Marvel Cinematic Universe
A list of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies from best to worst in my opinion
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- DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsChris EvansSamuel L. JacksonScarlett JohanssonAs Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world, he teams up with a fellow Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Black Widow, to battle a new threat from history: an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.The gold standard for the MCU. The Russo brothers crafted not only the best Marvel movie, but one of the best spy-thrillers in a long while. If this movie took place by itself in a non-Marvel universe it would still be a fantastic movie.
- DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsChris EvansRobert Downey Jr.Scarlett JohanssonPolitical involvement in the Avengers' affairs causes a rift between Captain America and Iron Man.The Russo brothers followed Winter Soldier with one that was almost better than it. They proved that a movie with 10+ heroes can work when they are in a well written and paced movie. Amazing action sequences and a solid realistic take on the Civil War story line.
- DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansMark RuffaloAfter the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to reverse Thanos' actions and restore balance to the universe.The Russo's did it again and made a pretty much perfect Marvel movie. I think I like it a little better than Infinity War as it moves a bit better plot wise overall. Infinity is great, but it has so many stories that just seem to be shown to lead up to Thanos getting all the stones and getting everyone together at the final battle. This one everyone pretty much sticks together in the plot, until they divide as part of the time heist. The time travel was well done and goes against the usual movie tropes it has. The final battle is a cinematic "marvel" and some of the best full-scale battle CG we have ever seen. Again it's a long one that really doesn't feel like a long one. Dark Knight Rises is alright, but it FEELS like a 2hr 45 min movie. This one never felt too long and honestly felt just as long as Infinity War despite being 30 mins longer. It's got some of the best moments we've all been waiting for and many amazing callbacks to the past decade of the MCU. Get ready for an emotion rollercoaster and easily one of the top comic hero movies ever made. NO other studio will ever top the massiveness of this! It's a perfect bow on top of the usually pretty solid MCU.
- DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris HemsworthMark RuffaloThe Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.And yet again the Russo brothers know their stuff. They did Civil War with 10+ characters, now they completed the impossible and are able to balance a movie with EVERY hero in the universe. Also it's amazing how they were able to do this movie, but also kind of make the bad guy the main character of it all and actually sympathetic. I like the action of Civil War and Winter Soldier better, but this is easily the biggest super hero movie yet.
- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansScarlett JohanssonEarth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.The first joining of the heroes was almost deemed impossible, but Joss Whedon made it work and created the stepping stone for truly great superhero movies that were also fun as hell. Sure Nolan made the perfect super hero movie with The Dark Knight, but Avengers is TDK but with a more lighthearted and fun. Until the Russo's came to the MCU, this was the gold standard for it all, and surprisingly it was surpassed!
- DirectorJames GunnStarsChris PrattVin DieselBradley CooperA group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.Easily the most fun Marvel movie and one of them with the biggest hearts. James Gunn took a band of heroes that the general public knew NOTHING about and made them the world's favorite squad of misfits. It's funny, full of heart, and a superb action movie. The villain is weak, but he's not the main focus of the movie.
- DirectorJon FavreauStarsRobert Downey Jr.Gwyneth PaltrowTerrence HowardAfter being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.The movie that started it all! Re-watching it again it's great to see how much the new movies have improved, though this one still kicks ass on it's own. At the time it was groundbreaking and it is still better than half of the movies that have come out after it. Sure most of the rest have improved in terms of scriptwriting, CGI, and storytelling, but the first Iron Man still stands as a fantastic movie that I would surely watch over anything below it on this list!
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsChris EvansHugo WeavingSamuel L. JacksonSteve Rogers, a rejected military soldier, transforms into Captain America after taking a dose of a "Super-Soldier serum". But being Captain America comes at a price as he attempts to take down a warmonger and a terrorist organization.One of the early MCU movies. Not perfect, some of the worst CGI and action scenes, but the movie still had heart and felt like an adventure movie. It's a great origin story and kind of a good romance too. It probably hasn't aged well compared to the rest, but it's still a personal favorite.
- DirectorJon WattsStarsTom HollandSamuel L. JacksonJake GyllenhaalFollowing the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.A really fun and well done sequel. Tops the first in almost every aspect! What they did with Mysterio was really good and it has a good twist to the story.
- DirectorTaika WaititiStarsChris HemsworthTom HiddlestonCate BlanchettImprisoned on the planet Sakaar, Thor must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.It took them three movies, but they finally made an entertaining movie about Thor. At times the jokes are a bit too many, but they made Thor a fun character that you can actually care about. In his first two movies you got glimpses of his egotistical nature, but here it is full force and really fun to watch. The side characters really shine here too. It's a mix of Guardians humor, and a decent amount of the jokes are just a bit too crammed in there, but it's an extremely fun movie and a kickstart that Thor, and Hulk sorely needed.
- DirectorPeyton ReedStarsPaul RuddMichael DouglasCorey StollArmed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, pull off a plan that will save the world.I still wish Edgar Wright had directed this as I love all of his movies, but what we got was still a fun adventure. It's essentially a heist movie set in the MCU. It's got great characters and some fun action scenes set in the micro world. It was awesome to see a movie that didn't have a world saving ending or a battle in a city. It's a battle between two tiny suits in a kids play room. This was a great movie to watch and a breath of fresh air after the mediocre Ultron.
- DirectorJon WattsStarsTom HollandMichael KeatonRobert Downey Jr.Peter Parker balances his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man, and finds himself on the trail of a new menace prowling the skies of New York City.Boy was it great that Marvel was able to take back creative control of Spidey after 15 years of mediocre movies. Raimi's were good at the time before the MCU Renaissance. And Webb's were middling to atrocious. It was awesome to see PP back as a highschool kid. There was definitely a John Hughes vibe to this movie as a whole. It's a shame that Marvel felt the need to add Iron Man to the mix, but he's such a minor part that Spidey still has the focus.
- DirectorRyan CooglerStarsChadwick BosemanMichael B. JordanLupita Nyong'oT'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past.No one knew this movie would be a big as it was, but it also ended up being THE biggest money maker of the series, even surpassing The Avengers. It felt like the new boost that the MCU needed. The only real downsides are the terrible CGI in the ending battle and that Claue was killed. He was a pretty fun side villain. Speaking of villains, this has one of the best. Until Infinity came out 3 months later, Killmonger was probably the top villain. He had a great idea, but he was just going about it the wrong way. Here's hoping the 2nd has better CGI.
- DirectorShane BlackStarsRobert Downey Jr.Guy PearceGwyneth PaltrowWhen Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.A movie I loved on the first viewing, but repeat viewings have bumped it down the list. I was a huge fan of Shane Black's "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" also starring Downey Jr. so I was stoked to see him directing. It's got some fantastic moments of Tony and Rhodes, calling back to Black's buddy cop roots. But a majority of it focuses on Tony getting lost and spending a bunch of time with a random kid he meets. It's not terrible, but the middle part of the movie just felt lacking from what made the first amazing. 100x better than IM 2 though.
- DirectorAnna BodenRyan FleckStarsBrie LarsonSamuel L. JacksonBen MendelsohnCarol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.The newest entry into the MCU was quite a fun one. It wasn't the greatest in the series, but nowhere near the worst. It was a fun adventure to go on and it had moments of real emotion. It just needed a little more to make it truly fantastic and have a place in the upper part of this list. Larson is fine, but definitely a weak point. Her character traits are very poorly defined and I feel like the script just didn't do her justice. Here's to hoping sequels and Endgame improve upon her. Nick Fury was definitely the best part of this movie and it was much better with him in the mix.
- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansMark RuffaloWhen Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it's up to Earth's mightiest heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plan.Like GotG2, this one felt like half a good movie. The team working together like the first one was fun and there is some great interactions between them all. I just felt like the whole Ultron story was just kind of too out there and not that interesting. I also disliked the Michael Bay Transformer-y aspect of Ultron's face and movement. It's one I only watch when leading up to a new main Avengers movie, but it just felt weak in comparison to the first movie.
- DirectorScott DerricksonStarsBenedict CumberbatchChiwetel EjioforRachel McAdamsWhile on a journey of physical and spiritual healing, a brilliant neurosurgeon is drawn into the world of the mystic arts.Another I have only watched once, but I was just bored overall with it. Sure, not every movie has to be a joke-fest or wacky fun, but this one kept trying to be jokey fun, but at the same time being a bit too serious. It has some great action, but I just wasn't a fan of the pacing of the movie. Strange just seemed like different version of Tony and a rehash of his personality. Wong was probably the most fun part of it all.
- DirectorPeyton ReedStarsPaul RuddEvangeline LillyMichael PeñaAs Scott Lang balances being both a superhero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.One I was truly excited for that let me down hard. It has lots of fun and unique moments, but the plot with Ghost was just uninteresting and the side plot with the gangster trying to steal Lang's tech along with Ghost trying to steal their tech was just messy and annoying. It's entertaining in it's own right, but just a letdown after the promise of the first movie.
- DirectorJames GunnStarsChris PrattZoe SaldanaDave BautistaThe Guardians struggle to keep together as a team while dealing with their personal family issues, notably Star-Lord's encounter with his father, the ambitious celestial being Ego.Finally got around to re-watching it, and yeesh this is a hard movie to swallow. Maybe it was because I watched the first one right before it, but this movie was just boring as hell to me. I like movies that go against expectation when done well, but this one was just not what I wanted when it came to a Guardians movie. It starts with what you expect to be a big adventure, but then the Guardians get attacked and stranded immediately. Sure that can be a good way to subvert expectations, but the plot they choose to tell was just so plodding. The crew splits into two stories, one that is beyond slow as hell and one that is slightly interesting. I still enjoy the Yondu and Rocket section of the movie. The Star Lord and his father stuff is just so goddamn exposition heavy and you just know the whole time that it's gonna be revealed that his father is evil, but you need to sit through a whole two hours for it to come to light. The ending action is good and it does have some stellar moments, it's just a shame that 75% of the movie just drags it down and really makes it hard to enjoy even the best parts of it. You just literally sit and wait until it's revealed his father is bad, there is no intrigue or question. I hope that Vol. 3 has much better pacing and a tighter script.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsChris HemsworthAnthony HopkinsNatalie PortmanThe powerful but arrogant god Thor is cast out of Asgard to live amongst humans in Midgard (Earth), where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.At the time with the MCU just starting up I really liked this movie, but on repeat viewings It's just a really standard movie overall. All the dutch angles are really weird and out of place. The human side characters are pretty bad, but not as bad as the sequel. It's just an alright movie, but only really at the time of the MCU starting up.
- DirectorAlan TaylorStarsChris HemsworthNatalie PortmanTom HiddlestonWhen the Dark Elves attempt to plunge the universe into darkness, Thor must embark on a perilous and personal journey that will reunite him with doctor Jane Foster.Thor went from mediocre to worse with this one. It was just boring a boring fantasy adventure. All the human secondary characters are extremely annoying here and thankfully disappeared after this movie. The villain is THE worst one in a MCU movie ever. Super dull and just really run-of-the-mill.
- DirectorJon FavreauStarsRobert Downey Jr.Mickey RourkeGwyneth PaltrowWith the world now aware of his identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark must contend with both his declining health and a vengeful mad man with ties to his father's legacy.Woof...Iron Man 1 started off strong, but quickly went downhill. It's a good thing that all the movies after this were much better than this. Plotwise the pacing is jus all over the place. The villain was the worst at the time until Thor 2 came along. Random Russian guy who's father had his ideas stolen from Tony's dad seeks revenge. Tony needs to find a new source for his chest as the one he first made is slowly killing him. Two hours of random dull scenes lead to THE worst final battle that lasts like 40 seconds. It's good that Whedon saved this universe and that Favreau was booted off of The Avengers.
- DirectorLouis LeterrierStarsEdward NortonLiv TylerTim RothBruce Banner, a scientist on the run from the U.S. Government, must find a cure for the monster he turns into whenever he loses his temper.The 2nd MCU movie and the one that showed us that without good filmmakers behind the camera, even these movies can majorly suck. Just everything about it is a drag. Terrible villain and really dull plot. Really bad action scenes and some of the worst CGI in the whole MCU. There's a reason Norton was re-cast in later movie as he just didn't fit the character at all. General Ross is the only carry over we have from this and it's probably for the best. I've only watched it once on DVD after the theater viewing, and I have ZERO interest to do so again. Even when watching all the movies again leading up to a big event movie, I will for sure skip this and the other bottom 5 movies or so on the list!