7 Best MCU Origin Movies, Ranked

The Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s extensive collection of titles includes 14 origin movies — several of which are truly outstanding. Beginning with 2008’s Iron Man, the earlier phases of the MCU count numerous solo films that introduce the most renowned heroes like Tony Stark, Captain America, and Thor. This type of film is especially challenging to execute, as it aims to establish the proper tone of a particular superhero and the world they live in. Intended to set up higher-stakes plot lines down the road, the MCU’s origin films are typically a far cry from the awe-inspiring events of Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, or even Spider-Man: No Way Home. Still, in most cases, the MCU has succeeded in integrating one major character after another into its vast web of interconnected narratives. Among the MCU’s 14 origin movies, these seven stand out as the most impressive.

7) Iron Man

In retrospect, 2008’s Iron Man catapulted the MCU to greatness. The origin story of Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man, helmed by Jon Favreau, is an exciting ride with plenty of entertaining action scenes. Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Stark is the beating heart of Iron Man. The actor effortlessly radiates the character’s egotistical personality, complemented by his charisma, wit, and inventiveness. Although Iron Man‘s supporting characters are glaringly underdeveloped, the film hardly feels incomplete, as Stark’s journey to becoming the titular hero is absorbing to follow. While the MCU has released other more well-rounded origin movies, Iron Man remains a worthwhile tale featuring a top-tier performance.

6) Captain America: The First Avenger

2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger marks the beginning of Chris Evans’ MCU tenure as Steve Rogers/Captain America. Director Joe Johnston’s film offers a nice deviation from modern settings, as the story takes place during World War II. Captain America: The First Avenger capitalizes on the historical significance of its narrative, underscoring Steve’s anti-fascist roots and strong sense of justice. Evans proves masterful in his MCU debut, capturing the character’s fortitude, determination, and vulnerability. Steve’s relationships with Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, his best friend, and Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter, his ally and eventual love interest, are well developed, making for a great introduction to one of the most important characters in the MCU’s history.

5) Eternals

In 2021, Eternals was a low point for the MCU in terms of critical reception, however, Chloé Zhao’s superhero movie debut is actually a fine film. With 10 main characters, Eternals almost takes on more than it can handle in its over two-and-a-half-hour run time, but it succeeds in introducing the titular group, even if they never appear in the MCU again. The movie’s intricate character dynamics, as well as each Eternals member’s unique abilities, are fun to learn about. Moreover, impressive acting performances from Gemma Chan as Sersi, Angelina Jolie as Thena, and Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, in particular, elevate Eternals. The film’s gorgeous visuals are still the best the MCU has ever put out, as they seamlessly bring the Eternals’ powers to life and generate some truly spectacular fight sequences. Many MCU fans have written off Eternals, but this engrossing origin story still deserves appreciation.

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4) Black Widow

Due to some unfortunate circumstances surrounding its release, 2021’s Black Widow is severely underrated. Marvel waited far too long to give Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow a solo film, and when it finally came to fruition, the character was already dead. Despite the movie’s setting in the past and somewhat limited stakes, Black Widow tells a captivating and deeply poignant story about family, trauma, and sisterhood. The reunion between Johansson’s Natasha, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz’s Melina Vostokoff is rife with tension, but the characters’ deep-rooted love for one another resurfaces and helps to extinguish the sadistic subjugation of women and young girls at General Dreykov’s (Ray Winstone) Red Room. Black Widow‘s thrilling and emotional narrative contains pleasant notes of humor to balance out the grim themes, and the main actors are a joy to watch on screen together. All in all, director Cate Shortland’s film is a superb ode to one of the MCU’s most beloved heroes.

3) The Avengers

The MCU’s most distinguished team of heroes magnificently comes together for the first time in 2012’s The Avengers. Directed by Joss Whedon, the movie features the original six-member coalition of Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man, Evans’ Steve Rogers/Captain America, Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton/Hawkeye, and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk. The fascinating dynamic between the heroes shines at the forefront of The Avengers as they figure out their role in the world and lay the groundwork for their bigger endeavors in the subsequent films. In addition to The Avengers’ compelling main team, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki serves as an imposing villain, even though he doesn’t stack up to Josh Brolin’s Thanos. Well-paced and action-packed, The Avengers makes for an exhilarating and satisfying viewing experience that beats almost every other MCU origin film.

2) Guardians of the Galaxy

2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a superhero origin movie that vastly exceeded expectations. James Gunn’s MCU directorial debut expertly represents the found family trope through the stories of Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star Lord, Zoe Saldaña’s Gamora, Bradley Cooper’s Rocket, Vin Diesel’s Groot, Dave Bautista’s Drax, Karen Gillan’s Nebula, and their other associates. Guardians of the Galaxy is profoundly heartwarming, hilarious, and engaging from start to finish, and remains the best movie of Gunn’s MCU trilogy. While superhero teams can require multiple installments to characterize the members’ individuality and relationships with each other, Guardians of the Galaxy fleshed out its central figures amazingly well, enabling them to stand out among the MCU’s plethora of figures ahead of their later appearances.

1) Black Panther

Among the few perfect superhero movies in existence, 2018’s Black Panther is the crown jewel of MCU origin stories. The introduction of Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa/Black Panther came two years earlier in Captain America: Civil War, but writer-director Ryan Coogler delivers a stunning illustration of the hero and the world of Wakanda. Black Panther boasts a well-executed blend of heartfelt emotion, clever humor, and breathtaking action, while detailed visuals and costume designs brilliantly bring the film to life. Boseman’s commanding performance as T’Challa is wonderfully supported by Letitia Wright’s Shuri, Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia, Daniel Kaluuya’s W’Kabi, Danai Gurira’s Okoye, and so many more. Black Panther stands as the MCU’s most fantastic origin movie to date, and could even be considered the franchise’s greatest film overall.

All of these titles are available to stream on Disney+. The MCU returns to theaters with Thunderbolts*, which releases on May 2nd.