MCU Ranking Part 2

Here is part 2 of my MCU films ranking. Click Here to read Part 1 of my MCU ranking. This half of the list is considerably harder than the first half as these movies are all A- or better movies. So even though something very good may be at number 15 , that doesn't make it a bad movie. It just means Marvel has made a lot of good movies. With that being said, here are my top 17 MCU films.

17. Black Panther

Black Panther is the only MCU film to get nominated for Best Picture. The film is so original and speaks such a good message. The whole movie is focused on Wakanda and its culture which is a nice change of pace from the usual MCU. The villain is also one of the best in the MCU which his motivations and personality. His argument and viewpoint are so good and well made that he actually wins the moral debate in the movie and causes Black Panther to change his mind. The only thing that keeps this movie from being higher is that it went a little CGI-heavy in the third act specifically the part when there is a fight when falling down a train shaft and the Wakanda battle rhinos. If they stuck with a finale with more practical effects, this movie may have been top 10 for me.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

16. Antman and the Wasp

Just like the first Ant Man, this film is a small-scale low stakes adventure in the MCU and was exactly what audiences needed after the trauma of Infinity War. This is easily one of the funniest films in the MCU which many moments that made me laugh out loud. The story itself is straightforward. It connects to the rest of the MCU enough that it is relevant but not so much so that it gets bogged down by everything that happened. It's just a simple maguffin story with three groups of people playing a game of pass the lab. It is not trying to be a big MCU smackdown but a fun lighthearted side story. Where Avengers: Age of Ultron tried to hit a home run and got a double, this film was just trying to hit a single and achieved that.

Score: 8.6/10 Grade: A-

15. Shang -Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Another attempt of the MCU to show some diversity, Shang Chi is a great addition to the MCU. The whole movie is basically a martial arts film inside of the MCU which is original and a nice break from the normal MCU. The fight scenes are all very well done with the choreography. They are all very exciting and executed very well. The villain is also one of the best in the MCU. You can understand his motivations and actually feel bad for him and want him to succeed. He is really just a broken man that wants to be reunited with his wife. The only thing that keeps this movie out of the top 10 is the overreliance on CGI. With the martial arts fights, had they not put so much CGI in there and just trusted the choreography, the scenes would've been just fine.

Score: 8.7/10 Grade: A-

14. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is easily the best MCU film of this year. The other films don't come anywhere close. This movie was a great return to form for the MCU and shows that Marvel can still make fantastic films. This movie does a great job of closing out the story of the past two Guardians films. It gives each character an arc as well as a natural end to their story if any characters decide not to return in the future. We also get to dive deep into Rocket's backstory and really show how he came to be. I felt this was done really well and really changes the way you view Rocket in all of the other films. As with the other MCU films, this movie delivers a lot of funny moments. However, while some of the other films struggle with tonal shifts, this movie does a great job of not cutting the tension too much for a joke. The movie also delivers a lot of emotional moments, mostly with Rocket and his story. I also really liked the villain of the film. I think the actor that plays him does a great job of toeing the line between a mad scientist and someone who wants to make the perfect world. Finally, I felt that movie gave a really sweet ending that gives you a great feeling when you leave the movie. In the end, this film was a great trilogy capper and does a great job of closing out the stories of all of the Guardians characters.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

13. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

This movie is probably the most unique of the MCU films. It is the MCU's first dive into the horror genre which is very exciting. Director Sam Rami gets to the superhero genre but not as Spiderman Sam Rami, this is full horror Evil Dead 2 Sam Rami. Marvel allows the movie to take risks and be just scary enough to be different and stand out. The direction they took Wanda was also very good. You can understand why she does what she does and where her reasoning is coming from. I also like how the film didn't overdo it with Cameos that would take away from the overall story. The only thing that holds this movie back is that I felt that the movie didn't quite do enough with the multiverse. With the name Multiverse of Madness, there should be more madness. Other than that, this is a fantastic horror film in the MCU.

Score: 8.7/10 Grade: A-

12. Spiderman: Homecoming

Just missing out on the top 10 is Spiderman: Homecoming. This movie is a refreshing take on spiderman avoiding the origin story that we've seen too many times and jumping right into him having powers. This film is basically a high school comedy in the MCU and pulls it off really well. Tom Holland is a perfect choice for spiderman and can capture an immature high schooler well. The vulture is also a great villain. He is likable and sympathetic as he is not an evil guy trying to do bad things but a family man wronged by Iron Man that just wants to provide for his family. The film also manages to balance Tony Stark and other MCU references well and not let them overshadow Spiderman.

Score: 8.8/10 Grade: A-

11. Spiderman: Far From Home

Swinging into the top 10 is Spiderman: Far From Home. This film is a great sequel to Spiderman: Homecoming as well as a great epilogue to Avengers: Endgame. The story really allows peter to grow as a character and a hero. The direction as a road trip story is also really fun with Spiderman able to swing around in all of these countries. Finally, Mysterio is also a really great character. You can understand where he is coming from and why he does what he does. Overall, it is just a solid adventure to kick off the new era of MCU films in a post Endgame Universe.

Score: 8.8/10 Grade: A-

10. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a very well-done movie. This movie was dealt a really bad hand between production during a pandemic as well as the death of its lead actor. However, against all odds, the MCU was able to deliver a truly special film. The film does a great job as a tribute to Chadwick Boseman by allowing his presence to be felt throughout the film. The film also does a great job of allowing the characters to cope with T'Challa's death in their own ways. Shuri and Queen Ramonda are really given a chance to shine as they both give great performances. The way Namor is handled as the villain is also well done. The movie allows Namor to see himself as the hero of his own story which always makes for the best villains. The only thing that keeps this from number one is that I felt the movie was a bit too long and jumped around a bit too much in the beginning. Had it been tightened by about 15 minutes I think it would have made for a much better film.

Score: 8.9/10 Grade: A-

9. Iron Man

The original MCU film is still one of the best MCU films. Iron is a fantastic film that kickstarted a juggernaut franchise. Robert Downey Jr. was born to play this role and brought a superhero that hardly anyone has heard of to a big-name character that everyone knows. The movie can balance humor and action very well. It shows that comic book movies can be both exciting and well made as well as a lot of fun. The journey Tony takes throughout the film is also really well done and has aspects that carry over throughout the MCU into Avengers: Endgame. This is just such a great film without which we would not have the MCU.

Score: 8.9/10 Grade: A-

8. Guardians of the Galaxy

This film was probably the biggest surprise in the MCU. When it was first announced, everyone thought it was odd to introduce such an unknown character team so early into the MCU. However, James Gunn and the MCU team were able to pull it off and make a fun and exciting movie and now everyone knows who the guardians of the galaxy are. The humor in this is some of the best in the MCU with each character uniquely bringing the jokes. The character dynamic is also very good and the chemistry between the team is so good. Finally, the soundtrack is a lot of fun with a lot of 70s songs playing to liven up the film. Overall, a fantastic film that caught everyone by surprise.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A

7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Coming up next is Captain America; The Winter Soldier. This film was able to show how cool Captain America could really be. This movie has one of the best stories in the MCU as well as one of the greatest plot twists. The action in this film is amazing specifically with the elevator sequence. This film also includes the introduction to the Falcon who has become a standout in the MCU. The vibe of the movie is also really fun, taking on more of a political spy thriller, it can be exciting and fun without being too serious that it doesn't feel like an MCU film. Just a great film that makes Captain America an even better character.

Score: 9.2/10 Grade: A

6. Thor: Ragnarök

This is easily the funniest film in the MCU. Taika Waititi brings his high energy and humor and makes this film a significant step up from the previous Thor films. The jokes are always flying in and making the audience laugh out loud. The film was able to breathe new life into the Thor franchise by dropping all the dead weight off of the franchise and making a crazy fun film about a space Viking. The inclusion of the Hulk is also really fun. He and Thor have a lot of great moments together. The chemistry between Thor and Loki is also really good as the two play off each other so well. Finally, this movie really gets to showcase how funny Chris Hemsworth really is with his humor being the standout of the film.

Score: 9.4/10 Grade: A

5. Captain America: Civil War

Cracking the top 5 is Captain America: Civil War. This movie just has a really good premise of two superhero factions divided over an issue and brings it to the next level. The movie makes it so both sides have valid arguments and difficult it is to route for one side or the other. As usual, this movie was able to balance the serious with the funny with not going too over the top on jokes. It also has some spectacular action sequences with the airport sequence being amazing. The movie also has a very compelling villain where you can understand his motivations and feel bad for him. This movie is also able to balance a lot of new characters without making the movie feel overstuffed. Finally, the ending is so good and so emotional but still manages to reach a realistic conclusion.

Score: 9.5/10 Grade: A

4. Spiderman: No Way Home

This movie is truly special. It was able to bring in villains from all of the different spiderman films in a natural way without making it feel like there are too many. It was able to close out arcs not just from the MCU spiderman films but the other Sony spiderman films. It has a great arc for Spiderman and allows him to transform into a mature superhero. Everyone had such high expectations and the movie managed to deliver on every single thing that was expected. It is funny, emotional, and just an overall fantastic film. This is a movie that knows what fans want and gives them exactly what they want.

Score: 9.6/10 Grade: A+

3. The Avengers

This movie was so groundbreaking. Never before had a movie tried to pull in characters from multiple different films but this movie steamrolled through and managed to pull it off. It was able to have a simple story that doesn't get bogged down with all of the characters. Since these characters all had their own movies, it was easy to pull them into a single film and tell a great story. The battle at the end is of course one of the best in the MCU. The script is also full of Joss Whedon's quippy dialogue and is the starting point for the tone of the MCU that is still felt today. This film was so successful that after it, tons of other studios tried and failed to crank out their own cinematic universes after seeing how well the MCU did. This film not only got me interested in the MCU but is also the film that caused me to have the love of movies that I do now.

Score: 9.8/10 Grade: A+

2. Avengers: Infinity War

This film is probably the largest in scale of all the MCU and is basically the build-up of all the MCU up to this point. It manages to bring into basically every single character in the MCU without making the film feel overstuffed and makes it so all the characters have adequate screen time. The film also does a good job with Thanos and makes him the main character of the story. He is the best villain in the MCU. The action sequences in this film are all top-notch. Finally, the ending is just shocking and amazing at the same time. Some people say that the movie ends on a cliffhanger but I feel that the ending properly closes out the story it was trying to tell. This is a groundbreaking movie and one of the greatest superhero films of all time.

Score: 10/10 Grade: A+

1. Avengers: Endgame

This film is the greatest superhero movie of all time. It is the payoff of stories from over 10 years and 23 different movies. It manages to close out all of the arcs of our avengers in a satisfying way. At 3 hours, this is the longest MCU film but the pacing makes it go by so fast. The first and second acts are great at storytelling and resolving arcs and storylines from past films and the third act is probably one of the greatest final hours put into a film. It gives the fans exactly what they want and is nonstop payoff. The final battle of this film is probably the best experience I've ever had in a theater. This is just peak MCU and groundbreaking in the way it was able to tie in and pay off things from 23 different movies. Overall this is just a fantastic and perfect movie. Not only is it my favorite MCU film of all time but it is also my favorite film of all time.

Score:10/10 Grade: A++