Marvel has given movie fans everything from universe-saving superhero team-ups to sharp, character-driven origin stories and genuinely great sci-fi, fantasy and comedy. But with dozens of films spanning the MCU, deciding which ones stand above the rest is no easy task. Below, we’ve ranked the best Marvel movies, weighing the strength of each story, performances, action and cultural impact. From beloved classics to newer blockbuster favorites, here are the Marvel movies that deserve a spot at the top.
Disclaimer: The Raimi Spider-Man movies, X-Men and Spider-Verse films are not technically MCU, therefore they were not eligible for these rankings.
Best Marvel Movies, Ranked
Honorable Mention: Spider-Man: No Way Home
Andy Silva: This is a fitting end to Jon Watts’ Spidey trilogy, threading the needle between fan service — bringing all three live-action Spider-Men together — and advancing the story of Holland’s Peter Parker.
Peter is still idealistic at the start of the film – thinking he can get his friends into MIT, wanting to fix all the broken villains — before the death of Aunt May threatens to shove him into darkness. In the end he is still the good man May raised him to be, sparing Green Goblin’s life and sacrificing his own identity, relationships and future for the greater good.
We see Peter’s past, present and future all in one film, while No Way Home puts him on a wide-open new path where anything can happen. His selfless choice is the epitome of “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Honorable Mention: Thunderbolts*
Nick Friar: This movie gets respect, but it deserves more. It’s one of the few MCU movies post-Endgame that gets any love, but it can also hang with the beloved pre-Infinity War films.
Best use of Bucky Barnes outside of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Confirmation that Yelena Belova needs to be a big player in the Post-Endgame MCU. Redemption and elevation for the other rag-tag Thunderbolts, who were all at their best in the MCU thus far. And then there was Bob.
Focusing the plot around the battle for Sentry’s emotional stability is what separates this from other MCU movies. It is real and of the moment, yet still carries that MCU feel we’re all familiar with. Marvel casts well, creates high stakes while bringing the laughs and offers compelling plots, but it’s not often that they find a way to get as heavy as they did in Thunderbolts*.
Honorable Mention: Black Panther
Jeff Pratt: There’s certainly a case to be made that Black Panther deserves a spot in the top 10, our aggregated rankings just didn’t shake out that way. This film is graced by unbelievable talent from top to bottom. Directed by Oscar winner Ryan Coogler, starring the immensely talented Chadwick Boseman and Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan along with a fantastic supporting cast.
Black Panther is widely considered to be the Marvel film with the greatest cultural impact. It explores a myriad of political and historical themes, such as isolationism vs. global responsibility, tradition vs. evolution into modernity, sovereignty vs. colonialism, the empowerment of women in leadership roles, and so much more. Boseman’s T’Challa broke racial barriers, and Jordan’s Killmonger represents the toll of systemic oppression and the radicalization that can result from it. Some Marvel movies may erode with the sands of time, but Black Panther will stand forever.
#10: The Avengers
Sam Connon: From the moment Nick Fury popped up in the post-credits scene of Iron Man in 2008, The Avengers became one of the most important blockbusters of all time. The first few years of the MCU were admittedly hit-or-miss, meaning the much-anticipated crossover event really had to be a home run to justify the whole project. The end result was a tight, seamlessly-constructed popcorn sensation that delivered on everything from fresh quips to splash page action sequences decades in the making.
Even though the car chase opening and helicarrier sequence may drag a bit on rewatch, The Avengers more than makes up for those lulls with instantly iconic quotes and team-up moments. Bruce Banner’s controlled transformation into the Hulk remains perhaps the most satisfying Marvel moment ever put to screen, thanks in large part to Alan Silvestri’s bombastic score. Every character besides Hawkeye is treated perfectly, converting on what Phase 1 set up while perfectly laying the groundwork for Phase 2 and beyond.
#9: Iron Man
Blake Krass: The movie where it all started deserves a spot on this list! It’s easy to forget now, but when the plans for the MCU emerged, it was a bit of a shock to learn that Iron Man would be the first film released. Other characters like Thor, Captain America and the Hulk had much bigger fanbases. It was even more suprising when Robert Downey Jr. was announced as Iron Man. Downey had hit a major rut in his career and was shocking to think he could be the face of this entire universe. However, Downey put on a remarkable performance as Tony Stark that set the tone for this entire cinematic universe. If this movie didn’t work, the rest of the movies on this list might not have been made.
#8: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Nick Friar: After the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie stunned everyone, emerging as an all-timer, Vol. 2 was good but not on the same level. Then there was a major tone shift with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — which, in a way, took the approach of Vol. 2 and perfected it. Because instead of trying to be deep and funny at the same time, Vol. 3 let the story’s heart set the pace.
This might be the single-darkest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie we’ve ever seen. For all the conspiracy, betrayal and loss of life that MCU fans have witnessed, nothing has been more unbearable than seeing everyone’s favorite raccoon and his pre-Guardians friends endure the wrath of the High Evolutionary. But, this experience is precisely how we get Rocket Raccoon.
If there’s one thing Rocket has over everyone in the MCU, it’s his resourcefulness. Rocket always finds a way. That’s in part due to his intellect. His resilience, however, is the result of what he endured before he even knew Groot.
In a cinematic universe defined by action heroes with endless quips, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 took one of the MCU’s funniest heroes and showcased how much more potential both he and the rest of Marvel has to offer.
#7: Captain America: Civil War
Sam Connon: The Winter Soldier gets a lot of the credit for bringing a certain level of thematic and tonal maturity to the MCU, but its sequel is often overlooked in that regard. The final film in the Captain America trilogy puts just as much time and care into what it has to say about oversight, control and freedom, posing those dilemmas to the characters themselves rather than simply making sweeping statements.
But make no mistake – Captain America: Civil War is far from a Winter Soldier copycat. It also had to deal with the aftermath of Avengers: Age of Ultron, making it a lot more heightened than its predecessor. Civil War, while not a particularly faithful adaptation of its comic book source material, adds Spider-Man and Black Panther to an already loaded Avengers lineup, leading to an incredible chase scene through Berlin and a fan-favorite showdown at the airport. Iron Man may not be a villain, but he is an incredible antagonist in the context of a Captain America film at this point in Steve Rogers’ arc. The same goes for Black Panther, while Zemo shines in a more reserved, puppeteering villainous role. Captain America: Civil War boasts plenty of genuinely surprising twists and turns, on top of its entertainment value and important place in the wider MCU story.
#6: Spider-Man: Homecoming
Andy Silva: As I noted in our rankings of the best live-action Spider-Man actors, the thing that the MCU has done better than anything when it comes to Spidey is strike a balance between Peter Parker the high school student and Spider-Man the superhero. And nowhere is that more apparent than in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Tom Holland excels at portraying Peter’s eagerness for more after the thrill of the airport battle in Captain America: Civil War while being thrust back into the mundane minutiae of everyday life as a high school student. We get to see Peter grow into the role of a hero, making understandable mistakes early and needing to be bailed out by Iron Man, before stepping up to the plate and saving the day on his own in the climactic battle with the Vulture.
Speaking of the Vulture, Michael Keaton is one of the most three-dimensional villains in all of the MCU, understandably resentful for what the Department of Damage Control tried to take from him but not above doing illegal, evil things in the name of his family. Moreover, Keaton’s back and forth with Holland in the car on the way to the film’s titular homecoming is riveting and is the pivot point where the audience can feel like Peter isn’t simply playing superhero anymore.
By the end of Homecoming, Peter is no longer just playing superhero, but he actually is one. Right down to declining an invitation to join the Avengers to stay a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Excelsior, kid.
#5: Thor: Ragnarok
Blake Krass: This is when the MCU started to show the diversity of movies that it could make, especially when working with interesting directors. The Guardians of the Galaxy movies seemed like their own contained vibe outside of the rest of the MCU. However, Taika Waititi showed in this film that charcters like Thor and Hulk could do comedy as well. The first two Thor movies were not very good, and it was this film that made Chris Hemsworth’s Thor one of the most beloved characters in the MCU. The movie is so colorful and full of character, and is easily one of the best-looking movies in the MCU. There is real comedy and charm without making it seem like they are “trying too hard.”
#4: Guardians of the Galaxy
Jeff Pratt: Guardians of the Galaxy proved that sometimes, superhero movies are at their best when the characters don’t take themselves so seriously. Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill is the prime example of that. Quill begins the story as a sarcastic, charismatic galactic scavenger who looks out for himself because that’s all he was ever taught to do. However, it’s evident that deep down, there is a deep sense of empathy and pure good in him.
Putting that character at the center of a story and surrounding him with a ragtag group of intergalactic misfits turned out to be a Michelin star recipe for success. There are literally too many incredible factors from this film to list out, ranging from the Rocket-Groot dynamic, to the love-hate relationship dynamic of Quill and Gamora, to the first real appearance of Thanos, to Michael Rooker’s unforgettable portayal of Yondu, to the iconic 70s soundtrack that sets the tone of the whole film. James Gunn’s first installment into the MCU was a smash success.
#3: Avengers: Endgame
Sam Connon: The culmination of the entire Infinity Saga simply could not have come together better than it did in Avengers: Endgame. We can touch on the text of the film itself shortly, but it’s hard to ignore the meta aspects and its place in the monoculture. Endgame shattered all kinds of box office records, for one, and seeing it in theaters on opening night was unlike any other movie-going experience. The crowd reactions were explosive, giving fans exactly what they had been waiting years for, as well as what they didn’t even know they wanted. From cheer moments to shocking deaths and the most comic book-y sequences ever put to film, Avengers: Endgame was like a roller-coaster ride in all the best ways.
In spite of some detractors using that description as an insult, Endgame was far more than a sizzle reel of cheap thrills. The core three Avengers of Captain America, Iron Man and Thor all had rich character arcs, even if the fat Thor bits got a little tired. Every last plot detail matters, to the point that a three-hour runtime completely flies by. It is quite the tall task to construct a time-traveling, multiversal epic that cleverly utilizes 11 years of storytelling and also stands as its own singular narrative, but Kevin Feige, the Russo brothers and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely did just that.
#2: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Andy Silva: What do you do when you don’t know who to trust? What do you do when the very thing you’ve fought for becomes your greatest enemy? And how do you stay true to yourself when nothing around you makes any sense?
Those are the questions facing Steve Rogers in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Steve is still the good man Dr. Erskine believed in, but he’s feeling adrift in modern times. So, he throws himself into the only thing that makes any sense: being a good soldier.
Unfortunately for him, that gets incredibly complicated when S.H.I.E.L.D. turns against him — and is revealed to have been taken over from within by Hydra (and Arnim Zola). He’s thrown for even more of a loop when he discovers Bucky is alive, but on the opposite side as the Winter Soldier.
This is more than just a good superhero film; it’s a masterful suspense thriller, with shocking twists and turns throughout. Robert Redford is great as Alexander Pierce, more than up to the task of going tit-for-tat with Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury, while Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson/Falcon and Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow are worthy compatriots for Cap.
Winter Soldier keeps you on your toes. Just when you think you’ve figured out the answers, the movie changes the question. It forces Cap to rethink his belief in clear-cut good vs. bad and accept that he must evolve for a new time and allow for some shades of gray. But at his core, he is still the Sentinel of Liberty — as evidenced by his chill-inducing speech about the price of freedom being high, but a price he’s willing to pay.
#1: Avengers: Infinity War
Blake Krass: Avengers: Infinity War is the deserving top spot on the best MCU movies of all time. After 10 years of building up this world, all of the Marvel films culminated with this moment. Everything had been building to meeting Thanos and having all of our favorite Marvel heroes try to stop him. There are some incredible sequences in this movie, like Thor landing in Wakanda. The dark ending to this film is also what makes it great. Normally, our heroes alway win in the end. However, in this movie, Thanos eliminated half of the world’s population, including some of our favorite superheroes. This has some of the best action sequences in any Marvel movie and every moment feels earned.