Endgame is out, so here’s our obligatory ranking of all the MCU films from Iron Man to Captain Marvel.
21. Thor: The Dark World
Thor’s weak first act was followed by The Dark World, which somehow manages to be even weaker. A bland villain and a near-total lack of substance and energy makes it the MCU’s weakest entry by far. Rather than doing more, it ends up taking the mythical and fantastical elements of Thor and transforming them into a limp by-the-numbers ride to nowhere.
20. The Incredible Hulk
An origin film that doesn’t seem to realise it’s an origin film, The Incredible Hulk dropped confused audience members right in the middle of things. Flashbacks don’t help to explain anything, and its forgettable, meandering narrative won little praise from fans. Edward Norton is no longer playing the Hulk, having handed the controls to Mark Ruffalo, leaving this movie on the sidelines having had little to no impact on the MCU, and leaving no real impression on viewers’ minds either.
19. Ant Man and the Wasp
The second Ant Man movie offered audiences their first chance at climbing down from the heights of Avengers: Infinity War. But rather than being the palate cleanser we all needed, Ant Man and the Wasp was disappointingly bland filler, with its potential wasted on excessive slapstick comedy. Its humour is hit-and-miss, and often feels forced. Coupled with a stale villain and a tangle of subplots, the likes of Paul Rudd, and Abby Ryder Fortson who plays Cassie Lang, can’t quite beat the odds.
18. Thor
Thor took a risk by introducing the many crazy elements of the world of Asgard and the 9 realms and to its credit, it fully embraces it. Unfortunately it just about leaves everything interesting behind in the first 15 minutes without looking back. Instead we get to enjoy the boring desert wastes of Mexico in the company of pretty boring human beings. Fun? Not really. Thor only stands as a reminder of the times when the MCU was still finding its feet. The character’s moment to shine came much later, hand-delivered from Taika Waititi.
17. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
The second Guardians of the Galaxy film is guilty of something many sequels are guilty of - not being as good as the original. When it comes to Guardians Vol. 2, the only thing you’ll end up hearing is the word “not”. It’s not as refreshing as the original, not as funny, and not as well-written. Add in an underdeveloped villain (which quite a few MCU films are guilty of to be fair) and a rushed story, Volume 2 simply feels like too much too fast. An unfortunate case of quantity over quality, but at least it’s got good vibes. And Baby Groot was cute!
16. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Offering less of an “age” of Ultron, and more of a “week” or so of Ultron, the second Avengers film is yet another victim of the sequel curse. Age of Ultron feels like someone ticking boxes, without caring much at all about the quality of the final product: as long as everything on the list gets in, then the rest doesn’t matter. Marvel needed to push our characters into new places in order to kick Phase Three into gear, and Age of Ultron was their messy attempt to do just that. While it sowed some seeds for the future of the MCU, the final product was badly paced and mediocre.
15. Captain Marvel
Aside from the good performances of Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson, the MCU’s first female-led doesn’t soar as high as its aspirations, devolving into a rote fight sequence by the ending. It’s still a fun movie, but one that closely adheres to the Marvel formula at a time when that’s no longer enough to sustain a superhero film. Unfortunately, it’s missing that final push towards greatness.
14. Iron Man 2
I vant my burd. This is not my burd.
13. Iron Man 3
With the promise of a long anticipated villain, Iron Man 3 ultimately lets down its audience with a truly awful plot twist. The twist? Tony Stark’s infamous adversary is reduced to nothing more than a disguise for a genuinely terrible villain. However, setting that misstep aside, Iron Man 3 isn’t actually that bad, delivering heart and humour and allowing us to watch Tony Stark develop as a character by dealing with the anxiety that’s plagued him since the events of The Avengers. Not the best, but not the worst either.
12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1
Refreshing and deeply funny, the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie offered a new blend of science fiction and 80s nostalgia. While certain parts are perhaps a little too silly to be believed (dance off anyone?), Guardians of the Galaxy embraces its zany source material and the irreverent cheeky comic flair of its director James Gunn. Its refusal to accept and conform to convention makes it one of the MCU’s better entries. It’s surprising that even with all the crazy escapades of the Guardians, it still makes time to further the MCU by revealing just a little bit more about its big bad Thanos.
11. Ant Man
Offering a laugh every minute, Ant Man is the MCU’s funniest film yet. While it has its problems, including a less-than-threatening villain, it arrived at just the right time when people were starting to feel as if the MCU had reached saturation point. By downsizing itself in scale, it manages to feel much lighter and injected plenty of pep back into Marvel’s step. It works best as a comedy, powered by the insanely charismatic Paul Rudd in the lead role, but its action scenes and fight sequences are inventive too, allowing Ant Man to deliver traditional MCU thrills on a smaller scale.
10. Captain America: Civil War
Succeeding where Age of Ultron didn’t, Civil War managed to shake the MCU to its very core and kicking off Phase Three with a bang. New standards were set for superhero films when Civil War was released. Building and breaking all the character relationships created over two whole phases of movies is an achievement not many Marvel films have been able to match. Watching our favourite superheroes fight each other on the big screen is a childhood imagination come alive. Everyone has to pick a side.
9. Spider-Man: Homecoming
The film that brought one of Marvel’s most popular superheroes back felt like just that: a proper homecoming. A strong performance by Tom Holland in the lead role is mirrored by Michael Keaton’s incredibly unsettling Vulture, who remains one of the MCU’s best villains to date. Homecoming is peppy and loud, perfectly capturing the character’s free spirit with vibrant, vivid colours. Not all Spider-Man films understand why people love the character so, but Homecoming is one of them.
8. Doctor Strange
A psychedelic acid trip featuring the incredible talents of Benedict Cumberbatch in a dual role as both hero and villain, Doctor Strange stands out from other Marvel films not only for its excellent performances, but for its out-of-this-world visuals that engage your senses unlike any other MCU film, though it’s superhero origin story, but cleverly twisted. Strange’s final confrontation with the evil entity known as Dormammu still stands out as one of the best sequences ever put to film in the MCU. The twist allows Doctor Strange to break the mold, and break the mold it does.
7. Thor Ragnarok
Thor finally got the movie he deserved with Thor Ragnarok. Goofy and fun, it served as the perfect reboot for a character who up to that point had been one of the least interesting Avengers to be around. Ragnarok gave Thor a chance to shine, and thanks to the wacky direction of Taika Waititi, Thor became one of our favourite characters. Ragnarok did more for the character than his two other previous solo movies combined, bringing back all the crazy elements of the comic books to the big screen after they all got cleared away at the start of Thor.
6. Captain America: The First Avenger
Full disclosure, we didn’t originally think of putting First Avenger this high. When it first came out, it wasn’t as loved as the other MCU films, especially compared to the high-energy Iron Man movies. But revisiting the film is well worth your while. Like its main character, it’s aged exceptionally well. It has heart and soul, serving as a fantastic entrance for Chris Evans’ Captain America. Even when watching Endgame, the influence of First Avenger, and of its wonderful main character, is still clear to see. While other films have surpassed it in different ways, First Avenger is encoded in the MCU’s DNA to this day.
5. The Avengers
Our first major crossover event, The Avengers gave us the chance to see our favourite heroes unite on the big screen for the first time. This movie kicked the MCU into high gear with Joss Whedon's impeccable script, stunning set pieces, and marvelous acting performances, which given the size of its ensemble cast, is no small achievement. The Avengers pits our heroes against Loki, the God of Mischief, played by the charismatic Tom Hiddleston, and his invading army of extra-terrestrial beasts. It also brings our heroes through necessary conflict with one another, so they eventually may come together in a very satisfying way.
4. Avengers: Infinity War
What The Avengers started, Infinity War finished. Pitting our heroes against the mad Titan Thanos, played by Josh Brolin, what we got was a supersized blockbuster with impressive emotional weight. As much as it is about seeing our heroes divided and fallen, it’s also very much Thanos’ story with Brolin transforming his character into someone undeniably evil, yet oddly sympathetic too. Infinity War is itself a cinematic titan, offering a thrilling and dramatic first half that, together with Endgame, wraps up an era of superhero movies unlike any other.
3. Black Panther
Three Academy Award wins can’t all be wrong. Black Panther has it all, from a great story to incredible cultural significance. It offers its hero the chance to evolve and change at the hands of a sympathetic villain whose own tragedy shapes the film. It honours a rich cultural heritage and gives a side cast populated with many fantastic characters both personality and agency. Wrapped around that strong core is the trappings of a Marvel movie, and one that actually has something relevant to say about the world we live in today.
2. Iron Man
Thanks to the witty charms of Robert Downey Jr., some exhilarating fight sequences and a story that shows off real character development, all packed in under two hours, Marvel managed to find a winning pattern that would sustain the MCU for a long time to come. Iron Man carefully balances intelligence with heart, so we get fantastic character development alongside insanely fun fight sequences. Iron Man kickstarted a universe, and without it, the MCU as we know it would never have been made.
1. Captain America: Winter Soldier
It was hard to pick a top MCU movie. In recent years, we’ve had plenty of great films, but in the end, there could only be one winner. The second Captain America movie is perhaps the closest the MCU will get to a stylish political thriller. Rather than opting for flashy CGI fight sequences, we get gritty action scenes, incredible tension and a story suffused with suspense. It’s rich and often darker than many MCU films, and powered by the talents of the Russo Brothers, who made their MCU debut with this absolutely fantastic superhero film.
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