It's hard to believe that we even have over 50 Marvel movies to choose from. After all, aren't there only 18 movies leading up to 'Infinity War?' Once you get outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) you start to realize that there are dozens of Marvel movies, even back into the 80s. It's hard to think of a time without superhero movies. We truly are living in the future. Let's see how angry you fanboys/fangirls get at my order, and let me know what your #1 is in the comments.
This is the second in the Jessica Alba Fantastic Four series of movies. That's what I like to call them, unless you want to call them, "The first coming of Chris Evans." Maybe these movies were just screen tests for Chris Evans to become Captain America. That's quite an elaborate screen test, but it worked out. As for this movie, it was Jessica Alba's Fantastic Four's last time on screen before yet another reboot. Wow, "Jessica Alba's Fanatastic Four's" is a confusing group of words.
I was stoked to see Silver Surfer on the big screen, because he's supposed to be extremely powerful. I also remember him fondly from his Nintendo video game which was brutally difficult. That game taught me the meaning of failure. I just couldn't beat it. Not even the first level. I'M A FAILURE!
Jennifer Garner's most recent roles don't scream "action star," but you youngins might forget that Jennifer Garner was an action star in the show 'Alias.' It wasn't super-hero level action, but she proved she could kick ass. Unfortunately, this role isn't considered a classic by any means. Here's the big problem with this movie. The year was 2005, and superhero movies were still very rare. Comic book fans were starving to see their favorite characters on the big screen, not Elektra. It's like if you really wanted to drink alcohol so you went to a party, and all they had was kombucha. Sure, it has alcohol, but like 0.08%. We can't get messed up off that! I hope you understand the analogy.
The movie is just middle of the road, but I think it gets a worse rap for the reason I list above.
I watched this movie a day before writing this, so I can very confidently say that it makes no sense and should be burned from the records. If you think I'm being dramatic... you're probably right, but also, check it out and see what I mean. The first fifteen minutes literally make no sense. You'll think that you're watching a messed up edit of the movie, as if it were a DVD/Blu Ray glitch.
Why is it number 47 and not 50? That's because the Juggernaut. Even though it's not a faithful rendition of the Juggernaut, he has the best line in the movie. After Kitty sucks him into the ground, he looks at her and says, "I'm the Juggernaut, Bitch!" and bursts out of the concrete. To be fair, that one moment saves the entire movie.
This is the newest 'Fantastic Four' starring Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell. Obviously this one went for a younger vibe, as is evident by the casting, but it still didn't connect with people as much as they'd hoped. One thing is that the rights were still owned by Sony, so it lacked the Marvel vibe that comic book movie fans have become accustomed to. I think all the fans want to see Fantastic Four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Reed Richards, Tony Stark, and Doctor Strange in a room together? It would be hilarious.
This is another movie where an actor has played multiple characters in the Marvel universe. Michael B. Jordan plays both good guy and bad guy as both the Human Torch and Killmonger. The odd thing is that movie-goers liked Killmonger a lot more than they liked the Human Torch.
The 2005 'Fantastic Four' gets the highest rating for one reason: Jessica Alba. Who doesn't love Jessica Alba? The haters? Everyone has haters, so don't listen to them. She has her own jeans and a water company, plus she's fine as hell. That's the combo. Rich and pretty. If only I was either of those! This movie isn't terrible, but the acting leaves a lot to be desired... mostly from Jessica Alba. OK, I know I said she was the best part of this movie, but I meant as eye candy. She can't act her way out of a trash can in this movie.
It's an origin story, which I can get easily bored with because they're all the same. There's the part that shows the hero's life before the change, then they learn to use their powers, then they misuse their powers, and then they win.
Before he was Batman, Ben Affleck was Daredevil. Depending on who you ask, he's batting 0 for 2 in superhero movies. What's with these people getting second and third chances at superhero movies? They better get their agents very nice Christmas presents. Those agents are putting in work. Now let's see how they get him out of putting his foot in his mouth about the #metoo movement.
This movie is stacked with acting talent like Colin Farrell, Jennifer Garner, and Michael Clarke Duncan as black Kingpin. I remember when this movie came out there wasn't that much uproar about that casting. Now you make any Marvel character a different gender or race and people freak out. I hope they one day make a black Captain America, but I also fear that day when all the internet trolls get into a fury.
Ah, good old 'Iron Man 2,' the one we forget about. I don't know how I can forget about this movie when it has the best actor of our generation, Mickey Rourke. He plays the villain, who I don't remember much about. The thing with Mickey Rourke is that the whole movie better be about his character or I'm not interested. I remember being underwhelmed by his performance and I refuse to blame that on him. I'll blame it on everyone else.
This 'Iron Man' is significant because it has Terrence Howard playing Warmachine instead of Don Cheadle. To be honest, I don't mind it. I like both of those actors, so why not enjoy watching them both in their respective film? It's no different than a different artist drawing the comic book characters with their unique take on them.
'The Punisher' has been done quite a few times in film, and why not? It's a story about a gun wielding angry dude. It's always in style. This one is from the era when the Marvel Cinematic Universe didn't exist, so the characters were doing whatever the hell they wanted. Not to say this is a bad movie, but if it were made today it would be cast with someone who had been in a failed Marvel property before, and Punisher would have the Infinity Stones or something.
The main villain is played by John Travolta. What more could you ask for? John Travolta playing an over-acting villain is always going to be fun. Have you seen 'Battlefield Earth?' That might be his best role ever. And by "best" I'm sure you realize I am so bad that it's good.
This is one of the more infamous Spiderman movies. You'd think as the first Spiderman movie with Venmo in it, that we would be stoked, but no. Not when you cast Topher Grace as Venom. Don't get me wrong, Topher Grace is fantastic, but not as Venom. That's like casting a 6'7" dude as Wolverine. It's not the character! Maybe with the new 'Venom' movie coming out we'll get the Venom movie we deserve... but probably not.
This movie also has the infamous emo-Peter Parker dance number. Sam Raimi may be one of the best directors working today, but he messed up with this one. Unless it's Baby Groot, I don't want a dance number in my Marvel movies, OK? Those only work if there's an adorable creature involved. I don't consider Toby Maguire an adorable creature. Sorry, Toby.
You only need to see the screenshot to realize that 'Howard the Duck' is a special movie. Full-size duck puppets?! It's a marvel (no pun intended) of film making. To think that this was back in the '80s when no Marvel movies were really being made and they went ahead and greenlit THIS ONE? It's amazing the risks they were willing to take. All because of cocaine. Thanks, cocaine! You made the '80s great for cinema (and also ruined a lot of lives).
'Howard the Duck' can be seen in 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' but he doesn't look the same as his original movie. I prefer the semi-realistic-looking puppet. There's something about it being physically there that makes it much more powerful, even if they can't do all the flips and crazy acrobatics. As much as I love Rocket Raccoon, I'd love to see him as a puppet.
I told you they made quite a few Punisher movies, but this is the oldest to known record. Ancient Mesopotamia may have had their own Punisher movies back before recorded history, but we will never know (what the hell am I talking about?). This one stars Dolph Lundgren, who was the king of 80s/90s action movies. I'm sure that the only reason this got made was as a vehicle for Dolph Lundgren. Nobody who made this cared about the character. It was just an excuse for Dolph to kick ass.
If you love the charm of the 80s, then this might be your Punisher movie. Dolph is still in the action movie game too, playing in The Expendables series with every other 80s action star. That movie is a retirement home for action stars of yesteryear.
I think we all knew the fate of this movie once we heard the casting. Now, Nicolas Cage is a great actor, with his own very unique take on roles, but as a comic book hero... no thanks. He's way too eggy to be a gritty, motorcycle-riding hero like Ghost Rider. Or any hero for that matter. Most of the time you can't tell if he's acting or pulling some elaborate prank on the entire production crew. Have you seen 'Wicker Man?!'
Here's a fact that might put this whole movie into perspective. Nicolas Cage is a huge Superman fan, so I'm sure he only took this role as a consolation prize after he realized he was never going to play Superman. Unfortunately that ship has sailed. Maybe he could play Superman's father now, but come on. Go big or go home.
Now, 'The Amazing Spider-Man' is a different comic book series than Spider-man, with a slightly different origin story. In this case, however, it just seems like they were trying to fool us into thinking it was a different movie. "No, everyone. This isn't the Spider-man you've already seen three of. This is the AMAZING Spider-man... please buy tickets. We spent a lot on this movie."
Andrew Garfield was a great choice for Spider-man, but ultimately it's just the same origin story all over again with a few changes. I was instantly bored just because I knew what scene was going to happen next. Hell, even in the original Spider-man I had that feeling. Go on and surprise us, people! We all know how Jesus was born, and how he died. We want to find out what happened in the middle. Get the analogy?
This X-Men movie may not be part of the strongest trilogy of X-Men movies, but it is most definitely a good one. It introduced us to characters who would play X-Men for almost two decades. Isn't that insane? This movie started two decades worth of careers.
This movie has arguably the best line in all of superhero movie history (up for debate, surely, but no doubt near the top). It's when Storm is facing Toad. She tries to blow him away with a gust of wind, but he uses his tongue to latch onto a pole. He's smiling at her (as much as you can smile with your tongue completely out), and she begins to conjure up a lightning storm. That's when she says, "you know what happens to a toad when it's struck by lightning? The same thing that happens to everything else."
The Incredible Hulk is a character who has gone through his share of casting growing pains. This movie has one of his most confusing, and forgettable casting choice. For one, this movie is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but much like Terrence Howard and Don Cheadle, the actor was switched to Mark Ruffalo. I don't think you'll find much useful information to help you understand the MCU in this movie though. This was still in the early phases when they were simply introducing characters.
This movie has one really great thing going for it. It's not an origin story. They show you the Hulk origin in the opening credits scene, which I had found to be very smart after having already been through the Eric Bana movie. I wish 'The Amazing Spider-man' would have made a similar choice.
'Thor' is the dopest and most powerful Avenger, hands down. He's also incredible important to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You'll know what I mean if you've seen all the movies, including 'Infinity War,' and no, that's not a spoiler. His connection to Loki alone makes his story one of the more interesting stories. Two brothers with daddy issues. Who can't relate to that? I know I can... dad, are you reading this? Please come back.
In this movie, 'Thor gets exiled from Asgard for going against his father's orders. He goes to, of all places, New Mexico and meets Natalie Portman. That doesn't sound like that bad of a deal, does it? I'd never see my family again if it meant I had a chance with Natalie Portman. I'm not Thor, but just give me the chance and I promise I will screw it up quickly.
After the first 'The Amazing Spider-Man,' fans were glad to be done with the origin story business and start seeing Andrew Garfield blossom in his role as Peter Parker. There was no way it could fail. Then it kind of did fail. I mean, it was better than the first one, but it felt uninspired. At a time when audiences were getting tired of the paint-by-numbers superhero film, this came at the wrong time.
As much as I love Jamie Foxx, even he couldn't save this movie. He's an actor we need to bring back into the Marvel world. He should have been someone in Black Panther. Hell, he could even just play himself. There's no reason why Jamie Foxx can't be chilling in Wakanda. I feel like they would let him in. They'd give him a weekend pass or something.
This is an interesting movie because we get to see Thor do battle somewhere other than Earth, and he gets to team up with Loki. There's nothing like a good Loki and Thor team-up fight. Thor is all brute strength while Loki uses his cunning and trickery. They make for some interesting combos. Plus, I'm always a fan of two characters putting aside their differences and letting the little bit of love they have for each other show. It almost makes me wish my brother wasn't attacked and killed by wolves at an early age. Almost.
After this movie you don't see much of Natalie Portman's character at all. There's not much for a geologist, or whatever she is, to do in the battle against Thanos, I guess. They don't cover the Infinity Stones at Yale.
'Blade: Trinity' is a gift from heaven. It is the movie that first gave us Ryan Reynolds, the action star. He'd been in comedies prior to this, but as a soft-bodied clown. He got completely ripped for this movie and has been rocking it as superheroes ever since. Given that, we'll have plenty of time to talk about Ryan Reynolds in this list. This movie has another break out performance. I know what you're thinking: Jessica Biel? No. Triple-H. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the WWE star.
Triple-H plays one of the main vampire lackeys, and though he's no Oscar contender, he plays the perfect kind of thug for a movie like this. This kind of thug never really does anything. They are only there to be the first bad guy to lose in a big way.
'X2: X-Men United" is a fun movie, but I wish we could combine the budget with this movie with the story of the first movie (with a few tweaks). As these movies got bigger, they got cooler but also lost some story. That's why 'X-Men: The Last Stand' looks fantastic but is completely confusing. They had the money and put it all in effects, while letting monkeys do the writing!
This is the first appearance of Nightcrawler played by Alan Cummings. He has the power to teleport, but if he doesn't know where he's teleporting he could end up in a wall. That's terrifying. As a prank I'd rearrange his furniture without telling him so he'd teleport home and end up in his side table. Sure, that sounds like it would kill him instantly, but it's just a prank!
Here's the OG Spider-man with Tobey Maguire. He didn't have the wise-cracking appeal of some of the other Spider-mans, but no one can play innocent and wide-eyed like Tobey Maguire. Forget about the fact that literally everyone in this movie was in their 30s playing teenagers. It still works. This movie spawned the original Spider-man trilogy, and despite what the third, it has two incredibly strong entries in the Spider-man world. Two out of three ain't bad!
It's also easy to forgot that this series stars James Franco as well. That guy is literally everywhere. He's done so many things that I'm completely spacing on so many of them. Whether it's his movies or his strange art projects, this dude is always working. Surprisingly he doesn't smoke weed either. Which is how he gets so much done.
I really like this movie. I'll admit it. I left the theaters singing its praises while many others couldn't fathom how anyone could have enjoyed themselves watching it. That doesn't mean that I can't see that it's a giant turd in some ways, but I still liked it. One of my main gripes, as well as other people's, is how Apocalypse looks. He looks like Ivan Ooze from the Power Rangers movie. The Apocalypse from the cartoon looked awesome. Why not just make him look like that?
There was also a minor controversy with this movie. One of the billboard depicted Mystique being choked by Apocalypse, so some people were upset that it was glorifying violence towards women. I don't know about that. I think audiences see a poster where a man is choking a woman and they assume that he's a bad guy and must be stopped. Whatever. Be mad.
This movie has the same problem as 'Iron Man 2' had with Mickey Rourke. We needed more James Spader as Ultron. I'm sure if you calculate the minutes he's in it, he has plenty of time, but I need more. His voice is so smooth yet crackly. I could listen to him talk all day, especially as the child-like Ultron. That character is both brilliant and naive at the same time, which Spader plays very well, given the material.
What I like about this one is that Ultron is an enemy of Tony Stark's own creation. He's not the most interesting bad guy, but the fact that this one is on Tony makes for an interesting dynamic within the Avengers, which all leads up to the lack of trust in Civil War, the third Captain America film.
Robert Downey Jr went from nearing obscurity to this massive role that would change the course of his career. He plays Tony Stark perfectly. What makes him such a great character is how flawed he is. That's the problem with many comic book heroes. If they do have flaws, the flaws don't make for strong character choices. Tony Stark is beyond flawed. He's a maniac. He's a jerk. He's a troublemaker. But he also has the capacity to care and save lives.
Jon Favreau directed this one, and also placed himself into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Happy Hogan. That's what I'd do, but I'd make sure to write myself in as a character who was guaranteed to be in every movie. An immortal character. I gotta get paid, am I right? I'm interested in job security.
'Blade' feels more like an action movie than a comic book movie. It came at a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe had not been created yet, and we were just happy to see Wesley Snipes kick some ass. It satisfies on all of those levels. Wesley Snipes is the perfect Blade, to the point where if they ever brought him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I would only watch if they cast Wesley Snipes. You can't beat the GOAT.
Blade was the coolest type of vampire to be. He doesn't have to worry about the sun, yet he still has super strength and speed. Sure, he still has a thirst for blood, but who doesn't? Take that as a lesson. If you ever become a vampire, go for half-vampire. There are way better perks.
OK, so none of the Ghost Rider films are really good in any way shape or form, but at least this one brings it. Nicolas Cage reprised his role for some reason. Maybe he needed a new beach house, or maybe he truly loves this franchise. Good for him if he does. This franchise NEEDS its fans. Unfortunately, he quit after this, so there won't be any more Nicolas Cage lead Ghost Rider movies. Shame, shame.
I saw this movie while in a hookah bar. That's not the best place to watch any movie, but I think the lack of audible dialogue helped me tolerate it a lot more. I got dizzy and threw up after a while, but I'll blame that on the hook bowls, not Nicolas Cage's performance. At least I think it was the hookah.
Superhero movies love being set in World War 1 and World War 2. I don't know what it is about them. I don't like it. I want to see a superhero up against lasers, not regular old bullets from the 1930s. Where's the challenge in that? 'Captain America: The First Avenger' didn't really have a choice as the origin story of Captain America. His whole origin is centered around World War 2.
This movie is OK, but there's a lot of unnecessary origin story BS you have to get through before the action. Like Captain America on USO tours. It's almost Sam Raimi Spider-man 3 level weird. Not quite that bad though. You also have to see Chris Evans with a skinny, CGI body. That's not how I ever want to see Chris Evans. That's like my body. Nobody wants to see that on screen!
This is the most lit Punisher movie there is. They skip the origin story and go right in the middle of a Punisher adventure. What is a Punisher adventure, you ask? That's when Punisher kills a bunch of people. All his adventures are like that. The cool thing is that they give a bit of backstory through some flashbacks and dialogue, but it's just enough to reinforce the story. The story which is mostly senseless violence.
My favorite part of this movie is when Punisher teams up with a cop. They capture one of the criminals, and just as the cop is about to question him, Punisher shoots the criminal in the face. Punisher does not give a F***. That's what I love about this depiction of the character. They went full throttle with the violence.
Who knew this movie would make us grow to love a raccoon and a talking tree. Out of all the Marvel movies, I think Guardians of the Galaxy has the most interesting characters all packed in one movie. Drax alone is worth the price of admission. Please give that guy his own talk show like 'Space Ghost Coast to Coast.' If you haven't seen that show, please look it up so you can imagine Drax doing that.
Can we take a second to applaud Vin Diesel's performance in this movie? You might not know which character he plays, but I assure you that you know and love the character. He plays Groot. That's right. He went into the studio to say "this is Groot" about a billion times. I find it hilarious that Vin Diesel is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for this role.
'Blade 2' is easily the best Blade movie. It has an effective love story, a creepy, yet understandable villain, and Guillermo Del Toro directed violence. Yep, Mr. Shape of Water directed the second Blade movie, which might be why it stands out as extra awesome. I think it's always interesting when you give a comic book movie to a director with such a distinct style. You're bound to get something good, even if it isn't faithful to the comic. In this case, it's both.
The bad guy in this is a super vampire to hunts other vampires. His jaw opens up completely, as you can see from the photo. It's ten times more frightening than a normal vampire. That's the key to a sequel. It's like, "hey, remember the tough bad guys from the first one? Well, our next enemy eats those bad guys." The stakes have been raised, folks.
Not many people are aware of this, but 'Big Hero 6' is a Marvel movie. I did not know that at all. It never even crossed my mind, especially since it's stamped with the big Disney logo. I feel like Disney really took the spotlight with that one, but then again they spent their hard earned money to buy Marvel so they can do whatever they want. 'Big Hero 6' is a comic book about a team of heroes. The movie is just loosely based on the comics, so check it out for a different spin on those characters.
I'm glad Disney got their greedy little hands on 'Big Hero 6' because it is an awesome, heartfelt movie. The best thing about it is you don't need to see Big Hero 1-5 to understand the movie.
This movie has one of the best opening scenes out of all the Marvel movies. What makes it so good? It's packed full of humor, great music, and a battle against a massive creature. Those details pale in comparison to what really makes this scene rock: baby Groot. After Groot sacrificed himself in 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' Rocket Raccoon used a branch to make a new Groot. Baby Groot is the best version of Groot, even if he's a troublemaker.
Ego, the bad guy of the film, is an interesting bad guy too, because for a majority of the film you have no idea. That's what makes this movie a lot more interesting than some other Marvel films. A good guy can only be as good as his villain. In this case, Starlord faces his own father. That's powerful stuff, man.
I don't think comic book fans knew what they wanted in a Hulk movie when the 2003 'Hulk' movie came out. Many people only knew of Lou Ferrigno's depiction of Hulk, which doesn't exactly age well. What we got was an inspired work of art by director Ang Lee, however, I don't' think that's what fans wanted. Ang Lee is a great director, but he's not who I think about when I think of Hulk-type of action. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' is about elegant fighting. Hulk is about smashing stuff.
Eric Bana as Bruce Banner was an odd choice to me. Isn't Bruce banner's nickname "puny Banner?" Why did you cast a guy with shoulders as wide as a football field? With that being said, this movie succeeds because it looks like a comic book in many ways. Hulk's movements feel powerful and unchained.
I know fans were psyched for this one because it would explore Wolverine's samurai past. Since this one took place in the same universe as the previous Wolverine film (a hated flop), fans wondered how it would be done. Turns out it was halfway good. Director James Mangold took his first stab at Wolverine with this movie, but it didn't quite turn out to his full potential. He would later go on to knock it out of the park with 'Logan,' but more on that later.
This is a welcome entry into the Wolverine storyline, but it just doesn't feel as heavy as a Wolverine movie needs to feel. It also gets a little eggy with the big samurai robot, but I will admit, at times the Silver Samurai is very terrifying in that movie.
This is where it all started. The first Avengers movie. There was so much electricity surrounding this movie that you can still feel it. Maybe a lot of that electricity is from the eighteen other movies they've put out along with it. That tends to keep the juices flowing. Back when this first came out, there had never been an Avengers movie before. I remember that feeling so important.
A friend recently asked me what Avenger he would be. I didn't know how to tell him without hurting his feelings. After a while of begging me, I finally told him. He would be Hawkeye, because I worry about his health. In the case of Hawkeye it's because he has no powers, yet he still goes out there and fights aliens. I worry for my friend's health because he's 2,000 pounds.
This movie rebooted the series in a clever way... sort of. It at least made sense of why Hugh Jackman was still Wolverine, while other characters were changed. Can I explain to you how any of it works? No. Not at all. All you need to know is that this is basically a Wolverine movie. They call it an X-Men movie because there are some X-Men in it, but like all X-Men movies, this is all about Wolverine. Wolverine time traveling to be precise. We all know that time travelling takes being very careful. We also know that careful is not Wolverine's strong suit. He messes up every step of the way.
What I love about this movie is that it shows the future where sentinels are hunting down mutants. Those were my favorite storylines from back in the 90s cartoon.
Deadpool came out nowhere to be a smash hit. This is the same Deadpool that Ryan Reynolds played in the first Wolverine movie. A wisecracking character who gets his mouth sewn shut. Why would you take a character's most interesting quality away from them? It was a dumb move, especially when you've cast Ryan Reynolds, a guy who can pull the character off. Luckily this movie just ignores Wolverine and does it's own thing, while still including X-Men and being part of whatever universe it needs to be a part of.
I've heard people call this an X-Men movie, which sort of makes sense. It has a couple of X-Men in it, but at heart it's an origin story. The movie does a good job hiding the origin story by cutting back and forth from past to present.
This is the first movie that brought us Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. Those are big shoes to fill considering the role was previously played by Rebecca Romijn Stamos, but she fills them nicely. Sure, some people hate Jennifer Lawrence, but more people love her. I know we're not in short supply of goofy white girls, but she's a special one.
It's cool getting to see everyone as a younger version of themselves, especially Professor X and Magneto. This is back when he just went by X. He wasn't quite a professor yet. Magneto and X team up to find a group of mutants they can groom to be heroes. I wish there were some deleted scenes of the mutants who didn't make the team. Stinkbug, a mutant who just stinks. He didn't make the cut.
America loves Paul Rudd. There's no doubt about that. The man can do no wrong. I would testify for him in court. Hell, if he was ever accused of murder, I'd say that I did it just to get the heat off him, because I'd know in my heart that he didn't do it. Put Paul Rudd in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Sounds like the best idea in the world. This movie is a great reprieve from the usual superhero movie. It's in essence a heist film with superheroes. I want to see every genre of movie except with superheroes added. Romantic comedy, western, and horror to name a few.
Ant-Man has one of the most terrifying powers though. He could become small, go inside of you, and then grow big. That sounds like a horrible death, especially if he grew slowly.
Say what you will about the confusing nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they somehow found a way to fit the new Spider-man's origin story in the 'Captain America: Civil War' movie, which saved us a ton of time with 'Spider-Man: Homecoming.' Marvel is changing the rules with movies and it's exciting to watch. 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' is a sort-of origin movie in a way, in that Peter Parker is learning his abilities, but something about it feels fresh.
Tom Holland plays a very good Spider-man. He's actually young, which helps. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were a bit old for the role, which kind of ruins the mystique of Spider-man. He's just a kid trying his best. He's truly the most brave out of all of them seeming as though he's still just a kid. That's always been the appeal of Spiderman.
Deadpool 2 is a miraculous movie. Thankfully fans ate up the weirdest parts of the first Deadpool movie, so it gave the creators permission to go all out in Deadpool 2. You thought the first movie gave no F**KS? Deadpool 2 makes fun of Marvel, itself, DC, and even Ryan Reynolds own career. It feels like a parody superhero movie that uses actual superheroes.
Deadpool makes a lot of things right in the Marvel universe, especially in the post-credits scenes where Deadpool uses time travel to simultaneously make jabs at superhero movies-past as well as correct some previous flubs/fan-hated moments. The biggest restoration this movie does is finally give Juggernaut his due. This is the Juggernaut we've always wanted to see. Sure, Vinnie Jones in the third X-Men movie was fun, but it wasn't Juggernaut.
Some people complain that Doctor Strange is too similar to Iron Man, both the characters and the stories in their movies. While that may be true, that's only because they are both very well told stories... they are just told very similarly. Doctor Strange is just as cocky as Tony Stark, but at the end of the day, they are very different characters (as is evident by their interactions in 'Infinity War').
Doctor Strange gives us a really good sense that there are bigger powers at work in the universe than anything that the Avengers have ever faced. The only reason Dormammu could be defeated is through an infinity stone. Ultron? He's nothing compared to other-dimensional beings like Thanos. Luckily he has that time stone to reverse time if anything ever goes wrong. He still has that thing, right?
Many people believe Spider-Man 2 to be the perfect prototype for a superhero movie. It balances great action with heart, putting Spiderman through what his real life struggles would be. It's hard being a superhero when you have a life to live. We can't all be Tony Stark. For some of us, working two jobs is hard enough. 'Spider-man 2' shows the pressures of being Spider-man in a way that no other Spider-man movie has yet.
This movie brought a fan favorite villain into the mix: Doctor Octopus. I remember the action figure for Doctor Octopus. He had a big backpack that his octo-arms would come out of. They could retract back inside, which felt very realistic. That was from the Spider-man animated series which is still probably the best Spider-man, even though you won't see it on this list.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe hinges on us caring about Tony Stark. He's such a major component of the mythos that his stories need to be handled with the utmost care. 'Iron Man 2' didn't exactly do that, so they needed to bring in the big guns: Shane Black. You may know him from writing 'Lethal Weapon,' 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,' and 'Last Action Hero.' OK, so maybe 'Last Action Hero' doesn't evoke greatness, but those other movies are great! He directed this movie, putting his stamp on it while also making something that very much feels like an Iron Man movie.
This movie really pins Tony Stark down as a hero on par with someone like Captain America. Considering future movies would have them face off, that's a very important component. Who do you got? Captain or Iron Man?
'Thor: Ragnarok' feels exactly like a superhero movie should feel. It's funny, but in a kitschy way, and t has ridiculous characters you wouldn't see in any other movie. And sure, we've had Avengers movies before 'Thor: Ragnarok,' but this feels like a Thor/Hulk mashup movie. Superhero movies should be all about mashups. Animated movies have been doing that for decades and it's been awesome.
This movie is very important if you care about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It ends right before 'Infinity War' begins, more or less. At this point, the timelines are all over the place. There could be some other movie that ends during 'Infinity War' and how would I know? Every time I mention 'Infinity War' I get scared that I'm going to give a spoiler. It's coming up on the list, so be careful.
'Captain America: Civil War' feels more like an Avengers movie to me than a Captain America movie. I don't know why. Maybe because it has all the Avengers in it. You wonder who names these things. At a certain point it doesn't really matter. They'll all be in each other's movies so much that you won't know what to call them. Should it have been 'Thor: Ragnarok' or 'Hulk: Ragnarok?'
This movie is loosely based on the comic book series 'Civil War' which I highly recommend if you want to buy four hundred comic books. Not only are there Civil War issues, but there are also issues of everyone else's comic books around the Civil War storyline. If you wanted to follow every single one you'd have to put out a second mortgage on your home.
'Black Panther' isn't just a Marvel movie, it's a revolution. I've never seen my black friends happier than since this movie came out. I love it. Let's just keep these moving coming. We will buy a ticket every time. We will buy several tickets. It's things like seeing 'Black Panther' twenty times that make us feel like we're somehow beating Trump. Sure, it's not really doing anything, but it feels good.
For about one day I was doing the Wakanda arms but I quickly realized that it wasn't for me. I really don't look cool doing it, and it's unwelcome. Nobody wants to see a white person do the Wakanda arms. Even if it's well intentioned, it just feels like an attack for some reason. Check out Saturday Night Live sketch about it to see exactly what I mean.
Here it is. The culmination of eighteen movies over ten years. 'Infinity War' is audacious, spectacular, and unlike anything ever seen before. Haters will say it's just a superhero movie, but 'Infinity War' is unlike any other movie before it. It's the culmination of so many movies working together. It wouldn't exist without having created a rich universe around it.
It's also incredibly bold. SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER. They let the bad guy win in this one. Thanos has the goal to wipe out half of all life in the galaxy, and in the end he does it. That's so insane. Not only because he wins, but how he wins. The amount of death and destruction is incalculable. It's not just human life, but all life. As you can tell, this movie spoke to me. Sure, it has way too many characters, but that's the point of the movie.
I love Captain America. He may just be your standard whitebread white guy, but he's special. He's the type of dude who will fight for you. No matter who you are. If I had a daughter, I'd want her to date someone like Captain America. Maybe he would have a lot of attackers that we'd have to worry about, but he's more than capable of protecting my daughter.
This is widely considered one of the best MCU movies, but you may be wondering why it's not number one. That's because number one isn't a MCU movie. More on that later though. I do want to point out one amazing Captain America moment in this movie. There's a fight inside an elevator where Captain ends up jumping out and falling thirty stories onto his shield. He's awesome.
James Mangold not only got it right the second time, he executed perfectly. You may remember his work from 'The Wolverine,' the second Wolverine movie. After not being satisfied with how that one turned out, he said he'd only do another one if he could do it his way. It turns out his way was the best way. The story was very fitting of Wolverine's character. It was a dark and hopeless movie, that shows a glimmer of light in the end.
Spoiler, but Wolverine dies in the end. This movie makes a great argument for one-of superhero movies. If you don't care about the sequels you can take bigger risks. The big risks pay off. Guess what? Then you can just make another one next year and we'll still go and see it. That's why it's a non-MCU movie that lands in number one.
