UPDATED: Ranking All MCU Films (Worst to Best)
There’s still one more MCU movie left for the year but after Avengers: Endgame, it feels like the perfect time to reflect on all that led up to this momentous occasion.
The consistent criticism of the MCU that I hear is that it’s like one long TV series. I don’t really see that as a negative but I do feel like we have come to a series finale of sorts. Which means it’s the perfect time to reevaluate how I feel about these 22 films and rank them from least favourite to favourite! Let’s see how this list has changed since I first ranked all the MCU films.
Film/Rank:
#22- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Why Though:
I think we’ve come far enough along to realize whatever merits this film posses are far outweighed by the overwhelming feeling that this movie doesn’t really count towards much. I don’t even think Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk has ever interacted with William Hurt’s Ross or even made mention of Liv Tyler’s Betty. So I’m pretty confident in putting this movie last for its lack of relevance and ability to keep Ed Norton in the MCU.
Film/Rank:
#21- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Why Though:
I think this movie has strong moments, but they’re all linked to Loki and as such I feel like Thor feels like one of the least interesting elements of this film, to say nothing of the villains. As you’ll see as this list goes on. I’m a big fan of Chris Hemsworth as Thor, I just feel like his trilogy mainly suffers from them not knowing how to tap into his full potential.
Film/Rank:
#20- Iron Man 2 (2010)
Why Though:
As a big War Machine fan, I can’t help but give this movie a boost since this is the movie that brings War Machine to life and brings Don Cheadle into the MCU! I also appreciated all the Sam Rockwell stuff. But I must admit that the movie suffers from trying to set up future films more than focusing on the great characters we fell in love with in the first film.
Film/Rank:
#19- Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)
Why Though:
A lot of what I don’t like about this movie is how little it digs into the eponymous characters. If you want more detail, you should listen to episode 71 of Spoiled Rotten. But yeah… it’s not a horrible film but it didn’t really deliver on the promise set up in Ant-Man.
Film/Rank:
#18- Thor (2011)
Why Though:
I think this movie fell apart for me when I realized that I wasn’t going to get to see Thor do anything cool for the majority of the film since he lost his mojo and his hammer when he was sent to Earth. Having said that, there are some nice moments and some cool world building in Asgard.
Film/Rank:
#17- Iron Man 3 (2013)
Why Though:
I think my appreciation for the Mandarin bait and switch may cloud my judgement on this film. It has a bunch of stuff I hate, like the hero fighting outside of his suit and playing War Machine/Iron Patriot like a joke but that TWIST THO! The fact that they were able to keep that from us all was pretty cool.
Film/Rank:
#16- Ant-Man (2015)
Why Though:
I truly appreciated how well this movie worked as a self contained story that didn’t force me to ask why didn’t any other avenger come in to help. In fact there was an Avenger cameo that made sense. This movie is lots of fun and made me genuinely excited to see future movies from this group of characters. Episode 7 of Spoiled Rotten will give you more insight into my thoughts on this movie, should you need it.
Film/Rank:
#15- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Why Though:
The first episode of Spoiled Rotten was about Age of Ultron. I will have to admit that I do change my mind quite a bit on this movie. I love the party scene where all the Avengers are hanging out, I do think the final fight with Ultron may go on a bit too long, but it sure is fun to see them all together and to get a preview of Andy Serkis’ Klaue.
Film/Rank:
#14- Doctor Strange (2016)
Why Though:
Much like Ant-Man, I appreciated this movie’s ability to draw me into its world and not have me wonder why other Avengers wouldn’t show up. It was a great starting point for a character I wasn’t that interested in seeing ever. Check out episode 35 of Spoiled Rotten for more of my thoughts on Doctor Strange!
Film/Rank:
#13- Captain Marvel (2019)
Why Though:
My opinions, from episode 83 of Spoiled Rotten, on this movie haven’t really changed. I feel like there were some really cool things done with how Carol’s past gets revealed and the Skrulls were really well executed. The main problem is it doesn’t feel like the directors and Marvel could were a great fit. The dramatic interpersonal work all sings while the cosmic adventure work feels underwhelming.
Film/Rank:
#12- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Why Though:
Despite my appreciation for Chris Evan’s work in Not Another Teen Movie, I was not up for Captain America no matter who played him. This movie did a great job of winning me over. Not only is Chris Evans amazing, but, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter and Tommy Lee Jones as so pissed off to be there but it still plays as game, are perfect additions. Cap and Peggy’s relationship and when Cap says that he just doesn’t like bullies no matter where they’re from are the keys to my appreciation of this movie.
Film/Rank:
#11- The Avengers (2012)
Why Though:
The fact that The Avengers didn’t make it into the top 10 only speaks to how much I loved what came after it. Also there may be some truth to what Paul said during Season 3 Episode 11 of Let’s Discuss Films. I’m not saying he’s right and I’m wrong, I just feel the truth about how good this movie is probably lies somewhere in the middle what Paul and I were arguing.
Film/Rank:
#10- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Why Though:
My feelings for this movie have only grown fonder for this movie since episode 49 of Spoiled Rotten. Tom Holland is the perfect Spider-Man and he’s got a great cast of supporting characters to help take the pressure off of him. Plus the Vulture is a great villain and I never thought I’d type that. No one can deny the car ride to homecoming dance.
Film/Rank:
#9- Iron Man (2008)
Why Though:
The movie that started it all. I was already an Iron Man (and War Machine fan) but this movie made Iron Man the character a house hold name. Robert Downey Jr. has had many great performances in and out of the MCU but this was his statement to the world that he (and by extension this whole cinematic universe) was a force to be reckoned with!
Film/Rank:
#8- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Why Though:
Guardians was another instance of me not wanting to like a Marvel property and then being completely won over. The cast is great, the music is dope and it is truly touching. I also appreciated the way they could create their own world to play in (much like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange) while still avoiding feeling superfluous.
Film/Rank:
#7- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Why Though:
Hate me if you want but I said it in episode 45 of Spoiled Rotten and I’ll say it to your face, Vol.2 goes deep on all the original characters and gives you a deeper appreciation of even henchmen like Kraglin. I am, granted, a sucker for father-son relationship exploration in movies, but I still feel like the emotional highs of this movie go harder than the emotional highs of the original. I also feel like people decided that because this movie wasn’t as surprising as the original that it automatically made Vol.2 a bad movie. But I don’t base my enjoyment of films on how much they surprise me.
Film/Rank:
#6- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Why Though:
This movie is growing on me and it’s already in the top 10. Who knows where this movie will land for me in a year. For now I feel like it’s a truly exciting and satisfying movie that suffers from a clunky ending that I wouldn’t know how to fix and some story telling devices that aren’t the clearest. Listen to episode 86 of Spoiled Rotten if you want to find out details. I figured I’d spare you the spoilers in this post, though.
Film/Rank:
#5- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Why Though:
The movie that finally knew what to do with Chris Hemsworth’s Thor! All of his charm, humour and ferocity was used perfectly. And yes, like I said in episode 57 of Spoiled Rotten, it is a comedy so the complaints about “too much humour” don’t really fly with me. Thor’s third film also works because it’s another case of a director, Taika Waititi to be exact, coming in and getting the freedom to flex their creative muscle within the confines of the Marvel way of filmmaking.
Film/Rank:
#4- Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014)
Why Though:
And the hits keep coming with Captain America. The first Russo Brothers film in the MCU showed that they knew how to fit perfectly within the Marvel approach to film making without feeling like the product of an assembly line. It features great material for Black Widow, Nick Fury, and of course Cap all while introducing Anthony Mackie as Falcon (who has truly grown on me) and reintroducing us to Bucky/The Winter Soldier. At the time I felt this was the closest MCU would get to Dark Knight levels of tone. With time I still love the movie but it does seem to lose steam at a certain point. Again, this is entry number 4 so I don’t really have anything horrible to say about this movie.
Film/Rank:
#3- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Why Though:
I like movies when heroes come together and it feels like a real event! That’s exactly what Infinity War is. I’m not convinced it’s a movie about Thanos as the hero. For one, at no point does Thanos evolve as a character, he wants to snap at the beginning of the movie and he wants to snap at the end of the movie… not really a hero’s journey. Anyway, the movie is great at rewarding true fans as well as being entertaining enough for people who only kind of like these movies. Listen to episode 66 of Spoiled Rotten for more of the nitty gritty of this movie.
Film/Rank:
#2- Black Panther (2018)
Why Though:
Oh boy what a time I’ve had trying to defend the fact that this movie was nominated for best film and why it’s more than just cool because it’s a movie starring black people. To say nothing about defending it against people who don’t understand Killmonger’s true intentions. The point is that this movie works as a great meditation on whether or not it’s responsible to uphold cultural norms no matter what even before you get into the amazing way many different types of people are represented on the screen. For my initial reaction to this movie listen to episode 61 of Spoiled Rotten!
Film/Rank:
#1- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Why Though:
A bunch of heroes assembling for an event? Check! The introductions of Black Panther and Spider-Man? Check! Iron Man giving one of the best line readings of “he killed my mom” ever? CHECK! This movie took a concept I wasn’t truly on board with, The Avengers fight each other philosophically and physically and turned into one of the most re-watchable movies ever. The fact that you can’t say for sure which side is right and which one is wrong is quite impressive. Find out how I really feel about this movie during episode 25 of Spoiled Rotten!
-YG