The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown exponentially since its inception in 2008 with the first Iron Man movie. Over the past 15 years, there has been an enormous amount of content created to expand this ever-changing superhero universe. With 30 movies and eight TV shows (not including the Netflix or ABC shows) part of the canon MCU timeline through four different phases, there is so much to be explored in this constantly evolving universe. Phase 5 is about to kick off with with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania on February 17th, the Marvel universe is only going to continue to grow.

Since there are so many characters, storylines, and timelines within the MCU, many fans feel compelled to re-watch the movies in order to remember important details and prepare for the next project to be released. Even though the Infinity Saga ended with Avengers: Endgame in 2019, there is still vital information in the movies from that era that is crucial to understanding the current Multiverse Saga we are in. Despite the original Avengers team no longer being the main focus of the MCU, new Avengers are taking over and other characters are being introduced. Sam Wilson has now taken over the Captain America mantle and will likely be leading the new Avengers, and new characters such as Ms. Marvel and Kate Bishop have been introduced, most likely to set up the Young Avengers. The world-building in the MCU never stops, so it doesn't hurt to re-watch some of the movies.

That begs the question; which movies should you watch when revisiting? Or, if you are just starting your Marvel journey, which movies can be skipped? Obviously, there are important movies that are absolute must-watches, such as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but there are a few movies that don't necessarily contribute much to the greater scheme of the MCU that can certainly be left out of your watch. Let's take a look at some MCU movies you can probably skip without missing important information.

Related: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Smashes Marvel's Disney+ Debut Record

8 The Incredible Hulk (2008)

The MCU's Hulk has gone through some interesting changes over the years. One of the most notable changes is that he was recast after his only solo movie. The Hulk was originally played by Edward Norton in The Incredible Hulk before Norton was replaced with Mark Ruffalo, who has played the character since 2012 in The Avengers.

Other than introducing the Hulk/Bruce Banner to audiences, the film has doesn't hold any significance to the overall MCU. Since the role went from Norton to Ruffalo, the character is basically reintroduced and reinvented four years later when Ruffalo took over. The only element of this movie that relates to any other part of the MCU is the character of Thaddeus Ross. Ross is a military officer who pursues Bruce Banner in this movie and later shows up in Captain America: Civil War, but has no involvement with the Hulk whatsoever. Plus, the Hulk character and persona changes after this entry as Ruffalo's iteration has him lean more toward a comedic persona.

7 Thor: The Dark World (2013)

The most important aspect of Thor: The Dark World is that it introduces the Reality Stone and its capabilities for the first time. The Reality Stone obviously becomes an integral player in Thanos' scheme later on in the MCU, but the stone is revealed again through exposition in other movies. Thor's mother Frigga is also killed, but her death is also shown again in later movies. The film also reunites Thor with Jane Foster, but the two go through an off-screen breakup between this movie and Avengers: Age of Ultron that makes their reunion almost pointless.

Thor battles the Dark Elves, a race of magical beings whose goal is to plunge the universe into darkness, but the battle or the Dark Elves are never brought up again in the MCU. Jane gets sucked into a wormhole she finds when investigating an anomaly similar to the one that brought Thor to Earth in the first place, but barely relates to anything else in the MCU, especially considering that Jane is not seen again in the MCU for another nine years.

6 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Spider-Man is such a beloved character to Marvel fans, no matter how many actors portray him on the big screen. Anyone who loves Spidey is probably going to watch any movie he is in. With that being said, Spider-Man: Homecoming isn't necessary to watch in order to understand the overall story the MCU is trying to convey.

Tom Holland's Peter Parker/Spider-Man is first introduced in Captain America: Civil War. From that introduction, it is established that he has already adopted his superhero alter ego. The foundation for the mentor relationship between Tony Stark and Peter was established as well and really just expanded on in Homecoming. Peter's character arc doesn't really get going until Spider-Man: Far From Home after going through the blip and losing his only father figure. That's where Peter really starts to grow into his superhero persona because he's lived and lost.

5 Ant-Man (2015)

While the first introduction for Scott Lang is in this movie, he was reintroduced a year later in Civil War. Ant-Man goes over some background information on Scott's life and his acquisition of the Ant-Man suit which makes for an entertaining movie. However, this is again recounted in Civil War.

The movie does introduce important elements such as the Quantum Realm, which has become useful to the larger MCU. Although, the importance of the Quantum Realm is detailed again in Ant-Man and the Wasp, so viewers have a firm understanding of it for later MCU movies.

Related: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania First Reactions Call it Marvel's Star Wars & the Best Since Avengers: Endgame

4 Captain Marvel (2019)

Captain Marvel is an entertaining MCU entry and introduces us to the undeniably cool Carol Danvers. It's also Marvel's first female-led film, which is also pretty cool. We also get to see Nick Fury before SHIELD became the huge organization it would later become, plus we find out how he got his eye patch. Nevertheless, the movie does not have a close relationship with the rest of the MCU movies.

Carol Danvers is introduced to us again in Endgame, where her unique powers are instrumental in fighting Thanos. While we do see the origin of how Carol received her powers through the Tesseract, her connection to the Tesseract doesn't correlate with any of the other films involving it. The most important aspect that this film establishes that directly relates to the overall MCU is the confirmation of Skrulls existing in the MCU and not just the comics.

3 Black Widow (2021)

Marvel fans had been begging for a solo Black Widow movie for years since her introduction in Iron Man 2, and it took Marvel Studios 11 years to finally release one. Unfortunately, the timing of the release of Black Widow led to the film being irrelevant to the rest of the MCU. The film takes place in between the events of Civil War and Infinity War, where Natasha and the rest of Team Cap are fugitives. Had this actually been released during the period of time between these two movies, it would have been everything fans had been wanting for over a decade.

Natasha's family is finally revealed and the events of the Red Room are explained in further detail than ever before. Natasha finally has to confront her past in a way she never has before. This all would have meant more, and the stakes would have meant more if audiences didn't already know the ultimate fate of the character. After Endgame, we all know that Natasha sacrifices herself in Vormir so that the rest of the Avengers can retrieve the Soul Stone. This causes the Black Widow movie to have no significance to the rest of the MCU. Although, we do get to meet her sister Yelena, who shows up later on in the Disney+ show Hawkeye.

2 Doctor Strange (2016)

When world-class neurosurgeon Stephen Strange loses practical use of his hands after getting into a horrific car accident, he relies on the help of a mysterious, magic-wielding group of people in the Karma-Taj to help heal him after western medicine fails him. Before long, he has learned to master the powerful magic and must decide whether he wants to go back to his life of success or defend the universe as a powerful sorcerer.

That's pretty much all a person needs to know about Doctor Strange in order to understand his character in the rest of the MCU. It is the first movie to feature the Time Stone, but again, that stone will show up in later movies. Strange's magic capabilities are explored further in Infinity War, and it could be argued that his character is more important in that movie than his own movie. It's his second film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that is integral to the larger MCU.

1 Iron Man 3 (2013)

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that the MCU would not be what it is today without Iron Man starting it all back in 2008. Marvel took a huge risk in making their first movie about one of their semi-popular comic book characters, and an even bigger risk by casting Robert Downey Jr. when he was still putting his life and career back together. The risks clearly paid off, and casting RDJ was the best decision the studio ever made as his portrayal of the character is now celebrated by critics and audiences alike.

Nonetheless, the third installment of Iron Man's solo series has little to do with the rest of the MCU. Iron Man 3 follows Tony as he tries to overcome his anxiety and PTSD from the Battle of New York in The Avengers. He briefly gains a kid protégé to mentor in the form of Harvey Keener in his quest to stop the Mandarin, who ends up not even being who or what Tony thought he was. By the end of the movie, he has destroyed every model of his suits in order to prove to Pepper that he was going to work toward healing himself. However, by the next two movies, all of this is undone. Tony's anxiety is never addressed again, he rebuilds his suits, and he gets a new kid to mentor with Peter Parker. There's just a lack of continuity with Iron Man 3 that doesn't pertain to anything else in the MCU, but it's still a fun watch regardless.