Unless you’ve been stranded in a movieless void over the last two decades, you’ve undoubtedly encountered the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A towering achievement in multi-threaded storytelling, the MCU kicked off in 2008 with Jon Favreau’sIron Man, a film that didn’t just reinvigorate interest in the superhero genre—it revolutionized it. Steadily building towards the Avengers’ ultimate showdown with Thanos in the Russo brothers’ Avengers: Endgame, Marvel seemed unstoppable.
Fast-forward to the present day, and in just five short years since Endgame’s release, the MCU has unleashed 12 more films and 11 new seasons of television, with many, many more on the horizon. But not all projects are created equal… Varying wildly in quality and popularity, this is the definitive ranking of every Marvel film released since the Avengers reversed the ‘snap’ and saved the universe.
12 ‘The Marvels’ (2023)
Directed By Nia DaCosta
Despite a sizable portion of the MCU fandom not warming up to these characters, Marvel went ahead and made The Marvels anyway —a bold move that’s hard not to respect. A wild ride that requires more than just a casual interest in the MCU, The Marvels serves as a follow-up to Captain Marvel and the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, this all-female superhero team-up brings Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan together in a narratively chaotic, yet undeniably fun adventure.
The film’s biggest drawback is in its attempt to juggle too many story lines at once, often feeling like a patchwork of different narratives rather than a cohesive movie. The chemistry between the leads is a highlight at least, with Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan standing out as the relatable, wide-eyed fan living her superhero dream—much like Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War. However, the film’s frenetic pacing and heavy reliance on previous MCU knowledge might leave some viewers struggling to keep up. Despite its flaws (and there are many), The Marvels delivers enough excitement to perhaps satisfy casual fans, even if it doesn’t quite live up to its potential.
11 ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ (2023)
Directed By Peyton Reed
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania takes a bold leap by making one of the MCU’s smallest heroes central to its next phase. Unfortunately, this trilogy-ender often feels like it’s rushing through the Quantum Realm, leaving the ant family with little room to breathe. The chaotic, Star Wars-esque setting—complete with some unmistakable Coruscant vibes—is visually striking but doesn’t allow for much character development. When the very concept your film is built around becomes the biggest obstacle to good characterization, you know you’re in trouble.
Jonathan Majors does shine as Kang, but his subsequent controversies only cast a shadow over the film. Regardless, despite the build-up, Kang’s narrative impact feels underwhelming. While Paul Rudd remains as charming as ever, Scott Lang’s character arc is frustratingly stagnant, and the humor doesn’t land as effectively as in previous entries.
10 ‘Eternals’ (2021)
Directed By Chloé Zhao
Eternals marked Marvel’s first major departure from their usual formula, sharing more tonal similarities with a DC film like Wonder Woman. The film swaps the polished storytelling of the MCU’s third phase for a more mythic approach—a gamble that ultimately doesn’t pay off. Introducing a sprawling ensemble of new characters so soon after Endgame, the sheer number of protagonists proved too ambitious, making it difficult to connect with any of them, and the narrative, hampered by a lackluster edit, further struggles under the weight of its own ambition.
Despite boasting an all-star cast, including not one, but two members of Game of Thrones Stark lords, Richard Madden and Kit Harington, the film fails to utilize its actors’ full potential. Angelina Jolie, who could have anchored the film as its lead, is instead relegated to a supporting role, a decision that only adds to the film’s imbalance. With the promised sequel now shelved, The Eternals stands as a well-intentioned but flawed experiment in the MCU’s ever-expanding universe.
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9 ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ (2022)
Directed By Taika Waititi
After breathing new life into the Thor trilogy with the wildly successful Ragnarok, Taika Waititi returned to the director’s chair for Thor: Love and Thunder, leaning too heavily into the comedy that made Ragnarok a hit. Instead of delivering the dramatic follow-up fans craved to Thor’s emotional journey after being a key player in the events leading to Thanos’ defeat, they were served a film overloaded with silliness and which lacked the gravitas many had hoped for.
But if there’s one thing the movie has going for it, it’s star power. Natalie Portman returns as Jane Foster, bringing a fresh dynamic as she transforms into the Mighty Thor. Christian Bale joins the fray, delivering a truly creepy performance as Gorr the God Butcher, but his underutilization is a common gripe. Meanwhile, Russell Crowe’s eccentric portrayal of Zeus, though hilariously bizarre, feels so tonally removed from the darkness of Gorr that the entire movie becomes jarring. Offering plenty of laughs, Love and Thunder’s ultimate failure is in its missed opportunities to explore Thor’s deeper story, leaving fans longing for more substance amid the punchlines.
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8 ‘Black Widow’ (2021)
Directed By Cate Shortland
Black Widow was a film long overdue, with Natasha Romanoff first appearing in Iron Man 2 and becoming a key figure in the MCU ever since, fans had to wait over a decade for this standalone movie. Its arrival after the characters’ tragic death in Endgame gave it an odd sense of disconnect from the ongoing narrative and, frankly, the timing jolted the momentum of the MCU’s broader story, making it feel more like a reflective detour than a crucial chapter.
Despite the movies unfortunate release window, hampered by the global pandemic, the film, regardless, managed to inject some fantastic new talent to the MCU. Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova was a standout, bringing wit and charm alongside an impressively physical performance that quickly made her a fan favorite. Her place in the MCU’s future is solidified by her return in the Disney+ series Hawkeye and the yet unreleased feaure film, Thunderbolts. David Harbour’s turn as the Red Guardian also adds a nostalgic layer of that Marvel humor and heart the franchise has become so known for. While Black Widow might not have had the same narrative impact as other MCU entries, it served as a fitting farewell to Natasha Romanoff and laid the groundwork for new characters to take the spotlight.
7 ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ (2022)
Directed By Ryan Coogler
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had the monumental task of following up Black Panther, the only MCU film to win an Academy Award. The sequel faced an even greater challenge with the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman, placing immense responsibility on director Ryan Coogler to honor the legacy of his lead actor while also crafting a compelling action sequel.
Coogler navigates this delicate balance with grace, creating a film that pays tribute to Boseman’s memory while pushing the story of Wakanda forward. The film’s visuals, particularly its underwater sequences, bear striking similarities to Avatar: The Way of Water, which hit theaters just a month later. These parallels are hard to ignore, but Wakanda Forever carves out its own identity, blending grief and spectacle in a way that feels both poignant and powerful.
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6 ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ (2022)
Directed By Sam Raimi
Coming in at number six is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, an interdimensional hurricane of a movie that screams with the stylistic prowess of its director, Sam Raimi, the horror legend behind Evil Dead and the Tobey Maguire led Spider-Man trilogy. While it’s a loose sequel to the original Doctor Strange, the real connection is to WandaVision, with the film picking up right where the series left off, with Wanda continuing in her search for a means to bring back her lost family.
For better or worse, the film is as ambitious as it is chaotic, but it stumbles hard in a crucial area – Wanda’s character arc. Seeming to have emotionally and narratively reset post WandaVision, Elizabeth Olsen would later confirm that the Multiverse writers hadn’t seen the show as it wasn’t done, which explains the narrative dissonance. Despite this, Raimi dazzles with brilliant sequences that showcase the limitless potential of the multiverse. Multiverse of Madness is visually bold, undeniably fun, but ultimately a bit overstuffed in its attempt to juggle too many ideas at once.
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5 ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ (2019)
Directed By Jon Watts
At number five is Spider-Man: Far From Home, the second installment in Jon Watts’ Spidey trilogy led by Tom Holland. Watts, who kicked off Marvel Studios’ fresh take on the web-swinger with Homecoming in 2017, returns to direct what is the first MCU film to land in theaters post-Endgame, hitting screens just three short months after that epic finale. The irony? Many screenings of Endgame featured trailers for Far From Home, inadvertently spoiling Peter Parker’s survival after the events of Infinity War.
As for the movie itself, the story picks up with Peter trying to navigate life after Endgame as he embarks on a European school trip, hoping for a break from superhero duties. But, of course, trouble follows, and he crosses paths with Jake Gyllenhaal’s Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio. Blending high school hijinks with globe-trotting action, Far From Home was a much-needed tonal shift after End Game. Suffice to say, it’s still a damned good time hanging out with Peter Parker, even if it’s just to see how he is coming to terms with his new-found responsibilities in a world post Tony Stark, now forever changed by Thanos.
4 ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ (2021)
Directed By Destin Daniel Cretton
Taking fourth place is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the only film in the top five to spotlight a brand-new hero. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton—whose previous work includes the critically acclaimed Short Term 12—the film introduces Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, marking his transition from sitcom star (Kim’s Convenience) to Marvel’s latest leading man. In his live-action debut, Shang-Chi, a master martial artist with a dark past, embarks on a visually arresting journey that fuses intense action with rich, mythological world-building, evoking the mysticism of Doctor Strange.
Certainly carving out its own place in the greater story, Shang-Chi is, however, ultimately tethered to the narrative roots of the MCU. Using what came before to its strengths, the movie fittingly drops some of the better nods to the wider MCU seen in this phase. Fans of Iron Man 3 will especially enjoy reuniting with the Mandarin, as it reintroduces the infamous Ten Rings organization. With breathtaking fight choreography and a powerhouse supporting cast—including Tony Leung’s magnetic turn as Wenwu—Shang-Chi is a dynamic and heartfelt addition to Marvel’s ever-expanding universe. With a sequel recently confirmed to still be in development, it seems the MCU’s latest hero is one of the strongest aces Marvel has up its sleeve.
3 ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3’ (2023)
Directed By James Gunn
Landing in third place is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the highly anticipated conclusion to James Gunn’s beloved trilogy. After being briefly fired by Marvel, Gunn’s triumphant return came after the success of The Suicide Squad at DC, with strong backing from his good friend and longtime Guardians star, Dave Bautista. The final installment follows the team as they embark on a mission to save Rocket, unearthing his haunting backstory while facing off against the sinister High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).
Full of masterful needle drops and the razor sharp wit of its writer/director, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a fitting send-off that blends spectacle and heart in true Gunn fashion. Also, a technical marvel in its own right, the film broke records with its staggering use of 22,541 prosthetics, 500 wigs, and 117 pairs of contacts, applied to over 1,000 actors. Visually stunning and emotionally charged, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stands as one of the MCU’s finest offerings.
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2 ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ (2024)
Directed By Shawn Levy
Deadpool and Wolverine, the superhero cinematic event of 2024, where two of Marvel’s most beloved anti-heroes finally crash their way into the MCU, courtesy of the TVA and the multiverse madness introduced in Loki. Reprising his role as the foul-mouthed mercenary, Ryan Reynolds reunites with Free Guy and The Adam Project director Shawn Levy for another round of irreverent, fourth-wall-breaking chaos. But the real headline here is Hugh Jackman donning his adamantium claws for the first time since Logan, marking his highly anticipated return as Wolverine.
Packed with wild cameos from across Marvel movie history, fan-favorites like Wesley Snipes as Blade, Chris Evans returning as Johnny Storm from Fantastic Four, and Jennifer Garner’s Elektra all pop in for a chaotic and hilarious ride through the multiverse. It’s a meta-filled extravaganza that blends nostalgia with the crudest violence and humor that the MCU has seen yet. Grossing over $1.08 billion (yes you read that correctly, billion) globally, Deadpool and Wolverine is the highest-grossing R-Rated Film in History.
1 ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)
Directed By Jon Watts
Web-swinging in at number one is Spider-Man: No Way Home, the epic multiverse spanning finale to Jon Watts’ Spider-Man trilogy, and does it really get any better than this? After his secret identity is revealed at the end of Far From Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) begs for the help of the one and only Master of the Mystic Arts, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). When a spell meant to erase the knowledge of Spider-Man’s secret identity goes haywire, the heroes find themselves face to face with Spider-men from multiple universes, as well as their iconic villains.
Featuring Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Jamie Foxx’s Electro and the showstopping return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, reprising their roles as their respective Spider-Men, Spider-Man: No Way Home, like Deadpool and Wolverine is another mind-blowing, nostalgia-fueled spectacle. Brimming with comic book action and rich themes of redemption, loss, and heroism, Jon Watts’ final installment in the MCU is nothing short of brilliant. While it provides an emotional conclusion to the trilogy, the ending skillfully leaves the door open for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to make a potential return in future MCU projects. One thing is certain: Spider-Man will be back.
