Ranking the Marvel Cinematic Universe: The Phase Five Update
In 2008, a burgeoning, then-independent Marvel Studios was up against the impossible. The landscape of superhero films was dominated by the likes of Fox’s X-Men trilogy, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, and, the titan of them all, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. And yet, this new studio sought to carve out a niche for itself and its soon-to-be franchise in the minds of the masses. Armed with a director whose biggest hit was Elf (2003), a washed-up star, and a B-list alcoholic superhero, Iron Man opened to a strong box office and positive critical reception, all the while Marvel Studios began scheming for something even more ambitious. In a mid-credits stinger featuring Samuel L. Jackson, the film promised something hitherto unseen: a universe full of interconnected heroes all building towards a common end.
In the seventeen-plus years since the release of Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or MCU for short) has carved out a massive share of the international box office landscape that no other film franchise has ever come close to. Encompassing thirty-seven films spread across six content “phases” and with well over $30 billion U.S. at the box office, the supremacy of the MCU as a force in pop culture and entertainment is undeniable. With The Fantastic Four: First Steps out now in theatres, the first film in “Phase Six,” I am taking a look back through the series’ long history and ranking all of the films from worst to best.
For the purposes of this list, I will only be talking about the feature films explicitly within the MCU’s main canon. You won’t see any TV series or specials here (no Moon Knight or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or WandaVision or Werewolf by Night), nor any movies retroactively folded into continuity (like Raimi’s Spider-Man or the Deadpool movies). A list featuring everything would be too long, and this list is already too long.
Excelsior!
Note: This article was originally published on September 6, 2024. It was updated on August 8, 2025, with additions to the list and a rewritten introduction to reflect changes to the franchise.
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37. Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
“Steve gave them something to believe in. You give them something to aspire to.”
A weird three-way sequel to The Incredible Hulk, Eternals, and The Falcon and Winter Soldier Disney+ miniseries (these multifaceted sequels are a staple of phases four and five), the fourth Captain America movie put a bad taste in my mouth. It’s a soulless rehash of old character beats from a television series no one cares about and a few other crudely mashed-together pieces of clean-up done up in a film that’s ugly to look at, torturous in its execution, dull in its action sensibilities, and features a protagonist devoid of any charisma. But rather than just being a bad movie, Brave New World has the audacity to be boring. The question that pervades the film, and is ultimately never answered, is “Why is this a Sam Wilson movie?” When the film’s central story has so little to do with Sam as a character and his alleged story arc, he is left feeling like a vehicle for the plot, rather than a character. And when the necessity of the film’s supposed central character is drawn into question, the film forgoes any chance of being engaging in any way.
You can read my full review here.
Directed by Julius Onah.
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36. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
“I want you to remember: you could’ve gone home. You could’ve seen your daughter again. But you thought you could win.”
Phase Five began with the anti-climactic, deeply annoying Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, an Ant-Man three-quel that bites off way more than it can chew. In an era of MCU filmmaking where no hero can just be the “little guy” anymore and every installment has to have universe-altering implications (which also means that no universe-altering event ever feels that significant), Quantumania might just be the worst offender. The film throws away all of the small-scale (get it? Cause he shrinks?) familial drama and visual flourishes that made the first film work so well, in favour of a failed backdoor pilot for the MCU’s next big bad, who was then promptly scrapped in favour of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. Horrific visual effects, cheap production design, and bad performances (Michael Douglas and Bill Murray are the worst offenders) abound. If you like the endearing, simple, and visually interesting first Ant-Man movie, you’re going to really hate this one. This is a prime example of Marvel’s compulsion to build a “greater story” getting in the way of telling a compelling story. Why did anyone think that an Ant-Man movie would be the perfect way to jump-start Kang the Conqueror? This whole storyline would have been better suited for a Fantastic Four film. Creative bankruptcy!
You can read my full review here.
Directed by Peyton Reed.
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35. Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)
“If you don’t shut up, you won’t be invited to the orgy.”
Where Taika Waititi’s bouncy Thor: Ragnarok was an excellent course correction for the title character, his follow-up, Love & Thunder, is lazy and lifeless. The film takes notes from two of the best arcs from Jason Aaron’s impeccable run on the Thor comic books, but manages to kill everything that makes that series such incredible fiction. While I’ve previously really loved director Taika Waititi’s work, Love & Thunder is him just going through the motions. It feels like an AI-generated Waititi movie somehow made by the man himself. The characters are annoying, the stakes are paper-thin, and the film doesn’t coalesce into anything worth mentioning with its cop-out “emotional” ending. Christian Bale makes his MCU debut as Gorr the God Butcher, the film’s villain, by throwing his all into a campy performance, but there’s no actual material to support him. That’s not to mention the hideous CGI and the horrific art direction. In what might be the MCU’s most direct adaptation of a comic book story to date, with the pages of Jason Aaron’s immaculate Thor saga serving as the primary inspiration, it manages to eliminate everything that made the original so good.
I am begging you to read Jason Aaron’s Thor.
You can read my full review here.
Directed by Taika Waititi.
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34. Eternals (2021)
“We’re Eternals. We came here seven thousand years ago, to protect humans from the Deviants.”
Modelling her filmmaking style off the 20th-century neorealists, Chloé Zhao approaches the subjects of her films, often very ordinary men and women from the margins of society, with a sense of respect and awe. Unfortunately, slapping Zhao’s naturalistic sensibilities on top of an MCU movie makes for a pretty weird movie. Eternals, named after the film’s central ensemble of immortal demigods, steps into the more esoteric end of Marvel’s cosmos, with a narrative spanning the breadth of humanity’s existence on Earth. Unfortunately, this attempt to dig into the souls of the immortal defenders of humanity, and some of the primary actors behind many of our history’s greatest events (including the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima for some insane reason), comes up short. The overlong story moves excruciatingly slow, the characters lack the slightest shred of personality, and the villains might be a series worst. The film looks good some of the time, thanks to the interesting camera choices on display here, but it’s evident that Zhao is simply not cut out for this sort of work. Lifeless!
You can read my full review here.
Directed by Chloé Zhao.
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33. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
“How’s space?”
For many years, this was the de facto “worst MCU movie.” While more recent MCU movies have long since taken that title (including an even worse Thor movie, as mentioned previously), this one is still a major stinker. With an awkward screenplay and uninspired direction, Thor: The Dark World, the second Thor film, is a pretty tiring ordeal. Alan Taylor replaces Kenneth Branagh in the director’s chair to great disappointment. Chris Hemsworth has never been more weirdly stilted than he is here, losing all of the charisma and comedy that the other Thor outings have managed to find. Natalie Portman is reduced to a helpless love interest, sacrificing everything that made Dr. Jane Foster a competent character on her own. There are a few attempts at humour scattered throughout the film, including the ol’ hammer-on-the-coat-hook bit, but they come across as forced more than anything else. And then there’s Malekith, perhaps the worst central villain of the entire MCU. I guess there are some good visual effects sometimes. The bit where Thor and Malekith are jumping through the different realms is kinda fun. But honestly, there’s not much to like.
Fun fact: this was the first MCU film I ever saw in the theatres.
Directed by Alan Taylor.
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32. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
“You know, I know a few techniques that could help you manage that anger effectively.”
When I first published this list, I wrote about how I “often forget that The Incredible Hulk exists” and that “the film feels strangely disconnected from the rest of the franchise.” However, in a post-Brave New World era, this film has forced itself back into relevancy again, with its abandoned characters and plot lines pushed back into the forefront of the MCU. Does its newfound relevancy make the film feel any better? Not in the slightest. Edward Norton and Liv Tyler are dreary as the leading couple, the action sequences suffer from some iffy CGI work, and the story drags its feet to the finish line. Louis Leterrier, who more recently directed the abysmal Fast X, cannot direct character beats for the life of him. But it is interesting that Marvel decided to make The Incredible Hulk matter again after seventeen years of only the most passing connections — including the odd appearance from William Hurt’s Thaddeus Ross, in the wider universe. Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns even returns as a major villain!
Producer Gale Anne Hurd described this film as a “requel” (part-reboot, part-sequel) to Ang Lee’s Hulk (2003). Does that mean that the film is also set within the MCU? Does that mean that Bruce Banner was played by three different actors? Did the MCU technically start in 2003? I guess we’ll never know.
Directed by Louis Leterrier.
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31. Black Widow (2021)
“Such a poser.”
After a two-year gap since the release of the previous MCU film, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Phase Four kicks off with a tremendous dud. Set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, Scarlett Johansson’s farewell performance as Black Widow is too little, too late. After receiving a beautiful ending in Avengers: Endgame, it was certainly a risky choice to bring back Johansson for another film, but a gamble that could have paid off with an excellent finale. But the film does far too little to add to Natahsa Romanov’s character or justify its post-mortem existence. The visual effects redefine atrocious, the action choreography is uninspired, and the writing for the central villains is excruciatingly poor.. There are a few interesting plot beats here and there, and the strong supporting performances from David Harbour and Florence Pugh do a lot to keep this film afloat, but the whole film stinks of a tired, beaten franchise with not much new to give. It’s boring in an existential way.
You can read my full review here.
Directed by Cate Shortland.
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30. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
“You can do it. You can do anything. You’re the world’s greatest grandma.”
Hot off the heels of the stellar one-two punch of Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp is a real let-down. In a cinematic universe full of ugly visual effects and uninteresting cinematography that lead to washed-out images and rubbery digital character models bounding across the screen, this might just be the most offensive example of those in action. Where the first Ant-Man film has enough residual energy from Edgar Wright’s work on the film to keep it afloat, and even excel in a few places, this film demonstrates that director Peyton Reed is really bringing nothing of note to this series. There are a few good comedic performances here and there, but the emotional beats, the humour, and the visuals are so disappointing. It’s especially egregious when sandwiched in the phase three release calendar between Infinity War and Endgame. Forgettable!
Directed by Peyton Reed.
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29. Iron Man 2 (2010)
“Sir, I’m gonna have to ask you to exit the donut.”
While the first Iron Man flick was a really solid superhero adventure (more on that later), Iron Man 2 is a bit of a disappointment. While not quite a complete travesty, it still distinctly disappoints. The film juggles way too many parts and can’t quite keep itself narratively clear enough to provide a cohesive experience. The film tries to dig into Tony Stark’s mental health and addictions, while also delivering an action-packed sequel, while also cramming in the awkward SHIELD/worldbuilding beats. The unfortunate side-effect of all of this cramming is that Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell (Rockwell especially) are given far too little screen time as the film’s villains, Whiplash and Justin Hammer, respectively. However, in this movie’s defence, the Monaco race action sequence is one of the best action sequences in the MCU. The suitcase suit-up sequence? Glorious. It also still looks better than most MCU films thanks to the fact that it’s one of the few actually shot on film (film shooting makes a difference, people).
Directed by Jon Favreau.
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28. The Marvels (2023)
“I walked into a witch hex and now I can teleport through objects.”
The monikers of “Captain Marvel” and “Ms. Marvel” have shifted hands a few times in Marvel Comics. Originally the aliases of Mar-Vell and Carol Danvers respectively, the titles have been passed hands many times since the 1960s to today, belonging to both human and alien characters alike. With this film’s title, The Marvels, Marvel Studios pays homage to this history with a three-way team-up between Monica Rambeau (the second Captain Marvel), Kamala Khan (the fourth Ms. Marvel) and Carol Danvers (the first Ms. Marvel and the seventh Captain Marvel, but the only one in this universe to take on that title). Unfortunately, this light-hearted space adventure flick fails to stick the landing. Brie Larson, playing Carol Danvers, sleepwalks through the lead role, while Teyonah Parris, playing Monica Rambeau, delivers a totally personality-less performance. Iman Vellani does her darndest to keep the film doing with an exuberant amount of energy, but she can’t save the collapsing ship. The three-way team-up also means this is a three-way sequel to Captain Marvel (the film), Ms. Marvel (the Disney+ show), and WandaVision (another Disney+ show), and the film simply cannot balance those plotlines. There are no compelling characters, no interesting narrative beats, and no interesting action or worldbuilding. There is, however, a left-field musical number in here, though, which means it’s not entirely terrible.
I will always be disappointed that we got this film instead of a proper Captain Marvel sequel about Carol in the Kree-Skrull war.
Directed by Nia DaCosta.
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27. Captain Marvel (2019)
“You know anything about a lady blowing up a Blockbuster? Witnesses say she was dressed for laser tag.”
Speaking of the first Captain Marvel film, Brie Larson’s debut as the god-like Captain Carol Danvers is a pretty mediocre adventure. Set in the 1990s and featuring the uncannily de-aged Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg, the film follows Danvers’ early career as a U.S. Air Force pilot, her stint as a superpowered soldier in the Kree army, and then her eventual return to Earth, where she must discover her true past. Despite its cosmic ambitions, the film is a little too tied down to Earth, hindering the scale of the narrative it desperately wants to tell. Primarily working as a prelude to Endgame, in which Captain Marvel teams up with the rest of the franchise’s heroes, the movie is an awkward mix of a rehash of the first Thor film and an iffy adaptation of the Kree-Skrull war that leaves the audience wanting more of something it will never get. One part sci-fi action epic, one part espionage thriller, and all parts messy and underwhelming.
Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.
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26. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
“I am Queen of the most powerful nation in the world! And my entire family is gone! Have I not given everything?”
The first act of this film is perhaps some of the strongest stuff ever put to screen for the MCU. Responding to the real-life death of Chadwick Boseman with grace and creativity, Wakanda Forever wants to be a more sombre MCU outing that ends up killing most of its potential by the end. There is some beautiful camera work on display, the start of some poignant themes, the creative inclusion of real-world political discourse, nuanced performances, and gorgeous worldbuilding. And then the film shifts into its second half and kills most of the good vibes created in the first. While the film wants to respect the legacy of Boseman and the fictional T’Challa, it doesn’t find a proper new protagonist, creating a hole in the centre of the film that’s never filled. There are narrative beats that were clearly meant to be given to T’Challa are now poorly glued onto other characters. Angela Bassett, who managed to win an Oscar for her work here, carries the film’s emotional core on her shoulders but gets unfortunately lost in the increasingly disastrous second half. After a pretty excellent fight sequence in Wakanda, the film ends on what might be the worst final fight in the MCU: a poorly lit, poorly staged battle on a singular, poorly designed boat. If only the rest of the film was as compelling as the first act!
You can read my full review here.
Directed by Ryan Coogler.
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25. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
“Disney brought him back. They’re gonna make him do this till he’s 90.”
Marvel Studios’ first foray into their newly acquired X-Men IP brings back the two most popular characters from 20th Century Fox’s universe of Marvel superheroes, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, in a multiversal send-off to the entire Fox franchise (check out my ranking of the Fox X-Men movies here!). While it pulls in some elements from the wider MCU, Deadpool & Wolverine sits very much in its own corner of the universe. Reynolds and Jackman carry the film with their excellent chemistry, and the film’s deeply meta sense of humour pokes fun at some of the more common issues within the recent MCU films. However, despite its self-awareness, the film still falls into common pitfalls. The film’s visual language is decidedly lifeless, especially when it journeys into the dry, grey “Void,” the multiverse’s metaphysical jumpheap where the film spends most of its runtime. The narrative feels quite underbaked, especially in the handling of its character arcs, which becomes apparent in the second half when the film’s many surprises start to dry up. Emma Corrin puts in a great performance as the film’s main villain, Cassandra Nova, if only she was given a genuine arc and personality. Ultimately, the 200-million-dollar budget and the Disney sheen make the anarchistic spirit of Deadpool feel rather disingenuous.
You can read my full review here.
Directed by Shawn Levy.
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24. Thor (2011)
Thor, the God of Thunder, is the favourite son and crown prince of the fantastical realm of Asgard. But when a mission to the frozen wastelands of Jotunheim goes awry, Thor is stripped of his amazing powers and is banished by his father to Earth, where he must learn to be a hero. Despite the magical and supernatural elements of its premise, Kenneth Branagh’s Thor spends most of its time dickering around in Small Town, New Mexico. There’s some fun “fish out of water” stuff with Thor as he tries to navigate his surroundings and figure out this new world. The human support cast is fun and Tom Hiddleston provides a foretaste of what Loki will become in the near future. Most of all, this is probably the most “chill” an MCU movie has ever been. Is there a more natural combination than Shakespeare and New Mexico?
For a time, this was my dad’s favourite MCU movie. I’m not sure if he still holds that position now.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh.
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23. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
“It’s easy to fool people when they’re already fooling themselves.”
Immediately following up Avengers: Endgame, this coda to Phase Three feels like a Spider-Man road-trip movie awkwardly forced into a position of emotional clean-up. Far From Home is a film of many disconnected parts: many that work very well and many that drag the whole affair down. Tom Holland’s performance as Peter Parker is much stronger here than in Homecoming and the dynamics between the main cast are quite strong. Pulling Spider-Man out of his native New York City lends the character to exploring and interacting with some fabulous new locales. Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio is amazing and makes for one of the MCU’s best-ever villains. And then there’s the rest of the movie, filled to the brim with ugly CGI, a few too many characters and plot threads kicking around, a thematically unsatisfying story, a few questionable character beats for Spider-Man, and some shoehorned post-Endgame emotional fallout. It’s not the best Spider-Man movie, but it’s got its charms.
Directed by Jon Watts.
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22. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2000)
“You get hurt, hurt ‘em back. You get killed . . . walk it off.”
While it’s not a complete disaster, Age of Ultron is a major step down for the Avengers series. The film replaces the narrative simplicity of the first with a story that’s completely buried by so many subplots and character arcs. The frustrating part is that when Age of Ultron is good, it’s firing at all cylinders. The fights in the Hydra base and in South Africa are particularly excellent, I enjoy the chill character scenes in the tower early on and on Clint’s farm, and Ultron is great whenever he’s on screen. I just wish that these scenes were in a better movie. Unfortunately, there are bits like Thor’s tidal pool visions, Natasha and Bruce’s relationship, and the often ugly colour grade. The film also seems to sabotage Tony’s arc from Iron Man 3. It’s a mixed bag!
Directed by Joss Whedon.
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21. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
“Wait so you’re Spider-Man too? Why didn’t you just say that?”
The emotional impact of Spider-Man: No Way Home relies almost purely on nostalgia. Which, when you’re watching this film for the first time in a sold-out theatre opening weekend, leads to a really effective experience. The problem here is that beyond that one, specific experience, No Way Home doesn’t have a leg to stand on. While it is plenty of fun to see the heroes and villains of the three generations of Spider-Man (Spider-Men? Spider-Mans?) unite, the narrative told here doesn’t really do much with this crossover beyond “Hey! Look! Those things from your childhood!” It’s especially unfair to this movie that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse came out just three years previously and executed this exact same concept with so much more artistry, emotional resonance, and thematic richness, all without having to rely on bringing back Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. It’s unambitious and uninteresting! Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina steal the show and make almost all of the lame parts seem worth it. Maybe I’m not so immune to the nostalgia-baiting . . .
You can read my full review here.
Directed by Jon Watts.
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20. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
“Just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a movie torn asunder by two opposite forces — the convoluted and messy screenplay of Michael Waldron and the energetic and imaginative directing of Sam Raimi. For this reason, I got back and forth about whether or not I like this movie. Its highlights are through the roof, but when it falters, oh boy, does it ever stink. There’s some really great production design, set pieces, and weirdly good cinematography for an MCU movie. And then all that goodwill is undercut with ham-fisted universe-building content, an unfortunate choice in villain, and a multiverse that doesn’t really live up to the “madness” promised in the title. It’s a real mess that Sam Raimi has given everything he has too. It might not be the best MCU movie, but it’s one of the most interesting.
You can read my full review here.
Directed by Sam Raimi.
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19. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
“You can’t outrun who you really are.”
This is the part of the list where we go from movies that are just “alright” to movies that are actually pretty solid. Starring Canada’s own Simu Liu, Shang-Chi has a lot of distinct charm and style often missing from this franchise. The martial arts-infused, wuxia-inspired action is a great creative touch and the worldbuilding is so much fun to explore. Liu proves himself as a viable leading man and Tony Leung delivers the MCU’s best villain performance yet. While the third act crumbles into typical MCU visual and narrative oversaturation in a way that betrays its more unique approach to the superhero format, the first two-thirds are rock solid. It’s one of the few recent MCU movies that had me excited to see more from its corner of the universe. I just hope a potential sequel embraces its unique niche even more.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.
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18. Doctor Strange (2016)
“Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain!”
There’s a lot to like about Doctor Strange. Visually, there are some really interesting ideas at play. The design of the magic in this film is unique and always exciting to look at. There are some well-designed alternative realms. Jumping into the Mirror Dimension, the film descends into an M. C. Escher-esque funhouse which is a delight to watch. The Dark Dimension folds in some wonderful ideas from Jack Kriby’s 1960s Doctor Strange art. The finale with Dormammu, the film’s big bad, is very memorable and a lot of fun. Doctor Strange suffers, however, by not being particularly unique narratively. It’s a common observation that this film has many similarities to the original Iron Man. While I’m not convinced that Stephen Strange is a mere copy of Tony Stark, I do agree that there’s nothing storywise that makes this film exceptional. Most of the supporting cast is weak and underutilized (Rachel McAdams especially). Unfortunately, fun visuals and a cool cape do not make a movie good.
Directed by Scott Derrickson.
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17. Thunderbolts* (2025)
“Please don’t gasp at work.”
Starring an ensemble of anti-heroes and reformed villains left over from the scrapheap of phases four and five, Thunderbolts* (titled with an asterisk explained in the film’s closing moments and through a post-release marketing strategy) works a lot better than it should. Director Jake Schreier leans into the darkness behind each of its main characters, creating a narrative that’s more concerned about their bonds as a team and collective trauma rather than just a punch-em-up superhero epic, including its rather surprising finale. Florence Pugh finally gets the MCU star vehicle she has needed since her debut in the disappointing Black Widow and Lewis Pullman makes a strong impression as Bob, a character with a dark secret who might just change the future of the MCU. Not all of it is perfect. Some lacklustre character beats and a slightly anti-climactic third act leave a poor taste in the mouth, even if it’s in service of setting up a story to come (this is not quite the Sentry film of my dreams). After two content phases plagued disparate story beats and a lack of narrative cohesion, Thunderbolts* finally feels like the pieces are coming together again. It’s a step in the right direction, even if it feels a little too late.
You can read my full review here.
Directed by Jake Schreier.
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16. Ant-Man (2015)
“Wait, I didn’t steal anything! I was returning something I stole!”
Even if its sequels are pretty far down the list of the MCU ranking, I have a soft spot in my heart for the first Ant-Man film. An endearing, down-to-earth family heist comedy about a petty criminal trying to do right by his young daughter, the film manages to charm as the lighthearted coda to a busy Phase Two. Paul Rudd makes a fabulous impression as Scott Lang, Michael Douglas plays a perfectly embittered Hank Pym, Corey Stoll makes for a frightening ant-tagonist, and Michael Peña remains one of the best comedic performers in the MCU. From the way the sequels devolved, it’s apparent that all of the best parts of this film are leftovers from a previous Edgar Wright version of this film. One cannot help but wonder how ant-mazing this movie would have been if Marvel had not forced him to ant-bandon the film. It’s a shame that the later ant-stallments do not have the same charm: this is coasting ant-tirely on the residual Edgar Wright ant-ergy. I’m sorry, I’ll stop ant-ventually.
Directed by Peyton Reed.
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15. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
“Can’t you just be a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man?”
Welcome home, Spider-Man! It might have taken some carefully constructed shared custody agreements with Sony Pictures (I’m imagining Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige as awkward divorced parents trying to navigate who gets the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man for Christmas holidays), but he’s finally in the MCU. It’s easy to forget how big this moment was. After building a franchise with mostly B, C, and D-list characters, this was the first time the MCU finally had one of Marvel’s biggest hitters join the series. The film picks up after Tom Holland’s two-scene supporting role in Captain America: Civil War, with Peter Parker now swinging about New York with a Stark-upgraded suit, trying to stop a bandit of alien technology. While it doesn’t get anywhere near the emotional and narrative highs of Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man: Homecoming is an inoffensive, back-to-basics start for the Wall-Crawler in the MCU. Holland is great in the title role. Iron Man is used quite effectively, even if the inclusion of his tech does take away from the idea of Spider-Man being a home-spun hero. Like its sequels, its villain is quite excellent. If this list were a ranking of all of the MCU villains, Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes (AKA the Vulture) would be right near the top. The filmmaking, however, leaves something to be desired. Jon Watts is no Sam Raimi, and the direction lacks a lot of personality. While I like the design of the Spider-Suit, the digital effects sometimes render the character’s movements to be just a little too weightless. Still, with its rock-solid third act, Homecoming keeps Spider-Man swinging with energy into his third live-action iteration.
Directed by Jon Watts.
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14. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
“I herald his beginning. I herald your end. I herald Galactus.”
It might have taken a few attempts, but the Fantastic Four finally received a decent live-action outing with First Steps. Set in a 1960s retrofuturistic universe parallel to the main continuity, the first film in Phase Six sees Marvel’s “first family” squaring off against the eons-old Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer, who seeks to consume Earth to satiate his ceaseless hunger, while also dealing with a more terrifying prospect than the cosmic horrors creeping towards earth: raising a child. Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing make a smash with a film that excels with stunning production design, great performances, and some fabulous action sequences. It embraces the cosmic-fairing adventurism of the comic books well, making this perhaps the first faithful interpretation of this property ever. While the film’s quick pacing means that the characters are a little light on character arcs, even if their core characterization is solid, which compromises the strength of the emotional core, the overall effect is strong. The film is willing to be big and “comic book-y” without ever undercutting its goofiness with needless tongue-in-cheek humour. These are characters who take themselves, their world, and their family, which is nice to see in a franchise that loves its irreverence. The Four are off to a great start, and their return in next year’s Doomsday can’t come soon enough.
You can read my full review here.
Directed by Matt Shakman.
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13. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
“That shield doesn’t belong to you. You don’t deserve it! My father made that shield!”
Phase Three begins with a bang. Captain America: Civil War pushes the MCU into a darker, uncertain chapter by dividing its main heroes along ideological lines, where they have to reconcile with their place in the world at large. Honestly, Civil War just skirts the line of being miraculous. It features an incredible villain in Daniel Brühl’s Zemo; it serves as a very successful backdoor pilot for Spider-Man and Black Panther; it works as a better sequel to Iron Man 3 than Age of Ultron did (why did Iron Man have his suit back in Age of Ultron after destroying them all in Iron Man 3? He, thankfully, starts without a suit in this one); and it also works as a proper Captain America sequel, where Steve Rogers journeys from “America’s golden boy” to “wanted fugitive” (there’s definitely something to dig into there about the loss of the American cultural soul in the 21st century but I digress). It’s not perfect by any stretch. Bucky isn’t much of an actual character in this movie and is rather just a vehicle to explore Steve and Tony’s trauma, the airport fight looks horrendous, and I’m pretty sure the whole argument could have been resolved with just better communication. Still, it’s remarkable how this film is able to balance its many characters and stories without ever losing energy.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.
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12. Iron Man (2008)
“I am Iron Man.”
The film that started it all. As I mentioned in the introduction, Iron Man was a bit of a surprise hit back in 2008. Starring a washed-up actor about a character from a forgotten 90s, cartoon, this film not only made Tony Stark and Robert Downey Jr. household names, but also managed to launch a mega-franchise that grew into a behemoth unlike anything else in the industry. Thankfully, Iron Man still holds up. There is an obvious amount of care put into the production that is not always found in recent installments. There are some beautifully executed visual effects sequences, paired with some incredible performances and a sense of life that came from its incomplete script and love of improv. It’s a sleazier, scummier MCU movie than what is usually released today, but the sense of energy behind each frame is so tangible. RDJ hit the nail on the head with his playboy arrogance as Tony Stark, a hateable hero whose transformation to a more good-natured character makes his eleven-year-long arc so much fun to watch.
Directed by Jon Favreau.
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11. The Avengers (2012)
“The Avengers. That’s what we call ourselves; we’re sort of like a team. “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” type thing.”
Looking back on it now, I probably shouldn’t like the original Avengers as much as I do. Does it have the lighting of a TV movie? Yes. Are these the worst costumes any of the Avengers wear in the franchise? Yes. Is Tony Stark just a little too unbearable? Also yes. But after seeing it at such a young age, The Avengers has wiggled its way into my heart. I think the film’s two biggest strengths are its great team dynamics and the pretty stellar third act. The film has a lot of really solid energy throughout, both in its pacing and from the banter of its main characters. The action is spectacular and only improves as the film rumbles along. Tom Hiddleston delivers a less whiny and much more self-assured performance as Loki this time around, blending in equal measure charm and menace. It’s just an all-around great blockbuster.
Directed by Joss Whedon.
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10. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
“A creepy old man cut my hair off!”
Thor was in a tough spot in 2017. After The Dark World went down like a rock and a role in Age of Ultron that reduced him to an exposition machine, it was pretty clear that the MCU wasn’t too sure what to do with the God of Thunder. In stepped New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi, hot off a string of independent hit comedies, who tore down the structures of the first two movies to give Thor and Chris Hemsworth a new lease on life with Thor: Ragnarok. Featuring brighter colours, a sillier, playful tone, a healthy amount of irreverence, and a memorable use of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” Ragnarok was a confident step into the unfolding cosmos of the MCU. Hemsworth totally reinvents the character here, letting Thor be both incredibly powerful, but with a zest for life and a sense of self-aware humour that had been denied. Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, and Mark Ruffalo are welcome inclusions in the space-faring chaos. This movie completely took over my life in November 2017. Too bad what happened with the fourth one . . .
Directed by Taika Waititi.
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9. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
“I am going to die surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy.”
Loosely adapting elements of two different Marvel Comics space-based superhero teams with the name, both of which had floundered in the far reaches of nerdom, Guardians of the Galaxy was a decently sized risk when Nicole Perlman first took a crack at a script in 2009. Would audiences buy into and take seriously a team of galactic heroes featuring a walking tree and a talking raccoon? Sure enough, they did, and the film was a sure-fire hit, with much of its success being owed to director and co-writer James Gunn. Gunn is one of the few filmmakers in the Marvel arsenal who can repeatably transcend the limits of the MCU formula to create films that are both stellar blockbusters and emotionally rich and personal films. With a cast that bounces off each other with ease, the screenplay finds both the silliness and the gravity inherent to this mixture of loveable misfits. From its fabulous production design to the memorable soundtrack of 70s and 80s pop hits, Guardians is a space opera fully committed to the bit and willing to embrace the weirdness of space. There’s some world-building and exposition clumsily glued into the middle of this film to set up the eventual third and fourth Avengers outings, and the main villain, Lee Pace’s Ronan the Accuser, is fairly boring, but other than a few scrapes, the film sings.
Directed by James Gunn.
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8. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
“I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.”
Captain America is very much the product of his time: a simplistic, 1940s cartoon distillation of American wartime patriotism. Since Stan Lee brought him back in the pages of his 1960s Avengers run, comic writers have been trying with varying success to make the character work in the modern age, where the idea of a star-spangled hero is more problematic and nuanced given the evolving perception of what the American nation is. By taking the viewers back into the 1940s, Joe Johnston, who cut his teeth on the similarly pulp-esque The Rocketeer, manages to craft a live-action debut for the character that keeps the wartime patriotism of the character, but with enough contemporary stylings to make it feel more authentic than just an army recruitment ad. The First Avengers is an earnest action romp through the Marvellous past that beautifully sets up one of the franchise’s most beloved characters. Bashing in an appropriately high amount of Nazi skulls with his vibranium shield, Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers makes an incredible first impression here, with a character that’s a total boy scout, but never loses his dramatic gravity. Hugo Weaving devours the scenery as Red Skull, the film’s central villain. Hayley Atwell and Sebastian Stan are fabulous supporting additions.
I’m sorry to Kendrick Lamar and his incredible Black Panther soundtrack album, but “The Star-Spangled Man” might be the greatest original song to come out of the MCU, rivalled only by “Agatha All Along.”
Directed by Joe Johnston.
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7. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
“Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same.”
It has all been leading to this. The first three phases of the MCU set up the ongoing narrative through-line of the “infinity stones,” a collection of powerful cosmic MacGuffins that have been running amok in various franchise installments from The Dark World to Age of Ultron, and the looming threat of a being who seeks to unite them all for his devious plots. In Avengers: Infinity War, the battle for the stones and the fate of the universe finally comes to a head. After receiving a soft launch in the first Guardians film, Josh Brolin arrives in all his glory as Thanos, the Mad Titan, the film’s central villain and arguably its main character. While the many competing plotlines and locales can make the film feel overwhelming, Brolin’s performance grounds the narrative in the struggle of one man to balance an imperfect universe. Beautifully grand and cosmic in scope, Infinity War, the first part of the Phase Three finale, feels like a true comic book crossover event: too many characters, too many locations, too many story beats, but the spectacle is never-ending, making this film one heck of a good time. The ending is still so surprising, even if you already know how the story ends.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.
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6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
“Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?”
If The First Avenger was the morally simplistic fight against the tyranny of the Nazis, then The Winter Soldier pulls the Captain out of the pulp pages and into the murky 21st-century, where America’s role on the world stage is far more morally complicated in the wake of the Cold War and 9/11. Loosely adapting Ed Brubaker’s electric, mid-2000s Captain America stories, this film is a gripping spy narrative and creates a strong moral challenge for our hero. Surveillance states, terrorism, and the less-than-honest practices of U.S. clandestine intelligence are all fodder for a fabulous Captain America story, where Steve Rogers is pulled between his idealism for his country and the awful truth behind its highest offices. While the film does not get as morally blurry as it should (maybe should), with a certain returning multi-armed enemy organization revealed to be puppeteering the whole thing, the film manages to be surprisingly politically punchy and set up an era of MCU stories where the morality of both the world’s authorities and its heroes are called into question. Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, and Samuel L. Jackson pull up the rear with some fabulous supporting performances. The Captain America suit in this film is the best the character has looked in the whole MCU.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.
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5. Black Panther (2018)
“You’re a good man with a good heart. And it’s hard for a good man to be king.”
After a fantastic debut in Civil War, the anticipation for the Black Panther solo film was certainly high, but I’m not sure anyone was expecting this film to become such a box office phenomenon. With a cast led by the late, great Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda, Black Panther is one of the highest points of the MCU’s worldbuilding and performances. Boseman is fantastic, but he’s rivalled by Michael B. Jordan’s incredible villain, Erik Killmonger. The production design and worldbuilding of Wakanda are clever and mezmerizing, with carefully balanced amounts of real-world African art and tradition and science fiction flair mixed into a nation and culture that is ever-compelling to explore. Ludwig Göransson’s score is one of the finest in an MCU film to date, further complementing the visual aesthetic of Afrofuturism, and the Kendrick Lamar-curated soundtrack album is well worth a listen. While the visual effects range from iffy to downright unpleasant in the third act, the film rides high on its themes of diaspora, colonialism, and cultural alienation. This is an installment in the series that dares to ask the question, “Can Marvel movies be about serious themes and not just aliens and magic stones?”
Directed by Ryan Coogler.
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4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
“He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn’t your daddy.”
A cosmic redemption story about fatherhood and family ties, dressed up with grungy sci-fi clothing, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 expands the possibilities of James Gunn’s oddball space heroes without ever losing their essential emotional pieces. Released just a year before Infinity War, you would hardly think that the series was setting up for a world-altering finale. Instead of getting into Infinity Stones and lore dumping, the Guardians spend a bad weekend at Peter’s dad’s place, which leads to a pretty messy family reunion. Guardians Vol. 2 takes everything that works about its predecessor and cranks it to eleven. The monsters are goopier, the alien worlds are weirder, the colours are brighter, and the personal stakes are higher. Gunn’s imagination gets to run wild here, and it is so wonderful to witness. The returning cast are all excellent, with Christ Pratt and Michael Rooker being the true standouts. Kurt Russell shines as Ego the Living Planet, a character every bit as pompous and self-serving as the name suggests, Peter’s father and the film’s main villain. It matches all of its jokes and comedy with an equally big heart, setting up for a final act that is quite touching.
Directed by James Gunn.
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3. Iron Man 3 (2013)
“A famous man once said, ‘We create our own demons.’ Who said that? What does that even mean? Doesn’t matter. I said it because he said it.”
Yeah, I’m ready to die on this hill. To say that Iron Man 3 has been divisive since it first premiered would be an understatement. I’m in the very small, but very vocal camp, of placing it among the MCU’s best moments. Picking up just months after The Avengers, Tony Stark has developed a whole lot of PTSD and the unhealthy coping mechanism of building too many suits while recovering from what he witnessed in New York. Writer/director Shane Black, who started the public rehabilitation of RDJ with the neo-noir Kiss Kiss Bang Bang back in 2005, is an excellent creative fit for Stark, finding both the snark and the darkness in his screenplay. The film tears into the character of Iron Man with ferocity, pulling Tony out of his money and his armour to make for a story where he has to fend for himself. Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian and Ben Kingley’s Trevor Slattery are fun villains, with the then-controversial Mandarin twist being eventually redeemed through Shang-Chi. I’m also just a sucker for a Christmas setting. It’s an excellent finale for Stark as a character, too, before Age of Ultron completely undercut its emotional weight and Downey returned to do five more movies.
Directed by Shane Black.
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2. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
“Part of the journey is the end.”
Ahead of its release, the fourth Avengers film was shrouded in almost complete mystery, even being denied an official title until December 2018. Before Infinity War, it was clear that the MCU had some sort of trick up its sleeve. After Infinity War, the expectations for this film ever never higher. Good news: it succeeded. Avengers: Endgame manages to be so much more than just a concluding half of a two-part Phase Three finale, despite the great cliffhanger of Infinity War. Endgame actually concludes that dangling thread within the first twenty minutes of its three-hour runtime, with the story quickly jumping forwards five years into a rather bleak future. What follows is a time-travelling heist in which the last of the MCU’s heroes revisit their finest moments to undue the effects of Thanos. The film is much more focused on the Avengers themselves than Infinity War is (Thanos here is a very small part of the grand narrative, being mostly relegated to the beginning and ending of the film), giving each of the original six a rather touching send-off, especially for Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow. It’s a monumental conclussion to the first eleven years and twenty-odd films in the Marvel saga, even if the weight has been diluted with the ceaseless Marvel machine not quite able to rebuild the energy it once had.
I still maintain that the only trailer that should have been released for this movie is the original teaser trailer. So cryptic, so enigmatic, so captivating — it’s hard to fully express the hold that those two minutes of footage had on me in the early part of 2019.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo.
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1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
“We’ll all fly away together, one last time, into the forever and beautiful sky.”
When I first walked out of Guardians 3, I had a feeling that the film might eventually rise to be my favourite MCU movie. I didn’t want to call it that at the time, for fear of a recency bias, but I’m not sure my opinion has changed. I’ve been sitting with the film for over two years now and I struggle to find a film in this franchise that has stuck with me this much. From its incredible production design and visual effects to its excellent narrative and character writing, James Gunn’s belated finale to his Guardians of the Galaxy saga is the MCU’s finest hour. It’s his most self-assured film to date, where he finds the perfect balance between his signature sense of humour and the powerful emotions waiting to be mined out of his characters. The performances from the entire lead cast are incredible, with Bradley Cooper’s Rocket managing to be the emotional lynchpin I didn’t know was possible. Vibrant direction, killer set pieces, rewarding character beats, gorgeous world design, and some excellent musical choices make Guardians 3 the most lively and engaging MCU experience to date. And to think, Marvel Studios turned to the co-CEO of their Distinguished Competition to make this movie happen.
You can read my full review here.
Directed by James Gunn.
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