Flickering Myth ranks the Marvel Cinematic Universe from Worst to Best

Flickering Myth’s writing team ranks the ten films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from worst to best…In 1998, one year after director Joel Schumacher brought the genre to its knees with the release of Batman & Robin, a superhero movie resurgance got underway, spearheaded by the Marvel properties Blade, X-Men and Spider-Man. However, unlike DC – whose parent company Warner Bros. controlled the movie rights to its stable of superheroes – Marvel’s characters were licensed out to other studios, to varying degrees of success (for every X2, there’s an Elektra).By 2004, Marvel was formulating a plan to produce a slate of self-financed movies and having secured $525 million of funding, it was announced the following year that Marvel Studios would produce ten movies based upon its characters. The only problem was, Marvel’s A-list properties were already under the control of other studios, and aside from Captain America and The Avengers, the likes of Nick Fury, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Cloak & Dagger, Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, Power Pack and Shang-Chi didn’t quite have the same ring to them as Spider-Man and X-Men.Despite initial cynicism, Marvel Studios bolstered its roster by regaining the rights to Thor, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, announcing the latter two as their first two features for release in 2008 and marking the beginning of a shared Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, six years and ten films later, the Marvel Cinematic Universe stands as the highest-grossing domestic franchise of all-time and is just an Age of Ultron away from overtaking Harry Potter and replicating that achievement on a global scale.With the release of Guardians of the Galaxy bringing Marvel Studios’ filmography up to ten, we thought it was an ideal time to rank the Cinematic Universe from worst to best. To do so, we invited our writers to submit their individual lists, and allocated points accordingly. Click below to begin our countdown, and see how Flickering Myth ranks the MCU…10. Iron Man 2, 2010.Directed by Jon Favreau.Starring Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Don Cheadle (James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes), Sam Rockwell (Justin Hammer), Mickey Rourke (Ivan Vanko/Whiplash), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), John Favreau (Happy Hogan), John Slattrey (Howard Stark) and Paul Bettany (J.A.R.V.I.S.).Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. had launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe with success with 2008’s Iron Man, and in 2010 they followed this up with an even bigger box office hit in Marvel’s third release Iron Man 2.Managing to get one half the sequel formula of “bigger and better” right, Iron Man 2 was the first real step on the road to The Avengers, expanding the concept of a wider, shared Marvel universe by ramping up S.H.I.E.L.D.’s involvement, introducing the character of the Black Widow, and teased the upcoming arrivals of Thor and Captain America. Unfortunately, it also rehashed the plot of the original, and delivered the weakest villain to date in Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash.The only film to find itself in the bottom three of each of our writers’ rankings, Iron Man 2 takes the honour of being Marvel’s worst movie to date, although the next film pushed it close…Read our reviews of Iron Man 2 here, here and here.9. The Incredible Hulk, 2008.Directed by Louis Leterrier.Starring Edward Norton (Bruce Banner/The Hulk), Liv Tyler (Betty Ross), Tim Roth (Emil Blonsky/The Abomination), William Hurt (General ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross) and Tim Blake Nelson (Samuel Sterns).If you were looking to put money on which of Marvel’s first two movies would have been the bigger success, then The Incredible Hulk would have been the obvious choice. The Green Goliath was easily the most recognisable of all the characters at Marvel’s disposal, but despite the Hulk’s popularity, the film failed to SMASH! the box office, pulling in just $263.4 million worldwide – less than half that of fellow Avenger Iron Man, and the lowest of all ten of Marvel Studios’ movies to date.For Marvel Studios, The Incredible Hulk is pretty much the forgotten film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They’ve subsequently recast Bruce Banner and revamped The Hulk, while the likes of Betty Ross, Thunderbolt Ross and Samuel Sterns – now seemingly The Leader – have never been seen again. And it’s proved forgettable for our writers too, with the film only narrowly edging out Iron Man 2 to claim ninth place.Read our review of The Incredible Hulk here.8. Thor: The Dark World, 2013.Directed by Alan Taylor.Starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Idris Elba (Heimdall), Kat Dennings (Darcy Lewis), Rene Russo (Frigga), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), Jaimie Alexander (Sif), Ray Stevenson (Volstagg), Christopher Eccleston (Malekith), Stellan Skarsgård (Erik Selvig), Zachary Levi (Fandral),Tadanobu Asano (Hogun)and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Algrim/Kurse).Coming in at number eight in our rankings is last year’s solo sequel Thor: The Dark World, which saw Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor taking over from Kenneth Branagh and continuing to build the cosmic side of the Marvel universe with an adventure spanning the Nine Realms.The first Marvel Studios movie to be released outside of the traditional summer blockbuster season, Thor: The Dark World benefitted from The Avengers Bump and another showstealing turn from Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief to pull in almost $650 million at the box office. And, with a twist that sets the stage for Thor 3, expect an ever bigger hit for the God of Thunder and his troublesome (adopted) brother in Phase Three.Thor: The Dark World may have come in an number eight in our rankings, but in truth there was very little separating this from the next three entries, with only seven points in total between eighth place and fifth.Read our reviews of Thor: The Dark World here and here.7. Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011.Directed by Joe Johnston.Starring Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Tommy Lee Jones (Colonel Chester Phillips), Hugo Weaving (Johann Schmidt/Red Skull), Stanley Tucci (Dr. Abraham Erskine), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), Dominic Cooper (Howard Stark), Sebastian Stan (James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes), Neal McDonough (Dum Dum Dugan) and Toby Jones (Dr. Arnim Zola).In the final stop before The Avengers, Marvel Studios took us back in time to World War II to explore the origin of The First Avenger in Steve Rogers’ super soldier Captain America as he battles The Red Skull and his Nazi-offshoot Hydra.The last film distributed by Paramount Pictures following Marvel’s acquisition by Disney, Captain America: The First Avenger pulled in $370 million around the globe, which while small change by today’s MCU standards, makes it the third-highest grossing World War II movie of all time after Saving Private Ryan and Pearl Harbour.Read our reviews of Captain America: The First Avenger here, here, here and here.6. Iron Man 3, 2013.Directed by Shane Black.Starring Robert Downey Jr.(Tony Stark/Iron Man), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Don Cheadle (James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes), Guy Pearce (Aldrich Killian), Rebecca Hall (Maya Hansen), Ben Kingsley (Trevor Slattery/The Mandarin), John Favreau (Happy Hogan), and Paul Bettany (J.A.R.V.I.S.).After the record-breaking success of The Avengers, Marvel launched Phase Two of the Cinematic Universe last year as Robert Downey Jr. linked up with his Kiss Kiss Bang Bang director Shane Black for the Armored Avenger’s third solo outing.Despite a twist that divided audiences, Iron Man 3 became the first – and so far only – solo Marvel movie to cross a billion at the box office with a whopping $1.215 billion haul, cementing Tony Stark’s place as the crown jewel of the MCU and convincing Marvel to throw a bumper contract RDJ’s way for Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers 3.Iron Man 3 places sixth in our ranking, thanks to a late surge in votes which saw it climbing above Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The First Avenger at the very last minute.Read our reviews of Iron Man 3 here, here and here.5. Thor, 2011.Directed by Kenneth Branagh.Starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Stellan Skarsgård (Erik Selvig), Colm Feore (King Laufey), Ray Stevenson (Volstagg), Idris Elba (Heimdall), Kat Dennings (Darcy Lewis), Rene Russo (Frigga), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), Jaimie Alexander (Sif), Joshua Dallas (Fandral), Tadanobu Asano (Hogun), Clark Gregg (Agent Phil Coulson), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury).One of the first films to be given the greenlight by Marvel Studios back in 2006 (having been in development at various studios dating back to 1991, under Spider-Man director Sam Raimi), Thor was originally set to be directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class), although ultimately it was Kenneth Branagh who was given the task of taking the first steps into the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Delivering an origin story for Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder and Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief, Thor was the highest-grossing superhero movie of 2011, earning just shy of $450 million. The film just managed to nudge out Iron Man 3 to claim a spot in the top five, however our voting saw a considerable gap between this and the next four films…Read our reviews of Thor here, here and here.4. Iron Man, 2008.Directed by Jon Favreau.Starring Robert Downey Jr.(Tony Stark/Iron Man), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Jeff Bridges (Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger), Terrence Howard (James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes), Clark Gregg (Agent Phil Coulson), John Favreau (Hogan) and Paul Bettany (J.A.R.V.I.S.).In at number four is the movie that started it all, as Marvel and Jon Favreau took a second-tier character in Iron Man, threw in some perfect casting in Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark, and launched one of the most successful film franchises of all-time, as well as sending its leading man on his path to becoming the biggest star in Hollywood.Released in May of 2008, Iron Man was a huge success with both fans and critics alike, earning $585 million at the global box office and casting aside any doubts about the viability of Marvel’s plan to fund and produce its own slate of movies. And, with a post-credits cameo from Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, it took the first step into a wider, shared universe that rival studios are now falling over themselves to replicate.Outside of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers, this was the only other film to rank in first place on any of our writers’ individual lists (which you can check out at the end of this article).Read our review of Iron Man here.3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2014.Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.Starring Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/ Falcon), Frank Grillo (Brock Rumlow), Robert Redford (Alexander Pierce), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), Toby Jones (Dr, Arnim Zola), Emily VanCamp (Kate/Agent 13), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter) and Maximiliano Hernández (Jasper Sitwell).Coming in at number three in our ranking is this year’s solo sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Marvel’s ninth release, and the film which saw the Marvel Cinematic Universe overtaking Harry Potter to become the highest-grossing domestic movie franchise of all time.Directed by Community’s Anthony and Joe Russo, The Winter Soldier pulled in over $700 million at the global box office, solidifying Marvel’s position as a hit-making machine. Sure, it benefited from ‘The Avengers Bump’ – and a cast of characters which Anthony Mackie described as ‘Avengers 1.5’ – but it’s also a damn fine political thriller, in addition to being one of the best superhero movies of recent times. But it only manages third in out countdown…Read our reviews of Captain America: The Winter Soldier here, here, here and here.2. The Avengers, 2012.Directed by Joss Whedon.Starring Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man) , Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/The Hulk), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Clark Gregg (Agent Phil Coulson), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), Stellan Skarsgård (Erik Selvig), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts) and Paul Bettany (J.A.R.V.I.S.).Bringing together the most iconic characters at the studio’s disposal, Joss Whedon’s superhero epic The Avengers was a Marvel fan’s dream, delivering the customary blend of action, humour and spectacle as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fend off an alien invasion led by the God of Mischief, Loki.The first Marvel Studios movie to be distributed by Disney, The Avengers shattered records at the box office, becoming the biggest hit of 2013 and the third-highest grossing movie of all time with over $1.5 billion in receipts. Last year, our writers voted this as the fourth-best comic book movie of all time behind X2, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but it looks like we’ll need to revamp that list as The Avengers only manages to place second in our ranking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe…Read our reviews of The Avengers here, here, here and here.1. Guardians of the Galaxy, 2014.Directed by James Gunn.Starring Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax the Destoyer), Lee Pace (Ronan the Accuser) , Michael Rooker (Yondu Udonta), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Djimon Hounsou (Korath), Glenn Close (Nova Prime), John C. Reilly (Rhomann Dey), Josh Brolin (Thanos), Benicio Del Toro (Taneller Tivan/The Collector), Peter Serafinowicz (Denarian Saal) and featuring the voice talents of Bradley Cooper (Rocket Raccoon) and Vin Diesel (Groot).Yes, coming in at number one in Flickering Myth’s ranking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is James Gunn’s space opera Guardians of the Galaxy, which topped nine of our writers’ individual lists (compared to six for The Avengers and one for Iron Man).Deemed a huge risk for Marvel given the obscure source material (and wacky characters), the penultimate film in Phase Two delves into the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to deliver one of the most entertaining summer blockbusters in recent memory.Described by many as “Star Wars for a new generation”, Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the finest comic book movies of all time, and was the only film in Marvel’s back catalogue not to feature lower than third in our individual rankings, placing in the top two in all but two of our lists. Awesome indeed.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B16Bo47KS2gRead our reviews of Guardians of the Galaxy here and here.So, there you have it, our ranking of the ten films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you’re interested, here’s the top picks from each of our writers…Gary Collinson – The AvengersLuke Owen – The AvengersOliver Davis – Guardians of the GalaxyChris Cooper – Guardians of the GalaxyMatt Spencer-Skeen – The AvengersJohn Lucking – Guardians of the GalaxyPaul Risker – Iron ManKris Wall – Guardians of the GalaxyAmon Warmann – The AvengersJames Garcia – Guardians of the GalaxyScott Davis – The AvengersGavin Logan – Guardians of the GalaxyTom Roach – Guardians of the GalaxyRobert Kojder – Guardians of the GalaxyMike Williams – Guardians of the GalaxyTom Powter – The AvengersHow would you rank the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Be sure to let us know in the comments below…