The Marvel Cinematic Universe movie power rankings

Black Panther, the most-recent film in Marvel Studios’ Phase 3 story arc, recently hit theaters and has grossed more than a billion dollars in worldwide box office revenue. The tribal-but-technologically-advanced Wakanda came to life in wondrous fashion, and villain Killmonger ranks as among the best that the MCU has offered so far, due to highly relatable motivations. Even better, Black Panther is the rare comic book movie that says something.

Now that the Black Panther is here, I’ve decided that it’s time to update my Marvel Cinematic Universe Power Rankings. I’ve watched every Marvel Studios joint (the films, not the television properties), and placed each flick into one of three categories: Main Eventers, Mid-Carders, and Jobbers. No complex mathematical formulas, no deep thoughts. This was all based off my reactions as a comic book fan and movie goer.

Here’s how things turned out.

Main-Eventers
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Iron Man
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
Captain America: Civil War
Black Panther
Iron Man 3
Guardians of the Galaxy

Mid-Carders
Ant Man
Avengers
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Doctor Strange
Captain America: The First Avenger
Iron Man 2

Jobbers
The Incredible Hulk
Thor
Thor: The Dark World

My take away: I really like superhero moves that are small in scope. The Iron Man and Ant-Man movies aren’t about world-ending threats from deep space; they’re about scientists trying to retrieve their tech from bounders. Even Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which features human-hunting flying fortresses, feels smaller in scope than, say, Avengers.

Other observations: I’m not a huge fan of the Avengers flicks. The first one nerfed  Cap, while the second one was a bit of a mess; a mess with fun parts, but still a mess. Also, Iron Man 2, with all its world-building sub-plots, may be the most-important MCU film in term of connecting dots, despite having zero tension, non-threatening villains, and bloat.

Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.