We are 27 films deep into the Marvel Cinematographic Universe, and with Chloé Zhao’s Eternals arriving on Disney+ this week, the But Why Tho? team has decided to create the ultimate (and very chaotic) ranking of the MCU.
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Our writers ranked every MCU film from 1 to 27, and we used the power of mathematics to consolidate the data and create the ultimate list. Did the all-mighty Iron Man prevail? How did the divisive Thor films fare? Did the fresh No Way Home make it into the top spots? What was everyone’s favorite Avengers film? You’ll have to scroll down to find out.
27. Thor: The Dark World
There was no love for the Mew Mew and the anti-chemistry between Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. 75% of our panel voted Thor: The Dark World in the last or second-to-last spot. Ouch.
26. The Incredible Hulk
Our writers didn’t appreciate Edward Norton not being allowed to have sex due to his Hulk condition. 91% of our panel voted it in the #20 spot or lower in our MCU ranking.
25. Captain Marvel and Iron Man 2
We’ve got a tie for the 25th spot. Captain Marvel got some high votes but having 41% of our panel voting it dead last really destroyed its case. Mickey Rourke and his BDSM weapons didn’t fare any better.
23. Avengers: Age of Ultron
The worst of the Avengers movies. No question. The highest vote it got was #12, but overall there was little love for this overstuffed extravaganza.
22. Thor
Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespearean take on the mighty God of Thunder didn’t fare well in our ranking. Despite some top spot votes, 58% of our writers voted it in the #20 spot or lower.
21. Iron Man 3
Get out of here with your creation of high-end suits and weapons with Home Depot supplies, Stark.
20. Spider-Man: Far From Home
Despite being less than three years old, the second Spider-Man Tom Holland film didn’t age well as our team didn’t have much love for it. Only two of our voters had it on their Top 10, while the rest weren’t so gentle ranking this MCU movie.
19. Ant-Man and the Wasp
I can’t remember a single thing about this film, so I can’t make any lame jokes here.
18. Black Widow
We love Florence Pugh, but Cate Shortland‘s Black Widow and its sketchy VFX couldn’t make it out of the bottom half, and it only overcame Ant-Man and the Wasp by one point. 75% of our team ranked it below the 15th spot, including some votes close to last.
17. Eternals
There’s not much affection for Chloé Zhao‘s Eternals and its chaotic screenplay. A third of our panel voted it 24th or lower, and it only got one vote in the Top 10.
16. Captain America: The First Avenger
Chris Evans‘ introduction in the MCU got a divisive response from our writers. 33% really disliked it, but most of its votes ranged between the #14 and #18 spots.
15. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Yondu’s Mary Poppins umbrella propelled Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to the 15th spot. Voters didn’t go higher than a 10th place vote for this one, and some voted it in the lower twenties.
14. Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man: Homecoming got a considerably higher number of points than Guardians 2 but couldn’t crack it into the top half. Too much Tony Stark?
13. Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange bargained its way into a good 13th spot with the aid of 33% of our panel voting it in their Top 8.
12. Ant-Man
Peyton Reed‘s heist film ranks 12th in our ultimate MCU ranking. Despite one Top 3 vote, most of our panel ranked Ant-Man between the 9th and 15th spot.
11. Marvel’s The Avengers
With slightly more points than Ant-Man comes one of the highest-grossing films of all time in the United States and what many comic book fans considered impossible at the time: Marvel’s The Avengers.
10. Black Panther
Our #10, #9, and #8 are separated by one point each. Pushed by incredible world-building, superb performances by Michael B. Jordan, and the late Chadwick Boseman, the hugely successful and game-changing Oscar winner Black Panther comes in at #10.
9. Avengers: Infinity War
EIC Kate Sánchez described Avengers: Infinity War as a movie that “throws punch after punch from the first minute to the last without getting bogged down in unnecessary subplot.” And that love also resonated with our entire team, who consistently voted it between the #14 and #7 spots.
8. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Some bad-ass martial arts fight scenes and a promising new character put Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in the 8th spot, just two points below our next entry. 33% of our panel ranked it on its Top 5, but some votes in the bottom half dragged it down.
7. Iron Man
The film that started it all proved to be a little divisive between our writers. A third of them voted it in the #1 spot, but 50% of them ranked it between the 11th and 15th spots. Still, it’s clear that there’s a lot of love and recognition for MCU’s original movie.
6. Spider-Man: No Way Home
The record-breaking film that defied pandemic restrictions to bring its spectacular multiverse to arachnoid-lovers everywhere comes in hot at #6 with 83% of our writers ranking it in their Top 10, including three #1 votes and only one point behind our next entry.
5. Thor: Ragnarok
Taika Waititi, gladiator battles, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Goldblum, and glorious Tessa Thompson put Thor: Ragnarok in the coveted #5 spot. No one voted it #1, but it had no troubles consistently staying at the top.
4. Avengers: Endgame
Only one point ahead of Thor: Ragnarok comes the “Love letter to comics, fans, and the MCU itself,” Avengers: Endgame. 66% of our voters had it in its Top 6, but only one top-spot vote stopped it from ranking higher.
3. Captain America: Civil War
It’s a film that features Tony vs. Cap, the first appearance of Spider-Man in the MCU, Giant-Man, pre-epic sexy dancing Daniel Brühl, and an amazing Black Panther chase scene. There’s no doubt that Captain America: Civil War is one of the franchise’s coolest and most beloved entries. Half of our writers ranked it in their Top 5, and it consistently got top grades from everyone all around.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
The BWT team is clearly hooked on the feeling that Guardians of the Galaxy is awesome, and therefore, it gets our #2 spot. James Gunn crafted an incredible space opera starring a band of seemingly unadaptable misfits characters that soon became pop-culture sensations. However, there was one mountain too high to climb for Starlord and company, and that is…
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The Winter Soldier dominated our MCU ranking, and no one came close to challenging its top spot as 66% of our panel ranked it among its top 3 films. This espionage thriller-like topical spectacle clearly left a mark on fans to become our favorite MCU film to date.
What do you think of the rating? Did your favorite make it into our Top 5? Do you agree with #1? Let us know on our social channels: Twitter (@butwhythopc) and Instagram (@butwhythopc).
