I almost created a bracket to determine this list, what with March Madness going and all, but I already knew pretty much the bulk of the way this list would play out. Once again, this is the order of my favorite Marvel movies, not the order of the quality of the films (Black Panther, for example, would go a lot higher in that list).
21) Thor 1
I knew nothing of Thor before this movie came out. That was not a series of comics I was familiar with. Though I liked the backstory and enjoyed seeing the new world. It was cool that we got a different setting than Earth! We didn't get a ton of Asgard, but enough to keep me interested. The movie was the first that seemed to be geared far more to comedy, which was refreshing. But Thor's character arc was shallow and a bit unearned. Hemsworth's acting was quite what it is now. There are a couple other little things to nitpick. Having said that, this movie is still enjoyable, which is saying a lot for a movie that's at the bottom of a rankings list.
20) Thor: The Dark World
This movie was a little all over the place. The Dark Elves and all the background story that went into the world building for this film were short-sighted. The fighting/action scenes should've been much better, but were left uninspired. I like the portal hopping between the realms way more than most people. Sure, the science was ridiculous, but when does that matter in a superhero movie? They came up with a way to rationalize it (however thinly). Still, there was some unevenness with the pacing of the story. But it was funny again, which helped.
19) Iron Man 2
This is the first true example of how difficult it is to rank these movies. Getting placed at No. 19 is pretty low, but man, do I love this movie. Whiplash isn't revered by most as a great villain, and the movie didn't do the best job in representing him, but I enjoyed his trash talking with Stark and his intro display on the racetrack. In the finale, Iron Man unleashes his red laser beam in a full circular motion of awesomeness that still is one of the best theatre moments of the saga. Sam Rockwell is a pure joy in this film. My favorite scene of his is when he tries to sell all of his weapons to the army. His nicknames are hilarious.
18) Incredible Hulk
This one isn't looked back upon so fondly due, in part, to the departure of Ed Norton, one of the biggest characters to get recast, as well as uninspiring acting. Worse, this movie never got a sequel (there was plenty of potential, and there are still loose ends from that film), and Marvel was decidedly against tying much to this movie going forward. That is, until General Ross eventually returned in Age of Ultron. But Incredible Hulk got a lot of things right, including a proper villain for Hulk with an awesome action finale. Plus, Hulk was my favorite superhero as a kid, so I liked this one more than most.
This movie's post-credit scene was its best moment. It's the first time we really started to understand the lengths these movies would go to crossover.
17) Ant-Man
What a great movie. The introduction to the Quantum Realm and the shrinking and expanding tricks were unpredictable and fun. The banter between Ant-Man and Lily was fun. The heist aspect was different for the MCU. It had plenty of comedy. Lots of good things to love. Paul Rudd was a great choice. Seriously, there's nothing to dislike about this film. The movie came at an odd time, though. Right after Age of Ultron, a light-hearted movie with a silly villain seemed a little out of place in the saga of the MCU. But this was such a good movie.
16) Guardians of the Galaxy 2
I felt better about Guardians 2 after watching it a second time. The first time, I really didn't see where any of it was going. It seemed like a messy story with no weight to it. When the reveal of Starlord's dad's true intentions came, I was disappointed. Seemed kind of hokey. But rewatching it helped me focus more on the growth Yandu and Rocket go through, and the surprise Pac-Man moment still made me smile, so I set the flaws aside a little better. Also, when is Adam Warlock ever going to get unleashed?!?
15) Black Panther
It's as good an origin can be when we already saw a lot of the character in a previous movie (Civil War). Getting his backstory and family history rounded out the character nicely. Michael B. Jordan stole the show, though, as he proved to be one of the best bad guys in the MCU (despite Jordan's lack of skill at delivering exposition, mind you). There was some cool cinematic tricks that made the movie visually impressive. I wish they didn't waste Klawe the way they did. It was a fine movie, if maybe a little overhyped.
14) Ant-Man and Wasp
The sequel turned out to be just as fun as the first one, and getting to see Wasp in action was a delight. The true magic moment was finding Hank's long lost wife, who learned quite a bit during her time in the Quantum Realm. Ghost wasn't as compelling a bad guy, though there was some fun visual effects with her.
13) Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ultron is the most underappreciated villain of the MCU. Like Hydra, he quickly learned that humanity's greatest threat is itself. Rather than rule like Hydra wanted to do, Ultron had a different solution in mind: evolution. Watching Stark and Banner work together was fun, and the party scene where the Avengers were free to mingle during some down time. It was fun to see them with their guard down, if even for a brief moment.
12) Captain Marvel
As I mentioned in my previous blog, Captain Marvel is entering the game pretty late and seems like a contrived solution to beating Thanos. I know it won't be that easy, though. Danvers' origin story was strong, but I enjoyed the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. connections. It was almost an origin story for Coulson, even if he only had a few scenes on screen. Seeing a young Ronan was a nice touch, and having the shroud of the Kree pulled down after brief hints of it on the show was satisfying. A solid entry to the MCU.
11) Iron Man 1
The one that started it all still holds up quite a bit. Robert Downey Jr. got new life in Hollywood, and I'm sure no one wants to picture someone else wearing that Iron Man suit. He was brilliantly hilarious and hilariously brilliant. Watching the character progression Stark goes through - from the rich, careless, arrogant man he started out to be to the man who wanted to be held accountable for his actions after - was very real and believable. There actually isn't as much action in the movie as you might think, but it set the template for how an origin story ought to be.
10) Iron Man 3
Following the events of The Avengers, Stark went down a personal journey that proved to be challenging on a psychological and emotional level. The great Stark, who always seems so untouchable, proved to be incredibly flawed and human, and I love that they dared to allow this character the time and space to explore this. It made total sense and completely justified the weight of the events of The Avengers, and by this point, the world realized that the MCU was a force that could not be stopped. It was fun to see Stark's intellect matched (Whiplash did, but to a lesser extent) by the Mandarin. Seeing dozens of Iron Man suits that do different things was pretty fun, too. Also, I personally love investigation stories, and Stark uncovered quite the story as he searched out the truth of those bombings without the bombs. Altogether a great film.
9) Captain America: Civil War
It was basically every kid's dream come true. It was every argument that started with "Who would win in a fight between..." The airport scene was so much fun, similar to an Avengers movie in scope. The comedic lines from the likes of Spider-Man and Stark were great complements to the serious tone and implications of the fight. Were you Team Cap? Or were you wrong?...I mean, were you Team Iron Man? The payoff of smaller threads started way back in the first Avengers movie saw Cap and Stark finally reach an impasse. The splintering of the Avengers is still felt throughout the MCU, and it'll be interesting to see if they join back together in Endgame.
8) Captain America: The First Avenger
Steve Rogers is an honorable a man as there was in this classic underdog-turned-superhero story. When he and the doctor talk the night before Steve's experiment to make him a super soldier, the doctor makes sure Rogers never forgets who he is underneath the muscles. From this movie on, Rogers never wavers in his fight for justice and doing what's right, and that's what makes him my favorite MCU character. The task of chasing down the crazy Red Skull through Europe with the WWII backdrop made for a fun, timey adventure.
This movie also had the clip at the end of the film that was a hype trailer before hype trailers really became what they are now. "Some Assembly Required" was the phrase that got us all cheering in the audience as we knew the next MCU movie would be the crossover we were waiting for.
7) Thor: Ragnarok
This felt like two movies for the price of one. And while neither of the separate stories are executed flawlessly, there's so much to love in this film. Thor's story involving the "surprise sister" trick made my eyes roll, but she was a pretty mean villain, so all was okay. The coliseum-like battle with Hulk was tremendous, and getting to see a new side of Hulk was cool. This also was one of the funniest movies of the saga. While most probably loved Jeff Goldblum's weird character, I found him to be stupid and eccentric in all the wrong ways.
6) Spider-Man: Homecoming
When Peter finds out that his potential girlfriend's father is the same guy who's been trying to kill him the whole movie, there's a tension so palpable, it fell onto the entire audience as everyone gasped and watched the ensuing moments in utter silence. It was a great twist that reminded me of the movie Crazy, Stupid Love, which gave me a very similar feeling. Spider-Man movies in general are usually pretty fun, and this one was no exception, but the added elements of surprise along with the tie-in to Civil War, earned this movie a high spot on my MCU list.
5) Doctor Strange
I love sci-fi stuff, and this was pretty much Marvel's version of a sci-fi superhero tale. Getting to see multiple dimensions and watching reality bend the way it did is an eye-candy moment if there ever was one. Cumberbatch was the perfect cast for Doctor Strange, and his presence is felt in the way he carries himself. The story arc was decent, and the final moment with Dormammu was both unique and the most clever moment in the saga. Maybe Strange pulls off a similar trick in Endgame?
4) Guardians of the Galaxy
The classic formula of forcing a random group of strangers together and seeing what they can come up with in their quest at hand worked to perfection in Guardians of the Galaxy. Chris Pratt's Starlord was witty, charming, and passionate, even if misguided at times. We got a really good look at Thanos, and I really liked Ronan. I wish we got more of him. The music in this film is the best of the saga. What a wild ride this was. Oh, and Rocket is awesome!
3) Avengers: Infinity War
Holy cow, what an adventure. It was a non-stop thrill ride that somehow didn't fall apart completely with all the different characters going different ways to accomplish different goals. The combinations of all the different superhero powers coupled with the full power of the infinity stones made for the most entertaining, well-thought action in the saga. This is the full realization of superhero powers at their finest.
Despite all that, Thanos stole the show. Brolin played the character to perfection. His massive ego was matched by his sheer physicality and devious plans. He's a Mad Man who, in his mind, had a justifiable reason for his actions, which makes for the best villains every time. The Snap Heard Round The World was somewhat a shocker, which was hard to do considering the coverage the making of this film received. The bad guy actually won! For now, of course.
2) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Sure, Civil War had the split between the Avengers based on a difference of opinions, but The Winter Soldier has the absolute best clashing of philosophical beliefs in the entire saga. This film was an incredible sequel to the first Cap movie, it has incredible action, and it gave us closer looks to characters like Cap, Black Widow, Fury, and even while introducing Falcon. The Cap scene with the older Peggy Carter was a nice touch.
But the twist revealing that Hydra has been infiltrating world governments and agencies, including S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, is by far my favorite moment in the history of the entire series. And that bombshell was only the first of two, as we also got the incredible twist of the Winter Soldier's identity, who is none other than Steve's best friend, Bucky. There's also the milder (more predictable) twist that Fury didn't die.
As a fan of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., this movie not only tied in with the show better than any other, but the show ascended to an incredible level in one of the two or three best stretches of the series.
If not for the experience of the first Avengers movie, I would have this movie at No. 1.
1) Marvel's The Avengers
It was the promise of an incredible feat that had not been done before in cinematic history. I was so giddy for this movie. I was like a little child with my mouth hanging down watching all these superheroes come together and share the big screen all at once in an epic battle. The now-famous one-cut shot of each of the six fighting their own smaller battle within the big battle is pure cinematic genius. There was plenty of humor to go around. Then there was the big-bad reveal of Thanos, whom I never had heard of prior to these movies. It was simultaneously the payoff of the first crossover event like this and the beginning of an incredible journey that culminated with Endgame.