Phase 3 of the MCU might be its greatest yet thanks to its 11 fantastic movies. But which one can claim its spot as the best of them all?
When Iron Man premiered back in 2008 it was hard to guess just how much of an impact it would have. Its huge success paved the way for multiple stories, characters, and adventures to come over the following years.
With each release, the MCU would build towards one overarching narrative where everything was intricately and carefully connected. At one point it even became necessary to break all the movies into different phases to keep track of their chronological order. And while Phases 1 and 2 had some amazing projects that were praised by critics and fans alike, they were mostly building up toward something bigger and greater.
That’s when the third face in the MCU started. An epic conclusion to everything that came before it, and a closure to the Infinity Saga. Every single project in it was met with commercial success and some degree of critical acclaim. But what’s more impressive is how it managed to live up to expectations. After all, delivering on eight years of setups and teases is no easy task at all. To end things satisfyingly seemed like an impossible task by the time Captain America: Civil War was released and Phase 3 officially started. However, Marvel pulled it off with some amazing stand-alone projects like Dr. Strange, as well as legendary team-ups like Avengers: Infinity War. It all came together so seamlessly that many people began to wonder if Marvel was ever going to be able to top itself again.
One of the highlights of Marvel’s third phase of movies was how it finally broke its tradition of creating bland and one-dimensional villains. Black Panther’s Killmonger was a great antagonist that completely stole the show. Furthermore, Thanos proved to be a worthy opponent of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Not only was he a threat big enough to reunite Iron Man and Captain America for one last fight, but he was also a compelling character that had proper motivations.
While the MCU is still going strong building towards a multiversal crossover, it’s time we look back at the success it had with Phase 3. Which one of its 11 movies managed to be the best? And which one fell short? Let’s figure it out as we dive into our ranking.