Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies Ranked
Francisco Arellano
Published 4/25/18 - Film
Its being called the most ambitious crossover event in cinema history and it's not much of an exaggeration. Avengers: Infinity War is on the horizon after a decade in the making. We are officially 18 movies in with Infinity War being the 18th. In the last 10 years the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had its up and downs with many films becoming classics and others being forgotten. All in all even the worst of Marvel’s film selections are still enjoyable and fun to watch. With the release of Infinity War, it’s time for the Vermilion to rank the Marvel films from worst to best.
18: Thor: The Dark World
The second installment of the Thor franchise is arguably the worst Marvel film put out. It's a shame because it has one of the most endearing moments in the entire Universe. The death of Frigga and her funeral is a truly heartbreaking and fantastic moment as we see the impact and importance it has on characters such as Thor, Odin, and even Loki. In fact, the death breaks Loki entirely and is an important piece of character development. Loki and Thor's relationship also thrives in this film as we see them working side by side as brothers for love of their mother, the only person who kept them together.
But where the film goes south is its bland, “end of the universe,” plot which produces zero excitement. Malekith also serves to be the worst and most forgettable villain in the entire Universe. The weakest link of the entire Thor franchise has got to be the characters of Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis who waste potential time to further develop the story and only serve to be a damsel in distress and her cheeky side kick. Thor 2 never realizes the potential it has with the character and comic book lore. Thor 2 will be remembered as a forgettable disappointment with missed potential for more.
I rate this films 6/10 mispronunciations of Mjolnir out of 10.
17: Iron Man 2
The highly anticipated sequel to Marvel’s Iron Man was a huge let down. It seemed to be a movie to serve the sole purpose of setting up the Avengers. The film could have been something greater and spectacular. Robert Downey Jr.’s performance as Iron man was great as always, as well as excellent performances by Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer and Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Pots. Don Cheadle, the replacement for Rhodey, does an excellent job with the role of Tony's sidekick. Black Widow also makes a fun surprise appearance in the film.
Iron Man 2 also has some emotional story moments for Tony Stark, but it never reaches the greatness it could. The very lackluster villain proves to be the downfall again as Mickie Rorke’s Whiplash is given the short end of the stick. He is never given the time to develop and spends most of his time stuck in a lab. His introduction has a solid start, with an intriguing story that mirrors Tony's life, but they never capitalize on it. Marvels lack of risk taking also ruins the addition of the “demon in a bottle” storyline, in which Tony battles his alcoholism, but waters it down to pander to general audiences. At the end of the day Iron Man 2 will be just a fun, yet disappointing mess.
I rate this film 6.5 Iron Man urinating in Iron Man suits out of 10
16: Ant Man
Before Ant-Man was released in 2015, it was set to be the MCU’s first failure. Nobody understood the character and rode him off as a ridiculous and uninteresting hero. When it was released, everyone was pleasantly surprised with the film. Paul Rudd's performance was surprisingly great as Scott Lang. The rest of the supporting cast was also fantastic. Some of the visuals were extraordinary and fresh compared to what we've seen before. The scenes where we see Ant-Man shrink to ant level looked fantastic and the action scenes proved to be extremely fun.
Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly were great as Hope and Hank Pym. The addition of the heist genre also elevated the film to something different and set it apart as its own. Where this movie suffers, however, is in its extremely bland villain (are you starting to see a trend?) and safe, down to earth plot. Marvel does not take the risks necessary to truly make this film a classic in the universe.
The story is the Marvel movie formula in a nutshell. It fails to do something new with the character development of the protagonist and turns into just another redemption story. Years later, Ant-Man does not hold up to the rest of the MCU, but is still a fun heist film with hope for the future. The sequel, Ant-Man and The Wasp, will be released in the summer of this year as the 20th film the the Marvel cinematic universe.
I rate this film 6.5/10 Paul Rudd abs out of 10.
15: The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk is like the color white in a crayon box. It’s in there and everyone acknowledges its there, but no one really gives it the love it deserves. The Incredible Hulk deserves more love from the fans as some don’t even consider it MCU canon. I personally enjoyed Edward Norton's performance as Bruce Banner. It’s fantastic and his rendition of the Hulk is terrifyingly magnificent. Edward Norton is perfect for the “Frankenstein's monster” type performance. He also captures the tragedy of Bruce Banner’s life well. Being on the run because you’re a “monster” is truly tragic. This film also has one of the coolest fight action sequences in the Universe with the Hulk and Abomination final fight.
Although I enjoy this film, it takes too many notes from Iron Man and fails to capitalize on what makes the Hulk such a great and tragic character. The film also feels like a classic case of too many cooks in the kitchen as Universal, Marvel Studios, and Edward Norton himself, tried to mix all of their different visions for the films. This never meshes well. The film’s plot and story don't do much to set themselves apart and the visual effects and cinematography are bland and don’t hold up today. The Incredible Hulk is an enjoyable film that has been left in the past by the huge Universe that Marvel has become.
I rate this film 7/10 Hulk Smashes out of 10.
14: Iron Man 3
It's a shame to have to put two Iron Man films in the bottom half of the MCU ranking list, but it has to be done. Iron Man 3 once again suffers from an uninteresting villain problem with Aldrich Killian and the wasted potential of Iron Man's greatest foe, the Mandarin. The returning cast of the film does another superb job and Robert Downey Jr. knocks it out of the ballpark as always. This film also has a great underlying theme that has to do with Tony's PTSD over the Chitauri invasion in the Avengers. This gives more depth and tragedy to his arc for this film and his future appearances. We are allowed to see a superhero with anxiety issues, and that delivers a great message. Director Shane Black also brings some his his personal style to this film that adds to the quality of the movie. But once the big twist occurs it takes a turn for the worst.
In hindsight, the reveal that The Mandarin was nothing more than an actor set up by Killian was not the worst thing ever, but it definitely derailed the film. The Mandarin was much more intriguing than Killian and the switch in main antagonist is not well done. The Mandarin and the 10 rings have been set up since the first Iron Man film and to do what they did wasted that build up. The stereotypical hero/villain storyline replaces the storyline, and with Killians bland character arc, it doesn't deliver a satisfying ending. All in all Iron Man 3 is an entertaining addition to the MCU, but missing something special to take it to the next level.
I rate this film 7.25/10 Mandarin fruits
Thor
The Thor films are like the forgotten middle child of the MCUs trinity. Iron Man and Captain America are beloved and two of the most iconic superheroes in movie history. Thor is just there. The first Thor film is a movie I really enjoyed. It was fun and something different, although it doesn't necessarily hold up against modern day superhero films. Thor is a fun, fish out of water story with Thor having to find himself on earth after he is sent here as punishment for disobeying his father Odin. It's intriguing to watch Thor transform from an arrogant prince to an admirable heir to the throne. Tom Hiddleston also shines in his performance as Loki. He conveys a tragic character who wants nothing more than to be treated as an equal by his father but always gets second fiddle to Thor. Loki is a great, sympathetic villain who is not necessarily in the wrong, but does wrong things to do get his way in life.
Where this film suffers is in its subpar plot and slow pacing. The story spends way too much time on earth for a Thor film, which is the least interesting side. A film that should go all out on the cosmic side of the universe but refuses to take risks and keeps the story isolated on earth. It would have been interesting to see more of Asgardian culture and society to differentiate from earth life. Thor is a good movie which could have been great if it had taken some risks.