Let's be real for a second. If you ask ten different people to rank every single movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you’re going to get ten different shouting matches. It’s unavoidable. We’ve been living with these characters since 2008, and at this point, the MCU isn't just a film franchise—it’s a collective memory. But here’s the thing: most of the "definitive" lists you see online are basically just echoing the same three opinions they heard on Twitter back in 2019.
Ranking all Marvel movies in 2026 is a completely different beast than it was even two years ago. We’ve had the "course correction" of 2025, the weird experimental phase of the early 2020s, and now we’re staring down the barrel of Avengers: Doomsday. The hierarchy has shifted.
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The Bottom of the Barrel: Where Good Ideas Go to Die
Everyone loves to dogpile on Thor: The Dark World. Is it the worst? Honestly, maybe. It’s certainly the most forgettable. Christopher Eccleston is a phenomenal actor, but as Malekith, he’s basically just a piece of grey cardboard with ears. It’s a "stepping stone" movie that exists only to move an Infinity Stone from point A to point B.
But we have to talk about the recent stuff. Captain America: Brave New World was a mess. There’s no other way to put it. Anthony Mackie is great, but the movie felt like it was edited by a committee that couldn't decide if they wanted a political thriller or a commercial for action figures. Then you have The Marvels. People were way too mean to it on the internet, but that doesn't make it a "good" movie. The chemistry between Iman Vellani and Brie Larson was the only thing keeping that ship afloat.
And then there's Eternals.
Man, Eternals.
It’s beautiful to look at. Chloe Zhao has an incredible eye. But trying to introduce ten new leads in one movie? It’s too much. It feels like a 10-hour miniseries that someone accidentally put in a trash compactor until it was 150 minutes long.
The "Fine, I Guess" Tier
This is the middle of the pack. The movies you’ll watch if they’re on in a hotel room, but you aren’t seeking them out. Ant-Man and the Wasp lives here. So does Black Widow. These movies aren't "bad," they’re just... there. They fulfill a contract.
Iron Man 2 is better than people remember, mostly because Sam Rockwell is having the time of his life as Justin Hammer. But the plot? It’s basically just Tony Stark having a midlife crisis while Mickey Rourke complains about his bird. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s fine.
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The 2025 Surprise: Thunderbolts*
Nobody expected Thunderbolts to be as good as it was. Most of us assumed it would be a "diet Suicide Squad." Instead, we got a movie that actually cared about its characters. Florence Pugh is the MVP of the current MCU, period. Her Yelena Belova has more heart in a single scene than some of the other heroes have in entire trilogies. The way it handled mental health and the "discarded" feeling of these anti-heroes felt surprisingly grounded for a movie about people in spandex.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Top 10
This is where the real fighting starts. Usually, people just put Avengers: Endgame at #1 and call it a day.
Don't do that.
Endgame is a miracle of logistics. It’s an emotional payoff that shouldn't have been possible. But is it a better movie than Infinity War?
Absolutely not.
Avengers: Infinity War is a masterpiece of pacing. It’s basically a Thanos solo movie where the heroes are the antagonists trying to stop him. It’s lean, it’s mean, and the ending still hurts. If you're ranking all Marvel movies based on actual filmmaking and not just "the feels," Infinity War wins every single time.
The Winter Soldier Peak
If you want to talk about the absolute gold standard, it’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It’s a 70s-style conspiracy thriller that just happens to have a guy with a shield in it. It changed the tone of the entire MCU. Before this, everything was a bit "shiny." The Russos came in and made it gritty, tactical, and personal.
And let’s talk about Spider-Man: No Way Home. It’s high up there because of the nostalgia, sure. Seeing the three Peters together was a literal fever dream come true. But if you strip away the cameos, the middle section drags a bit. It’s still top-tier, but it’s not the flawless victory people claim it is.
The Absolute Pantheon
- Avengers: Infinity War - The stakes have never felt higher.
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Perfectly directed, perfectly paced.
- Iron Man - The one that started it all. RDJ is lightning in a bottle.
- Guardians of the Galaxy - James Gunn proved you can make people cry over a talking raccoon.
- Black Panther - Cultural impact aside, the world-building of Wakanda is unmatched.
- Thor: Ragnarok - Taika Waititi saved Thor by making him a weirdo. It worked.
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Wait, strictly MCU? Fine, Spider-Man: No Way Home).
- Avengers: Endgame - The greatest "event" in cinema history.
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps - The 60s retro-futurism was exactly what the doctor ordered in 2025.
- The Avengers (2012) - It’s still the blueprint.
The Nuance of "Rewatchability"
There is a massive difference between a "great" movie and a "rewatchable" movie. Black Panther is a great movie, but I find myself rewatching Guardians of the Galaxy way more often. Why? Because it’s fun.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the "cinema" of it all that we forget these are comic book movies. Thor: Ragnarok is pure joy. It’s neon, it’s stupid, and it’s brilliant. If a movie doesn't make you want to go back to that world, does it really deserve a top spot?
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a great example of this. The first two acts are incredible martial arts cinema. The third act becomes a CGI dragon mess. Does the bad ending ruin the great beginning? Not entirely, but it keeps it out of the top 5.
How to Do Your Own Ranking
If you’re going to sit down and rank these for yourself, stop looking at Rotten Tomatoes. Those scores are a snapshot of a moment in time. Instead, ask yourself these three things:
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- Does the villain actually matter? (Think Killmonger vs. Malekith).
- Is the hero different by the end? (Tony Stark in Iron Man 1 vs. Sam Wilson in Brave New World).
- Would I watch this again right now?
The MCU is a living thing. With Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon and the return of RDJ as Doom, the rankings are going to get shuffled again. But for now, the middle-era masterpieces like Winter Soldier and Infinity War remain the kings of the hill.
Go back and watch Captain America: The First Avenger. It’s aged like fine wine. It’s a period piece with heart, and honestly, it’s better than 70% of the stuff we’ve seen in the last three years. Trust your own eyes, not the hype cycle.
Actionable Insight: If you're planning a rewatch before the next big release, don't go in chronological order. Go by "vibe." Group the cosmic stuff (Guardians, Thor, Eternals) together, then the street-level stuff (Spider-Man, Daredevil, Ant-Man). You'll notice patterns in the writing you never saw before.