The Marvel Cinematic Universe Top Ten

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the superior universe of all the movie universes out there. Hot take, right? We are fine with hot takes. Wanna see a sick fighting scene? The MCU has it! Wanna laugh? The MCU has you! What about something serious, maybe even a little romance? The MCU has you again!

Twenty-three movies spanning over ten years of release. A combined $22,558,279,101 at the worldwide box office. Yes, over TWENTY-TWO BILLION at the box office. We have never seen anything like this and it’s likely we will never see it again. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is unprecedented in scope, unrivaled in execution, and unmatched in success. Today, we proudly present the official Rambling Ever On Top Ten of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Something this epic demanded a total team effort on our part. So, we enlisted 13 voters ranging in age from 12 to 46. In other words, we got some of our kids involved. Who better to vote on this than the ones who grew up watching them? And, instead of our usual blurb-style reviews, we have opted to include short comments from our voters about each film. Feel free to add your commentary when you are finished with our list. We love to hear from our readers.

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Honorable Mention: Iron Man

This is the one that started it all. Director Jon Favreau and actor Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark – Iron Man) deserve so much respect and credit for introducing the world to the MCU with style. (Phill)

The third act of this movie falls flat, but the first two thirds of the film are nearly flawless. Little did we know in 2008 where this adventure would take us. (Michael)

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10. Black Panther

Killmonger is one of the top 3 MCU villains, until the final fight sequence and conclusion. If they could have somehow come up with something more creative, and if they could have really been brave enough to fully redeem his character, Black Panther would have landed in my top 5. (Phill)

Black Panther gave us a refreshing and different cinematic look than previous films. The ending suffered from poor CGI and an anticlimactic final fight, but the rest of the movie is as strong as any other MCU film. (Aidan)

Black Panther is my favorite MCU movie. I think the fight scenes and the storyline are really good. (Elliot)

9. Thor

Thor doesn’t get enough love. In fact, it was unfairly critiqued for having too much MCU world-building by including SHIELD so prominently. Looking back on that criticism now it seems rather ridiculous that people were upset about that. Thor took chances. It opened up the MCU to the fantastical and otherworldly. Plus, it has the best musical score of any Marvel film. (Phill)

8. Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America The First Avenger evokes genuine emotion wrapped around a classic story of good versus evil.  The movie inspires while never failing to entertain! (Mark)

7. Captain America: Civil War

Having some of the best choreography in any of the MCU movies, Civil War gave us the Russo brothers 2nd MCU film, further proving they were the right choices to direct Infinity War and Endgame. (Aidan)

I really don’t know how they pulled off the extended scene where Team Iron Man and Team Captain America battle it out at the air field. The sequence could have come across and incredibly cheesy since we know none of them will get killed in a battle like this. Somehow the filmmakers were able to convey that there was a battle going on with real stakes, but the participants in that battle did not really want to hurt each other. It is a delicate balance and it was handled very well. (Michael)

6. Thor: Ragnarok

I’ve been a Marvel fan ever since I had the brain capacity to be one. After watching movies like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, I decided my favorite Avenger was Thor (and he still is). So, a few years ago when I heard Thor: Ragnarok was coming out soon, I was soooo hype. The trailer had Hulk and Thor fighting! Like what the heck? The movie itself was even better than the trailer. I loved the gladiator planet (as I call it) and how there were characters presented from other films like, Doctor Strange and Hulk. Thor: Ragnarok is definitely a top 10 Marvel movie, possibly even top 5. (Ethan)

5. The Avengers

So many great moments in this one, but when Hulk takes Loki and slams him to the ground something like 15-20 times in rapid succession is at the top of my list. (Michael)

4. Guardians of the Galaxy

I love how Marvel took D tier super heroes that few people had heard of and turned them in to a blockbuster movie franchise. It did not hurt that Guardians of the Galaxy is the funniest movie in the MCU and that Chris Pratt is perfectly cast in the leading role. (Michael)

This is the funniest Marvel movie in my opinion, yet it didn’t fall victim to being too funny when it needed to be serious. (Aidan)

I love the prison escape sequence. It’s a perfect blend of action, comedy, and smarts. (Phill)

3. Avengers: Infinity War

Hearing the radio call of the destroyed Asgardian ship play over the Marvel opening title rather than the typical music immediately sets the tone. From the moment Thanos kicks the Hulk’s tail, it was obvious all the previous hints at Thanos being the big climactic MCU villain were legit. (Aidan)

We all knew there would be a sequel, but I appreciate the willingness to end this film on such a down note. Doing that made Endgame a better movie as well. (Michael)

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I love this whole film but the scene where Hydra tries to take out Nick Fury is perfectly executed in every way. Tense, exciting, and creative. (Phill)

The MCU is a great cinematic achievement. Even people who are not fans of the genre would have to admit this is the case. That being said I don’t think most of the individual films in the MCU are great movies. The exception to this Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It delivers on every level and ranks up there with The Dark Knight and Unbreakable as great movies that happen to be about a super hero. (Michael)

1. Avengers: Endgame

This is the Marvel movie I revisit most often. It’s the culmination of 23 films and it nails the landing with grace and style. No, it’s not perfect, and yes, you can pick holes in some parts of the plot, but that is missing the bigger picture. This film should not work. The Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it, should not work. Yet, somehow it does and Endgame gives the entire sweeping series a better-than-anyone-could-have-hoped-for conclusion. (Phill)

Your turn…

Let us know how we did. Did we leave your favorite off the list? Tell us about it in the comment section below. Thanks for reading.