By Jenna Shelton
Graphics by Alex Johnson
jshelton@lc.edu

As we continue to wait and see how our area proceeds with the reopening of the country there is a great opportunity to plan a binge of your favorite shows or series with your family or friends. A few years back when my nephew hit his teen years there was a bit of a struggle to maintain a close relationship as he got more into video games and friends. Quite a bit of the things he is interested in is firmly above my grasp of understanding, not only because he is a genius but because he is really into things that I never really found interesting. 

One thing that we really found a commonality in was the Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU for those who are familiar with the brand. While I never was a big fan of comics, I watched a couple of the MCU movies with my nephew one day. It was like someone flicked a switch. My nephew couldn’t wait to explain the backstories of the characters that were on screen and point out easter eggs that would show up in other movies in the universe. 

Quickly, I was able to pick up the story lines and character and will readily admit I was sucked in. My nephew and I were connecting and making memories that still years later we talk about. It is a time that I will always treasure, especially as he is now a 16-year-old who is busy working his first job.

I may have even gotten myself in trouble racking up my DirecTV bill renting the first 6 of the MCU before I realized I was able to stream the movies directly. Yes, I am old and am not always the most tech savvy of people. On a plus side, almost all of the MCU movies are available on Disney+ now.

There is great debate on which is the best way to watch the MCU, chronologically or by release date. Chronologically means as to how the storylines are mapped out in history/time periods and by release date is when the studios filmed and released it to the public. We ended up watching all of the movies included up to this point in the MCU twice – once each way. I didn’t really have a personal preference in which way to watch although I will admit the end credits line up nicely with a ‘sneak peek’ for the next movie in line when you watch it by release date. 

Obviously, you can watch the series in whatever order you like but here are the two most common methods of watching the MCU series: