MCU character Tier List with Shang Chi

Taken as a whole, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an undeniable achievement in cinema. It began with a simple idea, thrown in after the credits of the first, risky movie: You've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet. That idea blossomed into movies that crossed over with each other, sometimes with incredible results and other times with diminishing returns.

I decided to look back at the films in the universe and rank them from worst to best. You will likely disagree with my rankings.

26) Iron Man 2

If Nick Furys words to Tony Stark at the end of Iron Man were a confident declaration about the intentions to create the Avengers Initiative, then Iron Man 2 is tripping over your shoelaces and faceplanting.

Iron Man 2 suffers from trying to do too much in the span of one movie, and no one seeming to agree on what needs to take priority. Yes, there needs to be some time given to setting up The Avengers, but Iron Man 2 does it awkwardly by introducing Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) but forgetting to give her a character. It tacks on the Coulson stuff, which is still a little stiff, but Clark Gregg does his best to make it work even though his dialogue may as well read: Thor: Coming Next Summer!

The Avengers stuff could be forgiven if the A-plot worked a little better, but like just about every Marvel movie, it suffers from a weak villain with a lousy motivation. While Mickey Rourke definitely had some clout coming off The Wrestler, director Jon Favreau just got a campy performance out of the actor, who clearly thinks the material is beneath him, as opposed to Darren Aronofsky, who got the best performance of Rourkes career.

This is to say nothing about Tonys palladium poisoning and how it just so happens that his dad invented the one thing that could save his sons life, built it decades before his son miniaturized it, and then hid the plans in a table. It makes you wonder if Howard Stark put any other revolutionary ideas in furniture.

The one consistently great aspect of Iron Man 2 is Sam Rockwells Justin Hammer, and it makes sense considering hes pretty much freed from the sinking ship of everything else going around him. Hes not caught up in Avengers business, hes pretty much making fun of Rourkes lackadaisical performance, and he gets to look good doing everything. But when an actor who doesnt even get top billing is the one who steals the movie, something has gone amiss.

25) Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange is a weird beast. It feels cobbled together in a way that it goes by the familiar beats of previous Marvel movies--notably Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy--but it also feels rote and uninteresting despite the trappings of putting its protagonist into a magical world. It seems like Marvel stuck close to a familiar playbook because they knew they were making a bit of a leap with "magic", but when it came time to make that magic, it was fairly uninteresting.

I understand the difficulty Strange presents with magic because magic needs rules or else everything falls apart. That being said, the film leans far too heavily on the "cocky guy becomes a nicer guy" story Marvel has done before, and does so in a largely uninteresting way. Benedict Cumberbatch is fine in the title role, but there's always a feeling of "been there, done that" with the movie even its eye-popping action scenes that feel either ripped from Jack Kirby or Inception on steroids.

The film's greatest strength is in its thematic subtext where Strange's arc is learning that he has to be okay with being broken. Although I think the film could have leaned a little more heavily into this, I still like that the climax of the movie is Strange--a man who has spent his life fighting death--embracing death in order to save mankind. Yes, the willingness to sacrifice one's life is a standard part of MCU heroics, but Strange does it on overdrive and it actually means something to the character's arc.

But overall, Doctor Strange is largely disappointing. It wastes a terrific cast, features mostly uninteresting characters, and struggles to find the sense of whimsy of humor found in most other Marvel movies. Walking out of Doctor Strange was the first time I felt with a Marvel movie, "Yeah, I'm okay if we don't get a sequel to this."

24) The Incredible Hulk

Its almost unfair to include The Incredible Hulk on a list of MCU movies since it was clearly added to the Universe after the fact. There are a few second unit shots and additions to make it feel like its part of something bigger (like a quick glimpse of the Stark Industries logo), but its so clearly meant to stand on its own, and theres nothing necessarily wrong with that. Im not of the opinion that just because these movies are part of a shared universe theyre somehow lesser because theyre not actively sharing all the time.

The problem with Incredible Hulk is that its tonally so dissonant from the other movies, and its actually a bit of a downer. Its a film that, when paired with Ang Lees 2003 Hulk, makes you wonder if the character can carry his own movie or if he needs to be paired with other superheroes to work to his full extent. Left to his own devices, you have a character who rejects his own superpower and feels ambivalent about it at best. You need other characters to draw it out as a force for good and to give the loner Bruce Banner a sense of belonging.

The Incredible Hulk is too early in the MCU to take advantage of this kind of dynamic, so its adrift, and as a result lacks the proper tone, voice, and attitude to quality as a proper Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. Until William Hurt pops up in Civil War, it's the only movie where its actors dont appear in other Marvel movies. Edward Norton is acceptable as Banner, but Mark Ruffalo is so much better in a well-rounded version of the character. It seems like Marvel didnt know what they had yet with Hulk, so everything is just slightly off-center.

That doesnt make The Incredible Hulk a bad movie as much as its a painfully mediocre one thats constantly trying to reconcile its tone and its lead character, and while it has yet to figure out the former, weve at least come to a good place with the latter.

23) Ant-Man

When you consider that it had a rough pre-production, Ant-Man turned out far better than it could have. That being said, it still feels like a film thats caught between two visions, and the vision it settled on is the less exciting of the two. Thats not trying to show favoritism towards Edgar Wright, and Im eager to see what director Peyton Reed will do when he has full run of the show on Ant-Man and the Wasp, but his version of Ant-Man feels like its been stripped down to My First Heist Film.

It meets the genre requirements, but it meets them in such a simplistic way that it feels like the greatest achievement is so that Kevin Feige can point to Ant-Man as an example of saying We dont make superhero movies; we make heist movies, and then compares Captain America: The Winter Soldier to a 70s political thriller even though its only like those movies in the loosest sense of the genre possible. Its fairer to say that Ant-Man is a superhero movie through the lens of the heist genre, and once youve checked your expectations, its fairly enjoyable.

And yet (no pun intended), theres a feeling that Ant-Man should go bigger. It has terrific stakesa father wanting to earn his way back into his daughters lifeand its a nice palette cleanser after the Something big is going to drop from the sky climaxes of the previous four MCU movies. And yet it doesnt give us a particularly complex character with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) is a nothing villain, and the Quantum Realm could have been a really exciting, psychedelic place, but instead its just a pretty kaleidoscope.

Thankfully, the movie ultimately hints at something grander just around the bend, and while the first Ant-Man may not achieve everything it wanted to, it succeeds as a minor Marvel film that still manages to charm despite some glaring shortcomings.

22) Ant-Man and the Wasp

Ant-Man and the Wasp is pretty much like the first Ant-Man in that its perfect for background viewing. It doesnt really demand your full attention because its just a silly, goofy romp, and sometimes thats more than okay. We dont always need the world-ending stakes of an Avengers movie, and for its part, Ant-Man and the Wasp doesnt even really have antagonists for the most part. Its a caper movie where the Macguffin is a building, and then you have Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly bouncing off each other.

The flip side is that there's nothing particularly memorable about the movie. Peyton Reed does a good job playing with the relative size of the characters and objects, and it's a nice story about a family trying to reunite after 30 years apart. And yet for all the emotional stakes, it's a film that also takes nothing, including itself, seriously. It's like Thor: Ragnarok minus the impressive visuals--always going for the gag at the expense of everything else. Theres nothing really bad about the movie, and goofball comedies have their place, so this is one I wont mind revisiting even if it will start disappearing from my memory the moment the credits roll.

21) Black Widow

I really wish this one was better. We waited so long for Black Widow to get her own movie, and it was too little, too late. The central problem is that because the movie arrived so late in the MCU that Natasha had already died in Avengers: Endgame, so a prequel story was already drained of stakes. To revisit Natasha's family life felt like ceding ground rather than illuminating anything new about the character. If anything, it felt like Black Widow was kind of a backdoor pilot of sorts to introduce Yelena (Florence Pugh) rather than do justice to Natasha.

The saving grace here is that Pugh is so good as Yelena. The plot of Black Widow is whatever (the concept of liberating other women should feel more immediate, but within Black Widow it almost plays like an afterthought to everything else going on with the clumsy family dynamic the film is trying to manage), but when you've got Yelena bouncing off other character or kind of poking fun at the very concept of superheroes and the Avengers, you've got a strong new character to play in the MCU, and you're excited to see where she goes from here.

But while Black Widow may be a good launchpad for Yelena, it's sadly an off-key swan song for Natasha. It's also confusing why Marvel, if they were so intent on doing a Black Widow prequel, didn't make the movie about her defection to S.H.I.E.L.D. and friendship with Barton rather than this weird bridge chapter between Civil War and Infinity War. Of course, the answer is that this story needs to be told for Yelena's sake, not Natasha's, and it leaves a bitter taste to see a longtime character, particularly a woman, discarded so casually.

20) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Theres a lot that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings does right. Its a huge step forward for Asian representation in films. Its awesome that the films prologue is basically all subtitled. The action is easily among the best in the MCU. On a basic level, Shang-Chi accomplishes what most Marvel movies accomplish: its fun, funny, and pretty entertaining. However, the biggest hurdle for an origin story like Shang-Chi is making you care about its title character, and thats where this film struggles. Its plot is fairly uninteresting, and constantly jumping between the present and the backstories of Shang-Chi, his sister, and his father saps the film of momentum.

My biggest qualm with Shang-Chi is a similar one I had to Doctor Strange: I didnt feel compelled to see more stories about this character. Thats not to say that future movies wont make him more interesting (just look at how much more fun Strange was in his supporting turn in Avengers: Infinity War), but in his first movie, its tough to discern what Shang-Chis character arc even is beyond reconciling the legacy of a perfect mother and deeply imperfect father. Theres also a nice story about not being held prisoner by the past and grief, but that falls a little flat when the film constantly throws you flashbacks.

Shang-Chi has an edge over other lower-tier MCU movies simply because of the strides it makes in representation, and the action is masterful, but storytelling and character need to be the core virtues of these movies, especially as the MCU begins in a new chapter in Phase 4. We obviously havent seen the last of Shang-Chi, but hopefully, well see him in a stronger story for his next outing.

19) Eternals

As of November 2021, Eternals has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes rating of any Marvel movie, which feels undeserved. I suppose the question you have to consider is whether you want bland competency that delivers a modest success or would you rather have something more audacious that simply bites off more than it can chew. Eternals may not have the light charm of the Ant-Man movies or the basic origin story structure of Shang-Chi and Doctor Strange, but at least director Chloé Zhao was trying to break the Marvel formula a bit. The problem is that the Marvel formula fought back.

Eternals' biggest problem is that there's simply too much of it. The cast is huge for an origin story (ten characters), the story spans millennia, and it has cosmic ramifications about whether these characters can turn their backs on their faith to protect humanity. It's a movie where the superheroes literally oppose the will of their god to save the world, and that's super interesting, but Marvel reduces it down to standard superhero fare. The film can't go anywhere truly interesting because it has to adhere to the superhero genre. Marvel producers and filmmakers can talk a big game about how the studio can play in different genres, but they're always superhero movies first, and Eternals shows the limitations of that thinking.

And yet I'm glad that Eternals at least tried to do something more than your typical Marvel fare. It doesn't always work and the story desperately needs more time to breathe, but it's a Marvel film that at least stayed in my mind after watching it rather than quickly evaporating. If Marvel is going to be the biggest kid on the blockbuster block, then it should take chances like this one even if the end result is deeply flawed.

18) Thor

Thor seems fairly counterintuitive: Heres a Norse god. He has awesome powers. Now lets strip him of those powers for the majority of this movie and stick him in New Mexico.

Thors lesson of humility in the Land of Enchantment is at least tempered by the fact that director Kenneth Branagh, despite having the incredibly poor idea to constantly use canted angles when filming, was dead on when it came to casting, especially Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. So much of the MCUs greater success rests on these two actors that if you messed up this part, other films would suffer. The same could be said of casting on other movies, but Branagh basically found two unknowns and trusted that they could serve as bridges between the lofty realm of Asgard to the most mundane places on Earth. He absolutely succeeded, and when Hemsworth grins, you dont care that the film has taken away his superpowers. When Hiddleston seethes, you love being wrapped up in the grandiose family dispute in Asgard.

Sadly, the rest of the film isnt as strong as its two lead characters (I consider Loki as much of a lead as Thor, which is one of the reasons the character succeeds as a villain; Marvel should really take note of how they did this character right and apply it to their other antagonists). While Branagh succeeds at bringing Asgard to life, which is an impressive task, everything on Earth feels fairly limp.

Additionally, as time has gone on, weve seen that Thors willingness to sacrifice himself isnt a unique trait as much as its something that Marvel superheroes are just willing to do at the climax of every movie. If thats all it takes to wield Mjolnir, then more than just Thor, Vision, and Captain America should be able to pick up the hammer.

17) Thor: The Dark World

You can pinpoint the exact moment when Thor: The Dark World goes from being a slog to being a good movie. The entire movie picks up at Freyas funeral (killing off a female character to give your male heroes motivation is a tired trope, but its a deeply flawed film), but it takes a while for the film to get there. First you have to go through Sad Thor cleaning up the Nine Realms, unceremoniously ditching Hogun for some reason, Jane meandering around Earth, Loki trapped in a cell, and yet another dull Marvel villain who suffers from a dearth of personality.

But after Freyas funeral and Loki getting sprung from captivity, the film takes off and finds it energy. Between Thor and Thor: The Dark World, its not enough to have just Thor or even Thor and Jane. You have to have the relationship between Thor and Loki because thats where these movies get their power. Even after Loki dies, his presence is still felt as a driving force for Thor and the movie keeps up the energy it found in their relationship.

Its also clear that what Thor movies need more than anything is a sense of humor. The first half is pretty remote and dour, but the second half finds a pulse and throws in plenty of jokes and memorable little moments that give the movie a personality. Yes, it can be a little slapstick in some regards, but Thor shouldnt take itself so seriously. When the stakes are interdimensional, thats about all the seriousness these movies can handle, and its better to let the God of Thunder just have some fun.

16) Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel is pretty much on par with Thor with maybe a slight edge because its got a good buddy comedy thing going between Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). But overall, you have a character whos much better than her debut movie. Nothing surrounding her, from the direction to the script, is really on par with what Larson brings to the character and how she makes Carol Danvers come to life. And thats important! Imagine not getting Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man or Chris Evans as Captain America or Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Sure, there might have been another actor out there who could do the job, but these guys were perfect for their respective roles and so is Larson.

I just wish that the film she was in was better. Directors Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck dont bring the flair and imagination the movie needs, especially given its cosmic settings. Directors like James Gunn and Taika Waititi were able to make the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe feel weird and trippy, but theres none of that boldness here and the world, whether its 1995 Earth or the cosmos feels depressingly mundane. You also have the issue that despite Captain Marvels dazzling powers, most of the set pieces are pretty bland and fail to make her skills all that impressive.

The script also suffers from trying to obscure the origin story, and while its understandable that they wanted to mix things up a bit in terms of structure, the screenwriters decisions ultimately deprive Captain Marvel of an arc. She goes from someone who doesnt really remember her past and doesnt have full use of her powers to someone who remembers her past and has full use of her powers. Thats not particularly satisfying, and the only reason it even remotely works is because were rooting for Captain Marvel as a character even if the story kind of lets her down.

15) Captain America: Civil War

I really liked Captain America: Civil War the first time I saw it, and I still think it has plenty of great stuff going on. I think it shows the power of its lead characters by putting them both in the wrong and yet theyre still likable regardless. I dont walk out of Civil War hating Captain America or Iron Man, and I hope that theyre bond can be repaired. Its a movie that finds stakes outside of life and death, and whats on the line is not only a partnership, but also the Avengers. Granted, we know that the Avengers will eventually be called back in, but now Infinity War has to deal with the fallout.

That being said, Civil War struggles to hold up on repeating viewings. Its a movie that has some interesting ideas about government oversight and whether personal responsibility to all outweighs personal responsibility to an individual, but it really chugs along in order to get to these moments. Its a big movie that feels like a big movie and at points it lumbers along like a big movie. There are a lot of moving parts, and while its nice to get a payoff like Spider-Man showing up, you also have to stop your movie to reintroduce Spider-Man. The character is thematically important, but hes also a bit of fan service.

But what gives me greater pause for Civil War is that its a movie thats highly competent, and yet bereft of personality. The Russo Brothers have shown that theyre highly adept at playing by Marvels playbook, and its a playbook that says, Make me an expensive episode of television. The film may feint at having big ideas and it can spur conversations, but theres nothing particularly daring about Civil War. I suppose its a risk to pack your movie with too many characters, but theres nothing particularly challenging about the film. Its bombast and tone doesnt match the scale of its rhetoric.

Civil War is still a fine film, and it has a lot that works for it, but I think when contrasted against other Marvel movies as opposed to the weak crop of superhero films we got in 2016, it has a harder time standing on its own.

14) Avengers: Infinity War

On the one hand, Avengers: Infinity War is loads of fun, and its staggering in its ambition to bring together almost every Marvel superhero into a single film. Theres also a delightful payoff to mixing and matching characters so you get to see Thor hanging out with Rocket and Groot or Hulk and War Machine coming to Wakanda. The vastness of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is on display here, and its easy to get swept up into it.

But the films greatest strengthputting most of its characters into one moviealso ends up being its greatest weakness. Because its trying to get around to everyone, it ends up getting around to no one. Everyone is pretty much the same character they were at the start of the movie. Theres been no catharsis, no realization, no growth. Its fun to watch the characters bounce off each other, but unlike other Marvel movies, Infinity War isnt really about anything. Theres no character arc or even a thematic arc beyond questioning how we value life.

Thankfully, theres a strong villain with Thanos, whose motives may be weak (his solution to overpopulation is to just cut the population in half), but who gets a sympathetic, weary performance from Josh Brolin. The film wisely decides to move away from the characters sadism and instead opts for someone who believes he has the will to do what must be done even if hes not enthusiastic about doing it. The Avengers may have the title, but the film really belongs to Thanos.

13) Spider-Man: Far From Home

While not quite as strong as Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home does what these MCU Spider-Man movies do best, which is provide a look at the world of the MCU from the eyes of non-superheroes. While Spider-Man (Tom Holland) may be at the center of the action, hes surrounded by normal people who are reacting to massive events surrounding them whether its something the audience forgot like the BARF technology from Captain America: Civil War, or something vital like the Thanos snap. Giving these characters time makes the MCU feel real and inclusive, not just a world belonging to superheroes that happens to have normal people in it.

Far From Home also shines by making sure that the villainy, like the villain in Homecoming, has a real relation to our world. It does need to be overtly political, but it comes as close as it can with the observation that people will believe anything, and that a post-truth world serves powerful bad guys far more than it serves regular people. While some Marvel movies are about themes like family or responsibility, Far From Home doesnt shy away from an inherently political subtext.

Where the film struggles is in its pacing. By taking Peter and his pals on a European vacation that then becomes a spy thriller of sorts, it loses the tightness and focus of Homecoming, a movie that knew its touchstones (John Hughes movies) and had a true North in showing Peter Parker as a high schooler. Thats been lost somewhat here, and while it still takes Spider-Man to some interesting places, the film occasionally loses sight of the personal stakes that makes this such a rich adaptation of the character.

12) Spider-Man: Homecoming

This movie is so much fun. For some Spider-Man fans, Spider-Man: Homecoming is the Spider-Man movie they've been waiting for their entire lives after being let down by the angst permeating the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb franchises. Whether you like the previous Spider-Man movies or not, Homecoming distinguishes itself by going all-in with its high-school age Peter Parker and seeing his youth as a defining feature not just among Spider-Man movies, but in the superhero genre as a whole.

But what makes Homecoming stand apart are all of the great little touches. This is truly Spider-Man as a novice and Peter Parker as a diminutive figure. He may be able to lift a row of lockers with one hand, but he's still shorter than the girl he has a crush on. Rather than running from his responsibilities or trying to figure out how he'll pay the bills, he's totally focused on trying to be a hero even if he's not sure exactly how to do it. It's an endearing take on the character that doesn't lose sight of the stakes.

The only thing that really stops Homecoming from being among the best Marvel movies is that it doesn't really take any chances. Homecoming is all about putting the "friendly" and "neighborhood" into "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man." It's a cheerful film that doesn't even mention Uncle Ben by name, and while I'm glad it isn't weighted down by tragedy, it's not weighted down by much of anything. And that makes it an incredibly fun movie, but one that doesn't leave as much of an impression as other Marvel films.

11) Guardians of the Galaxy

This is just a fun movie. Its not particularly deep. Its not super challenging. And that is perfectly okay when your movie is this much fun. Looking back at Guardians of the Galaxy, its a little bizarre how we treated it as such a weird film when really its pretty conventional, and its only the dearth of creativity in the larger Hollywood system that makes GOTG an outlier rather than the norm. Theres nothing inherently unusual about endearing characters or alien worlds, but weve come to accept that its the film thats odd rather than Hollywoods method of thinking.

Granted, theres no way a studio would have greenlit this film without the success of Marvels previous hits, and its the strength of the Marvel brand that helped get people in the door, but Guardians is a fairly tame movie. Its band of outlaws arent bad guys; theyre outsiders, and theyre lovable outsiders at that. Hopefully the sequel will let its sole female member, Gamora, get to have a little fun beyond just her excellent pelvic sorcery line rather than playing the straight woman to a bunch of boys having a good time.

Like with most other Marvel movies, you have to skip past the non-villain (He wants to drop something big from the sky and kill billions of people? Get in line, Ronan) and Thanos coming off quite poorly (the big bad of the MCU got dissed in an intergalactic Skype call), but this movie is about the heroes and thats where it shines. Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot are all lovable, and writer-director James Gunn gave them a big, shiny, colorful world to play in.

10) Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 is a fascinating and incredibly divisive film in the MCU. Its a film that should carry the entire burden of The Avengers on its back, and instead just shrugs it off, and shrugs off the responsibility of being part of a shared universe to just go off and do its own thing. Its kind of a Fuck you to people who have expectations, not just in terms of the MCU, but also with the Mandarin Twist, and yet that irreverence is also part of the films charm.

Shane Black is a filmmaker who likes messing with conventions, so in that sense, perhaps he wasnt the best choice to tackle the first post-Avengers film. And yet if you support filmmaker-driven cinema, hes one of Marvels most inspired choices, and he gives Iron Man 3 a personality thats completely unique to the MCU rather than having a film that could have just as easily blended in and faded away. Iron Man 3 is a terrific litmus test even if its plot is a bit scattershot and overstuffed.

Thats the complication of Iron Man 3: Do you view it as a standalone feature, as a sequel to two Iron Man movies, a sequel to The Avengers, or a continuation of the MCU? It doesnt seem like Marvel was entirely sure how to approach a post-Avengers world, and yet given the choice between a movie that can work on its own merits and one thats constantly trying to do housekeeping for the larger franchise, Im going to side with the former, warts and all. Iron Man 3 is a bold film that doesnt always work, but I love its enthusiasm and attitude.

9) Thor: Ragnarok

In the broadest sense, Thor: Ragnarok is just joyous. Its ridiculous, silly, and its all clearly in director Taika Waititis voice. Its a credit to Marvel that they tried to do something radically different rather than keep plugging away at a Thor franchise that never clicked completely. Some may see Ragnarok as throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but after two movies, it smacked of a series that needed a new direction and to take advantage of its strengths: Chris Hemsworths comic timing and the cosmic setting. The result is a movie thats not only hilarious, but also big, bold, bright and colorful.

On the one hand, I can sympathize with people who wish that they had gotten a Thor sequel that was more in line with the previous movies--more Thor/Jane Foster relationship, royal intrigue, leaning harder into the fantasy setting. But Waititi's vision is clear, and it works, moving the Marvel superhero firmly into the realm of sci-fi comedy, and using that strong take to give the character definition that previous Thor films lacked.

Even in the movies weakest moments, specifically when it goes for a joke over an emotional beat or having to spend time with Hela, you still have a movie that works. You may not get the emotional impact, but youll be laughing too hard at Korgs dry humor. Hela may not have the sympathetic shading of someone like Loki, but its hard to argue with Cate Blanchetts charismatic performance and how her character represents the past we try to bury in favor of a pretty mythology.

8) Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron is far from perfect, but I have an admiration for it because of how imperfect it is. Its a film whose greatest sin is in trying to do too much, but it does so much of it well that I dont begrudge the picture in the same way I do other movies that are larger just for the sake of being larger. AoU is bigger by the studio and audience demands of sequels being bigger, but it also carries bigger ideas with it too.

Where Age of Ultron could really stand to be stronger and where it needs its spine is in making Ultron a better character. James Spader does what he can, but ultimately, we never get to know more of Ultron and the gap between what Joss Whedon wants his antagonist to be and how he actually comes across is a bridge too far. Theres not enough menace, not enough sadness, not enough humanity in his detached robot, and while he hates The Avengers, it feels like he hates them because theyre the protagonists rather than any ideological difference. In hindsight, Ultron is a character that probably should have been birthed out of Iron Man 3 or at least the inklings of the character (this is if the studio leaned hard on a cohesive vision; Iron Man 3, as I said, is torn between being part of the MCU and an independent vision).

And yet theres so much of Age of Ultron that goes right. The Hulkbuster fight is everything you could want from a set piece. The relationship between Hulk and Black Widow is thoughtful and inspired. AoU gets flack for not playing into audience expectations, but those expectations overlook everything that Whedon was doing right rather than judging the movie on its own merits. If he comes up short on his own attempt, its fine to call him on it (like trying to wedge in the Thor subplot), but dont try to call Whedon out on your pre-conceived notions.

Perhaps more than any other MCU movie, Age of Ultron demands a second or third viewing, one thats freed from expectations and where you can see the films strengths and weaknesses with the benefit of time.

7) Avengers: Endgame

The culmination of the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, well, a marvel. No movie has carried the weight of twenty-one other films with it, but Avengers: Endgame is able to serve as one hell of a payoff, not just simply taking viewers down memory lane, but providing a fulfilling conclusion to plenty of character arcs along the way. The spectacle is off the charts, and while the stakes couldnt be higher, the film never loses sight of that breezy Marvel charm that has made this franchise just a success.

While the leadup to the film was cloaked in mystery and a warning to not spoil the endgame, the movie still works beyond surprises. Ive seen it twice as of this writing, and I only found it more fulfilling on a second viewing. While Infinity War clunkily moved along and felt hollow because Thanos was the protagonist rather than our heroes, Endgame puts the focus right back where it belongs and lets us remember why we invested in all these superheroes in the first place.

There will probably never be another movie like Endgame outside of the MCU because of the unique way this story was told. Yes, the time travel aspect is fuzzy at best, but its a minor quibble that even Endgame acknowledges as silly since characters admit their knowledge of time travel comes entirely from movies. But for a three-hour film, Endgame flies by, and it serves as a mighty fine conclusion even though the MCU will continue. I also suspect that the more I rewatch this film, the higher it will climb in the rankings.

6) Black Panther

Black Panther is probably the only movie on this list thats more remarkable for what it means in the larger landscape of blockbuster cinema than how it relates to other Marvel movies. Black Panther isnt indifferent to the rest of the MCU, and it has its fair share of connections in terms of reaching out to Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Age of Ultron. But its far more revolutionary than just delivering standard superhero fare by fully investing in not only the world of Wakanda, but what the politics of that world mean as they relate to our own.

Director Ryan Coogler has made a deeply thoughtful and engaging experience not just with amazing characters and astounding visuals, but by providing a conflicting ideology of isolationism for the good of a country and what we owe to the rest of the world. While the villain, Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan at his most seductive), believes Wakanda must reshape the world, his central premisea powerful African nation owes African descendants a better future than the one they got from colonizers and slaversis sound. This belief also presents TChalla (Chadwick Boseman) with his own conundrum as he struggles with his fathers decisions and how to be a good man and a great king.

Where the movie falters is in its climax as the traditional beats of a Marvel movie rear their head. Its not that the climax of the movie is bad as much as it looks overly familiar. Watching Wakanda descend into a civil skirmish lacks much of a punch since weve never seen Wakandas tribal relationships to be particularly unstable, and we have yet another showdown where the hero must fight the villain who has similarly-powered super suit. The ideas presented dont get lost, but they get put on hold so Black Panther can go through the traditional Marvel motions even though the rest of the movie far exceeds the standard Marvel template.

5) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Lets set aside the Its like a 70s conspiracy thriller! because thats nonsense, and its trying to build up the movie to more than it is. Just because your movie has Robert Redford and addresses political surveillance, that doesnt make you an heir to Three Days of the Condor. Whats frustrating about this description is that The Winter Soldier doesnt need it. Its an excellent film without trying to force a genre label.

Its nice that the film has subtext about surveillance and that it comes within a superhero film rather than a straight drama (but again, thats nothing new; mainstream entertainment usually carries messages about the days current events and issues), but thats not what makes The Winter Soldier a top-tier MCU movie. Its about what the darker issues of our world mean in relation to Captain America (Chris Evans).

The folks behind Winter Soldier were smart enough to understand that Captain America is an old-fashioned throwback, and that he represents what we want the world to be. Theres a rich vein of conflict when hes thrown up against what cynics cite as pragmatism and viewing the world as it is. From there, you get a character, who lifts us up and inspires us to be better rather than getting us dragged down in the mud.

This is all in addition to some of the best set pieces the MCU has had to offer. While Im not crazy about the helicarriers falling out of the sky, all of the stuff on the ground level is superb, and it takes full advantage of Caps strength and speed to make him look superhuman but not at the level of Superman. He comes off as the worlds toughest athlete times 100, but hes not invulnerable. The action is top-notch, the characterization is insightful, and its helped to establish Captain America as one of my favorite superheroes.

4) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is probably going to be a divisive film among MCU fans because, like Iron Man 3, it seems largely unconcerned with the plots of the other movies or even with its own plot. If you're someone who thinks that the MCU's greatest strength is in how it's basically a gigantic TV show, and that to eschew universe building is to avoid what makes the MCU unique, then GOTG 2 will probably be a letdown. But if you believe that it's great when Marvel lets filmmakers tell their own story without worrying about setting up the pieces to future movies, then Guardians 2 is a rousing success. I fall into the later camp.

It's not that I mind movies that build connections to sequels, and the first Guardians does a nice job of balancing its own personality with links to future Marvel movies. But given the choice between leaning heavily on plot or heavily on character, I like that James Gunn's sequel choose the latter. Vol. 2 isn't in a hurry to get anywhere. It splits up the team and focuses largely on the characters. There's no MacGuffin to obtain and the movie's true villain isn't even revealed until about halfway through the picture.

Instead, Vol. 2 is focused on characters and tone, and it works wonderfully. While some have leveled the criticism that the movie is "bloated", I think that's an unfair accusation. If anything, its plot is shockingly thin because it's mostly interested in just meandering with its characters. It knows that you like these people, so it just hangs out with them. It's Everybody Wants Some!! but in space and with Kurt Russell instead of Wyatt Russell.

And despite being a largely plot-free picture, it never loses sight of its thematic core, which is to further the theme of family, specifically how we're raised, which was introduced in the first movie. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is really the full package; the question comes down to whether or not this is a package MCU fans want.

3) Iron Man

In the history of superhero movies, the importance of Iron Man cant be understated. Here was a character that was largely an unknown, and through the strength of perfect casting and Jon Favreaus unshakable vision (despite lacking a script through production), they came away with a film that largely defined the MCU. If Iron Man had faltered in any significant way, the MCU, and the landscape of superhero movies as a whole, would look largely different today.

As it stands, Iron Man is a joyful origin story thats incredibly well told and rests comfortably on the back of Robert Downey Jr., rebooting his career. Keep in mind that back in 2008, Downey was still a huge risk, and yet fans knew that he was an inspired choice to play narcissistic playboy inventor Tony Stark. The stuff with the suit and the action scenes were important too, but putting character and casting first became a Marvel trademark, and its because they hit it out of the park on their first go-round with Downey.

The film itself remains an absolute delight. It sets the template for everything going forward, and it doesnt have to worry about the implications of the larger MCU. While world-building is all well and good, the MCU got a strong start because the start focused on just one film rather than rushing towards The Avengers. We invested in Tony Stark and his journey rather than how a franchise will benefit a studio. When The Avengers finally came along, it was well worth the wait.

2) The Avengers

Once you get past the rough opening twenty minutes (the film heats up once Black Widow goes to India to recruit the Hulk), The Avengers is pretty much the crown jewel of the MCU, and its easy to see why every studio continues to chase its success. While they might be able to mimic the formula of a cinematic universe, theres only one Joss Whedon, and his understanding of character and tone is what carries this movie through even its weakest moments.

Thankfully, this movie had all of the building blocks it needed to be superb, and when compiled together, they make Avengers a top-notch anytime movie. This is a film Ive put on in the background and just let it play while Im working because its just so much fun but I dont have to give it my full attention. Its good company, its incredibly quotable, and its unabashedly comic book.

The Avengers is just a barrage of what to do right, and yet its remarkable when you think about how it could have gone horribly wrong. What if these actors werent perfect for their roles? What if there was a weak antagonist? What if Whedon misunderstood the real conflict, which isnt the Avengers against Loki but the Avengers against the Avengers? Everyone knew the score going in, and the audience was the beneficiary of the filmmakers wisdom, and cinema has few gambles that have paid off as big as The Avengers.

1) Captain America: The First Avenger

What gives Captain America: The First Avenger a slight edge over The Avengers is how it establishes Captain America as the hero we need for our time by pulling him out of our time. Its an unapologetically rockem, sockem action-adventure movie that feels like a throwback in the best way possible. When Marvel head Kevin Feige talks about how their movies can transcend genres, The First Avenger is that transcendence. Its a superhero movie where the character actually feels heroic.

Before I saw Captain America, I didnt have any strong feelings about the character on way or the other. But after seeing the film, hes become one of my all-time favorites. Hes perfectly cast, hes unflinchingly earnest, and the character gets to the heart of heroism, which is what superhero movies should be about on some level. Its not enough to simply say, Dont be a jerk. It should be about the little guy who jumps on the grenade and knows the value of strength because hes never had it before.

For those who dismiss the film because its not complicated enough, thats kind of an unfair criticism because its not like the film was trying to confuse the audience, or that it needs to reach some pre-determined height of psychological complexity for us to take it seriously. Captain America: The First Avenger gets to the heart of the MCU at its best. Its bright, colorful, funny, and surprisingly emotional (I had a date, gets me every time). There have been plenty of great movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but for me, Captain America: The First Avenger is still the one to beat.