Best way to binge the Marvel movies: Release date or chronological order?

Not at all.

This feels like a question for Reddit OP

Release date is essentially chronological order, with a few exceptions.

As a huge MCU fan who has watched these movies dozens of time, it really is the best way to go.

I watched (most of) them in chronological order but I still got mixed up.

R1 I was you for many years. Covid has clearly changed my standards.

I liked Wandavision because it has an interesting psychological component to it. Are the movies similar or are they all action?

R6 we liked WandaVision for the same reason, it reminded us of when Doctor Who was good. So I'd be interested to know that as well.

If you haven't seen them, both the Watchmen series on HBO and The Boys on Prime are great superhero tv.

R3 is right. In any case, the good thing is that almost every movie is independent on its own so you can enjoy them anyway as a stand-alone movie so you can "flip-flop" lol. But it's better to keep the chronological order at least in the same bulk (thor's, avenger's, iron man's...) so maybe if watching them all at once it's too much for u, you can start with the ones you like first, as long as you dont see the after credit scenes you won't have so many spoilers (there are some of course).

I'd watch them in release order, but I wouldn't expect anything too psychologically compelling. They're mostly fun actioners with impeccable casting. And while some are definitely better than others, none are as intellectually insulting as Michael Bay films.

OP has it really come to this? There are other options.

I'm presuming you're watching on Disney+ so I'd watch in timeline order if you can. It starts with Captain America:First Avenger, then Captain Marvel, etc. If you scroll down a bit, watching in timeline order is an option. The Hulk (w/Edward Norton) and the Tom Holland Spiderman movies aren't available on Disney+. We watched then all in order back in December, though I'd seen most of them.

There are themes in there to think about. A lot of father/son conflict. Patriot Act. Some are definitely better than others but the worst are still pretty good. Ignore the naysayers. Enjoy.

[Quote]Do we have to watch the Hulk movies

No. You can easily skip the Hulk movie. I'm sure most people who watched the Avengers movies haven't seen that one.

How long did it take to watch all of them R12?

R6 they have a bit of both but the best one would be Ang Lee's Hulk that is previous to MCU, the psychological component was bigger than the action and Eric Bana is a big plus.

Before or after you also need to see the Spiderman Sam Raimi's trilogy

Love all the advice/opinions! I think we will do the first Captain America tonight and see where we want to go from there.

So we should stay away from the credits?? I love watching spoilers, but hate being spoiled, if that makes sense.

As a gay person, the only one you should be watching (albeit guiltily) for anything more than eye-candy and fantasising is the pre-MCU classic X-MEN 2.

The allegory is on-the-nose, but nonetheless a very important and strident defence of our rights. It’s a stunning example of a stylish and entertaining action/thriller movie that also takes down systemic homophobia in practise. Also, the score and cinematography are as yet unparalleled in the genre, and as a bonus the film and its prequel/sequel are not yet owned by those fascist bastards at Disney. (But please, for your own sake don’t watch X3 after, you’ll want to die).

None of the MCU movies speak to our gay needs in that way. However, if all you want to do is slaver over hotties in spandex, then just watch the first FANTASTIC FOUR, the first CAPTAIN AMERICA, and maybe one of the earlier AVENGERS movies. I agree with R16 that the Raimi Spider-man films are more of a must-watch, and frankly more fun and feelgood than the boring sterile and often bleak films of the MCU.

R17 If you follow the chronological order you need to watch them, only if case you decide to "flip-flop" lol you might have to be cautious

It was an enjoyable binge re-watching them in chronological order. The connections were easier to catch as I wasn't watching them years apart as they were originally released.

Fantastic Four is just guilty pleasure, very bad but fun plus evans when he was a twunk. R16 is right, x-men 2 is also very good (but I would see the whole trylogy).

And please avoid the Daredevil movies at any cost haha

OP, you should absolutely watch the scenes during the credits. They don't spoil anything. They set up future films in the series.

If you watch the X-Men, Raimi's Spider-Men, Hulk, or Fantastic Four, don't expect them to have anything to do with WandaVision or the MCU.

I saw the first IRON MAN and that was enough for me, so no thank you. I've had sufficient.

and DEADPOOL 1 and 2, a total must , but also not related to MCU

R24 = Martin Scorsese

The Bryan Singer X-Men movies were my favorite, especially the gay third one.

R27 the Fox X-MENs are SO GAY.

From McKellen’s cape-swishing Magneto, to Wolverine’s visible nips, to Colossus wandering around in tight workout pants, to Mystique being fabulous, to Iceman & Pyro eyefucking each other in every scene.

For something with a tad more psychological depth you might consider Jessica Jones. The first season is very good IMHO, even though at times it feels like a bit of a slog because of the grim tone. The second season is okay, the third season is skippable.

Oh and the first season has David Tennant as a truly creepy antagonist, more memorable than almost all the MCU antagonists.

It’s easier to read the summaries for each movie rather than watch them. Most of the run time for each movie is used for useless battle sequences that are unnecessary since they don’t move the story forward.

Punched out of watching AVENGERS when they killed off hot Pietro in AGE OF ULTRON.

I thought Hawkeye would have made a perfect Daddy/boyfriend for Quicksilver, and my shipper heart was broke when the movie trashed the opportunity. The actors who play(ed) them seem gay to me, so I doubt they would have minded.

Casual reminder also that there are no gay Avengers, because the MCU hate us. At least the X-Men have had openly gay characters all along.

Eating nachos and watching Captain America...so far so good.

Never seen the XMen. It also seems like a lot to watch.

If you watch the X-Men films, here's my suggested order:

X-Men: First Class (2011)

X-Men (2000)

X2 (2003)

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

The Wolverine (2013)

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

The rest don't really matter.

Here’s another vote for watching the movies in release order. For me, the only highlights in Captain Marvel had to do with things that would only make sense if you had some knowledge of some of the other movies.

Also, you can safely skip the Hulk.

If you want a good through-line for the movies that are part of the canon marvel Comics Universe for film, and if you just want to see good movies, i would watch:

*The first Iron Man movie (I didn't like 2 or 3, and they're not that necessary to see to know what's going on in the Avengers movies)

*All three Captain America films (so far the highlight of the Universe--all three films are phenomenal, and the third one is really an Avengers movie)

*The four Avengers movies (the core of the universe--although they are all too long and have too many endless battle sequences)

*The two Ant-Man movies (the first in particular is the most underrated gem of the MCU films)

*The 2 spider-Man movies with Tom Holland (both very well done, and both the only Spider-Man movies connected to the rest of the MCU series)

I would skip all the Hulk films, and also Iron Man 2 and 3, unless you just love RDJ to pieces (I do not). Dr. Strange and the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies tie-in very closely to the Avengers movies, but I was not a fan of any of them.

Of the films that are not considered fully part of the MCU continuity but still feature Marvel superheroes, i would say to watch:

*Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, both with Tobey Maguire (the second of these is particulatry excellent)

*X-Men and X2, its sequel--and X-Men: Days of Future Past is okay

*The Wolverine (set in Japan) and Logan (very sad and melancholy, but in a good way)

In this non-MCU continuity, I would then definitely skip:

*All three Fantastic Four movies (just awful)

*Spider-Man 3 and the two Amazing Spider-Man films with Andrew Garfield (none of these are part of the MCU continuity)

*Daredevil with Ben Affleck (just awful--maybe the woirst of all the Marvel movies with the three fantastic Four movies in a possible 4-way tie with it)

*All X-men movies except the first and second (the last few have been terrible)

*Deadpool and Deadpool 2 (only funny if you're a teenage boy)

*Wolverine (although Liev Schreiber is incredibly sexy in it)

*Venom (disgusting, and only so-disgusting-its-fun if you're a teenage boy)

Sorry for all the typos!

Tony Stark's dad was fun to watch. We are now arguing if Agent Carter is Tony Stark's mom. And is Captain America a virgin forever, is his purity a thing?

I googled Jessica Jones, it looks promising. We are going to take a break from exploding movies tonight so that might be just the ticket.

Love your review R35 but Spiderman 3 it's like return of the Jedi, compared to the first two it's not a big deal but it has its charm.

Deadpool 1&2 are a masterpiece in their own Tarantino style.

R12 - I don't remember exactly how long it took to watch them but we weren't pushing it. Probably two weeks. As for X-Men, they will part of the MCU soon, so you'll be able to get your gay on. A couple of the Fox X-men are excellent. The others range from meh to bad. Don't listen to the posters saying these are just endless action scenes. They're not. If you never read comics, then go in with an open mind. R35 breaks down the best MCU movies pretty well, IMO. A special shoutout to Captain America: Winter Soldier. It's very much like a 70s spy thriller where you don't know who to trust. That Redford is in it makes it all the better.

Oh, and in Avengers:Endgame, they talk about Captain America's ass. "That IS America's ass."

I hope Bucky got to feast on that ass at least once.

We watched Thor last night and, oh yes, that is now my favorite. Shirtless Thor, and the battle scenes weren't overly long.

Did they rip off the White Walkers from GOT, or was it the other way around?

Still watching, OP?

R35 does a good breakdown. I really enjoyed Civil War. I think it was one of the best efforts in the franchise. I am not a super fan or anything. But I did talk my super-intelligent brother into going to the theater for that one and I so glad it didn't end up being Age of Ultron II.

Yup, R42, still watching. We are in Phase 2, we have been watching in release order more or less.

Last night was the second Thor movie and the battle scenes were tedious and Thor was not shirtless enough. :-( But Natalie's hair looked good I thought.

All in all, lots of fun and I love how evil Loki is. I'm assuming he hangs around for awhile?

Hulk sucks. Third Thor movie is the one worth watching-funny and shows the cool Thor and Loki is deliciously naughty Anything Iron Man is worth it Guardians of the Galaxy really good Doctor Strange is good Yawn captain America or the stupid square faced chick Bree Larson captain Marvel yawnfest

Stop talking to yourself. This is DL not a comic forum. Nobody gives a fuck about this imbicle obsession here

As usual, you could never read a room or an audience

Still the same. Never grew up

Oh yes, R44, Loki is very popular. I believe some liked him more than Thor back then. Maybe still.

I remember almost nothing about the Thor sequel. I found all three of those movies fun enough but forgettable, despite some cool design and visuals. I guess the third one deserves some credit for being a little different, though a lot of the humor didn't work for me.

Just me who really liked the 2008 Ed Norton HULK, and prefers it to most othe Marvel movies?

Yes, Edward is a pretentious shitlord and we don’t like him, but he did give a lot to the role, and clearly invested emotion and time into making it work. The peril is genuinely frightening, the characters sympathetic and three-dimensional, and the plot isn’t outlandish taking aside the hundred-foot shapeshifting superbeasts (not relying on divine asspulls or time travel or space hijinx....)

YMMV but I find Norton’s version of Banner deeper and more nuanced than Ruffalo’s (ok, yeah, Norton did get his own movie to develop Bruce, but that’s all he got), and the arc of the film itself moves me in a way that no other superhero film besides X-MEN 2 ever has. Norton’s Bruce Banner carries so much pain that is palpable, and feels real.

Also, Tim Roth was superb, a touch of class and substance in what is usually a genre full of fluff and airheads who can’t even basically act. Even Liv Tyler, who is usually bland and only there to look pretty and say lines in AMSR, is appealing and believable as a stoical Betty.

Norton says that in 2009 he helped write two sequels, that had a serious and subtle scale with a Nolan-esque approach to Bruce’s story, but Marvel rejected them, then to add insult to injury officially cut him from the MCU altogether in 2011.

Too bad about Norton's Hulk. I am not hating Ruffalo in the role, and am intrigued enough so that I may go back and watch those later.

I watched the Hulk tv series when I was a kid, and I *loved* the sad dramatic music they played at the end when Banner had to leave town each week. I just found out it is called "Lonely Man Theme"! Enjoy lol.

Geez, R48, you're making me think I should rewatch Hulk. I'm sure I saw it when it came out but I don't remember it too well.

I rewatched Norton's Hulk.

Someone tell R48 I'm not speaking to him.

Captain Marvel is a terrible film. My husband fell asleep and I started putting dishes away we got so bored with it.

ANTMAN!

Loved it.