All The MCU Movies Ranked From Worst To Best

The massive crossover event arrived on April 27th. “Avengers: Infinity War” has been praised by both critics and hardcore Marvel fans. Not only does it have good word of mouth, it also now retains the highest opening weekend of all time, beating out the previous retainer of that title: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” It now has officially made $2 billion worldwide. With it also being the 10th anniversary of the growing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), let’s revisit and rank all of the movies from the series thus far, including “Avengers: Infinity War.” For those who have not seen some of the movies, be warned for there will be some spoilers for certain movies, except “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Black Panther” due to them being the most recent in the series. So, let’s begin.

#19: “Thor: The Dark World”

Out of all the movies on the list, this one is by far the most forgettable entry in the series. There aren’t many grand moments that make any parts memorable. With the exception of Thor and Loki having some fun interactions, there isn’t anything big that happens to make this film important to watch. It’s the weakest of the Thor franchise and of the MCU.

#18: “The Incredible Hulk”

Just like “Thor: The Dark World,” it is mostly forgettable and tasteless. Perhaps it’s due to the title character not having much to work with for a feature-length picture. The film is trying to make a story, but ultimately it is boring in the end. Edward Norton does a good job playing Bruce Banner, but ultimately besides him and Abomination, there is no real reason to watch this.

#17: “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2”

At first, I actually found myself really enjoying this film. However, after revisiting it recently, it doesn’t hold up after a year. All of the old and new cast members did great jobs in the movie and Star Lord gets a lot more character development in this one than in the first, which I really liked. But, besides the great performances and awesome soundtrack, there isn’t really much else that works. The comedy fell flat and the villain was super predictable and bland. For what it is, it isn’t great but isn’t the worst.

#16: “Thor”

This was the first time we were introduced to the world of Thor, and it worked for the most part. The first and third act of this movie is what really keeps it together. The first act does a great job setting up the character of Thor and the world of Asgard. The third act sets up the revival and return of Thor and a great fight between him and Loki. Chris Hemsworth does a great job playing Thor, and Loki is one the best villains in the MCU so far. The one element that brings the film down though is the second act. The second act really drags and nothing seriously happens except cameos from Agent Coulson and Hawkeye. Other than that, it is a good film, but not one of the best.

#15: “Iron Man 2”

Many fans and critics call this film the worst of the MCU. Even though the film isn’t as good as others, I personally liked what they did in this movie. Jon Favreau returned to direct the follow up, and he did what he could for the sequel. The biggest aspect that it suffers from is world building, which means that it brings lots of characters in to set up a big world or universe outside of the sequel. The film presents War Machine and Black Widow while setting up for “The Avengers.” Besides that flaw, the film is still entertaining. Robert Downey Jr. once again crushes it as Tony Stark and the new characters, while being forcefully put in the movie, were actually fun and cool people to follow throughout the story. This one does suffer the most but doesn’t mean it is the worst.

#14: “Spider-Man: Homecoming”

With five films about the web-slinger already done, this one had a lot to live up to and it succeeded for the most part. Tom Holland is, in my opinion, the second best Spider-Man we have seen on screen. My first still being Andrew Garfield. But Tom Holland delivers as the web slinger by bringing out the teenage and kid side of the character that we haven’t seen on film before. Michael Keaton brings a great performance and plays Vulture, who is, in my opinion, one of the best villains of the MCU so far. The only problem with the movie is that it suffers from repetitive formula use. The tone feels exactly the same as the other MCU movies, which shouldn’t be the case at all. It’s understandable to have a consistent tone in a series, but bringing something new to the series means that the tone needs to be different too. Other than that, it’s a fun, entertaining time with your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

#13: “Avengers: Infinity War”

The first 10 years of storytelling of the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes together in the latest entry of the series. For the most part, the film works in bringing all of these characters together and delivering a great villain who has been built up for years now: Thanos. Josh Brolin brings a great performance to the character and is given layers and depth to make him relatable and understandable as a villain. The biggest problem with the film is that it is very predictable and doesn’t have a consistent tone. The tone shifts to being comedic to dark and back again, which I didn’t like at all. For what it does, it is very satisfying, fun and surprising at times.

#12: “Avengers: Age Of Ultron”

The reason why I put this movie over “Avengers: Infinity War” is because of one thing: the darker tone. The tone in this film works really well. The characters are thrown into a darker situation and each one is affected mentally after the events of this movie. Ultron is one of my personal favorite villains in the MCU. He is very menacing and powerful, and acts with his mind, not his fists. They also introduce new characters such as Vision, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, who ended up getting killed off towards the end of this film. Bet you didn’t see that coming.

#11: “Thor: Ragnarok”

Instead of following the tone of the previous two Thor movies, director Taika Waititi decided to revamp the character and tone as well. The result is a very funny and enjoyable movie. This is one of two movies in the MCU that feels the least connected to the series, which I really liked. Chris Hemsworth brings his best portrayal of Thor yet and Mark Ruffalo brings his best portrayal of the green monster known as The Hulk. It is very funny, entertaining and visually impressive.

#10: “Ant-Man”

This was easily Marvel's biggest risk and could have been their biggest flop. Thankfully, the movie delivers and is one of Marvel’s best. Paul Rudd does a good job playing the title character and brings reliability and humor to the part. Michael Douglas does a phenomenal job in the movie and brought the best performance in the entire movie. It is lots of fun, hilarious and brings something different to the MCU that we haven’t seen before.

#9: “Doctor Strange”

This is one of the weirdest and best movies in the MCU. The weirdness of the movie is what makes it great. This film introduces the magic element to the series and they use it very effectively. Benedict Cumberbatch delivers as the title character and reminded me a lot of Tony Stark in terms of personality. It’s lots of fun, very weird and fascinating to watch and explore.

#8: “Black Panther”

Ever since the late 90s, Marvel has been waiting to bring a movie about the Wakandan warrior and king to the big screen. Finally, many years later, it happens and is one of the best movies in the MCU and of 2018 so far. Just like “Thor: Ragnarok,” it feels less connected to the MCU and more grounded as a result. Chadwick Boseman delivers one of the best performances in the MCU so far. He brings so much personality and charm to the character of T’Challa. The culture and environment of Wakanda is great and very well established. It’s culturally significant and a nice breath of fresh air to the MCU.

#7: “Captain America: The First Avenger”

This movie holds a special place in my heart in terms of thinking about the MCU. It’s the origins and beginning of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America. I loved the atmosphere and tone of this movie. It really feels like a classic superhero movie and reminded me of movies like “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and Richard Donner’s “Superman.” Chris Evans does a great job playing the title character and brings lots of heart to Steve Rogers. Red Skull is a good villain and reminds me of classic villains from old superhero movies. It’s a very well-made comic book movie and, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated superhero films out there.

#6: “Iron Man 3”

There is one reason I always find myself loving this movie: it’s a Shane Black movie. There is a certain style of filmmaking the director does and it really stands out and works in this film. It is stylish, funny and action-packed. I also really liked the different direction of story for Tony Stark. It’s a story that relies on deconstructing the character, which worked really well here. If you love Iron Man and director Shane Black, this is one you must check out.

#5: “Guardians of the Galaxy”

The movie with characters that no one knew about became (besides the Avengers) the most beloved group of the MCU. Each character is given proper time to develop and the story introduces us to space and other galaxies in this film. We also get to learn more about the Infinity Stones and get a quick appearance from Thanos. Each guardian is given a special element to contribute to the team and none are overshadowed by another. It’s one of the funniest and most adventurous movies in the MCU.

#4: “Captain America: Civil War”

Out of all the movies on the list, this one was the most fun experience watching in a theater with a huge crowd. It plays huge significance to the MCU and plays both sides of the coin; not siding with one or the other. Each side is given good reasons for the things they are doing in the movie. We also are introduced to Black Panther and Spider-Man in this film. It also delivers the best performance of Tony Stark from Robert Downey Jr and the best superhero clash in the form of the airport battle sequence. It is an absolute blast to watch and is something I’ve been personally waiting to see happen in the MCU.

#3: “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

This is by far the coolest and most thrilling entry in the MCU. We get to see Steve Rogers now in modern times; dealing with hardships and the rise of Hydra once again. The tone and style felt fresh and different. The directors Joe and Anthony Russo went for a spy thriller route for the sequel, which worked greatly and brought something different to the MCU. The villain, the Winter Soldier, is one of the best villains in the MCU. He’s menacing, mysterious and scary at some points. There are also surprisingly great amounts of emotion, which is something you wouldn’t expect for a Captain America movie. It’s a bold, thrilling and emotional entry in the series.

#2: “The Avengers”

It’s hard to not have this move in the top three somewhere. This movie is what brought our favorite Marvel heroes together for the first time and was an iconic moment for both the MCU and comic book movies in general. Nothing can capture the magic the first one did and so far others haven’t. It was loads of fun and extremely exciting to see each character interact with one another, both on and off the battlefield. There are some amazing iconic moments that happen in this film that will always be remembered: from Iron Man versus Thor to Hulk saying “puny God.” I think at this point you should know how great this film is.

#1: “Iron Man”

The one that started it all is still the best in the series. The casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, was pure genius. It is a great origin story and sets up the universe smoothly and naturally. It focuses on the title character and his journey from being a billionaire playboy to an armored superhero. It’s one of the best comic book movies ever made and still holds up 10 years later.

With 19 movies in the growing Marvel Cinematic Universe, how do you rank them? What were favorites from the series so far? Let me know by providing me with your list in the comments section down below. Marvel’s next entry in the MCU, “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” hits theaters July 6, 2018.