WARNING – THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is financially the most successful film franchise in history, grossing over $18 billion worldwide. It consists of 23 movies, each telling a small piece of one large story, The Infinity Saga.
To me, the MCU has consistently stayed relevant through its quality story telling. Right from the MCUs first film, Iron Man, the franchise has been building up to something more than just solo films or maybe just an Iron Man trilogy. With each film having its own style (not only thanks to characters, but to the freedom given to the directors to showcase their own style as well) the stories always seem fresh and unique and allows each movie to bring something new to The Infinity Saga.
What’s difficult for me in creating this ranking, is that all of these films have great things going for them and I genuinely like them all. The way all of these films link together further adds to my appreciation for them.
I’m ranking all 23 MCU movies from worst to best, giving my thoughts in the process.
23. Incredible Hulk
I think there are some good parts to this film, in particular Edward Norton as Bruce Banner and the action scenes. I also like the post credit scene where Tony Stark appears, and the fact that General Ross continues to be a part of the MCU after the film. However, other than that it doesn’t add much to the Infinity Saga story and the fact Edward Norton was replaced, further lowers its value in the MCU.
22. Thor: The Dark World
There isn’t much to be said about this film. The ‘Game of Thrones’ style that the film is going for doesn’t make an impact nor does it suit the characters. I like the introduction of the aether which is a big story point for the rest of the MCU, as it’s one of the six Infinity Stones. I actually like this film more, once I saw Endgame. If you haven’t seen Endgame, I’ll leave it for you to find out why.
21. Iron Man 2
Although this film was financially more successfully than the first Iron Man, in my opinion, it falls short when comparing the quality of story telling and style. The film provides a decent villain in ‘Whiplash’ aka Ivan Vanko and I enjoy the final battle, but I find the story drags at points. I’m just not a huge fan of the film and it’s the worst of the three Iron Man movies.
20. Thor
Next is the first Thor movie. It’s a nice introduction to the character and he has a good story arc. Starting off as a selfish and arrogant prince and finishing the film as a selfless warrior. As with most MCU films the final action sequence is good, not great, and there are funny moments also. The ‘Shakespearian’ feel to the movie doesn’t really suit the characters and it doesn’t appeal to me as a viewer. It sets up the character of Thor, but not too much else.
19. Iron Man 3
The MCU’s first (of many) $billion movie comes in at 19. I think the twist that the Mandarin was actually an actor and a fake, doesn’t help the movie. The Mandarin is a big Iron Man enemy! The real nemesis in the movie, Aldrich Killian doesn’t feel too threatening to be the main antagonist in a large film like this. With this being said, I like the end fight scene with all of the Iron Man suits fighting Killian’s enhanced followers, however, I find the pacing of the film really quite slow.
18. Iron Man
The film that started it all. For me, Iron Man goes down as one the most iconic films in the MCU. It would certainly be higher on the list had it not been for the other films being of such a high standard. The film told a great origin story for Tony Stark. You really see his agenda change, from showcasing his brand new weapons, to him seeing how they are being used and then turning his company around to stop producing them. The VFX were great also and the soundtrack just joins it all together.
17. Avengers
Just like Iron Man this is another iconic MCU film, with the Avengers teaming up for the first time. The action and levels of awesomeness is huge and a big leap forward from what had come before it. There are so many scenes in the movie that get me nerding out, big time; from the “I’m always angry” line said by Bruce Banner before he turns into the Hulk, to us circling the Avengers, who are surrounded with Chitauri invaders with the incredible Alan Silvestri score playing in the background, it’s just EPIC. Great film, however compared to what comes after, to me, it seems a bit dated.
16. Avengers: Age of Ultron
When I heard James Spader was playing Ultron, I thought it was inspired casting. The voice he gives Ultron suits the character, down to the ground, and makes him quite intimidating. Other than a great villain, the film gives us three new heroes to marvel at (no pun intended), with Wanda, Pietro Maximoff and Vision. Compared to most MCU movies and particularly the Avenger films, the action scenes don’t quite hit the same heights. The film is equal to the first Avengers, but only beats it as I love James Spader as Ultron.
15. Captain Marvel
I like the story-building that Marvel did in this film, potentially leading us up to the ‘Secret Invasion’ storyline with the introduction of the Skrulls. The story of Carol Danvers is something we hadn’t seen in the MCU and provided a sense of anticipation. “Where does she come from?”, “who is she?” these are all questions that this film gets us thinking. Finding out that Ron-Yogg (Jude Law) is deceiving Carol, minimising her powers and ultimately showing himself to be the main antagonist was a definite twist. The action sequence at the end of the film, with Carol destroying all bar a couple of the Kree ships, once she had regained control of her full capabilities is the best part of the film and I wish it lasts longer.
For me, though the character of Carol Danvers just doesn’t connect with me. I like what she can do and I think she is a great addition to the Avengers and MCU, but I just don’t feel her personality comes across, if it had, it would have been higher on the list. Captain Marvel, overall, is a solid origins movie and I look forward to seeing what Captain Marvel does in Phase 4 and beyond.
So, there we go, I hoped you liked the rankings of the first nine MCU films. The next nine films will be coming out soon, stay tuned.