Ranking the MCU Movies

I recently finished my rewatch of the MCU, 23 freaking movies (ugh) and decided to rank all of them.  This is tough because I like all of the movies except for one.  We'll do this from worst to best and in tiers.

The Meh

There's only one movie in this tier and it's the only film in the MCU I don't recommend.  It's not outright bad, but it's just not worth your time.

#23. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

The MCU's second film has solid villains, some funny moments, and Tim Blake Nelson, but most of this movie is simply boring, the action sequences aren't memorable, and both Edward Norton and Liv Tyler aren't great.

The Good

There are seven films in this next tier and while I enjoyed all of them, they have some major flaws preventing them from getting any higher.

#22. Thor: The Dark World (2013)

It's fun having Loki around when he's not the main antagonist, Stellan Skarsgård is great, the design of the dark elves is super creepy, and the 3rd act is straight-up bonkers, but we get the least interesting villain in the entire MCU, the plot isn't great, and you can tell Natalie Portman doesn't really want to be there.

#21. Captain Marvel (2019) 

Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn are both fantastic, the shape-shifters are a fun group of enemies, and the final moment between Brie Larson and Jude Law is very satisfying, but our main protagonist is very difficult to connect with, it's hard to relate to a main character with no memories, and the first act is genuinely terrible, but the rest of the film is enjoyable.

#20. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

This movie is filled with hilarious moments, Michael Peña is amazing, and the action sequences are really solid, but this may be the least necessary film in the MCU and feels like filler while we wait for the next Avengers movie.  Also Ghost is not a very interesting villain.

#19. Iron Man 2 (2010)

I know a lot of people don't love this movie, but I enjoy it as a character study of Tony Stark as he faces his own mortality.  We also get a brilliant performance from Sam Rockwell, excellent character development for Pepper and Rhodey, and more screen-time for Nicky Fury and Agent Coulson.  Sure, the plot isn't great, Whiplash is a terrible villain, and there are a few really dumb moments, but I still like this movie and think it's underrated.

#18. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

The first half of the film is far superior to the second.  I love the stuff in New York City and at boot camp.  The relationship between Steve and Bucky is also very interesting, but the style in the second half never clicks with me, Captain America's team is underused and feels unnecessary, and Steve Rogers is pretty dull in his first time out.

#17. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

The chemistry between the team is great, I love that Hawkeye gets an expanded role, Ultron is a solid villain, we get some fun action sequences, and I love, love, love the fight between Tony, Bruce, Steve, Thor, and the Maximoff twins over the creation of Vision, but the film feels very bloated, Thor's storyline is supremely uninteresting, and Quicksilver is pretty lackluster when compared to his X-Men counterpart.

#16. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Mysterio is one of my favorite supervillains and he is absolutely done justly with a brilliant performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, the illusion sequences are amazing, the development between Peter and Happy is really sweet, the opening sequence is an excellent set-up for a post-Thanos world, and the mid-credits sequence is the best one Marvel has ever done, but I've never been a big fan of Peter Parker as a character and find him fairly irritating in this movie and a lot of the comic relief falls flat.

The Really Good

There are three movie that are in this tier that have some problems, but are mostly a blast to watch.

#15. Thor (2011)

The first time I watched Thor, I really didn't care for it, but every time I watch it, I enjoy it more and more.  Loki is one of the two best Marvel villains of all time, Chris Hemsworth is perfect as Thor, the sections on Earth are really funny, and the stuff of Asgard is epic.  Thor's redemption over the course of two days is a bit silly and I've never liked Jane Foster, but this is still a really fun movie.

#14. Black Panther (2018)

  

Black Panther gives us one of the best Marvel villains in Killmonger, the supporting cast is one of the strongest in the MCU, and the fight sequences in South Korea and on top of the waterfall are truly awesome, but some of the comedy falls flat, Daniel Kaluuya's character is very poorly written, and the 3rd act final battle isn't great.

#13. Ant-Man (2015)

Ant-Man is breath of fresh air after the bloated Age of Ultron.  I love how small-scale this story is, Paul Rudd is an excellent lead, Michael Peña is hysterical, and the action scenes are amazing, especially the one with Thomas the Tank Engine.  Yellowjacket is a lame villain and the conflict between Hank and Hope feels forced, but this is a really fun, little movie.

The Great

One step shy of the big time, these 6 movies only have one thing holding them back from the top.

#12.  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

The Guardians have some of the best chemistry ever captured on film, Yondu's expanded role is way more emotional than anyone could have expected, everyone gives great performances, Ego is a fantastic villain, we get one of the funniest moments in the MCU when Mantis gets hit by a piece of debris during their epic, Avengers-esque hero shot, and the sequence where Rocket, Yondu, and Groot break out of their prison is nothing short of epic.  Some of the humor doesn't work and I don't like the scene where Peter and and Ego play catch, but I still love this movie.

#11. Iron Man 3 (2013)

I love watching Tony Stark being forced to rely on his ingenuity rather than just his suits and we get plenty of that here.  Iron Man 3 is a hilarious movie with some of the greatest henchmen of all time, James Badge Dale is great, the action is top notch, and we get some interesting character development for Tony.  I don't mind the Mandarin twist and Ben Kingsley is great, but Guy Pearce is underused.

#10. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Ragnarok has the best score in the MCU and is also the funniest Marvel film.  Nearly every character is hysterical.  Korg, Valkyrie, and Grandmaster are all fantastic characters (Jeff Goldblum is a national treasure).  This film has a fantastic look and I love how it's basically a b-sci-fi movie with a budget.  My only problem is that Hela's storyline is never as interesting as Thor's.

#9. Iron Man (2008)

The OG and what kicked off all of this madness. Robert Downey Jr. is instantly iconic as Tony Stark, Jeff Bridges is a great villain, Tony's time in captivity is utterly fascinating, and I love how gritty this movie is compared to the later films.  The 3rd act final battle isn't as good as the rest of the movie, but this is still a great film that really holds up.

#8. Doctor Strange (2016)

Easily the weirdest film in the MCU, I love how bizarre this story gets, Benedict Cumberbatch is fantastic in the role, Mads Mikkelsen gives a powerful performance with what he is given, the visual effects are amazing, and the 3rd act is nothing short of incredible.  Not all of the humor works, especially the stuff between Strange and Wong, but I love the rest of this movie.

#7. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

I love how small-scale this movie is compared to some of the other films in the MCU, Vulture is probably the 3rd best villain in the MCU only behind Loki and Thanos and the twist with his character is one of the best twists I've ever seen, Peter Parker has an excellent character arc involving his suits, Ned is great comic-relief, and Tom Holland solidifies himself as the best Peter Parker.  I still find Peter to be occasionally irritating, but I think this is the least irritating incarnation.

The Amazing

The final 6 films are all near-perfect movie.  I love all of them and are virtually flawless.

#6. Marvel's The Avengers (2012)

The action sequences are utterly fantastic, especially New York and the fights on the Helicarrier, Mark Ruffalo is amazing in his first appearance, the humor is comepltley on-point, Loki continues to be an excellent villain, and we get a fantastic scene where all of the interpersonal conflict boils over in the lab.  It's awesome that this movie lived up to the hype and still holds up all these years later.

#5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

An extremely timely film that came out just a year after the NSA spying and Edward Snowden.  HYDRA is a horrifying villain.  This movie is feels more like a Borne film than a superhero film, Robert Redford is fantastic, I love Nick Fury's expanded role, Falcon is a great new addition, and the action sequences are all superb.

#4. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

The airport sequence is one of the greatest action sequences in the entire MCU.  It's always more interesting to me watching heroes fight each other rather than a generic villain.  Black Panther and Spider-Man get excellent first appearances, the conflict between Tony and Steve is very well done and emotional, Zemo is a great villain especially because he doesn't have any powers or a suit, but still manages to do more damage to our heroes than anyone short of Thanos, plus Ant-Man's small role is hilarious.

#3. Avengers: Endgame (2019)

A fantastic way to end so many stories we've been invested in for years, the opening sequence with Hawkeye is heartbreaking, watching the Avengers catch up to Thanos early in the film is jaw-dropping and an utter gut-punch, the post-Snap world is fascinating, going back to visit previous Marvel films is a lot of fun, the final battle is the most epic thing I have seen since The Return of the King, and the death of Tony Stark is emotionally devastating.  I also have to give props for pulling of a time travel story.  It was complex, but the Russo Brothers did a good job with it.

#2. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

I was nervous going into Infinity War.  Age of Ultron felt bloated from so many characters, I was scared this would be even worse, but they manage to keep it perfectly balanced, as all things should be.  Thanos is my single favorite villain in the MCU and I love that he's the main character of the movie.  This is really his story and it's effective.  The acting is incredible.  Both Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt do a great job with the losses they suffer and the scene where Peter Park disintegrates is brutal and the most emotionally devastating moment in the series.  Finally, I can't believe Marvel had the guts to kill off half the cast.  I never expected it and it's a brutal and incredible way to end the film.  Major props.  I will never forget how I felt when this movie ended.

#1. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

My favorite film in the MCU and the only one I consider to be truly perfect.  It's such a different movie and it's so much fun.  The cast is incredible and everybody brings something great to the table, the action scenes are spectacular, the comedy is top-notch, Ronan's reaction to Quill's dancing is nothing shot of iconic, and the emotional moments, though rare, are powerful.  Plus we get the first appearance of Rocket Raccoon, my favorite character in the MCU.  This is a flawless film and the best the MCU has to offer.

Whew!  That was a marathon!  So what do you think?  Did I nail it or am I dead wrong?  Let me know!