasking him with rebuilding the Avengers, the film did not perform well for Marvel, earning largely mixed reviews and only grossing $413 million at the global box office.
Looking back at MCU history, Captain America 4 largely retreads many of the same beats seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, in which Sam began his journey to become Captain America. It featured many of the same themes and similar plot threads with different characters, and outside of its introduction of Adamantium into the MCU, it did not affect the bigger picture much at all.
Looking forward, Avengers: Doomsday is expected to start with Sam's new Avengers team already assembled, meaning this film is largely skippable, save for a few minor details. However, those can quickly be addressed without too much trouble, which may not be the best news for Captain America 4's place as an essential Marvel Studios project.
Honorable Mentions
Captain Marvel (2019)
2019's Captain Marvel is one of the MCU's most divisive movies, starring Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Ben Mendelsohn (Talos), and Jude Law (Yon-Rogg). While its reviews include a wide range of feelings from fans, good and bad, it places outside the 10 highest-grossing MCU films ever at over $1.1 billion globally.
Similar to other films on this list, Captain Marvel's story does not impact much of what happens in other MCU films, particularly with it being a prequel. Largely set in the mid-1990s, it is almost a quarter of a century in either direction from anything else that happens in the MCU timeline.
The film has one job: giving fans a first look at Carol Danvers before her return in Avengers: Endgame, which came about two months after Captain Marvel. Keeping the movie from the main list is the fact that a few other MCU projects are directly impacted by the plot (WandaVision, The Marvels, Ms. Marvel, and Secret Invasion), though most of the needed context is easy to pick up without a Captain Marvel viewing.
For everything this film's sequel (The Marvels) does to set up more Multiverse-based plot threads, Captain Marvel's impact can be mostly figured out through other MCU entries.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
The MCU's Infinity Saga closed off in 2019 with Spider-Man: Far From Home, Tom Holland's second solo Spidey film. Alongside Zendaya (Michelle Jones), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), and Jake Gyllenhaal (Mysterio), this movie was Marvel's third billion-dollar hit of the year as it grossed over $1.1 billion (10th-highest in MCU history) and earned positive reviews.
While the movie ended with the shocking moment in which Peter Parker's identity is revealed, Far From Home is another self-contained story within the greater MCU narrative. Using Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame as a supporting plot point, the film's core focus was on Peter Parker's European vacation, which turned into a battle against Mysterio.
Looking past this film, Mysterio's closing move was only felt again in the opening scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home, with the core story not impacting anything pre- or post-Infinity Saga.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home's importance to the MCU as a whole cannot be understated. In 2021, it became a mega-hit behind Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire. It is one of the best-reviewed movies in MCU history and ranks as the highest-grossing solo superhero movie ever and the third-highest-grossing MCU film ($1.9 billion), only trailing Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
For all that No Way Home does in introducing fans to the concept of the Multiverse (bringing back five villains from past Spidey movies), its story is kept tightly within its runtime. Outside of a nod to Spider-Man in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and a look at the new Statue of Liberty in The Marvels, no other movies are impacted by what happens in this adventure.
More than anything, No Way Home is about Peter Parker completing his journey toward being Spider-Man, with that plot point being the threequel's main goal as he finds his true self. While all three Spider-Men will hopefully be back for later movies, this movie's impact on the MCU is not a big one yet.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is the MCU's third solo Ant-Man movie, starring Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Evangeline Lilly (Wasp), Kathryn Newton (Cassie Lang), and Jonathan Majors (Kang the Conqueror). Behind mixed reviews from critics, Phase 5's first movie finished its theatrical run with an underwhelming $476 million box office haul, the worst of the trilogy.
Originally, Ant-Man 3 was supposed to be pivotal to the Multiverse Saga and the greater MCU, due to Majors' Kang being lined up as the saga's ultimate big bad in the subsequent Avengers movies. However, Majors was arrested and eventually convicted of reckless assault and harassment, leading to his firing from Marvel Studios after Loki Season 2.
The MCU's future was changed dramatically following this, with Kang's role as the Multiverse Saga's big villain being taken over by Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. While this movie may have once been lined up as a major piece of the greater MCU, these changes had a huge impact, leaving Ant-Man 3 as an afterthought for some fans.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
