On May 6, 2016, the 13th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was released. The movie is titled Captain America: Civil War and featured Iron Man and Captain America, leading teams of other super-powered individuals in a fight against whether the government should have control over the people in the world with special abilities. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had its ups and downs throughout the years with its movies. Some have been good, some have been bad, others are somewhere in the middle. To outline these ups and downs, I’ve created a ranking of the worst to best MCU movies.

13. Iron Man 2
    

With the success and greatness of Iron Man, it’s no surprise that Iron Man 2 fell short. What was surprising was how short it fell. Iron Man 2 is the worst of all the movies in the MCU so far. It has a shaky plot with bland action and, at its core, is just a setup for The Avengers. The movie has some strong points in it. The introduction of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is exciting. Robert Downey Jr of course is a brilliant actor and the movie is generally funny, but even these things can’t save the movie from a boring villain, an anti-climatic finale and far too many mentions of a bird. Although the movie has its strong points, they are overshadowed by the larger number of weak points.

12. Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Avengers: Age Of Ultron had a ton of hype to live up to after successes like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy, so it’s no surprise it fell short. The movie could have been a lot better than it was. It had  a cliche plot line and lazy screenwriting that relied on cheap shock factors. Many characters also act very differently for the sake of the plot and created story lines for them that felt awkward and forced. The biggest example of this is the forced “romance” between The Hulk and Black Widow. “I didn’t enjoy the fact that Black Widow was portrayed like another love interest who needed rescuing,” says Karolyn Ficken (‘18) “She’s just as capable on her own, with or without [The Hulk].” All of these things ruin the potential this movie had. It’s funny and has some really great moments, but on the whole, it’s kind of a disappointment.

11. Thor
    

Thor is pretty average. The story is alright and some of the characters like Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) are actually pretty cool and interesting. However, nothing about Thor is particularly memorable. It’s not the most interesting and isn’t the funniest. It’s not really bad either, but it’s just not the best movie in this Universe. All in all, it’s got a pretty good story and is generally fine but it’s a little bit bland compared to the others. It is worth a watch if you’re a fan of Marvel, but don’t expect it to be the best movie you’ve ever seen.

10. The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk is another movie similar to Thor. It’s good,  just not great. I personally am not a huge fan of the Hulk in general, but I did enjoy this movie. The story line is at times a little unoriginal but the movie is interesting and keeps you attentive throughout the entirety of it. The actors all do a fairly good job portraying their characters and the film definitely has its moments with humor. It’s a pretty  good movie, especially considering how new the Marvel Cinematic Universe was at the time. Even though the movie isn’t the most epic or spectacular in the MCU, it’s entertaining and worth a watch.

9. Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World is a sequel that was better than its predecessor. The movie has a better plot. It also advances the overall story line of the MCU more with the introduction of the first infinity stone. It explorers the character Loki who is played by Tom Hiddleston and his true nature more which is something I found very interesting. However, the plot can lag sometimes and you may find yourself wishing some parts would go faster than they do. Like on most MCU films, the action is very good and features some of the usual Marvel spark. “It’s not the best movie that Marvel has made, but it was definitely worth a watch,” says Helen Rodefeld (‘16). Either way, Thor: The Dark World is a fairly good movie, especially if you really want to understand the main storyline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  

8. Iron Man 3

This movie is considerably better than the previous Iron Man movie, but can’t quite live up to the name of the first installment of the series. Robert Downey Jr. does another extraordinary job playing Iron Man, portraying both his humor and his vulnerability very well. The plot is a little bit jumbled and a little bit recycled (it has a few too many similarities to The Incredibles). Despite that, the movie still succeeds in engaging the audience. Iron Man 3 overall is a pretty good movie with awesome action sequences and a perfect amount of humor; the slightly messy story line is its only real downfall.

7. Ant Man

Ant Man was surprisingly good. I went into the theater expecting to see a less than average movie, but was happily surprised with the outcome. Paul Rudd is the perfect actor to play Scott Lang, and he keeps the audience engaged, even at the times when the plot gets a bit boring. Evangeline Lilly’s character, Hope, is a well-written and strong female character and Michael Peña’s character, Luis, provides great comic relief that can make anyone smile. The only thing is that the plot is a fairly recycled one. It’s basically the same plot as Iron Man (except not as good). Ant Man is funny, entertaining and exceeded my expectations, but it doesn’t compare to some of the other works in the franchise.

6.  Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger works as a great introduction to the MCU and the story lines of all of the heroes very well. The premise is slightly boring but the movie is well structured and has a great script. The actors are also extremely talented and Chris Evans does an amazing job portraying Captain America. You can’t help but fall in love with the characters in this movie. However, it’s just not as good as some of the other movies in the series. It does its job at entertaining the viewer and telling the story of Captain America, but it lacks the action that the other movies provide. The cast and characters are all great, the plot is fairly interesting and the movie is overall very entertaining, but it just doesn’t compare to some of the other installments of the series.

5. The Avengers

The Avengers was easily the most anticipated movie of the MCU and for good reason. Marvel had been setting up all of their characters in order to assemble them all into one epic team in one epic movie, and The Avengers was exceptional. The action in this movie was marvelous (pun fully intended) and it had some really good humor. Every character in this movie is spectacular, especially Iron Man, and they are all sure to make you smile. However, this movie has its faults. The first half of the movie is a little slow-moving, and Loki’s plan is overly complicated to the point that it’s just a bad plan. Despite this, the movie does a wonderful job bringing the characters together and making an action packed movie that is sure to please every person, fan or not.

4. Iron Man

Iron Man was the first MCU movie ever made and it is an outstanding movie. Robert Downey Jr is the perfect Tony Stark and his charm and charisma are what have caused Marvel to be so successful today. Iron Man is well scripted, well-acted and hilarious. The characters in the movie are interesting and lovable and watching it never gets old. The plot, while a little predictable, is pretty good and everyone, comic book fan or not, can definitely enjoy this movie. Jo Hammond (‘17) said, “I really love the movie and I think that they did an amazing job with casting.” It’s an outstanding movie and was the perfect way to launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

No one really knew what to expect when Guardians of the Galaxy hit the theaters and it blew everyone away. While the plot isn’t the most original, every actor and actress in this movie is hilarious and the movie has extraordinary action sequences. Chris Pratt does a tremendous as the lead character, Star-lord, and Groot (Vin Diesel), while only capable of saying the words “I am Groot” is a spectacular character. The other 3 guardians, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista) and Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) are also terrific and unforgettable. The action sequences and spunk that the movie has make it so wonderful. Guardians of the Galaxy is funny, well-acted and I would definitely recommend it to anyone, Marvel fan or not.

2. Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War is an astonishing movie. The movie, while long, is emotional, powerful, funny, action-packed and overall extremely entertaining. It is simply a masterpiece, placing it far up on this list despite only being released a few weeks ago. Every character gets the right amount of screen-time and an amazing story line with great characterization, unlike its predecessor Age of Ultron. The movie is incredibly intense, and will make you question what you know about the characters that you thought you knew. A new side of both Iron Man and Captain America is explored and this makes the movie extremely effective. Ant Man and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) both provide great comic relief and the relationship between Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) is humorous as well. The introduction of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) is nothing less than awesome and will definitely get you excited for his solo film. “It’s the greatest superhero movie of all time,” says Adam Walters (‘18). You will laugh, you will cry, but most of all, you’ll love the movie.

1.  Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is what every superhero and action movie should aim to be. Many were not all that impressed with The First Avenger, but the thrilling combat and action sequences,  interesting and well written characters, and excellent plot make The Winter Soldier the best movie in the entire MCU. Every single actor and actress in this movie delivers perfectly, especially Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier.  The movie does all the characters justice and it has a perfect amount of humor and action. Other things like the chemistry shown between Black Widow and Captain America is fantastic and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) is a perfect addition to the team. Plus, the reveal at the end isn’t entirely obvious and the climax is actually quite powerful. Lenape student Nivi Ramalingam (‘18)  said “The Winter Soldier is one of Marvel’s best movies to date because it has interesting characters and a captivating plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat.” The Winter Soldier takes you on an emotional roller coaster from the moment the movie starts and is entertaining the whole way through. The movie is funny, it has action, and is at times emotional. It’s an incredible movie.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree or did I completely mess up this entire list? Leave a comment down below to let me know!