The 15 Best Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies (So Far)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is on a precipice. Will it continue the innovation of its first three phases, or will the Multiverse Saga continue to rest on Marvel Studios’ laurels? There have been some truly innovative films over the years, like Black Panther (a.k.a. “Hollywood’s worst nightmare“), and hopefully, Marvel will soon return to form. Let’s take a look at how the movies rank now.

Presented with only this bit of commentary: Joss Whedon films were removed; not because they are bad, but because his creep factor seeps through the screen. The rest is the simple truth, my friends.

The 15 Best MCU Movies Through Phase Four

1. Thor: Ragnarok
2. Black Panther
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4. Avengers: Endgame
5. Guardians of the Galaxy
6. Iron Man
7. Spider-Man: Far From Home
8. Captain America: The First Avenger
9. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
10. Spider-Man: Homecoming
11. Captain Marvel
12. Doctor Strange
13. Captain America: Civil War
14. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
15. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

I once had an all-day fight with friends from work about these rankings—it seems that there is no highly scientific metric by which to measure bestness, and everyone has, you know, their own taste and opinions. 

I guess we should listen to each other and maybe debate these films’ individual merits but also maybe just fight me because I will go down with this helicarrier.

What’s that? You want to fight me? Good, let’s do this. What’s your list?

(via I’m right, fight me, images: Marvel)

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Kaila Hale-Stern

Kaila Hale-Stern (she/her) is a content director, editor, and writer who has been working in digital media for more than fifteen years. She started at TMS in 2016. She loves to write about TV—especially science fiction, fantasy, and mystery shows—and movies, with an emphasis on Marvel. Talk to her about fandom, queer representation, and Captain Kirk. Kaila has written for io9, Gizmodo, New York Magazine, The Awl, Wired, Cosmopolitan, and once published a Harlequin novel you'll never find.

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Rebecca Oliver Kaplan

Rebecca Oliver Kaplan (she/he) is a comics critic and entertainment writer, who's dipping her toes into new types of reporting at The Mary Sue and is stoked. In 2023, he was part of the PanelxPanel comics criticism team honored with an Eisner Award. You can find some more of his writing at Prism Comics, StarTrek.com, Comics Beat, Geek Girl Authority, and in Double Challenge: Being LGBTQ and a Minority, which she co-authored with her wife, Avery Kaplan. Rebecca and her wife live in the California mountains with a herd of cats.