Should I watch one of these Marvel Series? I watched every MCU film but I skipped some Disney+ series because I wasn't interested in all superheroes. These are the series that I skipped:
-Ms. Marvel -Secret Invasion -Echo -Agatha all Along -Iron Heart -What if...? S3. I liked the first season so I decided to watch the second one, but I didn't like a lot. I also watched Marvel Zombies that I think It was a bit waste of time. -Werewolf by night (especial) -The guardians of the galaxy christmas especial -I am Groot shorts.
I also left some series that were produced before Marvel Television: -Jessica Jones S2 and S3 -Luke Cage S2 -Iron Fist S2 -The Punisher S2 -Legion -Gifted
PD: I am not interested in Agents of Shield, Inhumans, etc.
I'd say the only series that should be watched because they are so important to the lore before Doomsday would be WandaVision and Loki seasons 1 and 2
The rest like Moon Knight, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel etc. are kind of happening in their own little corner of the universe with not much importance to the overarching wider world. You can watch them because some of them are really good but don't count them as homework
Another great answer
Ms. Marvel leads into The Marvels, but agree with the rest.
There is a theory in moon knight that that castle in the first episode is Latveria and there’s also a box in the same area that says Von Doom but that shows probably not that important
If you watch WV you should watch Agatha as well
WandaVision? Huh?
Afaik Wanda, nor Vision, nor their kids, nor Agatha, nor the darkhold or anything else like sword from the series is confirmed for doomsday. While definitely possible something shows up Wanda absolutely showing up source dude trust me, sounds more like the pipe dreams of mephisto totally definitely being in WandaVision.
Possible? Sure. Likely enough we go around telling people they have to watch it because it’s “required” when it definitely won’t be a major part of the movie if it is there? Come on that’s a bit ridiculous
There's no evidence yet that the Loki show is related to Doomsday though right?
In fact, given how massively overpowered show-Loki is, it's very unlikely that they're using him.
Further, why would show-Loki take orders from Sam? Sam is so irrelevantly weak compared to show-Loki that there's absolutely no reason for him to engage with Sam at all.
Pretty certain Hiddleston was announced for Doomsday. I guess it could be another variant but what are the odds
Yes, he was.
But that's my argument, he almost has to be another variant. He has no reason to follow normal human Sam, he's so far below logins level they aren't even in the same universe.
I feel like you're confused. Just because somebody is in the movie does not mean they are taking orders as an Avenger. Hell, even if they're both on a team called The Avengers it does not mean that they're on the same team right now. Loki is holding the multiverse together and Doomsday/Secret Wars are the culmination of the Multiverse Saga. Of course that Loki is going to be in it.
You do know there are non avengers in avengers movies? People can have their own goals and not be the villains.
If you’re treating watching television like doing homework I’d just not even bother. Everything ties into something to some degree but nothing is required unless you think it is.
Agatha All Along was good. You should watch it if you have the time.
Ms. Marvel would've told you who Kamala Khan is before The Marvels. Everything else in your list doesn't affect movies much.
While the Kree-Skrull "peace negotiation" was teased at the end of Secret Invasion, watching the series is not necessary enough to understand it in The Marvels.
Same with the mid-credit scene of Echo teasing Kingpin's plan to become the Mayor of New York. The main thing, Echo does for the greater continuity is Kingpin's actions and recovery from being shot by Maya Lopez at the end of Hawkeye.
Agatha All Along is great series, and continues things from WandaVision, with some small things teased to happen in VisionQuest as well. VisionQuest itself is hinted to tease at Vision's potential appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars. Besides, I don't think Marvel is just gonna abandon Billy and Tommy Maximoff either after VisionQuest is released.
Tommy being in VisionQuest is why I think the Young Avengers/Champions team story is still a possibility. If they knew they didn't want to go forward with it, why introduce another Young Avenger into the world? They keep setting them up, why bother if they won't actually be a team, you know?
Problem is, by the time they get around to doing it, they won't be all that young. :)
Their actors maybe, not most of the characters they portray though.
If the threshold any of these have to meet in order for the to be worth watching is having an impact on future projects then Agatha is probably the most important. It’s likely to be required for the VisionQuest show and possibly/likely for any future Young Avengers type projects. Mrs. Marvel is important for understand The Marvels the movie but you’ve already seen that without the context.
Watch Agatha all along , I really liked it , the other ones felt really boring and pointless to me
Here are my 2c:
Loki is absolutely key to the ongoing MCU narrative. It's the best D+ show and a must watch. A+ effort here. Falcon & Winter Soldier was good not great, dragged at times, but pretty relevant to the MCU.
WandaVision is a step below Loki for relevance. It's good, a solid B+, and you do really need to watch it to understand Wanda's heel turn in the 2nd Dr. Strange movie.
Moon Knight was good, but didn't tie into anything and hasn't been mentioned since. Same for Hawkeye. I liked it, but totally not necessary.
Watched Agatha All Along but realized I was definitely not the key target market as a middle aged male! It's a wonky, dark riff on Wizard of Oz.
Started Ms. Marvel, got 1-2 episodes in never finished it. Never even started Iron Heart. Echo was okay, but totally skippable, and honestly boring.
Marvel Zombies was ... weird. Didn't care for it. Which is a bummer because I had high hopes for it. Similar thoughts for What If.
Secret Invasion was by far the biggest disappointment. Man that was just terrible from the get-go. What a waste of a Sam Jackson solo movie/series.
WBN and GOTG Xmas Special are both great little one-shots. They're fun, but don't really matter much in the grand scheme of the MCU.
"Horses for courses", I'm a middle aged hetero male and I loved Agatha All Along so mileage may vary.
I'd argue Hawkeye has some tie-ins e.g. backstory for Kate Bishop, Yelena. Nothing crucial though but I'm biased, loved the series
Ms marvel and she hulk was amazing to me as the exact target audience
Dardevil Born Again ?
season four of the netflix daredivil show
I Completely agree with you , op didn't mention loki, wandavision, etc in the list so I am guessing that its already watched
+1 This is the answer you're looking for OP
"Watched Agatha All Along but realized I was definitely not the key target market as a middle aged male! It's a wonky, dark riff on Wizard of Oz." Wasn't for this middle aged female either. It was just bad.
Yeah, it was pretty bad!
Agatha all along is incredibly good, and I'm a middle aged black man.
I see the other series you mentioned as separate so no comment on those.
Loki
Ms. Marvel and Agatha All Along are the only ones I’d watch from this list. Echo was a good follow up to Hawkeye, but I don’t think it’s needed overall unless Echo shows back up (I hope she does, but Marvel has slept on Kate Bishop for years so I doubt Echo is at the top of their list either).
Honestly, just Loki also works. It's the best one and the most relevant one.
I'd recommend watching Falcon & The Winter Soldier for Thunderbolts*. The movies should fill you in on the rest
Agents of Shield is great, you're missing out on some of the most well-developed characters in the MCU and several great seasons of interesting serial-arcs. IIRC the back half of season 1 is an amazing tie-in to Winter Soldier (and the first half was fun too as I was just getting into the MCU after being blown away by Avengers), there's a great Ghost Rider story in there somewhere, and some of the "pods" (shorter serial-arcs) like Agents of HYDRA or the future-space tie-in with Infinity War around season 4/5 were amazing for being a somewhat neglected side-show.
Inhumans is easily the worst single thing they made, with Secret Invasion being the second worst.
Loki is superb TV outside of being a MCU story, and Hawkeye is a nice little family Christmas romp.
Wandavision and Agatha All Along both have a few standout episodes but I didn't love all of it.
The true crown of Marvel television goes to Daredevil, especially seasons 1 and 3, and Jessica Jones season 1 is also a killer watch. First half of Luke Cage season 1 I remember as great too, but for different reasons the rest of those Defenders bits lose me.
yep, agents of shield is my fave
It’s not relevant/important to the MCU, but you should absolutely watch Legion.
I’d say Iron Heart might be the most important to watch for what it sets up. Ms. Marvel, Echo, and GOTG Christmas are all good watches too
What's it set up? I never watched it.
Nothing, so far, though given the fact that it officially introduces a major character on the side of mystic marvel, it will probably be important for the future.
Also, of course, Ironheart will probably be included in whatever future Young Avengers or Champions project emerges.
You're right.
Since they very specifically & publicly said they're planning to do 2 live-action shows a year going forward, there's a decent chance the Champions/Young Avengers project (which are the same project; they're going to combine the two groups) comes out in late 2027, or maybe early 2028.
Ironheart performed decently well & got people intrigued in its villain, and Vision Quest should finish setting the stage for the crossover.
And since Hailee Steinfeld is already a few months into her pregnancy, she'll likely be able to film again by the end of this year.
Young Avengers was cancelled when The Marvels bombed. That made the trades a year ago.
Champions was considered as a project last year, but it's likely dead.
What! It is probably one of the least important ones
I’m guessing what they’re referring to is a character that shows up…who might be a big character moving forward, but might also never be seen again.
Wandavision was nice to understand her in Multiverse of magic. I guess Loki kinda goes with Antman Quanto mania. I also watched she hulked AND LIKED IT. I guess Moon knight was good too. Falcon and the winter soldier is kinda nice for thunderbolts. Idk I haven't watched all either
After all of the series of 2021, which I loved, most things seemed superfluous except Loki season 2, and Agatha. Those were the high points for me.
for the love of god, do not watch secret invasion. complete pointless garbage.
You should watch whatever seems interesting to you.
Based on what we know in Doomsday, I personally don’t think you are missing anything. If you’ve seen The Marvels, and don’t feel you missed anything, then you can safely skip everything you listed.
Werewolf by night won’t factor in either but it is a damn good special…find the colorized version on D+ rather than the black and white one.
Based on what we know from Brand New Day, the only thing that “might” matter is She-Hulk but not for She-Hulk ironically.
And what we know for DDBA season 2, you might want to finish Jessica Jones so you have all her lore.
Other than that, I think that’s it for now.
WandaVision, Loki and Ms. Marvel are the only ones whose events were relvant to a movie so far, but I'd say Ms. Marvel is optional, The Marvel kinda works as an introduction to her
Ms. Marvel is the only one I'd say is truly important from what we know. Maybe Echo if you're watching Daredevil: Born Again. And I'm not sure how important Agatha's going to be, but it's actually really good, so I do recommend watching it.
Ms Marvel gives a nice introduction to the character for The Marvels film
The Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas special isn't relevant for the 3rd film but is a nice thing to watch before watching the film
The shows produced before Marvel Television are relevant for Daredevil Born Again if you plan on watching that
In terms of shows that are relevant for the upcoming Avenger movies. The only one of importance is Loki Season 1 and 2
The other shows are not important to watch
You probably should watch WandaVision before Agatha, but other than that I think you can watch whatever show you'd like on whatever order you want. If the basic premise interests you, watch it
Ms. marvel was a lot of fun and relevant if you want to actually enjoy The Marvels (at all) and the post credits sting introduced the idea of Mutants into the MCU which was neat
Loki was cool and obviously has the most ties to the overall canon, though I think the Majors situation and that we're basically just skipping Kang altogether makes it less relevant now
Ironheart was the biggest disappointment for me because I wanted to like it and it's just a big dud with a nothing ending (same for secret invasion, which is worse)
I really liked Falcon and Winter soldier. It's better than the latest Captain America movie by far and has those Winter Soldier vibes that I like
Hawkeye was equally a good time. Not super relevant to the wider canon, but introduces Kingpin back into the universe and Kate/Yelena is the ship I will go down with
The GOG Xmas special is fantastic if you like those movies, just fun and silly and sweet and introduces the idea of Peter and Mantis being siblings
Agatha all along is definitely a companion to Wandavision and you can't really enjoy one without the other, but I loved it. I'm also just into queer and witchy stuff so right up my alley
Echo is a followup to Hawkeye and it's also the one I didn't finish bc my mom and I were watching it together and she died before we could finish (rip to my best friend)
I didn't watch any of the animated ones. Just not my thing
Also Moon Knight!! Amazing. Doesn't fit anywhere. Isn't relevant at all. One of the best miniseries and depictions of DID I've ever seen in my life
Okay. So Ms. Marvel is nice. Secret Invasion is awful. Echo is fine, some background lore but not that important overall. Agatha All Along is the GOAT. Ironheart wasn't that exciting imo. WI3 is skippable too I guess.
The specials are awesome, just as the Defenders Saga.
I don't know much about the X-Men series though.
I know you said you're not interested in the Marvel Heroes projects, but if you do find the time at some point I definitely recommend watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter. Inhumans is trash though.
If you're not going to watch everything - of the ones you mentioned, at least watch Echo and Agatha. Echo ties into Hawkeye and Daredevil: Born Again. Agatha is the sequel to Wandavision and the third series in the trilogy will come this year. You don't need to watch the Netflix Defenders shows, but it'd make season 2 of Born Again more fulfilling if you do.
The guardians special is hilarious and I love it with just a few pieces of lore you might need but it's not essential.
None of the animated stuff is all that essential, but it's fun.
Watch them all
I'll try to give the most clear answer to this I can because it really is hard to watch everything and not all of it is technically "essential" to understand the wider MCU. This is coming from a longtime fan who has seen everything
Shows that actually tie into movies:
- WandaVision -> Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier -> Captain America: Brave New World
- Loki -> Avengers: Doomsday
- Hawkeye (follows the events of Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow)
- Ms. Marvel -> The Marvels
- Agatha All Along (follows the events of WandaVision + Multiverse of Madness and will tie into Vision Quest later this year)
Shows that are standalone and not "essential viewing" for the wider MCU. Some of these are still great and worth checking out.
- Moon Knight
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
- Ironheart (she's in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever but the show doesn't really tie into that movie)
- What if?...
- Echo
- Marvel Zombies
- Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
- Eyes of Wakanda
- Secret Invasion
Regarding the "Defenders":
- Daredevil Seasons 1 - 3, The Defenders, and Jessica Jones Season 1 - 3 are relevant to Daredevil: Born Again (you can find watch orders online)
- The Punisher Seasons 1 - 2 will tell you what you need to know about Frank Castle who is showing up in Spider-Man: Brand New Day later this year. But the show will probably not be relevant story-wise
- Iron Fist and Luke Cage only tie into the Defenders, but nothing else in the wider MCU.
I hope this is helpful!
So mephisto showing up in iron heart doesn't mean anything?
Honestly not yet. It may tie into a future project but we don’t know
Probably best to finish up Punisher s2, with all the Punisher content coming out this year. I’m have the unpopular opinion and actually prefer s2 over s1. Frank’s dynamic with a character named Amy was really cool to see imo, given Frank’s backstory
Jessica Jones s2 and 3 only if you wanna know more about JJ before Daredevil Born Again s2. Those season are weaker than JJs1
Legion I watched a while ago because everyone was gushing over it. I sort of appreciated how “out there” it was, but to me there came a point where the show was simply trying to “out-weird” itself at every turn, and it got tiring.
Werewolf by Night is quick and easy and a very entertaining hour
Echo is a very short watch compared to others so there isn’t much harm in giving it a try. The first episode is the best and it falls off from there. I disliked the finale (a common MCU D+ show theme)
I similarly had no interest in Agents of Shield before this year. Then I said you know what, screw it, let’s give it a watch. Of course it’s lengthy, so I had a pattern viewing where I’d simply watch one episode a night for a couple months, made it part of a routine. Turns out Agents of Shield is better than almost all MCU D+ shows. I grew so attached to countless characters from AoS. The acting by some of the main characters is brilliant throughout. And in the end, the best way I can describe my recommendation is “I’d rather rewatch over 100 episodes of AoS again before I’d choose to rewatch 6-9 episodes of Ms. Marvel, Secret Invasion, She Hulk, IronHeart or even Moon Knight”
Loki is the only one that's essential to watch but there's some others that are enjoyable like Werewolf by Night, Agatha, and the Guardians special
If you've watched Wandavision I definitely recommend Agatha All Along. Then Vision Quest is coming out next year and those 3 series act as a sort of trilogy apparently according to the creators.
If you liked Ms Marvel in The Marvels then I'd recommend her series as well.
Then both of the specials. The Guardians one is just silly fun and revealed something that I think they also mentioned in Guardians 3.
Werewolf by Night is so peak. This is the one I recommend out of any of them.
I loved Ms. Marvel and Agatha All Along. I wasn't a fan of what I saw of What If (probably an unpopular opinion). And I had no interest in Echo, Iron Heart, and Secret Invasion. From what I've heard, Echo and Iron Heart are pretty good, but most comments I read about Secret Invasion agree it's trashed and can be skipped.
agents of shield is the best mcu series
WandaVision, Loki, Agatha All Along, and Hawkeye. The rest... meh. Secret Invasion was absolutely terrible. Ms. Marvel was OK but only sets up The Marvels which in itself was alright, but it does seem like the ending will tie into Doomsday.
Werewolf By Night is our new Halloween tradition. You don’t need it for any continuity, but it’s great world building and a total love letter to the classic Universal age of monster movies.
I watched all the Netflix Defenders shows and enjoyed them all.
I'd say watch,
WandaVision Loki Hawkeye
Moon Knight was okay but not essential, ms Marvel was fun romp but your choice.
Can skip the rest if you are not a completist. I did not bother with the animations and only watched 1 episode of Iron Heart and Secret Invasion. She Hulk was like a total unconnected comedy series with Wong appearances being the highlight.
Oh and Agatha All Along is worth a watch for sure.
Agatha is just pretty good, fun, it continues Wandavision and will tie into VisionQuest. It's one of the best and most unique shows and it's the type of project we need to support
Werewolf by Night is a really short watch. It's not "necessary" since it doesn't tie to anything yet. But it was something fresh and interesting
Feels like you missed the prime time to watch GotG Holiday Special. It's not important if you already watched Vol. 3 but if you like the GotG characters it's a really wholesome treat
Ms Marvel is supposed to sell you on the character before The Marvels. If you already saw The Marvels and liked Kamala, then it will only make you like her more. But you got to like more casual stories. And be able to enjoy something less serious, playful and more Disney than most of the MCU
I hear good things about Iron Heart and they left her story at a pretty interesting spot if they decide to continue. I'd give it a shot.
Echo is... ok, i guess. but kinda forgettable. If you're trying to catch up on everything and you have the time I'd save Echo for last. It's not terrible, but there are better things.
For the love of god, dont watch Secret Invasion
If you didn't like What If Season 2, I can't see you liking Season 3
If you liked Luke Cage and somehow Iron Fist first seasons, you're gonna love their Season 2. If you saw potential in them but didnt really love them, Season 2 is an improvement in both cases. But if you only want to watch one, Luke Cage all the way
Jessica Jones seasons rely on you liking the first season because of Jessica, not Kilgrave. But they're generally seen like a downgrade from S2 by most fans
Right now the only ones that are movie relevant are Ms. Marvel (But since you already saw The Marvels, then you are good), Agatha and maybe Ironheart (Both of whom introduces two major characters that are going to appear in future MCU films and shows)
Really Wandavision and Loki are the big ones. Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Secret Invasion are kinda relevant to a movie but not in a grand scheme of things. Wandavision was ok imo and I would just skip the first two eps lmao. Loki tho is the obvious answer though being the most important (and probably the best one they’ve done)
Agatha All Along was pretty decent and introduces a kid who's likely to become at least somewhat important in a future project -- probably a series... Strange Academy. which will likely follow all the kids and their magical powers.
Ironheart will likely also be in it. could be worth catching up on it. it's not a bad show.
Echo isn't terrible, but it's probably the easiest to skip.
Ms.Marvel has an AMAZING first episode, but the show quickly uses up it's budget. :(
Secret Invasion is absolutely not worth it in any way. it's a shame, but it's the only show i actively recommend people steer clear of.
Ehh, I’d say wandavision and Loki s1/2 are the really important ones. Agatha maybe, but you could probably watch the last few episodes and be fine. Also Hawkeye, not because it’s connected but because it’s good
Did you watch any of the animated TV show?
Ms. marvel, guardians Xmas, and Agatha all along stand out to me as things you should watch because they’re well done and add meaningful background to those characters.
Agatha All Along is great. I doubt any future project will reference Secret Invasion.
If all you're interested in is keeping up with the films, you don't have to watch any of them.
If all you're interested in is some good stories, then...
I’d 100% recommend Agatha All Along. Easily up the with Loki and WandaVision for their best.
Ms Marvel and Werewolf by Night are also really enjoyable.
Iron Heart was way better than expected.
What If Season 3 - if we hear rumors that Captain Carter is coming back for Doomsday or Secret Wars then this might be important.
Do not watch Secret Invasion under any circumstances.
We don't know what is going to be relevant to upcoming films, but here is what is worth watching and why:
Ms. Marvel - pretty entertaining until the ending shits the bed. Relevant for The Marvels.
Secret Invasion: Hot Garbage. Do not watch unless it becomes important in the future.
Echo: quite good until the ending shits the bed. Provides some context for Daredevil: Born Again.
Agatha All Along: genuinely great. Also, it seems like it will be super fuckin important going forward unless that plot gets dropped.
Iron Heart and What If S3: even I didn't watch these yet.
Werewolf by Night is a genuinely good one-off. Not really relevant to anything else yet, but it's a fun halloween special.
GotG Xmas: a generally entertaining series of scenarios involving the GotG. Provides some context for GotG 3, but isn't required viewing. Includes a musical number that I fully dissociated during.
I Am Groot shorts: fun little sketches. Only worth watching as a little diversion and if you want more Groot in your life.
As for the Marvel netflix stuff that you haven't watched: none of what you've listed lives up to the early seasons of those shows. I would say that Punisher S2 and Luke Cage S2 are still generally enjoyable television. Iron Fist is dogshit. JJ season 2 and 3 are worth watching only if you're a big fan of JJ, but without Kilgrave, those seasons aren't particularly compelling.
I can't speak to Legion or The Gifted, but just about everybody who I've heard talk about Legion has given it the highest praise.
I know you said you aren't interested, but Agents of Shield is actually a really great show. Season 1 is a bit of a slog at first, but improves significantly near the end of the season and in retrospect. It seems like a "threat of the week" type show at first, but the show changes significantly from season to season. It is so worth watching. IMO, if not for Jessica Jones season 1, it'd be my favorite MCU show.
So many people are sleeping on IronHeart - it was actually really great!!
I intend on getting to it eventually! I just keep firgetting about it whenever I have time for some tv.
The only good one there is Agatha All Along tbh, and Ms. Marvel was fun i just never finished it