Ever since the launch of Iron Man back in 2008, Marvel Studios and the Marvel Universe have been a prominent focus of cinema.
Currently, a total of 27 films and numerous TV series have told the stories of dozens of superheroes and those close to them. It’s estimated that the MCU has brought in more than $23 billion worldwide, making it one of the biggest movie franchises of all time – and it is only getting bigger.
Fans have theorised, argued, and celebrated about the stories of their beloved superheroes, based on characters from the original Marvel comicbooks.
With all their success, some of the MCU films have gone down better than others when it comes to fan reactions. Here is every single one of the 31 movies, ranked in order of popularity according to Rotten Tomatoes scores which are based on professional critic reviews.
Warning: spoilers for almost all Marvel films inside, including the recent additions such as Ant-Man 3.
21. Black Widow
Also at 79%, this was the MCU’s second female lead film, retrospectively telling the back story of Natasha Romanov, aka Black Widow. It seemed like odd timing to tell her history once we already know she’s dead, but it does have the benefit of introducing Florence Pugh’s Yelena to the MCU. It stars Hollywood A-lister Scarlett Johanssen in the lead role. Photo: Disney / Marvel
22. Iron Man 3
The only Marvel film that can also pass off as a Christmas movie, Iron Man 3 lags far behind the first of Stark's trilogy at 79%. We see Tony Stark grapple with the psychological aftermath of Marvel’s The Avengers, with Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts taking a more action-focused role. Photo: Disney / Marvel
23. Thor
If you can get past Chris Hemsworth’s blonde eyebrows, the first Thor film is a solid origin story. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 77%, it establishes the Thor humour that will become his movies’ signature trait. Photo: Disney / Marvel
24. Avengers: Age of Ultron
The second Avengers ensemble film didn’t live up to the expectations set by the first’s success, but still scored a decent 72% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Avengers must face Hydra once again, as well as a weapon of Tony’s own making, while long-lasting characters like Wanda and Vision are introduced. Photo: Disney / Marvel