The Marvel Cinematic Universe better than ever, and its produces have patiently and carefully written these movies so that their characters, events, and tones all mesh well to create a single, larger entity, hence the term, universe. Few of the MCU's movies are truly standalone features as most of them tie into one or more other MCU movies somehow.
Because of this, the MCU is a bit of a double-edged sword. Its movies greatly enrich one another, but then again, most of these movies are tricky to watch all on their own, unlike most other superhero movies. Even some of the MCU's "origin story" movies are closely connected to other titles, so they aren't beginner-friendly.
10 Captain America: Civil War Is Avengers 2.5
The first two Captain America movies work fairly well as standalone films, especially the original Captain America in Phase One. The follow-up, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, still works somewhat well as a standalone, and new fans can more or less fill in the blanks themselves. But not with the third movie.
Captain America: Civil War is a great movie, partly because of its personal drama and partly because it brings most of the Avengers together, minus Thor and the Hulk. But all this would be seriously overwhelming if the movie was treated as a standalone, whether by MCU standards or otherwise.
9 The Avengers: Age Of Ultron Doesn't Slow Down For Newcomers
The second Avengers movie focuses on the robotic Ultron as the main villain, and Ultron represents both the very best and the very worst of Stark Industries and Tony Stark's creative mind. And while the first Avengers in 2012 took time to set up all its characters, Age of Ultron hits the ground running.
This movie presumes that viewers are fully caught up on everything, and it won't slow down to explain who is who or what is what, which sets it apart from the first Avengers movie. It's a cool movie, but alone, it's just an incomprehensible action movie.
8 Iron Man 3's Emotional Impact Depends On Previous Movies
The first Iron Man pretty much was a standalone movie, since it practically launched the MCU all on its own. Then there was Iron Man 2, which was still fairly easy to watch as a standalone movie, but Iron Man 3 isn't like that. By this point, context is essential.
This movie relies on more than high-tech action to impress viewers. Iron Man 3 is also based on Tony Stark's PTSD after the battle for NYC in The Avengers, and this movie also pushed Tony and Pepper Potts' relationship to the next level. Alone, all this drama falls flat and has too little buildup.
7 Thor: Ragnarok's Emotional Impact Also Calls For Context
In some ways, Thor: Ragnarok really does stand on its own, since its villains, such as the vicious Hela and the giant Surtur, didn't have any buildup before this movie. That works in Ragnarok's favor as a potential standalone movie, but there's more to it than that.
This movie focuses on the emotional drama and trials of the mighty Thor himself, including the death of his father Odin and his evolving relationship with Loki. All that is heavily dependent on previous MCU features for context and impact, and Thor: Ragnarok ends up feeling hollow otherwise.
6 Avengers: Infinity War Was A Decade In The Making
Avengers: Infinity War is, at its heart, a comic book action movie, but on a scale never before seen in cinema. This movie didn't just throw in a few guest stars to add variety. Instead, Infinity War was the culmination of a decade of moviemaking, and it was no small feat to pull off.
Infinity War was an ensemble movie of great proportions, far more than the two Avengers movies before it. Even for MCU vets, it was tough to keep up with the many plots and characters, and alone, this movie would be ludicrously difficult to follow as a standalone movie.
5 Avengers: Endgame Is Infinity War 2.0
Avengers: Endgame ranks among the most successful and anticipated movies of all time, and, fortunately for ticket sales, it came out just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down theaters. In many regards, Endgame is like Infinity War, and that means it would struggle as a standalone movie.
Just like its predecessor, Endgame requires a vast amount of context to work, and it's the culmination of many movies patiently building up to this climax. Not only that, but the emotional impact of its final scenes, such as Tony Stark's funeral, is very weak if this movie is watched in a vacuum.
4 Spider-Man: Homecoming Builds Off Of Two Other Movies
Unlike the massive Avengers movies, the first solo Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, works relatively well on its own. Still, this movie is much more enjoyable with some context, and alone, it doesn't quite work. It gets close, though.
Homecoming expects fans to already be familiar with the relationship between Peter Parker and Tony Stark, and it also expects fans to have the context of the NYC battle. The movie won't slow down to explain this very much if the movie is treated as a standalone.
3 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 Is A Sequel
The first Guardians of the Galaxy actually works quite well as a standalone, since its characters and plot are barely even connected to the rest of the MCU. Later, these characters would tie into Infinity War and Endgame.
Then there's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is nothing less than a sequel to the original. This movie also has minimal ties to other MCU features, but it does build directly off the first movie, so, like many movie sequels, it's awkward to watch in a vacuum.
2 Spider-Man: Far From Home Is Also A Direct Sequel
Just like the first MCU Spider-Man title, the zany action-adventure title Spider-Man: Far From Home experts its viewers to know exactly who is who and what is what, and rarely will it slow down to explain things to new fans. If this movie is watched alone, viewers will feel like Far From Home has far too many plot holes in it.
This movie builds off of the first Spider-Man and other recent MCU titles, and fans are expected to know that Tony Stark is already dead, and that provides vital context for why Spider-Man acts and thinks the way he does. Spider-Man's big European adventure is just one piece of a larger puzzle.
1 Spider-Man: No Way Home Also Demands Some Context
Like the other two, the third MCU Spider-Man movie demands some serious context to work, and it will leave new fans baffled. This movie builds off of the other two, as a sequel to a sequel, and that alone means it doesn't work well as a standalone feature.
On top of that, Far From Home includes Doctor Stephen Strange and villains from the previous non-MCU versions of Spider-Man, and fans are expected to know who they are and what they can do from the moment Far From Home begins. So, this movie only works within the larger framework of the MCU and beyond, and not on its own.