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.
25. Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 is the least popular of the trilogy at 72%, following Tony Stark dealing with the world now knowing he is Iron Man. The plot is nothing ground-breaking, but it’s an action-packed film with all the explosions you would expect from an Iron Man film. Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images
26. Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness
The MCU pushed it boundaries even further with the releases of Dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Sam Raimi's direction of the movies saw it become one of the world's top three box office hits in 2023 and even veered into horror territory. Rated at 74%, it just misses out of a top 25 placing. Photo: Disney
27. The Incredible Hulk
Before Mark Ruffalo took on the role of Bruce Banner, he was played by Edward Norton. The Incredible Hulk is the first MCU film to fall below 70% and therefore deemed merely ‘Fresh’ at 67% by Rotten Tomatoes, instead of ‘Certified Fresh’. Indeed, many fans prefer to pretend this film never entered the MCU, as its only purpose is to establish the character of the Hulk for later films. Photo: Disney / Marvel
28. Thor: The Dark World
The plot might not be that complex, earning it a score of just 66%, but it has plenty of humour and brotherly banter between Loki and Thor to make it an enjoyable watch, if you don’t take it too seriously. Photo: Disney / Marvel