The Untitled MCU Project - Intro
“Pop Culturally Irrelevant” is the satirical label I’ve assigned to myself over the years based on the limited number of popular cinematic delights I have consumed. If we were playing the “Unpopular Opinion” game, the top of my list would probably be “I don’t really watch movies.” Sure, I enjoy them, but rarely do I go out of my way to see them, especially in theatres. But now that our perceived normal has been drastically uprooted and our daily routines have basically been thrown in a blender by the devastating global COVID-19 pandemic (declared on March 11, 2020), I decided to finally fully immerse myself into the Marvel Cinematic Universe for some comfort as we adjust to this “new normal”.
While I have seen some of the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and have rather enjoyed them), I’ve never been one of those diehard fans. In fact, I think that’s where my self-imposed “Pop Culturally Irrelevant” label originated. When I do actually take the time to watch these blockbusters, I do enjoy them and I resonate with the characters and the stories. I remember really enjoying Iron Man when I saw it, Captain America: The First Avenger was an instant hit for me, and Captain Marvel immediately shot to the top of my “favorite characters” list, but I’ve still not fully engulfed myself in the franchise. While I might not be an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. or a member of the Avengers Initiative, I can say that I am a “fan-adjacent hero appreciator” who has always been intrigued by a good story, on and off screen. In fact, I care so deeply for the preservation of story and to experience the full story for myself that even though I have yet to see some of the most universe-altering features of the MCU, like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, I have still avoided most major spoilers years later. It’s taken some seriously evasive maneuvers to accomplish, but for that alone, I can say that I am my own hero in our favorite superhero universe.
While we all are safer at home practicing physical distancing from the rest of the world, many of us find ourselves faced with hours of extra time at home and fewer approved activities, especially if we live alone. I’ve been interested in “catching up” with the MCU and filling in all the gaps I’ve been missing since Phase 1 for a while now, but never wanted to spend those precious hours watching so many movies, since well, movies aren’t really my thing, remember? However, this global pandemic has become far more serious than we were led to believe, which has led me here. There have been significant life and culture altering times throughout history, many times in which the United States emerged as the hero of the narrative for so many - very similar to so many of our favorite heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We currently find ourselves in a time in US history that is once again life and culture altering; however, our national leadership is unfortunately anything but the hero of this particular story.
With so much uncertainty and lack of competent national leadership making the world outside feel scarier and more overwhelming than our old normal, it made more sense than ever that turning toward the MCU for some respite from the chaos swirling outside was an obvious choice. While I have seen some of the Marvel movies, it’s been so long that I decided I’m going to be watching every single movie in the MCU, in order. Of course, there are so many “recommended viewing orders” - chronological by date released, chronological by date the film takes place in the MCU timeline, etc. - how would I know which was the “best” one for someone “fan adjacent” like me? I did a quick google search for “best order to watch the MCU movies based on post-credits scenes” and came across the “Spaghetti Order” as it’s been dubbed by the original author. Instantly, I knew this would be the right order for me, and not just because I love spaghetti.
Iron Man (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Thor (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
The Avengers (2012)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Ant-Man (2015)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Black Panther (2018)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
But what do you care which order that I watch these in? Well, I have decided that I’m going to take this opportunity to not only watch all of the films, but also compile my favorite “life and leadership lessons” from each story and share with all of you. The Avengers have made it through some sticky situations and I bet they all have lessons that would be beneficial to us all, especially during this time of unprecedented global pandemic. For each movie, I’ll also be putting together a few Marvel Inspired looks from each film, because I love any excuse for a themed ensemble. But what good is that if I don’t also photograph the looks in my current makeshift home photography “studio”? I really wanted to use this time at home to flex some of my creative muscles and this is a way to really combine them into one albeit large, but fun project. And thus, “The Untitled MCU Project” was born.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey through some of the most popular films of this century.