From the iconic battles of the Avengers to the cosmic adventures of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the MCU has provided a wealth of entertainment. However, not every entry in this expansive franchise is essential viewing. In this list, we’ll look at the ten most pointless filler MCU movies and TV shows that you can completely skip if you wish.
Not Every Marvel Film Is Good
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gifted fans some of the most memorable blockbusters of the 21st century. With intricate storylines weaving together over 30 films to create a shared world of awe-inspiring superheroes, Marvel Studios has redefined cinematic storytelling on an epic scale.
However, even within this expansive universe, some films and shows serve more as obligatory connective tissue than standout titles in their own right. While vital in establishing characters and laying the groundwork for moments of true grandeur, specific Marvel outings feel fleeting and forgettable, showcasing stylish action but lacking in substance or propelling the overarching narrative forward meaningfully.
On this list, we’ll examine some of the MCU’s most lacking entries – the movies and shows that, while enjoyable enough in the moment, fade fast from memory and leave a limited lasting impact on the worlds they aspire to enrich. In other words, these are the MCU movies you can skip on your next binging session.
1. Thor: The Dark World
Easily one of the weakest entries in the MCU as a whole, Thor: The Dark World is also one of the most forgettable movies you can watch. The God of Thunder’s saga took a while to find its footing in the MCU, and we could argue that only Ragnarok managed to do Thor some justice in the franchise.
Dark World serves virtually no purpose within the MCU’s larger narrative. The few times it’s referenced, the filmmakers make sure to fill audiences in, in case they haven’t watched the film, as they did in Endgame. In short, this is one Thor film you can – and should – most definitely skip. Heck, you can skip Thor: Love and Thunder, too.
2. Ant-Man
Poor Hawkeye got a supporting role in his own Disney+ show while, somehow, Ant-Man got an entire trilogy. The first Ant-Man isn’t just pointless – it’s also extraordinarily tedious. The same applies to every other Ant-Man flick in the MCU, which ranks the most unfavourably among fans.
Whether it’s the unremarkable Ant-Man and the Wasp or the downright terrible Quantumania, there’s simply no reason to watch these films – unless you’re a die-hard Ant-Man fan. You could probably skip all the Ant-Man MCU movies.
3. Captain Marvel
Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel always found itself in an uncomfortable position within the MCU. The character should have been Marvel’s version of Superman, but she was relegated to the sidelines for fear of becoming too much of a Deus ex-machina in Avengers: Endgame.
Captain Marvel feels like a movie that was made out of obligation. Introducing her as the first “formal” avenger goes against the idea of Captain America holding that role decades prior. To make things worse, the movie itself doesn’t introduce any new concepts or characters to the MCU as a whole – we’re still waiting for the Skrull to actually play a part in the overarching narrative.
4. Iron Man 3
The final entry in the Iron Man trilogy is rather weird. Not only did we not get to see the real Mandarin – but the movie speedruns through the whole Extremis saga like there’s no tomorrow.
Iron Man 3 introduces a character that seems like it will play a larger role in Tony Stark’s life – heck, Harley Keener even attends Tony’s funeral in Endgame. None of what happens in this film seems connected to the rest of the MCU – even the apparent destruction of every Iron Man armour seems to be done purely for dramatic effect, as Tony comes up with some more armour by the time Civil War came around.
5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
As much as I love the entire Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, they always felt like they were doing things their way outside of the confines of the larger MCU. While this leads to some interesting character developments, it also means that you can skip most of these if you’re going for an Inifity Saga binge-watch.
The only piece of meaningful info introduced in Vol. 2 is that Quill isn’t entirely human – but that’s something that could have been easily explained in a single line of dialogue in any of the Avengers movies. As part of the Guardians saga, Vol. 2 is a must-watch – as part of the MCU, not so much.
6. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
The latest Phase in the MCU is all about the Multiverse, a concept that was first toyed with in No Way Home. Multiverse of Madness was supposed to be an event that could rival with Spider-Verse‘s handling of the Marvel Multiverse, but the result left a lot to be desired.
Not only did this interpretation of the Multiverse feel shallow and without a grandiose scale, but the film itself did little to reflect how the knowledge of the Multiverse could affect most Marvel characters. Even Scarlet Witch’s apparent demise was handled hastily and without the proper development that fans of WandaVision were waiting for.
7. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
As entertaining as it was, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier serves as a way to address a question that already had an answer: who’s going to be the next Captain America?
At the end of Endgame, it’s clear that Steve wants Sam Wilson to be his successor. The matter of “who’s gonna be the next Captain” was already resolved – there was no need to have an entire miniseries only to reveal the new Captain America suit.
8. Black Widow
If you ask me, every Avenger deserves a solo film. The thing with Black Widow is that the movie was released at the worst time possible. By the time of Black Widow‘s release, Natasha Romanoff was already dead and gone in the MCU, leaving this meaningless prequel as a rather strange device to introduce the new Black Widow. It’s disappointing to see that a character like Natasha didn’t get the solo outing she deserved. This is one of those MCU movies you can safely skip on your next binge.
9. Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man’s complicated history with copyrights meant that it was a good while before we could see Spidey introduced in the larger MCU. His reveal in Civil War could have been everything fans needed to know most of what to expect from this version of Peter Parker, leaving Homecoming as an entertaining but ultimately disjointed MCU venture.
If you’re a die-hard Spidey fan, Homecoming is a must-watch. However, considering most of the plot elements of this film get left by the wayside in the next two films, you could easily just watch Civil War and then jump straight ahead into No Way Home to get the complete MCU Spider-Man movie experience.
10. She-Hulk (And Other MCU Miniseries)
While the Disney+ shows have been a great way to introduce characters from the pages of Marvel comics into the MCU without messing with the franchise’s overarching plot, this tactic has left some characters feeling entirely out of place within the MCU.
A clear example of this is She-Hulk, a show that received a lot of flak from fans for the way it handled its titular character and anyone even remotely related to her. Other examples—although less severe—include Moon Knight and Werewolf By Night, stories that feature some lesser-known Marvel characters but are virtually disconnected from what we know as the MCU.
While some fans might see these shows as an easy way for Disney to capitalize on all the Marvel characters they own, the truth is that these series are also great for fans of some rather obscure characters who finally got to see them in live-action. However, if what you’re looking for is a way to watch the “mainline” MCU, it’s safe to say you can skip most of the Disney+ movie and TV stuff.
