I will be seeing Ant Man and the Wasp tomorrow, so I thought it would be a great time to rank my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies.
The first MCU movie Iron Man was released when I was 9 and I saw Infinity War when I was 19. I’ve basically grown up with this franchise. I’ve been fortunate enough to have seen most of the movies and parts of nearly all of them.
As of today, within three phases and ten years, there are 19 films in the MCU excluding Ant Man and the Wasp. And if Marvel keeps up its current rate, this number will be doubled by 2024, only six years from now.
Most of the MCU movies are good and there are more than a handful that are great. Here’s my list from my most favorite to my least favorite films in this massive franchise. There will be explanation afterwards.
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Black Panther
- Spider Man: Homecoming
- Captain America: Civil War
- Doctor Strange
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Ant Man
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Avengers
- Iron Man
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume Two
- Thor
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Iron Man 3
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- Thor: The Dark World
I think most fans can agree Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 2 are the worst MCU movies. In fact, I’ve never seen Thor: The Dark World but I know the important stuff that occurs in it such as the Reality Stone appears and Odin dies. For Iron Man 2, Black Widow is introduced.
The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Thor are okay movies. The Incredible Hulk was a decent movie and will probably be the only solo Hulk movie in the MCU.
Though it’s biggest issue is that the original Hulk actor (Edward Norton) was replaced due to issues. And his replacement (Mark Ruffalo) was phenomenal. It’s personally hard for me to rewatch this movie.
It’s nearly the same feeling with the other three films. I’ve only seen parts of Iron Man 3 and Age of Ultron. There are just better MCU movies that focus on the centric characters for each of these films.
Meanwhile, I’ve seen all of Thor and it’s a pretty boring movie. Plus now the MCU has Thor: Ragnarok. Thor was still a good introduction for the Thor and Loki characters though.
Volume Two and The First Avenger are good, fun films. Both have tragic storylines but there are still better MCU movies.
Iron Man, The Avengers and The Winter Soldier probably rank very high on other people’s lists. However, for me there are just more fun and unique MCU movies. These three movies all show how great the MCU can be.
Yet I enjoy Ant Man, Thor Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange more. Each of these movies have fun, unique elements in their films.
In Ant Man, there is the stereotypical Marvel villain but the element of size-shifting is awesome. And the movie is one of the funniest MCU movies. Ragnarok is also really comedic and stars the duo of Hulk and Thor. And this pair fights in the movie. I’m applauding as I think about this.
Guardians of the Galaxy has some great scenes: the prison breakout and the dance to save the universe. Also don’t forget the death of Groot #WeAreGroot. It’s just a good time and it’s in space.
Doctor Strange isn’t as good as Inception but it’s still the Inception of the MCU. The effects of this movie are great and Doctor Strange has a heartbreaking origin. Plus it has one of the most unique endings for a comic book movie ever. Yeah I said it.
There isn’t a fist to fist or even a spell to spell battle to end this movie. It’s a battle of wills. How many times did Strange die to save the universe? It’s crazy and deserves admiration.
Civil War and Homecoming both have Spider-Man in them. Enough said! To be honest, what teenager doesn’t like the character Spider-Man. MCU has chosen to focus on a Peter Parker that’s basically my age and I’ve loved it.
Also, Civil War introduces Black Panther and it has the best two action scenes in the MCU. There’s the airport scene and then the scene where Bucky loses his arm and Steve loses his shield. Cap and Tony still haven’t settled their differences and hopefully they do in Avengers 4.
Homecoming is great because it does a far job of balancing Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Plus it has one of the best, if not best MCU twists to date. I can’t wait for the sequel to sling into theatres.
Honestly, in terms of movies, Black Panther is my favorite movie over Infinity War. Black Panther is a cultural phenomenon that highlighted some deep, meaningful topics. But of course my favorite “MCU movie” is the film that features nearly all of the characters in this universe.
Infinity War has something for every MCU fan except for fans who only care about Hawkeye, Ant Man and the Wasp.
It’s the most ambitious crossover ever and has the most shocking moment in MCU history so far. Is it even possible for Avengers 4 to outshock Infinity War? Yes, it’s possible and I’m not ready (but I am ready to find out how it will).
I’m very excited to see how Ant Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel lead into Avengers 4. I believe each of these movies have the potential to enter my top 10 MCU movies and maybe even my top 5 (doubtfully).
The Wasp and Captain Marvel both feature women in lead roles, so that’s exciting. Will Captain Marvel be just as good or better than Wonder Woman? Will the end of the universe (Avengers 4) be more shocking than Infinity War?
Regardless of the answers to these questions, I have loved the MCU these past ten years and will continue to love this universe as an adult.
