User blog:Valeyard6282/Valeyard6282's Ranking of the MCU

20- Iron Man 3

The reason Iron Man 3 to me is the worst MCU movie, is its lack of rewatchability. When I saw the first half hour of this I was really excited with the new terrorist take on The Mandarin. I saw a lot of potential for a political thriller with the President’s life at stake, but instead we got a drunk actor and the real villain is the Syndrome of the MCU. An obnoxious, unlikeable brat who wants Tony Stark dead for missing a meeting. Killian is a weak villain and his motivations are ridiculous in my opinion. He himself doesn’t ruin the movie, his role in the movie ruins it. If he weren't the main antagonist the movie would be much higher on my list. Some of the action scenes were okay and the only thing I loved in this movie was the mansion collapse, The Mandarin before he was revealed to be a fake, and the Air Force One scene. This movie had so much potential but I felt like they missed every opportunity they had.

19- Thor: The Dark World

Thor 2 is easily on the same level as Iron Man 3. However, The Dark World suffers from a completely different issue: It’s boring. You can clearly tell this movie only exists to introduce an Infinity Stone. Really the only thing I like about this movie is the way the Aether works which I found pretty interesting. What disappoints me about the first two Thor movies is how Marvel Studios wanted them to be Marvel’s Lord of the Rings and I feel like that would be amazing, but they miss the mark and end up being choppy on their themes and rather boring. Malekith is a weak villain and much of the plot is just forgettable.

18- Thor

Thor’s just not ranking to hot right now. Thor suffers from the same boring issue its sequel had. However, Thor’s biggest issue is the fact that no one knew what kind of movie this was supposed to be. It started as a fantasy, Lord of the Rings-style movie that just missed the mark and then within a couple scenes it just becomes a fish out of water comedy and it is just so jarring. I just don’t find the movie very enjoyable to rewatch. It’s not a bad movie, even Iron Man 3 is still a very good movie, but Thor just isn’t that great to me. The Destroyer battle isn’t exiting and the battle on the Bifrost isn’t that great either. All in all Thor just didn’t offer a whole lot to love.

17- Guardians of the Galaxy

Probably the most controversial placing on here. While the first Guardians is in the top three for many, I just didn’t find it that great. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like, and there was plenty I did, but all in all I just didn’t enjoy it as much as the other movies ahead of it.

16- The Incredible Hulk

To me at least, what makes this movie not good is how it really doesn’t fit in the MCU. It just feels like the oddball out. It is much more mature and violent than the others and to me that’s a good thing. The Marvel Netflix shows are my favorite MCU property except for Infinity War and the themes of the MCU Hulk movie reminds me of the grit of my favorite corner of the MCU. Abomination is one of my favorite villains (More as Emil than as a hulking rage monster) and I don’t think Edward Norton was as bad as many people say he was. This is a very rewatchable movie for me, but I feel like the others just are better.

15- Ant-Man

It pains me to have Ant-Man this low on the list, because this movie has great rewatchability and it made me laugh so hard when I first saw it. The only issue is...it’s Iron Man. The plot is so similar. A bad, bald businessman takes over an industrial company to make a deal with terrorists and weaponize the world. Sound familiar? It’s because that was exactly what Obadiah Stane did in Iron Man. Darren Cross isn’t as strong of a villain as Stane so the plot just isn’t as fleshed out. What Ant-Man does right is the comedy. The movie is hilarious and has some great character building. Paul Rudd is incredible, Michael Douglas makes a great Pym and Luis is just fantastic.

14- Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 in its whole is a muddled, messy, and overly not too good movie. So why is ranked where it is? Because I have such fond memories of this movie when it came out. Whiplash has some pretty sweet visuals and the race track scene was excellent in my opinion. One of the best battles in the MCU. Justin Hammer was used well but the movie does suffer from being a kickboard for The Avengers. It sets up a lot of plotlines for the future of the MCU, but it loses its balance especially towards the end of the movie.

13- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Unlike most I enjoyed Vol. 2 more than the original. Ego was good villain and the movie set up a ton of plotlines for the future, much like Iron Man 2 does- but Guardians does it a much more subtle manner. It ties a lot of loose ends in the first Guardians which is also a plus. Oddly enough, I wasn’t even really hyped for this movie. I watched one trailer in passing and didn’t even see it in theaters which is just weird for me with the MCU. I just wasn’t excited for it. I did see it later on TV and really enjoyed it.

12- Avengers

Another controversial placing, I know. Avengers is a fantastic MCU movie, don’t get me wrong. The battle of New York was one of the coolest and most spectacular moments in film history. Seeing all these characters together was mind blowing. However, despite everything it does right, Avengers just wasn’t as epic as it was the first couple times.

11- Ant-Man and the Wasp

The most recent movie I’ve seen was Ant-Man and the Wasp and I really enjoyed watching it. It was really funny and really used the size manipulation in really cool ways. Ghost had some really sick powers and the easter eggs were great.

10- Iron Man

Iron Man kicked off the whole universe so I have a lot of respect for it. I really enjoyed the terrorist-themes to it and the whole thing was done very well. Stane was a great villain and Robert Downey Jr. blew his performance out of the water. There’s a reason the MCU still exists and this movie is why.

9- Avengers: Age of Ultron

While Ultron looked like a much better villain in the trailers, his plan was interesting and this movie gave us a lot of the comic-book stuff that I really wanted. This movie introduced both Scarlet Witch and Klaue which are two of my favorite MCU characters, it gave us Vision and Quicksilver, as well as a Hulkbuster vs Hulk fight which was awesome! This movie was a little crowded but in the end, I was really hyped before it came out and I wasn’t disappointed when I left the theater.

8- Thor: Ragnarok

How do you fix Thor? You make it a comedy, throw him into a colorful trasheap with the Hulk and Jeff Goldblum! This movie is so many things at once and on paper it sounds way too choppy and busy but it totally works. Not only is the third Thor movie a dramatic fantasy movie like the others, it is a cosmic adventure like Guardians of the Galaxy, a comedy, and a Hulk film all in one! This movie feels so smooth and Hela is a great villain. The set designs were incredible and the Planet Hulk aspects on Sakaar were great. And as always Jeff Goldblum is perfect. This movie has great and memorable one-liners and a great and hilarious Doctor Strange cameo. This movie is a dice with tons of sides and every single roll has a great outcome.

7- Spider-Man: Homecoming

I was super hyped for this movie and while Civil War sold me on Tom Holland, this just showed me more how perfect he is as Peter Parker and Spider-Man. I feel like this movie portrayed how a teenage superhero in high school would be like and it was really nicely portrayed. While Iron Man’s involvement made it a little like Iron Man 4, Stark’s role made sense in the plot with introducing Spider-Man into the MCU. Pepper felt forced in (Also I don’t like her character) and it was a little unbelievable that Toomes happened to be Liz’s dad. On the bright side, I didn’t see it coming and it was a pretty great reveal. That car scene was pretty amazing. The movie had some great action scenes, fantastic humor- the best of the MCU-, and much more going for it.

6- Captain America: The First Avenger

The first half of this movie is incredible. Just incredible. I love period pieces and the WW2 setting felt so perfect to me. It felt like an Indiana Jones movie. It has the same rewatchability where you can watch it over and over again and not get tired of it. That’s the first half. It really derails itself in the middle of the movie when the Nazis get laser tanks and blasters. I get how it fits into the plot but I feel like the futuristic tech could’ve been toned down a lot. Red Skull was a cool villain, and the movie showed us an all-American war hero and the morals that make Captain America who he is and one of the most fleshed out characters in the MCU.

5- Black Panther

This movie has the best world building in the MCU. Wakanda and its structure was very well thought out and everything in this movie was stunning! Killmonger was a great villain who you actually wanted to see succeed and Klaue was great in the first third of the movie. Wakanda was beautiful and the action scenes on Warrior Falls were great. The tribal costumes and equipment was really cool and the cast was so good. I was sad to see Klaue kind of be wasted and I didn’t love how Vibranium could literally do anything the plot needed it to. Also the CGI in this movie is pretty terrible especially in the final battle. Despite its flaws, Black Panther was such a new experience and I loved every second of it.

4- Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This movie is so great because it's not a superhero movie. It's a political drama and spy thriller. Alexander Pierce is one of the MCU’s best and there isn’t anything in this movie I don’t like. The music is reminds of the Dark Knight’s music and this movie really fleshes out how Steve will do anything for Bucky. I don’t even know what else to say about it. It’s just that good.

3- Doctor Strange

My favorite introduction solo movie in the MCU, Doctor Strange gives us an unlikeable and arrogant character played by a fantastic actor who I love. His whole journey through the car crash and his trip to Nepal is outstanding and I was so hyped for this movie. The trailers showed us how different the MCU can be and the visual effects were gorgeous. The kaleidoscope effects were- and still are- some of my favorite effects on screen and while Mads Mikkelsen was kind of wasted, this movie offered a mystical superhero movie that was outstanding in its own way.

2- Captain America: Civil War

Hype train! I was so excited to see this movie mainly because I saw what was at stake. Prior to seeing the movie, I was 100% ready to see only one of them walk out alive. When Cap was beating on Iron Man with the shield I was 100% sure that he was going to kill Tony. The movie was built on Bucky and Steve’s friendship- which has been built up for years- which made the movie have emotional stakes too. I was kind of shocked no one died and a little disappointed. It’s not a war if no one dies. I personally think Rhodes should’ve died. Zemo was a really good villain but seeing the Avengers almost kill each other was a spectacle I’ll never forget.

1- Avengers: Infinity War

Not a shocker at all. I don’t even have words to describe how hyped I was for this. I bought tickets the hour they went up for sale. Infinity War was one of the best movies ever in my opinion and Thanos was such a great protagonist (And yes I do consider him the protagonist). Thanos had some of the most emotional and heart wrenching scenes and the culmination of the entire movie side of the MCU was mind blowing. The Battle for Wakanda was my favorite third act of the MCU and when Thanos snapped his fingers, I got more goosebumps than ever before. That’s the moment I realized the marketing wasn’t an exaggeration. This was where it all ends. I saw it opening night and almost cried as I saw so many beloved characters fade into nothingness. I was honestly a little shocked both Cap and Tony made it out, but this movie gave us something we never saw before: The Avengers lost. Infinity War gave us an end.