All 38 Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies, Ranked

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links. Here’s how we test products and why you should trust us.Courtesy of Sony Pictures13 min readYou could say that the Marvel Cinematic Universe was born on September 1, 2005. That’s when the financially bankrupt Marvel took a risky $525 million loan from bank Merrill Lynch to finance feature films based on its characters (at least, the ones it still had access to). What happened after that is a long and complicated story. But by 2008, the budding Marvel Studios released a little movie called Iron Man. And that was just the beginning.Now, in the midst of “Phase Six,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe is on the verge of bouncing back from what could be generously called a slump. Between really low lows like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and troubled nonstarters like Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it’s hard to remember a time when the world was obsessed with all things MCU. But things are turning around. Movies like Deadpool & Wolverine were financial hits, while others like Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day show the creative juices haven’t stopped flowing yet.With thirty-eight movies making up the MCU, it's time we rank every theatrical film in the biggest cinematic franchise of all time. Ahead, Esquire's entertainment team ranks every movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.38. 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 a Quantum Realm that looks like half the Star Wars prequels smushed together.Watch Now37. Thor: The Dark World (2013)A nothingburger sequel and arguably the biggest dud of Phase Two, Thor: The Dark World sees Chris Hemsworth return as the God of Thunder in a most forgettable sequel. The only good thing about this movie is that Hemsworth admitted he was so bored of his job, it compelled Marvel to make a hard left turn called Thor: Ragnarok.Watch Now36. The Marvels (2023)It’s a bummer that you can’t just walk into a Marvel movie without doing your homework, because the action and onscreen chemistry in The Marvels is fun. Acting as a quasi-sequel to Captain Marvel and the Disney+ shows 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.Watch Now 35. The Incredible Hulk (2008)Remember when Edward Norton was the Hulk? Even Marvel forgot until Captain America: Brave New World. Middling even for 2008 standards, The Incredible Hulk is not so incredible at all, though a surprise Robert Downey Jr. cameo at the end of the movie was the first time audiences glimpsed the interconnectivity of the nascent Marvel Cinematic Universe.Watch Now34. Iron Man 2 (2010)It’s kind of a miracle that the Marvel franchise had any gas to take off with early stumbles like Iron Man 2. The movie is dumb fun, emphasis on “dumb” over “fun,” to say nothing of a now-garish Elon Musk cameo. Although that climactic shootout in the Japanese garden, storyboarded by animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky, is really something.Watch Now33. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)Leading up to its December 2021 release, Spider-Man: No Way Home was less a Spider-Man sequel and more like Fan Service: The Movie. Although it was a lot of fun to lose our marbles seeing Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire again, No Way Home is less an actual movie than it is a jumble of scenes where your nostalgia tingles for two and a half hours straight.Watch Now32. Captain America: Brave New World (2025)It was the dawn of a new era for Captain America. Or at least, it was supposed to be. But Captain America: Brave New World had no wind in its sails, as Mackie’s first theatrical outing as Captain America barely grapples with the significance of Sam Wilson’s position, to say nothing of wasting Harrison Ford.Watch Now 31. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)Deadpool & Wolverine opens with Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool excavating the corpse of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine from Logan and dancing to NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye.” It’s all downhill from there. Though watching Deadpool square off with Wolverine in his signature yellow costume is a hoot, this third installment of the Deadpool series and first in the MCU (all thanks to the billion-dollar Disney/Fox merger) never gets rid of the odor of feeling tailor-made for Funko collectors.Watch Now30. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Taika Waititi smacks you with emotional blows you might not see coming, but Thor: Love and Thunder fumbles in this high-fantasy romp where Thor meanders in his post-Avengers career. While Chris Hemsworth is visibly comfortable as Thor, and Christian Bale as Gorr the God-Butcher is a nightmare incarnate, Love and Thunder lacks the necessary voltage to feel mighty. On top of that, the excitement over Natalie Portman's return as a worthy Jane Foster is undercut by the film's questionable ending. It's more of Thor: Ragnarok, but like overeating candy, it's too much of a good thing.Watch Now29. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)In hindsight, it's strange to think the first movie after the Endgame dust had settled was Spider-Man: Far From Home. Back from the snap, Tom Holland swings into action once again as Spider-Man, whose Peter Parker embarks on a school trip to Europe that goes awry when he meets the deceptive Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). It's another fun high school movie, but maybe the first movie to follow up something as huge as Endgame should have been more momentous.Watch Now28. Eternals (2021)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 Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao for managing to break through the happy-go-luckiness of the Marvel formula. Unfortunately, the end result is unwieldy, with too many characters—and an astoundingly large amount of superhero space jargon—to let us truly fall in love with its story.Watch Now27. Thor (2011)Despite the work of Shakespearean filmmaker Kenneth Branagh, who brings an unusually artistic eye to a superhero tentpole that had a Burger King promotion, the 2011 Thor ultimately winds up feeling like a lesser Lord of the Rings. It's one hell of an introduction to Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder, but it would be a while before Hemsworth feels actually confident swinging his hammer.Watch Now26. Ant-Man (2015)Although it gets by on the novelty of being a heist movie in disguise, the Paul Rudd vehicle Ant-Man is like a gourmet burger at a restaurant chain. It’s quality entertainment, but there’s a ceiling it’ll just never clear. Size doesn’t matter.Watch Now25. Captain Marvel (2019)Its novel 1990s period setting aside, Captain Marvel exists in that frustrating subspace where everything is firing on all cylinders but it hardly feels “higher, further, faster.” Brie Larson is assured in her superhero debut, and her performance in Captain Marvel elevated the character into the higher echelons of Marvel's hierarchy. But by the time the end credits roll, you’ll find yourself wanting more.Watch Now24. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)I hope you like hearing the word quantum. Ant-Man’s second entry has so much nonsensical technobabble that it makes Star Trek sound like Steinbeck. Compared with 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. Jimmy Woo, where are you?Watch Now23. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)Three years after The Avengers elevated Marvel's B-tier heroes into A-list superstars, the ensemble reassembled for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Despite a mesmerizing James Spader as Ultron, Age of Ultron foreshadowed how the MCU can stumble even in its finest hours. Oh, you thought everyone loved this one in 2015? Maybe we did. But like our hairstyles in high school, not everything we love has aged well.Watch Now22. Doctor Strange (2016)Trippier than any of its psychedelic Steve Ditko-inspired visuals is the sound of Benedict Cumberbatch's American accent. There's nothing awfully bad about Doctor Strange, helmed by the skillful Scott Derrickson. But for a movie that tries to blow your mind, its exploration of Stephen Strange's beginnings as the Sorcerer Supreme is just too typical of superhero origin stories.Watch Now21. Black Widow (2020)Even though the pandemic zapped some of the hype from Black Widow, the Jason Bourne-like action thriller is a more-than-fitting farewell to Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff. It also gave us Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, who went on to become the unlikeliest MCU MVP in Thunderbolts* a few years later.Watch Now20. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Just as in the second act of a superhero movie itself, all hope felt lost. Following Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and a run of mediocre Disney+ shows, Marvel fatigue burrowed deep into our capes and costume-weary brains. Now, I won’t say Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 saved the day, but it did arrive just when we needed a reminder of how fun these movies can be. In James Gunn’s last bow before heading to DC, he served up a fittingly rock ’n’ roll final entry for the intergalactic team that surprised us all back in 2014. (Or at least one version of this crew. By now you know better than to leave before the credits wrap.)Watch Now19. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)Although bloated and clearly hampered by the loss of Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is at once a touching monument to a fallen king and a perfectly fine political thriller about kingdoms in collapse. Namor (Tenoch Huerta) is one of the MCU’s coolest villains yet, and Angela Bassett delivers a stirring, Oscar-worthy performance. (She was nominated, but didn’t win.) Wakanda forever? We certainly hope so.Watch Now18. 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 superhero activity threatens to sink an MCU entry. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could have been a disaster. But Sam Raimi—and a ceaselessly committed Benedict Cumberbatch—lets his freak flag fly, enough to make up for some of the most questionable scriptwriting in Marvel’s long history. We might never see a “Marvel horror movie,” but Multiverse of Madness is good enough to make us want it.Watch Now17. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)It’s sad how Captain America punching a Nazi would be too "political" for some. But Captain America: The First Avenger, directed by Joe Johnston, harkens back to a time when the lines separating good and evil were a lot clearer. Chris Evans' debut as the one and only Captain America endures as a polished blockbuster with eye-pleasing dieselpunk aesthetics. On top of that, it's a lovely love story with a bittersweet ending.Watch Now16. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)In a refreshing change of pace, Marvel turns a Spider-Man movie into a funny John Hughes-inspired high school drama. The biggest accomplishment here, though, is making the sixth Spider-Man film (with the third actor to play Peter Parker) one of the character’s most refreshing big-screen jaunts.Watch Now15. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)While so much of the appeal in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is Asian cinema legend Tony Leung disrupting the hegemony of the MCU, the rest of the movie is really solid, too. Simu Liu proves his rising stardom as Shang-Chi, a master of kung fu who confronts his villainous (and debonair) father Wenwu (Leung) once and for all. A big screen crowd-pleaser that comes off like a live-action Dragon Ball, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is looking even better in hindsight. Where’s that sequel?Watch Now14. Iron Man 3 (2013)Even now, MCU fans are split over Iron Man 3. Was it a good movie or a bad movie? Allow us to fall in line with the former. Though this third installment of the Iron Man trilogy was hardly the last appearance for Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, it does give the character some needed closure.After flirting with death in The Avengers, Stark's paranoia over his mortality and insignificance is some of the most emotionally smart storytelling to ever come out of the MCU. It's a Marvel movie, but it's also a Shane Black movie: A portrait of manic men in distress, doing all they can to keep their demons at bay with lightness and levity.Watch Now13. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)Baby Groot is just too cute. James Gunn's sequel to his wham-bam mega-hit Guardians of the Galaxy is an eye-popping romp that reunites the titular A-holes, who now confront deeper questions about their place in the universe when Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) meets his father, Ego (Kurt Russell). Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 might be a messier, meaner movie than its beloved predecessor, but its emotional heft is undeniable.Watch Now12. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)Releasing the best Fantastic Four movie was a low bar for Marvel Studios to clear. But with director Matt Shakman and a cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn, the MCU finally does justice to Marvel’s First Family. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a breezy superhero tentpole that boasts a gorgeous retro-futuristic sheen to kick off Phase Six. Galactus, played by Ralph Ineson, is also maybe the most terrifying MCU villain ever put to screen.Watch Now11. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)You could hear a pin drop in theaters everywhere when the dust settled. The first in the two-part conclusion to Marvel’s legendary Phase Three, the Avengers band together to stop the threat of Thanos (Josh Brolin) from collecting the Infinity Stones. Although we knew there was another movie in store, it doesn’t stop the shock and awe of watching beloved heroes vanish into thin air.Watch Now10. Thunderbolts* (2025)It's nothing short of a miracle how Thunderbolts* makes you care about some of Marvel's most forgotten action figures. Ghost? Red Guardian? Even “junior varsity Captain America” John Walker? The emotionally charged Thunderbolts* doesn't reinvent the Marvel wheel, but it's an irresistible, finely tuned execution of formula, buoyed by a dynamic ensemble cast whose chemistry is as surprising as the movie itself.Watch Now9. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)What’s a Spider-Man to do when all is lost? Start fresh. Tom Holland’s fourth solo film as the iconic web-slinger is truly a brand new day, as Spider-Man deals with a mysterious menace in New York City while having a few amazing friends to help out. All the while, the webhead tries to reconnect with some old friends who’ve forgotten all about him. Destin Daniel Cretton brings plenty pizzazz to a most familiar franchise to become one of the best Spider-Man movies in years. Even decades.In theaters now8. Captain America: Civil War (2016)While previous entries felt overwhelming, stuffed to the brim, and just plain messy, Marvel finally found a good balance in the superheroes-to-story ratio. Even with appearances by literally everyone—and an introduction to the new Spider-Man—Civil War still feels like a true Captain America movie.Watch Now7. Avengers: Endgame (2019)Though the stakes remain low in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—particularly because of lazy plot devices—Endgame does its best to create emotional conclusions for some of the most iconic heroes of the past decade. It might be much of what fans expected, but the film brilliantly wraps up ten years of movies and takes the time to actually focus on its characters.Watch Now6. The Avengers (2012)There was an idea—and that idea could have ended Marvel for good. Before The Avengers, it was unheard of to see so many different characters from different franchises band together for one popcorn extravaganza. And sure, the first crossover movie by Joss Whedon isn’t all that invincible. But the impact of The Avengers cannot be ignored, and its success led to the expanding MCU we know now. But on its own? Still a damn fine movie.Watch Now5. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)After two rather average Thor movies, director Taika Waititi not only saved the franchise but made it feel completely reborn. Thor: Ragnarok is a hilarious, exciting, and unexpected outing that stands apart from every other entry in the MCU.Watch Now4. Iron Man (2008)It’s the movie that started it all. Iron Man changed not only the superhero genre but the industry entire. Plus, this was the movie that brought Robert Downey Jr. back, as well as the only Iron Man film in which Tony Stark is a lovable asshole rather than just an asshole.Watch Now3. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)Guardians of the Galaxy has everything a Marvel movie should have: an awesome soundtrack, a hilarious script, a unique visual style, its own attitude, an ensemble of fully developed characters, a talking tree, and the rare ability to stand alone among the rest of the films in the universe. James Gunn's first Marvel movie (before amassing greater influence over rival DC), Guardians is at once part of the MCU and literally its own galaxy, yet it still provides the backbone for how all these worlds are connected.Watch Now2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)“This isn’t freedom. This is fear.” Captain America would know the difference. The 2014 sequel to The First Avenger places Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers firmly in the present day, with the star-spangled superhero forced to confront a deep conspiracy that calls into question his patriotism. A stylish action-thriller cosplaying as a ‘70s spy flick (complete with Robert Redford in a key role), The Winter Soldier shows that not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes, they carry a shield.Watch Now1. Black Panther (2018)Heavy is the head that wears the mask. A momentous release when it opened in February 2018, Black Panther was, and still is, the pinnacle of the superhero genre. An epic about royalty and loyalty, and the sins of fathers that must be paid for by their sons, this billion-dollar hit by Ryan Coogler reimagined what superhero movies could look like. Most importantly: It’s fun as hell, and a giant breath of fresh air to a film series that really needed a kick in the rear to keep it from becoming stale.Watch Now