Phase 3 has been amazing in introducing characters but also finishing off this epic decade long story. Balancing both these parts is truly an insane feat. Also, it introduced Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel to the MCU. A momentous moment for all! Phase 3 has a lot of my favorite Marvel movies so be prepared, especially for spoilers!
According to Kevin Feige in April 2019, the head man of the MCU, the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home is the end of Phase 3. So since that is a future release that won’t be in this list! I will most likely be updating this list when that film is released, so be prepared!
10) Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel isn’t an okay movie, it is actually a good film in my eyes. It just happens to be in the best Phase of the MCU. Brie Larson plays a really great rendition of Carol Danvers. Nick Fury brings a pretty good role in the movie, but the movie can be better about just adding more SHIELD into the movie. There was barely anything regarding Agent Coulson which was a disappointment. However, the story wasn’t about SHIELD, it was about Carol regaining her memories and finding herself again. Which this movie does a great job of in ways a reunion, self-questions, and also questioning secondary characters. The action scenes are pretty great in how bombastic they are for this powerful of a character.
9) Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange is a pretty cool movie. Benedict Cumberbatch was perfectly cast for this role, I just wish they let him keep his English accent. The overall story is good. Nothing spectacular about it, but it is good enough to hold up compared to other origin movies in the MCU. The character development is great in my eyes. Seeing Stephen Strange be a non-likable character to become a hero is really well told. The little comedic elements are a great touch to keep the seriousness of this movie at a good level. The villain is a bit underwhelming, but the overarching villain is in ways, but others not. It’s a tough balance.
8) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a good sequel to one of the most surprising movies in the MCU. It cleverly builds off the mystery of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and adds an MCU twist to it. The environments are again great and truly are spectacular looking. The character dynamics are pretty good. Drax is hilarious as usual, Rocket has great comedic moments and Baby Groot, of course, is adorable. The star of the movie would be Yondu who fits the overall theme of the movie with his own story arc and truly exemplifies himself within this misfit family. The villain is good. Nothing spectacular about it though. The more personal connection to Quill between the villain is good. The character itself is nothing really crazy.
7) Ant-Man & The Wasp
Ant-Man & The Wasp continues on from Ant-Man and is still a very comedic movie that now has its own tone and identity without the baggage of Edgar Wright. Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly have great chemistry between each other and really capture what this entire movie should be about; them being great partners. The villain has a great emotional hook and you feel sympathy for her. The overall story does a really great job of being funny, but still having a serious arc around it all. It definitely is a great movie to have right after Infinity War, with the two being polar opposites in tone.
6) Black Panther
Black Panther does a really great job of introducing Wakanda into the MCU while also doing a great job of balancing its characters and giving them all strong character arcs. The setting is crazy beautiful. Wakanda is unique in the current MCU landscape in how detailed it is. The only comparable setting is Asgard. However, I truly feel the culture within Wakanda. Wakanda feels like its own character that has an arc within itself. Once it is thriving but becomes a place in disarray later in the film. Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler do a truly fantastic job of integrating the villain into this world and making him be sympathetic in his causes. You can truly understand why he is doing the things he is doing and why he thinks these things.
5) Thor: Ragnarok
Thor finally gets a great movie of his own. The movie is hilarious and witty. It is also quite reflective on the first two movies with how utterly okay and bland they both can be, but also Asgard as a whole. The addition of Hulk into this story is really a great way to focus on these characters and their struggles instead of forcing them in Civil War, and making that movie more crammed. This begins the journey of Hulk and Bruce Banner trying to work together as one, instead of both trying to take control over this one body. The new characters, Valkyrie, Korg, Miek, The Grandmaster, and Hela are all beautiful additions to a stellar cast. Hela as the villain is a really cool idea bringing family into it again, but she’s a definitely better than most Phase 1 and some Phase 2 villains, so she is a welcome addition. Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth both do a fantastic job as this being their fourth movie together. One fantastic moment is, of course, the plan of “Get Help”. What a beautiful moment of brotherhood.
4) Captain America: Civil War
Civil War is a great spectacle movie, but it also has a lot of heart. The relationship between Bucky and Cap is not forgotten in this Avengers 2.5. That is the entire focus of this internal Civil War within the Avengers essentially when things boil down to it. The directors and the writers do a fantastic job of keeping this story contained in Captain America’s story and progressing it in a fitting way. The villain does a great job portraying the hardships people go through in the wake of destructive heroism. The believability of his motives is quite grand. I do love the fight scenes and their choreography. The airport scene is fantastic and so memorable for a lot of reasons. One of them being the introduction of Peter Parker in the Spider-Man suit and his character moments between all the Avengers. We were introduced to him before in the movie which was also another great scene that quickly introduces him into the MCU, but we never saw him fight. The Captain America and Iron Man dynamic is so well-crafted that you could just feel the emotion in any scene they're in together with the amount of tension and unresolved in the issues at hand. And the great introduction of Black Panther! His origin fit great into the story and the cast to not feel like he was forced.
3) Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man: Homecoming is a great first MCU Spider-Man movie. Tom Holland plays Peter Parker perfectly with his humor and the socially awkward moments too. The balance of Peter and Spider-Man is played out quite well in this movie too showing the dichotomy between Peter’s two lives. The villain is really well rounded too and has a believable and good motivation for what he does. The surrounding cast is fantastic in this movie! They support Peter so well and they have so much chemistry as actors! Iron Man plays a great mentor role to Peter and shows the great things about being a hero. The world itself is truly believable in the high school setting and is really wonderful. It brings out how high school can be for a superhero.
2) Avengers: Infinity War
Infinity War is a great villain movie. Thanos is truly a menacing villain and Marvel has done a good job of bringing him into the story, but not forcing him into it. Infinity War does a great job of also balancing every single character that is in it. Having this amount of characters in a movie can be easily messed up, and they somehow did a fantastic job of giving each group and character a good moment. The mentorship between Spider-Man and Iron Man continues here and you feel the emotion and chemistry between the two. The actors truly brought their A game in this movie each truly being amazing in each scene. The Black Order are good secondary villains and they do a good job in the battle scenes they’re a part of. The ending, of course, is perfect though in my eyes since it does a truly great job of setting up Endgame.
1) Avengers: Endgame
The movie that encapsulates 11 years and 21 movies truly is the best movie that Marvel has done in my eyes. The story tugs on your heartstrings like a tug of war match. Sure, there are a few hiccups that could be better explained, but they are very acceptable in how grand this story is overall! Speaking of which, the amount of care this story has with all of its characters is, like Infinity War, is remarkable. The impact of having the six original Avengers be the main focus of the movie is a tearful goodbye waiting to happen. The fight scenes are so well directed and shot it is insane! The amount of fan service in this movie is astounding to MCU fans and comic book fans alike. Thanos is again a very interesting character in this movie! His desire to see he is right is truly believable and even understanding in some ways. Overall, this movie brings in the legacy of Marvel comics and the legacy that the MCU has and truly closes off the Infinity Saga in a truly glorious crashing wave of closure and hype.
Thanks for taking time out of your day to read this conclusion of the Ranking of MCU Phases series! ‘Till next time!
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