Rank that: Marvel Cinematic Universe
With Avengers: Endgame opening this weekend, The Sabre ranked the the Marvel movies.
19. Incredible Hulk: One of the more forgettable movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Incredible Hulk hit theaters with Edward Norton playing Bruce Banner, who was later replaced by Mark Ruffalo in the Avengers.
18. Thor: The Dark World: The second installment of the Thor trilogy pits the God of thunder against a very forgettable villain, Malikith, while they battle it out over the aether, one of the infinity stones.
17. Iron man 2: Iron Man 2, an important but less interesting iteration of the character, deals with the aftermath of Tony Stark’s Decision to reveal himself as Iron Man to the public, showing many different people attempting to utilize his arc reactor technology for villainy.
16. Dr. Strange: Dr. Strange is an interesting film that introduces the world of magic into the MCU with many psychedelic and trippy effects. One of the only fronts this film misses the mark is its Villain, who does not appear until the end of the film, and, despite the huge threat he imposes, feels lackluster in his presentation.
15. Captain Marvel: Captain Marvel, the first film in the MCU with a female lead, is a journey of self discovery, where Carol Danvers, a Cree warrior, teams up with SHIELD director Nick Fury. It is a fun film filled with many interesting characters, but has bad pacing and often moves too slow or too fast.
14. Iron Man 3: Iron Man 3, a relatively self-contained film, pictures Tony Stark without his arsenal of technology, forcing him to again use his intuition and wit to outsmart and better his enemies. Similar to many other films, the villains are very forgettable due to their similar nature.
13. Ant-man and the Wasp: Ant-man and the Wasp is an extremely fun film where Scott Lang, under house arrest, has to team up with the Wasp to help complete their quantum realm technology. It is a very funny film where the two heroes must learn to work as a team rather than alone.
12. Captain America: The First Avenger: The first Captain America film is a true underdog story, where Steve Rodgers, an aspiring soldier with a big heart, is given the chance of a lifetime with the super soldier serum. In the chaotic setting of World War II, he must discover a sense of self and identity.
11. Avengers: Age of Ultron: The second Avengers film shows the beginning of the end of the Avengers, where an ideological wedge is lodged into the team, giving a preview of what is to come. An United product of Tony Stark’s own creation, Ultron is an intimidating villain who proves to be a significant threat to the team.
10. Captain America: Civil War: The finale of the Captain America trilogy could actually be considered an Avengers film because of the characters it includes in dealing with the brutal aftermath of Ultron. The team is completely torn apart internally through misunderstanding and disagreement.
9. Spider-Man: Homecoming: The Third reboot of the Spider-Man character, Peter Parker simulates a real high school student, facing everyday problems as well as balancing his life as a student and a superhero. It is a very fun iteration of the character where, in a trial by fire, he is forced to make tough decisions and learn his place in New York City.
8. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2: The second GOTG film further explores Peter Quill’s past showing each the crazy characters interact and embark on their own personal stories.
7. Thor: Ragnarok: Thor Ragnarok paints the character of Thor in a different and more upbeat and comical light, where he teams up with the Incredible Hulk in a difficult journey back to Asgard. It is a fun film full of good jokes and it brings together Thor’s character for a good end to the trilogy.
6. Black Panther: Black Panther is a breath of fresh air in the MCU, introducing a whole new world in Wakanda and exploring the culture of leadership there. T’Chala must decide whether Wakanda is ready to open itself and its resources to the rest of the world.
5. Avengers: The Avengers, the first team up superhero movie of its kind, brings together the characters of the MCU in a huge battle in New York City, where the team must work out their differences in order to vanquish the threat from above.
4. Iron man: Iron Man, the very first film in the MCU, redefined the superhero movie, showing Tony Stark on his transition from an arms dealer to a superhero following a life threatening event. It is full of funny moments as well as action packed sequences.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy: Guardians of the Galaxy is the introduction of the rag-tag team into the MCU, picturing them in a new setting in space, exploring the galaxy and working with the Ravagers to save the planet Xandar from certain doom.
2. Avengers: Infinity War: Infinity War functions as the first part of the culmination of the entire MCU, bringing together all of the characters in their fight against the Mad Titan Thanos as he attempts to acquire all of the infinity stones. In an exhilarating story, the already broken Avengers are left in ruins following Thanos’ conquest and must come together again in Avengers: Endgame to fight back.
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier: The second installment of the Captain America trilogy is an action packed spy thriller where Steve Rodgers must navigate the new world he has been thrust in following the first film. His sense of trust from World War II is tested as he sees the true corrupt nature of people. He, Nick Fury, Falcon, and Black Widow must team up in order to expose SHIELD and its true intentions.
