Ranking the Heroes of Infinity War (Worst to Best)
There has been a lot of talk about Thanos being the true protagonist of Avengers: Infinity War. If you have listened to Spoiled Rotten episode 66 then you know I think that's complete poppycock. As with most movies in the MCU, Infinity War celebrates its heroes... they just went up an actual formidable foe this time.
Don't worry, this post won't get into deaths, but moments of the movie will obviously be spoiled. With that said, let's get to it! I've already ranked the MCU movies worst to best so I figured I'd rank the heroes from those movies. In order from biggest disappointment to hero who kept it 100, this post will attempt to rank every hero in Infinity War!
Hero/Rank:
#24- VIsion
Best Moment:
I'm glad he was finally able to make a difference in this battle when he saved Captain America near the end.
The Down Side:
I get it. Vision is pretty powerful, you have to take him out of commison somehow, so he gets surprise attacked and is pretty much benched for most of the movie while other people try to decide what to do with him. Poor showing, ol' chap.
Hero/Rank:
#23- Nebula
Best Moment:
When she got free of that freaky torture chamber, that was pretty dope. Right?
The Down Side:
The more I find out about the storyline this movie is based on, the more I am at peace with how ineffectual Nebula is in this movie, especially coming off how interesting I thought her character became in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. However, she doesn't have much to do but be tortured and wait around on Titan with Tony.
Hero/Rank:
#22- Star-Lord/Peter Quill
Best Moment:
If we are talking about humour then everything to do with how Quill deals with Thor is great to me. I also like that he got in some nice action moments against Iron-Man and Thanos. He was funny in the way I like him to be, but he was able to hold his own in battle too.
The Down Side:
He wasn't able to check his temper though, was he? As Gillian and Pauline have both pointed out to me, in addition to probably everyone else who has seen this movie, each hero has to decide if they're really about that life when it comes to defeating Thanos. Peter is decidedly not about that life. He gets emotional and undoes his own plan to get the gauntlet off of Thanos. Boo!
Hero/Rank:
#21- Shuri
Best Moment:
When she schooled Bruce Banner on his own creation. Being able to asses what needed to be done with Vision while also getting into why there never needed to be an issue is the reason Shuri is one of the best black heroes and one of the best characters in the MCU! Plus she didn't go down without a fight when it came down to it!
The Down Side:
I hate to say all of that just to say, she didn't even get the job done! At one point during the fight she even admits she's barely started. It was disappointing to see Shuri not be able to deliver. I do feel like she may have a trick up her sleeve, though. It looked like she did something before she picked up her panther guns. But maybe that's just wishful thinking.
Hero/Rank:
#20- Hulk/Bruce Banner
Best Moment:
When Hulk comes for Thanos you know it's too early for a win but it does really seem like he's going to give the Mad Titan the business. As short lived as it is, it is a nice moment and entrance. Bruce Banner uses the hulk buster to actually beat one of the members of the black order. That felt like some welcome growth for Banner.
The Down Side:
Hulk gets dealt with in a pretty brutal way once Thanos decides he doesn't want to play with him anymore. I also felt like there needed to be some more clarity around why Hulk refused to come back out. I've read it was because he was tired of being used to fight, I felt like it was because he was scared of Thanos but it just led to the cartoonish scenes of Bruce trying to bring Hulk out and it always felt out of place for me.
Hero/Rank:
#19- Bucky (I Refuse to call him White Wolf)
Best Moment:
He sure shot a lot of people! I also really liked his interaction with Rocket. Them spinning around was a great visual.
The Down Side:
Now that he's not the Winter Soldier anymore, it seems like there isn't much to Bucky. He really just is a 100 year old man that's ready to do battle. I'm not hating, I just didn't think Bucky brought much to the table this time around.
Hero/Rank:
#18- Black Panther/T'Challa
Best Moment:
That scene where he's running and only Cap can keep up with him is a great visual. I also appreciate when he's fighting along Cap and using his purple pulse power (Look I'm not Shuri, I can't explain it properly).
The Down Side:
I mean... you guys know how I feel about Black Panther! And yet here he is. At the bottom of the barrel. To say nothing of how little time he has on screen, can we talk about the decision to harbour the stone Thanos was coming for and then let the bad guys in?
Hero/Rank:
#17- M'Baku
Best Moment:
I got to hear that chant again! The Jabari are all kinds of dope! You can listen to how much I appreciate how they enter scenes on episode 61 of Spoiled Rotten. But M'Baku was also able to call it. When he saw those monsters coming though the forcefield he knew it would be curtains for Wakanda as we know it. Yet and still, he stood his ground and fought the fight that needed fighting! He's a stand up dude!
The Down Side:
Like Bucky, M'Baku is an enemy turned friend that used to be a friend way back in the day. M'Baku and Bucky also have that unfortunate problem of not having much else to do but fight problem as well!
Hero/Rank:
#16- Groot
Best Moment:
When Groot does what a lot of these other heroes aren't willing to do and sacrifices for the greater good. Groot's arm being the handle for Thor's storm breaker is a nice touch and makes Teen Groot deeper than the one note joke he was threatening to be.
The Down Side:
There was always an overall endearing element to Groot in the Guardians movies, and yet in this movie he just seemed insufferable. I won't say that his kind gesture came out of nowhere though. It did seem like he liked Thor from jump, but still, he was a real brat for the majority of the movie!
Hero/Rank:
#15- Mantis
Best Moment:
When Mantis dropped down on Thanos as the final piece to the subdue and remove tactic on Titan I wanted to cheer. I kind of forgot she was able to put Ego to sleep Guardians 2 and there was a nice ah ha moment for me (sorry if you thought of it faster) when she came down from Doctor Strange's portal!
The Down Side:
I don't have much hate here. Mantis isn't a fighter though, so it's hard to get excited about her in a war setting. She had her one big moment and a couple of laughs and then had to fall back pretty much.
Hero/Rank:
#14- Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff
Best Moment:
Her early fight scenes in Scotland were dope actually. It was probably the best visual representation of what Scarlet Witch is all about. Plus she has her big moment when she finally enters the battle in Wakanda plus a nice closer to the trench battle with Proxima Midnight.
The Down Side:
I really don't care for how long it took her to agree to take out Vision's stone. I get why she hesitated, but it's clear that his list is about who was willing to do what needed to be done throughout the film. It doesn't help matters that I'm not in love with the character overall either.
Hero/Rank:
#13- Drax
Best Moment:
Drax is consistently funny, I'm obviously a fan of "Why is Gamora?" I also loved his reaction to Thor and how he let Star-Lord know that he needed to hit the gym again.
The Down Side:
Like his boy, Star-Lord, Drax wasn't willing to put his personal stuff to the side and tried to go at Thanos and endanger the mission. I'm also in the minority here but I'm not a fan of the invisible joke.
Hero/Rank:
#12- Falcon/Sam Wilson
Best Moment:
I have really grown to like Falcon. He's a true friend for Cap and he has some cool entrances into fights. You can't think of too many mistakes Falcon has made and he's no different in Infinity War! Sam Wilson gets the job done while staying loyal to those he considers friends.
The Down Side:
Falcon doesn't get many lines and thus doesn't really feel like he's making the biggest impact on the movie. Having said that, he doesn't make things worse for the heroes so there's that!
Hero/Rank:
#11- Wong
Best Moment:
Much like Falcon, Wong is down for the cause. He doesn't have much screen time, but het gets laughs and proves he can throw hands (and spells) when the Black Order touch down in New York. Plus, good on him for knowing there was no need for him to get on the spaceship too. Someone still needs to protect home base!
The Down Side:
Just not enough screen time.
Hero/Rank:
#10- War Machine/James Rhodes
Best Moment:
I haven't loved War Machine in the majority of films he's popped up in. He kind of feels like the butt of the joke most times. However, the excellent Don Cheadle gets a chance to shine threw this time as Rhodey when he makes Bruce bow to T'Challa and he stands up to Secretary of State Ross and finally gets on board with Cap and crew!
The Down Side:
Hero/Rank:
#9- Okoye
Best Moment:
I mean... Okoye just keeps getting better. Her team up with Black Widow and Scarlet Witch was dope! The way Okoye and Nat just knew what they had to do against Proxima Midnight was amazing! Everyone loves the withering look she gives Bruce Banner as he tries to operate the hulkbuster suit. And we can't forget the delivery of the question everyone must have been asking, "Why was she up there the whole time?"
The Down Side:
Not much really. She held it down as always, she just wasn't in a movie that wanted to dig deeper into the people of Wakanda!
Hero/Rank:
#8- Rocket Raccoon
Best Moment:
I'm a big Rocket fan! Sue me. I find his character so fascinating. He's angry at the world and yet so vulnerable. His immediate friendship with Thor was aces and the aforementioned moment with Bucky. My personal favourite, though, was when he decided to be a true captain and ask Thor if he was ready to get it popping with Thanos a second time. Once Thor has his emotional moment, Rocket stops me from tearing up too much by reminding everyone that he, himself, has a lot to lose... yikes foreshadowing...
The Down Side:
His storyline heavily involved jumpstarting a dying star... he could have got in on the fight much sooner if you ask me.
Hero/Rank:
#7- Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange
Best Moment:
Everything just got better for Doctor Strange. I really liked his movie even though I didn't expect to. He was definitely a welcome addition to Thor: Ragnarok and It was nice to see the progression of his wizardry throughout this movie. Anytime he was able to best Thanos, even if it was only ever for a short period time, was allllriiiight with me! Doctor Strange definitely factored into this movie way more than I thought he would even with the time stone.
The Down Side:
What was the plan, burh? Cause you're out here looking real goofy for giving up the stone.
Hero/Rank:
#6- Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff
Best Moment:
I'm also a big Black Widow fan. She hit a bit of a speed bump in Age of Ultron, but she's back on track. She consistently takes out the bad guys she needs to and even has some cold lines for Ross and Proxima that I truly enjoyed.
The Down Side:
I know this seems like I'm phoning it in but you can pretty much expect to see a version of "they just didn't have a lot of time on screen" in this section from now on.
Hero/Rank:
#5- Spider-Man/Peter Parker
Best Moment:
I didn't want to say it before for some reason, but Infinity War confirms that Tom Holland is the best Spider-Man. His final scene is defenitely his strongest, but Peter's ability to make decisions on the fly and actually help out with the much more experienced Iron Man and Doctor Strange makes him a key player in this movie!
The Down Side:
"I'm sorry..."
Hero/Rank:
#4- Captain America/Steve Rogers
Best Moment:
I didn't think I was going to like Captain America. But ever since 2011, Cap has proved to be one of the best characters in the MCU with the arguably the best offshoot of solo movies! Cap brings his "I could do this all day" attitude to the minimal screen time he gets. Even though it's in the trailers, I got excited when he showed up in Scotland and stepped out of the shadows. I wanted to cheer when he told Ross he wasn't here for forgiveness, and it was so dope watching him be the only one able to keep up with T'Challa during the charge in Wakanda. Plus check out that gif! Homeboy went toe to toe with Thanos!
The Down Side:
The Russos took Cap to the next level so it was a shame that on their third time with him they didn't give him a lot to do.
Hero/Rank:
#3- Gamora
Best Moment:
I have never liked Gamora. I didn't dislike her, but I just didn't think she was being used effectively. Even in the superior Guardians movie where everyone got character development, it seemed like Gamora was stuck in place. I say all that to say this: Gamora actually impressed me in Infinity War. She had moments of great pathos, it was great seeing her sing along to The Spinners and her work with Thanos was on point. I get that people think the love stuff with Quill is forced, but those people forget that the last time we saw them together was 4 years before Infinity War... tell me you don't believe those two have got to the love you more than anything else stage by now.
The Down Side:
I really didn't like her last moment with Thanos. It made her seem smug when she didn't have to be.
Hero/Rank:
#2- Thor
Best Moment:
I've always said Chris Hemsworth was a charming actor. Thor the character has always been great. He just had doo-doo movies (until Ragnarok!!!) Infinity War actually played like a sequel to Ragnarok, instead of Black Panther like everyone thought. I was happy to see Thor get a lot to do in this movie. He lost his people and went to work in order to take down Thanos. Plus he got to be funny with the Guardians!
The Down Side:
Look, I get it. He needed to tell Thanos to his face what the deal was but he definitely should have gone for the head!
Hero/Rank:
#1- Iron-Man/Tony Stark
Best Moment:
I went into the MCU thinking Iron Man would be the only appealing part of the Avengers and I'd just enjoy watching him deal with them. Over the years he's become kind of the bad guy. Not in this movie though. He's the only Avenger who doesn't back down to Thanos or do something selfish. He and Cap, actually, are the true leaders since they actually go toe to toe with Thanos and Tony doesn't even have his full armour at his disposal. Tony is actually willing to die to defend the time stone and just keeps coming for Thanos till he can't anymore. He's a real stand up guy in this movie... unless you ask Pepper.
The Down Side:
Miss me with that telegraphing of Pepper's pregnancy. Also it would have been nice if Tony and Steve spoke to each other in this movie. Why didn't he just call?!?!?!
-YG