Creating lists is a common pastime for movie fans. When you have an extensive series of films like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are many opportunities to rank them. There are countless articles online that do just that; this list from Matt Singer is a perfect example. We’ll all rarely agree with each other, and that’s okay. I present to you my rankings from this rewatch, and if I think about them too much, I’d change them. I’d love to hear your thoughts below in the comments. There’s a lot to cover here, and we’re not even halfway there.
The Movies
We’re through the first 10 films in the MCU, and I’d place these rankings into three tiers. The top choices are slots 1-5, where I could argue for any as my favorite. The middle tier are slots 6-8, which are solid entries with a lot to recommend but not as consistent overall. I suspect the bottom three choices will probably be there for a long time. They’re important to set the stage for other movies but just don’t click as much as you’d expect from a Marvel film.
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2. The Avengers
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
4. Captain America: The First Avenger
5. Iron Man
6. Thor
7. Iron Man 3
8. Avengers: Age of Ultron
9. The Incredible Hulk
10. Iron Man 2
11. Thor: The Dark World
Lead Characters
It’s interesting to note that we still only had four lead characters through the first nine films. I’m treating these characters as ones that have their own films, so that makes it difficult to slot in the Guardians of the Galaxy. Is Peter Quill the lead character? I’m treating it this way here, but only so that I can rank all the other characters in the supporting list. You can make a case that the Guardians on the whole are the leads, but I’d rather split them out in my other rankings. So that leaves Quill here. Chris Pratt is cast perfectly, but I just can’t place him above the three leads.
- Steve Rogers/Captain America
- Tony Stark/Iron Man
- Thor
- Peter Quill
- Bruce Banner/The Hulk
Villains – The Big Bad
During the early years of the MCU, we heard frequently over the “villain problem” in the franchise. Reading through this list, I think it’s a bit overblown but agree that it ultimately gets better. Certain characters like Alexander Pierce and Obediah Stane largely work in the shadows, but their actions play a key role in each story. Loki is the clear winner thus far, though he becomes less of a villain in Thor: The Dark World. I’m higher than most on Ronan, who fits with the tone of Guardians because he’s so over the top as evil.
1. Loki (Thor, The Avengers)
2. Ronan (Guardians of the Galaxy)
3. Red Skull (Captain America: The First Avenger)
4. Ivan Vanko (Iron Man 2)
5. Alexander Pierce (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
6. Ultron (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
7. Obediah Stane (Iron Man)
8. Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3)
9. Emil Blonsky/The Abomination (The Incredible Hulk)
10. Malekith (Thor: The Dark World)
Villains – Supporting Baddies
This diverse group includes the typical henchmen along with scientists who are the brains behind the Big Bad. Even if they ultimately come around and recognize the error of their ways, it’s not enough to escape this category. This part of the rankings is going to get a lot busier in the future. Their names aren’t as familiar (I had to look up Brock Rumlow), but they still play important roles in the villains’ devious plans. I’ve also included Nebula here because she’s a villain in Guardians, but that will change down the road.
1. Nebula (Guardians of the Galaxy)
2. Dr. Arnim Zola (Captain America: The First Avenger)
3. Maya Hansen (Iron Man 3)
4. General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (The Incredible Hulk)
5. Brock Rumlow (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
6. Justin Hammer (Iron Man 2)
7. Korath (Guardians of the Galaxy)
8. Savin (Iron Man 3)
9. Raza (Iron Man)
Key Supporting Characters (Not Villains)
I’ve noticed that the early MCU films are pretty lean when it comes to supporting characters. The origin stories typically focus on the title characters and give limited time to others. The sequels added new aspects to the narrative, especially Iron Man 2. Even so, the turning point was really Guardians of the Galaxy. Those characters dominate this list, and I still may be ranking them too low. You could make the argument for almost any of them near the top.
1. Peggy Carter (Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
2. Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron)
3. Nick Fury (Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron)
4. Gamora (Guardians of the Galaxy)
5. Agent Coulson (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers)
6. Groot (Guardians of the Galaxy)
7. Wanda Maximoff (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
8. Rocket Raccoon (Guardians of the Galaxy)
9. Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Thor, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron)
9. Drax (Guardians of the Galaxy)
11. Yondu (Guardians of the Galaxy)
12. James “Bucky” Barnes (Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
13. Sam Wilson/Falcon (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
14. Vision (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
15. Jane Foster (Thor, Thor: The Dark World)
16. Pietro Maximoff (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
17. Pepper Potts (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3)
18. Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3)
19. Howard Stark (Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger)
20. Odin (Thor, Thor: The Dark World)
Stan Lee Appearances
1. Insists that he wants a powerful Asgardian drink, then is carried out after trying it. (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
2. Plays Larry King (Iron Man 2)
3. Wears a bathrobe as “Heff” at a party (Iron Man)
3. Drives a pick-up truck to grab Thor’s hammer (Thor)
5. Asks Erik Selvig for his shoe back in a mental institution (Thor: The Dark World)
6. Realizes he is “so fired” as a museum security guard after Steve Rogers steals his uniform (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
7. A general watching an award ceremony (Captain America: The First Avenger)
8. Dismisses the idea of superheroes in New York (The Avengers)
9. Drinks contaminated soda (The Incredible Hulk)
10. Xandarian citizen Rocket scans while seeking a bounty (Guardians of the Galaxy)
11. Gives a 10 score as a beauty pageant judge on a TV monitor (Iron Man 3).
Post-Credit Scenes
1. The heroes silently eat shawarma in a nearly destroyed restaurant after the Battle of New York. (The Avengers)
2. Sif and Volstagg deposit the Reality Stone with The Collector. (Thor: The Dark World)
3. Thanos learns that Earth is formidable and smiles. (The Avengers)
4. Baron Wolfgang von Strucker reveals his test subjects, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
5. Loki survives and controls Dr. Selvig. (Thor)
6. Thanos picks up the Infinity Gauntlet and is ready to take charge. (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
7. Nick Fury introduces himself and The Avengers Initiative. (Iron Man)
8. Coulson arrives in New Mexico for the discovery of Thor’s hammer. (Iron Man 2)
9. Baby Groot dances to “I Want You Back”. (Guardians of the Galaxy)
10. Bucky Barnes visits his own memorial at the Smithsonian. (Captain America: The Winter Soldier).
11. Howard the Duck talks to The Collector. (Guardians of the Galaxy)
12. Tony Stark retells this story to an exasperated Bruce Banner. (Iron Man 3)
13. Tony Stark meets Ross in a bar and tells him about the team. (The Incredible Hulk)
14. Thor returns to Earth and reunites with Jane Foster. (Thor: The Dark World).
15. Nick Fury calls upon Captain America, and we see a preview of The Avengers. (Captain America: The First Avenger)
The MCU Rewatch
Iron Man (MCU Rewatch #1)
The Incredible Hulk (MCU Rewatch #2)
Iron Man 2 (MCU Rewatch #3)
Thor (MCU Rewatch #4)
Captain America: The First Avenger (MCU Rewatch #5)
The Avengers (MCU Rewatch #6)
Iron Man 3 (MCU Rewatch #7)
Thor: The Dark World (MCU Rewatch #8)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (MCU Rewatch #9)
Guardians of the Galaxy (MCU Rewatch #10)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (MCU Rewatch #11)
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