Ranking the MCU: Marvel’s Best and Worst Movies
Here’s the Definitive Count Down Of the Best and Worst Of the MCU
Updated: November 2021
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has grown into a full-blown money making monster. Going from humble beginnings as a struggling studio, to becoming one of the biggest blockbuster contenders in the industry. However, money doesn’t always mean quality, and there have been some movies in the MCU that managed to sneak by quality control. That’s why I put on my fanboy hat and decided to take another look at the movies included in the MCU’s catalog and put them in order from worst to best. I’m sure there will be some controversy over some of my choices, but I’m thinking that this list really puts the films in perspective. So, sit back and enjoy as I shame the hero movies that deserve to be shamed and praise those that have satisfied the fickle geeks among us. The ultimate ranking of the MCU!
26. Thor
Coming in dead last is the first appearance of the golden-haired God of Thunder. I don’t even know where to start with this one, but I mostly blame director Kenneth Branagh for the lackluster action, awkward pacing, and failing to raise the stakes for our hero. This is not the origin story Thor deserved, but it’s the one we’re stuck with. Luckily later directors started to understand the character better.
25. The Incredible Hulk
How could something with Ed Norton be so bad? To be honest, I had almost forgotten that this movie was considered MCU canon. After all, there was no Hulk 2 (we all know the first Hulk doesn’t count). It’s a shame though because all the pieces were there. Tim Roth as the villain, William Hurt as the jerk dad/ General, and, well, Liv Tyler was there too. Unfortunately, legal issues have made it impossible for Hulk to get another solo movie from Marvel in the near future.
24. Iron Man 2
Maybe it’s the fact that the first Iron Man was so good. Maybe it’s the fact that Mickey Rourke played a Russian villain. Maybe it’s the fact that Sam Rockwell was absolutely wasted. Either way, Iron Man 2 was not a great movie. Sure it introduced Black Widow and the new War Machine, and I have to give it props for that little push for “diversity” but that’s not going to let it off the hook for being an aimless mess that just reinforced the fact that the MCU has a villain problem.
23. Thor: The Dark World
For the longest time, Thor just could not get a break. His second solo outing went much better than the first. His character seemed to actually have a personality starting to peek through, and his relationship with Loki was actually given some depth. On top of that, Jane Foster was given a chance to be more than eye candy. However, a hero is only as good as his villain, and this time the villain was a D&D character with a messed up face.
22. Eternals
The MCU spent over a decade carefully introducing characters through various crossovers and after-credit sequences, allowing the audience time to come to love each of them. Then Eternals threw down eleven brand new heroes, two villains, and an elder god without so much as a heads up. Despite being an achievement of diversity and representation within the MCU, Eternals is a poor attempt at deconstructing the superhero genre to fit the hero’s journey template so many old world myths followed. Most of the characters are one-dimensional cliches and troublingly dimwitted, but there are some gems among the team I do look forward to seeing more of in the future. It’s not the best MCU movie, but Eternals isn’t the worst either.
21. Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America is a hero’s hero. The guy every other Marvel character had a poster of on their wall. There were a few things that the first one got right, most importantly was Chris Evans, who is still spectacular in the role. The biggest problem with Captain America: The First Avenger is that it’s so boring. Not only that, but it feels like a vehicle to set up Agent Carter as a character fans would care about. But in a world of superpowers, a sassy British spy is, well, weak sauce.