That being said, Endgame does bring several arcs full circle and it feels like a homecoming if not a finale. And so a lot of folks are assessing their favorites and debating the value of these behemoth blockbusters. For me, Black Panther is far and above, head and shoulders a better film than any Marvel movie that proceeded it or has followed it -- and dare I say, it'll probably never be supplanted.
That being said, I've enjoyed most of the Marvel movies I've seen, even if some don't have a ton of staying power in my brain. There's been 22 of these things in just 11 years if you can believe it. Here is my off the cuff ranking.
22*) Thor: The Dark World - It's the one Marvel movie I never got around to seeing. I always hear it's terrible and sort of doubles down about what is flawed in the original. Clearly they righted the ship with the third Thor entry embracing Chris Hemsworth's great comic timing, but yeah can't say much about this one cause I've never even seen a scene from it.
21) The Incredible Hulk - Ed Norton was an interesting choice for this role but the movie surrounding him is just incredibly forgettable and like it's Ang Lee predecessor still suffers from inferior CGI technology which isn't convincing at all, It wasn't until Mark Ruffalo's interpretation that you really were able to project a human being behind the hulk. This was just FX gobbley-gook.
20) Thor - Again, not a particularly memorable movie. I do remember Natalie Portman feeling wooden and miscast. The fish-out-of-water stuff with Hemsworth once he comes crashing down to earth is fun, but the attempts to turn this into some sort of Shakespearean drama by director Kenneth Branagh didn't work for me.
19) Captain America: The First Avenger - This may be the first controversial opinion I've had here. Some people adore this one. To me it's a surprisingly hokey entry that doesn't do much for me as an action adventure. I think Chris Evans character works best in more of an ensemble movie where has a contrast to play off of, whereas here he is the whole show.
18) Captain Marvel - This one felt pretty soulless and rudderless to me. It has some pleasures -- Ben Mendelsohn is wryly funny, the '90s jokes land and the de-ageifying is impressive, but I am not sure what makes Brie Larson's character tick and I couldn't help feeling like this movie is mostly table setting for future Marvel movies, a serious flaw that corrupts a lot of these films.
17) Avengers: Age of Ultron - Although I enjoyed James Spader's vocal work as the villain, this was perhaps the inevitable letdown following the home run of The Avengers. The characters' bickering was definitely less charming this time around, and the side characters played by Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor Johnson added little to the mix. It's not a bad movie necessarily, but not an especially memorable one.
16) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - I know I am in the minority on this but I kind of find these movies too cutesy and self-satisfied. The 1970s soundtracks feel pandering and the stakes always feel inconsequential. I am sure they can and will grow on me, but this entry in particular felt like a victory lap far too soon for my tastes.
15) Guardians of the Galaxy - I was more charmed by this one when I saw in theaters, but after a revisit it really starts to lose my interest once all the admittedly entertaining heroes are introduced and unite. I can't begin to tell you what happens in the third act climax and I can't help shaking the feeling that these films are really meant for kids. I mean the Groot stuff? C'mon.
14) Iron Man 2 - This one is pretty reviled and on the bottom of a lot of peoples' lists, but I liked it just fine when it came out back in 2010. Sure it's overstuffed -- and I wish that Mickey Rourke's villain had more of a chance to be fleshed out (it feels like this movie was really pared down in the edit), but Downey Jr. is still a swaggering delight, Don Cheadle is an improvement over Terrence Howard and that race track battle was terrific.
13) Ant-Man and the Wasp - From a special effects perspective this one is one of the best -- the big-to-small-to-big again car chase is one of the best action sequences in all of Marvel, but this film doesn't have the sense of the discovery the first film had and so it just doubles down on the light humor and likable cast. I had a lot of fun with it though, and I do think casting Paul Rudd in this kind of role was a stroke of genius. He, as always, is a delight.
12) Iron Man 3 - A welcome break with formula with this one, which I appreciate. The movie takes risks by really putting Downey Jr's character through the wringer, having the rely on his wits again like he did in the first film, which is kind of what it great. And what they chose to do with Ben Kingsley's villain is another great in-joke. Shane Black may have been the best person to save this trilogy -- although if memory serves the finale might have been a tad redundant with regards to the previous two installments (in other words human heads on CGI bodies).
11) Avengers: Infinity War - There is a lot I love about this gloomy film. Thanos (finally) emerges as one of the more interesting and dynamic villains these movies have ever produced and I appreciate that the film ends on such a somber note. But, and this is a big butt, some of the character clashes in here are more grating than fun, it's not exactly a movie with a lot of narrative surprises up its sleeve (we all knew Thanos was going to collect every stone) so its essentially a very good trailer to it's follow up.
10) Doctor Strange - Probably one of the most visually dynamic of all the Marvel films, with a truly unique character at its center -- Benedict Cumberbatch's smarmy surgeon turned sorcerer. Some of the East Asian cultural appropriation is probably a bit problematic, but by and large this is smart, engaging mainstream pop entertainment and I'm excited to see how this character evolves in future installments. He was underutilized in the Avengers movies and I think he has the potential to supplant Tony Stark as the de facto leader of the superhero squad.
9) Ant-Man - A delightfully silly movie that is more down-to-earth and accessible than many of the other Marvel movies. I like how it leans into its absurdity more and creates a hero (the always affable Paul Rudd) who is believable and appropriately skeptical about the madness around him. He'd aided by a terrific supporting cast including Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lily and a lovable Michael Pena. This probably the hardest character to pull off and they did it with wonderful humor and style.
8) Captain America: The Winter Soldier - It took me a while to warm up to this one -- I think in part because I never cared much for Bucky or his plight. But I love the homage to 1970s conspiracy thrillers (complete with the casting of Robert Redford in a rare villainous role). In this movie Sam Jackson's Nick Fury finally gets to strut his stuff to full effect and Chris Evans comes into his own as the titular hero whose once cheery facade is permanently changed after the events of this darker entry.
7) Spider-Man: Homecoming - After five movies and two different interpretations I really didn't think it was possible to freshen up the Spider-Man saga, and this movie came around and topped them all (until Spider-Verse came around and topped this and most other superhero movies). Casting an actual youngster -- the extremely likable Tom Holland -- as Spidey was just what these movies needed and this time there's a villain worthy of him -- Michael Keaton's Vulture -- whose motivations and link to Peter Parker make this a very gratifying entry in its own right.
6) Captain America: Civil War - Perhaps I'm on an island with this one but I recall feeling like this was one of the rare Marvel movies (prior to Black Panther) that seemed to be actually be about something. It doesn't go that deep into it but I like that the film attempts to invest real emotional stakes in this struggle between superheroes (where Downey Jr. and Evans' character's relationship takes center stage, as it will again in Endgame). And this features one of the best battle royales in all the Marvel films -- a free-for-all on an airport tarmac.
5) Avengers: Endgame - Sure it's long as hell and perhaps relies a tad to heavily on in-jokes and fan service, but there is no denying how emotionally satisfying this finale of sorts is. It pays homage to Back to the Future part II in particular with a meta time travel subplot and still finds the time to bring certain character's arcs to a logical conclusion. The final fight for the gauntlet is a very well-staged sequence as are others like a jaunt with Hawkeye to Tokyo and a battle between Captain America and himself. And who can't love 'thick' Thor and 'hipster' Hulk?
4) Thor: Ragnarok - One of the biggest and best departures for series was this pure action comedy with a candy colored palate and game cast of scene stealers like Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson as the film's director, Taika Waititi, who voices a hilarious character here. But the star of the show is Chris Hemsworth who finally gets to cut loose and portray Thor as a bit of a doofus, albeit it one yo want to root for. This one probably feels the least burdened by is superherodom and instead functions almost like a throwback to early fantasy films of the 1980s.
3) Iron Man - It started it all and really created the template for everything that followed. This movie worked (and continues to) because it did a tremendous job of establishing the Tony Stark character first (a note perfect Robert Downey, Jr.) and then easing us into the pyrotechnics. I'll never forget the buzz in the audience as Downey Jr and his trusty robot Jarvis try and fail with their Iron Man tech, and once it does work, it's really special. A summer movie classic.
2) The Avengers - The only thing that topped the thrill of that first Iron Man for me in terms of pure comic book spectacle was that 2012 entry that first reunited all these disparate characters in a kind of dysfunctional Ocean's Eleven scenario. Loki makes for a fine funny villain too, and his beat down at the hands of Hulk (who steals this movie) is one of the great movie moments of all time. It's hard to beat in terms of the genuine excitement is created and all credit to Joss Whedon for keeping it coherent.
1) Black Panther - Like I said earlier, it feels weird even including this film on the list, since it's an Oscar-caliber effort that stands on its own as a cinematic achievement. It's nods to the greater Marvel universe are solid but it's the films complex portrait of Wakanda and its people that drive this narrative of new king and a challenger to his thrown. Gorgeous to look at in every way, with real pathos and power behind it, this movie was a game changer that has cast a justifiably big shadow.
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