Every MCU Movie Ranked Worst to Best
Our pick for the best MCU movie is Avengers: Endgame, and our last place goes to Thor: The Dark World. Here’s our opinionated 2026 ranking of all 38 Marvel Cinematic Universe films, worst to best, with a short take on each. It’s one editorial view, not a final verdict, and the criteria are below so you can see why each film lands where it does.
How we ranked the movies
This is an editorial ranking: our opinion, argued case by case, not an average of critic or audience scores. Every title was judged on the same five things:
- Story does it hold together as a film, with stakes that land and an ending that pays off?
- Characters do the heroes and villain have clear wants, change, and performances that stick?
- Filmmaking action you can follow, a visual identity, music and editing that serve the story.
- Rewatch value is it as good, or better, the second and third time?
- Works on its own how much it relies on homework. Setting up the saga earns a little credit, but never rescues a weak film.
Who it’s for: fans who have seen most of the MCU and want a second opinion, or newcomers deciding what to prioritize. If you’d rather go by numbers, see the highest-rated MCU movies, which sorts by IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. Ratings and ranks were last reviewed in October 2026; see our editorial standards for how we work.
The full ranking
- 38
Thor: The Dark World
2013 · IMDb 6.7 · RT 67%
A common pick for last place. A villain you forget mid-film, a plot that exists to move an Infinity Stone, and the rare MCU film with no memorable set piece.
- 37
The Incredible Hulk
2008 · IMDb 6.6 · RT 67%
Watchable but anonymous: the MCU film Marvel would most like you to forget, saved only by a decent final fight.
- 36
Iron Man 2
2010 · IMDb 6.9 · RT 72%
More interested in setting up the Avengers than telling its own story. Whiplash deserved better.
- 35
Eternals
2021 · IMDb 6.2 · RT 47%
Big ideas, beautiful to look at, emotionally inert. The MCU's most ambitious swing and its most debated miss.
- 34
Captain Marvel
2019 · IMDb 6.7 · RT 79%
A solid origin that never quite ignites. Brie Larson is great; the 90s nostalgia does a lot of heavy lifting.
- 33
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
2023 · IMDb 6.0 · RT 46%
Kang's big introduction deserved a better film. The Quantum Realm looks like a screensaver and the stakes never land.
- 32
Captain America: Brave New World
2025 · IMDb 5.6 · RT 48%
Sam Wilson's first solo outing as Cap. Earnest and well-intentioned, but the reshoots show and Red Hulk can't save a muddled script.
- 31
Thor: Love and Thunder
2022 · IMDb 6.1 · RT 63%
Waititi pushed the joke too far this time. Gorr is genuinely terrifying in a film that refuses to take him seriously.
- 30
Black Widow
2021 · IMDb 6.6 · RT 79%
A good film that arrived four years too late. The Yelena-Red Guardian family dynamic is the real prize.
- 29
Avengers: Age of Ultron
2015 · IMDb 7.3 · RT 75%
The awkward middle child. Ultron had potential as a dark mirror of Tony, but the film drowns in setup for what comes next.
- 28
The Marvels
2023 · IMDb 5.5 · RT 62%
Short, sweet, and unfairly maligned. The trio's chemistry is delightful even when the plot is thin.
- 27
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
2022 · IMDb 6.9 · RT 74%
Raimi's horror fingerprints are all over it, for better and worse. Elizabeth Olsen gets the boldest showcase Phase Four offered anyone.
- 26
Thor
2011 · IMDb 7.0 · RT 77%
Shakespeare in space, mostly. Branagh's operatic take works better than it should, and Loki's introduction is perfect.
- 25
Iron Man 3
2013 · IMDb 7.1 · RT 79%
The Mandarin twist remains divisive, but the PTSD arc gives Tony his most human story since the first film.
- 24
Ant-Man
2015 · IMDb 7.2 · RT 83%
A heist movie that happens to have a superhero in it. Paul Rudd's charm carries everything.
- 23
Ant-Man and the Wasp
2018 · IMDb 7.0 · RT 87%
Light, breezy, forgettable, and that's fine. The palate cleanser between Infinity War and Endgame.
- 22
Thunderbolts*
2025 · IMDb 7.3 · RT 88%
The MCU's Suicide Squad done right. A team of damaged antiheroes with genuine chemistry and the franchise's best third-act twist in years.
- 21
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2017 · IMDb 7.6 · RT 85%
Messier than the first but more emotional. The ending still hits.
- 20
Spider-Man: Far From Home
2019 · IMDb 7.4 · RT 90%
A breezy post-Endgame palate cleanser. Mysterio's illusion sequence is a top-tier MCU set piece.
- 19
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
2025 · IMDb 7.5 · RT 86%
The MCU finally gets Marvel's First Family right. Retro-futuristic 60s setting, genuine family warmth, and Galactus done properly at last.
- 18
Spider-Man: Homecoming
2017 · IMDb 7.4 · RT 92%
The MCU finally got Spider-Man right: a kid, a neighborhood, and the Vulture, the franchise's most grounded villain.
- 17
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
2026 · IMDb 8.2 · RT 90%
A fresh start for Peter Parker. Street-level stakes after the multiverse madness, exactly what the character needed.
- 16
Doctor Strange
2016 · IMDb 7.5 · RT 89%
Inception with magic. The visuals were genuinely groundbreaking; the origin beats are familiar.
- 15
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
2022 · IMDb 6.6 · RT 84%
Made under impossible circumstances after Boseman's passing. Messy but deeply felt; Namor is a great addition.
- 14
Deadpool & Wolverine
2024 · IMDb 8.0 · RT 78%
Pure fan service, and proud of it. The TVA framing gives the jokes multiverse stakes, and Jackman is phenomenal.
- 13
Thor: Ragnarok
2017 · IMDb 7.9 · RT 93%
The funniest MCU film and a total reinvention of Thor. Loses points for undercutting every emotional beat with a joke.
- 12
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
2021 · IMDb 7.4 · RT 92%
The best action choreography in the MCU. The third act goes full CGI dragon, but the bus fight is legendary.
- 11
Guardians of the Galaxy
2014 · IMDb 8.0 · RT 91%
The risk that paid off spectacularly. Made D-list comics characters into household names overnight.
- 10
Captain America: The First Avenger
2011 · IMDb 6.9 · RT 80%
A sincere wartime adventure that only gets better with age. The Steve-Peggy romance is the MCU's best.
- 9
Iron Man
2008 · IMDb 7.9 · RT 94%
The one that started it all. Downey's performance remains the gold standard for superhero casting.
- 8
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
2023 · IMDb 7.9 · RT 82%
Gunn's farewell is the trilogy's emotional peak. Rocket's origin story is heartbreaking and the High Evolutionary is terrifying.
- 7
Marvel's The Avengers
2012 · IMDb 8.0 · RT 91%
The impossible crossover that worked. The Battle of New York redefined what blockbusters could be.
- 6
Captain America: Civil War
2016 · IMDb 7.8 · RT 90%
Essentially Avengers 2.5, and better than most Avengers films. The airport battle remains the MCU's best hero-vs-hero fight.
- 5
Black Panther
2018 · IMDb 7.3 · RT 96%
A cultural event as much as a movie. Killmonger is one of the MCU's best villains: he's partly right, and that's the point.
- 4
Spider-Man: No Way Home
2021 · IMDb 8.2 · RT 93%
Throwing the multiverse at Spider-Man shouldn't work, but it does, gloriously. The Statue of Liberty finale is the scene everyone remembers.
- 3
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2014 · IMDb 7.7 · RT 90%
The MCU's best thriller. A paranoid 70s conspiracy film wearing superhero clothes.
- 2
Avengers: Infinity War
2018 · IMDb 8.4 · RT 85%
Thanos's movie, and the boldest cliffhanger in blockbuster history. Its ending broke the culture for a summer.
- 1
Avengers: Endgame
2019 · IMDb 8.4 · RT 94%
The culmination of 22 films. Imperfect, overstuffed, and utterly triumphant; the final battle earned a decade of buildup.
Ranking FAQ
What is the best MCU movie of all time?
By our editorial ranking, Avengers: Endgame takes the top spot, the culmination of 22 films and a cultural event. Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Infinity War round out the top three.
What is the worst MCU movie?
Thor: The Dark World sits at the bottom of our ranking: forgettable villain, weightless plot, and the rare MCU film with no standout moments.
How is this ranking decided?
Editorially. Our team judged every film on the same five things: story, characters, filmmaking, rewatch value and how well it works on its own. It’s our opinion, not an average of review scores.