Every Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie, Ranked from Worst to Best
See where Deadpool & Wolverine fits into our lineup of the MCU’s 34(!) films.
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Remember the golden days of The Avengers? It may seem silly to look back nostalgically on a film that was released in 2012, but it was truly a time when superhero stories felt limitless. That said, since the peak of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has hit a bit of a snag. Adding television shows to the mix has had mixed results for the studio—and some of the MCU’s recent big-screen efforts (we’re looking at you, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) lacked creativity. Now a little movie called Deadpool & Wolverine has something to say about that. The film is finally in theaters—and it just might be the shot in the arm that Marvel needs.
Following Deadpool’s grand debut in Kevin Feige’s superhero sandbox, there have been, count ’em, 34 MCU movies since Iron Man arrived in 2008. Upcoming films such as Fantastic Four and Blade, as well as the return of the X-Men, may keep Deadpool & Wolverine’s momentum going. Nothing preaches the need to evolve more than the X-Men, right?
Until then, read on to see where your favorite hero lands in our ranking of every film Marvel has put on the big screen.
34) Thor: The Dark World (2013)
When even Chris Hemsworth’s biceps aren’t enough to make a movie watchable, you know you’ve messed up horribly.
33) The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Remember when Edward Norton was the Hulk and then very suddenly not? Yeah, I still don’t know what happened there. Was that ever explained? Is Norton okay?
32) Iron Man 2 (2010)
At one point Mickey Rourke, who is some sort of trashy Russian hacker, attacks a car race. Not that far-fetched, I guess, but also not that enjoyable, either.
31) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Years later, I still couldn’t tell you who Ultron is or what his age was. If there was any semblance of plot in this movie, memory of it has been pushed out of my brain in favor of about 30 billion superheroes hitting each other until I felt like I’d just gotten off a mildly dangerous carnival ride.
30) The Marvels (2023)
It’s a bit of a bummer that you can’t just walk into a Marvel movie anymore without doing your homework, because the action and on-screen chemistry in The Marvels is incredibly fun. Acting as a quasi-sequel to Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and WandaVision, this promising all-female superhero team-up spends so much time wrapping up and teasing other story arcs that it can barely focus on its own.
29) The Eternals (2021)
The Eternals is decidedly a non-Marvel Marvel movie. It’s at times moody, triumphant, funny, and burdened with existential crises. You have to commend the great Chloé Zhao for managing to break through the happy-go-luckiness of the Marvel formula. Unfortunately, the end result is a bit unwieldy, with too many characters—and an astoundingly large amount of superhero space jargon—to let us truly fall in love with its story.
28) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Giving Ant-Man the keys to Pandora’s box is a big lift for such a tiny hero—and most of this trilogy-ending entry just breezes through the action, like hurdles in a race to the obvious finish. The ant family is charming, but we barely spend any quality, non-chaotic time with them in the Star Wars-like Quantum Realm.
27) Iron Man 3 (2013)
The best thing to say about Iron Man 3 is that it was a little bit better than Iron Man 2.
26) Thor (2011)
A superhero movie posing as a cheap Lord of the Rings knockoff, Thor ended with a team of LARPers fighting an empty CGI suit of armor.
25) Doctor Strange (2016)
Don’t worry if you were too stoned to follow Doctor Strange. The movie looks good enough to make up for its indecipherable plot.
24) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Sadly, what started as the best saga in the Marvel Universe was quickly ruined by trying too hard to make the sequel bigger and better. What a very Marvel thing to do.
23) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
We knew the Marvel singularity would come eventually—the moment when all the callbacks, cameos, teases, and interconnected superheroing would simply sink an MCU entry. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is it. Despite a brilliant, Sam Raimified third act, the overwhelming majority of Multiverse of Madness dumbs down its main players (save for one great America Chavez) to action-figure level, bickering in an empty-feeling CGI landscape.
22) Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
I hope you like hearing the term “quantum.” Ant-Man’s second entry has so much nonsensical technobabble that it makes Star Trek sound like Steinbeck. Compared to Avengers: Infinity War, which came out a month earlier, Ant-Man and the Wasp is a breezy, inconsequential entry in the MCU, though a refreshing comedic detour.
21) Captain Marvel (2019)
Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel deserved a better movie. Although it managed to rewrite 50 years of comic-book history to give the character the place she deserved, Captain Marvel is too focused on finding its footing amid the films before and after it to really shine as a stand-alone movie.
20) Black Widow (2021)
Even though the pandemic zapped some of the hype from Black Widow, the espionage thriller is a more than fitting send-off to Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff. Plus, we want Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova in every single Marvel property going forward, please and thank you.
19) Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Taika Waititi gets it. He just does! Few MCU directors have understood the assignment quite like the Ragnarok and Love and Thunder helmer, who knows that superhero movies should be fun. Case in point: Love and Thunder managing to wring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, and even Waititi (as our favorite rock humanoid, Korg) for every hilarious bit they’re worth. Sure, fans weren’t as goo-goo for this as they were for Ragnarok. But somewhere along the way, Love and Thunder will smack you with an emotional blow you might not see coming. But you’ll be happy it did.
18) Ant-Man (2015)
In one scene, Ant-Man shrinks down to a microscopic level and then Neil deGrasse Tyson ruins the movie magic by explaining how that’s not actually possible in reality. If you close your eyes for that scene, it’s a fun heist film about a guy who is the size of a bug.
17) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
It’s sad that the idea of Captain America punching a Nazi would probably be controversial if this movie were released today. At least it harks back to a time when good and evil seemed clear.
16) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the ultimate movie-theater movie. The action is especially sweat inducing—which is saying a lot in the MCU. Simu Liu is an instant star. It doesn’t hurt to have the always-great Awkwafina in the mix, either. In Wenwu, Tony Leung brings to life a terrifying yet somehow also big-hearted villain who stands among the greatest antagonists we’ve ever seen in a comic-book film.
15) Deadpool & Wolverine
Sorry, but I have to kick it to Taylor Swift for this one because she got it right: Deadpool & Wolverine is a “joy portal.” Sure, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s grand arrival in the MCU is a little lacking in the story department. But the film’s sharp jokes, big-hearted performances, and cameos (!!!) more than make up for it. Deadpool & Wolverine is the ultimate crowd-pleaser—and there’s nothing wrong with that. Cheers to director Shawn Levy for making a damn hit.
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