We now depart from our usual constitutional programming for a Marvel Cinematic Universe ranking
This is a Substack devoted to constitutional law & politics, but it’s been a tough academic term (in a tough academic year, during a horrific last 4 years), and so I’m wasting some time by ranking all MCU movies and related Disney+ shows. [This ranking excludes the Netflix and ABC shows that were tangentially part of the Marvel universe].
I’m looking forward to all the feedback in the comments! The ranking is partly about ‘quality’ but mostly about my personal level of enjoyment of these various fares (explaining, for example, the relatively high ranking of the show Hawkeye). Final note: I haven’t yet seen The Marvels so it’s not included at this point.
Here it is, from ‘worst’ to ‘best’, all 42 MCU movies and Disney+ TV seasons.
Secret Invasion (2023) - not only was this show an incoherent mess, it was a boring downer of a show that wasted Nick Fury, wasted Maria Hill (in more ways than one), and had absolutely none of the surprises or thrills one would expect from its premise. A ‘secret invasion’ storyline without any of the superheroes was a terrible idea to start, and even if they were going for something more ‘grounded’ featuring the usually great Sam Jackson, they failed miserably.
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) - the worst of the MCU movies - yes, even worse than the next entry - in part because as a follow-up to the fantastic Thor: Ragnarok, this thing just went absolutely off the rails. I don’t know if it’s because Taika Waititi leaned far too heavily into his brand of humour, which worked so well in the earlier film, or if the basic plot simply didn’t work, but this thing veered from silly to stupid.
The Incredible Hulk (2008) - Norton holds no candle to what Ruffalo would end up doing with the part, and while back in 2008 the ‘villain with the same powers as the hero’ thing wasn’t quite the same degree of rote as it is now, this is just an uninspired take.
Iron Man 2 (2009) - it introduced Black Widow, and the race track scene was cool, but on the whole this was a major letdown from the original and the 3rd act was the definition of a CG bore.
She-Hulk (2022) - I wanted to rank this higher and Tatiana Maslany is absolute delight, but the season simply didn’t build into anything meaningful (and the finale actually undercut what little there was in terms of a plot).
What If? (2021) - I enjoyed certain episodes more than others, and particularly liked the finale, but to some extent What If? sounds off a bit of a warning about multi-universal stories: will we care about the characters/stories if they are ultimately cannon fodder one-offs?
Moon Knight (2022) - the penultimate episode is one of the best episodes of television in the MCU to date. It’s just too bad the rest of the series was a bit of a snore.
Eternals (2021) - I actually liked this movie more than a lot of people (I’d probably rate it at about a C), and admire what it was going for. But too many characters, a tad too contemplative, and a bit of a ridiculous ending (there’s a supermassive hand and head sticking out of the ocean and it is never yet again addressed in any other MCU story!) just weighs the damn thing down.
Thor: The Dark World (2013) - I honestly think the first half of this movie is great. Unfortunately, everything after Frigga’s funeral was really the epitome of what some critics began to see as the MCU’s “3rd Act problem”.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) - How’d they manage to make Kang not seem like that much of a threat? Probably by not letting him kill any of the key characters and by having him mostly taken out by a bunch of ants. The MCU should be swinging for the fences, not giving us these ultimately meaningless side stories.
Iron Man 3 (2013) - Another movie that started off really interesting, and could have gone into some great directions with Tony’s panic attacks/PTSD, but an absolutely uninspired 3rd Act hurts another movie.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) - I think we’re now out of the ‘bottom tier’ and into some genuinely fun movies. Paul Rudd consistently elevates the script.
Loki Season 2 (2023) - The finale of this second season was superb, and it cemented a true character arc for Loki, but it sure made it seem like you didn’t actually need all the episodes between it and the S1 finale, as interesting as they were.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) - I remember when the GOTG franchise was more fun and less cute CGI animal torture porn. It was nice to see some of the characters’ stories come to a potential conclusion, and the movie did still have enough James Gunn-created laughs to make it worthwhile.
Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) - MCU is never going to do high calibre political stories but this was an able effort, with some important themes, and Mackie and Stan are great together. Wished that Agent 13 turn wasn’t quite so telegraphed though.
Ant-Man (2015) - A fun origin story for Scott and one of the funniest MCU flicks.
Loki Season 1 (2021) - Intriguing (with perhaps a bit too much of the TVA bureaucracy) and a glorious finale.
Captain Marvel (2019) - This is, I believe, the median Marvel movie, which means eminently enjoyable, fun fare. Brie Larson is great, and her haters can suck a tailpipe.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) - A truly fun ride, introducing Mantis, turning Nebula, and saying farewell to Yondu.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) - Is this movie way too quick with the Scarlett Witch turn? Maybe, especially for people who hadn’t seen WandaVision or know what the Darkhold was. But this movie is just a great stab at an MCU ‘horror’ flick. I just hope it isn’t the last we see of Elisabeth Olsen in the MCU.
Black Widow (2021) - Another one I think I liked more than most. The character deserved her solo flick, the action was great, and it introduces what is a great new character in Yelena.
Dr. Strange (2016) - Superb special effects, some real stakes, and some important groundwork for the Infinity War saga.
Thor (2011) - I appreciate that people like more ‘fun’ Thor, but people forget that this movie has more than its share of funny. It also helps set up Loki as one of the best villains in the MCU.
Ms. Marvel (2022) - Apparently this is one of the least-watched of the Disney+ shows, but it is nonetheless one of the best. The plot is far from perfect, but the show gave us a young hero immersed in what feels like a very real world and who feels like a very real person. Also it was quite fun.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) - The least-best of the Avengers flicks, but Ultron is under-rated as far as villains go and it was just a joy to see the band back together.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) - Tom Holland’s run as Spider-Man is unsurpassed. The Stark glasses are possibly the worst of all MCU MacGuffins if you actually think about it for a second, but this entry has a great twist all while carrying the challenge of the post-Endgame world.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) - The world building in the Black Panther movies is incredible, and the challenge after losing Chadwick Boseman was immense. It’s amazing they were able to give this film some real weight and still have it entertain as much as it did.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - An underrated origin story. I think the Red Skull is too hokey a villain, and so this movie doesn’t quite make into what I would call the ‘top’ tier of the MCU, but Chris Evans manages the near impossible: making a truly good, heart-of-gold patriot soldier a relatively interesting - and more importantly - truly likable character.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) - Who knew after all those years they could still make an origin story this much fun? And some of the best fight scenes in all the MCU.
Hawkeye (2021) - I suspect having Hawkeye this high on my list will be one of the most controversial choices, but this show is gonna be a Christmas-watching tradition in my household. Hailee Steinfeld is fantastic, the show is pure fun, and for some reason it gives me PG Die Hard vibes.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - After his short appearance in Civil War Tom Holland solidifies his place as the best Spider-Man. And I still remember the gasps in the theatre at the reveal of Michael Keaton as Peter’s date’s dad.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - Okay, we are now solidly into ‘top tier’ MCU. A joyous reinvigoration of Thor’s character, with loads of laugh and a real threat of a villain. My only complaint is how little emotional weight they gave the death of all of Thor’s friends (a problem that would become much more apparent in the tonal mess that is Love and Thunder).
WandaVision (2021) - Most of the first three episodes of this show were a bit of a head-scratcher. Interesting and fun in an experimental art house way, but once the audience learns what’s going on it becomes superb fare, elevated to the Top 10 by what develops into a fantastic exploration of, of all things, grief (or, as Vision might say, Love persevering).
Spider-Man No Way Home (2021) - If What If? unintentionally revealed the problems with ‘parallel universe' storytelling, No Way Home shows its glorious potential.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - Who knew we could have so much fun with comic book characters you’ve never heard of?
Black Panther (2018) - Great acting, great story, and the best world-building.
Iron Man (2008) - The movie that started it all. And RDJ is brilliant.
The Avengers (2012) - Nothing until that point quite matches the bringing together of these different characters from different movies, proving the potential of the MCU and paving the way for everything that followed.
Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014) - The 70’s-style political thriller mixed in with some superb action, and the beginning of the Russo Brother’s dominance at the top of this list.
Captain America: Civil War (2016) - The airport fight scene remains arguably the best 20 minutes in MCU history, true comic book splash pages come to life. And a 3rd Act fight that has more emotional and character weight than perhaps any other film in the franchise.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - Less a movie and more an event, it shouldn’t work. But it did, marvelously so, with a truly scary villain, and the biggest of stakes. And that ending!
Avengers: Endgame (2019) - Everything comes together, and they somehow landed it. With some of the greatest callbacks/moments in movie history. How could this not top the list?
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I largely agree. I generally enjoyed the ones you ranked 27 (Ant-Man) and higher. And I didn't especially enjoy any of the ones you rank worse than 27, and I wouldn't mind if they were snapped out of existence. It's a pretty hard line. I likewise think Ultron is under-rated, Iron Man 2 was a huge letdown, and Endgame (though it's no Scorsese film) did an admirable job of bringing that whole era and set of characters to a close.
Except:
* Thor: Love and Thunder isn't great by any means, but I think it's more coherent than Ant-Man Quantumania, and more engaging than Thor: The Dark World, and I think its final act was endearing in a way. Perhaps on par with Guardians Vol 3, (which I also didn't like very much) for its similarly uneven tone, weird characterizations, and messy plot. Does any of this matter? No.
* I don't think What If? is bad at all. Nor is it good. It's just different. It just is.
* Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was unique and some parts I really liked, but there were way too many bad parts to overlook. Feels like a film that could have been saved in editing, by cutting parts out (or off). A good film with a demon hand.
* Black Widow was pretty weak and honestly unmemorable, which is unfortunate. It's one of the most recent films I've watched and I can barely remember what happens. Would rank it low, like Eternals (for entirely different reasons).
* Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was an impossible task and (unsurprisingly) they couldn't pull it off. It was far too long, the side plots felt contrived and unnecessary, the action was uninspired, and I don't remember any of it as being fun in any way. Just depressing, from start to finish, and not a "good" way. The only good thing was the "villain" who kind of stole the show, which is a problem.
* I'd rank the first Captain America higher than 15. All the Cap films were top tier. This one I think was only as hokey/campy as intended, perfectly pulpy.
* Shang-Chi was okay, but I wouldn't rank it that high. It was engaging enough, but it felt pretty messy and uneven. At best like an Ant-man or Captain Marvel, which is to say serviceable.
* I liked WandaVision a lot when Wanda or Vision (or both!) were on screen. But the ending was underwhelming, and every scene focused on the sidekicks and supporting characters deserved a degaussing. It loses a lot of points for that.
But I can't disagree much with the rest of your top tier. Sure, a bit higher here or little lower there -- they're all great.
Unfortunately the only and surprisingly good Marvel film since Endgame (2019) was Spider-Man: No Way Home. (Though TV largely pulled its weight, and Far From Home was o-kay.) Every one of the other films either suffered from 3rd act problems of various degrees (like Eternals, Panther, Guardians, Shang-Chi) or felt like a mess (Guardians, Quantumania, Strange, Shang-Chi), or were just kind of "duds" to my mind (Widow, Panther, Quantumania). A mediocre film might get by with one of those failings, but can't survive two, while a good movie will be coherent, engaging, and deliver a smart 3rd act, together. Hopefully Marvel delivers that again, some day.