Tiers: Ranking Every MCU Movie

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the biggest cinematic franchises ever, being right up there with Star Wars, and since 2008, has continued to grow in popularity and introduced an entire generation to iterations of Marvel Comics superheroes, supervillains and interesting storylines, being the highest-grossing film franchise of all time. Trust me, it hurts to write this considering I’m a huge fan of their rivals, DC Comics.

Disney and Marvel Studios have partnered to put out blockbuster after blockbuster, but despite the success and popularity of the MCU, it’s not an entirely perfect franchise. There’s been movies that just don’t leave your mind ever, and there’s been movies that you forget while still in the cinema.

I’m not some fancy critic with a degree in Film blah blah blah or whatever. I’m just a casual nerd who enjoys superhero flicks like the next guy, and so this ranking is based entirely on how much (or how little) I enjoyed watching the movies. Note that Black Widow, Shang-Chi and Eternals are excluded from this ranking since, at the time of writing, I haven’t gotten around to seeing any of the three.

Without further ado, let’s get started with the rankings!

23. Iron Man 2: This is quite easily my least favorite of the movies in the MCU, and is a strong contender to be one of my least favorite movies ever. Watching this felt like a chore, a rather unbearable one. Robert Downey Jr., as usual, put in a great performance as the titular hero but even that wasn’t enough to make this a good movie. It’s absolutely terrible. If I had to give this movie a score, it’d be a 1/10 and I think that’s still a tad generous.

22. Thor: The Dark World: This movie sucks. Plain and simple. It’s bad, hilariously so. Nothing about it works. Considering it was directed by the same mind behind the atrocity that is Terminator Genisys, it isn’t actually surprising. It’s a 2/10.

21. Iron Man 3: Now, this might be somewhat controversial, but the third Iron Man movie also happens to be my third least enjoyable of the MCU movies for a number of reasons, the most significant of which was the butchering of the Mandarin. It’s not necessarily a terrible movie, it is much better than its predecessor, but it’s not a particularly good movie either. I’d say this gets a 5/10.

20. The Incredible Hulk: Up until a few years ago, the Incredible Hulk was a source of debate amongst fellow nerds, who constantly argued its place as part of the MCU continuity. However, it has long since been confirmed that the 2008 movie directed by Louis Leterrier, starring Edward Norton in the titular role is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For me, the Incredible Hulk isn’t a bad movie; it’s actually a pretty entertaining watch. It has its flaws, but then again, what doesn’t? It’s a 5.5/10 for me.

19. Spider-Man: Homecoming: I’ll be honest — I have a bit of a bias against this movie, considering I was a big Andrew Garfield fan and was pretty bummed about the cancellation of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise. I do not like this movie. From the titular hero needing Iron Man to babysit him in his own movie, to the disappointing final fight against Keaton’s Vulture and the total irrelevance of Peter’s love interest, this movie just wasn’t it. It was entertaining in parts, but as a whole, it just fell flat for me. It’s a 6/10 for me.

18. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever! This was a deeply entertaining movie, but not necessarily an excellent movie. The plot was a tad wonky [not bad, not great either], and the CGI was a bit of a mess in parts. It does have its positives too: The fight scenes were absolutely entertaining; and the world of Wakanda was really a beauty to behold. It’s a 7 for me. [Rest in Peace, Chadwick Boseman.]

17. Iron Man: The first Iron Man movie also happened to be the best, and perhaps one of the best movies in the MCU. After all, it is the reason the MCU exists at all. Robert Downey Jr. brought the character to life with an absolutely stellar performance, and was supported by the likes of Terrence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow. This movie was great! A 7.5 for me.

16. Thor: Kenneth Branagh, take a bow. The first Thor movie is one of the standout movies of the MCU, an absolutely brilliant movie that I’ve rewatched on multiple occasions and enjoyed deeply on all of those occasions. Chris Hemsworth is different gravy. For me, it’s a 7.5, tied with Iron Man.

15. Avengers: Age of Ultron: This is a deeply controversial movie. There are many who believe it to be one of the worst movies in the MCU but I am not one of those. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not some critic with a degree in the theatrical arts, I’m not scrutinizing every single frame of a movie or analyzing every line of dialogue to find an issue with a movie. I’m watching it like everyone else solely to be entertained, and boy, did Age of Ultron entertain me. It’s a movie I’ve rewatched multiple times and just cannot stop to enjoy. It’s beautiful. A 7.5.

14. Guardians of the Galaxy: This chronicles the galactic adventures of a group of misfits, and it’s a beautiful, deeply entertaining, hilarious movie. My only issue with this movie and the GOTG franchise is just how badly nerfed some of the characters are [YES, I’M TALKING ABOUT DRAX THE DESTROYER]. Other than turning characters that ought to be frightening tanks into comic relief, Guardians of the Galaxy is an excellent watch. A 7.5.

13. Guardians of the Galaxy 2: Just as beautiful as the first, and one of the strongest movies in the MCU. More emotional than the first, and filled with just as many laughs, this was a movie I enjoyed watching. For me, it’s tied with the first on a 7.5.

12. Captain Marvel: This was an okay movie. On first watch, I didn’t like this one bit. Then I got around to rewatching it and giving it another shot, and a lot of the movie’s positives shone through on my second time viewing it. Brie Larson does do justice to the titular character, and it’s easily one of the most unique superhero movies out there. A 7.5.

11. Captain America: Civil War: The Captain America trilogy is filled with hits, no misses, and Civil War is no different. The airport scene is one of my favorite fight scenes in any movie ever, and Civil War is one of my favorite movies in the entire MCU. Of course, it has its flaws, but it’s a great movie nonetheless. A 7.9 for me. FYI, I was Team Cap all the way.

THE TOP 10

We’re getting to the really good stuff now!

10. Ant-Man: Paul Rudd is a great actor. Peyton Reed is an excellent director. Ant-Man is an absolute masterpiece of a movie, and as I write this, I’m already making plans to rewatch the movie. It’s brilliant, it’s hilarious, it’s thrilling and it’s deeply entertaining. It’s one of the best movies in the MCU and while it may not get mentioned as much as some of the other movies within the MCU, it’s a pretty excellent movie. 8.5/10 for me.

9. The Avengers: Marvel’s first team-up movie of its mightiest heroes was an absolute masterpiece and one that enrages the DC fan in me. Tom Hiddleston, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans and Samuel L Jackson were the standout performers in what is easily one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. 8.5/10.

8. Avengers: Endgame: Captain America lifting Thor’s hammer is a good enough reason for Endgame to be ranked this highly on the list. What other reasons do you need?

I joke, of course. I mean, the hammer scene was pretty freaking epic, but this movie was filled with loads of pretty freaking epic moments and it’ll surely go down as an all-time classic in the superhero genre. 8.5/10.

7. Spider-Man: Far From Home: Far From Home’s a better movie than its predecessor by a lot. It still has its flaws but it’s a far more entertaining watch than the first and a much better movie overall. Tom Holland truly shines in Far From Home, as does Jake Gylenhall, and I absolutely love this movie so much and that’s saying something considering I have a bias against Holland’s Spider-Man. 8.5/10.

6. Thor: Ragnarok: Other than the ridiculous scene in which the God of Thunder is incapacitated by a jolt of electricity, Ragnarok is an excellent movie and one of the MCU’s strongest. It’s an absolutely stunning movie that sees Chris Hemsworth really shine in his role and definitely one of the MCU’s best. 8.5/10.

5. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Paul Rudd and Peyton Reed pull off another masterclass in the Ant-Man sequel, delivering one of the most entertaining superhero flicks ever! A stronger movie than the first, and one of the best movies in the MCU, Ant-Man and the Wasp is a cinematic masterpiece. 9/10.

4. Captain America: The First Avenger: This was a masterpiece of a movie, a genuinely great war movie with a superhero twist. Maybe ranking it this high might be somewhat controversial but this is genuinely one of the MCU movies I found most entertaining and so, for me, it deserves to be ranked this highly. A 9/10.

3. Doctor Strange: Benedict Cumberbatch puts in a GOATed performance as the Sorcerer Supreme in one of the MCU’s strongest entries. Doctor Strange is a cinematic masterpiece. It’s visually and aesthetically pleasing, the pacing is perfect and it’s just a brilliant, deeply entertaining watch. This is in the upper echelon of superhero movies. A 9/10.

2. Avengers: Infinity War: AN ABSOLUTE EPIC! Every single second of Infinity War was entertaining. This was the crossover to destroy all crossovers, entailing what is perhaps the largest scale battle we’ve ever seen on the huge screen. Filled with epic, chilling, deeply memorable moments, this is a blockbuster worthy of the name. One for the ages. It’s close to perfection, but not quite there. A 9.5/10.

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier: For me, this is, quite easily, the best movie in the MCU. It’s literal perfection. It’s incapable of losing rewatch value and every single time I’ve rewatched this, it’s slapped just as hard as the first time I saw this movie. Ranking this as the best movie in the MCU might be controversial, but hey, that’s just my opinion. The Winter Soldier is my favorite Marvel movie ever, it’s top 5 superhero movies for me and top 10 movies of all time. It’s perfect. Literally perfect. A 10/10.

There you have it! Every MCU movie ranked! Maybe I’ll do the DCEU next? Or every Star Wars movie?