All 33 movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ranked worst to best

6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is an emotionally charged goodbye to our favorite group of interplanetary misfits.The plot is dark and sad, the stakes high. Writer-director James Gunn does a tremendous job closing this chapter of the Guardians’ story, and should absolutely win an award for sneaking in the first F-bomb in a Disney/Marvel movie.

This movie is more ambitious than the previous two Guardians films. There aren’t as many jokes, and the ones that are here don’t feel as forced. There is real character development for almost every Guardian. The acting is terrific, and Karen Gillan and Pom Klementieff giving the best performances as Nebula and Mantis. This is a meanty Marvel movie: everything is well-balanced, and the story goes to a place of trauma and heartbreak we don’t often get.

5. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

I always get giddy watching this movie. The airport scene is one of my favorite moments in the franchise, with its flowing choreography and a high stakes. It always felt like a mini-Avengers movie to me because of the number of characters present.

On top of that, Civil War touches on a very likely situation superheroes might find themselves in: being held accountable for the death and destruction they cause while trying to protect people. You could reasonably argue for joining either Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, who find themselves on different sides of a moral dilemma.

4. The Avengers (2012)

Ah. The movie that made me not only jump, but dive into the MCU. The first movie with the original six Avengers sharing the screen; a very difficult feat, but managed deftly by writer-director Joss Whedon (who has since been canceled out of show business, FYI). The plot and characters are well-written and every single actor pulls their weight in this big step forward for the MCU. It set the standard for every Avengers movie that followed, and shows that when heroes act as a team, there’s nothing they can’t do.

3. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

This is my favorite Taika Waikiki film. The humor, the gravitas, the soundtrack, Cate Blanchett…I love everything about this movie. Hela is brutal, thanks in part to the writer and in part to Blanchett’s predictably brilliant work. Jeff Goldblum’s provides an off-kilter breath of fresh air, but still fits within the movie’s tone. It’s fun, funny, and intense right through to the end.

2. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Infinity War and Endgame were complete game changers for the MCU. They reintroduce Thanos as the big bad and revisit knowledge gained in previous movies, e.g. where the infinity stones are, what they do, and who has them. The movie ends with the Avengers losing and half the population of the entire universe disappearing with a snap. The Avengers are defeated while Thanos feels he’s finally served his purpose.

As all our favorite Avengers fight and disappear, it feels like something important is happening in the MCU. The only part of the movie I cringe at is when Thor, Rocket, and Groot go to Nidavellir to get Stormbreaker made. I adore Peter Dinklage, but I was not fond of his character and his performance.

1. Avengers: Endgame (2019)

“I… am… Iron Man”

This is the movie that marks the end of the MCU for us as we knew it, or at least for me. Beautifully executed and very touching, you never finish this movie without crying. I like the plot and I think it flows very well together and makes sense, the effects are great, and the fights are very well done. The acting is also phenomenal, and I am filled with goosebumps every time Captain America says “Avengers! Assemble.” I got them now just thinking about it.

Ten years of entertaining and moving films brought us this masterpiece that will, along with Infinity War, be two of my absolute favorite movies for until end of my days.

That’s it for my list, and I wait anxiously for the next MCU installment. How would you rank the 32 MCU movies?

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