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You are here: Home / Featured / Dave’s Faves: The MCU Power Rankings!

Dave’s Faves: The MCU Power Rankings!

July 17, 2022 by Dave 1 Comment

For about a decade now, I’ve updated my Marvel Cinematic Universe power rankings with each new movie and TV series release. I’ve also preposterously avoided putting those rankings in one consistent place, so as the list hits 50 entries, it’s time to rectify that!

Below you’ll find my favorite MCU movies and TV ranked in order from best to worst. Before you begin picking nits, yes, I’ve included Marvel TV shows published during the MCU that aren’t considered MCU canon, and no, I won’t change that.

Thanos in Avengers Infinity War

Tier 1: The Best

My absolute favorites, the true cream of the crop, the only selections on here that I’d stack against other personal favorites in their respective mediums. Added weight here given to the decade-long buildup and payoff of “Infinity War” and “Endgame,” and several hundred bonus points awarded for David Tennant. I also break up the seasons of Netflix Jessica Jones because there’s a chasm between the quality of season one and season two!

1) Avengers: Infinity War

2) Avengers: Endgame

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3) Jessica Jones (Season 1)

4) Thor: Ragnarok

Black Panther in a car chase scene with Klaw

Tier 2: Great

The second tier is the place to note that I place weighted value on the importance of a movie as it pertains to the big picture of the MCU. For example, because of their earlier release dates, both Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers had enormous impact on what the MCU could and would become (see also: Iron Man in the following tier).

5) Guardians of the Galaxy

6) Captain America 3: Civil War

7) Black Panther

8) Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier

9) Spider-Man: No Way Home

10) Avengers

11) WandaVision

12) Daredevil (Seasons 1,2,3)

Spider-Man enters the Marvel Cinematic Universe




Tier 3: Good

I like all these, but I don’t love them. Shouts to “The First Avenger” for steadily climbing my rankings more than any other entry, as one of the rare MCU films that appreciates with age.

13) Captain America: The First Avenger

14) Spider-Man: Far From Home

15) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

16) Iron Man

17) Spider-Man: Homecoming

18) Shang Chi

19) Werewolf by Night

20) Loki (Season One)

21) Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

Iron Man 3 Movie Poster

Tier 4: Perfectly Average

I had a good time with all of these, but I know rewatching them would definitely not do them any favors. Iron Man 3 is the clearest example here because I really loved the movie the first time I saw it in theaters, but when I watched years later, found it far more underwhelming. The lesson of course is never rewatch anything!

22) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

23) Iron Man 3

24) She-Hulk

25) Ms. Marvel

26) Black Widow

27) Ant-Man & The Wasp

28) Thor: Love and Thunder

29) Eternals

30) Captain Marvel

31) Avengers 2: Age of Ultron

Doctor Strange movie review

Tier 5: Mixed Feelings

Selections here means there are elements I like, but there’s also a lot I didn’t enjoy. A bunch of interesting messes, although less so than the prior the tier. No, you’re not mistaken, I do indeed think “The Dark World” belongs among this group, as I still quite enjoy the Loki portions of the film!

32) Ant-Man

33) Moon Knight

34) Doctor Strange

35) Hawkeye

36) Falcon and the Winter Soldier

37) Luke Cage (Seasons 1 & 2)

38) Agent Carter (Seasons 1 & 2)

39) Runaways

40) The Punisher (S1, S2)

41) Thor 2: The Dark World

42) Cloak & Dagger

Netflix Defenders

Tier 6: I’ll Only Watch With a Comic In Hand

If I am somehow compelled to watch one of these again, I will only do so if I can simultaneously read some comics and look up when something interesting appears to be happening. Also a friendly reminder that comics? Comics are the best.

43) What If?

44) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

45) Defenders

46) Thor

47) Agents of SHIELD

48) Iron Fist Season Two

49) Incredible Hulk

Tier 7: Nope

There is no conceivable situation in which I could be compelled to rewatch one of these, save torture, sudden residence in Lucifer’s domain, or my wife asking weirdly adamantly.

50) Iron Man 2

51) Jessica Jones (Season Two)

52) Plumbing emergencies

53) Iron Fist Season 1

54) Running out of coffee

55) Inhumans

Iron Man 3 Mandarin
The Iron Man 3 Mandarin

The “There is No Mandarin Award” Award Show

The other recurring update I’ve made throughout MCU reviews is the “There is no Mandarin Award” for villain most thoroughly wasted in service of the plot. Generally it means a Marvel Universe villain that the MCU uses in name only, but has no real plans for. It’s a consistently competitive list since the MCU also has a habit of killing off all its best villains.

This one’s been updated since 2013, and Iron Man 3, and I’m excited to codify these results in one home destination!

Our winners:

2013: The (Not) Mandarin
2014: Ronan the Accuser
2015: Baron Von Strucker
2016: Cottonmouth
2017: Surtur
2018: The Black Order
2019: Ronan the Accuser
2020: DNP
2021: Taskmaster
2022: Gorr the God Butcher
2023: MODOK

Filed Under: Best of Lists, Featured Tagged With: mcu

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About Dave

Dave is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Comic Book Herald, and also the Boss of assigning himself fancy titles. He's a long-time comic book fan, and can be seen most evenings in Batman pajama pants. Contact Dave @comicbookherald on Twitter or via email at dave@comicbookherald.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Surb says

    July 27, 2022 at 7:06 pm

    This is massive disrespect to agents of shield. Understandable list otherwise even if I have some personal disagreements

    Reply

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