Marvel Universe: Best to worst

In a word; wow! I didn't dare expect this to be as good as it is. The Russo brothers' ability to weave together so many threads and still have almost everyone feel essential is tantamount to genius. This is the biggest and most ambitious superhero movie ever made and while ambition in and of itself is not an indication of quality (just look at Batman v Superman), it truly payed off here, making Infinity War the overall best and most affecting experience in the entire MCU.

With the hype having died down and more reasonable expectations setting in for my second viewing, I can comfortably say that Endgame is a masterpiece! I still prefer the focussed storytelling of Infinity War a little better but this movie is every bit as satisfying and compelling as I could have hoped for.

I absolutely adore this movie! While Winter Soldier might be a better Captain America movie, this is without a doubt a better superhero movie! The acting was strong, the action was superb and the absolute scene stealer was Spider-Man, in a Ditkoesque and Romita, sr-like costume. Everything I could have hoped for.

This movie pulled at my heartstrings in a way that no movie had done in years. It is so good, so well written and so engaging as to almost defy the unreasonably high expectations I had of it.

The greatest surprise and also the best overall experience of any of the Marvel movies. Though the characters aren't nearly the "outcasts" the director claims you have to respect the fact that these are all but unknown characters and for the movie to so successfully draw in the audience is awe-inspiring. Add to that the level of fun and fantastic action set pieces and you have one of the best Marvel movies to date.

Wow! Such an effortlessly good movie! Taking the form of a coming of age story, Spider-Man: Homecoming is everything I wanted from an MCU Spider-Man film. It was funny, entertaining, optimistic and surprisingly heartfelt at times. The main draw, however, is the man himself, and the element I loved most about the movie, Spider-Man. Marvel simply understands its own character better than any other studio could. One of the best movies of 2017 so far.

Though it has been eclipsed by the third Captain America movie, this movie is a strong flick in and of itself. I will even go so far as to say it is a better Captain America movie but in terms of the superhero genre Civil War has it beat, hands down.

This movie, similarly to my number 3 pick, was a huge gamble. The entire phase 1 of Marvel movies suffered a sense of incompletion because they were building to this and for The Avengers to not disappoint is in and of itself an achievement. For it to also be a fantastic, satisfying movie in and off itself adds to the experience which more than justifies its number 5 spot on this list.

Based on the trailers, I wasn't expecting more than a fairly average Marvel movie. I couldn't have been more wrong. This movie was brimming with brilliant characters, charm, wit and a deeper and more meaningful story than you normally get from a blockbuster superhero movie.

I would say that Thor: Ragnarök is by far the best Thor solo movie but that is so self evident to be on the verge of being redundant. I can also say that it is a colourful, vibrant, entertaining, funny and seemingly impactful movie that ranks among the very best of the MCU.

This year's positive surprise thus far. Don't listen to the critics, this was great! A lot better than nr. 1 and just a thrilling and engaging film all the way through. It handled the multiverse to great effect.

Bigger and in some respects better than the first film. Notable examples of scenes that rank among my favorite in the entire MCU are the Avengers' party, the hulkbuster scene and pretty much every scene with Ultron. However, the film also feels a little more disjointed than the first one and not every one of the heroes are integrated as well into the story as in the first film making it more a collection of great scenes without the cohesion that made the first film so good.

The best origin story of a single hero in the MCU so far. It has many similarities to that of Iron Man but the excecution is infinitely more engaging and I simply love the psychedelic nature of many of the scenes.

Excellent return to the cinemas for Marvel after an extended break due to COVID. Fast paced, entertaining and really well choreographed. This might be the strongest action we've seen in any Marvel movie to date. The characters felt a little rushed but the central conflict is strong. Really good!

Lacking the immeadiate and persistent freshness of the original (big shock) but makes up for it by being an absolutely hilarious romp. Drax, while being the character with the least ammount of development, steals the show in every scene with his deadpan delivery of some of the funniest lines in the entire MCU.

This movie is still fresh so it might go up on the list and it might go down but as it stands Marvel has once again produced a marvelously entertaining and just downright funny movie, which still managed to hit me in the feels a few times.

It is surprising that I enjoy this movie as much as I do but I guess it would be really hard to completely ruin an Edgar Wright script and it also doesn't hurt to have one of the most likeable leading men in the entire MCU.

Somehow the worst reviewed movie of the MCU, which is ridiculous, in my opinion. It is a light, entertaining and not terribly meaningful addition to the universe. Just like the other two Ant-Man movies. Ignore the critics, this is lighthearted fun.

Ignore the user rating, it is hugely deflated by internet trolls. This is a sharply written, well acted, entertaining movie. Well worth your time and money.

You're probably astounded by the fact that I have omitted any of the Iron Man movies from my top 5, but I simply feel that Iron Man is at his best when interacting with the other main heroes in the MCU. Leave it to the incomperable Shane Black to make a near perfect Iron Man movie. This would have been much higher on the list if not for that damn twist near the end and a stronger villain.

Next to The Avengers, this is my favorite of the phase 1 Marvel movies. An almost effortless starmaking performance from Chris Hemsworth and an absolutely stunning performance from Hiddleston carry this movie, which similarly to the other phase 1 movies suffer from a lack of stakes.

Ok, go ahead and hate on me for not putting this in the top 3, but aside from RDJ's admittedly superb performance, the plot, while well paced and told, is a typical origin story and it started the trend of 3rd act problems that would plague the MCU for years to come.

Just like Iron Man, Captain America works best when he is interacting with the other heroes. While the movie is actually quite good during the first half, the second half feels like a montage which almost completely kept me from connecting to the characters and the plot.

It's not that I didn't like it. It's more that I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. The transition of focus to a new team meant that a lot of time was focused on few characters and other more established characters were not given their proper sendoff, in my opinion at least.

The only movie in the phase 1 (aside from The Avengers) to not have a anticlimactic ending. Norton was great, as was Tim Roth and William Hurt. The film, however thrilling, still lacks the substance that the central character deserves.

Saddled with unreasonable expectations as it is the first Marvel movie to hit cinemas since the pandemic hit is, how does it actually stock up? It's fine. Good action and some charming actors delivering funny and sympathetic performances.

While the writing lacks some of the sharpness of the first film, it makes up for it in inventive action sequences and strong chemistry between the central characters. It does perhaps feel a bit too inconsequential at times.

Entertaining and sincere with a strong beginning and a strong ending but with a more uneven journey in beteween the two. Hemsworth is still great and Christian Bale is nothing short of stellar as the most interesting villain in a Thor film so far.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. There is nothing wrong with it, but its meandering pace and so so plot holds it back.

Initially, I really liked this film but repeated viewings have dulled my appreciation for it. The villain is tied with Whiplash as the most lacklustre in the universe and it still couldn't properly integrate Natalie Portman's character into the plot without contrivance. The movie is at its best when Hemsworth and Hiddleston are on screen together, and for what it's worth they save the film from being the worst of the MCU.

This movie scrapes the bottom for being, just, frightningly inconsequential. Clearly piggybacking off the success of the first film, this sequel is almost completely devoid of conflict or meaningful drama. Sam Rockwell was great, however, and I wouldn't be opposed to have him make more appearances in the MCU.

The most uneven Marvel movie in a decade. Not bad at all but the level of ambition doesn't match the actual quality of the writing. The pace is off in many places and while also entertaining at times it feels like the first actual letdown in MCU history. I think it might be a little better than the two movies below, but because there hadn't been a miss in so long, I feel the disappointment more.