My MCU Ranking

Written by Rick Warren / gfn21

When embarking on the journey that was the 18 movie rewatch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I had more than just Infinity War preparation in mind. I wanted to find out, definitively, how each movie ranked for me. In this article, I’ll be sharing a list for every phase, building up to the ultimate 18-film list at the end. Take a look at my list, and be sure to share yours afterwards!

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Phase One

The first six movies of the MCU had a different feel about them. Everything was very clearly done under the same roof and deeply connected to the next film. The had similar plots and humor, and every post credits scene teased the next movie. I think this original phase is where people got the idea that “every Marvel movie is the same”. They were all formulaic, fairly simple and Marvel was still clearly finding its way. They pulled it off, though. The middle may be filled with “good” and “okay” movies, but the start and end (Iron Man and The Avengers, respectively) could not be better. ​​

6.) Thor
5.) The Incredible Hulk
4.) Iron Man 2
3.) Captain America: The First Avenger
2.) Iron Man
1.) The Avengers

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Phase Two

Watching carefully during the rewatch has made me realize that this is definitely my least favorite phase in the MCU. Overall, it has two movies I like but don’t love as much as most (Iron Man 3 and Ant-Man), as well as a good but not great Avengers sequel that fails to meet the wild expectations set by the original. On top of this, Thor: The Dark World is the weakest movie in the entire MCU. Honestly, this phase would have been a dud and raised questions about the MCU’s future if it didn’t offer two of the best movies in the series: Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy.

6.) Thor: The Dark World
5.) Iron Man 3
4.) Ant-Man
3.) Avengers: Age of Ultron
2.) Guardians of the Galaxy
1.) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

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Phase Three

​Filled with the best and brightest movies of the MCU, this was the hardest phase to rank. Doctor Strange is interesting, Thor Ragnarok is badass and hilarious, Black Panther is industry-changing and Spider-Man Homecoming is as true to the character as a live action movie has come. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a sequel that improved on the original in many ways, and Captain America: Civil War features an amazing hero fight and a truly emotional final act. I can go on for days about how much I love all of these movies, so let’s just get into the ranking. ​

6.) Doctor Strange
5.) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
4.) Black Panther
3.) Thor: Ragnarok
2.) Captain America: Civil War
1.) Spider-Man Homecoming

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The Official List!

​This is it. My ranking of the entire MCU. Give it a look, and I’ll come back with a few comments after it’s done. ​

18.) Thor: The Dark World
17.) Thor
16.) The Incredible Hulk
15.) Iron Man 3
14.) Ant-Man
13.) Iron Man 2
12.) The Avengers: Age of Ultron
11.) Captain America: The First Avenger
10.) Doctor Strange
9.) Guardians of the Galaxy
8.) Iron Man
7.) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
6.) Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2
5.) Black Panther
4.) Thor: Ragnarok
3.) The Avengers
2.) Captain America: Civil War
​1.) Spider-Man Homecoming

Even with a rewatch where I scored the movies in the universe one by one, this ranking still took about an hour of thought to reach. Once you reach the top ten, it honestly becomes personal preference. Every movie is terrific at that point, and each only has small flaws to take into consideration. There are a few things worth talking about, though. Thor’s leap from having my two least favorite MCU movies to one of my all-time favorites with Ragnarok was neat to see. The newest entry into the MCU, Black Panther, made it into my top five. As expected, the strength of Phase 3 shines, as five of my top six movies all come from it. Finally, and most importantly, the Top 3.
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This is where things became personal, and both my original thoughts and consistency mattered. These are easily the movies I’ve seen the most, and they hold up so well on repeat viewings. Most of all, though, the feelings I had during particular scenes on the original watch made a big impact. I tried, but I couldn’t ignore what I felt during the Battle of New York or the “Come on Spider-Man” scene. The Avengers needs no explanation. As for Civil War. RDJ’s performance, the airport scene and the first appearance of my favorite character in the MCU make it one of my favorites. I can ignore the quick changes in tone when all the characters are balanced so well. As for Spider-Man, it’s quite simply a dream come true for me. It tries new things (and they all pay off), but at the same time it stays so true to the character that made Marvel into the worldwide icon that it is. I’m pretty comfortable with this list, and I had a blast making it.

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There it is, my official MCU ranking! I’ll be back tomorrow with some Infinity War predictions, but before you go, share your MCU ranking in the comments below! I’d love to see some different opinions.