All 33 movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ranked worst to best
17. Black Panther (2018)
To start, this movie is beautiful. Not only that, but it has characters you want to root for and a story that make you think. T’Challa is soft spoken and kind hearted, and the movie touches on the dilemma of what to do when you’re able to help the rest of the world, but fear acting because it might make you vulnerable. In a way, it’s the opposite of Thanos’ approach to “helping the universe,” which is to eradicate half the beings living in it. T’Challa revealing Wakanda to the world and wanting to share vibranium and scientific research with other nations that need help is a big step for Wakanda, and he is both respected and criticized for his decision.
I feel that this whole conflict with Killmonger could have been avoided by King T’Chaka telling the truth about his brother betraying the nation instead of telling everyone he just… ran away. But Killmonger does provide some great conflict, so it’s not a huge deal.
16) The Marvels (2023)
From the get-go, this movie takes the MCU and propels it further than we ever expected. Carol Denvers (Captain Marvel), Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), and Monica Rambeau get their powers entangled with each other. With this new complication, they have to figure out how to fight together to beat the absolutely drop-dead gorgeous fierce Kree leader Dar-Benn. The first fight scene sets the tone for the movie: this is a fun ass-kicking movie. This is the kind of superhero movie I would have done anything to have when I was Kamala’s age. Kamala represents all of us: young kids who adore these superheroes. The way she fangirls over Captain Marvel is the exact same way any of us would react if we were in her shoes.
The only part of this movie that I didn’t really like was the whole singing language thing when they visited the planet Aladna, where Carol Denvers is apparently married and a princess. As someone who’s not very fond of musicals or people breaking into song randomly, I found myself cringing so hard during this segment that it actually physically hurt. I didn’t know Brie Larson could sing — that’s amazing — but please don’t introduce singing into the MCU. This isn’t one of your animated movies, Disney. Thank you.
Overall, a really fun movie to watch.
15. Thor (2011)
I like to compare Thor from this movie to teenage Groot: he’s stubborn, defiant, and very immature. This origin story gives Thor a great character arc, as he learn that being a king means more than just being a good fighter. Loki’s
gorgeous smile
mischievous ways are a highlight, as is his desire to be accepted and loved by Odin.
In terms of the broader story, this movie gets S.H.I.E.L.D. interested in researching ways to protect Earth against the dangers out there in space, and reinforces the need for an Avengers team.
Awesome origin story for a really relatable superhero.
14. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
This movie came out of the left field and scored big time. Laugh-out-loud funny, featuring a group of the most unlikely heroes and an awesome soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy was the first MCU movie that took the viewers deeper into the open universe. It has a memorable villain, Ronan, and spotlights Thanos’ desire to collect all the infinity stones for the first time.
Quill, Rocket, Gamora, Drax, and Groot are truly the best dysfunctional family, and it solidifies the Guardians of the Galaxy as a sort of space Avengers. In short, it’s an excellent origin movie and it helps set a lot of things in motion for the MCU.
13. Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
Why is Tom Holland so good at playing Peter Parker? Why is Jake Gyllenhaal such a good bad guy?
In this movie, Peter Parker is a young superhero trying to have a normal life while concealing his identity and trying to prove himself to Nick Fury. And then his identity is revealed to the world and Parker finds himself as public enemy number 1.
Though the story itself is good, it feels like it’s hard to have a serious moment in the movie. Every situation turns into a comic moment, especially with Ned. But as distracting as that is, Far from Home still nails the action and heroics that we’re used to from Spider-Man movies.
12. Ant-Man (2015)
Paul Rudd is the perfect Ant-Man. His humor is on point, and his chemistry with the other actors in the movie is impeccable. This film has a good balance of serious, funny, and wholesome moments. Ant-Man is a fun and exciting movie that is perfect for family movie night. My only issue is the fact Scott Lang wasn’t riding or commanding a horde of ants in Avengers: Endgame. How epic would that have been?