All The Marvel Movies Ranked

#21 - Thor (2011)

Ah yes, a relic of a time when Marvel thought they could get us to take Thor seriously. Iron Man dazzled audiences by introducing a believable superhero grounded in reality. Next up, a space viking god. Relatable? Nope. Fun? Enough. This film is essentially a filler so non-nerds would know who the hammer dude is in The Avengers.

#20 - Thor: The Dark World (2013)

I know, I know. It sounds like I have a vendetta against Thor. It's just hard for me to get behind the goofy alien gods having CGI slug-fests. If it makes you feel better, he is currently one of my favorite Marvel characters. Sadly, this film was from a time when Marvel didn't really know what to do with Thor.

#19 - Iron Man 2 (2010)

Oh god, this was back when Marvel was riding their Iron Man success all the way to a cloud nine where they thought they could get away with this. If it wasn't for the pure charisma of Robert Downey Jr. pushing the story along, this would have been a complete swing and a miss. Every side-plot was so unevenly paced and boring that I would have preferred two whole hours of Tony Stark talking to himself in a mirror.

#18 - Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

I only got a couple of things out of this film:

1. Paul Rudd can make any film enjoyable by just doing Paul Rudd things

2. The quantum realm joins Vibranium as being the fictional thing that does whatever the plot needs it to do

3. Again, Marvel is very bad at creating villains

4. This film would have blown everyone's mind with its awesome use of CGI if it came out just 5 years earlier

#17 - Iron Man 3 (2013)

This film would have been so much better if they didn't completely screw the pooch in the third act. The first two acts are pretty good, mostly due to RDJ being the perfect example of being "born to play a role". I don't even feel like spoiling the ending in terms of revealing the villain, but *spoiler alert* it's really stupid. Nonetheless, I enjoyed myself as always.

#16 - Captain Marvel (2019)

I had no idea who Captain Marvel was until I researched her as I left the theater after Avengers: Infinity War. I was both excited and also kind of bummed because my problem with it was going to be similar to Thor; I cannot bring myself to get behind god-like superheros from outer space. The dynamic between her and de-aged Nick Fury was very entertaining but as fun as the movie was, it still fell flat for me in the end.

#15 - Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

The hype around this movie was intense, but ultimately it was the weakest of the Avengers movies. My biggest enjoyment from the film and it's biggest flaw were actually the same thing: they would not stop quipping. Good lord, every serious situation was undercut with off-putting jokes and banter that would take you out of the action. Was it super enjoyable? Of course it was, it's the Avengers. Was the villain good? Eh, he was well-acted by James Spader but had the same evil plan as every other Marvel villain. Again, I still enjoy myself every time I watch it, though.

#14 - Captain American: The First Avenger (2011)

Captain America was another Marvel hero that aged like fine wine for me. This film was not bad, but certainly wasn't his best. I'm a sucker for plots set during WWII and underdog stories (even when the underdog overcomes his obstacles by getting injected with super-steroids).

#13 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

This movie was everything I loved about the first Guardians of the Galaxy, with the added bonus of Kurt Russell (Kurt Russell makes every movie better by default). The main reason why it is not as good as Guardians of the Galaxy is because of the very reason that it simply rehashes a lot of the same jokes and themes.

#12 - Ant-Man (2015)

This film is proof that Marvel can sell you anything and they don't even have to try that hard to sell it. Like its sequel, this movie would be very dull without Paul Rudd being Paul Rudd. Although it has an eerily similar plot to Iron Man (it's not theft if you steal from yourself), this movie is just a fun time at the movies since it really doesn't take itself serious at all.

#11 - Doctor Strange (2016)

Have you watched Iron Man, and thought it would be better if it was more of an acid trip? Another prime example of Marvel selling you ridiculous superheros with ridiculous plots, knowing damn well that you will watch all of it. Though it is just as unrealistic as space viking gods, it still serves as a great movie with amazing visual effects and a pretty good tonal balance.

#10 - Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

The Most recent entry on the list, this movie was entertaining in all the ways you'd expect. Though I personally think that Sony is starting to take some star power away from Marvel with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, this movie was still a fun time even though I was hoping for a more serious tone for Tom Holland's Peter Parker.

#9 - Spider-Man Homecoming (2017)

Better in than its sequel because of how much of a pleasant surprise it was, Homecoming was a nice return to the roots of Spider-Man. It was definitely the best Spider-Man movie since Sam Raimi's Spider-man 2. It focused on a crucial aspect that the past Spider-Man movies never tackled; the fact that Peter Parker is literally a kid who has been thrown into the role of a superhero. Tom Holland really hit the ground swinging with this one.

#8 - The Avengers (2012)

For everyone who started watching Marvel movies after 2012, just be aware that this movie is what got every other movie studio to frantically start throwing IPs together hoping to create a cinematic universe. This movie balanced each hero perfectly (besides Captain America wearing his dumb comic-book suit) and Loki is still among the best villains of any superhero movie.

#7 - Black Panther (2018)

This movie had style, plain and simple. The set and costume design is what really sold me on this film. I love world-building and fantasy, so the creation and elaboration of the fictional country of Wakanda was awesome to see. The Black Panther was such a bad-ass superhero too with probably my favorite Marvel costume design. The villain will also go down as Marvel's best. Sadly, the generic plot and horrible CGI really docked some points off by the end, but it is still an awesome movie.

#6 - Captain America: Civil War (2016)

This movie did what Batman v. Superman attempted (and failed) to do, make the moral argument of oversight v. freedom into a great superhero movie. I loved seeing the superheros pinned against each other over a relevant issue and the fight scene between them all is among the most re-watchable scenes Marvel has given us.

#5 - Thor: Ragnarok

Marvel finally said, "Wait! Maybe the space viking god who hits people with a magic hammer should NOT be taken seriously!" You were right Marvel, you should not. What we got in return was a fun thrill-ride that let Chris Hemsworth reveal his hidden comedic chops. Valkyrie is one of my favorite side characters in Marvel (a lot of side characters in this movie are amazing) and it developed Thor as a character better than the first two Thor films ever did.

#4 - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Holy shit, this movie is so enjoyable. The pure fun I had in this movie is what kept it so fondly in the frontal lobe of my brain. The characters are so well-developed (yes, even the talking raccoon and humanoid tree) and it didn't take itself seriously but also did when it needed to. This was truly when Marvel was drunk off of their own power.

#3 - Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame (2018-2019)

I have to make this into one entry because I, personally, cannot rank the two separately because they act as one movie split into two acts. These movies were international cultural events that were simply experiences I will never forget. These kinds of movies are what we will be eagerly showing our kids one day. These made us laugh, cheer, and bawl our eyes out. Don't be afraid to admit you shed a tear at the end of Endgame gentlemen, the grown dad next to me was crying harder than his children and wife.

#2 - Iron Man (2008)

Here it is folks, the movie that launched a cultural movement. This movie changed the movie industry forever, by asking the simple question, "what if superhero movies weren't white hot garbage for once?" I love everything about this movie. I love the character arc of Tony Stark, I love the CGI, I love the action scenes, and I love the dialogue that brought the character to life. This was Iron Man at his prime.

#1 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

This is a hotly-debated movie on whether or not it is one of Marvel's best. Well, I say it is THE best. At this point in the MCU, every movie after Iron Man was cartoonish and were comic book movies before anything else. Then this film came out. Before this, Captain America was everyone's 5th favorite Avenger who played by the rules. Nerd. Two years later, and Cap is kicking ass and taking names with some of the best-choreographed fight scenes ever. This movie was a spy-thriller disguised as a superhero movie and it came at the right time when I was starting to think that Marvel was just a bunch of enjoyable child's play. Bravo, Russo brothers, Bravo.