I Decided To Rank Every Marvel Film From Kinda Boring To Brilliant

"I am inevitable."

With 26 films spanning 13 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a rollercoaster for everyone, especially us comic book fans.

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Phase Four of the MCU is now underway, so I ranked every film from the boring to the kinda brilliant...which film will take the top spot?

🚨 Warning – this post contains A LOT of spoilers, so if you see a film you haven't watched yet, feel free to scroll by! 🚨

26. Thor: The Dark World

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures

Someone had to be last place, and let's face it – this is the dullest superhero film on the list. I can't imagine the pain of watching this in a cinema (I didn't, it's the sort of film you watch while you're on your phone). Malekith and the dark elves were easily the most uninteresting villains we've seen so far. The Marvel 'formula' clearly failed here.

25. Thor

Marvel Studios/ Paramount Pictures

 The introduction to Thor on the big screen was underwhelming, to say the least. This movie was painfully boring and is definitely a film I have avoided rewatching. It does bring the brilliant Loki into the fold, but apart from that, I'd leave it. I think we can all agree that a serious Thor is a bad Thor. If only Thanos had just erased this from everyone's collective memory. 

24. The Incredible Hulk

Marvel Studios/ Universal Pictures

This version of the Hulk has since been wiped clean with the introduction of Mark Ruffalo's incarnation. It's another questionable origin movie from Marvel, and it kinda lacks the depth of certain other Marvel faves. Bruce Banner is just not that interesting really, and I'm not sure a solo film really works. Just like the Hulk, this film is noisy and mindless – let's be honest, you probably felt Hulk levels of anger watching this.

23. Iron Man 3

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Although it features one of the MCU's most beloved characters, Iron Man 3 is not the biggest fan favourite, including mine. I do genuinely find this film funny, but it does suffer from a bit of a poor plot and maybe one of the worst villains in the entire MCU? I was genuinely excited for the introduction of the Mandarin, but this was so poorly executed. (Shang-Chi did help to fix this at least).

22. Iron Man 2

Marvel Studios/ Paramount Pictures

I just found this film a bit boring, TBH. An underwhelming Ivan Vanko didn't do much to elevate the film – it's wildly similar to Iron Man 1. Saying that though, Tony Stark and Justin Hammer's chemistry works really well. Tony Stark is really good in Avengers films, but I'm sure we'd all say it doesn't really work as well here. Poor Vanko, he just wanted his bird.

21. Avengers: Age of Ultron

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Age of Ultron was one of my favourite comic book arcs, so I was excited to see this on the big screen. It just didn't feel like much was at stake, something which later Avengers films managed to fix. Unfortunately, we saw another army of mindless drones to fight and another villain who wants humanity's extinction. Sounds familiar right? Age of Ultron felt like the first Avengers film, just not as good.

20. Eternals

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this film, despite seeing some of the low ratings – It was funny and decidedly different from they typical Marvel we know. Yes, us fans are used to cameos and references to other films, but I still think this was a brave step in the right direction. Credit also has to go to Chloé Zhao for including the first openly gay superhero storyline.

19. Ant-Man and the Wasp

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The first Ant-Man was surprisingly up to scratch and so I wasn't too shocked when this film came around. It is hard to dislike Ant-Man – he carries through the humour from the first film, but the plot, yeah, the less said, the better. Remember when the Quantum Realm was introduced? You wouldn't have forgotten because it was then mentioned every other minute.

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18. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Marvel copied their classic formula here, and let's face it, it had a decent outcome. Although I found the plot to be quite predictable, Baby Groot and Yondu stole the show (impressive, considering Groot's limited vocab). The comedy was also very hit and miss, but the soundtrack definitely helped move the story along.

17. Doctor Strange

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Despite some, ahem, controversial casting, Doctor Strange does well in adding magic to the MCU in the shape of the brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch. It's a solid origin story but I probably wouldn't rewatch it. For a film that operates in multiple dimensions, this film is fairly one-dimensional. But I do love the way that Dr. Strange used the time stone to just annoy Dormammu.

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16. Captain America: The First Avenger

Marvel Studios/ Paramount Pictures

From here on, I'd say the rest of the films are genuinely great – I think we can all agree that Chris Evans is brilliant as J̶o̶h̶n̶n̶y̶ ̶S̶t̶o̶r̶m̶ Captain America. The film also does an excellent job depicting the 1940s, even though the CGI looks a bit ridiculous, especially on 'skinny Steve'.

15. Ant-Man

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

I doubt many of us had high expectations when this film came out, and maybe that helped its cause. I like heist movies and I like ants, so in the end, it worked pretty well. As we see new characters enter the MCU, we all want to see how they'll interact with each other, and Ant-Man is the sort of character that we want to see meet people like Tony Stark. Special mention to Luis and his storytelling skills.

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14. Captain Marvel

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

 Who doesn't love a '90s soundtrack?! I was sceptical when seeing Captain Marvel would have a stand-alone movie because for some characters it just doesn't work (Hulk). But Captain Marvel proved me wrong, it's weirdly refreshing seeing a superhero with seemingly unlimited power – especially after seeing our heroes getting battered by Thanos. I have to admit though, Nick Fury's eye loss scene was painfully underwhelming and the whole 'bad guy bent on galaxy domination' thing did get tiring. 

13. Spiderman: Far From Home

Marvel Studios/ Sony Pictures Releasing

 After Avengers Endgame, we needed this film. It was light, but also dealt with the loss of Iron Man in a way that made us all smile and cry. Mysterio wasn't the best Spidey villain, but the callbacks to other MCU films helped ground things. I can't really see how Tom Holland can go wrong as Spiderman right now.

12. Black Widow

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Scarlett Johansson's final performance as the Black Widow is memorable, and not just because it was the first MCU film released since we all learned how to knit and bake. Exploring Natasha's backstory and her family life made sense, but I can't help but feel this film should have been made sooner. After her death in Endgame, the timing of this film felt off. I'm glad Yelena and the Red Guardian helped make the film feel a little lighter, because it was fairly dark compared to most MCU films. I also doubt you'll see a better opening credits scene to a Marvel movie than this.

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11. Thor: Ragnarok

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Thor: Ragnarok completed Thor's metamorphosis from serious Thunder God to a more three-dimensional character. We can all agree it's one of the funniest MCU films and has some of the best fight scenes. The Grandmaster also makes an exceptional appearance, Thor loses an eye, Loki is Loki, and Asgard is destroyed. Oh, and that's without mentioning Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie. 

This is where it gets difficult. Every film from here onwards could make a play for the top spot...can you guess which one will take the crown?

10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Captain America: The Winter Soldier has some of the best action scenes in any MCU film to date. At times, it felt like I was watching a political thriller (that's a compliment, btw), and it's also influenced how I feel every time I get into a packed lift (Hail Hydra).

9. Spiderman: Homecoming

Marvel Studios/ Sony Pictures Releasing

It's not easy to make a film about a character that's constantly getting rebooted, and I'm sure we were all thankful that we didn't have to sit through another origin story. The high school vibe of this film works well and Tom Holland plays nerdy/teenage angst better than any other Spiderman, and I for one did not see the Michael Keaton twist coming. My favourite Spiderman is still Andrew Garfield though. 

8. Captain America: Civil War

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Until Infinity War, this was the most emotional ending to a Marvel film. The fallout of other MCU films is dealt with geniously, in the form of superhero cameos popping up every 10 minutes. What really makes us love this one is the relationship between Steve and Bucky, and the lengths Steve will go to protect his friend. The fact that both Iron Man and Cap had their own legitimate reasons to fight makes this film even better. I feel you, Tony.

Marvel Studios/ youtube.com

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

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

It's not often that I watch a Marvel film and prefer the villain to the main character, but this film was the perfect example. The actual scenes are some of the best you're going to see in the MCU and the movie is so full of Easter eggs I'm sure you left the cinema feeling smug. The return of Trevor Slattery as the fake Mandarin was a good save, and the cultural uniqueness of Shang-Chi was amazing to see.

6. The Avengers

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Do you remember how excited to see this everyone was? Well, the first crossover on the big screen was ambitious, and didn't disappoint –It's one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Nothing really beats seeing the Avengers assemble for the first time. Let's be honest, is this the best 360 shot in modern cinema?!?

Marvel Studios/ youtube.com

5. Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

I walked into the cinema not knowing what to expect from this film and Guardians of the Galaxy shocked me. The opening made sure that we all knew: this is different. It has the best soundtrack to any MCU film, a hilarious script, and an eclectic cast of characters (hello, Rocket). I have to place Guardians this high because they managed to offer us all something else from a comic book film. Special mention to Vin Diesel for saying the same line over and over, and still expressing so much.

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4. Avengers: Infinity War

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Infinity War gave us the massive battle scene and did it in such style. It wasted no time in getting to the action and had the advantage of dozens of films already doing the hard work. This film took the Marvel formula and perfected it – Thor's arrival in Wakanda was the closest I've come to screaming in a cinema. I'm sure we can all agree the cliffhanger this film ended on was unbearable, and watching our favourite characters turn to dust was one of the hardest things to see. 

Marvel Studios/ youtube.com

3. Black Panther

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

I can't think of many Marvel films that broke the mould like this one managed to. Black Panther was one of the most talked-about films because it's just so original. With an amazing cast and well-developed characters, Black Panther made us all see the full potential of the MCU. built up an entire world in front of our eyes and made it believable – impressive. RIP to the amazing Chadwick Boseman, he left a powerful legacy behind him.

2. Iron Man

Marvel Studios/ Paramount Pictures

This was the very first of its kind, so of course it had sooo much pressure on it, but it managed to bring comic book fans and casual viewers together. No one liked Iron Man in the comics, but everyone loves him in the films! I still think watching Iron Man suit up is one of the coolest things in the MCU. And I can't help but think without the success of this film, would we have had everything else?

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1. Avengers: Endgame

Marvel Studios/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

This is still the only film I've ever watched on the release date at midnight. To sum up my experience: Iron Man's death had me on the floor and the final battle scene turned me into a five-year-old. Let's be honest – I doubt many people thought the MCU would have made it this far. A decade worth of films culminated in an ending that was perfect (take notes, Game of Thrones). This film will make you cry, at least once. Andddd is there a more satisfying scene than Cap lifting Mjolnir?

Marvel Studios/ youtube.com

Do you agree with my ranking? Tell us in the comments!