Marvel Studios’ latest film, Thunderbolts*, is now out in theaters, and after the lackluster box office of Captain America: Brave New World, Marvel could really use some cinematic redemption.
In a way, Marvel is a victim of its own success. Since 2008, Marvel has dominated superhero movies like no other studio. Some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films even rank among the greatest superhero movies ever made.
Now that Thunderbolts* is closing out Marvel’s Phase 5 films, Watch With Us is taking a look back at the 10 best MCU movies ever.
And while you might know where to find most of them, there’s at least one MCU movie that’s not readily available on the major streamers.
Marvel’s Thunderbolts* earns 3.5 out of 4 stars from Us Weekly associate editor Nicole Massabrook. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is so back. Thunderbolts* is exactly the jolt Marvel Studios movies needed. The movie, which hit theaters on Friday, May 2, follows Yelena Belvova (Florence Pugh), Black Widow’s little sister, as she struggles to find a […]
10. ‘Iron Man 3’ (2013)
There are some fans who absolutely hate Iron Man 3 because of a twist surrounding its main villain, the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). But they’re overlooking one of the last Marvel films that feels truly original when placed side-by-side with the others. Iron Man 3 director Shane Black had the difficult task of following The Avengers, which masterfully brought together the first group of Marvel heroes. Black brought things back down to Earth by giving Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) a severe case of PTSD.
When the Mandarin’s terrorists hurt one of Tony’s best friends, he issues an ill-conceived challenge that nearly costs him everything he has. In the aftermath, Stark is left stranded in the middle of Tennessee with barely functional armor and limited resources. From there, Black transforms the story into a buddy action pic with Stark’s friend, James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), and their interplay is genuinely hilarious. It even takes place during Christmas, like any Shane Black film should.
Iron Man 3 is streaming on Disney+.
9. ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ (2024)
The story of Deadpool & Wolverine may not be its strong point, but the long-awaited team-up of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman didn’t disappoint. Their combined presence was so powerful that not even superhero fatigue could keep this from becoming one of the top hits of 2024. Jackman brought the vast majority of the film’s gravitas, as his emotionally wounded Wolverine is forced to accompany Deadpool on a mission to save his universe.
There are a ton of callbacks and cameos from the 20th Century Fox Marvel movies that helped make this film into a cinematic experience, especially when watching it for the first time in a packed theater. It’s also funnier than the vast majority of modern action comedies. It’s anyone’s guess if Reynolds and Jackman will ever do another Deadpool and Wolverine flick, but it would be hard to top this one.
Deadpool & Wolverine is streaming on Disney+.
Noam Galai/Getty Images Marvel fans have Blake Lively to thank for Deadpool & Wolverine‘s killer ending. Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy revealed on the Deadpool & Wolverine director’s commentary that Lively’s reaction to the movie caused them to reshoot certain scenes. “We did just a day-and-a-half of reshoots on the movie, which we’re very proud […]
8. ‘Iron Man’ (2008)
There would be no MCU if Iron Man hadn’t been such a massive hit out of the gate. Director Jon Favreau and Marvel took a gamble by casting Downey as Tony Stark, and it paid incredible dividends to everyone involved. To hear the cast tell, there wasn’t even really a script and a great deal of improvisation led to the film that defined the Marvel Cinematic Universe for every movie that came after it.
Downey embodied Stark so completely that even Iron Man’s comic-book counterpart took pointers from this film. Favreau even eased the audience into Iron Man’s more fantastical elements, and that went a long way towards opening the door for the other MCU heroes.
Iron Man is streaming on Disney+.
7. ‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016)
Captain America: Civil War has been jokingly called “Avengers 2.5,” and it actually outdoes Avengers: Age of Ultron with an even bigger cast of characters as well as the introduction of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) without missing a beat. Downey gets a very significant role here as Stark tries to get the Avengers on board with government oversight following a tragedy. But this is still a Captain America film, and Chris Evans carries its heart as Steve Rogers.
When Steve’s best friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), is accused of a terrorist act, Captain America risks everything to protect him. Battle sides are drawn and the Avengers are torn apart while the real threat lies elsewhere. The film’s final showdown between Cap and Iron Man is also one for the ages.
Captain America: Civil War is streaming on Disney+.
6. ‘Black Panther’ (2018)
The mythology around Black Panther and his homeland, Wakanda, has been ripe for adaptation for decades. But it took director Ryan Coogler to bring it to the big screen with poignant questions about what the most technologically advanced nation on Earth owes to oppressed people around the world. Erik “Killmonger” Stevens (Michael B. Jordan) has an answer for that, and it involves an armed uprising.
Disney+ was formed on the strength of five brands: Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and Disney itself. Since then, Disney+ has mingled its movie selection together with Hulu, and it’s a lot harder to tell what is or isn’t a Disney+ movie. The full film library is only available to users who subscribe to […]
Jordan’s performance as Killmonger is so compelling and moving that his point of view can’t simply be dismissed. And the late Chadwick Boseman has some wonderful scenes as he grapples with those questions himself. Boseman’s presence as T’Challa was every bit as vital to this movie as Jordan’s Killmonger. Their shared stories are so powerful that they propelled Black Panther to massive success at the box office and Marvel Studios’ first nomination for Best Picture at the Oscars.
Black Panther is streaming on Disney+.
5. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)
Before Guardians of the Galaxy was released, industry experts predicted it would be Marvel’s first flop. After all, who cares about a walking tree and a talking space raccoon? Director and co-writer James Gunn infused a lot of heart into the story of these misfits, and he helped make Chris Pratt into a leading man thanks to his turn as Peter Quill/Star-Lord.
Zoe Saldaña and Dave Bautista are both excellent as Peter’s new teammates, Gamora and Drax. But the voice acting by Bradley Cooper as Rocket and Vin Diesel as Groot elevated those CGI creations. Diesel’s character only says “I am Groot” for most of the movie, and yet there’s such meaning and emotion in his voice that it gives Groot a soul. The killer throwback soundtrack also helped set the tone for this space adventure. Films like Borderlands and Suicide Squad tried to ape the spirit of Guardians of the Galaxy, but only the original model will do.
Guardians of the Galaxy is streaming on Disney+.
4. ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
Joe and Anthony Russo took blockbusters to the next level in Avengers: Infinity War. This film boasted the largest superhero cast to date and included characters from all of Marvel’s previous films. Watching Rocket and Groot befriend Thor (Chris Hemsworth) or Spider-Man hanging out with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Iron Man was a real thrill.
The film also flipped the script by putting the focus on the villain of the story, Thanos (Josh Brolin). Throughout the movie, Thanos is presented as a threat to the entire universe, and he more than lives up to that billing. Brolin’s performance exudes menace, but Thanos still has something resembling love for his favorite adoptive daughter, Gamora, and even an odd sort of empathy for the heroes. He’s a fantastic bad guy, and the film’s ending was shocking to fans who believed Marvel didn’t have any new tricks up its sleeve.
Avengers: Infinity War is streaming on Disney+.
3. ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)
Going into Spider-Man: No Way Home, it was widely assumed that Holland would be joined by both of his Spider-Man predecessors, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. Those rumors turned out to be true, but the secrecy surrounding them created an amazing response in theaters when the other Peter Parkers arrived. Seeing all three Spider-Men in action was worth the price of admission.
Even with multiple Spider-Men and returning villains from the older movies, this was still primarily a story about Holland’s Peter Parker. He had a lot of lessons to learn the hard way, as the story gives Peter a terrible tragedy to overcome and the resilience to become a Spider-Man who won’t be in Iron Man’s shadow any longer.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
2. ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
The Russo brothers really painted themselves in a corner after the events of Avengers: Infinity War. How do you top the ultimate superhero move? By forcing the heroes to live in a world where they lost for half a decade. Avengers: Endgame‘s three-hour runtime gave the film enough time to explore the heroes’ grief and anger before giving them a second chance to get things right.
This was truly the culmination of every Marvel movie before it, as the team literally revisits the past that the audience had witnessed for over ten years at that point. And if you thought the final battle in Infinity War was big, the Russos found a way to go even bigger in this film.
Avengers: Endgame is streaming on Disney+.
1. ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ (2014)
The reason why the Russos were given Civil War and two Avengers movies was because they did such a fantastic job on Captain America: The Winter Soldier. For the most part, the action was grounded and intense, and the sense of paranoia surrounding the characters gave the story a new dimension. As Steve Rogers tries to adjust to living in the present, an attempt to assassinate Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) exposes the dirty underside of S.H.I.E.L.D. and introduces the feared assassin known as the Winter Soldier.
Steve’s only allies against this threat are Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). And while that’s a formidable trio, they were in way over their heads without Cap and Black Widow’s fellow Avengers. This movie was a true game-changer for the MCU, and it’s still the gold standard for the franchise’s standalone sequels.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is streaming on Disney+.
Led by Senior Editor and experienced critic Jason Struss, Watch With Us’ team of writers and editors sees almost every movie and TV show from the distant past to the present to determine what’s worth your time and money. Our countless hours of multimedia consumption — combined with years of experience in the entertainment industry — help us determine the best movies and TV shows you should be streaming right now.
To be considered “the best,” these films and series can be visually engaging, intellectually stimulating or simply just fun to watch, but the one trait they must have is that they are all, in some way, entertaining. We then check which platform they are streaming on and how you can access them as a subscriber. No algorithm nonsense or paid endorsements here — our recommendations are based purely on our love and interest for the films and shows we love.
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