User blog:ARTaylor/Ranking the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come to a close and Phase Three is gearing up with Captain America: Civil War. So it seemed a good a time as any to rank the many films and television series that currently comprise Earth-199999, all twelve films and four series. I decided to forgo the One-Shots because only two are worth watching and of those one was contradicted by the series it inspired.


 * 16 - Iron Man 2: Let's start with the easy one. This one is a mess that was an early embodiment of all that can, has, and will go wrong with the universe. It wants to do so much and has so much promise. Unfortunately, it has become just another example of studio interference ruining artistic vision. And honestly, when has that ever worked out? It wants to tell Demon in a Bottle and Armor Wars while being forced to set up Avengers and ends up doing none of them well. Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke are great actors given thankless roles. Rourke was famously upset that much of his dynamic backstory was cut, which is neither the first nor last time Marvel cut story and character just for action. The cast and crew give it their all, but Marvel rushed this into production and it shows. It's not bad per se, it's enjoyable for what it is, but it's the blackest mark on their history. On a positive note, the fight between Iron Man and War Machine in the mansion is the kind of thing the Iron Man series should have done more of.
 * 15 - Captain America: The First Avenger: The biggest problem plaguing the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is also its greatest strength, is the phrase "It's all connected." Fans love the small connections and references, but are very critical of obvious set ups for later works. The First Avenger was the first this was a major problem. Again, this isn't a bad film by any means. It's fun and the actors are great. But it moves far too quickly through Steve Roger's life just to set up his position in Avengers. It's just a shame that we weren't given more Captain America movies before he was frozen. It treats the war like a montage, becoming all too similar to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, when that's some of his most interesting times in the comics. Plus there's that odd detour when Steve is just a "dancing monkey."
 * 14 - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The "It's all connected" problem at its worse. Originally advertised as the glue that held the universe together, it instead ended up as nothing but filler between the films. It still wants to be that glue, but never feels important. It touches on all the films in incidental and unimportant ways. Its connections to The Dark World and Age of Ultron have been forced and irrelevant to the show's own story. It wants to be a grand epic show but can never do anything too important cause that's the films' job. It came into its own after The Winter Soldier came out and certainly it's improved. The show works best when it's on it's own, something I'll talk about later. Following the reveal of HYDRA, the show has been interesting as it forges its own road doing its own thing. It's building itself up, as long as it stops being cheap advertisement for the next film.
 * 13 - Avengers: Age of Ultron: It can't be easy being a sequel to the massive success of The Avengers as well as following up The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy, and this one shows that lighting doesn't strike twice. Once again, it has too much obvious set up for later films while it has so much wasted opportunities. Like Roarke, James Spader is amazing as the villain but, like Whiplash, Ultron is wasted in pretty much every way. In this technological-obsessed society Ultron should be Marvel's answer to Skynet but he's just another mustache-twirling fiend. It's great that they're actually including all the other heroes introduced in the films and the characters never feel too overloaded. Though the "love story" is completely out of left field and just seems odd and unnecessary. Another case of bigger not being better.
 * 12 - Iron Man 3: Marvel's odd red-headed stepchild. The movie is quite enjoyable on all levels, but it ultimately is irrelevant. The whole ending would be a fitting end for the character, except he didn't end and it was all for not. The twist with the Mandarin is really enjoyable and is a lot of fun. Too bad the true villain was a let down. If anything, the biggest disappointment would be that Tony spends so little time in the armor, especially in the battles. Iron Man should give us some different kind of superhero battles like his battles with Obadiah and Rhodey, but instead we're given stuff more appropriate to Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop. The end battle is amazing with all the armors, except they're so inconsequential to the actual fight. One has to wonder why they didn't just go with a more faithful version of Mandarin since their battles are so great in the comics.
 * 11 - Thor: The Dark World: The real shame about the Thor films is that neither have been grand enough for the character. He's a God-like creature, though I personally prefer when he's more deity than alien, who controls the weather and speaks in Tolkien-like mannerisms. He should have grand, epic stories. This film comes close to what we should get. The end of the Nine Realms story is what we want, though it's hampered by the obvious Infinity War set up. It's odd that he's so obsessed with Jane Foster when he completely ignores Sif, his love in the comics. The dark elves are effective villains, just uninteresting. And it's too often clear that Loki's presence is an afterthought due to Tom Hiddleston's popularity. Though the end battle is everything that Man of Steel should have been.
 * 10 - Ant-Man: If there's one thing that superhero movies need to do it's shake-up the origin stories. Too many, pretty much all but four, rely on the formula Richard Donner created with Superman. Luckily, this one gives us something different that works as it crosses superheroes with Ocean's 11. Why they went with Scott Lang and original character Hope Van Dyne over the original Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne? Why not just give us something more true to the comics? It's anyone's guess, but what we got was loads of fun. Loads of fun scenes and good side characters. Though there is one major problem and it's that Yellowjacket/Darren Cross is the most incredibly boring villain ever. He's nothing but an Obadiah Stane rip-off and lacks any single aspect to make him interesting. Though his fight with Ant-Man is what fans want: fight scenes that really utilize superpowers to give us something different than every other movie.
 * 9 - Agent Carter: This is the show S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to be. It's really only tied to The First Avenger, which is just a springboard and sets out on its own. The references and connections to the other shows are effective and actually work rather than being superfluous. Being set in its own time period gives it plenty of room to move around on its own without stepping on any other movie/show's toes. Though being a prequel takes some of the tension out of it, we're given enough new characters to keep it going. If there’s an problem it’s that Peggy is often too good, having knowledge in a great many specific areas and always managing to best any and all foes.
 * 8 - Thor: Like only Batman, Blade, and Ant-Man, this one gives an origin that is unlike literally every other superhero origin story. Starting off with powers gives Thor a chance to learn what it really means to be a hero rather than everyone else who is a hero who learns to use powers. Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of Loki deserves every good thing ever said about him. It's sad that they don't spend as much time as they should in Asgard, as that's what is really interesting about the character. The connections to the other films are fun, except for the lousy introduction of Hawkeye. Kenneth Branagh is possibly the best director to work on the universe and it's too bad he wasn't allowed to do something more Shakespearean to fit his style.
 * 7 - Guardians of the Galaxy: Marvel's biggest gamble as it's less superhero and more Star Wars-style space adventure. Setting all the action away from Earth gives us a different feeling and style, something superhero movies desperately needs. Once again, the connections to the other films hurt it. Thanos's scenes are unnecessary and do little to nothing to develop the villain. Though introducing the Infinity Stones works for the movie for once. The actors all go above and beyond, even if Michael Rooker is just playing a blue Merle Dixon. The pop songs make this the best non-Tarantino soundtrack since the 1980s. It's the interaction between the character that raises this film above just Avengers in Space. What keeps this from being higher is that Ronan is nothing like the interesting comics version and is utterly boring.
 * 6 - The Incredible Hulk: Like Superman Returns, the real tragedy of the movie is how under appreciated it is. Perhaps it's the famous falling out between Marvel and Edward Norton, who is absolutely the best live actor to have played Banner. Perhaps it's because it takes a thoughtful and intelligent approach to the character, though certainly not the snobbish art film Ang Lee made. Or perhaps it's because anti-hero movies generally have a difficult time as The Punisher and Dredd have proved. The movie does an excellent job balancing the various aspects of the Hulk character. The "just wants Hulk gone" Banner that Bill Bixby so expertly portrayed. The "wants to be left alone" Hulk. And the "just wants to be loved" Hulk. William Hurt's General Ross may not be as sympathetic and understandable as Sam Elliott's but he's one of the best villains. The fight between Hulk and Abomination is something truly special as it shows what two superpowered fighters can really do, without being excessive like nearly every movie that followed. It's just a shame that rights issues between Marvel/Disney and Universal kept this from getting the sequel it so rightly deserves.
 * 5 - The Avengers: Considering the last successful movie crossover featured Abbott and Costello, it's safe to say that this is the one of those films that changed Hollywood forever. Every since this became an overwhelming success, every studio has been trying to copy it with their own shared universe. It's unlikely any will, and given the lackluster reception of Age of Ultron it will take another overwhelming success with Infinity War to prove that the shared universe is something that is long term. It's a movie that shouldn't have worked but it certainly did. Joss Whedon managed to interweave all the big names in the movie in a way that feels satisfying. Well, maybe not for Hawkeye. But still, making a team from such larger-than-life individuals pays off well.
 * 4 - Jessica Jones: Marvel's darkest adaptation dealing with sex, rape, violence, and the darkest aspects of a "superhero." Jessica is a hero who tries everything she can to not be a hero. It's a terrific twist, one that The Wolverine tried but never quite expanded on as well as it should have. Kilgrave is an absolutely terrifying villain and David Tennant gives a performance worthy of Hiddleston. Though the show keeps going back and forth between making him sympathetic or outright demented. It's the relationship between Jessica and Trish that forms the real heart of the story. Her relationship with Luke is a great introduction of the character without feeling like a backdoor pilot. Carrie-Anne Moss is good, though changing the sex of the character doesn't really feel like it was because of inspired casting. The story falters and goes in odd directions at the end, but not enough to mark it down. She may never become a household name, but Jessica is certainly a bright spot.
 * 3 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier: The one that proved that superheroes were more than just cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers, good and evil movies about punching people. Captain America throws the baby out with the bath water. Nick Fury uses overly extreme and suspicious methods. Alexander Pierce is trying to save the world. Winter Soldier is a good guy stuck in a bad situation. This is the movie that introduced shades of grey to the universe. Teaming up with Sam Wilson who just happens to be a superhero feels a little forced, but it works out fine in the end making it forgivable. The action is terrific as it shows what Captain America is really capable of, something The First Avenger failed with. The entire thing is a great tribute to classic conspiracy movies like Robert Redford's Three Days of the Condor. He had a lousy debut and was overshadowed in the team-up, but this proves that Captain America isn't just a man wearing a flag. Though if it proves only one thing it's that Black Widow looks better with short hair.
 * 2 - Iron Man: The one that started it all. Not only is it the best of the universe, it’s one of the best superhero movies ever made and one of the best films of the year year that included The Dark Knight. Like Christopher Reeve, Robert Downey, Jr. is one of those perfect castings that can embody the character exactly. All of the characters are terrific and well done. The blend of practical and special effects is near perfect. There are so many great scenes it’s hard to point out just one that rises above the others. The music is terrific, and a shame that each sequel did something different with another composer. While it’s not the first to do so, it’s the movie that made post-credit scenes popular. It’s the same origin story as every other movie, but it handles it so much better than those others. If there’s just one to watch, this is the one.
 * 1 - Daredevil: Based on Frank Miller's The Man Without Fear, this is Marvel at its storytelling best. The miniseries style seasons give the stories and characters a chance to develop without feeling drawn out. It gets a chance to really explore the ramifications of being a superhero, something a two-hour movie doesn't have the time to do. Charlie Cox brings a rich dynamic to the role going between the happier public Matt to the brooding private Matt to the determined Daredevil. It also develops the rivalry between the hero and villain from the very beginning, explore it, and bring it to an extremely satisfying conclusion. Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin is one of the greatest Marvel villains ever to be put on screen. That last episode felt more satisfactory than any other fight between hero and villain this universe has produced given the build up to it. It's connected to the rest of the universe, but doesn't feel so drastically tied to it. It could have easily been another Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. with constant name dropping, but instead the events of The Avengers are just a jumping off point for its own story. Sure it's dark, but it's about time that the live superhero genre move beyond merely the PG-13 demographic. This show perfectly captures the comic's modern storytelling.