Every MCU Movie Ranked

Well Avengers: Infinity War just released, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the franchise known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or as us nerds have come to know it, the MCU), and I can't watch it cause typical college student me got finals so instead I decided to partake in the movie blogger's time-honored tradition of making lists. Having marathoned all eighteen movies over the span of several months, I really got to see how several of these movies stood the test of time. Some were a lot better than I'd remembered, some a lot worse, and some were just as good the second (and sometimes third or fourth) time through. If you disagree with me, let me know cause I could discuss and debate movies until the end of time.

19. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

The black sheep of the MCU, the much misaligned The Incredible Hulk stands out as the franchise's biggest misstep and the only downright BAD movie in the series. Much like Iron Fist in the Marvel-Netflix series, The Incredible Hulk has an incredibly bland cast, story, and romance. When the entire premise of the movie is about trying NOT to Hulk out, which is the only reason the audience is even there to begin with, it leads to a really disappointing and forgettable experience.

The Best: The rare times Hulk actually comes out aren't too bad.

The Worst: The terrible miscasting of Edward Norton and Liv Tyler as our uninteresting, unemotional couple.

18. Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Thor: The Dark World isn't BAD per se, it just lacks ambition. Of all the movies in the franchise, this movie sticks out as the only one that truly tries to do nothing more than be a typical summer blockbuster. Bland characterization, typical action, dark and gritty atmosphere, and a rather forced romantic subplot, this movie has it all in cookie cutter format. And unlike Iron Man 3 and Captain America 2, this movie does nothing to build off the events of The Avengers, and is really nothing more than filler, something for Thor to do while we wait for Avengers 2.

The Best: Tom Hiddleston's standout performance as Loki (of course), and an admittedly pretty fun third act.

The Worst: Every scene without Loki is really quite boring.

17. Iron Man 2 (2010)

Iron Man 2 in many ways feels like an action movie sequel rather than a real superhero sequel. There are a lot of good concepts in this movie--the question of whether or not Tony really deserves to be Iron Man and his desire to step out of his father's shadow--but it's ultimately weighed down by too many side plots that felt added in because that's what an action sequel is "supposed" to have. The villain is initially really interesting, with a personal vendetta against Stark, but then quickly becomes a generic bad guy. Hammer is there as another generic goofus villain that ultimately adds nothing. Double the Iron Men for double the merchandising. Oh, and shove in SHIELD so that we'll know who they are when Avengers comes out. Funnily enough, it's interesting to rewatch this movie and see how lowkey its stakes are, considering the future movies that all seem to need to have world-ending stakes.

The Best: The initial premise at the beginning of whether or not a civilian should be able to wield his own personal weapon of mass destruction.

The Worst: Most side plots in here are kind of boring, and the tight editing and story progression in the first Iron Man is lost here.

16. Thor (2011)

Thor is a good core concept weighed down by some strange need to be grounded. Here is potentially a great story of a future king who needs to learn humility--a unique angle for a superhero movie that we've never really seen before. And yet, why did they have to set half the movie on Earth in a really typical and boring and unconvincing love story that nobody asked for? The movie tries so hard to ground its characters in a realistic atmosphere that it misses out on all the magical awe and amazement that it could have had.

The Best: Tom Hiddleston as Loki is a standout, surprisingly emotional performance.

The Worst: Thor's character development from arrogant brat to humble king feels really sudden and forced.

15. Ant Man (2015)

Ant Man is great core concept that's weighed down (see the pattern yet?) by a lot of typical action movie clichés. At its heart, it's not really a superhero story, but rather a story of a man trying to be the superhero his daughter already thinks he is. That's great, but when you shove in a lame villain who's literally just "evil Ant Man", along with Stark and HYDRA and Falcon cameos in some desperate desire to remind you that "yeah, you're watching a Marvel movie", it really dilutes the whole thing. I'm also disappointed that the Wasp couldn't have been a more integral part of the movie considering how much more effective she is, like Marvel didn't think the world was ready for female superhero.

The Best: The shrinking mechanic is original and a whole lot of fun, even if it really doesn't make sense and doesn't even follow its own rules.

The Worst: Everything that makes it a typical action movie. I'd kill to see Edgar Wrights original vision for the film.

14. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

This might have been Marvel’s first “difficult” movie to make. Yes, Iron Man and Thor were both risks, but billionaire genius in armor decked with missiles and god of thunder aren’t exactly hard concepts to sell. But how do you take Captain America—a character rooted in wartime propaganda as a ridiculous caricature of American patriotism—and turn him into a real, compelling character? It sounds impossible, which is why he’s had several failed attempts on the silver screen. And yet, this movie is actually pretty good. It has pretty good action, pretty great characters, and somehow manages to perfectly cast Chris Evans as the definitive Captain America. Humble, gentle, and good-hearted, there is no one who can play a better Steve Rogers than Chris Evans, and while the DC movies seem to think that big blue boy scout heroes can’t exist in the modern world, Captain America is here to prove otherwise.

The Best: Chris Evans as the perfect Captain America, whose depiction on the big screen even exceeds his comic book counterpart.

The Worst: Red Skull is a pretty boring one-note villain, and while Iron Man’s first two villains weren’t exactly stellar, it’s this movie that really starts the trend of generic evil villains in Marvel movies.

13. Doctor Strange (2016)

I really wanted to like Doctor Strange. It had great themes and visuals, a unique magic system, and a mostly compelling hero. But for every good thing it has, there seems to be something equally bad to weigh it down—the visuals were spectacular, yet the color grading is pretty poor; Stephen Strange is an interesting hero—though not as interesting as Tony Stark—, but the villain was one of the most generic there is; the film has some pretty deep themes, yet it also feels the need to add in annoying quips and jokes all the time; having a hero defeat the villain by outsmarting them rather than punching them to death is a refreshing change of pace, but the entire movie along the way suffers from pacing issues. This movie could have been the best, but just comes out as good enough.

The Best: Really cool visuals and magic powers.

The Worst: Jokes that miss more often than they hit.

12. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

This one’s a bit of a mixed bag for me. I liked this movie a lot when I first watched it--I described the movie as feeling like you’re reading a Spider-Man comic book, and I do mean it. And yet, while I rewatched it in preparation for this list and for Infinity War, I found myself kind of bored, and I think it's because of what kind of movie it tried to be. The filmmakers intentionally wanted to go out to make a superhero movie that's specifically about a kid learning how to be a hero and getting used to his new powers. So we don't get to see Spidey swing around New York and beat up baddies with ease. We get a kid who happens to have powers and is still trying to balance his two lives, which isn't a bad thing if there had been any deeper themes or messages, but there aren't. Ultimately, it comes out to a fairly "okay" movie the second time through. (Read full review here)

The Best: It's a well-structured, cohesive stand-alone movie that has no fat or unnecessary baggage with a unique teen movie vibe and a pretty fun cast.

The Worst: It ultimately doesn't feel very fun to watch as a superhero film, and that makes it very skippable if you're not into teen movies.

11. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

This is a weird case on this list. Whereas movies like Ant Man, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man: Homecoming declined in quality upon repeat viewings, this movie actually went up. I did not like this movie when I first saw it in 2015--I thought it was highly bloated, it had some pretty rocky pacing, and the villain was incredibly disappointing. And yet, upon rewatching it three years later, I found myself actually quite enjoying it despite its flaws. The action was really great although it didn't quite reach the same levels as the third act of The Avengers, the plot is a natural progression of its predecessor, and while Ultron is still not a great villain, I found myself surprisingly intrigued by him. He is surprisingly much, much deeper and more interesting a villain that I--and most people--had originally thought, and while I wish he was a bit more serious and dark like the trailers had initially depicted him to be, I think he is one of the best villains in the Marvel universe.

The Best: There is a great central theme here of monsters; the monsters we create, the monsters we fear, and the monsters we become. It ties into nearly every major character in the movie and could have led to some really thought-provoking stuff.

The Worst: Way too much bloating. Thor's whole side thing is the worst one, but there's a lot that could have been cut from the movie to streamline it.

10. Iron Man 3 (2013)

This is probably a controversial one. A lot of people really dislike this movie because of the whole Mandarin twist and because Tony spends most of the movie out of his suit than it in. And yet, this is the point in the list that I would say quality goes from good to great, and Iron Man 3 is genuinely a great movie. It's very well directed and it's a great way to end the trilogy and Tony's character arc (until they decided to extend his arc a bit for Avengers 2, 2.5 and 3). And sure, it completely ruins the Mandarin, but guess what, the Mandarin never was a good villain to begin with and the twist throws off the audience in a good way. And also, anyone complaining that Tony didn't spend enough time in the Iron Man suit probably didn't get that that was the point of the whole movie. "I am Iron Man," anyone?

The Best: It's a great finisher to the Iron Man trilogy, building off the events of the first two Iron Man movies and The Avengers, and essentially completes Tony's character arc.

The Worst: Fairly lackluster third act, though I'd say its good action makes up for it, unlike the third act in Iron Man 2.

9. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Here's a good example of a movie that benefited a lot from its hype. Captain America: Civil War was described as the greatest comic book movie ever made when it was first released, with viewers describing it as basically perfect. And I never bought into this hype, and I was actually kind of disappointed with the movie. I think now that we've had two years to sober up, everyone's realized that the movie does have some big flaws--the Sokovia Accords was hyped up as a big deal when in reality that whole plot line was dropped halfway through, and there was no apparent consequence for either of Tony's or Cap's actions except Cap losing his shield and Rhodey being handicapped. However, I think the pros definitely outweigh the cons. The movie manages to be big without feeling bloated, there is fantastic action and introduction of new characters, and the characters are used very well while continuing their respective character arcs.

The Best: While hero vs. hero fighting in comics tend to come from very contrived circumstances, everyone's actions and motives feel believable (except Black Widow).

The Worst: The Sokovia Accords, which started as the basis for the two sides, was dropped in exchange for a fight over Bucky.

8. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Thanos talks a lot about balance and this movie follows his philosophy. There is a lot of good in this movie countered by quite a bit of bad. It feels a bit too bloated for its own good with lots of major characters pretty much getting shafted, and this is already with a 2 hour 40 minute runtime. There's a lot of action--a lot of really great action--but a lot of it doesn't feel quite as meaningful as it should be. Ultimately it feels like four different stories being stitched together and I think it's to the film's detriment, even if it's necessary for the type of movie that Infinity War is trying to be. And a really big blow to the movie is that I don't think it's very rewatchable. Sure, fans will want to watch it again after they see it (as I do), but how about a year from now? Five years from now? How willing are we to rewatch a nearly three hour movie with poor pacing that's mostly set-up for Avengers 4? (Read full review here)

The Best: Thanos is a great villain and a great protagonist. This movie does a lot to make him an understanding, if not sympathetic, villain.

The Worst: Pacing is pretty poor and it really doesn't feel like a complete story.

7. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

I've talked a lot about risks, but this is definitely one of the biggest in the MCU. There was a trend of dark and gritty superhero movies from 2012-2014 (The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, Chronicle, Man of Steel, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, The Wolverine, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, X-Men: Days of Future Past). And yet, here comes a superhero movie that's not afraid to be loud, crass, colorful, and fun. It has a ridiculous and original concept with wacky outer space nonsense and a rag-tag team of assholes that slowly begin to form a family. But what makes this movie great isn't how fun it is, it's how much heart it has. Of all the moments in the MCU, most people will cite the ending of Guardians as the most emotional--from "We are Groot" to the "take my hand" scene. It has a fantastic cast with a good soundtrack and nice, subtle themes about power in numbers.

The Best: It's not afraid to be in your face and really brought back fun to the superhero genre while also having a surprisingly emotional story underneath.

The Worst: Peter Quill's adorkable misogyny and childishness can rub people the wrong way, but this is honestly a bit of a nitpick.

6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Okay, this HAS to be an unpopular opinion. Yes, I admit I liked Guardians 2 more than I did the first one, but only slightly. Probably the best word I could use to describe the two movies is "daring". While the first movie dared to be fun and exciting during a time when everyone was trying so hard to be serious, Vol. 2 dared to be slow and contemplative when everyone was trying so hard to be exciting. In the same vein as The Empire Strikes Back, this sequel really is more of a character study, allowing our newly formed team to be isolated from one another and really evaluate and confront the traumas in their lives, all the while constantly bantering with each other for some really great comedy. Yondu and Rocket get a chance to complete their character arcs while Peter and Gamora's character tropes get deconstructed. Peter's misogynist and childish behavior--which we all loved in the first movie--gets directly called out as a flaw that he needs to grow out of, and Gamora's stone-cold badassery is shown to stem from an accurate reaction to an abusive childhood. So while it's definitely a slow movie, the character development is great, the visuals are fantastic, and the ending also gets to be surprisingly emotional yet again. (Read full review here)

The Best: Character development and growth much more impressive than what we'd typically see in superhero movies.

The Worst: It's a really slow movie that most audiences would find boring.

5. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

While most of the "great" movies in this series a great because they have some deeper message and themes, Thor: Ragnarok succeeds on a pure entertainment level. It's a buddy comedy more than anything, and it's a smash hit really embraces the weird and the wacky in the cosmos. Director Taika Waititi recognized Chris Hemsworth's natural charisma and comedic timing and really made the most of it in this movie, with the actors making several subtle and not-so-subtle references and jokes about their own characters, sometimes to the point of self-parody. As a result, we have a really fun romp that completely revitalizes Thor, Loki, and Hulk's characters while--like Guardians--not being afraid of having some serious moments when needed. (Read full review here)

The Best: Fun, colorful, and incredibly funny, one of the most purely entertaining movies in the franchise. (And the only good Thor movie)

The Worst: The comedy does make some events seem shallow, but who honestly really cares?

4. Iron Man (2008)

The one that started it all, Iron Man also stands out as one of the MCU's finest. It's one of the very best superhero origin movies and sets up Tony Stark as a really strong hero whose character arc and growth are both compelling and believable. It's very well directed, edited, and acted. Jon Favreau and Robert Downey, Jr. take what was previously a pretty boring B-hero from the comics (if you've never read an Iron Man comic before, yes he was a boring character) and turn him into an internationally recognized cultural icon. And I'm not ranking this movie this high because "without this one you wouldn't have any of the movies after" (I really hate that kind of excuse), but because it's a genuinely very well made, stand-alone movie.

The Best: Fantastic self-contained story with a compelling hero that elevates him far past his comic book counterpart.

The Worst: Third act is fairly forgettable, though its villain isn't as bad as some later villains.

3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Whereas Thor: Ragnarok is the film that made Thor a great action hero, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is what did that for Cap. The first Captain America movie managed to take a cookie cutter propaganda piece from the 40's and turn him into a compelling hero, but this movie manages to take him from his black-and-white setting and drops him into the morally gray modern world, where the distinction between good and evil are not so clear. This is also the first movie in the franchise that started the trend of overlapping genres; this isn't just a superhero movie, it's also a political thriller. It has great action, great themes, and great emotional resonance in terms of Cap's relationship with the titular Winter Soldier. It manages to clearly be a part of its trilogy while also being very distinct from both its predecessor and its successor.

The Best: Fantastic integration of Cap into the modern world as a truly great action hero.

The Worst: While HYDRA is the main villain, the central villain is really only present in one scene for a massive exposition dump that was easily the worst scene of the movie.

2. Black Panther (2018)

Yeah, you already knew this would be up there. Black Panther isn't a great movie just because of its (mostly) all-black cast, it's a great movie because of its fantastic themes, action, acting, visuals, and messages. It's a great movie because of what it did for the black community and for POC in general--a mainstream live action blockbuster featuring a hero and a cast of predominately POC whose ethnic heritage is the very centerpiece of the entire movie. This movie doesn't feature a black cast, it celebrates it. And that's not to mention how unique its setting is, how much care director Ryan Coogler put into every detail of the action and costume design and setpieces, or how wonderful a job the soundtrack does in mixing traditional African music with urban hip-hop. Oh, and who could forget Killmonger, who is an easy contender for best MCU villain of all time with barely half a movie's worth of screentime? (Read full review here)

The Best: Really great story with themes and messages that resonates with everyone in away that people who aren't fans of superheroes can easily enjoy this movie just as much as fans.

The Worst: I really wish Killmonger was here more, just because of how much I loved him.

1. The Avengers (2012)

The one that took the world by storm and completely changed the movie industry. It's easy for us to live in a post-Avengers world and look back at this movie forgetting just how much of a train wreck it could have been. How do you take four major characters from separate films and combine them all in a truly ensemble cast where each person has their own unique place on the team? How do you write the script well enough so that each of those characters feel distinctly themselves? How do you have a villain that can challenge all the heroes without needing a deus ex machine to be defeated? It all seemed impossible in 2012, yet The Avengers succeeded and then some.

What makes this movie so great is how well realized the characters are as well as how they interact with one another. Of course Tony would immediately be at ends with Captain America and immediately become best friends with Bruce Banner. Of course Hulk and Thor would duke it out and enjoy themselves while doing so. Of course Black Widow would be so deathly afraid of Hulk--her strength is manipulation and Hulk is the only one she can't talk her way through. Of course this group of remarkable people would fight amongst one another precisely because of how remarkable each one of them are, and of course when the world needed them most they would eventually learn to work together, playing off each other's strengths to form a team that is far greater that the sum of its parts. And that's not to mention how utterly fantastic the action choreography is in this movie. The entire third act forms a little mini-movie in itself with three acts of its own, all showing off how well the Avengers work with one another.

A lesser movie would have had Tony Stark be the main character while Captain America is nothing but a stiff and unlikeable straight man and the other heroes play a supporting role (see how the original X-Men treated Wolverine with Cyclops and their so-called "team").

A lesser movie would have had no meaningful or interesting interactions between the heroes, all the while leading up to an extremely underwhelming fight to stop the generic villain and their laser in the sky (see the Fantastic Four reboot and the Oscar award-winning Suicide Squad).

A lesser movie would have had the heroes come together for no real reason, with characters that are unfaithful to how they were previously presented, with powers that are mostly the same, with action that is poorly choreographed, with a story that is poorly constructed, with a terribly CGI'd villain that is incredibly disposable and means nothing to any of the characters (see Justice League).

But instead of all those, we got The Avengers--a team where all members are valued and useful and unique against a villain who is much, much more than any generic baddie. The Avengers is a movie that changed everything, and while other, lesser films fail to follow its footsteps, Marvel just makes it look all too easy.

The Best: Literally everything I just gushed about.

The Worst: The story itself is a bit shallow, but it never tried to be Shakespeare. Rather, it's a movie that leapt straight from comic books and into live action. It's a typical alien invasion movie where our heroes have to learn to be a team, but it does it very well. And besides, who really cares when you're too busy nerdgasming at everything on screen?