MCU: All 6 Marvel Phase 2 movies ranked from worst to best

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

It doesn’t get any better than this. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is without a doubt the best project in Phase 2 of the MCU, and it may very well be one of the best superhero movies ever. Both Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World tried to tell a serious story, but neither one of them succeeded as well as Cap’s sequel did. The decision to make a spy thriller with Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff as protagonists was fantastic. Additionally, the execution was flawless thanks to the Russo brothers’ direction.

Steve Rogers had to face his greatest challenge yet: going face to face against his former best friend, Bucky Barnes. It’s always nice when there’s a personal connection between the hero and the movie’s antagonist. Spider-Man movies often succeed at doing it, and it worked pretty well for Captain America: The Winter Soldier as well. Steve believed his friend was still there, trapped somewhere behind Hydra’s memory-erasing tactics. Meanwhile, the Winter Soldier wreaked havoc and killed people under Hydra’s command. It was a great emotional conflict that put the First Avenger under immense pressure, and that captivated audiences worldwide.

Action scenes were nothing but epic. Besides Shang Chi, Captain America: The Winter Soldier has the best hand-to-hand combats in the MCU as a whole. The highway fight between Cap and Bucky was jaw-dropping thanks to great choreography and a tense soundtrack. Nick Fury also had the chance to shine in a thrilling chase scene through the streets of Washington D.C. Finally, both Black Widow and Falcon supported Cap in his journey, and added a lot of excitement to action sequences.

The movie had great repercussions for the MCU as a whole, with both Hydra and SHIELD falling. This set up the events for Avengers: Age of Ultron in an organic way that didn’t feel forced at all. Steve Rogers was also put on a path that would make him stand against government organizations in Captain America: Civil War.

All in all, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a fantastic sequel that kept audiences excited, gave its protagonist a great emotional conflict, and managed to set up things for future sequels without losing its focus on telling a great spy story. It has a great rewatch value, and it’s also the best project in Phase 2 of the MCU.