Special Report
Best (and Worst) Movies in the Marvel Universe
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The past 11 years have been very kind to fans of Marvel movies. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has averaged nearly two movies each year, beginning with the release of “Iron Man” in 2008. The series will continue with its 22nd film, “Avengers: Endgame,” set to be released in theaters on Friday, April 26.
The franchise has been hugely successful — with its total domestic gross of nearly $7.3 billion, it is the top grossing movie franchise of all time. Individual MCU films, too, often rank among the top grossing movies. While movies of other franchises like James Bond and Star Wars are still major cinematic events when released, the term “blockbuster” seems increasingly synonymous with superhero movies — and Marvel frequently makes the best of this type of movie.
Not all Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have been of equal quality. While each has been a financial success, some have received only middling reviews from critics and audiences alike. 24/7 Tempo has ranked every movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from worst to best, based on audience and critic ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and Internet Movie Database.
Click here to see the movies in the Marvel Universe, ranked from worst to best.
To determine the best and worst Marvel movies, 24/7 Tempo ranked feature length films within the official Marvel Cinematic Universe. For each movie, we considered the Rotten Tomatoes average critic rating, Rotten Tomatoes average audience rating, and IMDb average user rating. We averaged the user ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb and weighted by the number of votes for each. The combined user rating was then averaged with the Rotten Tomatoes critic rating.
21. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
> Average critic rating: 6.2/10
> Director: Louis Leterrier
> Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth
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20. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
> Average critic rating: 6.2/10
> Director: Alan Taylor
> Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston
19. Iron Man 2 (2010)
> Average critic rating: 6.5/10
> Director: Jon Favreau
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow
18. Iron Man Three (2013)
> Average critic rating: 6.5/10
> Director: Shane Black
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pearce, Gwyneth Paltrow
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17. Captain Marvel (2019)
> Average critic rating: 6.8/10
> Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
> Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn
16. Thor (2011)
> Average critic rating: 6.7/10
> Director: Kenneth Branagh
> Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman
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15. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
> Average critic rating: 6.7/10
> Director: Joss Whedon
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
14. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
> Average critic rating: 7.0/10
> Director: Joe Johnston
> Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Samuel L. Jackson
13. Ant-Man (2015)
> Average critic rating: 6.9/10
> Director: Peyton Reed
> Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll
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12. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
> Average critic rating: 7.0/10
> Director: Peyton Reed, 0
> Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña
11. The Avengers (2012)
> Average critic rating: 7.0/10
> Director: Joss Whedon
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson
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10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
> Average critic rating: 7.2/10
> Director: James Gunn
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista
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9. Doctor Strange (2016)
> Average critic rating: 7.3/10
> Director: Scott Derrickson
> Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams
8. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
> Average critic rating: 7.5/10
> Director: Taika Waititi
> Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett
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7. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
> Average critic rating: 7.6/10
> Director: Jon Watts, 0
> Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr.
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
> Average critic rating: 7.6/10
> Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
> Starring: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson
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5. Iron Man (2008)
> Average critic rating: 7.7/10
> Director: Jon Favreau
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard
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4. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
> Average critic rating: 7.7/10
> Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
> Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson
3. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
> Average critic rating: 7.6/10
> Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo
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2. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
> Average critic rating: 7.8/10
> Director: James Gunn
> Starring: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper
1. Black Panther (2018)
> Average critic rating: 8.3/10
> Director: Ryan Coogler
> Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o
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