Renewed Top 10 - MCU Works

Copyright belongs to Disney/MarvelStudios... because... look at it.

Previously, I did a list of non-MCU works. Simple... nothing that involves the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Well, here is the MCU list. Before I set this list, let me preface by saying I don't think there are many MCU works that are bad. But... there are a few. Most are good... and some are GREAT. Not everyone is going to agree on the order, there are a few that will absolutely be on everyone's list.

The rules are simple. Movies. Disney+ shows. And remember, this is only up to this point. So much more content is coming for the MCU.

Enjoy.

Top 10 Marvel Cinematic Universe Works

Honorable Mention 1: Captain America: The First Avenger: Chris Evans. The Jokester actor. Didn't feel like he could take this role on. We were wrong. This period piece in the MCU just felt all kinds of right. And sets a different tone for the overall franchise.

Honorable Mention 2: Iron Man: The First movie in the MCU. Before the MCU became a thing. And while it was hard to put this movie out of the Top 10... it's important. There were rumors that Tom Cruise was supposed to be Stark. And I was worried. But when it came out that Robert Downey Jr was cast, it felt perfect. The movie is the foundation, and it worked.

Honorable Mention 3: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: A series about moving on. Post-Endgame. Sam Wilson had to move on from losing his mentor. Bucky had to move on from his assassin days for HYDRA. An almost street level buddy cop show about image... both in the public eye and your own self-image. So glad Sam is getting his own Captain America movie.

10. Doctor Strange: In his titular movie, Thor referred to Asgard as a place where magic and science are the same. And then we never got magic in the MCU(not officially). Doctor Strange introduced the MCU to Eldritch Magic and different dimensions of existence. Benedict Cumberbatch pulled off the asshole gets redemption story. Visually stunning. Don't do any drugs before this movie. You won't need them.

9. Ant-Man: I do not consider this movie a superhero film. It is a heist movie. And a great one at that. Paul Rudd is funny as he always is. A scene stealer. And it is his movie. Michael Péna kills it. Another redemption story with a great villain... and Michael Douglas as the classic Ant-Man, Hank Pym. Unexpected hit. But it deserves all of the praise.

8. Black Panther: RIP Chadwick Boseman. I wasn't for sure how they would get to this movie, but they did. A frightening villain, but an understandable villain. With a movie that has a vibe like The Lion King(thanks to my dad for that one). And they even got the CGI to fix the eye of Forrest Whittaker! So much good with this movie... and I'm just now pointing out how awesome Andy Serkis is in this as well. RIP Chadwick Boseman. Gone too soon.

7. Spider-Man: Homecoming: The first MCU Spider-Man movie. It held onto Iron Man a bit too much... but we got(in my opinion) the best version of a live action Peter Parker. Tom Holland gave us the life-juggling experience of innocence meets superpowered responsibility. And Michael Keaton was spot on as a villain who was more misguided than sinister. Whatever he had to do to provide for his family.

6. Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame: These are together because they were always together. Originally part 1 and part 2 of Infinity War. The ensemble movie of ensemble movies. 10 years, and 20+ movies in the making. It was the culmination of numerous stories and directors and story arc all intersecting. A massive undertaking... and it paid off.

5. WandaVision: Thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, this show wasn't supposed to be the first Disney+ MCU show, but it happened. It captured me in the same way Season 1 of the CW Flash series. Each episode made me second guess my theories on the villain, until it was shown that the first guess was correct. The style of the show was unique at first, paying homages to sitcoms throughout the decades. Very well done. And still not the best show so far...

4. Thor: Ragnarok: So this one needs a preface as well. I'm a HUGE Kenneth Branagh fan. Top 3 directors for me. He directed the first Thor. Very good. Very Shakespearean. But... Ragnarok gets the BEST of the Trilogy. This movie is silly. Overly silly. This movie is damn funny. Maybe tooooooo funny. But... there is a tone shift going from Slapstick comedy... to knowing they failed. It is the first MCU where the heroes FAIL. And you can feel it... when THEY feel it. Taika Waititi is such a great director. And he is getting close to being in my top 5 directors. This movie is different than ANY of the other MCU movies(it is...). And it deserves more praise.

3. Loki(Season 1): Loki getting his own series. Why? Because it was great. This isn't the same Loki that was killed in Infinity War. This is a Loki who didn't get ANY of the character development from Dark World or Ragnarok. And they were to pull all of that off before the end of the second episode. Tom Hiddleston is one of the best actors throughtout the entirety of the MCU. And this series shows him off. Some good fight scenes. But so much character development... story driven. And I enjoyed every bit of it. Also, I learned my lesson about second guessing the "villain". I told a certain friend who I thought it was. "Oh they wouldn't do that in a series." They did(Joe... they did). Oh, and Owen Wilson... so impressed my his contribution to this series. Season 2 will be awesome. So much Wow.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy: Guardians of the Galaxy. The biggest risk that anyone has attempted in the MCU. Largely unknown comic book characters. In largely unknown part of the comic's universe. Starring an actor who was ONLY know for comedy... a wrestler who isn't The Rock... and having Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel do VOICES. It was funny, it was pretentious, and it just worked. One of the best MCU movies... one of the best Superhero movies... one of the best Soundtracks... one of the best MOVIES of the modern era. James Gunn should get all of the love.

And now... my number one favorite work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is...

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier: This isn't a superhero film. It is a layer spy thriller. Uncovering secrets and changing the MCU as a whole. Top notch action. Great storytelling. A thrill around every turn. Chris Evans best turn as Cap, ScarJo's best turn as Black Widow, gave us the first appearance of Anthony Mackie as Falcon, and the return of Bucky was very well done(even though we knew it was him). Not only is it the best of the MCU, it is one of the best movies I've ever seen. It is just that good. And the Elevator fight is such a wonderful piece, they even parodied it IN Endgame.

There you go! Another great list in the bag.

Tell me what you think. What would you add? What would you take out? Leave a comment. Share the post. Get others involved. Steal an Infinity Stone.

Next will be the end-all posts for the Comic Book list series. Stay tuned for those!