All 17 Marvel MCU Films Ranked From Bottom to Top
My personal ranking vs. Rotten Tomatoes
With the debut of Thor Ragnarok that just hit theaters on November 3rd, Marvel added its 17th film into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
17 Films!
Ranking them is going to be a major task (since I love every single one), but one that I am up to.
Besides, there can only be one victor!
I will say first off though, that each of these films are worth watching in their entirety. With the upcoming Infinity War movie that is hitting theaters on May 4th 2017, the setup has been unreal, and will be worth the wait.
Here is my rank from worst to best, with the Rotten Tomato rank visible as well.
#17 The Incredible Hulk (Tomato Rank 16 Tomatometer: 67%))
Edward Norton’s “The Incredible Hulk” is the only movie that the star actor doesn’t retain his position in the franchise.
Mark Ruffalo ends up taking over the mantle (and doing a fantastic job), but this actor change, along with the lower quality of the film compared to all the rest here, plant this one at the bottom.
Sadly, this bottom ranked MCU film is the reason why The Mark Ruffalo Hulk won’t get his own feature film, but I don’t see that as a bad thing, as the Hulk has never been my favorite anyway.
#16 Iron Man 2 (Tomato Rank: 15 Tomatometer: 73%)
Iron Man 2 was the least exciting of the 17 films, and only ranks above The Incredible Hulk because Iron Man’s my favorite character.
Still though, even though Robert Downey Jr. dominates as Iron Man, this film just isn’t up to snuff.
We do get introduced to Black Widow, which is exciting of course, but it doesn’t give us enough of a reason to re-watch.
#15 Guardians Volume 2 (Tomato Rank: 9 Tomatometer: 82%)
I put this film much lower than any other ranker out there.
But it deserves to be this low. The first Guardian’s set the bar ridiculously high as one of the best MCU films, but this second attempt felt exactly like an annoying sequel shouldn’t feel.
Some audience goers might want the same exact jokes, but I don’t. I think overdoing comedy in this type of film can spell disaster, and that it is what this one did.
It was overdone to the point where I couldn’t take the action seriously. If you are going to toe the line, you need to toe the line, and not jump over the edge for half the film.
Okay those were the easy ones…
NOW this get’s really hard.
I enjoy all of the following films so much that I would watch them over and over.
But it has to be done.
Forgive me Thanos…
# 14 Captain America The First Avenger (Tomato Rank: 11 Tomatometer: 80%)
I really like Captain America and what he brings to the films. This one was a great origin story, but not the best Marvel film.
Chris Evans did a fantastic job crafting a believable character that has gone on to influence the MCU in a major way.
#13 Thor: The Dark World (Tomato Rank: 17 Tomatometer: 66%)
This movie was the darkest movie of the series (for now, as Black Panther looks rather dark itself).
Interestingly enough Thor Ragnarok is the brightest and most colorful of the entire 17 film collection, so you can see the studios insistence on changing Thor’s image and moving his character forward.
I rather enjoyed this film, as it moves the overall story along. It introduced us to the reality stone, and we got to see Dark Elves as well.
What can I say? Dark elves are cool. Drizzt Do’Urden Anyone?
#12 Iron Man 3 (Tomato Rank: 12 Tomatometer: 79%)
I love Iron man, thus I hate rating this one so low, but with all of the other movies here, a #12 ranking is nothing to be shy about.
Overall, the film was amazing, but as with any traditional sequel it suffered with repeated themes.
Again, I love Iron Man, but he spent more of this movie out of the suit than in it.
#11 Thor (Tomato Rank: 13 Tomatometer: 77%)
I rate this one higher than most because I love origin stories, and I think this one fit the marvel bill perfectly.
Thor is introduced as a cocky jerk that seeks out destruction, and has to slowly learn what it means to be “worthy.” One could argue that from this first Thor movie all the way to Thor Ragnarok, Thor’s character arc has shown the greatest growth among all characters in the MCU.
This first film is naturally funny, but also one of the most interesting due to Thor’s fish out of water experience on Earth.
#10 Ant Man (Tomato Rank: 10 Tomatometer: 82%)
I love origin stories and I love Paul Rudd. Which is a recipe for success.
Add in a fight scene between Ant Man and The Falcon and you have one of the most unique films in the series.
Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, and Michael Pena round out an all star cast.
Definitely one to watch and enjoy.
#9 Avengers Age of Ultron (Tomato Rank: 14 Tomatometer: 75%)
The movies just keep getting better and better.
Unfortunately, Age of Ultron felt like a small step back for Marvel, since they had already been teasing Thanos. The first time I saw this movie I was expecting them to be advancing the story line along, but instead we got Ultron.
That being said, this movie was still a blast. You can’t get all of these characters together and make a bad movie.
The scene where they all take turns trying to lift Thor’s hammer was one of the most hilarious across all of the films, right?
#8 Spider-Man: Homecoming (Tomato Rank: 4 Tomatometer: 92%)
Marvel evidences how far they have come with one of their most recent films in the MCU.
Spider-Man finally gets the true origin story that he deserves and Tom Holland plays the character perfectly.
With several appearances from Iron Man, this Spider-Man flick is fantastic all around.
#7 Captain America The Winter Solider (Tomato Rank: 8 Tomatometer: 89%)
This sequel to the first Captain America was nothing short of incredible. The other second films fell flatter than the first with Avengers 2, Iron Man 2, and Thor 2.
The Winter Soldier opens up brand new doors for the Marvel Universe by featuring the Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Nick Furry.
The futuristic tank/car scene with Nick Furry is up their with the best scenes in the MCU.
#6 Thor Ragnarok (Tomato Rank: 2 Tomatometer 93% as of 11/13/17)
I loved this film. It was a blast to watch in all the important aspects of cinema.
The only drawback is that it is so new its hard for me to replace old favorites with it, and thus falls at #6. I bet the more I watch this film the higher it will rank on my own personal chart.
Thor was confident in a new and refreshing way, The Hulk and Banner conflict was more interesting than normal, and the rest of the supporting cast was legit.
#5 The Avengers (Tomato Rank: 3 Tomatometer: 92%)
For the first time all of the Avengers were together on one screen. Getting to watch them interact in battle and off was every nerd’s dream.
The first time I watched this movie I was completely “geeking out” in the theater and slapping my wife’s knee over and over again to avoid looking like a crazy person as I was squirming in delight.
Amazing movie overall.
#4 Guardian of the Galaxy Volume 1 (Tomato Rank: 5 Tomatometer: 91%)
This is by far the funniest movie in the MCU. It is also the most interesting and re-watchable.
The mix of characters was great, and the villain not terrible. (Marvel has a had a problem with Villains overall, minus Loki and Hela).
While watching the soundtrack filled your nostrils with nostalgia, the rollicking comedy keeps you laughing, and the action keeps you on the edge of your seat.
This film perfectly blends comedy with action that has consequences, and toes that line perfectly throughout.
#3 Captain America Civil War (Tomato Rank: 6 Tomatometer: 90%)
This movie is basically Avengers 2.5 as most of the heroes we know and love played a major role.
The film stayed true to it’s name and focused on Captain America and his role as leader of the Avengers. The battle with Iron Man was one wrought with emotion on both sides, and the scene where they end up fighting each other was the single most emotionally gripping scene across all movies.
As Captain throws down his shield, the Avengers are truly broken, with The Mad King Thanos soon to come calling.
#2 Dr. Strange (Tomato Rank 7 Tomatometer: 89%)
Why does this film get ranked #2 above all the rest?
Probably because of Benedict Cumberbatch, but mostly because Marvel was ballsy enough to work in the Mystic Arts into the series.
This movie represented a high risk high reward type movie, that ultimately crushed and some left fans intrigued and others with a new favorite character.
I am most excited for Infinity War as Iron Man and Dr. Strange will finally meet and it will be epic.
#1 Iron Man (Tomato Rank: 1 Tomatometer 94%)
I cannot say enough about Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr. I mean, Robert Downey Jr. is basically Tony Stark in real life now.
This is the movie that started it all, and thus deserves praise just for that. It is the highest rated movie in the series and for once I completely agree with Rotten Tomatoes on this one.
It was an origin story of epic proportions.
“I am Iron Man.”
This film knocked it out of the park and set the stage for all of the Marvel films that have followed suit.
This movie has cast a legacy and its reign as #1 movie in the MCU will last for awhile. Well at Least until May 4th 2018.
-Jordan
