Avengers: Endgame is on the horizon, what better time to rank the Marvel Cinematic Universe films released so far?

Now this list isn’t scientific, it’s all based on the gut feeling these films gave me and how much I enjoyed them. I know people will disagree and question some of the order, but hey, make your own list and we’ll compare!

Let’s get this thing started!

21. Thor: The Dark World

This film is easily the most unmemorable in the MCU. It was pretty cool to see that they were still trying to figure out Thor as a character and how to make him interesting. It makes me glad that they have finally figured out how to adequately use him in subsequent films.

20. The Incredible Hulk

This is perhaps the most disconnected MCU film and so many people forget that it’s even a part of it. That said, there is some peculiar stuff in this film that I actually like. Sure, Hulk fights another Hulk-like creature in the end, but it was still fun to see him throw down with the Abomination. Edward Norton was a fine Bruce Banner but Mark Ruffalo was a definite improvement in the casting department.

19. Doctor Strange

For me, I find almost all of the characters, except for maybe Wong, incredibly boring. However, I did think they did a decent job of introducing mysticism and some of the otherworldly elements to the MCU. I also love what they did with his battle against Dormammu. It would have been easy to just have a laser light show battle in the end, but they found an incredibly interesting way to use the powers at play and make for a compelling end sequence.

18. Iron Man 2

I am a bit of an apologist for this film. Sure it isn’t great, but the briefcase section is really cool and I do enjoy some of the smaller character moments involving Tony Stark and his supporting cast.

17. Thor

While I enjoy some of the background lore surrounding Asgard and its inhabitants, as well as everybody’s favorite god of mischief Loki, this film takes itself way too seriously. Again, it was clear that they were trying to figure out the correct feel for the MCU films and characters, but it’s definitely one that I don’t think is worth revisiting if you don’t need to.

16. Ant-Man and the Wasp

This is one of those films that’s fine. It’s not great, but it’s not terrible. It’s biggest crime is probably that it feels unnecessary. It also doesn’t really have any standout moments, and, frankly, most of what we would consider cool was shown in the trailers, causing so many moments to lose that extra oomph. I also feel that a few too many aspects felt a bit too derivative of the first film.

15. Ant-Man

I’m all for MCU films that feel like standalone pieces, but this really, really felt unnecessary. Paul Rudd is fantastic and I think the film is well cast, I still love Michael Pena in this one. I think they really made the best of a bad situation here, having lost Edgar Wright as their director, they were definitely able to salvage the pieces and still make something that can be enjoyed, just wish it did a bit more to make me love it.

14. Avengers: Age of Ultron

While I do like a few aspects of this film, mainly action sequences like the Hulk vs Hulkbuster fight, and I dig some of the setups for the future films, this one falls a bit flat. At times it felt like they were doing a bit too much setup and focused too much on creating cool moments and hero shots, sacrificing telling an interesting story in the process.

13. Iron Man 3

It’s hard to follow the Avengers but I felt that Shane Black did a decent job of telling a story focusing on Stark’s PTSD following his near-death experience. I liked the misdirect with the Mandarin, though I know many comic fans still hate it. This is another film that feels somewhat unnecessary in the grand scheme of things.

12. Captain Marvel

This ranking might feel low to folks, but I didn’t hate this film. I didn’t love it either. The supporting cast is great, most of the story I found enjoyable, and there were some great sequences, but I felt that Brie Larson was shortchanged in terms of the material and lines that were written for her. To me, her character felt uneven and I never quite got a sense of who she was or what her personality really is. I’m also not a huge fan of amnesia stories. I did love her interaction with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury though, that was probably my favorite part and I would love to see more of those two together. Maybe we can get more of that when we get the sequel.

11. Captain America: The First Avenger

I kind of dig the feel of this film, it was like The Rocketeer but with Captain America. I felt that they nailed who Cap was perfectly and I still think this movie is a lot of fun. Sure there are some aspects that feel silly and incongruous with the rest of the film, but I still enjoy going back to this film often.

10. Avengers

I loved seeing all of the heroes come together in this film but a lot of it feels rough compared to some of the later installments. I think this in part due to figuring out how to make these characters truly work together and some of the annoying Whedonisms that I wish the film could have avoided. Also, this is a smaller thing, but I hate Cap’s costume in this film, it’s easily the worst of his appearances. At the end of the day, it’s a brilliant proof of concept for the original mission of the MCU and I think that it did a marvelous job of finally getting an intricate team together in a big way. Sure we had X-Men and Fantastic Four before, but those characters were already interwoven whereas the Avengers served as the convergence of multiple characters who truly had their own unique narratives.

9. Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 2

I know some people feel that the story, at least the team story, of Guardians Volume 2 is too similar to the first film, but for me, the visuals are really where this film shines. The colors, the camera movements, the weirdness, the visual gags, this film just ratchets up the things we loved about the Guardians to a new level. It doesn’t quite recapture the lightning that the first film was, but it definitely is a rewatch that I keep in rotation regularly.

8. Spider-Man: Homecoming

Not much to say here, it is the best of the live-action Spider-Man films. I love the smaller feel of this film and the fact that it feels so much more personal than many of the other MCU films. I also love that it captures so much of what I have always loved about Spider-Man.

7. Thor: Ragnarok

Taika Waititi cracked the Thor code. The character is finally used perfectly, his world is so well-realized, and Thor finally felt fun again. Love the music, action, humor, and characters. Also, Hulk and Thor are the perfect pair, hoping to see them shoulder to shoulder in Endgame.

6. Captain America: Civil War

Look, I love Avengers 2.5. This film was a lot of fun. I dig the introductions of both Black Panther and Spider-Man to the universe and there are so many badass moments. I also feel like they did a good job of balancing the action and storytelling, making character moments compelling and giving us the elements we need from a good action blockbuster.

5. Iron Man

The one that started it all. It’s a good movie but it’s not my favorite. I feel like it got the characters mostly right and was a good tone-setter for the MCU, even though it felt like they didn’t learn all of the lessons they needed to right away. But yeah, our first introduction to Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is undeniably enjoyable and while I don’t rewatch it often, it’s still a joy to back to from time to time and remember where the MCU all began.

4. Guardians of the Galaxy

I have a soft spot for weird, off-kilter characters coming together for a common purpose as they figure out how to work together. I guess that also could describe the Avengers, but the Guardians are on another level. Seeing Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot come together was pure hilarity and joy. The movie took some of the great aspects of previous MCU films, mixed in some of the cooler aspects of Star Wars-style space stories, blended in some amazing music selections, fantastic jokes, good writing and stirred it all together into a delicious entertainment spectacle. Also, a dance-off to save the planet? How often do we get something like that in a movie?

3. Black Panther

Do you want to know how I feel about Black Panther? I recorded a whole hour-long podcast episode about it. The Black Panther was, or perhaps still is, a cultural moment and its impact is undeniable. I know that not everyone loves it, though most do, it was a film I felt like I had been waiting for my entire life.

2. Captain America: Winter Soldier

For me, this film represents something that most MCU films haven’t quite been able to figure out, save for the two Ant-Man films: the genre change. Breaking out of being a standard superhero film and adopting aspects of espionage thrillers was such a great choice and makes Winter Soldier a fun film to watch. I also love the way they were able to turn SHIELD on its head and tear apart something that had become a fundamental lore aspect of the MCU since the post-credits scene of the first Iron Man. This film also saw some of the best uses of characters like Nick Fury and Black Widow, and all of the Bucky/Winter Soldier and Cap moments were great. Plus, can we talk about that elevator fight scene?

1. Avengers: Infinity War

I love Black Panther and Winter Soldier, but Infinity War IS THAT FILM. More so than any MCU film before, it’s tying it all together. I know, writing this before Endgame releases may be a bit of a mistake and I may append once it releases, but taking 10 years of films and finding a way to have them culminate at this moment was something that I never really imagined. I know this doesn’t say much, but if you want to hear more, I have two different podcasts you can listen to, one looking at the 10 years leading to Infinity War and one full-spoiler discussion of the film.

So what are your thoughts? How closely does your list match up? Is there a film that I love but you hate? Let me know in the comments or on social media.