Every MCU movie, ranked – Polygon

The most remarkable achievement of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now, 14 years later: It has become routine.

That’s not meant as an insult — the vibe shift, as the kids say, that the MCU has brought about is one so complete it has completely changed how blockbuster movies are thought about and discussed, for better or worse. Theorizing and explanations are now commonplace. Discussions that used to simmer in geek corners have spilled into mainstream conversations. Every film’s contribution is meticulously tracked and puzzled. It’s blockbuster cinema, but it’s also a participation sport.

With Phase 4 now over, 2023 is the start of the Multiverse Saga’s next chapter. But before things start to heat up once again, it’s a good time to look back at the absolutely bonkers success of the MCU and consider what we look for in a Marvel movie, and what Marvel movies are best at giving us.

We at Polygon put our heads together to rank all 30 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far (there’s enough TV to warrant a separate list).

Our committee was made up of 13 Polygon staffers, who each submitted their own personal ranking of the MCU movies they’ve seen. The bottom pick received one point and the second to last picked two. This scoring system continued up. People who saw all of the films were more likely to vote because they have the best context.

Here is every MCU film ranked from worst to best — for now. This list will continue to be updated as Marvel Cinematic Universe grows.

30. Thor: Love and Thunder

Photo: Jasin Boland/Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: After multiple Marvel movies that made no significant use of Natalie Portman’s acting chops, Thor: Love and ThunderMjolnir was given to her and she also gave her some hilarious dialogue. Another great thing: Tessa Thompson playing Valkyrie, while she wore a Phantom of the Opera T-shirt.

Take it from the villain: Director and writer Taika Waititi reprises his bit part as Korg, who becomes a talkative but not quite funny enough narrator of the film’s events. Then there’s Christian Bale’s heart-wrenching performance as Gorr, which belongs in a different movie — maybe one that doesn’t have Korg’s goofball fairy-tale narration. Last but not least, this movie has two Thors in it, and it only needs one — Natalie Portman, obviously. —Maddy Myers

29. Thor: The Dark World

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: The movie that cemented Loki’s woobification for all time, and a cameo that’s quite possibly the most fun Chris Evans has ever had in the MCU.

Take it from the villain: Woof. Marvel’s gonna have to make a lot of duds before Dark World — with its forgettable villain and even more forgettable plot — won’t wind up near the bottom of these kinds of rankings. —Susana Polo

28. Iron Man 2

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: Pre-orders are encouraged as early as possibleAvengersSuccess of the MCU in its infancy Iron Man 2 is where these movies start to have some fun — and this movie is absolutely stuffed to the brim with spectacle that made Iron Man look like an indie film in comparison. Iron Man 2Whiplash is a great way to bring out your toys! You can wear suitcase armor War Machine An army drones And it’s the first film to truly lean into the connected nature of the MCU.

Take it from the villain:It’s a complete mess. Every idea is underserved, the character work is shallow — Tony Stark has basically regressed between films — and the MCU world-building is a little Too involved. This is a warning sign about the potential dangers that MCU can become, if not taken care of. —Joshua Rivera

27. Avengers: Age of Ultron

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: It’s a Marvel movie about making Marvel movies. Joss Whedon is back to examine his impossible cross-over work. The Avengers It is now a fact, with the help of Ultron, the robotic killer. There’s a valiant effort to will this big sequel into a quieter, more dramatic film that almost succeeds.

Take it from the villain: Bombast wins out, and Whedon’s fun edge from the previous film is buffed away, leaving something a little more sour behind. As Ultron and Vision can carry the movie’s metafictional, existential themes with ease while the Avengers themselves stumble through their most embarrassing arcs, the machines are the ones who have the best material. Hulk and Black Widow are best kept under wraps. —JR

26. Eternals

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: All its flaws, and there are many of them), EternalsOne of the rare Marvel films to actually explore the relationship between its heros is this movie. If you ever wanted the Avengers family to transcend the mere existence of a few heroes, then this is the film for you. It’s a poignant and moving story about the pains of immortality and the beauty of humanity. It also features one of the most diverse casts in the entire MCU — as well as one of the most female-fronted teams!

Take it from the villain: It pokes way more holes into the Marvel Cinematic Universe than is worth the two-hour-and-37-minute run time. It requires the audience to be concerned. LotsIt’s about characters and dynamic they don’t know. The movie is jam-packed with backstory and tries to make it seem easy. It should’ve been a show, in my opinion!

There’s also been four subsequent movies and four subsequent television shows and not a single mention of the GIANT CELESTIAL POKING OUT OF THE EARTH?! (OK — there was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment in She-HulkIt’s not perfect, but it is there. It barely feels like it’s part of the MCU, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you’re here for. —Petrana Radulovic

25. The Incredible Hulk

Image: Marvel Studios/Universal Pictures

Take it from the hero: The Hulk’s only MCU solo outing is a lean thriller that blends the jolly green giant with a bit of The Fugitive Bruce Banner travels the world to avoid a U.S. army that would like him detained. A paranoid, twitchy film that really gains a lot from star Ed Norton’s performance, still memorable despite successor Mark Ruffalo’s well-received arc across the various team-up films that followed.

Take it from the villain: Every character that isn’t Banner doesn’t really have much to work with here, and when the film does go into superhero mode, the moody color palette means it’s a struggle to actually see what’s happening. —JR

24. Avengers: Infinity War

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: It’s more or less the Empire Strikes Back of the MCU — a dark, heavy setup movie where the heroes suffer tremendous defeats and losses in order to make their triumphs in the next movie stronger. The MCU is a journey that sees characters come together, often in unexpected ways, and highlights them all in new, exciting ways. And then there’s that ending, still possibly the most breathless piece of pure horror in the entire franchise.

Take it from the villain: It’s too busy, with so many characters that virtually none of the fan favorites get significant screen time, and too many repetitive fights over Infinity Stones where the outcomes are foreordained. To keep the story moving, many characters make poor choices. Also, Loki gets punked, Hulk gets punked, and Thor acts like he hasn’t seen Loki “die” like eight times already. —Tasha Robinson

23. Thor

Photo: Mark Fellman/Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: Technically more of a fish-out-of-water comedy than a superhero movie, Hemsworth’s goofiness plays great with Natalie Portman as the straight man, and Stellan Skarsgård is in this and he rules.

Take it from the villain: The action is pretty bad, it’s not particularly interesting, and its biggest failing as a comedy is that it’s really only intermittently funny. —Austen Goslin

22. Spider-Man has no way home

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: The end of the first trilogy featuring Tom Holland’s Spider-Man goes out with an absolute bang, bringing the villains — and Spider-Mans! — from the two previous live-action iterations into one tangled web. The threat has escalated, and the stakes are high. This film is the first to feature Peter Parker fighting against the evil intent of making him suffer personal harm.

Take it from the villain: There is no way home can be read as an outrageously cynical film, a movie that’s essentially getting by on stolen valor — borrowing the menace and character work done outside of the MCU to raise the stock of its own take on Peter Parker/Spider-Man. It’s also yet another film that refuses to just let Peter face a threat on his own, without an Avenger babysitting him. —JR

21. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: James Gunn was a writer/director who established James Gunn’s merry band A-holes in MCU success. This gave him the opportunity for a second chance. Strange. Vol. 2 is one of the few MCU projects to feel acutely personal, both thematically and aesthetically, as Gunn’s gross-out schlock roots collide with a heartfelt and mildly vulgar story about fathers and sons, family lost and found, and pushing through the pain and anger that comes with feeling like you deserved more than you got.

Take it from the villain: Guardians Vol. 2 Overindulgence in comic book therapy group therapy. This is in some ways a wonderful thing. Some actors and characters are left with little to no to do and less to discuss. —JR

20. Captain Marvel

Photo: Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: It’s rare for a Marvel movie to have a twist, and Captain Marvel’s isn’t that complicated, but it’s refreshing nonetheless. It just makes sense for the Skrulls — a shapeshifting alien race, always on the run and hiding out — to be the more sympathetic side in the Kree-Skrull war. (The comics aren’t quite so neat and tidy when it comes to that.) Then there’s the more obvious reveal that Carol Danvers’ slimy male mentor was just trying to keep her down — again, not a surprise, but still satisfying. The movie even manages to introduce a young Monica Rambeau, one of the original heroes to use the “Captain Marvel” moniker in the comics, and although her cameo is little more than a lead-in to WandaVision, Akira and Azari Akbar’s performances are too cute to deny.

Take it from the villain: It’s really just an Air Force recruitment ad. It’s not uncommon for Marvel films to work with the U.S. Military and make it look great, but this film makes it seem even worse, due to the diverse cast and feminist themes. Uncle Sam will point the finger. Anyone these days! And that’s progress, folks. —MM

19. Doctor Strange, in the Multiverse of Madness

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: The Sorcerer Supreme wins the Tales from the CryptSam Raimi’s stylings transform a seemingly absurd chase through Marvel Universe into something spooky with magically imagined battles.

Take it from the villain:Marvel Cinematic Universe has a very powerful premise. Multiverse of MadnessThe title is a bit too stoic to show us the potential it offers. Its biggest swing — a second-act set-piece chock-full of cameos — takes an exciting moment and drags it down with dull exposition. —JR

18. Black Widow

Photo: Jay Maidment/Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: The main cast is excellent and almost all of them know how fun the movie they’re in should be, some of the action is pretty good, and Florence Pugh is in it (she’s enough fun that she gets her own special mention).

Take it from the villain:This fight has the third worst MCU battle ever, as well as a story with no real purpose that is almost irrelevant to the universe. — AG

17. Ant-Man & the Wasp

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: Small-stakes entertainment at its best Ant-ManIt’s the same thing, but multiplied by two. There’s a world where every Marvel movie is like the Ant-Man films, and it’s not a bad one: The stakes are small (ha) and personal, superpowers are used for gags as much as they are for action, and the focus is much more on the actors being people than they are soldiers or gods.

Take it from the villain: Ant-Man and The Wasp It feels almost exactly like the predecessor but a little more. TooIt’s small. Even though the film has a larger supporting cast including Randall Park and Walton Goggins, it fails to leave a lasting impression. —JR

16. Ant-Man

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: Ant-ManYou know exactly what this is. It’s an action blockbuster directed by a superhero of the B-tier who was only well known in his own way. Would that all movies could take that equation and multiply it by Paul Rudd’s innate charisma!

Take it from the villain:The idea for this MCU project was a big one, and Edgar Wright was the first to receive it. There’s a sense that something got lost in the handoff to Peyton Reed, a bit of a mishmash of tones that briefly provides a window into the wacky (or wackier) world that could’ve been. —Zosha Millman

15. Civil War: Captain America

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: Civil WarThere is much to be done. And yet, its defining sequence — the airport battle — works because it manages to deliver on the actual groundwork of the characters, letting them ping-pong off each other in battle much better than they have in their signature Marvel Quips™.

Take it from the villain:Perhaps more so than many movies. Civil War suffers from the core problem that could’ve been solved with a single conversation, making the fire-and-brimstone concept of its subhead a bit overblown. Plus, the MCU hasn’t really done enough to build up any of the Avengers as Friends so that the “betrayal” of this movie can hold together the way it does in the comic arc. —ZM

14. Doctor Strange

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: This rare MCU film requires all of that CG, and uses it well. Doctor Strange is one of the better-looking entries in the franchise, eschews the typical third-act formula, and also does Tony Stark’s three-movie Iron Man arc in one movie. Scott Adkins also stars in the movie!

Take it from the villain: “Redoing Tony Stark’s three-movie Iron Man arc in one movie” can be read as a bad thing. The romance in the movie is also super underserved, and additionally, as a superfan of his, the movie really has no idea what to do with Scott Adkins’ considerable martial arts prowess and screen presence, which is a shame! —Pete Volk

13. Spider-Man is Far From Home

Photo: Jay Maidment/Sony Pictures

Take it from the hero: Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with weirdo Silicon Valley assholes. When I learned the MCU’s Quentin Beck (aka Mysterio) would have his awesome backstory (bitter magician and illusionist) swapped with something all-too-familiar (another Tony Stark knockoff) I was, in a word, pissed. My interest in the MCU was how I saw it, and that’s all I got.

How did I ever doubt mid-career Jake Gyllenhaal? New from bizarre-ass positions Okja, Velvet Buzzsaw, NightcrawlerAnd EnemyGyllenhaal is a hilarious villain in this series that has been known for boring baddies who only exist to give a world-threatening speech and then get punched through the skyscraper.

Take it from the villain:What do I know about Peter Parker’s class trip to western Europe with his friends? It’s not. But I can’t forget Jake G. repeatedly trapping Spider-Man in holographic houses of mirrors. If the multiverse is just, Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio will return. Though this time, let’s just make him a magician, please. —Chris Plante

12. Avengers: Endgame

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: A decade of stories comes to an end. Avengers: Endgame both manages to conclude the Infinity Saga and celebrate it via a “time heist” revisiting pivotal moments in the canon. It’s the kind of thing that only the MCU can do, and it does it spectacularly.

Take it from the villain: It’s a little Too good of an ending, as there’s never been a clearer jumping-off point for the MCU than this. And while it does an admirable job of being a complete film of its own, it can be very hard to be invested in the movie’s cosmic business without at least a passing familiarity of what came before. —JR

11. Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings

Photo: Jasin Boland/Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: You want to see a cute little movie about Martial Arts with charismatic leads? Shang-ChiIt has you covered.

Take it from the villain:Tony Leung is by far the most charismatic actor in this film. Unfortunately, he’s the villain. Everything ends up with a predictable Marvel CGI-mush climax, and vague gestures in the direction for the future MCU. —SP

10. The Avengers

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: This is the film that proved Marvel’s grand storytelling experiment was going to work, and then some. Joss Whedon, the writer and director, took this daunting task with a smile, putting up the banter, and raising the stakes in a New York apocalyptic battle. The Avengers still has some of the funniest lines and best action sequences of the entire MCU — and some of the best Hulk content, too.

Take it from the villain:The same applies to the other cases. The Avengers irretrievably made smarmy Whedonisms a core pillar of the whole series, but 10 years and dozens of movies later the quips are starting to grate, while the man himself has fallen precipitously — and justly — out of fashion. The film’s profoundly influential mix of inert soap opera, air-punching fan service, and overburdened, kitchen-sink structure is now our whole reality. Hope he’s proud. —Oli Welsh

9. Guardians of the Galaxy

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: It takes a bit of buy-in to James Gunn’s wholeSomethingGet onboard Guardians of the Galaxy As the MCU’s first movie that could lift up if needed, GuardiansThe MCU is becoming more homogenizing and less fun than it can be.

Take it from the villain: GuardiansFocusing on the jokes and not on the entire McGuffin-y plot is what makes it work more effectively. And if those jokes don’t land — well, it’s not gonna be the best MCU entry for you. —ZM

8. Wakanda Forever: Black Panther

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: A cinematic wake that mourns what could have been, as director and co-writer Ryan Coogler bids farewell to the late Chadwick Boseman and T’Challa, the hero-king he fully embodied from the moment he appeared on screen. Unfortunately, circumstances are not always the best. Wakanda Forever the most painfully human film in the canon as it works through grief and the many ways it’s processed, one that manifests in its conflict between Wakanda and the subaquatic nation of Talokan.

Take it from the villain:It is simply too complicated. Its conflict between Talokan king Namor and Wakanda is forced, as actor Tenoch Huerta’s easy charisma crafts a character more sympathetic than the script intends. Diversions outside of Wakanda — like a subplot involving CIA agent Everett Ross — just dilute the film’s efforts, and highlight how inadequate the MCU can be when it comes to grappling with anything this raw. —JR

7. Iron Man 3

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: If the MCU did one thing right in its first couple of phases, it was tracking Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, and his arc toward figuring out the right way to protect the world. He never quite does. He does, however. Iron Man 3 marks an important chapter for him — addressing his central trauma, character, and reliance on superherodom — and manages to be one of the most distinctive (and complete) parts of the MCU because of it.

Take it from the villain: It’s such a complete look at Tony that it almost seems silly we had to make him keep going after that ending! Also, there’s not much to be said about how the Mandarin was handled in this movie (Shang-ChiRevisionism, or not? The better. —ZM

6. Iron Man

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: This is the movie that got it started. Iron Man was the breakout success that launched the rest of the franchise, in large part due to Robert Downey Jr.’s charismatic performance that turned the arc of his career around.

Take it from the villain: It’s a boring movie visually, set largely in vast, open deserts without making much use of that space. It also asks you to sympathize with an arms dealer without really digging into what that means, and while I support Jeff Bridges being in things, his villain is one of the most straightforward examples of the classic Marvel problem of “the hero, but bad.” —PV

5. Captain America: The First Avenger

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: Director Joe Johnston had made a comic book adaptation 20 years prior: Disney’s The Rocketeer. Presumably, that film’s mix of pulpy melodrama, special effects-heavy action, and 1930s period sets helped land him the Marvel gig. Captain America: The First Avengerpossesses that 90s-style action-comedy energy. It is less self-conscious and earnest than Marvel movies.

The First Avenger would launch young talents like Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, and Hayley Atwell, but it’s the small army of established actors in the support roles that elevate this movie to the top of the list. Tommy Lee Jones Hugo Weaving Toby Jones, Stanley Tucci When I first saw the movie over a decade ago, I remember leaving the theater saying, “They don’t make them like this anymore.” And Marvel hasn’t ever since.

Take it from the villain:Extended title The First AvengerMarvel films announce their future. This isn’t just a Captain America flick; it’s the story of an Avenger! One problem: The world had yet to see an Avengers film — and their corresponding pop culture earthquakes. The subtitle was more a promise for the future than it was a description of what movie people would see in theatres. —CP

4. Spider-Man’s Homecoming

Photo: Chuck Zlotnick/Sony Pictures

Take it from the hero: This is the third live-action Marvel feature introducing Peter Parker’s life and times. Homecoming could’ve easily retread ground. Instead, it made space for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to once again reintroduce himself, in all his weird, sometimes awkward, often charming way.

Take it from the villain: Look, at the end of the day it’s still A second Spider-Man, and now he’s a little bit tricked out like Iron Man. They do alright with the relationship between them, but there’s still a dizzying sense of the MCU’s grander machinations at play here. —ZM

3. The Winter Soldier is Captain America

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: There are many Marvel Cinematic Universe films, but this is the best. The Winter SoldierIt probably maintains its serious tone best. MCU spy sequences are as taut and witty as they come. Winter SoldierIt is able to understand the relationships of the members and make them interesting, even when they are written in the MCU blueprint.

Take it from the villain:It’s not a true spy thriller. Again, we’re still playing with Marvel’s rulebook here, and there’s only so much you can do there. It’s also the first Marvel flick from the Russo brothers, and yeah, that shows on screen a bit. —ZM

2. Thor: Ragnarok

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: It’s a technicolor wonderland that takes the previously stodgy Thor and puts him in a buddy comedy with the Hulk, a movie that shows just how elastic the MCU heroes can be without breaking.

Take it from the villain: It is completely uninterested in building out Asgard’s story from previous movies, quickly dismissing the last movie’s cliffhanger and effectively wiping it out of the MCU cosmos at the end — just before giving it a compelling dark origin to reckon with. —JR

1. Black Panther

Image: Marvel Studios

Take it from the hero: Enjoy the victory of The Avengers and imagine it applied to a single hero: That’s Black Panther. This film stands out from the rest because of its intent. The MCU is a project that, despite all its success, has been characterized by a cautious, canny brand management exercise. Ryan Coogler, director of MCU manages to overcome this. Black Panther, a film that isn’t just a rousing solo effort for Marvel’s first Black superhero, but a work of celebration, the rare instance where a work of corporate representation does its best to love its fans back.

Take it from the villain:Coogler’s care and enthusiasm, as well as the cast of assembled actors bring to Black Panther isn’t always matched by its superheroics — most notably in the final battle between T’Challa and the usurper Killmonger, a brawl that is perhaps the most forgettable moment in the film. Thankfully, it’s redeemed by one of the most memorable villain sendoffs in the MCU. —JR