Marvel has just celebrated a remarkable 85-year milestone, a testament to the legacy of this beloved franchise. Founded by Martin Goodman in 1939, Marvel has evolved from humble beginnings into a global phenomenon, encompassing comics, television shows, blockbuster movies, animated series, merchandise, and much more. Marvel shows no signs of slowing down, and we eagerly look forward to many decades of this franchise.
In honor of Marvel celebrating 85 years, we have decided to curate a list of some of the best Marvel movies ever. Since there are endless movies in this franchise, for this list, we are sticking to the Marvel Cinematic Universe! So, make sure you stick around and let us know in the comments if you’d like to add any movies to the list.
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
We had to start our list with the best movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which dates back to a decade ago, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. As much as we adore Thor and Iron Man, the Captain America trilogy was certainly superior in our opinion, and The Winter Solider stands out as the best one.
Sebastian Stan, Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie, Scarlett Johansson, Emily VanCamp, Samuel L. Jackson, and Frank Grillo all came together to make this movie a success. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, and also had some of the best action and plot in the MCU!
2. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
This list would truly be incomplete without one of the biggest defining moments of the Avengers, and the MCU as a whole, aka Avengers: Endgame. This movie was first released in 2019 and caused an uproar in the cinema as fans crowded theaters every single day to watch it on the big screen. It was a surreal experience, and there hasn’t been a movie in the franchise with an impact as big!
Avengers: Endgame brought together stars from different MCU movies including Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Brie Larson, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Don Cheadle, Chadwick Boseman, and Sebastian Stan amongst others.
3. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
2 years after Captain America: The Winter Soldier, came the third installment of the Captain America trilogy with Steve Rogers, aka Captain America: Civil War. We certainly have a soft spot for this trilogy, but that’s only because of the engaging plot, splendid cast, and plenty of action that is an important part of these movies, and who wouldn’t want to see Captain America being pitted against Iron Man?
Much like Avengers: Endgame, this 2016 movie also witnessed an ensemble cast with Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Paul Bettany, and Elizabeth Olsen. In addition, this movie also welcomed Tom Holland as Spider-Man for the first time. We are also looking forward to Sam Wilson honoring the shield in Captain America: A Brave New World.
4. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
If we have taken our time applauding Captain America, we aren’t going to keep Thor out of the mix, especially not the 2017 movie, Thor: Ragnarok. This movie was hands down one of the funniest movies in the MCU and was directed by none other than the comedy king, Taika Waititi.
The first two Thor movies had a more serious tone, and Thor: Ragnarok came in like a breath of fresh air.
The cast of Thor: Ragnarok included Cate Blanchett, Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, and Idris Elba. There were also some hilarious cameos by Matt Damon, Sam Neill, and Luke Hemsworth.
5. Iron Man (2008)
Anyone who was wondering why we have mentioned Captain America and Thor but not Iron Man, we apologize for taking our time, but the list wouldn’t have been incomplete without the first movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe which made a debut in 2008, Iron Man.
This movie opened the door for several fans and also cemented Robert Downey Jr.’s role as Iron Man in the franchise, for years to come.
Although this movie was released back in 2008, the sci-fi was impeccable and oftentimes we miss some of that classic MCU action! Downey Jr. was joined by Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Leslie Bibb, Clark Gregg, and Shaun Toub.
Conclusion
We understand this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to several other notable movies (and shows) that have been a part of the MCU, but to honor 85 years of the franchise, we had to share our top 5, and we would love your opinion on it!