Top 9 Marvel Films to Date

For this countdown we’re just discussing movies connected directly to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A countdown of the top 9 movies based on Marvel characters would be completely different. Give us your opinions on our list or your own version below.

Number 9 Iron Man 3

Although I’ve made it known how much I detest the Mandarin twist in this film it’s still fairly entertaining. The humor alone makes the movie worth the price of admission and it really does a great job on that front. Aside from that I can’t say I loved the botched job that was done with the Extremis storyline or much of anything else. It’s just a little bit more watchable then Thor: the Dark World which didn’t make the cut for this countdown.

Number 8 The Incredible Hulk

It’s hard to put this one on the list at all, since it almost feels like it’s not canon now that Mark Ruffalo is doing amazing things as the Hulk but overall this movie is pretty good. Edward Norton is entertaining as the Hulk and Tim Roth is underrated as the Abomination. Although the Avengers gets the credit for making the Hulk cool again, this movie did the same thing, just on a smaller scale.

Number 7 Captain America: The First Avenger

There were a lot of expectations for this film that weren’t met. That said it’s still a mostly enjoyable movie. The first hour or so are actually very close to perfect but once the anachronistic laser guns and huge tanks came in I felt a bit bored. I got that the cosmic cube powered the weapons but how did Hydra learn to harness its energy when Shield couldn’t seem to figure it out decades later? Stuff like that bogged the movie down but the focus on Steve Rogers being chosen to become Captain America because of his inherit goodness was well done and enjoyable.

Number 6 Iron Man 2

Although people still give this film grief I can’t say I understand why. The War Machine and Iron Man team up was the best superhero battle to grace the small screen until the Avengers. Black Widow was introduced in seductive fashion and who can say they didn’t enjoy seeing a drunken Tony Stark in his Iron Man armor? I will say the technology of the film needed a bit more research as it seemed bizarre that Stark’s chest piece was killing him even though it was supposed to be based on clean energy and I won’t even get into Stark’s dad hiding an undiscovered element in the Stark Expo model.

Number 5 Iron Man

The first Iron Man film is still the best. It perfectly translated Tony Stark from the comic page to the film reel. It also served as the cornerstone for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe because of the post-credits scene where Nick Fury first told Stark he had become part of a larger universe.

Number 4 Guardians of the Galaxy

This movie successfully recreated a sense of Star Wars like adventure while also giving the world Rocket Raccoon and Groot on the big screen. Let’s not forget the unexpected emotions that came with the film’s opening moments as well.

Number 3 Thor

The original Thor had very little riding on it. It felt very much like it could have been a stepping stone to the first Captain America and then the Avengers but instead it created a heartfelt and emotionally fulfilling movie that Marvel has yet to top. Whether it be Odin casting out Thor or Thor unwillingly battling his brother, this movie really drew from director Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespearean background. This one has remained under rated since its release but the character of Thor hasn’t been done as well in anything since.

Number 2 Captain America: The Winter Soldier

We’ve already reviewed this one in depth. So go check out that review (here) but in terms of pure story this is probably the best movie Marvel has made. It is a great spy thriller in the vein of Three Days of the Condor and keeps you entertained throughout.

Number 1 The Avengers

This may be predictable but come on…it’s got the best of everything that came before it. It’s literally got every major character in it. On top of that Loki grows in amazing ways from his debut in Thor. We also get the greatest superhero team up and battle in cinematic history during this film’s climax. Maybe Friday’s debut of Avengers: Age of Ultron will dethrone this film but for one more night it’s the king.