MCU Tier List
The Marvel Cinematic Universe; I need not say more. You already know what it is, and you already know what this list is. This is a tier list of Marvel movies, coming from the dude who’s seen them all (minus Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 3, which will be included in a future edition of this list when I have to update it after 2021 ends). And yes, ONLY the movies will be counted, NOT the shows! Before I get to the list, I’ll explain the Tiers…
S Tier: The best of the best. The legends. The movies that defined and defied all expectations for the genre. Movies that should not just be watched by fans of the franchise or the company, but by cinephiles everywhere.
A Tier: Great, fantastic movies, but something or other holds them back from true greatness. A few minor flaws here or there, but otherwise fantastic.
B Tier: Entertaining movies done right, but otherwise nothing GREAT or spectacular to write home about. The kind of movie you enjoy with your buddies over a tub of popcorn and excitedly talk about after the show’s over.
C Tier: Entertaining movies, but otherwise so-so. You watch’em with your friends or alone, you’re entertained, maybe you talk about the movie after the show’s over, but this isn’t the highlight of your day. It wasn’t BAD, but it wasn’t GREAT either.
D Tier: The movie was bad, but you still managed to find something or another to like about it. Maybe it had a cool scene or two, maybe the main actor wasn’t half bad in the role, but otherwise? Damn…
E Tier: The movie was bad, and you were so bored with it you walked out of the theater/stopped the DVD/stream before it even finished.
F Tier: THE MOVIE IS SO BAD, YOU ACTUALLY CONSIDER WATCHING IT TO BE A FORM OF TORTURE!
And now… onto the list:
S Tier:
1- Iron Man 1 was not just a great superhero movie, it was a superhero movie done RIGHT! This is the movie that not only set the stage for the MCU, it also set up what audiences could expect out of the franchise: turning B-List superheroes into pop culture icons. Seriously; THIS is the movie that put Iron Man on the same pedestal as frickin’ SUPERMAN in the pantheon of superheroes! And the casting of Robert Downey Jr? PURE GENIUS!
2- Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It’s a superhero movie. It’s sci-fi. It’s a political thriller. It’s a character piece. It’s quite possibly one of the best superhero movies ever made, and DEFINITELY the BEST Captain America movie ever!
3- Guardians of the Galaxy. Honestly, it’s a bit hard to believe that people actually, legitimately thought that THIS would be the movie to END the MCU’s popularity, when it did just the opposite: prove that the MCU is the franchise that turns unpopular superheroes into money printers. Before this movie came out, the Guardians of the Galaxy were a team of superheroes that were completely unknown outside the comics, to the point that when Rocket Racoon was announced for Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, many gamers were legit asking “what the actual fuck? A racoon with a gun? That’s a thing???” After 2014, though, it’s safe to say these characters have become iconic! And let’s not forget that soundtrack; it’s FIRE!
A Tier:
1- Avengers Infinity War. A nail biting action movie that had me at the edge of my seat from start to finish! I ALMOST consider it S-Tier, but one thing holds it back; it’s so obviously the first half of a super long movie that it becomes easy to predict that the bad guy wins at the end. That said? This is STILL the BEST of the Avengers movies!
2- Captain America: The First Avenger. Did for Cap what Iron Man 1 did for Iron Man, with the added bonus of some gorgeous period sets and convincing special effects for scrawny Steve Rogers. That said, I felt as though Red Skull and Hydra were so-so villains. I would have strongly preferred to see Steve Rogers go against the Nazis, but otherwise? A fantastic film!
3- Thor Ragnarok proved to be more than an action packed romp; it was also a pretty damn funny movie! I seriously consider this a superhero comedy movie done RIGHT! It had just that right blend of action, humor, and heart to keep it feeling fresh and entertaining! And that villain? You just can’t go wrong with Cate Blanchett!
4- The Avengers. If Iron Man 1 set up the MCU, THIS is the movie that showed the world that the MCU was THE superhero movie franchise! The brilliance of this movie was that it was set up by the previous five movies, so the movie felt like a satisfying payoff for those who’ve already seen the films that came before it! That said, I do feel as though the movie takes its sweet time getting to the GOOD part, which is when the heroes all come together to kick bad guy butt. But oh well; for what it is, it’s still good!
5- Avengers Endgame was the movie event of the 2010’s, no question. This was the culmination of a story eleven years in the telling, and of course it didn’t disappoint. That said? That whole time travel thing? It…brought the movie down a few notches, I’ll be honest.
6- Captain America Civil War did a GREAT job setting up Phase 3 of the MCU, while providing the audience with heart wrenching scenes and moments that would haunt them for years. Although I consider it the LEAST of the Captain America movies, I STILL consider it nothing short of awesome. That said? Knowing the Avengers were ALL holding back during their big confrontation pretty much ruined whatever tension there could be found in the big confrontation between Team Cap and Team Iron Man.
B Tier:
1- Black Panther. Yes, yes, I know; this is a culturally important movie due to being the first Black Movie to become a blockbuster. But set that aside for a moment, and what do you have? A movie that has to go out of its way to depict the villain as an asshole, because he was otherwise making TOO MUCH SENSE! The movie never even tries to show that Killmonger is wrong about Wakanda’s responsibility towards the African Diaspora; in fact, at the end of the movie, the main hero ends up AGREEING with him! There’s a LOT to love in this movie, but there’s also a lot that’ll leave you scratching your head…
2- Spider-Man Homecoming was a crowd pleasing movie, and Tom Holland really solidified himself as this generation’s Spidey, with plenty of action and humor to keep you entertained. It’s a solid Spider-Man movie, but it’s far, far, FAR from the best. I personally believe that the MCU Spider-Man will always have the misfortune of being in the shadow of the Reimi Trilogy, particularly Spider-Man 2. Choosing to gloss over Spidey’s origins may well have been a good idea from a Meta point of view (since we’ve already seen Uncle Ben get killed twice by now), but from a narrative point, it might be a mistake. The movie just assumes we’re already familiar with why Peter is Spidey, which isn’t farfetched to believe, but still…
3- Ant-Man was a fun heist/superhero genre blend that was funny, action packed, and filled with endearing characters… juuust don’t think about the movie’s internal logic too much. No, seriously, if you start going down that road, you’ll never know peace. “Shut up and enjoy!” is your mantra for this movie!
C Tier
1- Avengers Age of Ultron. Yeah, it’s a fun movie. It’s action packed, it’s got a cool villain, but… no, this movie’s biggest weakness is that the heroes kind of suck. Hawkeye really shined in this movie, which was GREAT considering how underused he was in Avengers 1. But otherwise? The heroes were underwhelming in this one. Tony Stark just kept making mistake after mistake, Cap and Thor mostly just felt like they were there to be there, and let’s NOT get into what they did to Black Widow!
2- Doctor Strange was an entertaining movie, but we gotta be honest: this is just Magic Iron Man. The villain was underwhelming, Stephen Strange was just Surgeon Tony Stark without the charm, the Ancient One should NOT have been a white woman, and so on. But the action scenes were great, and the way the villains were dealt with was clever and interesting, so there’s that.
3- Thor. AGAIN we’re doing the “jerk learns to not be a jerk anymore and start being a hero” story that ONLY Iron Man 1 could get away with. If not for Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, this movie would have been D Tier, I’ll be honest. It was Loki that made the movie for me!
4- Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2 is SUCH a letdown from how GREAT the first one was! There’s still pretty good humor, fun action scenes, nice character development, and we get some awesome moments like “I’m Mary Poppins, ya’ll!” Otherwise, the movie kind of teeters between “good but not great” and “not bad, but not good.” The villain was so-so, and I believe that REALLY bogged down the movie.
5- Spider-Man Far from Home is a movie I have mixed feelings on. On one hand, it’s VERY entertaining and properly exciting, with some good twists in the story. On the other, it’s so far removed from what Spider-Man should be as a character that I am sorely tempted to not even consider it a TRUE Spider-Man movie. I think that Tony Stark’s posthumous presence in the movie really bogs it down.
6- Ant-Man and the Wasp had its ups and downs, but it otherwise just didn’t feel like a story that NEEDED to be told. Now make no mistake, it was necessary to set up Scott Lang for Endgame, and the movie did a good job of introducing Jimmy Woo, who’d go on to win our hearts in WandaVision. And there’s some cool action scenes, sure. But that’s all the praise I can give this movie.
D Tier
1- Captain Marvel. This might be controversial, but I found the movie AND the character to be as bland as unseasoned rice. I can give this movie no praise; the action was dull, the main character was borderline unlikeable, the villains were ho-hum at BEST; it’s a movie that’s hard to like! Also I take issue with how Marvel and Disney really emphasized how this was their FIRST female-led superhero movie…TWO WHOLE YEARS AFTER WONDER WOMAN BLAZED THAT TRAIL! But the Skrulls were kinda cool, and the cat was cute, so…there’s that.
2- Thor The Dark World. Bottom of the barrel, and the WORST movie in the MCU. Bland heroes, bland villains… again, only Tom Hiddleston’s Loki manages to save this film, only this time, he saves it from the dreaded E Tier.
