5. The Avengers (2012)
What? I’m putting The Avengers below Avengers: Age of Ultron? How dare I!
The Avengers doesn’t sit as high on my list as many would put if for similar reasons to why I let the original Iron Man slip down the ranks. At the time, it was a revelation, and I can still remember my unbridled excitement and joy when Steve Rogers and a newly cast Bruce Banner (Ruffalo replacing Norton) met for the first time on what turned out to be a helicarrier! Seeing the Avengers together, after leading their own origin solo films, was a geek dream come true and an actual game changer in Hollywood. I may never get the same feeling again as watching that panning shot of all the Avengers fighting together across New York, and it is this film, not Thor, that cements Loki as one of the most interesting characters in the MCU.
But, like Iron Man, looking back at it six years later, The Avengers is a very basic team-up movie with very little plot and even fewer locations. When you think about it, The Avengers really only hits three locations, Germany, the helicarier, and New York, with almost the entire second act spent on the helicarrier. Not exactly the most epic narrative for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. And, let’s be real, Hawkeye got screwed in this one, still not taken as seriously as the other Avengers four years later in Captain America: Civil War.
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, Black Widow is fleshed out wonderfully after her stoic appearance in Iron Man 2, becoming on of the most interesting and badass Avengers thanks to director Josh Whedon’s love and experience with strong female heroes. The Hulk is finally used correctly, no longer a sick man seeking a cure, but a hero who wants to help others, and by the end of the film owns his infliction rather than run from it. The Avengers a nice, clean, well written, directed, and acted film, but the Avengers aren’t pushed quite as hard as they are in Age of Ultron.
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Speak of the devil. Age of Ultron may not be as neat a package as The Avengers, it certainly has its flaws and extraneous scenes and story-lines. But, it also features a more ambitious plot that gives Earth’s Mightiest Heroes a lot more to do, and adds a great deal of depth to even the characters we’ve seen in multiple solo films before this outing. Hawkeye is given too much of a backstory as a response to Whedon screwing him in the last film, and Thor’s entire story-line is a bit of a wash.
But, my favorite Avenger, Captain America, has the most screentime by a large margin, and he really shines, even when he is fighting Ultron Prime and being told by his teammates he doesn’t stand a chance. James Spader is very underrated as Ultron, who is not as great a villain as Loki, Vulture, Killmonger, or Thanos, but is delicious nonetheless. The finale does fall into the overdoing the destruction trap, even by super hero team-up movie standards, but this was apparently part of the plan, setting up Captain America: Civil War in Phase 3. One of the film’s most powerful and redeeming scenes are the visions shown to Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Black Widow by Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), calling to mind their biggest fears and sense of loss in a very classy and dreamy way that only Whedon could pull off.
3. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Civil War earns its place above the first two Avengers films for having the single most powerful moment in the entire MCU, the revelation in the finale when Tony Stark learns The Winter Soldier aka Bucky (Sebastian Stan) killed his parents. This leads to the most personal and heart-wrenching fight scene in the MCU, pitting Captain America and his friend Iron Man against each other in an actual fight to (nearly) the death. Who can argue with that amazing slow motion shot of Iron Man blasting Cap’s shield and it reflecting off, an image straight from the Civil War comic?
Civil War may not be as refined as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but the directing Russo brothers earn their spot on Avengers: Infinity War by balancing a lot of characters and setting up the large clash between Avengers at the airport, the scene in the MCU most like a glorious splash page from a comic. Spider-Man is rehabilitated in his quick appearance, an impressive achievement indeed. Zemo (Daniel Brühl) is yet another underrated villain, another of the top five in the MCU. And can we please get a buddy picture featuring the pairing of Bucky and Falcon (Anthony Mackie)? Those two are just too great together!
2. Avengers: Infinity War
The Russo Bros., along with writers Christopher McFeely and Stephen Markus are the most talented people working in superhero films today, not just including the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I would go as far as to say they rival or even eclipse Christopher Nolan.
Infinity War definitely gave me the same chills I got when I first saw Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers meet on a helicarrier in 2012 and when Iron Man flew into save Cap as he fought Loki in The Avengers. It is that, taken to the next level, in a way Age of Ultron failed to deliver the same sense of wonderment.
Honestly, the entire film feels like the third act of a movie earned over 19 individual films. Phase 1 was Act 1 of the MCU. Phase 2 through Black Panther was Act II (the longest act in a film narrative), and Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, and Avengers 4 is the final, Act III.
RELATED: Does Avengers: Infinity War Hold Up After Home Video Release? | A Breaking Geek Discussion
All the character intros and world-building, and even character relationships are established. It’s free to have complete fun from second 1 without nearly any exposition. That is why it is brilliant.
And the film is the ultimate perfect mix of comedy and drama; even better than Iron Man and The Avengers. It’s the film with the highest stakes, yet it is also the funniest film aside from the Guardians films and Ragnarok. It’s a dryer humor, that I very much enjoy; the best jokes aren’t the laugh out loud funny ones by the goofy Guardians.
Emotionally, the film destroyed me in a way only Winter Soldier and Civil War have previously. The Russos are too good at this!
And I think it may be Alan Silvestri’s best score. And he did Back to the Future!
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Look at that, my top 3 is all Russo Bros. films. Like I said, they know their shit!
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a nearly flawless film, and not simply the best film in the MCU, but also perhaps the best superhero film of all time in a top five club with The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Spider-Man 2, and Logan. The Russo brothers’ first action film and second film overall, they and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely perfectly marriage the superhero genre and all the elements of a ‘70s conspiracy thriller; the most seamless and effective blending of genres in the MCU.
The fighting is real and visceral with minimal CGI (there is still plenty… this is a superhero movie) and maximum stunt work, one of the reasons I prefer Captain America to any other Avenger. The plot is amazing, full of twists, turns, and major reveals you don’t see coming. The finale is powerful, with Captain America delivering a rousing speech while Hydra boards their helicarriers meant to wipe out all enemies according to Zola’s algorithm. Watching Rogers find out Bucky is the Winter Soldier is heartbreaking, but not as heartbreaking as letting himself be beaten by Bucky at the end of the film because he is unwilling to fight his best friend and doesn’t believe Bucky is completely lost. And can we talk about Robert Redford, another underrated MCU villain? The Winter Soldier is the complete package and a movie I would recommend to anyone, even someone who doesn’t like superhero films.
That’s all, folks! What are your thoughts? How would you rank the MCU, or if that is too daunting a task, what does your Top 5 look like? The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a source of extreme joy for many of us, and analyzing it can be half the fun! So, let us know your thoughts in the comment section below! And check back in March 2018 to find out where Captain Marvel lands on my list!
Ant-Man and the Wasp is out October 16, 2018 on home video.
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