It’s hard to comprehend that the Marvel Cinematic Universe started 10 years ago with "Iron Man." With the newest release of Infinity War, we have had 19 Marvel movies, dating back to 2008. Seeing that this is somewhat of a landmark for the MCU, it’s only right that all 19 movies should be ranked.
19. "The Incredible Hulk"
There’s a reason that "The Incredible Hulk" hasn’t gotten a sequel. The Hulk is a hard character to carry a movie as a protagonist. This was Marvel’s second attempt in their universe after Iron Man, and it shows.
18. "Thor: The Dark World"
The first two Thor movies have this problem of being extremely forgettable. Nothing really stands out about them. Thor himself isn’t that likeable of a character and wait… what was this movie about again?
17. "Iron Man 2"
The first Iron Man was really good. This one...not so much. Its problem is that it tried to do too much in setting up Black Widow, Nick Fury, War Machine, and two main villains in Whiplash and Justin Hammer.
16. "Thor"
As mentioned earlier, this movie suffers from the same problems as its sequel does. This one is a little bit better because it has the theme of redemption going for it and Thor shows actual growth as a character, but that’s about it.
15. "Ant-Man"
Imagine what this could’ve been if Edgar Wright had stayed on to direct this movie. As it is, it feels a little unnecessary and stale. It doesn’t add a lot to the MCU and Scott Lang doesn’t even do the “quippy, funny guy main character” as good as several other characters in the MCU.
14. "Doctor Strange"
"Doctor Strange" has some pretty neat visual moments, but I can’t get behind the time travel method of defeating the main villain by tricking him into replaying the same sequence over and over again.
13. "Avengers: Age of Ultron"
This movie was kind of a disappointment compared to the first Avengers. It’s certainly not bad, but it’s not great. It becomes kind of a mess with too many characters stealing the spotlight from one another and Ultron isn’t as intimidating as he should be.
12. "Captain America: The First Avenger"
This is a fun World War II movie that establishes Steve Rogers. It’s nice because of how separated it is from the rest of the MCU, but Red Skull is hardly anyone you should be scared of.
11. "Spider-Man Homecoming"
This is a good Spider-Man movie, but I can’t say it’s better than the first two Spider-Man movies made nearly two decades ago. It doesn’t hit serious emotional tones that really help grow Peter as a character like those other two Spider-Man movies did.
10. "Black Panther"
This movie was great, until the third act. That’s when it lost me, and T’challa is better in "Civil War" and "Infinity War" despite his more limited screen time in those movies. He just seems to be more enthusiastic to me.
9. "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2"
This movie did basically everything the first movie did right. The Guardians are just fun characters and they nail every scene they’re in. It’s a little too funny in some places when it needs to be serious.
8. "Captain America: Civil War"
This is the real third Avengers movie and it was pretty cool. The airport fight scene between the Avengers was awesome, and Iron Man and Captain America make this movie one of the better movies in the series.
7. "Iron Man 3"
This may be a surprise to most people, but Robert Downey Jr. is the most charismatic actor in the entire MCU and he elevates this movie much higher than it should be. If you separate this movie from the rest of the MCU, then it delivers a satisfying character arc for Tony Stark over the course of the three Iron Man movies.
6. "The Avengers"
It’s funny to think how small-scale this is compared to "Infinity War." In 2012, this movie had accomplished a feat that had never been done before by teaming up all of Marvel’s established heroes into one movie. It not only did it well, but it delivered one of the most memorable shots in cinema.
5. "Thor Ragnarok"
This is probably the funniest movie in the entire franchise. It takes a completely different tone than the first two Thor movies and it surprisingly works. Ragnarok finally made me care about Thor and it turned Loki into one of my favorite characters in the MCU by focusing on the relationship of the two brothers. This movie deserves a lot of credit.
4. "Iron Man"
This movie started it all and it ensured the MCU would start with the right foot. Robert Downey Jr. delivers a brilliant performance and becomes a beloved household name thanks to this movie.
3. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
This movie was the one that popularized Captain America. Before this movie, he was just kind of “eh” to anyone that wasn’t a diehard fan of him. This is one of the more darker movies tone-wise in the MCU, and it pulls it off nicely.
2. "Guardians of the Galaxy"
Nobody knew who these characters were before this movie came out. Now they’re among Marvel’s most popular and most beloved. Ronin as a villain doesn’t bother me that much because I always thought the movie was more about the Guardians of the Galaxy coming together.
1. "Avengers Infinity War Part 1"
Marvel had teased Thanos to us for six years, ever since the first Avengers movie, and he didn’t disappoint. This movie earns all its praise after the much anticipated, 10-year build up. You might be confused if this is your first Marvel movie, but considering all the other ones, then this one is definitely the best. Go watch it if you haven’t seen it yet.