Fans will soon be sitting in theaters waiting to witness the return of Wakanda to the big screen in the next Black Panther film. The movie will also serve as the end of Marvel’s Phase 4–unless one is counting the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
In celebration of the impending conclusion of another MCU phase, why not take a look back and rank all of them from worst to best?
Honorable Mention: I Am Groot
To keep it brief, the new Groot shorts are fun—but that’s about all, and they certainly don’t have enough weight to them to adequately compare them to the rest of Marvel’s Phase 4.
15.) What If…?
At the back of the pack is the first animated series by Marvel Studios. While it’s a fun concept, the first season simply doesn’t ever live up to its potential.
The show doesn’t quite adhere to its own premise either, and some of the final product shows how the writers didn’t do their MCU homework—despite claims otherwise.
Also, the writers could have written an endless amount of restive concepts, and yet, for some reason, they chose to have an entire episode devoted to Party Thor.
14.) Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor is a project that simply hasn’t aged well over time.
It’s not downright bad by any means. The worst part about it is all the potential missed by its own concept.
Christian Bale’s Gorr is criminally underused (such as not killing any Gods on screen), Taika Waititi’s humor misses far more than it lands, and more than a few plot inconsistencies and contrivances.
But Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster is great, and her dynamic and relationship with Chris Hemsworth’s Thor shine bright.
13.) She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
Tatiana Maslany’s show has drawn a lot of ire from people and has also ruffled the feathers of angry children online.
However, despite the show’s place on this list, it’s far from the worst project to be offered by Marvel.
The biggest problem comes with uneven quality. Some outings are a complete miss, but then there’s an installment like the Daredevil-focused one—which could easily be one of the best MCU Disney+ episodes to date.
It also helps to have Maslany leading the charge, as she’s a phenomenal actor.
12.) Black Widow
Black Widow doesn’t get a lot of love from fans. But there are definitely points in the movie that deserve it, such as the introduction of Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova or the incredible dinner sequence, which may easily be one of the top-tier moments in Phase 4 overall.
However, the Red Room’s big final act could have been far more creative than what made it to the screen. The project completely gutted Taskmaster as a character (and no, not because of the gender swap), which is a heavy change that weighs down the final product.
11.) Eternals
Eternals was ranked as the lowest-rated Marvel Cinematic Universe title to date. But did it deserve it?
No. There’s a handful of things to love here, with an intriguing and engrossing cast of characters being introduced to the world. Mostly all of them are great, and the group also heralds in some important pieces of lore.
However, the film is lacking in some important areas. This includes having forgettable action sequences, being overly long, and a complete miss when it comes to chemistry between the leading couple.
10.) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
One of the most anticipated projects of the year was the Multiverse extravaganza that this movie was teased to be. In the end, the final product might have given audiences a fun time, but it was also a fairly sloppy MCU tale.
Seeing the Illuminati was great and all, especially the likes of Reed Richards and Black Bolt, but the movie never truly lives up to the potential promised by the title. There’s not nearly enough utilization of the Multiverse, Wanda’s journey isn’t separated enough from what she went through in WandaVision, and the film isn’t given enough time to breathe.
9.) Werewolf By Night
Some might think this is a little low on the list.
But, its style choices, while very specific and accurate, won’t be to everyone’s liking. Also, the design and screen time of the titular Werewolf play a large part in what brings down Marvel Studios’ first Special Presentation.
With that said, it does tell a short and concise one-shot story and also introduces both Man-Thing and Elsa Bloodstone, both of whom are fantastic.
8.) Loki
Tom Hiddleston’s big solo project saw the God of Mischief kidnapped and almost entirely erased by the TVA. This Disney+ show tends to be listed as a favorite amongst fans, which is completely understandable.
However, what keeps Loki from being top-tier is the show’s habit of being weighed down by constant exposition—all the way up into and throughout its final episode. Sure, Kang’s introduction was still exciting, but that doesn’t erase the show doubling down on its bad habits.
7.) WandaVision
The very first story of Phase 4 started Marvel Studios’ Disney+ shows with a bang. The weekly format kept audiences engaged in conversations about the series consistently and set new expectations for future MCU content.
The quality of the show varied across its run, with one episode being mediocre and the next being a top-tier installment.
While the show may have its issues, the high points it hits are great—Vision and Wanda’s big blowout, the origin of the Scarlet Witch, and Elizabeth Olsen’s goodbye to her family, just to name a few.
6.) Ms. Marvel
Iman Vellani is one of the best castings in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and there’s no denying that it’s a good chunk of the reason this show ranks so high. Her entire supporting cast, be it family or best friend Bruno, do a fantastic job at living up to the strength of their hero.
The intense personality and energy that the show has is also fantastic, though, sadly, it’s not felt throughout its entire run. The villains of the piece, the Clandestines, are also entirely forgettable and poorly written.
Additionally, many of the changes to the character’s power set remain pointless—even if they didn’t inherently bring down the story being told.
5.) The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
The first four episodes of this series are nothing short of spectacular. They immediately have a strong Captain America: The Winter Soldier vibe and do a great job at building its characters while providing audiences with some of the best action scenes on Disney+.
Sadly, the show started to fall off in quality with its fifth episode, and its finale crashed and burned for many. It certainly felt rushed and seemed to completely forget some of its character work, with a particular example being with US Agent.
4.) Hawkeye
Hawkeye was a fantastic show and served as the perfect vehicle to introduce Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop while also serving a heavy focus on Jeremy Renner’s former Avenger.
The dynamic between the two leading heroes is another strong point of the series, as was the brief entanglement of Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova.
Sadly, the show’s finale does slip a little—even if it isn’t quite as bad as, say, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier did.
3.) Moon Knight
When it was announced that Oscar Isaac would be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was clear that he’d add something special to the MCU. The incredible actor did just that, bringing to life three different new characters, all a part of the fantastical Moon Knight.
General acclaim of the series seems to have been a little mixed after the fact, but there’s no denying that the show adds another complex hero into the MCU sandbox. The project also boasts one of the best villains to hit Disney+ in Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow.
Another winning element of the show is its VFX, which is leagues above every other Marvel Disney+ show to date.
2.) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Before Simu Liu took on the character of Shang-Chi, not many people knew who this hero was. Now, his outing is widely considered to be the best new origin story to come out of the MCU post-Avengers: Endgame.
While the story structure itself doesn’t do anything too unique or mind-blowing, what is given to audiences is extremely solid. The movie is also elevated by some phenomenal action sequences, as well as by its fantastic villain, Wenwu.
Hopefully, this character will be returning to the MCU sooner rather than later.
1.) Spider-Man: No Way Home
Putting Tom Holland’s third adventure as the web-slinger at number one on the list shouldn’t surprise anyone. It’s easily the most critically praised entry in the MCU for a long while, and fans absolutely loved it.
The film connected three different generations of Spider-Men and saw Holland team up with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to face off with nearly half a dozen of their previous rogue galleries. Who could hate that?
The movie is simply a Spidey fan’s wet dream while also providing some of the most heartfelt and heartbreaking moments in Spider-Man lore to date. The small few issues the film does have are easily overshadowed by everything the project does right.
Good choices, Russ.