Thor Ragnarok is OFFICIALLY around the corner, and fans are as excited as ever for the 17th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so we here at ComicBook.com figured what better time than now to list off the 10 Best MCU Movies SO FAR.
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Now obviously this is a completely subjective list and if you were hoping that Iron Man 2 was gonna take the top spot here, then get ready to be disappointed in the same way most of us were when we watched Iron Man 2. But for everyone else – maybe you’ll agree with us, and maybe you won’t – but either way, we’ll have plenty to talk about.
If you disagree with the list, make sure you head over to comicbook.com/movie/database and vote in your favorites!
Which MCU movie do you think should take the top spot? Watch the video at the top of the page to see where it landed, or simply scroll on down to read our slideshow.
10. Ant Man
Starting off the list at #10 is Ant-Man. If there’s one thing that Marvel has truly excelled at, it’s been their ability to turn their B and C-list characters into A+ players– we’ve seen it time and time again and that’s firmly on display in Ant-Man. Like Iron Man in 2008, Marvel went with an unconventional choice by casting Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, but it paid off in dividends and provided Marvel with yet another charming, bankable hero.
9. The Avengers: Age of Ultron
While it’s not a perfect movie by any stretch of the imagination, juggling a story with that many superheroes is no small feat, and it seems to be a movie that gets better with repeated viewings. James Spader provides a perfectly sinister voice for Ultron and there are moments in the movie where he’s downright creepy. The drinking party at the Avengers headquarters is a ton of fun featuring what is, arguably, Stan Lee’s best cameo. And if that’s not enough for you to like it, we’ve got two words for ya: HULK. BUSTER.
8. Guardians of the Galaxy
Remember when we were talking about how Marvel is a boss at taking their least popular characters and turning them into money printing machines? Say hello to the Guardians of the Galaxy, which turned out to be everything that a fun intergalactic superhero blockbuster should be. Seriously, what’s not to love about this movie? Chris Pratt is the GOAT as Star-Lord, fans got their first really good look at Thanos, and James Gunn even squeezed out the strongest acting performance of Vin Diesel’s career using just three words.
That last part was a joke. Kind of.
7. Captain America: The First Avenger
t the time, Captain America was largely seen as an outdated superhero, so making the entire movie a period piece set during World War 2 and showcasing Steve Rogers as overly earnest, even by 1940s standards, was a brilliant move. Chris Evans silenced naysayers as the lovably courageous Steve Rogers, a far cry from his take on immature heart throb Johnny Storm in The Fantastic Four. Plus, Hugo Weaving as Red Skull is just awesome and we didn’t get enough of him, and has there been a more bittersweet relationship in the MCU than the one between Steve and Peggy Carter? Nope.
6. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2
Now, a lot of people didn’t love Volume 2 as much as Volume 1, and frankly – why the heck not? If you’re truly a fan of the first Guardians, then this movie is more of the same but done better — The cosmic visuals are spectacular, the chemistry and camaraderie of the team are turned up to 11, and the scenes between Drax and Mantis are hilarious. Heck, even 80’s action heroes Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell get roped into the mix, with Kurt in particular as Ego being a much more fascinating villain than Ronan was in the first movie. Plus, if Yondu didn’t make your eyes water at the end, you might be a sociopath.
5. The Avengers
This movie was an EVENT. For the first time ever, superheroes from separate solo films joined forces in one big giant film extravaganza and it was every bit as awesome as fans had hoped. Structurally, it’s tough to give this many heroes enough screen time in a 2 hour movie for true character development, but that’s what the entire point of the solo films were for — The Avengers, on the other hand, was all about seeing our favorite heroes slobber knocker a bunch of bad guys (and sometimes each other.)
4. Captain America: Winter Soldier
If the first Cap film was a period piece, then this was more of an espionage conspiracy thriller. It’s really a testament to how good the Captain America movies are that they almost switch genres from film to film. Almost out of nowhere, the Russo Brothers came along and churned out a movie that was thrilling, action packed, and politically relevant. Up until this point, the Russo Brothers were mostly known for directing episodes of Community, so whoever at Marvel thought these guys were the right choice, I’m lookin’ at you Feige, should be given an award.
3. Spider-Man: Homecoming
In Homecoming, Tom Holland became the third actor to throw on Spidey’s mask in the past decade. Third time’s a charm right? Rhetorical question, Sam Raimi. Even when The Avengers banded together to save New York City, it felt like something was missing by not including Marvel’s flagship wallcrawler. Thankfully, Marvel and Sony finally worked out a deal, brought the OG Batman on board to play the Vulture, and threw in a dash of high school John Hughes angst. All of those elements combined crafted a super fun movie that hit a pitch perfect tone for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
2. Iron Man
Has there been a better MCU movie since Iron Man came out almost a decade ago? Yes. Has there been more important movies to the MCU since Iron Man? Absolutely not. Without Iron Man, there simply is no Marvel Cinematic Universe.Nowadays, it’s SO easy to forget that prior to 2008, Iron Man was considered a second tier character and Robert Downey Jr wasn’t box office gold. Quite the contrary — the whole movie was a roll at the Craps table, but luckily for Marvel fans – Iron Man hit big.
1. Captain America: Civil War
AKA The Avengers 2.5. If you combine the popcorn comic book elements of The Avengers with the intelligence of Winter Soldier, then you get Captain America Civil War. It adapted one of the most popular Marvel storylines of the last 20 years and introduced both Spider-Man and Black Panther in a way that was complementary instead of contrived, and the airport fight scene is hands down the BEST comic book fight scene that’s ever blessed the big screen.
