8 MCU Movies You Can Totally Avoid Watching

Marvel's Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine that has spent the last decade dominating the box-office, revolutionising superhero movies in the process.

Bursting onto the scene with 2008's critically-acclaimed Iron Man, the MCU would go onto produce a further 21 movies set within the same universe. Over the course of those 22 films (that were split into three phases), audiences were introduced to some of Marvel's greatest superheroes through a multitude of solo adventures, before they inevitably united in The Avengers spin-offs. However, it was all laying the groundwork for an endgame of sorts, as the greatest evil of all was manufacturing an unstoppable weapon - a weapon that only Earth's Mightiest Heroes could destroy.

As epic as they are, watching 22 movies is no easy feat and, well, let's just say that not all of them are, for lack of a better term, essential viewing. While Marvel Studios has yet to produce a terrible movie, there are a few that haven't done anything outside of telling their own respective story and, given that universe building is the MCU's bread and butter, that makes them a little less important than the rest.

So, if you're just getting into the MCU and really don't have enough time for all of these outings, there are some that you could get away with skipping...

Following the success of Iron Man, the-powers-that-be at Marvel Studios set their sights on introducing another of their most famous characters into their infant cinematic universe. And next up was the Hulk himself, Bruce Banner.

While there's an undeniable charm to 2008's The Incredible Hulk, it couldn't quite replicate Iron Man's success, and that's not just referring to its inability to bring in as much money. Iron Man felt like it was building a world, while Hulk felt more like a standalone film that, other than introducing us to another character, served little purpose to the MCU in general - and even that single purpose was soon rendered irrelevant.

Following its release, the MCU essentially cut ties with it, replacing Edward Norton with Mark Ruffalo in all subsequent installments. Thus, aside from the relative emphasis on General Ross, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to Captain America and a post-credit scene to feature Tony Stark, you could skip The Incredible Hulk and miss nothing, as the character is essentially reintroduced in The Avengers.

A great popcorn flick, no doubt, but a totally forgettable installment in the MCU's timeline - so forgettable, in fact that even Marvel fails to remember it.