MCU Ranking

As I'm sure you know, the MCU has just about wrapped the epic Infinity Saga, and is currently at a crossroads right now, with several characters retiring and more being introduced.

So what better time to look back at how far the franchise has come than right now! :)

Ranking is subject to change.

23. Thor: The Dark World (2)

A forgettable film with performances that aren't really worth writing about too much, and I couldn't tell you what the villain was up to. Cinematography is ok though.

22. The Incredible Hulk

Same as the film above, although there are a couple of good action scenes, and I do sometimes wonder how Norton would've interacted with the rest of the cast from Avengers onwards.

21. Iron Man 2

I haven't seen it in quite awhile, but I do remember Rourke being lackluster, the action scenes being bland and overall, the film not having much of an entertainment value. Rockwell is good however, and I wish we had seen him in one of the better installments of the franchise.

20. Avengers: Age of Ultron

The best way I would describe this film is a "contractual obligation." As in, this film really just feels live everyone in the cast just wants to get this film over with just so they could move on to their passion projects. Spader as Ultron was fascinating casting on paper, but alas, the film lets him down as just a quippy Marvel villain. Not a film I hate though.

19. Spider-Man: Far from Home

Gyllenhaals' good as the villain, but as a whole...eh.

18. Iron Man 3 (2.5)

Also haven't seen this film in quite awhile, but I do remember it being...just...adequate. Downey does deliver in the anxiety-ridden take on Tony Stark, even if it does end up as thinly-written. Otherwise, I honestly don't remember much about this film outside Stark, Paltrow, and *shudders* Guy Pearce.

...

Oh right, the Mandarin. Eh, Kingsleys ok I suppose.

17. Thor (2.5)

A very...average film. Hemsworth is fine as the character, the action scenes are ok, Asgard looks like a fine place, the romance is adequate, the villain is there, and the plot of the film is...average. We do get introduced to Hiddleston as the infamous Loki. Otherwise, not much to brag home about.

16. Captain America: The First Avenger (2.5)

An ok superhero introduction really, and it did introduce Chris Evans as Captain America, which should go down as one of the best superhero castings in recent memory. Some good production design and I do like "The Star Spangled Man" scene. 

15. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2.5)

I would consider this on the same level as Thor really, though this film works as a palate cleanser of sorts after the events of Infinity War. Still, the film introduces several plot threads that aren't properly expanded upon. Pfeiffer, Fishburne and even the titular female are wasted, and even the crew members are irritating this time around. Anyways, I still did find the film easy to get through, and I do quite like the post-credits scene.

14. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (3)

This is one of those films that I would file under the "enjoyable, but I forget it existed a week after I saw it" file. It was nice to see Kurt Russell just deliver as a character named "Ego" though, and Michael Rooker is good as Star-Lords' paternal figure that essentially raised him.

13. Captain Marvel (3)

To be honest, this is a film that has gone down in my mind since it first came out. Larson is ok in the lead role, however she doesn't make the strongest impression that I think was possible with her character. It's a little hard for me to describe, since I don't hate the film, yet to me it feels too...average? 

12. Spider-Man: Homecoming (3.5)

I'll admit this and Far From Home are interchangeable, as to me, they are both on an even keel really. Anyways, Holland is definitely the best iteration of the character to date, Keaton delivers a good villain as The Vulture (he's great as bird-related characters I suppose), and the film does do a good job in creating a good high school setting for young Peter Parker. 

11. Black Panther

This one I'll admit does do a good job at introducing us to the world of Wakanda. Michael B. Jordan gives one of the best villain performances in the MCU to date (where they have improved recently), along with a fine ensemble.
I would also like to give credit to the film for raising important questions about the themes that the film attempts to dig into, particularly in regards to Killmonger.

However, the action itself isn't too impressive (same for the visual effects) and I do feel that the royalty plot doesn't really go anywhere. It is a film I do like, and I am eager to see what Coogler and Co. have in store for us in the sequel.

10. Ant-Man 

I suppose these types of lists aren't incomplete without an unpopular opinion. Well, this one would be mine. While I'll admit I would've LOVED to see Edgar Wrights' version of the film, I still think this film is entertaining. Paul Rudd delivers as the titular character, his crew members were enjoyable sidekicks as far as sidekicks go, and it was nice to see Michael Douglas just have a bit of fun in this film.

9. The Avengers (4)

Ahh the great team-up which took popular culture by storm back in 2012. It is a film that does have good entertainment value, but also one that I just can't quite love. The humor works well enough, the cast does have good chemistry, but I find the writing behind Loki just ordinary, and the action scenes just...workmanlike. Again, a film I have no strong reservations about, but also not much that I love.

8. Doctor Strange

Maybe the most underrated film of the MCU, although I wonder if that has to do with Stranges' origin story somehow echoing Tony Starks'. Anyways, this film was an entertaining ride, that contains some of the strongest visual effects in the MCU, an assured performance from Benedict Cumberbatch (which he has actually improved upon since then) and a good ensemble filled out with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen and especially Tilda Swinton.

One complaint I do have is that McAdams' character is VERY underwritten, even as far as Marvel wife/girlfriend characters go, which is even more glaring if you rewatch the film. Wonder if there are any plans for her to return.

7. Iron Man

The one that started it all. What more is there to say than Robert Downey Jr is strong and assured as his most iconic character, his chemistry with Pepper Potts, the origin story works pretty well, and Jeff Bridges being an entertaining villain (TONY STARK WAS ABLE TO BUILD THIS IN A CAGE!).

Not to mention: "I am Iron Man."

6. Guardians of the Galaxy

I haven't seen the film since it first came out on DVD, but this was a very entertaining ride, and I gotta give it up to Marvel for making gold out of a relatively unknown group of characters.

Chris Pratt is a revelation as Star-Lord, Cooper and Diesel are a great duo, and Dave Bautista just might be the MVP of the film, as he is hilarious in all of his line deliveries as Drax, while also delivering in the dramatic beats about his family. Great soundtrack as well.

I do need to ask though...why is this film John C. Reillys' only appearance in the MCU so far?! Come on Feige! His acting style is perfect for the world that you've engineered.

5. Avengers: Infinity War (4.5)

I might consider bumping the rating up for this film, since I find it to be very rewatchable despite its running time. Seeing the bulk of Marvels' roster team up made up for a entertaining dynamic, whether it being the egos of Stark and Strange, the mentor ship of Stark with Peter, the relationship between Wanda and Vision, and especially the teaming up of Rocket and Thor.

However, I'd be remiss if I were not to mention the interesting decision to frame the movie around Josh Brolins' performance as Thanos, which you have to give credit to the latter for taking the character past a CGI creation. Brolin apparently based his character in part on Colonel Kurtz, which you can see in the way Brolin finds the method to Thanos' madness, in terms of what he wants to accomplish.

Besides that, the ending quites pack the punch after the snap, which I would like to give credit to the Russo brothers for the way they handled it, and there is a reason it has become quite engrained in popular culture.

4. Thor: Ragnarok

Just an overall hoot from start to finish, even if the film does contain several cookie-cutter Marvel scenes, which I wouldn't even consider bad honestly. Hemsworth really shines from a complete 180 in terms of the writing and concept behind his character, and it has also benefited the Marvel films that he has appeared since then.

Taika Waititi really gets a chance to establish his trademark sense of humor in an established universe, which I'm very glad that he was able to. Cate Blanchett makes for an nice villain, the cameos are a delight, Ruffalo gets to show more of Banner/Hulk, Waititi plays one of the nicest monsters captured on celluloid, and the final battle on the bridge is one of Marvels best directed. Waititi for a second go-around? I don't even need a trailer...although I'll still watch it.

Oh and Jeff Goldblum. Nuff' said.

3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Whilst a rewatch of this film is in order for me, I thought this was an interesting film in the sense that we take a closer look at the government that exists in the same world as the Avengers. Evans, along with a cooler costume, quite simply owns Captain America by this point in the MCU. Another thing that I would like to mention is that the Russo brothers, like Waititi, really deliver on making their own mark in an established universe, in that they get to make a superhero film in the vein of a 70s spy thriller. Even Redford himself is in it! (Would've been perfect for a 70s Cap btw)

2. Avengers: Endgame

The big kahuna. A film I find more impressive the more that I think about it, in that the Russo brothers and Markus/McFeely find a great balance in both the comedic and dramatic. A good example to see this would be in Ant-Man (although having a solid Paul Rudd in that role also helps.)
In that Ant-Man seeing his daughter after being missing for five years is a touching moment, yet seeing Rudd an hour later in the film just trying to make sense of the time plot is quite amusing.

Back to the balance (no Thanos pun intended), the film does have a great sense of tone and rhyme, in that the focus on grief in the first hour, the time travel plot of the second, and of course, the great battle of the third all manage to make their own mark, yet still cohere in making the film as a whole. The film even manages to include a couple of funny moments in the first hour work ("I aimed for the head") and dramatic moments in the second (Stark with his Dad and especially Black Widow and Hawkeye).

Lastly, Robert Downey Jr. delivers in what maybe turn out to be one of the most iconic scenes in modern film history. You know what I'm talking about...

Also...these credits...

1. Captain America: Civil War (4.5)

The best Marvel installment in my book. A pretty strong ensemble where everyone makes their mark (especially Downey Jr), great action scenes (especially the airport), the humor I find really works here, and also a film that does manage to pull off its dramatic intentions. Also has one of the better villains has offered so far in Baron Zemo, played by the semi-underrated Daniel Bruhl.

Another element of the film that I quite like is that we do get to fully see where each side of the Avengers is coming from, as in the film itself doesn't take sides in regards to Tony and Steves' arguments. And of course, it introduced us to Black Panther and this iteration of Spider-Man.
What is you favorite Marvel film? Your least favorite? Sound off in the comments below.