Every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie ranked from Worst to Best
Every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie ranked from Worst to Best
Hello everybody, I am Santiago Brion and I will be ranking every single movie in the biggest franchise in the world, the Marvel cinematic Universe. A franchise spanning an entire decade, the MCU has given us great movies with memorable characters and it shows no signs of slowing down. There are minor spoilers in this blog spot, so... Spoiler alert. Alright, let's get to it.
23. Thor: The Dark World
Arguably the MCU's lowest point in the franchise, Thor: The Dark World is an unworthy follow-up to the debut feature of one Marvel Comic's iconic characters. For starters, the villain , Malekith the Dark Elf was so one-dimensional and Thor and Jane's relationship didn't have enough depth. Plus, Dr. Selvig had underwear for the entirety of the film and the film itself failed to have any comedic effect from The Avengers. It did however have impressive fighting sequences but for the most part, Thor: The Dark World is by all means not a great film. Fun fact, "Wonder Woman" Patty Jenkins was originally going to direct but she was replaced with Alan Taylor and "Malekith" actor, Christopher Eccleston and Idris Elba has since regretted being the movie.
22. Iron Man 2
Another unworthy follow-up to a great film, Iron Man 2 is the not only of the most underwhelming sequels of all time, but also one of the most disappointing movies of all time. There a few stand out moments like Tony fighting Whiplash on a racetrack, James Rhodes becoming War Machine and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow kicking ass. At that moment she instantly became a fan favorite. The reason why this movie is low is because well... there's no plot. It was just Tony getting drunk at a party while wearing the suit, Sam Rockwell being Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke being "that bird guy". All he cared about was that damn cockatoo. Like Christopher Eccleston he regrets playing the role of Ivan Vanko/Whiplash. He reportedly got into character before filming began and most of the footage of Vanko ended up on the cutting room floor.
21. Captain Marvel
Before you walk up to my house with pitchforks and torches, let me explain. You can blame the trolling but there was no denying that Carol Danvers was just soo bland and too over powerful to be a decent hero and it took forever for a Marvel movie to have a superhero be the female protagonist, yes, there was Elektra but not even going to bring that up. You'd think that Brie Larson would pull off this role after winning an Academy Award for her performance in Room. That being said, the movie had so-so visual effects, compelling backstory and a decent soundtrack consisting of mostly 90s hits. I loved that the VFX department managed to de-age Nick Fury so impressively and going into this film, I was really hoping to see how he lost his eye, turns out he lost an eye to a cat. I mean... a cat?!! Really?!! Yes, it was an alien cat but still! Why couldn't a Skrull do it?! Speaking of the Skrulls, Marvel Studios got the Skrulls kinda right, it's just that they weren't the bad guys in the movie like they were in the comics. But although we did find out more about how Nick Fury got the pacemaker from Danvers. Also, where was she when NewYork was under attack and Where was she when Ultron almost destroyed the world? This movie will never make sense to me at all and you all can hate me all you want for it. I don't care. Moving on.
20. The Incredible Hulk
The Black Sheep of the MCU, this movie was mediocre, boring. and it just wasn't unique. Although the movie have an awesome Tony Stark cameo at the end, I just didn't like this movie. Many people can be forgiven for forgetting that Edward Norton played the Hulk. It didn't even delve deep into Bruce Banner's backstory! Oh! And there was an even a hint of Samuel Sterns becoming one of the Hulk's many adversaries, Leader who we never got to see! This was just nothing more than a generic superhero blockbuster film which I'd rather forget.
19. Avengers: Age of Ultron
I'm not saying that this movie is bad, it's just that it was really boring and it didn't quite live up to its first Avengers movie. While James Spader brought Ultron to life perfectly and was also a great villain in the franchise(even if Tony hadn't created Ultron, The Avengers wouldn't be in this mess), the action sequences were all over the place. It did however introduced Scarlet Witch, Vision and Quicksilver(Who was only in this movie). Man, he was such a great character, I just wish that there was more of him. It also revealed that the stone in Loki's scepter is in fact an Infinity stone called the mind stone one of the many stones that will be used to wipe out the entire universe in its next Avengers movie and let's not forget that post-credits scene of Thanos the Infinity Gauntlet on and saying "Fine, I'll do it myself." So... awesome.
18. Iron Man 3
The last movie in the Iron Man trilogy, Tony Stark gets himself into the fight of his life when The Mandarin, the leader of a terrorist group called The Ten Rings commits atrocities across the United States. But... it's revealed that The Mandarin isn't real?!! WHAT?!! I was thinking "You're kidding, right?" So basically The Mandarin is actually an actor named um... Trevor? The real villain is actually Aldrich Killian who leads called AIM in which it experiments on humans who are used as a literal ticking time bombs. That's the worst plot twist that you can ever think of!! Imagine if Thanos was revealed be a tiny man controlling a body suit!!! Another thing was when Tony had a very dumb idea to reveal his home address to "The Mandarin"! Did he call for back-up? NO! Did he complete his new suit in time? NO! Did he get Pepper and his former lover out of his house? NO! He may be a billionaire genius inventor, but he's definitely not immune to idiocy. Speaking of his new suit, he didn't really wear his own Iron suit, he just controlled it remotely, when he did have it on it wasn't completed and why did he summon all of his iron suits when they were going to break anyway? The climax was admittedly great, but it could've been better if Tony had his suit on! It did have redeeming qualities, I just wish that it could've been a better movie.
17. Thor
Ok, at the time, Thor was indeed a great film because it finally introduced the Norse God of Thunder to the big screen and Tom Hiddleston brilliantly brought Loki, the God of Mischief to the big screen. That being sad, looking back on it now there were a lot of problems with this movie, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster wasn't very interesting and was nothing more than plot device to drive the story forward as for Chris Hemsworth, he makes basically makes you believe that he's a real Demi-god! Seriously, Natalie Portman should stay away from Sci-Fi Fantasies. While the filmmakers did bring Asgard to life, the movie was too Shakespearean for its own good.
16. Ant-Man
First of all, I think this movie is great, I just I didn't have to rank it so low! It's funny, entertaining and so much fun! Kudos to Paul Rudd, I love this man with every fiber of my being! Director Payton Reed impressively brought small-scale action to the big screen so impressively and he later outdone it with its sequel, Ant-Man & the Wasp. The only big con is the villain, I don't even remember his name? Someone would ask me "Hey, who was that villain in Ant-Man?" and I would answer "I don't know that guy who dressed up like a hornet." I also really loved Luis. Someone should call Marvel Studios and pitch 'em an idea for a stand-alone spin-off movie/tv series. I'm wondering how the Edgar Wright's Ant-Man movie could've been like, it would've been such an awesome and completely different movie.
15. Doctor Strange
The first live-action debut of Doctor Strange, this movie was so visually stunning and it was that moment that the Marvel Cinematic Universe continued to expand. Benedict Cumberbatch was born to play the Sorcerer Supreme (Where my Cumberbitches at?!!) I've ranked it at Number 15 because well... the whole mystical stuff was confusing, there was that whole Tibetan controversy of Tilda Swinton playing an Asian character called The Ancient One. Admittedly, she was good in that but I just can't overlook that fact and Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius was a very underwhelming villain, Dormammu should've had more screen time! Fun fact, he was voiced by Cumberbatch himself, originally it was Tony Todd who voiced Dormammu but ultimately, the studio chose Cumberbatch instead. I can't wait for its sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multi-verse of Madness which will be directed by Sam Raimi.
14. Ant-Man & the Wasp
The sequel to 2015's Ant-Man and taking place after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Scott, Hope and Hank all reunite and team up to open the portal to the Quantum Realm to save Hope van Dynn, Hope's mother and Hank's wife. The movie ups to ante on its predecessor and has its same level of humor. After the release of Infinity War, this was a much-needed movie to take off my mind of what I witnessed. Granted, a lot of people say that it's a forgettable movie with no substance, but come on, this was actually good! I enjoyed it.
13. Captain America: The First Avenger
The movie that came a year before The Avengers, Captain America: The First Avengers to one of Marvel's most iconic superheroes. Chris Evans needed to prove that he was the perfect choice to play Captain America and he did just that. This is the story of an ordinary guy named Steve Rogers who gets enlisted to fight in WWII and gets chosen to be in an experiment to become a super soldier. This was a superhero origin story movie done right which ended with shared universe building. Hugo Weaving's take on Red Skull was brought to life beautifully and it was only a matter of time until he appeared again on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame only this time he was play by Ross Marquand. Although with most people and say that the sequels, The Winter Soldier and Civil War were so much better.
12. Black Panther
One of the best movies of the MCU, Black Panther was not only a Superhero movie, but it was a indeed A MOVIE. Directed by Ryan Coogler, it tells of T'Challa, the king of a hidden city in Africa who faces his worst enemy, Erik Killmonger and gets tested when he's drawn in to a conflict that puts his country and the entire world at risk. His third collaboration with Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan stole the show as Killmonger. Not only was he a great MCU villain, he was a tragic figure who lost everything when he was only a child and had no one to look out for him and grew up to become something worse and I loved Letitia Wright as T'Challa's sister, Shuri. It became the first movie to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and the first to win 3 Oscars (Best Costume Design, Best Original Score for Ludwig Goransson and Best Production Design). It proved that a superhero movie consisting of African-American actors can be successful and it did just that and a cultural moment in American black history. It also reflected on real world issues like racism, power structures, violent masculinities, tradition vs. change, the absence of fathers and conflicting identities. I didn't real like the CGI in this movie particularly the CGI rhino and T'Challa & Killmongers last fight. Above all though, this movie is still so brilliant and I can't wait for Black Panther 2 with Ryan Cooler returning as Director.
11. The Avengers
The idea of a superhero crossover movie was unheard of. As Phase 1 of the MCU began to conclude, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Hulk teamed up to stop Loki and his army of an alien race called the Chitauri in New York City. Joss Whedon brought all of the superheroes together in arguably one of the biggest movie events of the decade. With two new people added to the cast including Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk(He's the best Bruce Banner/Hulk fight me, I dare you.) and Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye. I literally grew up waiting to watch a movie like this and I'm glad that I did and It'll never stop being funny. Tony's first encounter with Thor and Hulk dragging and bashing like a rag doll was pure comedic gold. It also teased the big bad of the entire franchise, Thanos and I waited for 6 years for them to fight Thanos and Marvel thankfully accomplished that with a satisfying pay-off.
10. Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy are basically my favorite comic book team! Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot. I can't even pick who my favorite member is. This was also a team that I never even heard of and I didn't even know that this was an MCU movie cause I didn't quite see the connections at first but watching it again, I saw them all very clearly. This movie was so funny and a surprisingly good time and it also had arguably the greatest movie soundtrack all time! Director James Gunn took a big risk by bringing an unknown Marvel Comics superhero team to the big screen and it payed off big time. I wasn't even ready for that depressing opening of a young Peter Quill watching his mother die from cancer. I didn't even know that Chris Pratt would make a great Star-Lord, he went from playing that guy from Parks & Recreation to playing freaking Star-Lord! I also didn't know who Dave Bautista was at that time, but now I do. One thing I didn't like was Ronan the Accuser, he was just not that great a villain and was basically more of a whiny and bratty teenager. Overall, this movie is still amazing and I'd watch it again and again.
9. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
If I had to pick which movie was better, I'd have to say they're both equally impressive movies and there's really no contest. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand, Peter Quill/Star-Lord and the other Guardians travel beyond the cosmos and encounter Peter's father, Ego played by Kurt Russell respectively. I don't really get why Peter's father had to be changed to a different character, really, I don't. In the comics, his dad is J'Son, the King of Spartax, one of the members of the Galactic council to who declared Earth to be off-limits to extraterrestrial interaction. He has persuaded Peter to join with the Spartoi soldiers to liberate Earth and eventually the Spartoi turn against J'Son and he flees. I kinda wish that we could've seen that in the big screen but in the end, I still enjoyed this movie. It upped the ante on its humor and intergalactic action sequences and it had surprising character development of both Nebula and Yondu. If you didn't cry when Yondu sacrificed himself then you're not even human! It also had one of the best reveals in any comic book movie. Turns out that Yondu was supposed to send Peter to Ego so that he use him to expand his life essence on all planets but instead Yondu protected Peter and looked out for him like he was his own son (well... he had a funny way of showing it). I can't wait for Vol. 3.
8. Spider-Man: Homecoming
This is the best live-action Spider-Man film ever! I don't care what anyone says! Tom Holland is the best Spider-Man and you can't tell me otherwise. It's amazing. After Peter Parker/Spider-Man's debut in the MCU, he got his own stand-alone film with no origin story but instead takes place after the events of Civil War. This was also basically Iron Man 4 with Peter Parker taking center stage and Tony Stark becoming his mentor. As Peter Parker adjusts his High School experience with superhero stuff he comes face to face with a thief who wears a bird-suit. To me, I don't think Adrian Toomes was a bad guy he committed these crimes to provide for his wife and daughter. Speaking of his daughter... I didn't expect Liz to be The Vulture's daughter! Wow... I didn't see that coming. I don't really expect Liz's return only because the actress who played her, Laura Harrier is now 30 years old and is basically now too old to play a teenager. Not only was this a great Spider-Man movie but it was also a great coming-of-age story with the feel of a John Hughes movie. For those of you who don't know who John Hughes is, well... he gave us Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles all of them are iconic 1980s classics. This is another movie that I would love to rewatch many times.
7. Spider-Man: Far from Home
Another great live-action Spider-Man film and the best Spider-Man sequel since Spider-Man 2, this movie exceeded my expectations! I knew that Mystery was the villain because of the comics but the reveal that everything about Quentin Beck was all fake was still surprising and Jake Gyllenhaal gave one of his best performances ever! If you really want to see him at his absolute best, check out Nightcrawler, Enemy and Zodiac. I didn't even know that this film took place after Endgame before watching its second trailer. It had hilarious moments like when Peter almost killed Brad, Brad catching Peter unchanging and Aunt May calling Peter's spider-sense his "Peter tinkle". It was also a great epilogue to the Infinity Saga and focused on the legacy of Tony Stark/Iron Man. Let's not forget that mid-credits scene. OH MY GOD! Didn't see that coming at all! I'm really hoping that Peter can recover from all of the New York residents have witnessed and to clear his name in its third film. I was also hoping for a Tobey Maguire cameo.
6. Thor: Ragnarok
Love it or hate it, this was a Thor movie and a Hulk movie done right. The moment that Taika Waititi was announced as a director, I knew that this movie was going to be something special. It was endlessly funny and glorious. Cate Blanchett as Hela, the Goddess of death was the perfect Thor villain, Tessa Thompson was a great new addition to its Marvel ensemble and I really just love Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster. Can we get a mockumentary-style Grandmaster tv show on Disney+ helmed by Waititi? I would also love a Korg & Miek TV show! Please and thanks. That's all I ask. Also that Thor and Hulk fight? Pure cinema gold right there. A lot of people say that it's too silly (including my parents, sorry.) but this was better than its previous films and I wouldn't have it any other way.
5. Iron Man
The first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man opened a door for numerous possiblitities of shared-movie universes. After multiple run-ins with the law and multiple stints in rehab, Robert Downey Jr. needed a movie to get his career back on track and so he accepted the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man and he was undeniably perfect. From the opening scene all the way to its last scene, RDJ regained his status as an A-Lister simply with this iconic role. After the mid-credits roll, we see Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury tell Tony "I need to talk you about the Avengers Initiative". The MCU is known for its credits scene and this was arguably its best due to the teasing of the first Avengers movie and more movies to come.
4. Avengers: Infinity War
The biggest crossover event in history consisting of both The Avengers and The Guardians of the Galaxy and a movie that I was waiting for since Middle School! It had all 3 storylines combined into one movie which was rarely done in Superhero movies. It finally introduced Thanos to the big screen played to brilliant effect by Josh Brolin. Not only is Thanos the best villain of the MCU, but was also one of the best characters in any superhero movie. It was excellent, it had funny moments and a gut wrenching ending. As soon as the movie began I knew that this wasn't going to end well for all of the heroes. I had to wait an entire year for Endgame, at the time it was "Avengers 4". Even after two years, Spider-Man crumbling into dust into Tony's arms still gets me every time, I felt empty when Vision died twice, and I really didn't expect Gamora to die. If Star-Lord hadn't repeatedly hit Thanos while he was subdued, half of all life would still exist(I could say the same thing about Thor not going for the head or arm.) Ok, if it was my girlfriend I'd be pissed too but I would hold onto my rage after the gauntlet was removed. Would still love to experience this movie again even if it'll cost me more heartache.
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Arguably better than The First Avenger, Steve Rogers faces his greatest enemy yet Hydra and The Winter Soldier who is revealed none other to be his old pal, Bucky Barnes. It introduced the character of Sam Wilson/Falcon who would later take up the mantle of Captain America. The fact that Hydra hid in plain sight for so long took me off guard. It perfectly blended the superhero movie genre with old school espionage which reflects on the recent event of the actions of Edward Snowden at the time and the days of the Watergate scandal. It all culminates in an emotional climactic fight between Steve and Bucky.
2. Avengers: Endgame
After 22 films and 10 years in production, the conclusion to the Infinity Saga was nothing short of brilliant! With a perfect runtime of 3 hours and 2 minutes, this was the perfect way to end an era of spectacular movies in its entire franchise. After the devastating events of Infinity War, our heroes come up with a plan to undo The Snap. It even opened with Barton's family being snapped from existence. There were a lot of great moments that I loved! Hulk taking the stairs, everyone coming back to join the remaining heroes in the final battle, the talking Time Travel scene, Thor's umm... appearance, Professor Hulk, testing out the time machine, Korg & Miek playing Fortnite, Scott reuniting with his daughter Cassie, and of course Tony sacrificing his life to save the universe just name a few. I knew Tony had to do what he needed to do somehow because he finally found closure with his father and the fact that he figured out the Time Travel formula and knew that needed to be saved at the cost of his own life. I just love this movie soo much and I still can't believe that it's all over.
1. Captain America: Civil War
Also known as Avengers 2.5, Captain America: Civil War is the one of the Greatest Superhero movies of all time and the movie that peaked in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The thing I love most more than Superheroes vs. Villains is Superheroes vs. Superheroes. After The Avengers are given the Sokovia Accords, the group is split down the middle of whether or not to work for the government or do things their own way. Steve chooses to do superhero stuff his way while Tony goes to work for the government. After Bucky's framed for a terrorist attack that kills T'Challa's dad, it drives a wedge between Steve and Tony and every hero is at odds with each other it all leads up to the biggest superhero vs. superhero fight in movie history. I picked this movie as a number one pick because there are rarely live-action superhero vs. superhero movies and this was done perfectly and surprisingly right (Btw, I was Team Cap) the Airport fight was so brilliant due to its impressive fight choreography and the first appearance of Spider-Man in the MCU. The best moment however is the reveal that Bucky killed Tony's parents under Hydra's control and it really did surprise and I can't stop talking about it. Would love to experience the "Civil War" again.
Ok, that's my ranking. What'd you guys think? Be sure to comment below what your favorite MCU movie is and thanks for reading.
PEACE OUT!✌🏻
Hello everybody, I am Santiago Brion and I will be ranking every single movie in the biggest franchise in the world, the Marvel cinematic Universe. A franchise spanning an entire decade, the MCU has given us great movies with memorable characters and it shows no signs of slowing down. There are minor spoilers in this blog spot, so... Spoiler alert. Alright, let's get to it.
23. Thor: The Dark World
Arguably the MCU's lowest point in the franchise, Thor: The Dark World is an unworthy follow-up to the debut feature of one Marvel Comic's iconic characters. For starters, the villain , Malekith the Dark Elf was so one-dimensional and Thor and Jane's relationship didn't have enough depth. Plus, Dr. Selvig had underwear for the entirety of the film and the film itself failed to have any comedic effect from The Avengers. It did however have impressive fighting sequences but for the most part, Thor: The Dark World is by all means not a great film. Fun fact, "Wonder Woman" Patty Jenkins was originally going to direct but she was replaced with Alan Taylor and "Malekith" actor, Christopher Eccleston and Idris Elba has since regretted being the movie.
22. Iron Man 2
Another unworthy follow-up to a great film, Iron Man 2 is the not only of the most underwhelming sequels of all time, but also one of the most disappointing movies of all time. There a few stand out moments like Tony fighting Whiplash on a racetrack, James Rhodes becoming War Machine and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow kicking ass. At that moment she instantly became a fan favorite. The reason why this movie is low is because well... there's no plot. It was just Tony getting drunk at a party while wearing the suit, Sam Rockwell being Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke being "that bird guy". All he cared about was that damn cockatoo. Like Christopher Eccleston he regrets playing the role of Ivan Vanko/Whiplash. He reportedly got into character before filming began and most of the footage of Vanko ended up on the cutting room floor.
21. Captain Marvel
Before you walk up to my house with pitchforks and torches, let me explain. You can blame the trolling but there was no denying that Carol Danvers was just soo bland and too over powerful to be a decent hero and it took forever for a Marvel movie to have a superhero be the female protagonist, yes, there was Elektra but not even going to bring that up. You'd think that Brie Larson would pull off this role after winning an Academy Award for her performance in Room. That being said, the movie had so-so visual effects, compelling backstory and a decent soundtrack consisting of mostly 90s hits. I loved that the VFX department managed to de-age Nick Fury so impressively and going into this film, I was really hoping to see how he lost his eye, turns out he lost an eye to a cat. I mean... a cat?!! Really?!! Yes, it was an alien cat but still! Why couldn't a Skrull do it?! Speaking of the Skrulls, Marvel Studios got the Skrulls kinda right, it's just that they weren't the bad guys in the movie like they were in the comics. But although we did find out more about how Nick Fury got the pacemaker from Danvers. Also, where was she when NewYork was under attack and Where was she when Ultron almost destroyed the world? This movie will never make sense to me at all and you all can hate me all you want for it. I don't care. Moving on.
20. The Incredible Hulk
The Black Sheep of the MCU, this movie was mediocre, boring. and it just wasn't unique. Although the movie have an awesome Tony Stark cameo at the end, I just didn't like this movie. Many people can be forgiven for forgetting that Edward Norton played the Hulk. It didn't even delve deep into Bruce Banner's backstory! Oh! And there was an even a hint of Samuel Sterns becoming one of the Hulk's many adversaries, Leader who we never got to see! This was just nothing more than a generic superhero blockbuster film which I'd rather forget.
19. Avengers: Age of Ultron
I'm not saying that this movie is bad, it's just that it was really boring and it didn't quite live up to its first Avengers movie. While James Spader brought Ultron to life perfectly and was also a great villain in the franchise(even if Tony hadn't created Ultron, The Avengers wouldn't be in this mess), the action sequences were all over the place. It did however introduced Scarlet Witch, Vision and Quicksilver(Who was only in this movie). Man, he was such a great character, I just wish that there was more of him. It also revealed that the stone in Loki's scepter is in fact an Infinity stone called the mind stone one of the many stones that will be used to wipe out the entire universe in its next Avengers movie and let's not forget that post-credits scene of Thanos the Infinity Gauntlet on and saying "Fine, I'll do it myself." So... awesome.
18. Iron Man 3
The last movie in the Iron Man trilogy, Tony Stark gets himself into the fight of his life when The Mandarin, the leader of a terrorist group called The Ten Rings commits atrocities across the United States. But... it's revealed that The Mandarin isn't real?!! WHAT?!! I was thinking "You're kidding, right?" So basically The Mandarin is actually an actor named um... Trevor? The real villain is actually Aldrich Killian who leads called AIM in which it experiments on humans who are used as a literal ticking time bombs. That's the worst plot twist that you can ever think of!! Imagine if Thanos was revealed be a tiny man controlling a body suit!!! Another thing was when Tony had a very dumb idea to reveal his home address to "The Mandarin"! Did he call for back-up? NO! Did he complete his new suit in time? NO! Did he get Pepper and his former lover out of his house? NO! He may be a billionaire genius inventor, but he's definitely not immune to idiocy. Speaking of his new suit, he didn't really wear his own Iron suit, he just controlled it remotely, when he did have it on it wasn't completed and why did he summon all of his iron suits when they were going to break anyway? The climax was admittedly great, but it could've been better if Tony had his suit on! It did have redeeming qualities, I just wish that it could've been a better movie.
17. Thor
Ok, at the time, Thor was indeed a great film because it finally introduced the Norse God of Thunder to the big screen and Tom Hiddleston brilliantly brought Loki, the God of Mischief to the big screen. That being sad, looking back on it now there were a lot of problems with this movie, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster wasn't very interesting and was nothing more than plot device to drive the story forward as for Chris Hemsworth, he makes basically makes you believe that he's a real Demi-god! Seriously, Natalie Portman should stay away from Sci-Fi Fantasies. While the filmmakers did bring Asgard to life, the movie was too Shakespearean for its own good.
16. Ant-Man
First of all, I think this movie is great, I just I didn't have to rank it so low! It's funny, entertaining and so much fun! Kudos to Paul Rudd, I love this man with every fiber of my being! Director Payton Reed impressively brought small-scale action to the big screen so impressively and he later outdone it with its sequel, Ant-Man & the Wasp. The only big con is the villain, I don't even remember his name? Someone would ask me "Hey, who was that villain in Ant-Man?" and I would answer "I don't know that guy who dressed up like a hornet." I also really loved Luis. Someone should call Marvel Studios and pitch 'em an idea for a stand-alone spin-off movie/tv series. I'm wondering how the Edgar Wright's Ant-Man movie could've been like, it would've been such an awesome and completely different movie.
15. Doctor Strange
The first live-action debut of Doctor Strange, this movie was so visually stunning and it was that moment that the Marvel Cinematic Universe continued to expand. Benedict Cumberbatch was born to play the Sorcerer Supreme (Where my Cumberbitches at?!!) I've ranked it at Number 15 because well... the whole mystical stuff was confusing, there was that whole Tibetan controversy of Tilda Swinton playing an Asian character called The Ancient One. Admittedly, she was good in that but I just can't overlook that fact and Mads Mikkelsen as Kaecilius was a very underwhelming villain, Dormammu should've had more screen time! Fun fact, he was voiced by Cumberbatch himself, originally it was Tony Todd who voiced Dormammu but ultimately, the studio chose Cumberbatch instead. I can't wait for its sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multi-verse of Madness which will be directed by Sam Raimi.
14. Ant-Man & the Wasp
The sequel to 2015's Ant-Man and taking place after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Scott, Hope and Hank all reunite and team up to open the portal to the Quantum Realm to save Hope van Dynn, Hope's mother and Hank's wife. The movie ups to ante on its predecessor and has its same level of humor. After the release of Infinity War, this was a much-needed movie to take off my mind of what I witnessed. Granted, a lot of people say that it's a forgettable movie with no substance, but come on, this was actually good! I enjoyed it.
13. Captain America: The First Avenger
The movie that came a year before The Avengers, Captain America: The First Avengers to one of Marvel's most iconic superheroes. Chris Evans needed to prove that he was the perfect choice to play Captain America and he did just that. This is the story of an ordinary guy named Steve Rogers who gets enlisted to fight in WWII and gets chosen to be in an experiment to become a super soldier. This was a superhero origin story movie done right which ended with shared universe building. Hugo Weaving's take on Red Skull was brought to life beautifully and it was only a matter of time until he appeared again on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame only this time he was play by Ross Marquand. Although with most people and say that the sequels, The Winter Soldier and Civil War were so much better.
12. Black Panther
One of the best movies of the MCU, Black Panther was not only a Superhero movie, but it was a indeed A MOVIE. Directed by Ryan Coogler, it tells of T'Challa, the king of a hidden city in Africa who faces his worst enemy, Erik Killmonger and gets tested when he's drawn in to a conflict that puts his country and the entire world at risk. His third collaboration with Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan stole the show as Killmonger. Not only was he a great MCU villain, he was a tragic figure who lost everything when he was only a child and had no one to look out for him and grew up to become something worse and I loved Letitia Wright as T'Challa's sister, Shuri. It became the first movie to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and the first to win 3 Oscars (Best Costume Design, Best Original Score for Ludwig Goransson and Best Production Design). It proved that a superhero movie consisting of African-American actors can be successful and it did just that and a cultural moment in American black history. It also reflected on real world issues like racism, power structures, violent masculinities, tradition vs. change, the absence of fathers and conflicting identities. I didn't real like the CGI in this movie particularly the CGI rhino and T'Challa & Killmongers last fight. Above all though, this movie is still so brilliant and I can't wait for Black Panther 2 with Ryan Cooler returning as Director.
11. The Avengers
The idea of a superhero crossover movie was unheard of. As Phase 1 of the MCU began to conclude, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Hulk teamed up to stop Loki and his army of an alien race called the Chitauri in New York City. Joss Whedon brought all of the superheroes together in arguably one of the biggest movie events of the decade. With two new people added to the cast including Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk(He's the best Bruce Banner/Hulk fight me, I dare you.) and Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye. I literally grew up waiting to watch a movie like this and I'm glad that I did and It'll never stop being funny. Tony's first encounter with Thor and Hulk dragging and bashing like a rag doll was pure comedic gold. It also teased the big bad of the entire franchise, Thanos and I waited for 6 years for them to fight Thanos and Marvel thankfully accomplished that with a satisfying pay-off.
10. Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy are basically my favorite comic book team! Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot. I can't even pick who my favorite member is. This was also a team that I never even heard of and I didn't even know that this was an MCU movie cause I didn't quite see the connections at first but watching it again, I saw them all very clearly. This movie was so funny and a surprisingly good time and it also had arguably the greatest movie soundtrack all time! Director James Gunn took a big risk by bringing an unknown Marvel Comics superhero team to the big screen and it payed off big time. I wasn't even ready for that depressing opening of a young Peter Quill watching his mother die from cancer. I didn't even know that Chris Pratt would make a great Star-Lord, he went from playing that guy from Parks & Recreation to playing freaking Star-Lord! I also didn't know who Dave Bautista was at that time, but now I do. One thing I didn't like was Ronan the Accuser, he was just not that great a villain and was basically more of a whiny and bratty teenager. Overall, this movie is still amazing and I'd watch it again and again.
9. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
If I had to pick which movie was better, I'd have to say they're both equally impressive movies and there's really no contest. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand, Peter Quill/Star-Lord and the other Guardians travel beyond the cosmos and encounter Peter's father, Ego played by Kurt Russell respectively. I don't really get why Peter's father had to be changed to a different character, really, I don't. In the comics, his dad is J'Son, the King of Spartax, one of the members of the Galactic council to who declared Earth to be off-limits to extraterrestrial interaction. He has persuaded Peter to join with the Spartoi soldiers to liberate Earth and eventually the Spartoi turn against J'Son and he flees. I kinda wish that we could've seen that in the big screen but in the end, I still enjoyed this movie. It upped the ante on its humor and intergalactic action sequences and it had surprising character development of both Nebula and Yondu. If you didn't cry when Yondu sacrificed himself then you're not even human! It also had one of the best reveals in any comic book movie. Turns out that Yondu was supposed to send Peter to Ego so that he use him to expand his life essence on all planets but instead Yondu protected Peter and looked out for him like he was his own son (well... he had a funny way of showing it). I can't wait for Vol. 3.
8. Spider-Man: Homecoming
This is the best live-action Spider-Man film ever! I don't care what anyone says! Tom Holland is the best Spider-Man and you can't tell me otherwise. It's amazing. After Peter Parker/Spider-Man's debut in the MCU, he got his own stand-alone film with no origin story but instead takes place after the events of Civil War. This was also basically Iron Man 4 with Peter Parker taking center stage and Tony Stark becoming his mentor. As Peter Parker adjusts his High School experience with superhero stuff he comes face to face with a thief who wears a bird-suit. To me, I don't think Adrian Toomes was a bad guy he committed these crimes to provide for his wife and daughter. Speaking of his daughter... I didn't expect Liz to be The Vulture's daughter! Wow... I didn't see that coming. I don't really expect Liz's return only because the actress who played her, Laura Harrier is now 30 years old and is basically now too old to play a teenager. Not only was this a great Spider-Man movie but it was also a great coming-of-age story with the feel of a John Hughes movie. For those of you who don't know who John Hughes is, well... he gave us Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles all of them are iconic 1980s classics. This is another movie that I would love to rewatch many times.
7. Spider-Man: Far from Home
Another great live-action Spider-Man film and the best Spider-Man sequel since Spider-Man 2, this movie exceeded my expectations! I knew that Mystery was the villain because of the comics but the reveal that everything about Quentin Beck was all fake was still surprising and Jake Gyllenhaal gave one of his best performances ever! If you really want to see him at his absolute best, check out Nightcrawler, Enemy and Zodiac. I didn't even know that this film took place after Endgame before watching its second trailer. It had hilarious moments like when Peter almost killed Brad, Brad catching Peter unchanging and Aunt May calling Peter's spider-sense his "Peter tinkle". It was also a great epilogue to the Infinity Saga and focused on the legacy of Tony Stark/Iron Man. Let's not forget that mid-credits scene. OH MY GOD! Didn't see that coming at all! I'm really hoping that Peter can recover from all of the New York residents have witnessed and to clear his name in its third film. I was also hoping for a Tobey Maguire cameo.
6. Thor: Ragnarok
Love it or hate it, this was a Thor movie and a Hulk movie done right. The moment that Taika Waititi was announced as a director, I knew that this movie was going to be something special. It was endlessly funny and glorious. Cate Blanchett as Hela, the Goddess of death was the perfect Thor villain, Tessa Thompson was a great new addition to its Marvel ensemble and I really just love Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster. Can we get a mockumentary-style Grandmaster tv show on Disney+ helmed by Waititi? I would also love a Korg & Miek TV show! Please and thanks. That's all I ask. Also that Thor and Hulk fight? Pure cinema gold right there. A lot of people say that it's too silly (including my parents, sorry.) but this was better than its previous films and I wouldn't have it any other way.
5. Iron Man
The first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man opened a door for numerous possiblitities of shared-movie universes. After multiple run-ins with the law and multiple stints in rehab, Robert Downey Jr. needed a movie to get his career back on track and so he accepted the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man and he was undeniably perfect. From the opening scene all the way to its last scene, RDJ regained his status as an A-Lister simply with this iconic role. After the mid-credits roll, we see Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury tell Tony "I need to talk you about the Avengers Initiative". The MCU is known for its credits scene and this was arguably its best due to the teasing of the first Avengers movie and more movies to come.
4. Avengers: Infinity War
The biggest crossover event in history consisting of both The Avengers and The Guardians of the Galaxy and a movie that I was waiting for since Middle School! It had all 3 storylines combined into one movie which was rarely done in Superhero movies. It finally introduced Thanos to the big screen played to brilliant effect by Josh Brolin. Not only is Thanos the best villain of the MCU, but was also one of the best characters in any superhero movie. It was excellent, it had funny moments and a gut wrenching ending. As soon as the movie began I knew that this wasn't going to end well for all of the heroes. I had to wait an entire year for Endgame, at the time it was "Avengers 4". Even after two years, Spider-Man crumbling into dust into Tony's arms still gets me every time, I felt empty when Vision died twice, and I really didn't expect Gamora to die. If Star-Lord hadn't repeatedly hit Thanos while he was subdued, half of all life would still exist(I could say the same thing about Thor not going for the head or arm.) Ok, if it was my girlfriend I'd be pissed too but I would hold onto my rage after the gauntlet was removed. Would still love to experience this movie again even if it'll cost me more heartache.
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Arguably better than The First Avenger, Steve Rogers faces his greatest enemy yet Hydra and The Winter Soldier who is revealed none other to be his old pal, Bucky Barnes. It introduced the character of Sam Wilson/Falcon who would later take up the mantle of Captain America. The fact that Hydra hid in plain sight for so long took me off guard. It perfectly blended the superhero movie genre with old school espionage which reflects on the recent event of the actions of Edward Snowden at the time and the days of the Watergate scandal. It all culminates in an emotional climactic fight between Steve and Bucky.
2. Avengers: Endgame
After 22 films and 10 years in production, the conclusion to the Infinity Saga was nothing short of brilliant! With a perfect runtime of 3 hours and 2 minutes, this was the perfect way to end an era of spectacular movies in its entire franchise. After the devastating events of Infinity War, our heroes come up with a plan to undo The Snap. It even opened with Barton's family being snapped from existence. There were a lot of great moments that I loved! Hulk taking the stairs, everyone coming back to join the remaining heroes in the final battle, the talking Time Travel scene, Thor's umm... appearance, Professor Hulk, testing out the time machine, Korg & Miek playing Fortnite, Scott reuniting with his daughter Cassie, and of course Tony sacrificing his life to save the universe just name a few. I knew Tony had to do what he needed to do somehow because he finally found closure with his father and the fact that he figured out the Time Travel formula and knew that needed to be saved at the cost of his own life. I just love this movie soo much and I still can't believe that it's all over.
1. Captain America: Civil War
Also known as Avengers 2.5, Captain America: Civil War is the one of the Greatest Superhero movies of all time and the movie that peaked in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The thing I love most more than Superheroes vs. Villains is Superheroes vs. Superheroes. After The Avengers are given the Sokovia Accords, the group is split down the middle of whether or not to work for the government or do things their own way. Steve chooses to do superhero stuff his way while Tony goes to work for the government. After Bucky's framed for a terrorist attack that kills T'Challa's dad, it drives a wedge between Steve and Tony and every hero is at odds with each other it all leads up to the biggest superhero vs. superhero fight in movie history. I picked this movie as a number one pick because there are rarely live-action superhero vs. superhero movies and this was done perfectly and surprisingly right (Btw, I was Team Cap) the Airport fight was so brilliant due to its impressive fight choreography and the first appearance of Spider-Man in the MCU. The best moment however is the reveal that Bucky killed Tony's parents under Hydra's control and it really did surprise and I can't stop talking about it. Would love to experience the "Civil War" again.
Ok, that's my ranking. What'd you guys think? Be sure to comment below what your favorite MCU movie is and thanks for reading.
PEACE OUT!✌🏻
Comments
Post a Comment