Ranking the MCU (REVISED & UPDATED)

My definitive, inarguable and absolutely correct ranking of the MCU from best to worst. (REVISED & UPDATED)

By: Josh McCormack

With MARVEL's latest epic finally reaching the screen, I thought now would be a good time to rank the 22 films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from my favorite to least favorite. Enjoy:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

James Gunn crafted the first and only non-superhero film in the MCU and it is absolutely fantastic. I've followed the MCU since the beginning, but the only movie that resonates with me and that I consider a modern classic is Guardians. The music, the characters and the pure wackiness of it all makes this nostalgic space opera the gold standard for MARVEL in my eyes. 

2. Avengers: Endgame (2019)

A heist film, an "end of the world" epic and a conclusion to a 22-film saga, Endgame is certainly a lot to take in. Yet, the film is a three hour victory lap that rewards anyone who has watched all of these films. It's incredibly satisfying, rightfully tragic in places and extraordinarily rousing in others. After a series of movies that have become somewhat predictable after 11 years, there are moments of shock in this most recent MCU entry that still leave me reeling. It perhaps isn't the neatest in terms of a coherent narrative, but on the merits of relentless entertainment, there are very few superhero movies that can match Avengers: Endgame.

3. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

A third Spider-Man reboot should not have worked this well, but director Jon Watts knew that grounding the story and casting the wall crawler as an actual teenager was the way to make this version special. Tom Holland is without a doubt the best cast Spidey and Michael Keaton's Vulture is one of the few memorable villains in the MCU. There's great twists, great action and it's second only to the brilliant Spider-Man 2 in the Spidey cinematic universe. 

4. Black Panther (2018)

Aside from the cultural significance and the phenomenon that it became, Black Panther is simply a fantastic superhero film. With the exception of some odd looking CGI, the film is practically flawless creating a wonderful science fiction world of Wakanda and providing us with characters that are so much more dimensional than your average superhero flick. Ryan Coogler is a filmmaker who as of yet can do no wrong and Black Panther fits in snuggly with his other two cinematic achievements. 

5. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

 Infinity War could have been such a mess. The Russo brothers were dealing with so many plot threads and separate characters that the very fact that the film doesn't crumble beneath its own weight is a remarkable accomplishment. While the film is certainly not catering to those who aren't very familiar with the universe, Infinity War gives each of its main players a moment to shine in this nearly three hour magnum opus that is one part "Lord of the Rings" and one part "Empire Strikes Back". When most of these films conclude it is nothing but noise and percussive upbeat music, the final moments of "Infinity War" are as quiet as something by Fellini. It's silent and our last image is of a certain character sitting on a porch smiling to himself and it is more poignant and powerful than any city destruction scene.

6. Iron Man (2008)

Have you watched the original Iron Man recently? It's absolutely worth a revisit because it's fantastic, but also because it is so gritty and grounded compared to what the MCU has become. While it might no longer be my personal favorite, I really do miss the edginess and sheer balls that Jon Favreau  brought to this film. Tony Stark's arc is one of the best in any superhero film and there are moments that are absolutely heartbreaking and give you goosebumps. It also began the long tradition of underwhelming final battle sequences in MARVEL films, but that's merely a dent on a pretty damn great first movie in the franchise. 

7. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

In the Russo brothers' second foray into the MCU the Avengers are torn apart from the inside. Unlike DC's disastrous Batman V Superman, which came out the same year, Civil War provides our characters with a conflict that actually makes complete sense and leaves you with a powerful final clash of the two titans that laid the foundation for the MCU. 

Oh, there's also a scene where Spider-Man climbs on top of giant Ant-Man's helmet and that's pretty cool too. 

8.  The Avengers (2012)

What can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said? This is the movie that put the MCU on the map. The first part conclusion of a cinematic experiment that actually worked. It's a wonderful movie with great characters, a chilling baddie, huge stakes and a big ol' Hulk. Even with some pacing issues and crazy CGI, this movie is the definition of a crowd pleaser. 

9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

In what is many people's favorite of the MCU, Captain America's service to his country is put to the test. It's a fantastic political thriller that is more grounded than most MARVEL films and gives our main hero an interesting dilemma without sacrificing the traits that still make him who he is (unlike, say, Man of Steel). Sadly, it falls back into the vat of redundancy when the final 25 minutes are practically another CGI heavy, collaterally damaging battle. However, its a daring and interesting film  up to that point and is the first MCU movie to be directed by the Russo brothers. 

10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

It was never going to live up to the first Guardians in my mind, but with repeat viewings Guardians 2 has proven to be a better sequel than I initially gave it credit for. It's still fun and light on its feet, but James Gunn had full carte blanche to make the movie he wanted and he made one of the weirdest and trippiest MCU movies yet. Sometimes there's so many jokes coming at you that it winds up being exhausting and it is a film that begins to crumble due to the sum of its own ambitions, but being stuck with these characters makes it a hell of a ride worth taking again and again.

Oh. And Kurt Russel has a huge part in it, so that's ALWAYS a plus. 

11. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

The CGI in Ragnarok looks like a video game from the mid 2000s. That's all I could think about while watching the movie for the first time. Bad CG is not a new thing in the MCU (hell, even Infinity War had some cringey green screen), but this is the first time that I've found it incredibly distracting and where it actually hindered a lot of my enjoyment of the film. However, New Zealander Taika Waititi (one of our best modern comedy directors) found a way to make a character in the MCU I care the least about into a fun protagonist and made this third Thor movie a comedic romp rather than just another boring, tonally inept Shakespearean snooze fest like the last two films. 

Oh. Jeff Goldblum has a huge part in this movie too. So that is always, like ALWAYS, a plus. 

12. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Captain America's first outing is a wonderful origin story plagued with yet another lousy CG heavy final battle. Director Joe Johnson is always spoken of as a director for hire with no distinct style. That is true, but his directing is still incredibly fast and well-paced and this WWII set action film fits snuggly with his Disney cult classic The Rocketeer. 

13. Iron Man 3 (2013)

Shane Black's foray into the MCU was a very controversial one. As a fan of Lethal Weapon, I enjoyed Iron Man 3 but I do think the movie goes overboard with its humor and the ending gets rid of a lot of the attributes that make the character of Tony Stark so interesting. 

14. Captain Marvel (2019)

In an equal parts interesting and underwhelming later entry in the MCU, we are introduced to Brie Larson's Carol Danvers, a character who will certainly lead the MCU to a new future but sadly has yet to make a true mark amongst the large roster of MARVEL characters. Even with the mundanity of its lead character and a pretty standard final act, Captain Marvel still manages to display some pretty wonderful elements such as incredibly strong performances, a nice second-act twist and a fun 90s soundtrack.

15. Doctor Strange (2016)

Perhaps one of the most disappointing films in the MCU, given the amazing possibilities of its subject matter on which its based. Doctor Strange is visually psychedelic with a wonderful performance from Benedict Cumberbatch, but this is certainly the most tonally messy film in the franchise. MARVEL has always been known for their balancing acts of comedy and drama, but for a film that dabbles with the dark arts of the universe, the relevant pop-culture quips just seem really out of place here. But it does open the door for some really trippy and fun new possibilities for the MCU. 

16. Thor (2011)

A shakespearean, space-based story of norse mythology that was the first truly science fiction film for the MCU. Getting Kenneth Branagh to direct was a great move on MARVEL's part. He allows the film to seem like a superhero version of Hamlet at some points. Sadly, the movie is also a fish out of water story, which is a sub genre I've never truly cared for. However, Tom Hiddleston would make for one of the MCU's best villains as Loki. 

17. Ant-Man (2015)

The great Edgar Wright had been working on an Ant-Man project for nearly a decade until he and MARVEL had a falling out. After seeing the finished product by Peyton Reed I longed for the Edgar Wright version we'll never see. Great effects and a thankfully smaller stakes story still can't save this movie from feeling like every aspect of the filmmaking is on autopilot. I love origin stories and I love Paul Rudd, but this isn't one I feel like revisiting anytime soon. 

18. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Perhaps the most anticipated MARVEL film of its time and one that absolutely crumbled beneath its own weight. Joss Whedon's oversized sequel to his iconic first Avengers film is ambitious and has some truly wonderful moments, but studio interference and a director trying to get his own voice into this product winds up making this movie a mess. It's gorgeous to look at and a lot happens that would change the course of the MCU, but I wish there was more of a soul and a clear storyline.

19. Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)

In this bafflingly well-reviewed entry in the MCU, Paul Rudd gets into some shenanigans for nearly two hours with the help of Evangeline Lily and a truthfully committed Michael Douglas, but the audience is made to suffer at the hands of a lousy villain subplot and dreadfully unfunny comedic moments. Rudd is always magnetic and the final act action sequence is actually pretty creative, but it's not worth having to sit through the entirety of this second Ant-Man movie. 

20. Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Boring. 

21. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Don't care. 

22. Iron Man 2 (2010)

The worst MCU film by far. Iron Man 2 had so much going for it, but I think it fails because MARVEL studios and Jon Favreau didn't know what a great universe they were working with quite yet. A wonderful cast (i.e Mickey Rourke, Gary Shandling, Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell) gets wasted and basically become glorified set dressing and the final battle is straight out of a video game. All this is is a crappy setup to The Avengers featuring a great introduction to Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, but that is practically it. Lame.