The Marvel Movies From Worst to Best—and Where to Stream Them

In May 2008, the lately fashioned Marvel Studios launched its first movie—and altered the face of recent cinema. Iron Man wasn’t even the highest-grossing superhero movie of the yr (Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight took that crown), however it was a kernel that has exploded into an all-consuming leisure juggernaut. Nearly 15 years later, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a sprawling, interconnected internet of character-based films and crossovers that has pulled in billions on the field workplace.

But which movies are the very best, and worst, of the bunch? Is Iron Man 3 higher than Iron Man 2? How unhealthy was The Incredible Hulk? How did the newest Thor entry maintain up in opposition to its predecessors? We’ve spent hours arguing in regards to the relative deserves of Doctor Strange and Black Widow, and on the finish of it, we’ve acquired some irreparably broken working relationships and the definitive rating of each film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Related be aware: It takes almost three days to watch all 30 movies again to again. Most of them are actually accessible on Disney+, and you’ll learn our information to the very best movies on Disney+ to see what else is value watching while you’re achieved—at the very least till Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania arrives in theaters in February.

30. Eternals

Eternals confronted an uphill battle, because it was one of many first films to get caught up in Covid-19 delays. While it initially accomplished capturing in February 2020, the majority of its post-production was dealt with remotely and reshoots had to be achieved almost 10 months later. Add a number of delays due to movie show closures, and followers ended up ready about three years to see it. But fairly than a straightforward slide into this new world of the Eternals—an alien race of immortal superheroes who’ve been dwelling in secrecy for 1000’s of years—audiences acquired a full-on, Avengers-style epic they weren’t fairly prepared for. While the movie garnered reward for its luxurious visuals and progressive course by Chloé Zhao, and for bringing an entire new philosophical bent to the MCU, it in the end felt like a futile train.

29. The Incredible Hulk

This largely forgotten Marvel film adopted intently on the heels of Iron Man’s success, however relative to the opposite movies within the sequence, it was a essential and business flop. Edward Norton did a wonderfully effective job as Bruce Banner, however the story goes that he needed extra inventive management than a tightly associated internet of films would enable and so was changed by Mark Ruffalo earlier than The Avengers (aka Avengers Assemble) 4 years later. (Ruffalo, it seems, had truly been The Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier’s first alternative for the smashing inexperienced superhero.) The movie feels very darkish and gloomy in contrast to the brightness of Marvel’s later efforts, and the CGI has not aged effectively. But most significantly, recasting with such a distinct actor meant that the occasions of this movie have largely been ignored ever since—numerous seeds have been planted that by no means bore fruit, and Banner’s emotional backstory and relationship with Betty Ross (performed by Liv Tyler) are by no means talked about once more, which appears to swimsuit some followers simply effective.

28. Iron Man 2

It’s robust for any sequel to match—not to mention surpass—the success of its cinematic predecessor, and Iron Man 2 was definitely not up to the duty. Robert Downey Jr. reprises his function because the eponymous superhero, going head-to-head with the US authorities, which is anxious about what might occur if Tony Stark’s tech falls into the incorrect fingers. Officials spend a lot time pestering Stark {that a} new risk escapes their discover—within the type of Ivan Vanko, aka Whiplash, a Russian physicist who’s acquired a bone to choose with Stark. Mickey Rourke, contemporary off his Oscar-nominated function in The Wrestler, has spent the previous decade-plus trashing the film and the MCU’s “crap acting,” which hasn’t helped the movie’s legacy.

27. Thor: The Dark World

One of the belongings you understand while you sit down and really rank all 29 MCU movies is how few duds there are. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and his colleagues have achieved a exceptional job of turning out some fairly stable footage, and there are few genuinely unhealthy entries within the sequence. Unfortunately, that is one in all them. The Dark World was beset by issues from the beginning, together with intensive rewrites and even director adjustments. Despite all that work put into making the very best image potential, the plot—which options Dark Elves, frost monsters, and a malicious substance known as the Aether—feels a bit distant. Fortunately, Thor managed to rebound with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok.

26. Iron Man 3

If Downey’s ultimate solo outing as Iron Man marked the tip of an period, it will greatest be summed up as an period of mediocre films starring an enormous expertise, making the tip of them far much less unhappy for filmgoers. The plot of the third movie revolves round Tony Stark’s PTSD within the wake of the Battle of New York as he takes on The Mandarin, a mysterious determine who seems to be a debauched actor in a tv studio, performed with all of the respect that plot twist deserves by Oscar winner Ben Kingsley.

25. Avengers: Age of Ultron

The Avengers’ second group outing is a joyous jumble of a film by which the superheroes begin to actually click on as a workforce. Stark’s mad-scientist-playing-God routine spirals uncontrolled (in a great way) when he blends Asgardian heirlooms with AI and superior robotics. The Avengers find yourself having to battle Ultron, a Terminator-esque abomination with some unsurprising designs on the way forward for humankind (learn: extinction). That Ultron has a few rogue superheroes doing his bidding gives additional enjoyable. After the monster bot is obliterated and the rogues are gained over to the opposite aspect, a glimpse of Thanos’ purple mug reminds us that this was possible all a part of a wider plot. Then once more, isn’t all the things within the MCU a part of a wider plot?

24. Thor: Love and Thunder

With the exception of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Phase Four of the MCU has gotten off to a fairly uneven begin, critically talking. In the case of the latest entry, Thor’s fourth standalone journey, not even Taika Waititi might stay up to the extremely excessive customary he set with the universally beloved Thor: Ragnarok. While Waititi’s comedian tendencies are on full show, Love and Thunder—very similar to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 earlier than it—feels just a little too acquainted to its predecessor to absolutely stand out by itself. Still, Chris Hemsworth is completely charming because the flawed and weak God of Thunder, who’s pressured out of retirement so as to cease a brand new enemy, Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), from doing precisely what his identify implies. Together along with his King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Waititi), and his newly superhero-empowered ex Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Thor units about stopping Gorr, and uncovering the explanation behind his hatred of the gods within the first place.

23. Doctor Strange within the Multiverse of Madness

Twenty years after first bringing Spider-Man to the large display in a pre-MCU world, Sam Raimi formally crashed the Marvel social gathering with this Doctor Strange sequel starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen and Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen and Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen. Basically, there are quite a lot of variations of their characters, Dr. Stephen Strange and Wanda Maximoff, a few of whom are up to no good. Like the primary Strange movie, this one feels prefer it exists simply outdoors of the MCU—or extra to present connective tissue between different segments of the superhero universe than as a full-fledged solo effort. The film does, nevertheless, characteristic a few of the franchise’s most notable abilities (depend the Oscar nominations) and the sequel brings Raimi again to his Evil Dead roots, making this a film for superhero aficionados and horror film followers alike.

22. Thor

Chris Hemsworth’s Thor serves as a helpful supply of comedian aid in most of the more moderen MCU films, however his first outing—on this Kenneth Branagh–helmed movie—had a way more severe vibe. At the beginning of the movie, Thor is exiled on Earth and deemed unworthy to wield his hammer, which has crashed into the desert in New Mexico. He strikes up a romance with astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who has come to examine the matter. As standard, it’s Tom Hiddleston as Loki—Thor’s brother—who steals the present, however it’s all just a little too severe to discover itself within the high half of this listing.

21. Doctor Strange

Preeminent New York City neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange is as pompous as he’s proficient, which makes it not possible for him to settle for that his profession is over when a automobile crash leaves him unable to use his fingers. In an try to reclaim his skilled standing, Strange travels to a monastery in Kathmandu, the place resident mystics are rumored to have mastered sorcery. After assembly the monastery’s chief warlock, the Ancient One, Strange forgets all about his injured fingers as he turns into absorbed in historical books, exploring the astral aircraft, and capturing inexperienced beams from his fingers. The look of a transcendental baddie hell-bent on destroying the magical shields defending Earth from inter-dimensional villains triggers wizardry battles galore. The visually ingenious movie will get factors for introducing Cumberbatch to the MCU; sadly, that’s not sufficient to put it aside from a low rating.

20. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

The second outing of Star-Lord, Gamora, Groot, and firm is a wonderfully gratifying movie. It simply appears like a reasonably by-the-numbers retread of the primary one, which related with audiences by way of its sudden comedy and the chemistry between its quirky characters, together with a wisecracking raccoon and a speaking tree. While the sequel tried to recapture a few of that magic, it simply couldn’t stick the touchdown. Or the center bit, actually. The Vol. 2 mixtape has been credited as one of many forces behind the cassette tape’s comeback, which is one thing to be grateful for as followers await director James Gunn’s third Guardians characteristic, which is about to be launched on May 5, 2023.

19. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

While the thought of adapting Marvel’s Shang-Chi comedian for the large display was first broached within the early 2000s, it took almost twenty years for the movie to get there. Simu Liu made historical past within the function of Shang-Chi, the MCU’s first Asian superhero, who led a predominantly Asian solid. In the current day, Shang-Chi works as a parking valet—an occupation that helps him masks his previous as a extremely skilled martial arts knowledgeable who carried out an assassination when he was simply 14 years previous. But as Shang-Chi is dragged again into the world of a mysterious group generally known as the Ten Rings, his previous comes effervescent again up to the floor, which proves to be each a blessing and a curse. A sequel is presently in growth.

18. Captain America: The First Avenger

The First Avenger is a sepia-toned love story that follows Steve Rogers’ (Chris Evans) transformation from scrawny patriot to tremendous soldier with the assistance of a particular serum. The movie’s historic setting means it’s completely different in tone from most of the different entries within the sequence, however which may be factor; critics praised its depiction of the Nineteen Forties. Of all of the movies within the sequence, Captain America maybe feels essentially the most coherent as a stand-alone flick.

17. Ant-Man and the Wasp

The success of 2015’s Ant-Man sparked an sudden sequel that takes the sequence even deeper into the quantum realm. The title character’s means to shrink and develop on demand makes for some visually arresting combat scenes, and it brings the identical humor and levity that made the primary movie a success together with it. But the precise plot, in the event you actually give it some thought, is deeply foolish. Then once more, possibly that’s what all of us wanted after the Snap. Although Ant-Man and the Wasp got here out after Infinity War, many of the motion takes place beforehand, apart from a shocking post-credits scene. It additionally doesn’t damage that Paul Rudd, one in all Hollywood’s most likable actors, performs the tiny hero of the title.

16. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

It’s potential no Marvel film will ever high Black Panther—that’s why it is Number 1 on this listing. But in the event you consider Wakanda Forever as a film that each honors the legacy of Chadwick Boseman, who performed T’Challa in a number of Marvel movies and tragically died in 2020, and continues the story of the nation of Wakanda, then it is a worthy sequel. Director Ryan Coogler not solely launched the world to a brand new Black Panther, he additionally introduced alongside Riri Williams (aka Ironheart) and Namor, too. It’s as gut-wrenching as it’s action-packed. 

15. Captain America: Civil War

Although Civil War is formally a solo Captain America outing, it performs out extra like an ensemble Avengers story, with an enormous solid of characters cut up into rival factions by the Sokovia Accords—a authorized settlement that places tighter controls on superheroes and was launched after Tony Stark’s rogue AI dropped a complete metropolis in Age of Ultron. Stark, cowed by his function in creating Ultron, is allied with the federal government and has Black Widow, Black Panther, Vision, and Spider-Man on his aspect. Meanwhile, Steve Rogers and his workforce—which incorporates Ant-Man, Hawkeye, and Wanda Maximoff, who’re in all probability not the favorites on paper—go rogue to observe down Hydra’s Helmut Zemo and usher in Bucky Barnes.

14. Black Widow

Given that Scarlett Johansson has been an integral a part of the MCU since 2010’s Iron Man 2, her 2021 debut solo characteristic appeared lengthy overdue. But the wait might have been value it, as Black Widow feels rather more like a stand-alone film than in all probability every other solo outing within the MCU and introduces a stable new solid of characters, together with Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, a fellow Black Widow and sister-like determine to Johansson. It largely follows the Marvel formulation of motion, motion, and extra motion and performs out extra like a Bond movie in that approach—which isn’t a nasty factor—however it additionally contends with the very particular problems with feminine independence and the consequences of surviving trauma. While it allowed longtime followers to dive deeper into the previous of Johansson’s notoriously mysterious Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow), it additionally—lastly!—gave audiences the possibility to see a barely completely different and extra weak aspect of the Avenger. It’s simply too unhealthy it took Marvel greater than a decade to lastly give followers that second.

13. The Avengers

Thanks to the MCU, crossovers have grow to be such a typical prevalence on the theater that it’s straightforward to neglect the impression of first seeing Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, and extra mix forces. The Avengers—or Avengers Assemble, because it’s identified within the UK—delivers some nice moments throughout the Battle of New York, which turns into a key plot level within the subsequent part of the story, and in most of the spin-off tv sequence. The movie wouldn’t work with out the power of the supporting characters, however it’s Mark Ruffalo’s quieter, extra measured tackle the Hulk that stands out.

12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The Winter Soldier felt very important when it was launched in 2014, however it tends to merge right into a basic blur of close-quarters fight and severed limbs. It follows Captain America’s makes an attempt to observe down the Winter Soldier, a mysterious and highly effective murderer who seems to be his shut private buddy Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Like Cap, the Winter Soldier was additionally saved on ice for many of the 70 years after World War II; in contrast to Cap, he was brainwashed by the evil Hydra. A rehabilitated Winter Soldier seems in each Infinity War and Endgame, and Stan has a number of movies left in his contract, so it is likely to be value rewatching this one for future reference.

11. Spider-Man: Far From Home

The first movie of Marvel’s Phase Four follows Peter Parker (Tom Holland) as he makes an attempt to stay some semblance of a traditional teenage life after the traumatic occasions of Avengers: Endgame. But a category journey to Europe and an opportunity to share his true emotions with MJ (Zendaya) go awry when Earth is besieged by Elementals—beings of pure hearth, earth, air, and water—and Spider-Man is pressured to workforce up with the enigmatic Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) to defend his classmates, not to point out numerous European landmarks.

10. Captain Marvel

Marvel’s largest mistake in your complete MCU canon (up to now) was not commissioning Captain Marvel sooner. The movie, which is about previously, sees the rise of Marvel (Brie Larson) as she discovers her origin story and develops her powers. The solely actual flaw within the film is that it doesn’t convincingly clarify what occurred to Marvel between the tip of the title and what comes years later in Endgame.

9. Avengers: Infinity War

A decade of cautious breadcrumbs planted throughout dozens of films culminated in a jaw-dropping finale that was exceptional when it comes to its ambition and execution. Infinity War introduced collectively just about each main character that had been seen on display within the earlier 10 years to tackle Thanos and cease his plan to wipe out half of all life within the universe. The pitched battle between the forces of Earth and an alien military was beautiful cinema, and the surprising cliffhanger ending was one of many largest cultural moments of the yr, if not the last decade. Snap!

8. Ant-Man

Who doesn’t love a heist film? Rudd’s MCU debut acted as one thing of a palate cleanser after the heavy and (actually) Earth-shattering occasions of Age of Ultron. Rudd performs Scott Lang, a reformed felony who groups up with Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter (Evangeline Lily) to preserve Pym’s shrinking know-how from falling into the incorrect fingers. The movie’s depiction of quantum physics wouldn’t maintain a lot water at CERN, however it’s terrific enjoyable—thanks largely to Michael Peña’s star flip as Lang’s former cellmate Luis.

7. Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-Man: Homecoming marked the third try in simply 15 years to carry a brand new tackle Spider-Man to screens. While the ensuing effort might simply have felt a bit been there, achieved that, director Jon Watts and lead actor Tom Holland managed to breathe new life into the superhero, making Spidey really feel fashionable, contemporary, and actually fairly charming. The introduction of Downey’s Iron Man as a key character within the plot situates the movie properly within the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe with out feeling heavy-handed. And the steadiness of Spider-Man’s action-packed adventuring with Parker’s on a regular basis highschool drama makes for a personality that’s extra relatable than earlier iterations. There’s loads of cool web-slinging and day-saving, however it’s the humanity of the movie that propels it to a high spot on our listing.

6. Avengers: Endgame

There’s a second in Endgame—the occasion film to finish all occasion films—while you understand that what writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus have achieved is to go full Harry Potter and the Cursed Child everywhere in the MCU. If your thoughts might throw up just a little bit in its mouth, it will. Once you study to settle for this, you may settle in. And when you get previous the glum first 45 minutes, you may open your coronary heart for the good things: sensible Stark, Professor Hulk, the (controversial) Lebowski Thor, Doctor Strange holding up one finger, Black Widow and Captain Marvel kicking ass (each emotionally and bodily), and nearly each character you’ve ever met having a second. It’s a messy however epic baton move within the type of an angsty, portal-powered mega-battle. And we’re not going to lie: We’ve watched these viewers response movies they usually, too, are a factor of pleasure.

5. Guardians of the Galaxy

From its opening sequence, the place Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord dances by way of an deserted alien vault on a distant planet to “Come and Get Your Love,” it was clear that Guardians of the Galaxy would carry one thing really otherworldly to the MCU. It was not a widely known comedian storyline, however the movie supplied a much-needed shot of humor for a sequence at risk of changing into just a little too severe after the occasions of The Winter Soldier. With a soundtrack of ’70 and ’80s hits, and Pratt on the helm of a band of entertaining misfits, it turned an on the spot fan favourite.

4. Spider-Man: No Way Home

In Spider-Man: No Way Home, the unthinkable occurs: Spider-Man’s identification is revealed to the world, placing each the superhero and the individuals he loves at risk of being focused by his enemies. So Spidey does the one factor he can suppose to do: name in Dr. Strange to assist the world neglect what they’ve realized about him. While the movie maintains the sense of wonderment and enjoyable we’ve seen in earlier Spider-Man tales, it additionally performs with the truth that we now have seen loads of web-slingers come and go, and it goes as far as to carry Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield again into the fold as Strange tries to assist Peter Parker along with his identification disaster.

3. Iron Man

The first MCU title remains to be among the finest. Released approach again in 2008, Iron Man debuted only a yr after the primary iPhone was launched. At the time, Thanos was only a tiny thought within the greater MCU world. Still, Iron Man has aged effectively. Stark’s trademark stubbornness and vanity are peppered all through the movie and solely enhance when he breaks free from his kidnappers and creates the primary metallic swimsuit. From there, Stark’s legacy is assured—and the MCU’s first official superhero is born.

2. Thor: Ragnarok

Taika Waititi’s Thor—because it shall ceaselessly be identified in cinephile circles—got here shut to the highest spot as a result of it’s, fairly merely, a masterpiece. A spacey, Day-Glo masterpiece. Switching up the sometimes-grating Marvel sass and the not-quite-working Thor formulation for one thing rather more awkward and genuinely odd, Ragnarok is postmodern (however not in a pretentious approach) and by far the funniest Marvel film to date. Cate Blanchett’s villain Hela doesn’t get the zingers, certain, however Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is a drunken delight, after which there’s Jeff Goldblum. Every element of the story of Thor and Hulk’s aspect mission and the protection of Asgard has been meticulously put collectively within the method of a trippy indie movie—which is all of the extra spectacular when you think about it is a enormous Disney flick. 

1. Black Panther

With Black Panther, director Ryan Coogler broke the superhero movie mould in lots of respects, elevating the style in such a approach that it managed to please each followers and critics—to the extent that, in 2019, it turned the primary superhero movie to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Basically, all the things about this movie is implausible: the casting, the costumes, the plot, the performances. The setting of the secretly technologically superior nation of Wakanda is a real cinematic deal with, and Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa is matched by an unusually three-dimensional villain within the type of Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger, whose backstory offers pause for thought past a easy good-versus-evil narrative. Add in a number of feminine characters who every have extra substance than most superhero movies’ total casts put collectively, and Black Panther is the proper instance of how good a Marvel movie might be. While its sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, will arrive later this yr, it’s exhausting to think about what that may seem like with out the late Boseman main the way in which.