MCU: All 11 Marvel Phase 3 movies ranked from worst to best

5. Thor: Ragnarok

Out of all The Avenger’s founding members, Thor happened to be the one with the most underwhelming stand-alone projects in the first two phases of the MCU. For a long time, it seemed like Marvel struggled at getting the most out of the god of thunder on the big screen. Two different directors tried to helm a movie where he was the main character, and they both failed at creating something memorable for audiences to experience. Fortunately, the third time was the charm, as Thor: Ragnarok is nothing short of spectacular to this very date.

While it’s common for MCU movies to find a good balance between action, comedy, and heartfelt moments, Thor’s third adventure is probably the one that has done it better. Even when it was heart-wrenching to watch Thor lose his dad, his sister, and his home planet, there were still numerous moments of comic relief that didn’t feel forced at all. The movie had a great pace that allowed for tragic events to be followed up by action sequences in an organic way. As a result, characters could have arcs that made them go through a lot of ups and downs throughout the movie’s runtime.

And speaking about characters, everyone in Thor: Ragnarok had a pivotal role to play. Korg was established as a fan favorite that would alleviate the tension from a lot of scenes with his jokes. Hulk had multiple times to shine, both in comedic moments and destructive action sequences. His character arc started just where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, and it was nice to finally discover what happened to him after taking off in that Stark aircraft. Valkyrie helped expand Asgard’s mythology while also working as a great supporting character. And, finally, Thor was pushed to his very limit. Not only he lost his hammer but also had to come to terms with the fact that he’d lose his fight for saving Asgard. Every character had their time in the spotlight thanks to an intricate plot that resonated with audiences in a big way.

Another thing that also made Thor: Ragnarok stand out from other MCU projects was its amazing photography and its color palette. There were a lot of iconic shots that seemed to be pulled straight out from a comic book page, and that added a lot of rewatch value. You’d think that would also be the case for a lot of other superhero movies, but more often than not their cinematography feels bland and uninspired. And when you add this to the list of things that make Thor: Ragnarok a great movie, it’s easy to see why it’s one of the MCU’s best projects so far.