The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the King of Cinema in present day. Forget superhero films; the series rules the box office, critical love, and audience interest no matter what genre we would be talking about. This is all for good reason, too, as the films constantly top the previous ones and always leave a desire in the viewer to watch more. The overarching narrative helps in keeping interest to a premium as we flock to the cinemas to uncover the newest piece to the puzzle.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is set to premiere in July, there have been 19 films released as of writing. Avengers: Infinity War served as the culmination to the stories before it and Avengers 4 will bring everything to a close. With that finale still to come, it is the best time to recap all the films that brought us here. There have been three completed trilogies by this point, with other trilogies at the midway or starting point.
All the films are of high quality story-wise, with only a handful not being up to the mark because of faulty execution. There will no doubt be different preferences for different people but most people should agree with the compilation of this list. Taking into account the comedy, the action and most importantly, the narrative that brings full justice to the characters involved, have been the deciding factors.
Here are the MCU films, Officially Ranked.
19 The Incredible Hulk
Story – Bruce Banner is chased after by the authorities to capture his alter ego, The Hulk, while a larger threat of the Abomination looms.
Ranking Justification – The Incredible Hulk has aged the worst out of all the MCU films. Although the film isn’t all out bad, it has only a slight resemblance to the themes of the MCU as a whole. Making the Hulk the main protagonist is always difficult considering the monster’s one-note personality, but the film did its best by adding Betty Ross as his morality compass. However, the film was all over the place with its tone and plot with several sequel hooks in place which went nowhere. Only Tony Stark’s cameo with Thunderbolt Ross at the end credits scene holds some relevance today.
18 Iron Man 3
Story – Tony Stark faces an uncertain threat in the Mandarin, whose identity remains a mystery. Meanwhile the Extremis virus erupts, with its origins tied to the Mandarin.
Ranking Justification – More of a Christmas movie disguised as a superhero film, Iron Man 3 rode hard on the character’s popularity.
It is completely meaningless in the large scope of the MCU.
Tony’s decision to trash all his suits is negated by Avengers: Age of Ultron and his PTSD is revived by that film as well. The Mandarin (whoever he was in the end) never packs a punch and the swerve with his identity is a big miss. The real-time setting prevents much of the banter between Tony and his friends to take place, ridding the charm from the previous Iron Man movies.
17 Thor: The Dark World
Story – Thor has to stop Malekith, who looks to take control of the Aether to shape the Nine realms to his will.
Ranking Justification – The film has relevance all the way till Infinity War, but it has to be one of the most yawn-inducing films of the MCU. Jane and Thor’s relationship takes a rather boring turn while Thor himself isn’t too engaging here. Only Loki’s transition from villain to ant-villain is interesting, along with his relationship to Frigga. The villain is an absolute snore, while Odin replicates that uninteresting level in his personality. The connection between the Nine realms is a nice touch, though, while the action doesn’t disappoint. But Thor: The Dark World goes down as the worst of the Thor series.
16 Ant-Man
Story – Ant-Man forms part of a heist with global ramifications.
Ranking Justification – Certainly an entertaining movie, Ant-Man ranks here mainly due to its low-key setting. It is much more reliant on comedy than most other MCU titles which, while funny, makes it hard to take entirely seriously. Scott Lang, though, is a superb character whose motivations are heartwarming. The comedy is top notch with a talented cast of comedic actors taking the helm. Ties to the Avengers adds some extra level of interest while reminding this is still part of the MCU. The Ant-Man suit’s fullest potential is only hinted in this installment with the promise for more to come. Paul Rudd proves he is a credible choice to play a superhero.
15 Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Story – A megalomaniac A.I. threatens a global level extinction with only the Avengers to stop him.
Ranking Justification – So much was expected after the success of The Avengers, and only half of that was delivered in return. The action and plot are larger in scale but the overabundance of heroes was clear in this film. The weakest point has to be Ultron, whose penchant for comedy turned off a lot of fans. The opportunity to see all our favorite heroes a second time still holds up, though, and this film gave us some much needed camaraderie filled moments. Its events influence much of Phase Three movies so Age of Ultron’s importance cannot be taken lightly. The weak villain is ultimately responsible for a so-so offering in the MCU.
14 Iron Man 2
Story – Tony Stark is slowly poisoned by the arc reactor in his chest while an old foe plots his revenge. The government pressures him into turning over the Iron Man technology.
Ranking Justification – The film gets a bad rap for no real reason. It is fun to watch Tony’s interactions with Pepper and Rhodey, and Robert Downey Jr. is at his best.
War Machine’s inclusion adds another hero in the MCU.
The main villain sucks but the plotline of Justin Hammer–who is played marvelously–attempting to replicate Iron Man technology and usurp Tony Stark is compelling. Black Widow makes her debut here to great results, and Spider-Man’s first appearance has been retroactively added. All in all, a fun film if not to be taken too seriously.
13 Thor
Story – Thor is banished to Earth to prove his worthiness as Loki attempts to usurp his position.
Ranking Justification – Thor had the job of adding mythology to the as-of-then Earth based MCU. It grounded the God of Thunder and made Mjolnir the ultimate weapon to possess. Thor’s development from a brash prince to a kinder, level-headed person is a treat to watch. It gave us the best antagonist of the MCU whose motivations make sense and are justified to an extent. The soundtrack is a beauty that goes well with the film’s tone and Asgard is subtly introduced. Phil Coulson rounds out his contribution to the Phase One films. While it gets lost in the shuffle now, Thor is no doubt a great film.
12 Captain America: The First Avenger
Story – Steve Rogers transforms into Captain America and must stop Red Skull’s intent for world domination.
Ranking Justification – Who could have thought a superhero war film could be the perfect love story? The First Avenger is gave us the best romance of the MCU with Steve and Peggy. It had the unenviable position of making a ‘cookie-cutter’ character compelling. And Steve Rodgers is undoubtedly among the top characters in the MCU today. The film showcased his will to fight for what is right, and his loyalty toward his friends. It introduced the Tesseract, which would remain important until Infinity War. The World War II setting served as the perfect base to shape Captain America’s character as a man out of time.
11 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Story – Star-Lord learns the truth of his parentage, which reveals a dark truth.
Ranking Justification – Vol. 2 makes the Guardians out to be the surrogate family they are. It has a whole lot of heart in it, with the music packing a punch once again. Its trademark humor shines with Drax taking center stage in that regard. The downside is having the film take place in a short span that robs some of the interactions between the Guardians. It can boast to having the greatest scene in the MCU as Yondu brought about the end of the mutineers in an incredibly sequence. The message of holding on to family lands as well as ended and offers further layers to all the characters.
10 Doctor Strange
Story – Stephen Strange becomes Master of the Mystic Arts and faces the threat of Dormammu.
Ranking Justification – Arguably the most powerful lead character in the MCU as of yet, Doctor Strange reveals the mystic side of the universe. Strange’s trauma of losing function of his hands is very real and the audience wants to see him succeed.
His progression into a selfless protector of Earth from self-absorbed attention seeker is remarkable.
The magic portrayed is beautifully detailed and Benedict Cumberbach gives a lasting performance. The film’s intrigued is multiplied thanks to the presence of the Time Stone, whose powers detail the Infinity Stones’ importance to the MCU. Doctor Strange’s sequel hooks are subtle and not overtly obvious, making us wait in anticipation for more.
9 Black Panther
Story – T’Challa’s reign as King is challenged from the remnant of his father’s actions in the past, which could lead to a global revolution.
Ranking Justification – The most hyped solo Marvel film to date, Black Panther delivered in loads to the expectations and gave us a hero that will be a present figure for years to come. The film gives us a villain whose motivations can be sympathized with and the protagonists themselves can be perceived to be holding incorrect values. Wakanda is an absolute delight to explore with the importance and uses of Vibranium truly seen. It features strong female warriors and a genius in Shuri, T’Challa himself grows into being a worthy King. The villains are awesome and action sequences supremely intense.
8 Spider-Man: Homecoming
Story – Peter Parker struggles to prove his mantle as Spider-Man while facing the Vulture.
Ranking Justification – Finally, we got the Spider-Man we wanted. This time there’s no angst over the loss of Uncle Ben and the film is a fun ride right from the start. Peter’s willingness to prove himself to Tony Stark offers a variety of comedic moments while also cementing the adolescent themed setting. It showed us how a friendly neighborhood hero would function in a universe that had been greatly expanded by this point. Tom Holland was the perfect Spidey, awkward, charming, and the guy you would want to root for. It was a welcome departure from the previous Spider-Man films that justified Spider-Man’s role to come in Infinity War.
7 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Story – HYDRA is exposed as a parasite within S.H.I.E.L.D. with Captain America and co. looking to stop its intent for world domination.
Ranking Justification – A high octane, tremendous departure from the war setting of the previous film, The Winter Soldier was a movie deserving of the spy-espionage genre that will have your pulse running throughout. It exposes the problems with highly regulated organizations and the imminence of corruption growing within them. Black Widow lends a fantastic supporting role to Captain America, who embraces his new role in the present day and learns the fallacies of his previous way of thinking. There’s hard to point out any fault in the film as it offers everything one would want from a blockbuster action flick.
6 The Avengers
Story – Earth’s Mightiest Heroes band together to prevent Loki from invading the planet.
Ranking Justification – The one that truly exploded the MCU’s popularity. The Avengers brought a four year culmination to the individual heroes’ stories and showcased their dysfunctional grouping. In Loki, there was a villain who could influence these heroes to coexist. It was everyone’s dream to see this come to life and it did not disappoint. The film set the stage for Thanos to take over in the future, and cemented the MCU’s comedic trademark. Most of all, The Avengers reconciled the far reaching universe, surprisingly making sense of all we’d seen thus far. Its fallout remains to this way and paved the way for further superb movies in the MCU.
5 Avengers: Infinity War
Story – Thanos begins his quest to cull half the universe by assembling the Infinity Stones with the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy coming together to stop him.
Ranking Justification – It was a tall task to make a coherent movie with all the characters we’d seen from the previous 18 movies, but to do so with such mastery deserves all the recognition. Infinity War never eases its foot off the gas pedal, which is justified thanks to its stuffed premise. It features a memorable villain, and supporting villains, with the best action sequences the MCU has to offer. The chance to see the Guardians with the Avengers finally came to pass and was as good as we could have hoped for.
4 Guardians Of The Galaxy
Story – A group of criminals race around the galaxy to procure an artefact that could devastate an entire race.
Ranking Justification – After exhausting all the well-known heroes, Guardians of the Galaxy had a rag tag bunch of unknowns who had to make their mark in the MCU and establish a new age in the series. Turns out a freaky group of aliens would deliver the most heartwarming superhero film. The movie highlights the importance of an amazing soundtrack and paved the way for an exclusive level of comedy not seen before in superhero films. At its core it has a whole of soul and James Gunn deserves all the praise for introducing a highly loved bunch to the viewers.
3 Captain America: Civil War
Story – The Avengers are torn apart due to the Sokovia Accords pitting Iron Man and Captain America’s factions against each other.
Ranking Justification – The finest serving in the Captain America series goes political, giving us the true reflection of how a world of enhanced individuals would be like. The film highlights the importance of accountability with the actions of the heroes having their own ramifications. What’s great here is that both factions have sound arguments which cannot be taken lightly. Steve Rogers’ personal story is complete here with his characterization firmly set. The finale serves as a perfect twist no one would have seen coming. It ended on a bittersweet note, something unprecedented in the MCU. Captain America movies definitively bettered themselves with each offering.
2 Iron Man
Story – Tony Stark assembles a powerful mechanical suit that enables him to take on the mantle of the Iron Man.
Ranking Justification – The one that started it all. Iron Man needed to be a big win for the MCU to have a pillar to hold it in place, and boy did it ever deliver. Both director Jon Favreau and lead Robert Downey Jr are in pure form with this incredible first slice of the MCU. It sets the tone for how the series would go on forward while also being a perfect solo outing for Tony Stark. His personality shines through the movie and right from the get-go are we sucked into this universe. The chemistry between the cast is almost unparalleled to this day.
1 Thor: Ragnarok
Story – Thor must escape Sakaar with the help of the Hulk to battle his evil sister and stop the impending Ragnarok.
Ranking Justification – This film stripped everything we knew from the Thor films and presented us with a blast of colors, music and a hilariously epic journey through space. Thor finally held his own against the other heroes and dropped the Shakespearean tendencies to become the funniest hero out there. Helped by a much needed revitalization of the Hulk’s character, Loki and new friends (all hilarious to boot) Thor: Ragnarok breathed life into one of the leads of the MCU. The soundtrack served as the ultimate headbanger and we were treated to an awe inspiring scene in Thor’s “superhero landing” on Asgard. The villainess was a joy to watch, completing the series on the highest note.