Ever since the launch of Iron Man back in 2008, Marvel Studios and the Marvel Universe have been a prominent focus of cinema.
Currently, a total of 27 films and numerous TV series have told the stories of dozens of superheroes and those close to them. It’s estimated that the MCU has brought in more than $23 billion worldwide, making it one of the biggest movie franchises of all time – and it is only getting bigger.
Fans have theorised, argued, and celebrated about the stories of their beloved superheroes, based on characters from the original Marvel comicbooks.
With all their success, some of the MCU films have gone down better than others when it comes to fan reactions. Here is every single one of the 31 movies, ranked in order of popularity according to Rotten Tomatoes scores which are based on professional critic reviews.
Warning: spoilers for almost all Marvel films inside, including the recent additions such as Ant-Man 3.
17. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
One of the biggest selling movies of 2022, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a tearjerker to say the least and come in with a review score of 84% to make it into the top 20 Marvel films of all time. Photo: Disney
18. Ant-Man
With a respectable 83%, Ant-Man didn’t get a lot of attention when it first came out in cinemas, but it set the wheels in motion for a surprisingly important character: Paul Rudd’s Scott Laing. Although at first Laing appeared to be around for comic relief, he would go on to light the spark of time travel in the MCU in Infinity War. Photo: Disney / Marvel
19. Captain America: The First Avenger
Hot on the heels of Iron Man’s success, Captain America: The First Avenger was the first film to hint that we might get cinematic retellings of the Avengers comics. With a young Howard Stark appearing, it was one of the first instances where a standalone film referenced other MCU movies. With a score of 80%, it’s an easy-to-watch retro action film. Photo: Disney / Marvel
20. Captain Marvel
Following the heart-breaking experience of Infinity War, Captain Marvel introduces us to Carol Danvers, who will become Captain Marvel. We return to the 90s for her origin story, which is also the first female solo movie in the MCU. A fairly formulaic origin story means it scores just 79%, but it’s a necessary film for audiences to know who Danvers is when she appears in Endgame. Photo: PA Photo/Marvel Studios/Film Frame