i feel like that dude is you

oh boy

iron man should be your first priority, rest of the introduction movies are skippable (though enjoyable but you said abridged/shortened)

so start with that

then the avengers

then captain america the winter soldier if you want captain america’s character fleshed out a bit more (though you’ve said you hate captain america before so lole)

guardians of the galaxy

avengers: age of ultron was a bit divisive but it’s important in the grand scheme of things so watch that if you care

(possibly) ant-man

civil war

idk then just go to infinity war and endgame

rest of the movies don’t serve too much purpose imo

haven’t watched all of the mcu movies in a long time

It really is hard to make the watching compact because every movie (except the original Antman and The Hulk) are pretty important. You should probably skip Thor and the Dark World, it’s pretty boring. There’s probably some plot synopsis somewhere.

I’m gonna give you a few movies I think are important specifically before Infinity War. This will definitely leave you with a whole lotta questions, but it should be enough for you to understand. Really it’s hard to avoid watching most of the MCU and still get it.

First things first, watch Avengers. This’ll lay out most of the important characters for Endgame, aswell as the space stone. Next, Guardians of the Galaxy. Age of Ultron introduces some important characters, so watch that next. Then watch Civil War. Next, Doctor Strange. After that, watch Thor Ragnarok. Then watch Infinity War. Even though Ant-Man and The Wasp and Captain Marvel chronologically happen before or during Infinity War, if feel that their endings have more impact if you know what’s actually happening. After Infinity War watch Captain Marvel and Antman and The Wasp. Then you’re (kinda) prepared to watch Endgame!

If you want the full experience, you should probably use the guide Raidlock has above.