So, we showed you how Civil War stacked up against the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when it came to our composite rankings. While that’s an incredibly accurate ratings system when it comes to critics and fans together, we wanted to see how different the rankings looked when we studied the fan vote alone.
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We’re still going to look at all thirteen films in the MCU, but the order is quite a bit different from the composite rankings. Four of the top five films on the list star none other than every one’s favorite caped crusader, Batman. Even the controversial Batman v Superman made the top five. There’s no telling how this list could change the MCU rankings.
If there’s something you don’t agree with here, it was you and your friends who made the rankings. No critics or staff members here at ComicBook had anything to do with these rankings. The ball is 100% in your court. Remember, the score is on a 0-5 scale, and thousands of fans participated in these scores. Let’s see what you guys had to say.
*Note this list was created May 21st, 2016 – the fan vote may swing as more people vote who haven’t already, we’ll regularly update this list so stay tuned.
13. Iron Man 3 (2013)
Wow, already a huge change from the composite rankings. The critics rated Incredible Hulk as the worst of the MCU films, but the fans went with Iron Man 3.
The biggest thing fans didn’t connect in this film was, without a doubt, the handling of The Mandarin. In the third act of the film, it was revealed that “The Mandarin,” played by Ben Kingsley, was just a ploy. Instead of Iron Man’s arch nemesis that all fans had come to fear over the years, the character was simply a washed up actor, distracting Tony Stark from the real villain.
While the misdirection was seen by writers and critics as a wonderful storytelling tactic, fans clearly disagreed.
12. Iron Man 2 (2010)
You guys really hated the Iron Man sequels huh? Scoring just .02 higher than Iron Man 3, the second installment of the trilogy comes in at number twelve.
The dislike for this film was more universal than the third, as the composite rankings also had it in the second to last spot on the list. John Favreau brought the tone to the film that we all loved, and RDJ brought his charisma, but fans just needed more. Fitting in with the trend of fans saw as bland villains in Marvel films, Iron Man 2 gave us lackluster baddies in Mickey Rourke’s Ivan Vanko and Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer.
The movie did introduce Black Widow to the MCU, but that just didn’t seem to be enough to strike gold in the hearts of fans. A valiant effort, Iron Man 2 fell flat for viewers around the globe.
11. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Coming in at almost .2 points higher than the Iron Man sequels, Universal’s MCU effort, Incredible Hulk stops at number eleven. While it scored dead last in the Composite Rankings, fans had a little more grace for the Big Guy’s foray into the Marvel universe.
Critics didn’t love the pacing or characterization of Louis Leterrier’s Hulk, but fans recognized it more as a movie made for them. Filled with teases, Easter Eggs, and comic references, The Incredible Hulk gave fans plenty to talk about. Leaving the theater, everyone was clamoring about the Ross/Stark conversation, the possibility of seeing The Leader down the road, and just how cool it was to hear Hulk yell “Smash!” before taking on the Abomination. I’m not going to lie, I had a great time watching it too.
While it can be fun, and it’s filled with treats, The Incredible Hulk doesn’t fare well against Ol’ Father Time. Going back and watching it now, it’s a mediocre experience at best. The best thing going for Hulk, is that it led to the casting of Mark Ruffalo; the definitive Bruce Banner.
10. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
2013’s Thor sequel tied The Incredible Hulk in overall score, but had more votes turned in, so it rises one spot to number ten.
This is another film that fans seem to love just for the “cool factor.” There were a lot of moments throughout the film that we got to see an awesome fight scene, a beautiful Asgardian landscape, or a crazy looking creature we had never experienced before. It was a change of pace for fans to finally go back up to a different realm and hang with Loki again, and the Captain America cameo was enough to make most Marvel lovers wet themselves.
Thor and Loki’s world has always been a fascinating one, and there’s something about heroes in space that really lands well on the big screen. Since the release of The Dark World, James Gunn has blessed us with the much superior Marvel Space opera, Guardians of The Galaxy. Had that one been released first, there would be much less forgiveness for the faults in this lackluster Thor sequel.
9. Thor (2011)
First, we had the Iron Man sequels back-to-back at numbers twelve and thirteen. Now, we have the disappointing Thor franchise coming in at nine and ten. This was one film where fans agreed with critics, as the composite score placed Thor at number nine as well.
Fans have made it clear that the Thor franchise has left a lot to be desired. It’s an odd conundrum, seeing as how the films have given fans their favorite MCU villain in Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. Sure, he’s a great part of the films, but there’s nothing else really there. I think the big draw that put this film over it’s sequel, was its ties to SHIELD and the Avengers. That scene where Thor has to fight Hawkeye to retrieve his hammer was enough to have all fans on the edge of our seats. We got our first glimpse of two Avengers working together when we watched Iron Man and Black Widow in Iron Man 2, but this was our first chance to see two Avengers go toe to toe. A great scene, but not enough to save the film.
The first two Thor movies have been kind of a let down, but there is enormous hope in the third installment, Thor: Ragnarok. Directed by New Zealand funny-man, Taika Waititi, this film will see a more epic and destructive storyline thant the first two, and it will also feature Hulk on Asgard alongside Thor. Sounds promising, let’s hope it lives up to the hype. My guess? Taika Waititi knocks it out of the park and it’s one of the best MCU films to date. We’ll see come next year.
8. The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Another on the list that matched the Composite score, Age of Ultron comes in just above Thor at number eight. This, again, is the lowest scoring team-up movie in the MCU.
It was great to finally get characters like Scarlett Witch and Vision, but it didn’t seem to be enough for fans. The bar was set extremely high after the success of the first Avengers, and Age of Ultron seemed to fall a little short. There were great moments in the film, mainly the ending battle and the Hulk Buster scene, but the storyline fell flat with audiences. The other big complaint? There was a ton of speculation surrounding the footage in the trailers, and a large portion of said footage wasn’t even in the final cut. Fans left the theater frustrated that they didn’t get to see who the lady in the pool was, or what was really going on up in Asgard.
A lot of controversy surrounded this film, with Joss Whedon and Marvel often arguing over the films final direction. While this probably let to the ultimate downfall of the film, fans took their blame out on the film itself. Not a bad effort, but certainly not a great one either. I’m with you guys, here. Age of Ultron just didn’t really do it for me. Although, I’d love to see James Spader have another crack at the MCU.
7. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Three in a row! For the third consecutive spot, the fans and critics agreed. The overall consensus? Captain America:The First Avenger is about as middle of the road as MCU films get.
The big pull for this film was seeing one of the better super hero origin stories to date, and seeing the MCU turn the clock back to WWII. We got a chance to watch popular villain, Red Skull come to life, and he turned out to be one of the better villains of the MCU. The First Avenger also brought us one of the only believable couples in the Connected Universe in Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter. While there were some cool aspects to the Captain America origin tale, there wasn’t anything too special beyond that.
Personally? This is one of my favorite Marvel films. I know it has it’s flaws, but something about the WWII period brings out the best in Steve Rogers, and Chris Evans knocked it out of the park. Also, seeing the Howling Commandos on film was a cool treat for fans. Having the Agent Carter series was cool and all, but I’d kill to see Derek Luke return to the universe and lead the team in their own series. C’mon Netflix, you know you want to.
6. Iron Man (2008)
Remember how I said that Thor: The Dark World would have been ranked lower had it come out now? Well, I think the opposite is true for our number six film, Iron Man.
Jon Favreau kicked off the MCU in spectacular fashion with his take on Iron Man’s origin, and fans have loved it ever since. The perfect casting of Robert Downey Jr as the convicted playboy only added to the tone Favreau set for the film, and the MCU. This was the moment all Marvel fans had finally been waiting for. We had seen Sony make a couple of Spider-Man flicks, and Fox take a stab at the X-Men, but this was the first time Marvel was making their own movie. As high as we set the initial bar for Iron Man, it surpassed it with unparalleled excellence.
Going back and watching Iron Man today, it seriously stands the test of time. There have been twelve MCU films since 2008, but none seem to capture the magic so perfectly as the original Iron Man did. The OG of the Marvel Universe is still as great today as it was all those years ago.
5. Ant-Man (2015)
Breaking into the fan’s top five (a feat it barely missed with the critics) Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man nailed the essence of a heist film.
A couple of times throughout the MCU, a director will break the mold and give us a different genre within a hero flick, and that’s exactly what Peyton Reed did here. Instead of watching a typical super hero vs. bad guy scenario, we got to watch Scott Lang and his oddball friends try and pull of the heist of a life time, while also becoming a hero that would fight a bad guy. The biggest draw here for fans was the incredible casting of Paul Rudd. There are few personalities in Hollywood that are more likable than Rudd, and the audience showed their approval. The characters were a bit more obscure, but the way Paul brought Lang to life helped fans to buy into his world. The other huge boost for fans in this film was seeing Ant-Man square off with Falcon at the Avengers compound. This let us know we would continue to see Ant-Man in the MCU, and it gave us an awesome little Easter Egg to chew on.
Ant-Man brought in much more money, and praise, than initially thought, but it was all well-deserved. The movie did so well, in fact, that we will be seeing a sequel, Ant-Man and The Wasp, featuring Rudd and Evangeline Lilly in 2018.
4. The Avengers (2012)
Coming in at number four, we’ve got the original superhero team-up, The Avengers. This was another film that fans and critics agreed on, as it also landed in the fourth spot in the Composite rankings.
There wasn’t much to dislike about this movie, I’m gonna be honest. It brought the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes together for the first time and every single fan lost their minds a little bit. It was the first time we saw Iron Man and Captain America fight side-by-side, and it was something we wouldn’t soon forget. Not only that, but we finally got the Hulk we deserved as Mark Ruffalo turned in a brilliant performance as Bruce Banner. Joss Whedon knows nerds, and he knew exactly what to give us to send our MCU fandom into overdrive.
Between the quirky one-liners, the epic battles, and the on-screen chemistry from the cast, The Avengers is a film that we continue to watch over and over again.
3. Guardians of The Galaxy (2014)
Dipping one spot from the Composite Rankings, we’ve got James Gunn’s space opera (and my favorite MCU film), Guardians of The Galaxy coming in at number three.
Maybe Marvel’s most unexpected film, Guardians took audiences by storm when it hit theaters in August of 2014. Not only did the film dominate the box office for weeks on end, but the soundtrack was a top ten album as well. From Rocket’s sass, to Peter Quill’s quirks, to Groot’s simplicity, this cast was one of a kind. Led by Parks and Recreation alum Chris Pratt, this ensemble found a way to save the universe and steal our hearts of the same time. There were too many perfect things in this movie to not love it, let’s be honest here. Gorgeous backdrops, a great cast, phenomenal music; Guardians had it all.
While there are still two movies on our list, Guardians of The Galaxy will continue it’s cult classic status for years to come.
2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Making the leap from number five in the Composite Rankings, up to number two, we’ve got the Russo Brothers’ MCU debut, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This also marks the first film on the list to score higher than a 4/5.
This was another one of those breaks from the mold that Marvel fans seemed to love. While we all knew we were watching a Captain America movie, it felt so much more like a chapter out of Jason Bourne’s story. There were brilliantly orchestrated car chases, devastating hand-to-hand combat, and some of the more complex characterization we’ve seen in the MCU. Bringing politics into the fold, the Russo’s showed us that there is so much more to the world than what we have been experiencing through the eyes of the Avengers. One of the things that really brought fans in was the inner conflict of Steve Rogers as he wrestled with how to handle Bucky. We all have a best friend, and imagining trying to bring them down is a hard pill to swallow.
This very human tale connected with fans on a deeper level than each of the Marvel films before, and it easily deserves it’s number two spot.
1. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
The critics loved it, and the fans have spoken the same. Captain America: Civil War is your choice as the best film in the MCU.
Blending together the best elements of the Avengers with the slick storytelling of Winter Soldier, Joe and Anthony Russo stepped up to the challenge and delivered the blockbuster we’d all been waiting for. Getting the chance to see two characters we love throw down was a treat in the most epic of proportions. On top of that, seeing new characters in Black Panther and Spider-Man brought us the utmost joy. It wasn’t just seeing these new characters that we loved so much, but watching how flawlessly they were blended with our favorite heroes gave us hope for Phase Three and beyond. From start to finish, fans all around the world were at the edge of their seats for this hero v hero thrill ride.
Every Marvel fan picked a side leading up to Civil War, and I saw quite a few who were #TeamIronMan. Looking at these rankings, that’s now a bit surprising. Your heart might have been with Tony Stark, but all your votes were laid down at the feet of Captain America. While the two films at the bottom of the barrel belonged to Iron Man, it was Steve Rogers who claimed both of the top spots in the fan rankings. Coincidence? I think you all just love Cap way more than you’re willing to admit.
What did you think of these rankings? Disagree? Let us know in the comments below, or on our Facebook page!
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