Each Marvel film within the MCU, ranked

Fourteen years on, probably the most unimaginable achievement the Marvel Cinematic Universe has made is a surprisingly easy one: It is grow to be mundane.

That’s not meant as an insult — the vibe shift, as the youngsters say, that the MCU has led to is one so full it has fully modified how blockbuster motion pictures are considered and mentioned, for higher or worse. Explainers and theorizing have grow to be commonplace; discussions that when simmered in fanatic corners have boiled over into the mainstream, and the way each movie contributes to the mega franchise gestalt is rigorously tracked and puzzled over. It’s blockbuster cinema, but it surely’s additionally a participation sport.

Now Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is over, and 2023 brings with it the subsequent thrilling chapter in the Multiverse Saga. However earlier than issues begin to warmth up as soon as once more, it’s a superb time to look again on the completely bonkers success of the MCU and take into account what we search for in a Marvel film, and what Marvel motion pictures are finest at giving us.

We at Polygon put our heads collectively to rank all 30 movies within the Marvel Cinematic Universe to this point (there’s sufficient TV to warrant a separate list).

Our committee was made up of 13 Polygon staffers, who every submitted their very own private rating of the MCU motion pictures they’ve seen. Their backside alternative obtained one level, their second-to-last decide obtained two factors, and that scoring course of continued all the best way up. This fashion, individuals who had seen all 30 movies had a better influence on the vote, as that they had probably the most context.

Right here is each MCU movie ranked from worst to finest — for now. Because the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains to be rising, count on us to revisit and replace this listing periodically.

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30. Thor: Love and Thunder

The hero take: After a number of Marvel motion pictures that made no important use of Natalie Portman’s performing chops, Thor: Love and Thunder handed her Mjolnir and, extra importantly, gave her some downright lovable dialogue. Additionally good: Tessa Thompson combating as Valkyrie whereas sporting a Phantom of the Opera T-shirt.

The villain take: Director and author Taika Waititi reprises his bit half as Korg, who turns into a talkative however not fairly humorous sufficient narrator of the movie’s occasions. Then there’s Christian Bale’s heart-wrenching efficiency as Gorr, which belongs in a unique film — possibly one which doesn’t have Korg’s goofball fairy-tale narration. Final however not least, this film has two Thors in it, and it solely wants one — Natalie Portman, clearly. —Maddy Myers

29. Thor: The Darkish World

The hero take: The film that cemented Loki’s woobification all the time, and a cameo that’s fairly presumably probably the most enjoyable Chris Evans has ever had within the MCU.

The villain take: Woof. Marvel’s gonna should make numerous duds earlier than Darkish World — with its forgettable villain and much more forgettable plot — received’t wind up close to the underside of those sorts of rankings. —Susana Polo

28. Iron Man 2

The hero take: With the early pre-Avengers success of the nascent MCU, Iron Man 2 is the place these motion pictures begin to have some enjoyable — and this film is completely stuffed to the brim with spectacle that made Iron Man appear like an indie movie as compared. Iron Man 2 actually brings out the toys: whiplash! Suitcase armor! Struggle Machine! A military of drones! And it’s the primary movie to really lean into the related nature of the MCU.

The villain take: Boy howdy, what a large number. Each concept is underserved, the character work is shallow — Tony Stark has principally regressed between movies — and the MCU world-building is a bit too concerned. An early cautionary story for what the MCU may grow to be and not using a modicum of care. —Joshua Rivera

27. Avengers: Age of Ultron

The hero take: It’s a Marvel film about making Marvel motion pictures. Author-director Joss Whedon returns to look upon his work of creating the unattainable crossover of The Avengers a actuality, and despairs by way of the homicidal robotic Ultron. There’s a valiant effort to will this massive sequel right into a quieter, extra dramatic movie that nearly succeeds.

The villain take: Bombast wins out, and Whedon’s enjoyable edge from the earlier movie is buffed away, leaving one thing a bit extra bitter behind. The machines have one of the best materials right here, as Ultron and Imaginative and prescient are capable of shoulder the metafictional and existential themes of the movie whereas the Avengers correct are fumbling by a few of their worst arcs. The much less stated about Hulk and Black Widow, the higher. —JR

26. Eternals

The hero take: For all its flaws (and there are numerous), Eternals is likely one of the few Marvel motion pictures that really dives into the relationships between its heroes. That is the film for everybody who ever needed the Avengers to be a found family and never only a group of heroes who occur to work collectively. It’s a poignant and shifting story in regards to the pains of immortality and the fantastic thing about humanity. It additionally options one of the various casts in your complete MCU — in addition to one of the female-fronted groups!

The villain take: It pokes far more holes into the Marvel Cinematic Universe than is well worth the two-hour-and-37-minute run time. It asks the viewers to care a lot about characters and dynamics they barely know, and to ensure that that to occur, the film jam-packs all of the backstory into some clunky transitions. It ought to’ve been a present, in my view!

There’s additionally been 4 subsequent motion pictures and 4 subsequent tv reveals and never a single point out of the GIANT CELESTIAL POKING OUT OF THE EARTH?! (OK — there was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it second in She-Hulk, however nonetheless). It barely feels prefer it’s a part of the MCU, which is both a superb factor or a foul factor relying on what you’re right here for. —Petrana Radulovic

25. The Unbelievable Hulk

The hero take: The Hulk’s solely MCU solo outing is a lean thriller that blends the jolly inexperienced big with a little bit of The Fugitive, as Bruce Banner treks throughout the globe to remain forward of a U.S. navy that desires him in custody. A paranoid, twitchy movie that actually positive factors quite a bit from star Ed Norton’s efficiency, nonetheless memorable regardless of successor Mark Ruffalo’s well-received arc throughout the varied team-up movies that adopted.

The villain take: Each character that isn’t Banner doesn’t actually have a lot to work with right here, and when the movie does go into superhero mode, the moody coloration palette means it’s a battle to really see what’s taking place. —JR

24. Avengers: Infinity Struggle

The hero take: It’s roughly the Empire Strikes Again of the MCU — a darkish, heavy setup film the place the heroes undergo great defeats and losses so as to make their triumphs within the subsequent film stronger. Alongside the best way, followers get to see characters work together who’ve by no means met earlier than, highlighting all of them in new and thrilling methods. After which there’s that ending, nonetheless presumably probably the most breathless piece of pure horror in your complete franchise.

The villain take: It’s too busy, with so many characters that just about not one of the fan favorites get important display time, and too many repetitive fights over Infinity Stones the place the outcomes are foreordained. Numerous characters should make disappointingly silly selections to maintain the plot rolling. Additionally, Loki will get punked, Hulk will get punked, and Thor acts like he hasn’t seen Loki “die” like eight occasions already. —Tasha Robinson

23. Thor

The hero take: Technically extra of a fish-out-of-water comedy than a superhero film, Hemsworth’s goofiness performs nice with Natalie Portman because the straight man, and Stellan Skarsgård is in this and he rules.

The villain take: The motion is fairly unhealthy, it’s not notably attention-grabbing, and its largest failing as a comedy is that it’s actually solely intermittently humorous. —Austen Goslin

22. Spider-Man: No Approach House

The hero take: The tip of the primary trilogy that includes Tom Holland’s Spider-Man goes out with an absolute bang, bringing the villains — and Spider-Mans! — from the 2 earlier live-action iterations into one tangled internet. With this escalated risk, there are escalated stakes, giving us the primary movie the place the latest Peter Parker should battle in opposition to an evil that needs to harm him personally and make him face the darkness that lies inside himself.

The villain take: No Approach House could be learn as an outrageously cynical movie, a film that’s basically getting by on stolen valor — borrowing the menace and character work finished outdoors of the MCU to boost the inventory of its personal tackle Peter Parker/Spider-Man. It’s additionally yet one more movie that refuses to only let Peter face a risk on his personal, with out an Avenger babysitting him. —JR

21. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

The hero take: As soon as writer-director James Gunn established his merry band of A-holes as a bona fide MCU success, he used his second go-round as an opportunity to get bizarre. Vol. 2 is likely one of the few MCU initiatives to really feel acutely private, each thematically and aesthetically, as Gunn’s gross-out schlock roots collide with a heartfelt and mildly vulgar story about fathers and sons, household misplaced and located, and pushing by the ache and anger that comes with feeling such as you deserved greater than you bought.

The villain take: Guardians Vol. 2 overindulges in comedian e-book group remedy. In some methods, this can be a exceptional factor about it. In others, it shortchanges the characters and the actors that play them, giving them a lot to debate and never a lot to do. —JR

20. Captain Marvel

The hero take: It’s uncommon for a Marvel film to have a twist, and Captain Marvel’s isn’t that sophisticated, but it surely’s refreshing nonetheless. It simply is smart for the Skrulls — a shapeshifting alien race, at all times on the run and hiding out — to be the extra sympathetic aspect within the Kree-Skrull conflict. (The comics aren’t fairly so neat and tidy in relation to that.) Then there’s the extra apparent reveal that Carol Danvers’ slimy male mentor was simply making an attempt to maintain her down — once more, not a shock, however nonetheless satisfying. The film even manages to introduce a younger Monica Rambeau, one of many unique heroes to make use of the “Captain Marvel” moniker within the comics, and though her cameo is little greater than a lead-in to WandaVision, Akira and Azari Akbar’s performances are too cute to disclaim.

The villain take: It’s actually simply an Air Force recruitment ad. A whole lot of Marvel motion pictures work with the U.S. navy and make it look good, however on this film, it someway appears much more disgusting, given the feminist themes and various forged. Uncle Sam will level his finger at anybody as of late! And that’s progress, people. —MM

19. Physician Unusual within the Multiverse of Insanity

The hero take: The Sorcerer Supreme will get the Tales From the Crypt remedy because of the stylings of Sam Raimi, who turns what would in any other case be a nonsensical chase by the Marvel multiverse right into a barely spooky romp with splendidly imagined magical battles.

The villain take: For a premise that means a lot for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Multiverse of Insanity is fairly gun-shy about exhibiting us the sheer risk recommended in its title. Its largest swing — a second-act set-piece chock-full of cameos — takes an thrilling second and drags it down with uninteresting exposition. —JR

18. Black Widow

The hero take: The principle forged is great and virtually all of them know the way enjoyable the film they’re in must be, a few of the motion is fairly good, and Florence Pugh is in it (she’s sufficient enjoyable that she will get her personal particular point out).

The villain take: It has one of many worst third-act fights in MCU historical past, and a totally perfunctory story that serves virtually no bigger goal within the universe. — AG

17. Ant-Man and the Wasp

The hero take: The small-stakes enjoyable of Ant-Man, occasions two. There’s a world the place each Marvel film is just like the Ant-Man movies, and it’s not a foul one: The stakes are small (ha) and private, superpowers are used for gags as a lot as they’re for motion, and the main focus is far more on the actors being folks than they’re troopers or gods.

The villain take: Ant-Man and the Wasp, form of like its predecessor, nonetheless feels a bit too small (hee hee). The film fails to make a robust impression, even with an expanded supporting forged that features the likes of Walton Goggins and Randall Park becoming a member of the the ant farm. —JR

16. Ant-Man

The hero take: Ant-Man is aware of precisely what it’s: an motion blockbuster helmed by a possibly B-tier superhero who was principally recognized to the broader public in a selected, goofy means. Would that each one motion pictures may take that equation and multiply it by Paul Rudd’s innate charisma!

The villain take: This was a kind of MCU initiatives that appeared prefer it was going to be massive and attention-grabbing, initially given to Edgar Wright. There’s a way that one thing obtained misplaced within the handoff to Peyton Reed, a little bit of a mishmash of tones that briefly offers a window into the wacky (or wackier) world that would’ve been. —Zosha Millman

15. Captain America: Civil Struggle

The hero take: Civil Struggle has quite a bit to do. And but, its defining sequence — the airport battle — works as a result of it manages to ship on the precise groundwork of the characters, letting them ping-pong off one another in battle a lot better than they’ve of their signature Marvel Quips™.

The villain take: Maybe, extra so than most motion pictures, Civil Struggle suffers from the core downside that would’ve been solved with a single dialog, making the fire-and-brimstone idea of its subhead a bit overblown. Plus, the MCU hasn’t actually finished sufficient to construct up any of the Avengers as associates in order that the “betrayal” of this film can maintain collectively the best way it does within the comedian arc. —ZM

14. Physician Unusual

The hero take: A uncommon MCU film that requires all that CG (and makes use of it effectively), Physician Unusual is likely one of the better-looking entries within the franchise, eschews the standard third-act components, and in addition does Tony Stark’s three-movie Iron Man arc in a single film. Additionally, Scott Adkins is in it!

The villain take: “Redoing Tony Stark’s three-movie Iron Man arc in a single film” could be learn as a foul factor. The romance within the film can also be tremendous underserved, and moreover, as a superfan of his, the film actually has no concept what to do with Scott Adkins’ appreciable martial arts prowess and display presence, which is a disgrace! —Pete Volk

13. Spider-Man: Far From House

The hero take: The Marvel Cinematic Universe has an overabundance of weirdo Silicon Valley assholes. Once I realized the MCU’s Quentin Beck (aka Mysterio) would have his superior backstory (bitter magician and illusionist) swapped with one thing all-too-familiar (one other Tony Stark knockoff) I used to be, in a phrase, pissed. The one magic I anticipated to see was my curiosity within the MCU disappearing into skinny air.

How did I ever doubt mid-career Jake Gyllenhaal? Recent off bizarre-ass roles in Okja, Velvet Buzzsaw, Nightcrawler, and Enemy, Gyllenhaal delivers one of the gleeful villain performances in a collection recognized for uninteresting baddies who exist to make some world-threatening speech earlier than getting punched by a skyscraper.

The villain take: Do I keep in mind a lot in regards to the story of Peter Parker and associates on a category journey round western Europe? In fact not. However I can’t overlook Jake G. repeatedly trapping Spider-Man in holographic homes of mirrors. If the multiverse is simply, Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio will return. Although this time, let’s simply make him a magician, please. —Chris Plante

12. Avengers: Endgame

The hero take: The grand finale to a decade of storytelling, Avengers: Endgame each manages to conclude the Infinity Saga and rejoice it by way of a “time heist” revisiting pivotal moments within the canon. It’s the form of factor that solely the MCU can do, and it does it spectacularly.

The villain take: It’s a bit too good of an ending, as there’s by no means been a clearer jumping-off level for the MCU than this. And whereas it does an admirable job of being an entire movie of its personal, it may be very laborious to be invested within the film’s cosmic enterprise with out at the least a passing familiarity of what got here earlier than. —JR

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

The hero take: Do you need to watch an honest little martial arts motion film with charming leads? Shang-Chi has obtained you.

The villain take: Tony Leung is probably the most charming actor on this film. Sadly, he’s the villain. Additionally all the pieces winds up in a predictable Marvel CGI mush climax and a imprecise gesture within the path of the way forward for the MCU. —SP

10. The Avengers

The hero take: That is the movie that proved Marvel’s grand storytelling experiment was going to work, after which some. Assembling heroes and storylines from the entire first section for an almighty team-up, writer-director Joss Whedon wore this tough job calmly, punching up the banter and the stakes for an apocalyptic scrap in New York. The Avengers nonetheless has a few of the funniest strains and finest motion sequences of your complete MCU — and a few of the finest Hulk content material, too.

The villain take: Just about the identical because the case for. The Avengers irretrievably made smarmy Whedonisms a core pillar of the entire collection, however 10 years and dozens of flicks later the quips are beginning to grate, whereas the person himself has fallen precipitously — and justly — out of vogue. The movie’s profoundly influential mixture of inert cleaning soap opera, air-punching fan service, and overburdened, kitchen-sink construction is now our entire actuality. Hope he’s proud. —Oli Welsh

9. Guardians of the Galaxy

The hero take: It takes a little bit of buy-in to James Gunn’s entire factor to get on board with Guardians of the Galaxy. However as the primary MCU film made to doubtlessly elevate proper out if it wanted to, Guardians manages to be funnier, tighter, and extra particular person than the quickly homogenizing MCU would grow to be.

The villain take: Guardians tends to work higher while you give attention to the jokes, not the bigger McGuffin-y plot of the entire thing. And if these jokes don’t land — effectively, it’s not gonna be one of the best MCU entry for you. —ZM

8. Black Panther: Wakanda Ceaselessly

The hero take: A cinematic wake that mourns what may have been, as director and co-writer Ryan Coogler bids farewell to the late Chadwick Boseman and T’Challa, the hero-king he absolutely embodied from the second he appeared on display. Unlucky circumstance makes Wakanda Ceaselessly probably the most painfully human movie within the canon as it really works by grief and the numerous methods it’s processed, one which manifests in its battle between Wakanda and the subaquatic nation of Talokan.

The villain take: The movie merely takes on an excessive amount of. Its battle between Talokan king Namor and Wakanda is pressured, as actor Tenoch Huerta’s straightforward charisma crafts a personality extra sympathetic than the script intends. Diversions outdoors of Wakanda — like a subplot involving CIA agent Everett Ross — simply dilute the movie’s efforts, and spotlight how insufficient the MCU could be in relation to grappling with something this uncooked. —JR

7. Iron Man 3

The hero take: If the MCU did one factor proper in its first couple of phases, it was monitoring Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, and his arc towards determining the correct strategy to defend the world. He by no means fairly does. However Iron Man 3 marks an vital chapter for him — addressing his central trauma, character, and reliance on superherodom — and manages to be one of the distinctive (and full) elements of the MCU due to it.

The villain take: It’s such an entire have a look at Tony that it virtually appears foolish we needed to make him preserve going after that ending! Plus, the much less stated in regards to the dealing with of the Mandarin on this movie (Shang-Chi revisionism or no), the higher. —ZM

6. Iron Man

The hero take: The film that began all of it, Iron Man was the breakout success that launched the remainder of the franchise, largely as a consequence of Robert Downey Jr.’s charismatic efficiency that turned the arc of his profession round.

The villain take: It’s a boring film visually, set largely in huge, open deserts with out making a lot use of that area. It additionally asks you to sympathize with an arms vendor with out actually digging into what which means, and whereas I help Jeff Bridges being in issues, his villain is likely one of the most simple examples of the basic Marvel downside of “the hero, however unhealthy.” —PV

5. Captain America: The First Avenger

The hero take: Director Joe Johnston had made a comic book e-book adaptation 20 years prior: Disney’s The Rocketeer. Presumably, that movie’s mixture of pulpy melodrama, particular effects-heavy motion, and Nineteen Thirties interval units helped land him the Marvel gig. Captain America: The First Avenger has that Nineteen Nineties action-comedy power, much less self-aware and extra earnest than the Marvel movies to comply with.

The First Avenger would launch younger abilities like Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, and Hayley Atwell, but it surely’s the small military of established actors within the help roles that elevate this film to the highest of the listing. Tommy Lee Jones! Hugo Weaving! Stanley Tucci and Toby Jones! Once I first noticed the film over a decade in the past, I keep in mind leaving the theater saying, “They don’t make them like this anymore.” And Marvel hasn’t ever since.

The villain take: The prolonged title The First Avenger declares the way forward for Marvel motion pictures. This isn’t only a Captain America flick; it’s the story of an Avenger! One downside: The world had but to see an Avengers movie — and their corresponding popular culture earthquakes. And so the subtitle served extra as a promise of the longer term, moderately than an announcement in regards to the movie people would really see in theaters. —CP

4. Spider-Man: Homecoming

The hero take: Because the third fashionable Marvel live-action characteristic introduction to the life and occasions of Peter Parker, Homecoming may’ve simply retread floor. As a substitute, it made area for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to as soon as once more reintroduce himself, in all his bizarre, generally awkward, typically charming means.

The villain take: Look, on the finish of the day it’s nonetheless one other Spider-Man, and now he’s a bit bit tricked out like Iron Man. They do alright with the connection between them, however there’s nonetheless a dizzying sense of the MCU’s grander machinations at play right here. —ZM

3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The hero take: Of all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe choices, The Winter Soldier most likely sustains the seriousness of its tone one of the best. As taut as MCU spy sequences come, Winter Soldier understands the dynamics of its relationships sufficient to really make them compelling, even when penned in by the MCU blueprint.

The villain take: An precise spy thriller this isn’t. Once more, we’re nonetheless taking part in with Marvel’s rulebook right here, and there’s solely a lot you are able to do there. It’s additionally the primary Marvel flick from the Russo brothers, and yeah, that reveals on display a bit. —ZM

2. Thor: Ragnarok

The hero take: It’s a technicolor wonderland that takes the beforehand stodgy Thor and places him in a buddy comedy with the Hulk, a film that reveals simply how elastic the MCU heroes could be with out breaking.

The villain take: It’s fully bored with constructing out Asgard’s story from earlier motion pictures, rapidly dismissing the final film’s cliffhanger and successfully wiping it out of the MCU cosmos on the finish — simply earlier than giving it a compelling darkish origin to reckon with. —JR

1. Black Panther

The hero take: Take the triumph of The Avengers and picture it utilized to a single hero: That’s Black Panther. What makes this movie stand head and shoulders above the remainder lies in intent: The MCU, in all its wild success, is an insular mission, an train in cautious, canny model administration. Director Ryan Coogler manages to transcend this with Black Panther, a movie that isn’t only a rousing solo effort for Marvel’s first Black superhero, however a piece of celebration, the uncommon occasion the place a piece of company illustration does its finest to like its followers again.

The villain take: The care and power Coogler and the assembled forged deliver to Black Panther isn’t at all times matched by its superheroics — most notably within the last battle between T’Challa and the usurper Killmonger, a brawl that’s maybe probably the most forgettable second within the movie. Fortunately, it’s redeemed by one of the memorable villain sendoffs within the MCU. —JR