Old thread was archived due to the year+ without any MCU content, so here's a new one. With WandaVision wrapped up, this is now just a ranking of all the primary MCU projects in general. Plus my list changed drastically as I've re-watched certain movies over the past year and wanted to update it.
37. The Incredible Hulk (Phase I) - My Rating: 6.5/10
36. Iron Man 3 (Phase II) - My Rating: 7/10
35. Thor: The Dark World (Phase II) - My Rating: 7/10
34. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Phase V) - My Rating: 7/10
33. Hawkeye (Phase IV) - My Rating: 7/10
32. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Phase IV) - My Rating: 7/10
31. Black Widow (Phase IV) - My Rating: 7/10
30. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (Phase IV) - 7.5/10
29. Moon Knight (Phase IV) - My Rating: 7.5/10
28. Ant-Man and The Wasp (Phase III) - My Rating: 7.5/10
27. Doctor Strange (Phase III) - My Rating: 7.5/10
26. Captain Marvel (Phase III) - My Rating: 7.5/10
25. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Phase IV) - My Rating: 7.5/10
24. The Avengers: Age of Ultron (Phase II) - My Rating: 7.5/10
23. Thor: Love and Thunder (Phase IV) - My Rating: 7.5/10
22. Captain America: Civil War (Phase III) - My Rating: 8/10
21. Black Panther (Phase III) - My Rating: 8/10
20. Captain America: The First Avenger (Phase I) - My Rating: 8/10
19. Loki (Phase IV) - My Rating: 8/10
18. Thor (Phase I) - My Rating: 8/10
17. Ms. Marvel (Phase IV) - My Rating: 8/10
16. Ant-Man (Phase II) - My Rating: 8/10
15. The Avengers (Phase I) - My Rating: 8/10
14. Guardians of the Galaxy (Phase II) - My Rating: 8.5/10
13. Spider-man: No Way Home (Phase IV) - My Rating: 8.5/10
12. Spider-man: Homecoming (Phase III) - My Rating: 8.5/10
11. Spider-man: Far From Home (Phase III) - My Rating: 8.5/10
10. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (Phase IV) - My Rating: 8.5/10
9. Avengers: Endgame (Phase III) - My Rating: 8.5/10
8. WandaVision (Phase IV) - My Rating: 8.5/10
7. Avengers: Infinity War (Phase III) - My Rating: 9/10
6. Iron Man (Phase I) - My Rating: 9/10
5. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Phase IV) - 9/10
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Phase V) - My Rating: 9.5/10
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Phase II) - My Rating: 9.5/10
2. Thor: Ragnarok (Phase III) - My Rating: 9.5/10
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Phase III) - My Rating: 9.5/10
Original Rankings Post with Short Reviews:
35. The Eternals (Phase IV) - My Rating: 5/10 Review: Mega disjointed story, fudging TERRIBLE CG, and a final act that reminds me of the worst Fox X-Men movies. There were some awesome concepts here, some pretty cool characters, and great actors.... but I can't even find the right words to really break this one down. It was just bad.
34. Iron Man 2 (Phase I) - My Rating: 5.5/10 Review: No longer "easily" the weakest movie of the MCU, but certainly one that I don't really like enough to ever feel like re-watching. Mickey Rourke's villain was waaay under-developed and, whie I love the actor, Sam Rockwell's villain was the poor man's Obidiah Stane. Also, I love Don Cheadle as War Machine, but you can't help but kind of feel like Terrence Howard would have played the role more naturally in this one. Black Widow was wasted here too, came off as a real flat "henchman" type character. The only real redeeming qualities were Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man once again. I did enjoy how they touched on Stark's alcoholic past from the comics in an updated way. That brief moment at the end where Iron Man and War Machine team up against the robots was neat too, even while still being the least memorable "showdown" of the entire MCU.
33. The Incredible Hulk (Phase I) - My Rating: 7/10 Review: I seem to enjoy this one a lot more than the casual viewers but I can totally get where people are coming from. Edward Norton just didn't fit as Bruce Banner for me too much, definitely not the way Mark Ruffalo does now. He did well with the part, but it really just seemed like Edward Norton playing Edward Norton. Liv Tyler is a little "meh" in just about everything, too. The villains made this movie for me though, with Tim Roth's super-soldier-turned-Abomination standing out big time, along with General Ross for most of the movie. I loved that chase scene in Brazil, as well as the big showdown between the Hulk and the soldiers in the field. However, the CGI for both the Hulk and the Abomination teetered on the not-impressive side in my opinion, and it really showed during the climactic end battle. I thought it was kind of cool, but the movie had potential to have more than just a "loud, bang up" fight ending that was more-or-less just a rehash of Iron Man's climax. I did like that "Hulk smash" part though.
32. Iron Man 3 (Phase II) - My Rating: 7/10 Review: This was originally a 6/10 and the second-to-last movie on my list. When I initially ranked it, I had only seen it once in the theaters. The "Trevor Slattery" twist left an awful taste in my mouth and that hampered my initial opinion. Watching it for the second time definitely softened my opinion. That "fake Mandarin" twist is still fudging awful, as is the "Batman Forever Jim Carrey/Riddler" arc of the primary villain (which was also revisited with Electro in Amazing Spider-man 2), but otherwise there is a good movie surrounding those. A much more mature tone with MANY jokes that aren't suitable for kids, lots of language that doesn't exist in the MCU other than this movie (calls a kid a pussy for crying out loud), and a real "James Bond" plot that sees Tony need to become the MCU equivalent to a 007 during a stretch where he doesn't have an Iron Man suit. The ending was also badass, with the multi-suit extravaganza - even if Age of Ultron nullified that bit entirely. Not as bad as I originally pegged it but still lower-tier for sure.
31. Thor: The Dark World (Phase II) - My Rating: 7/10 Review: I love Thor, the character, and have since I was a young kid getting the "Journey Into Mystery" Marvel Masterworks hardcover from my dad. It may be that bias that causes me to enjoy the Thor movies over some more popular MCU movies, but oh well. I dug this one, with my only real complaint mirroring that of many - that the villain Maliketh, much like the Red Skull, seemed to be evil just for the sake of being evil. There was some backstory about how Odin wronged the Dark Elves, but it's really just skimmed over and no reasons are really given. Otherwise, I thought the cast did a fine job. People like to bicker about "too much Natalie Portman" in these movies, or too much time spent on Earth in general, but they seem to forget that both these aspects were huge to the early (most memorable) Thor comic books. Thor's essence was more-or-less trapped in a human doctor named Don, who had to tap his walking stick to turn into Thor, and he clamored over Jane Foster in just about every issue. So seeing Thor interact with Jane and her friends is fine in my opinion, it's something that the character has been doing since his creation. I loved the ending too, the glimpses into all the other realms was great and the final showdown was awesome. But when it comes to stark colored lulls in some of these superhero movies, unfortunately my man Thor falls real guilty at times here. Some scenes are actually kind of boring. And that faux-hand chopping scene seemed extremely rushed, as if they forgot to cram a bunch of character moments between Thor and Loki into the movie and had to do it all in one go. Still have a soft spot for this one, though - all the otherworldly tech and vehicles rule.
30. Hawkeye (Phase IV) - My Rating: 7/10 Review: This was good and, considering I find Hawkeye to be super uninteresting, probably better than I expected. I dug Kate Bishop, I dug Hawkeye way more than I ever have, I dug the pizza dog. Yelena was cool as always, even if some of the comedy schtick got a bit tired. Echo was just badass enough to make me interested in her Disney+ show. I love this show for bringing Kingpin into the MCU, and then I hate it for sort of cartooning him up too hard. He was great in Daredevil, and the performance is still there, but his immunity to pain was such a strange touch. He was always strong and could take a beating, but he wasn't inhuman the way he was presented here. Assuming they didn't kill him off when they insinuated it, but if they did that'll be even worse. That out of the way, I also wasn't huge into the LARPing folks and thought it was a little silly that they played any role at the end. Otherwise, Jack was cool (even when he was teased as a villain), and Vera Farmiga ruled as always (even if her reveal was very predictable). And I don't know if this helps this show's argument, but major bonus points for leaning into the holiday season, will always dig that.
29. Black Widow (Phase IV) - My Rating: 8/10 Review: This movie ruled and if it really was ScarJo's last outing as Black Widow, it MORE than lived up to that character. That whole last half hour was incredible. It was a more "grounded" story relative to the recent Avengers movies but it was the perfect cool down after Endgame and had far more spectacle than I'd expect out of a spy movie. I thought all the performances knocked it out of the park, especially the 4 leads. I really enjoyed the Taskmaster/Dreykov villain combo, even if the motivation was a little to "Bond" for its own good. Still, it made sense to the way the Red Room and the Black Widows had been built up in the MCU previously, this movie just took it a step farther as was the natural progression. My main complaint is that Black Widow survives a few too many life-ending occurrences without any issue. She survives falling several stories, bashing herself off various things on the way down, and still manages to land on her feet. That's a little silly, but far from the silliest thing we've seen out of the MCU so I didn't rub up against it too hard. All in all, a really great movie that just barely stays out of the top tier.
28. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (Phase IV) - 7.5/10 Review: This was solid and well-acted across the board with some truly memorable characters and moments. I really appreciated the social commentary being made with the show, and the elements they borrowed from the source material really fit with the themes and tone. However, it doesn't rank higher because it focuses on an A-plot that is stretched too long and too thin in the Flag Smashers, and develops an extremely riveting B-plot centered around John Walker that has a bitter-sweet payoff that ultimately disappointed me. While I enjoyed the acting, some of the characters sort of took a backseat to others - namely Bucky, who could have had a bit more to do here. Returns like Zemo and Sharon Carter were welcome, and while both characters left an impression I can't help but feel they were slightly under-utilized in the big picture. Zemo's mask definitely was, at least. But I really dug Sam becoming Cap, John Walker pre-finale, and anything involving Isaiah Bradley, so there was definitely enough good to outshine the bad.
27. Moon Knight (Phase IV) - My Rating: 7.5/10 Review: Oscar Isaac puts on a masterclass in acting in each episode of this show, especially episode 5. It can't be overstated how great he did with the material, or the technical wonders the MCU had to have implemented to make his performance(s) come off so flawless. May Calamawy is also great as Layla, especially in the finale. Ethan Hawke was serviceable but the character itself was sort of one note and boring, I honestly enjoyed the trippy "psychologist vision" version of him more. The story was pretty straight forward action/adventure romp for the first 3 episodes, and then the last 3 added a much needed layer to the overall psychological side of it. I dug that it was self-contained with no larger connections to the MCU, and the post credits scene was pretty great. I loved the emphasis on mental health and the idea of learning to cope and work with the way one's brain works. All that said, for only being 6 episodes, the grand majority of the story just didn't click for me. If it weren't for Isaac's performance, it would have been a lot duller. The CGI was fudging awful in spots, but ended up getting better. The designs for the gods varied in quality, but they were still decently fun. For as "fresh" a take on a Marvel property as this was, the last episode is the epitome of the "big CG superhero third act" that the MCU gets valid criticism for often. Not only that, but that finale episode really felt disjointed and weirdly edited, with plot conveniences left and right. Overall, it was good enough and I am still looking forward to seeing where the character goes next (again, thanks to the post credits scene), but I'd be lying if I said it didn't leave a bit to be desired.
26. Ant-Man and The Wasp (Phase III) - My Rating: 7.5/10 Review: This was a fun follow up to the first movie but I honestly thought it paled in comparison. Some of the humor came off a lot more forced this time around, and none of the shrinking sequences were as fun as the first movie, save for maybe the car chase bit. I thought the villain was badass though - far more interesting than Yellow Jacket, and the connection between Hank and Goliath was a nice little comic nod that goes along way in the plot. And that post-credits scene was real memorable. Overall though it just kinda came off as the "obligatory sequel" where everything just tried to be bigger (literally in some aspects) but ended up coming off more-or-less the same.
25. The Avengers: Age of Ultron (Phase II) - My Rating: 7.5/10 Review: Honestly felt a little bored the first time I watched this, but after a re-watch I realized I enjoyed it more than I thought. For a while, this would have been even lower on my list. I just feel like it was a little too long, a little too bland-looking (color pallet-wise) and a little too confusing. A lot of things had to be left to figure out or speculate on when that shouldn't have happened. I didn't like Kick Ass guy's take on Quicksilver, though Scarlett Witch ruled. I'd rather Ultron's look be closer to comics-Ultron, as opposed to just his little robot minions - but James Spader killed it in the voice acting department. I thought the ending was a little too close to The Avengers climax (big action set piece throughout a crowded city), and if it weren't for the floating city aspect it would have played exactly the same too. The Vision is one of my all-time favorites, so it was cool to see him show up, even if his debut scene was definitely a little lacking. They could have explained Thor's Jacuzzi scene a lot more, too. I also felt like Ultron's demise came on WAY too easily and quick, and some of the little comedy parts (little-Ultrons being scared of Hulk, for example) were rough. Overall though, this is a fun enough movie if a little disappointing.
24. Doctor Strange (Phase III) - My Rating: 7.5/10 Review: This was a great movie really heightened by the main character and Cumberbatch. Guy nailed his stuff and brought a real weight to a the character who, while just as snarky, is a little more dark than Tony Stark. This movie as a whole was a little darker than the more colorful movies in the MCU while still achieving the colorful atmosphere that you'd expect when it comes to a Doctor Strange story. At the same time, the comedic front put up by Strange was a highlight of the film, his character seemed very real. There were a few iffy moments but for the most part this was wall-to-wall action - which was by far the most interesting part of the film. The trippy action sequences were a treat - including the climactic meeting with the evil force Dormammu. This film also featured a real, multi-layered primary villain whose motivation held water. No character in this movie was free of faults which leaves plenty of room for great character development. While I still prefer some earlier MCU entries, this movie stood out as a memorable adventure on its own merit.
23. Captain Marvel (Phase III) - My Rating: 7.5/10 Review: Pretty damn good. After a choppy first act it really picked up and I enjoyed it a lot. Normal try-hard Marvel humor at points but I appreciated that the origin bits were handled in an interesting, surprisingly artistic way instead of just a by-the-numbers origin story. It had actual character depth, weighty moments and all the action you’d expect. About as good as you can hope for when it comes to a superhero movie that leans more “sci-fi” than usual. I dig the world it set up and am looking forward to the inevitable sequel.
22. Captain America: Civil War (Phase III) - My Rating: 8/10 Review: This movie was arguably saved by the second act and the emergence of the promising Spider-man character. Everything surrounding it felt a little rushed and, honestly, forgettable. A main string-pulling villain whose motivation and plan were really kind of weak and in turn made our two main Avengers, Iron Man and Captain America, look pretty stupid to get duped so hard. His initial issue with the heroes wasn't paid off well and couldn't deliver after the "main event" of the movie that featured the debut of Ant-Man's "Giant-Man" alter-ego fighting against Spider-man in the middle of a huge airport. This movie was the exact opposite of how I felt toward Age of Ultron - I thought I liked this movie more than I did until I re-watched it with my father a few weeks later and realized that I was actually kind of bored waiting for the Team Cap vs. Team Iron Man showdown. Once it came and went I almost didn't care enough to watch more but the finale fist fight is worth waiting for. I was definitely still more entertained by this than those ranked lower, obviously, and I really enjoyed the chemistry between RDJ and Chris Evans when they're playing off each other in more antagonistic roles. Their work really elevated this movie past the previous films on this list as they brought a real emotion to both their characters that added new layers even after years of playing them despite the wonky reasoning behind their conflict. And like I alluded to earlier, that climactic Winter Soldier/Captain America vs. Iron Man fist fight was both incredibly emotional and well-pulled off in terms of low-key action sequences. #TeamCap
21. Black Panther (Phase III) - My Rating: 8/10 Review: Great movie, all around. The casting was perfect for each role, the effects were as good as you'd expect, and the plot was fantastic. It was a little too long and there were some questionable elements (armored rhinos were the worst) but for the most part it was an extremely fun adventure romp. While I'm not black, I can appreciate this movie on a different level for the cultural significance at has apparently held among the black community, so that alone gives it a boost. While Black Panther is a great character on his own, it's really the villains Killmonger and Klaue that standout in this movie for me. While the ending was beautiful, I do wish it panned out a little differently to leave a Killmonger return open - but the way he ended made perfect sense for the character, and it was an awesome send-off after the movie built him up as not only a threat, but an extremely sympathetic threat. Good stuff for sure.
20. Captain America: The First Avenger (Phase I) - My Rating: 8/10 Review: This movie has grown on me big time, I used to think it came off way too much like an Avengers prequel - a film just to shoehorn Captain America into the fold before the movie everyone actually wanted to see. Which was sort of the case, but I shouldn't have let that sully my movie-going experience. When I learned to look at this one as a more adventure movie in the lieu of Indiana Jones as opposed to a superhero film, I began appreciating it a lot more. It's a straight forward story and it sets up a lot of the best parts of the current MCU. Though he gets some slack, I very much enjoyed the Red Skull in this one - even though he just seems to be evil for evil's sake. Regardless, I enjoy the subtle approach at Captain America's origin to the point that they even kept his costume extremely basic, saving the more popular looking outfit for The Avengers. This is a really fun movie.
19. Loki (Phase IV) - 8/10 Review: To be honest I didn't love the start of this series. It took until the 3rd-4th episode, when things started getting really wild, to hook me. I feel the earlier episodes were packed with way too much exposition solely to pad the run time whereas were Loki to be a film, it would have taken 20 minutes to cover the same information. But the series definitely picked up with the inclusion of Richard E Grant and the opportunity to explore more Loki variants, and the finale was a masterclass in not just storytelling but also in transitioning an entire decade-old franchise into forward motion. At the time of this writing I haven’t seen Kang in the MCU yet, but Jonathan Majors rules and his portrayal of He Who Remains was fantastic.
18. Thor (Phase I) - My Rating: 8/10 Review: Pretty much everything positive I had to say about The Dark World applies here x10, except with this one the villain was outstanding and easily the most memorable of the whole MCU. Seeing the almost-Shakespearean rivalry between Thor & Loki play out within not only a family conflict, but a war between Asgard & the Frost Giants was definitely something to behold. I liked the Earth scenes more in this one than in the Dark World, too, and the showdown with the Destroyer was so badass (even if not entirely true to the comic book character its based off of). The battle on the rainbow bridge at the end was really fun stuff. But what really stood out to me as making this movie was the setting. It looked great - a perfect mixture of fantasy and science fiction (which Asgard was supposed to be, essentially). This was kind of lost in The Dark World, where the new director took Asgard's look in a more typical fantasy style (that is, until those Dark Elf tie-fighters showed up). Couple the setting with Loki and a great hero/villain rivalry, and this is a classic in my opinion. That's not a sentiment many agree with, but I thought Thor was just great.
17. Ms. Marvel (Phase IV) - My Rating: 8/10 Review: This was a nice, grounded superhero origin with a direction style that seemed so fresh for the MCU. There were a few dud beats but overall I really dug the show and loved where it ended up. Iman Vellani is RDJ/Iron Man-level casting and she personifies Kamala Khan so perfectly. The insight to the Muslim culture was appreciated to, as it wasn't heavy-handed or a normal negative stereotype. Overall I appreciated the show for being a breezy watch each week. Something I could throw on and feel comforted by, knowing I'd be getting a Marvel story without huge stakes. It was real fun while it lasted, and I'm just hoping Kamala Khan can eventually return to this street-level vigilante role after what is sure to be a cosmic adventure in The Marvels.
16. Ant-Man (Phase II) - My Rating: 8/10 Review: If there's one thing I disliked here, it was how un-Paul Rudd Paul Rudd seemed. He was still funny, and in scenes seemed to come off the way we'd expect, but I was hoping for a much more comedic character. Regardless, the dude played one hell of a quasi-serious hero role. The supporting cast was awesome too, Evangeline Lily killed it as Hope - can't wait to see her as The Wasp. You could tell Corey Stoll was having a great time playing Yellow Jacket, and Michael Douglas actually seemed like he was having a good time too. And the physics-defying end battle was one of the best from the MCU, making such small set pieces seem so grand. This is what a superhero movie is all about, even if I feel this type of origin story was done a bit better in Iron Man.
15. The Avengers (Phase I) - My Rating: 8/10 Review: I've seen this one so many times that it's actually started to wear a bit thin on me. For a long time Avengers would have been my number one, but with each re-watch, the plot holes stick out a bit more and the clumsy dialogue shines through big time. Other than that though, this is a near-perfect team up movie and the best product of a shared universe that the cinematic world has ever seen. You need to appreciate this movie just for what it is, a culmination of years of planning to bring these classic characters together in one movie. Bringing back Loki in his classic Avengers-villain role was a nice touch, and the Thanos hinting got any comic fan giddy when they first saw it. That shot of them all assembled in New York is a classic Hollywood moment now.
14. Guardians of the Galaxy (Phase II) - My Rating: 8.5/10 Review: I really, really liked this movie. Taking the MCU on a sci-fi path was not what I saw coming until this was announced, but after seeing it, I was glad it happened. Some of it is a little clumsy and doesn't quite fit, but for the most part, it does. It's super entertaining action and characters with some of the coolest locations the MCU has given us. Knowhere in a giant Celestial's severed head is such a cool visual. The prison scene, the final battle, the dance-off... so many memorable things in this one. This is also the best ensemble cast the MCU has had yet, with the Guardians having even more on-screen chemistry than the Avengers in my opinion. Chris Pratt beefed up big time for the role and it worked out well, he did great in it. Some of the jokes were a little corny, but overall Star Lord is a top hero now thanks to this movie. All the subtle hints at his parentage left plenty of place for speculation, and one sign of a good movie is when it leaves you wanting more. GotG definitely did that.
13. Spider-man: No Way Home (Phase IV) - My Rating: 8.5/10 Review: I'll admit this movie was a bit disjointed. There were a lot of storytelling shortcuts and "shrug off" moments (Ned's magic, Strange's attitude), but the pure nostalgic magic that the second half of this movie presents is enough to look past that stuff. Other than Tom Holland, who was legitimately great in this movie, Andrew Garfield stole the show. As someone not huge into the Amazing Spider-man movies, this really made me miss Garfield's take on it. Tobey Maguire was great too, and came off a lot more "real" than the original trilogy (which I obviously love). Willem Dafoe was another absolute highlight, that dude is horrifying. Jamie Foxx was as Jamie Foxx as ever, and while I dug this version of Electro, I don't really see much connective tissue to the character he's supposed to be reprising from ASM2. Sandman and Lizard were both pretty secondary, and neither had incredible CGI which made them a little less interested them. By the end battle, this is easily my favorite MCU Spider-man movie even though I know that's totally because it brought back the nostalgia within a story that's a little uneven.
12. Spider-man: Homecoming (Phase III) - My Rating: 8.5/10 Review: Tom Holland was the best Peter Parker hands down, and really made me realize how old Tobey Maguire seems playing a graduating high school student in Spider-man 1. This dude had the quips and the confidence down and oozed the comic book character. It's wild for me to think we had the stuttering Andrew Garfeild approach just a few years ago, and already Holland shows up and just exudes this different, refreshing air for Peter Parker. Less angsty, more embracing of his heroic fate - just like the best incarnations of the character from the comics. The suit and all the various powers, adapted from numerous eras of the comic, were badass. I really enjoyed seeing Happy Hogan return, and the way they integrated the different aspects of past MCU movies was at its peak here. The characters were memorable. Ned was the fun relief sidekick. Flash Thompson was a whole new take on the character and I dug it. Incorporating both versions of Shocker from various Spider-man stories was neat, let alone having the Shocker at all. Michael Keaton stole the show with his memorable and unpredictable villain. This was a solid Spider-man movie that ranks there with the best of the genre. Deserving of the praise and the Spider-man legacy.
11. Spider-man: Far From Home (Phase III) - My Rating: 8.5/10 Review: Homecoming was always just about on par with Spider-man 2 but this one stole the show. Save for Thor: Ragnarok, this is a comedic peak for the MCU too and, while it definitely had some staples of MCU storytelling, the cast and location really did well with presenting it differently. I was wondering how a Spider-man movie that takes place outside of NYC would play for me, personally, but it ended up being an extremely welcomed breath of fresh air. Holland continues to be the best theatrical Peter Parker. Mysterio did suffer from the same pitfalls as a lot of MCU villains - under-developed due to only appearing in one movie, with his entire true backstory coming during one real info-dumpy speech over the course of only one scene. But Gyllenhaal put in a great performance as the character. He made you believe that Mysterio could be an alright guy despite us all obviously knowing otherwise, and he really ramped up his intensity during the climax. His line "FIRE ALL THE DRONES" was about as loud and intense as I can remember Gyllenhaal. I dug the others in the cast too, all the characters given screen time did well. The MCU callbacks to movies like Iron Man and Captain Marvel were great, and the fudging cameo in the post-credits scene RULED. I audibly popped a "aw yes!" when it happened - and then the bombshell that was dropped on Spider-man himself was a great way to leave us on a cliffhanger while the MCU takes a few months off from releasing movies. Really fun stuff.
10. Thor: Love and Thunder (Phase IV) - My Rating: 8.5/10 Review: I really loved this one. When I learned to accept that this movie was a tried-and-true romcom wrapped up in a big, swashbuckling marvel adventure, the vision of the film REALLY became clear. When I realized they were telling a romance story, I was able to accept the somewhat giddy comedy of big lunk Thor as it was juxtaposed with the very grounded drama of a dying Jane Foster, who was trying to hide her ailment behind a big lunk Thor personality of her own. The Thor/Jane stuff was the true emotional core that, weirdly, I don't hear anybody talk about when this movie comes up. Anyone claiming this was nothing but comedy had to have missed the entire third act, which was mostly very depressing. Even if it was, at times, hopefully depressing. I don't know if that makes sense. I just feel like some folks were expecting Ragnarok 2 - another HEAVY METAL fantasy viking slaughter fest but ended up getting a much more heartfelt story than they were hoping for. That's perfectly valid, but it was just great for what we got. Gorr was awesome, Valkyrie rules, Korg added a lot. Loved the goats. Some of the "dad Thor" stuff at the end, specifically the final battle where an army of children help him out, was a bit heavy-handed, but I can shrug that off due to it tying into the theme of true love left unrealized, considering he could now never have a child with his true love. Plus I enjoy the "Love and Thunder" twist at the end and now desperately want to see a "Lone Wolf and Cub" style Thor story sometime in the future.
9. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (Phase IV) - My Rating: 8.5/10 Review: I can only see this movie moving up my list upon re-watches. I had an immensely fun time watching this, with several "fist-pumping in theater" moments. If it weren't for the extended time with the movies higher on this list, I imagine this one would be pretty top-tier. Sam Raimi is turned up to 11 with his direction and, as a Raimi fan, I loved to see it. All performances were top notch but Elizabeth Olsen puts in a heroic performance as the Scarlet Witch (which is ironic considering she's full-blown villain here). I can understand the few polarizing opinions on her being the main baddie, but even though WandaVision ended on a generally positive note, everything we learn in that series sets up this role for Wanda to a tee. When she's stalking the heroes toward the end of the film, it's truly a thing of nightmares and I loved it. Doctor Strange was handled well here too, much better than in No Way Home, and seeing the different variants was awesome. "Defender" Strange as an undead proxy for MCU Strange was so badass, especially with that cloak of demons he used to get to Wundagore. America Chavez was really well utilized and it was nice seeing some LGBTQ+ representation in the MCU without it being a pandering element. And before this gets too long, I loved seeing the Illuminati. Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic was great and here's hoping he's back in a full fledged Fantastic Four movie eventually. Captain Carter ruled (and is a fudgein babe ps). It was nice to see Xavier back with the classic Animated Series hover chair (and music), and having an alternate Captain Marvel was great. By far my favorite of the Illuminati, though, was Black Bolt. I'm a huge fan of the Inhumans comics and was happy for the actor from that awful TV show get a comic-accurate whack at him on the big screen. All their deaths were grizzly as hell and absolutely not what one has come to expect from the MCU, with, again, Black Bolt's standing out most brutal to me. All in all, a great movie that's designed for repeat viewings. I loved it.
8. Avengers: Endgame (Phase III) - My Rating: 8.5/10 Review: A very satisfying cap-off to the first 10/11 years of the MCU. All the throwbacks were great fun to see, and the return of the beloved "dusted" was fun. Even though this one is 5 on my list, there's a strong argument for the Cap/hammer moment being my absolute favorite moment of any MCU film. Tony's death was perfectly done - a callback to the end of Iron Man, but then the tragedy of him not uttering a single word during his final moments. Cap's story played out how I expected it more-or-less, and I thought it was a great send-off for him. It makes sense that he'd get the final scene when you think about how the Russo brothers had written all the Captain America movies since The First Avenger - this was them putting a definitive finale on the character (even if he does somehow show up again). Thanos was still a great threat, and I loved how they played around with different versions of him. I'd really need to write a novel to sum up my complete thoughts about this movie, so I'll just leave it at that. It was a great time to spend in a theater.
7. WandaVision (Phase IV) - My Rating: 8.5/10 Review: I love Wanda and Vision is one of my favorite characters from the comics, so it was great to get to see these characters get some extended time to shine after being somewhat side-lined in the main movies. Seeing White Vision was honestly something I never expected, and I thought the philosophical conversation that ended his "arc" in this series was done perfectly. I also loved Agatha and she's easily one of the stronger MCU villains. Wiccan and Speed were a cool addition, even if things didn't pan out too well for them - though I do imagine these versions will appear later on down the line. Jimmy Woo, Darcy, and to a lesser extent, Hayward were welcome additions to the show. I loved the theorizing that was made possible by the week-to-week structure, even if just about every single one was debunked in service of a much more straight-forward story (which is fine by me for the most part). I loved how it wrapped up, with Wanda realizing her true abilities and finally becoming the triumphant Scarlet Witch. This could have been a 9.5 for me if it weren't for the Quicksilver/Pietro/Fietro/Ralph story. While Evan Peters' surprise appearance was one of the highlights of the show, and while it was neat to see him in the classic Halloween costume, how they handled his explanation for being there was lackluster. Theories/multiverse aside, he only had 2 scenes in the finale and they weren't very impactful by any means. If pulled off better, I could forgive them a bit easier for blatantly using fan expectations for "water cooler talk" only to completely side step it, but the reveal that he was Ralph was disappointing and dinged the score a bit. Still a great series with a great story that I could see moving up this ranking list as time goes (it's #6 at the time of this writing).
6. Avengers: Infinity War (Phase III) - My Rating: 9/10 Review: The best Avengers movie for sure. It's a little too long (but I stress it didn't feel it), the tone shifts a bit (but it was pulled off nearly flawlessly), and it at one point it was jarring going from space-to-Earth (ONE time). Otherwise, this movie was nearly perfect. I enjoy Rangarok and Winter Soldier a bit more after only one viewing, because those movies fit incredible storytelling and fun stories into the average run time of these sorts of movies, but this movie was near perfect for what it was. The most impressive cast maybe ever, balanced as perfectly as you could imagine. The weight of the ending was lost for anyone who knows of future Marvel plans, but it was still extremely ballsy to end the big 10th year blow-off film on such a down-note. Perhaps my favorite post-credits scene since Iron Man or the first Avengers too. All around great outing from Marvel.
5. Iron Man (Phase I) - My Rating: 9/10 Review: This is the best superhero origin story put to film yet, in my opinion. Just about as perfect a comic book origin adaptation as you can get. Robert Downey, Jr. killed it as Tony Stark, obviously, and has yet to kill it the same way so far. The action was great, the characters were great, the villain was great. The third act kinda fell flat during the final battle but picked right back up for the ending. The "I am Iron Man" deal was so, so good. And the post-credits scene that hinted at what was to come is legendary now. Sam Jackson showing up as Nick Fury was a stroke of genius.
4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Phase IV) - 9/10 Review: A better origin story than Iron Man... there, I said it. Never ever expected that, but I definitely think Shang-Chi takes the cake. It didn't waste time having us watch the true-and-tried trajectory of an origin movie by making us sit through a "fish out of water" story with a learning montage, instead it integrated flashbacks perfectly to accent what was happening in the current-day story perfectly. In fed us information as we needed it when the main plot required that we learn it. Simu Liu was great as Shang-Chi and I can't wait to see more of him in the MCU. Awkwafina was fudging great as Katy and I'm SO happy that this movie kept that relationship platonic and not romantic. Big step for the MCU. Everyone in the cast was great. Bringing Ben Kngsley back as Trevor Slattery was a stroke of genius and almost single-handedly redeemed his plot point in Iron Man 3, though Wenwu's explanation for how a splinter of the Ten Rings created a "boogie man" called the Mandarin to attack the US did a lot of good in that department too. A movie that redeemed Iron Man 3 was not something I was expecting. The whole third act, while definitely stepping into what would usually be the "common big CGI smash up" finale that most MCU movies get, this movie did so in a way that was so fresh and interesting and fun. Movie went from street level to "flying dragons around and battling them" level. Just an incredibly fun experience. Great stuff.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Phase III) - My Rating: 9/10 Review: I love this movie. For a while, this one was just below the first but after a rewatch months later, I find myself relating to this one a whole lot more. I think the Starlord/Ego dynamic plays into that too. Not that my father and I are on bad terms, we're a little more distant than the childhood version of myself would have expected, so it hits strings there. It was both funnier and more emotional for me than the first. Pretty much the whole third act really moved me, I'm a sucker for father/son issues in films. That includes the best part of this film: Michael Rooker's Yondu. He played a much more complex role than the original lead on. Drax was on, Baby Groot was awesome, Star Lord was once again a great lead, the Gamora/Nebula arc was fantastically paid off here, and Rocket was once again the backbone of the movie. There were a few jokes that didn't hit, but most of them did for sure. Kurt Russel killed it as Ego and I loved his story. Great stuff.
2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Phase II) - My Rating: 9.5/10 Review: Where the first Cap movie was a straight adventure, this was a straight action movie and didn't apologize for it once. The action in the MCU has never looked better and the character development was great here. At least for Cap, I could have done without the whole "Nick Fury lives" thing that the MCU is so fond of doing. But other than that, this movie delivered on all fronts. The follow up to Bucky Barnes' storyline was great too - The Winter Soldier is arguably the most badass villain any MCU movie has seen so far. It's almost a shame that he'll be put in the hero role sooner than later apparently, because the mechanic between he and Steve Rogers was the most interesting part of this film. The ending where we see that Bucky saved Cap at the last second was such a feel-good moment for us comic fans, though. And Robert Redford being in a superhero movie and actually looking like he gives a crap was just about one of the most off-putting but coolest things ever.
1. Thor: Ragnarok (Phase III) - My Rating: 9.5/10 Review: I felt sort of guilty moving Spider-man down from 2 so quickly after it took that spot - but after finally geting around to Ragnarok, this is certainly one of the absolute best superhero movies I've ever seen. As a lifelong fan of Thor in particular, this was the movie I always knew he was capable of having. It actually surpassed my childhood imagination, as Thor was hardly the comedic vessel back then as he is nowadays. This movie ties up so many threads perfectly. Odin's whereabouts were handled beautifully. The Thor/Loki dynamic was explored far better here than any film before it, and it was used perfectly as the third cap to the Thor trilogy. Hulk being far more realized than ever before was cool, standing upright with his shoulders back. The Thor/Banner stuff was the comedic core. And this was definitely comedic - but it was equally as epic and heartfelt. This movie, upon a few more rewatches, could easily top my list. It really depends on whether I'm in a "political action drama" mood or a "fantasy sci fi" mood, but Winter Soldier definitely has some serious competition for me now. Also: CATE BLANCHETT'S HELA OMIGOD
@beavis there is some multiverse stuff (mainly toward the end) but don't go into it expecting any huge revelations regarding the multiverse or anything like that. It's very much not a multiverse centric story.
Agreed about Loki. It was great and I need more Loki/Mobius. I have to imagine there will be more of that at SOME point, if not via more of the show.
> Looking over my ranking list, I actually think I prefer The Marvels to a lot of the
> lower tiered movies. For as messy as that movie is (especially that first act), it's
> still more entertaining than a lot of the other stuff. Tough to rank.
I don't think enough people are hammering home exactly how messy that first act is. I was really feeling like a sucker sitting there until things slowed down and started making sense.
I gave the movie a hard time as I was watching it because of how ridiculous some of it was, but after the fact, I think the really nutty stuff were some of my favorite segments.
> I don't think enough people are hammering home exactly how messy that first act is.
> I was really feeling like a sucker sitting there until things slowed down and started
> making sense.
>
> I gave the movie a hard time as I was watching it because of how ridiculous some
> of it was, but after the fact, I think the really nutty stuff were some of my favorite
> segments.
>
Yah for sure. I'm wondering like... was this a bad movie or did I just convince myself it was because of HOW wildly uneven that first act was. First impressions do make an impact, and that first act was hard to sit through at times, but then the movie somehow wrapped it all together very nearly by the end and made sense of it all. I feel like I maybe need to rewatch it before I'm ready to give my honest opinion/ranking of it.
Where in god's name is @Scott -- gotta know what he thought of The Marvels and Loki.
I really enjoyed The Marvels and think it's yet another MCU entry that doesn't deserve the hate/low scores that it's getting. Kamala was definitely the star of the show, she was great! I'm glad to see her in another project. I liked her character in Ms Marvel, but not the show.
I don't think I ever commented on Secret Invasion. I didn't hate it as much as most seemed to, but I didn't like it much either. I feel like it had a lot of potential, but they just didn't deliver.
I'm behind on Loki S2. We watched the first 3 episodes but I've just been crazy busy and have had a lot of personal stuff going on. I'm hoping to finish it soon though.
I'm having a lot of trouble ranking The Marvels. I've been saying it every time something new comes out, but the larger this list gets, the more difficult it gets to rank each new entry. What I used to do is start at the bottom of my list and compare the latest entry to it. If I liked the latest entry more, I'd move on to the next and repeat. But, as this list gets bigger and bigger, I keep finding situations where I may not like the new entry better than something on my list, but I do like it better than something else that's ranked even higher! I think it's because there's such a diverse lineup of entries now, so it's hard to compare them all. That said, this is my latest ranking with The Marvels and Secret Invasion added:
45. I Am Groot! 44. The Incredible Hulk 43. Secret Invasion 42. Ms. Marvel 41. Eternals 40. Iron Man 3 39. Iron Man 2 38. Iron Man 37. Thor ----------------------------------------------------------------- 36. Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special 35. Thor: The Dark World 34. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier 33. What If…? 32. Werewolf by Night 31. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 30. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 29. Doctor Strange 28. Guardians of the Galaxy 27. Captain America: The First Avenger 26. Black Widow 25. Hawkeye 24. Black Panther ----------------------------------------------------------------- 23. Ant-Man 22. The Marvels 21. Spider-Man: Homecoming 20. Captain Marvel 19. Moon Knight 18. Loki 17. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 16. Spider-Man: Far From Home 15. Ant-Man and the Wasp 14. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 13. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 12. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 11. The Avengers 10. Avengers: Age of Ultron 9. Thor: Love and Thunder 8. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 7. Captain America: Civil War 6. WandaVision 5. Spider-Man: No Way Home 4. Avengers: Endgame 3. Avengers: Infinity War 2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 1. Thor: Ragnarok
Out of curiosity, I counted how many Phase 4/5 projects are in my top two tiers. There are 10 out of 23. That's not bad, and lines up fairly well with how I feel about the MCU since Endgame.
> I think that’s the first time I’ve noticed you had Iron Man movies so low. Not
> a fan of those?
It's weird, I really like the character Tony Stark / Iron Man, I just don't care for his solo movies very much. I prefer him in the ensemble movies, that's where he really shines for me.
> Also, I didn't have any problem with the first act. What was so "messy" about it?
>
In my opinion -- it's just that, traditionally, a first act introduces characters and sets up what's to come. With The Marvels, audiences were more-or-less expected to use Ms. Marvel and WandaVision as the "first act" for the movie (the new heroes and their abilities, etc), which resulted in the movie's actual first act being presented at break-neck speed and really choppy -- never really taking a step back to breathe and educate the audience on what was going on. So while I obviously understood the issue at hand, it was just jarring to have everything happening at once. The characters never being properly "introduced" despite there being several & the constant setting changes just took a second to get used to -- on top of the fact that we were only just now catching back up with Captain Marvel and what she's been up to since Endgame.
So yah, it was just messy and wild. A bit easier for us MCU vets to swallow, but just from a narrative POV, it was a bit all over the place. The movie did calm down and get easier to follow once the core group got together, but even then I don't feel the story that followed was super strong or anything. I'd have to see it again, but I think it'd probably slot in right above She-Hulk for me to take #32.
Also, I will say that having Secret Invasion so closely followed by The Marvels did illustrate how inconsistent the MCU has been getting. I'm obviously a defender of the MCU and none of my criticisms stem from the toxic criticisms like diversity or anything like that -- but seeing Nick Fury's portrayal in Secret Invasion vs. how he's portrayed in The Marvels... it's like he's an entirely different character. Which maybe could have been fine if there was any time to let the character rest off-screen... but both projects came out this year, so that, too, was pretty jarring. I'm glad the MCU is starting to slow down again and really think about their schedule moving forward, because it really does need some reevaluation in that regard.
>> I think that’s the first time I’ve noticed you had Iron Man movies so low.
> Not
>> a fan of those?
>
> It's weird, I really like the character Tony Stark / Iron Man, I just don't care
> for his solo movies very much. I prefer him in the ensemble movies, that's where
> he really shines for me.
I can see that. I think Iron Man 3 is a great movie from the perspective of the affect of being a "super hero" has on a man who isn't super. I actually think IM3 contributes alot to Tony's decision in Civil War as well.
> I don't think I ever commented on Secret Invasion. I didn't hate it as much as most
> seemed to, but I didn't like it much either. I feel like it had a lot of potential,
> but they just didn't deliver.
My two biggest problems with Secret Invasion:
- Playing the "Are they a Skrull?" game gets exhausting really quickly.
- Nick Fury is an angry-looking, one-eyed black dude wearing an expensive trenchcoat and a Hagrid beard; and as Kamala Khan demonstrates in The Marvels ("You're Nick Fury!!"), he's still managed to accumulate a celebrity quotient. There's no way he can sneak around the world undetected as successfully as he does.
> - Playing the "Are they a Skrull?" game gets exhausting really quickly.
Tbh I don't think they played up the intrigue nearly as much as they could have, and they absolutely didn't pay off any of that intrigue haha
I think "are they a skrull" could have worked on a larger scale and been pretty cool, but keeping it to like... one character who fudged Nick Fury's day up for a little while was pretty lame.
> - Nick Fury is an angry-looking, one-eyed black dude wearing an expensive trenchcoat
> and a Hagrid beard; and as Kamala Khan demonstrates in The Marvels ("You're Nick
> Fury!!"), he's still managed to accumulate a celebrity quotient. There's no way
> he can sneak around the world undetected as successfully as he does.
This goes back to the inconsistency problem I was talking about. Outside of just character mannerisms, the integrity of the actual character wavers from project to project. In Secret Invasion, he's still that undercover agent Nick Fury. In The Marvels, he's the literal CHARACTER Nick Fury -- that we, the audience, know and loves... which isn't really how he's ever portrayed otherwise. I get that Kamala is supposed to be a fangirl and all that... but I don't know how or why she'd ever know about Nick Fury. It just doesn't track and they desperately need to calm it down a bit.
They must not have high hopes for the trial at the end of the month, and I don't really blame them. Without spoiling, Loki Season 2 does a fine job of wrapping Kang up to where he could return if they want him to, or they can be done with him if they have to be. I think they're done with him.
Really hope that's not the case. I didn't feel like that about Kang at all, I think his story is just beginning (one of my only complaints is that his story seems to be "just beginning" every new show or tv show). I'm 100% fine with them recasting him as I don't think Majors is synonymous with the role, at least in my eyes.
I dug Kang too and his story was just getting going, technically-speaking, but that Loki season finale makes it very easy to close the book on him if they need to. I’d say recast too, but it’d be a little weird after the Quantumania post credits scene revealed that just about every variant looks exactly the same haha. If there was one character that would be difficult to recast, it’d be Kang for that reason alone. But we’ll see what they end up doing.
Finished Loki 2 the other day. I have mixed feelings. The first 4 episodes were all over the place, I feel like they had a lot going on, but everything was resolved pretty quickly. Maybe this was the intention and maybe it ties well with the finale, but I was feeling kinda weird watching it. The last 2 episodes are great though: enjoyed the imagery, acting, and plot.
In general, I liked the first season more, but this is a good follow-up. It leaves room for future stuff while closing most of the story. I hope to see more Owen Wilson as Mobius in the future.
Apparently begs Jabbari via texts to not to go to a hospital for fear of her injury being investigated, considers himself a monster and threatens to kill himself over whatever transpired and openly wonders if he deserves love.
Welp, that sucks. Assuming Doctor Doom is on deck.
If they want to do Kang more, they can just get another actor since he’s a multiversal character. Casuals probably won’t realize and/or care and the dedicated will likely buy it long as they implement it well. That said, I would be fine if they move on from the character.
I’d usually agree but Kang is the literal one character the MCU shot a post-credits scene for that shows an endless army of his variants all played by Jonathan Majors. They technically COULD do what you’re suggesting, but that’d make that Ant-man scene even more awkward haha
I think it’d be in Marvel’s best interest to just wash their hands of the character at this point and move on. Or just put Renslayer in that role if they still want to do the Kang Dynasty story — reveal she’s to Kang what Sylvie is to Loki, OR just that she wants to continue his purpose. That way you can still tie the Kang Dynasty movie into what has come prior, while still capitalizing on an established character with a great actor… it just wouldn’t be Kang.
Yah overall both Loki seasons weren't great imo, but both finales ruled and the S2 finale is probably my favorite episode of MCU TV (obv not counting Daredevil). Although there are like 2 or 3 from WandaVision that rival it.
Jonathan Majors found guilty of assault and harassment. I don't care if Marvel recasts him or not. Even though Kang was punked by a small group of B-listers and Ant-Man, I know he has potential to be a fierce villain, but I'd prefer they bounce Kand for Victor von Doom altogether.
> Jonathan Majors found guilty of assault and harassment. I don't care if Marvel recasts
> him or not. Even though Kang was punked by a small group of B-listers and Ant-Man,
> I know he has potential to be a fierce villain, but I'd prefer they bounce Kand for
> Victor von Doom altogether.
Sucks but expected after all the recent evidence. At first, I misinterpreted that video of her chasing him down the street, thinking it absolved him -- but the first shot of it is him clearly lifting her into the car and smashing her head off the car. Could have been an accident, but the rest of the evidence was pretty damning. And we need to remember that the public wouldn't have nearly as much evidence as the jury, so it is what it is.
To be fair, the Kang we saw got bested by Ant-man and some B-listers -- but he was honestly never the most powerful Kang even if he WAS "the Conqueror." We know He Who Remains and other Kang variants were able to best him in the past -- so there was plenty of potential left for another Kang to be introduced as a true threat. I feel like the MCU was going for a slow build... get the audience's expectations down then have a different Kang swoop in to kill someone important or something.
OH well. Either recast Kang with LaKeith Stanfield or, yah, just move onto Doom.
They could even keep Kang with Marvel tv stuff at this point since they don’t do as hot as the movies. I’m fine with whatever as long as it’s done well.
I was really hoping JM wouldn't turn out to be a piece of crap. I was really liking him as Kang. They could easily re-cast, but I don't know that I'll like anyone else as much as I was liking him. I don't want them to just abandon Kang completely though.
I've said before, but Marvel does need to think more about not doing a one and done with some of their baddies. I also think they should think about doing a bad guy lead movie to shake things up. Sucks they offed Killmonger and Gorr the God Butcher as Jordan and Bale blew those roles out of the water and overshadowed every other person in their respective movies.
> I've said before, but Marvel does need to think more about not doing a one and done
> with some of their baddies. I also think they should think about doing a bad guy
> lead movie to shake things up. Sucks they offed Killmonger and Gorr the God Butcher
> as Jordan and Bale blew those roles out of the water and overshadowed every other
> person in their respective movies.
Yeah... one of the best things to come of the multiverse saga is the potential to bring some of these fan favorite villains back. Obviously not the same versions, but we've seen plenty examples of very SIMILAR versions of other characters existing across the multiverse. MCU has yet to really commit to bringing anyone back that way so far, but I woulnd't be against seeing Killmonger or Gorr (or any number of villains) return and then just be stuck as mainstays in the 616 universe whenever it all inevitably gets consolidated back to one timeline.
I say "inevitably" just then because I figured that's what Secret Wars was eventually going to do but having now seen the end of Loki Season 2, I wonder if that's still the plan or if they're going to just commit to numerous timelines existing side-by-side.
Yea I could see them doing that. If they continue with Secret Wars I think it would be better to bring back a whole bunch and then a few survive and continue in the main storyline. I def think Killmonger needs to be number one with him potentially having a redemption and taking on the Black Panther moniker.
So I rewatched Thor: Love and Thunder yesterday and came to a realization.
One of the major criticisms I see folks give this movie is the fact that Thor passes "his" powers to the kids at the end, with the question always being "why didn't he just do that for other people in all the other MCU movies -- like Endgame?"
Welp, it admittedly took this rewatch for me to realize this, but the movie makes it very obvious what's happening here. During the "war speech" Thor gives the kids, he very clearly presents Zeus' lightning bolt before promising them the "power of Thor." Thor saying "power of Thor" was not meant to be taken literally, it was meant to be taken as him simply giving them godlike powers "for a limited time" (his exact words). The way he holds the lightning bolt makes it very blatant that he is transferring ITS powers to the kids, not his own. This is made even more obvious due to the gold lightning the kids wield in the scene -- not the blue lightning attributed to Thor's powers. The gold is the exact same color as the lightning bolt.
So, TL;DR, he never passed the kids "the power of Thor," he passed them the power of Zeus' lightning bolt -- which is why it was only for a limited time and is also why the lightning bolt was so important in the first place. This all could have been explained better in the movie for sure, but it seems like lots of folks (myself included) missed the clear context in that scene.
Yeah, I didn't catch it the first time either, but that's definitely what happened. Every time people make that criticism on Reddit, somebody points this out, but it doesn't stop them from repeating it over and over again.
Anyone have any MCU-related article concepts they'd like to see? If you let me know, I'll research the idea and possibly pitch it as an article for CBR. Having writer's block at the moment.
