14. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor: The Dark World may have been a low point for the Thor franchise, but we can all be grateful to it as, without its darkness, we may never have gotten the overwhelmingly colorful sequel, Thor: Ragnarok.
Nothing like its predecessor in all the best ways, the Taika Waititi film lifted some of that whimsicality from the first Thor film and multiplied it tenfold, while also imbuing it with the spirit of Guardians Of The Galaxy. The result was an off-the-wall, charming and surprisingly hilarious adventure that pushed the boundaries of lunacy in the most ridiculous and yet totally plausible of ways – all while being enriched with a killer soundtrack and a beautiful aesthetic.
Aside from that, everything else comes together beautifully. Asgard once again stuns when on-screen, while Cate Blanchett’s Hela isn’t just terrifying – she’s one of the best and multi-layered villains that the MCU has ever produced. The real star, however, is Loki – who gets the attention we all wanted for him in The Dark World and, in doing so, highlights how far he has come as a character.
It was packed full of laugh-out-loud moments that, heading into it, shouldn’t have worked and at the very least, might catch you off-guard upon a first viewing. That said, the genius decision to change Thor into this comedy-heavy gem single-handedly reinvigorated the franchise.
13. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
To say that Spider-Man: Far From Home was under a lot of pressure to succeed would be a major understatement.
The film should have just been the wall-crawler’s second chance to impress viewers in a standalone offering, but instead, it was tasked with dealing with the aftermath of the earth-shaking Avengers: Endgame and tying up the MCU’s current story by bringing Phase Three to a close.
Somehow, it managed to achieve all of that and still offer viewers a standalone Spider-Man adventure that, believe it or not, actually proved to be superior to its 2017 predecessor.
From its overarching sense of youthfulness to the strength of Peter and Ned’s heartwarming bond, the film took everything that was perfect about Homecoming and magnified it to produce a more engaging, inclusive and downright hilarious narrative. It also learned from its predecessor’s mistakes by giving Zendaya’s MJ the leading role that she deserved and, in doing so, gave the developing romance between her and Peter the room that it needed to breathe.
Peter’s character arc was a more well-defined version of his original journey – only this time, he wasn’t trying to prove that he was a good hero (we already knew that), he was trying to prove that he was worthy of carrying on the legendary Tony Stark’s legacy. An emotional narrative that set the stage beautifully for his showdown with the villain – and one that Tom Holland portrayed beautifully.
Avengers: Endgame may have been a masterpiece, but it was a heavy masterpiece that left us all in a state of emotional turmoil. This, however, was something else entirely. Full of youthful vibrance and genuine laughs, Far From Home was the perfect antidote to Endgame and one that illustrated a hopeful future for the MCU. Spider-Man was, quite simply, the hero we needed.