Phase 2 of the MCU had some towering heights and a few unfortunate lows, so it’s time we rank its six movies to determine which one is the best.
With the first Avengers movie, it seemed like Marvel had reached an unprecedented height that would’ve been impossible to surpass. But there were bigger plans in store for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they were officially set in motion once Iron Man 3 premiered in 2013. For two years, Marvel would build upon everything it achieved with its first phase of movies by releasing sequels for well-known characters and by introducing brand-new heroes on the big screen.
However, a major difference between Phases 1 and 2 of the MCU is the amount of expectations people had. By the time audiences got to know Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, they wanted their future adventures to be memorable and meet high standards. Unfortunately, it seems this pressure got the best of Marvel, as some of the projects in Phase 2 had mixed results.
A lot of work went into assuring Avengers: Age of Ultron would be better than its predecessor, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. While the movie was far from a disaster, it spent too much time setting things up for future stories that it forgot to tell its own cohesively. Furthermore, Thor: The Dark World failed to resonate with audiences with its grim style and forgettable antagonist. Speaking of which, something that also hurt Phase 2 of the MCU was its lack of good supervillains. Ultron was a letdown for many of us, and while Guardians of the Galaxy was a fantastic movie, Ronan the Accuser was a pretty terrible character.
Overall, Phase 2 of the MCU wasn’t its most iconic so far, but it wasn’t a total letdown either. It was a necessary stepping stone from which Marvel could learn and keep expanding. Besides, it did have a few standouts that can be considered some of the best superhero movies created so far. So it’s time we dive into our ranking and discover which of these projects are truly iconic and which failed to take audiences by surprise.
6. Thor: The Dark World
Thor has always been a pretty serious character in the comics, so it only makes sense for his big-screen adaptation to be dark as well, right? Well, it turns out it’s a little bit more complicated than that. Perhaps a gritty Thor movie could be brilliantly executed, but it needs a good plot, a great villain, and an emotional payoff, none of which were present in Thor: The Dark World. Unfortunately, not only is Thor’s second adventure considered one of the worst Marvel films to date, but it’s the weakest link in Phase 2 of the MCU.
Thor: The Dark World‘s plot was underdeveloped, as it followed the Dark Elves trying to use an infinity stone to destroy the nine realms so that there could be perpetual darkness. This means it was another superhero project where the bad guys were evil just for the sake of it. Additionally, its story was a little too convenient at times as well. When the barrier between realms gets blurred, mysterious portals that link one realm to another begin to appear. And it just so happens that a portal between Earth and the exact place where the Reality Stone was hidden opened up for Jane Foster to fall into.
Thor: The Dark World also suffered from poor execution of the plot at times. For instance, its stakes were undoubtedly high as the God of Thunder had to prevent the simultaneous destruction of the nine realms. But audiences never felt unsafe at any point in the movie. There was no sense of relief when Thor finally managed to take down Malekith once and for all, which is a shame considering it could have been the case.
However, not everything in Thor: The Dark World was a total blunder. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston had an amazing chemistry as Thor and Loki. Asgard was also stunningly beautiful, and every realm visited in the movie had a distinctive look and feel. Unfortunately, these positives aren’t enough for the movie to be a fan favorite or even a great superhero movie. While it’s not a disaster as everyone claims, it definitely could’ve been better.
5. Ant-Man
Phase 2 of the MCU is mostly comprised of sequels to established characters’ opening movies, with only two exceptions: The Guardians of the Galaxy and, of course, Ant-Man. The latter was planned to be one of the first MCU movies to be released alongside Iron Man and Captain America. But as we know, those plans never came to be.
Ant-Man was pushed back multiple times because Edgar Wright, its director, had to prioritize work on other projects. Edgar even left the project just months before production started due to creative differences with Marvel, and Peyton Reed took his place. The movie’s script was reworked, and Ant-Man was finally released in 2015 after many years of being shelved. Unfortunately, the result is a movie with some glimpses of innovation that ultimately decides to play it safe.
Ant-Man has a great protagonist in the form of Scott Lang, an ex-convict who just wants a chance to prove he can still be a good dad to his daughter Cassie. Their emotional connection is the heart and center of the film with good reason. Whenever they share the screen you can’t help but smile and hope for Scott to be able to stay in Cassie’s life. There are also lovable secondary characters like Luis who not only help Scott in his journey of becoming a hero but also provoke a lot of laughs. Sadly, that’s mostly where all of the movie’s strengths lie.
Ant-Man had one of the most forgettable and one-dimensional antagonists ever. Daren Cross had pretty much the same powers as Ant-Man but decided to use them for evil… and that was it. He didn’t have proper motivations or a even great goal to achieve. Most of the time it feels like he was there just for Scott to fight someone in the third act. Besides, Ant-Man’s powers weren’t used in innovative or unique ways that could set the movie apart. Action sequences lacked creativity, and they didn’t manage to push Scott Lang to his limits, forcing him to become a great hero. Even the heist scenes weren’t interesting or thrill-inducing enough to fill that void.
Overall, there are a lot of laughs to be had with Ant-Man and its charming characters are sure to steal your heart, but that’s about it. There is nothing new in it that hasn’t been done in pretty much any other superhero movie. You can watch it once and find no reason to want to see it again, which is okay. It doesn’t mean it’s bad, but it falls short of other projects in Phase 2 of the MCU.
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron
When the MCU first started, it was made of self-contained stories with small hints indicating they all took place in the same world. However, by the time Phase 2 began, things were completely different. Marvel had already united Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on the big screen, and it became clear every movie in the MCU was part of a big interconnected universe. This was an exciting prospect that had fans on the lookout for any tease that could indicate what movie was coming next. Unfortunately, sometimes world-building gets in the way of telling a great story, and there’s no more significant example than Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes deserved a mighty sequel, but it didn’t turn out to be that way. Avengers: Age of Ultron spent too much time trying to build a rivalry between Captain America and Iron Man so that the events of Captain America: Civil War could occur. Additionally, the movie introduced audiences to vibranium, Ulysses Klaue, and the notion that Wakanda exists in the MCU so that Black Panther could take place. As if it wasn’t enough, Thor had one of the most random sub-plots in the Avengers: Age of Ultron that had him enter the waters of a cave to discover more about the infinity stones. Finally, new characters like Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Vision were introduced so that the Avengers could have a new lineup of heroes for future movies. It was just too much.
The downside is that the movie didn’t have enough time to spend on things that did matter, like developing its antagonist. Just two minutes after Ultron was created he was ready to destroy the whole world. All it took was one trip through the internet for him to decide humans were all worthy of destruction (which is fair enough, I guess, but it wasn’t portrayed convincingly). As a result, Ultron was just another forgettable antagonist that wasn’t even close to surpassing his predecessor, Loki. At least the god of mischief was charming in his own way.
However, there are aspects where Avengers: Age of Ultron managed to shine. It wasted no time uniting Earth’s Mightiest Heroes once again, something its prequel spent many hours trying to do. Besides, while the first Avengers movie took place almost exclusively in the Helicarrier, Avengers: Age of Ultron took our heroes on a worldwide journey that explored different locations. Action sequences were also bigger and greater, with the fight between Iron Man and Hulk being a clear standout. Finally, it’s the only movie where Vision has been used in a way that allows him to be more than a background character.
In conclusion, Avengers: Age of Ultron is not a bad movie by any means, but it still feels like a disappointing sequel. It spent too much time setting things up for other projects that it forgot to have a memorable tale of its own. It’s more entertaining than Thor: The Dark World and Ant-Man, but it’s arguably the worst Avengers film to date which is a shame considering it had the potential to be something special.
3. Iron Man 3
After Iron Man 2 failed to be a critical success it was clear Iron Man 3 needed to make something different if it wanted to win over audiences again. Shane Black knew this and came up with the perfect solution when directing and co-writing the movie. Tony Stark was removed from his armor during most of the film, allowing moviegoers to understand he’s just a human that’s trying to fight a war in a world where aliens and gods exist. This wasn’t an Iron Man movie, it was a Tony Stark film.
Iron Man 3 did a terrific job at dealing with the aftermath of The Avengers. Even though the world was saved, Tony knew there was someone up in space waiting for the perfect moment to attack again. This pressure got the best of the billionaire as he began to deal with post-traumatic stress, something that affected him during most of the film. This is probably the most vulnerable and human we’ve ever seen Tony Stark be on the big screen. It added depth to an already loved character and made us empathize more with him, something that greatly elevated the movie.
However, Iron Man 3‘s biggest weakness back when it was released was its Mandarin twist. Many fans (including myself) were completely disappointed to learn that the Mandarin was nothing but a paid actor whose only purpose was to give the media a villain to target. If you watch Iron Man 3 now, knowing that the real Mandarin would eventually appear in Shang Chi, it’s easy to look past this twist. But back in the day, it was something that completely killed the experience for many. It’s a shame the movie wasn’t clear about its antagonist from the very beginning as Iron Man 3 is remembered as a waste for some when in reality it’s fantastic.
The scene where Iron Man has to save people falling from an airplane keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. The final battle was also amazing, as we got to see hundreds of Iron Man armors fight against an army of super soldiers. Finally, Iron Man 3 stripped away Tony from almost everything he had, allowing him to feel like a renewed character once Avengers: Age of Ultron was released. For this reason, Iron Man 3 is better than most projects in Phase 2 of the MCU, and an adventure worthy of rewatching time and time again.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy is a movie that mixes iconic songs, great action sequences, and hysterical jokes. It didn’t matter if nobody knew who the group of misfits were, Marvel managed to make each and every one of them charming and lovable. That’s an amazing feat considering the group has a talking tree and a literal raccoon as members. Thanks to James Gunn’s direction, it was inevitable for audiences to be in for a great ride.
Guardians of the Galaxy is as fun as MCU movies get. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s for the better. There are plenty of laughs throughout the course of the film, and many characters (like Drax) are portrayed as unintentionally funny. Additionally, the cinematography was absolutely stunning. The movie explores a great number of creative locations that were shot beautifully, allowing Guardians of the Galaxy to stand out from other Marvel projects.
The way characters interacted with each other was also amazing. The group is formed against the will of almost every member, and it’s fun to see how they stress each other out throughout most of the film. However, by the third act, they truly feel like a family that looks out for the well-being of everyone in it. The love-hate relationship between Peter and Rocket was fun to watch, and Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldaña also had strong chemistry as Peter and Gamora.
Guardians of the Galaxy was not only a good film, but it was a pleasant surprise. It established the MCU as a franchise that can make almost any character work on the big screen, and it was met with both critical and commercial success. While the Guardians would go on and appear in many more projects, their first appearance is still one of the MCU’s greatest movies to this very date.
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.