MCU Phase Five Ranked from Worst to Best

The Fantastic Four: First Steps dominated the planetary container bureau this past weekend, raking successful $218 million. It besides officially kicked disconnected Phase Six of the MCU - a Phase that volition lone incorporate four movies. Yup, 2 less than Phases One and Four, even.

You tin cheque retired each the Easter Eggs, sanction drops, tributes, etc successful The Fantastic Four: First Steps here.

With Phase Five present successful the rear view, let's fertile each of it! Marvel Studios has been struggling some, Post-Endgame. As caput Kevin Feige said successful his State of the MCU code to Variety, Disney's telephone for contented to capable Disney+ led to, successful truthful galore words, excessively overmuch Marvel. And not lone excessively overmuch to support way of, but besides excessively galore post-credit teases and escaped ends that whitethorn ne'er wage off. "For the archetypal clip ever, quantity trumped quality," Feige stated.

An statement could beryllium made that Phase Five was the weakest of the MCU, with Phase Four thriving a spot much with a marginally higher prime of offerings. Black Widow and Shang-Chi whitethorn person gotten chopped disconnected astatine the knees by the pandemic but Phase Four deed crushed moving with lockdown-ready WandaVision, Loki, Hawkeye, and much connected the streaming front. By Phase Five though, the Multiverse Saga officially felt bereft and directionless. Phase Four's Eternals whitethorn person been the archetypal MCU movie to beryllium classified arsenic "rotten" connected Rotten Tomatoes but it was the stumbling of Phase Five opener Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and its existent beingness Kang crisis, that dealt a bigger blow. Also, having Secret Invasion stink up the associated conscionable a fewer months aboriginal did nary 1 immoderate favors.

That's not to accidental Phase Five didn't person immoderate marvel-ous content, it conscionable besides happened to person the worst happening Marvel Studios has ever made. The 1 task adjacent Marvel apologists volition concede was awful. Much of the remainder of Phase Five was, unfortunately, middling astatine champion truthful present we're stuck with a crowded, messy fewer years of much misses than hits.

But let's not dwell connected the antagonistic excessively much. Aside from underperforming movies and streaming shows that sat connected the support excessively agelong -- victims of a 2021 wherever everything nether the prima got greenlit -- determination were immoderate super-duper standouts. Full steam up for Ant-Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Bucky, Yelena, Rocket, Loki, and more...

Warning: Spoilers for Phase Five movies and shows follow...

14. Secret Invasion

Just dreadful. It's specified a shame that we waited truthful agelong for Nick Fury to get the spotlight, 1 adjacent based connected a celebrated comic arc, and it turned retired truthful terribly. Nothing connected insubstantial was atrocious astir this, caput you, but present Secret Invasion stands arsenic the lone canon bid that Marvel fans would happily ignore. What's that you say? Maria Hill's inactive alive? Great. What else? Rhodey wasn't a Skrull during Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame? Perfect. What else? G'iah doesn't present person the combined powers of The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain Marvel making her the astir almighty being connected Earth? Fantastic! Yup, if determination was a Roger Rabbit-style "Dip" that could erase Secret Invasion from existence, we'd happily capable our super-soakers.

Note: Since Secret Invasion, the MCU has introduced 2 much impossibly-powerful characters successful Sentry and Franklin Richards. The quality with them though is that determination are wide plans for them successful the adjacent Avengers movie (and Sentry comes with a failsafe, of sorts). G'iah absorbing the Harvest felt similar Secret Invasion penning checks that the MCU had nary volition of cashing.

13. Captain America: Brave New World

It's important to admit the immense spread successful prime betwixt Brave New World and Secret Invasion. Even though this Captain America movie is ranked second-to-last, there's a gulf betwixt these 2 Phase Five-ers.

Brave New World is conscionable a regular misfire, with immoderate decent elements. Like you'd anticipation for astir of the clip for things that miss the mark. The biggest contented with Brave New World is that Sam's large arc and champion quality moments happened connected The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Brave New World was really a President Ross communicative (making it adjacent sadder that William Hurt didn't get to play the role). Ross had the affectional travel present whereas Sam was relegated to conscionable being a feline who went from not wanting to betterment the Avengers to a feline who agrees to betterment the Avengers. It's besides wide from the movie itself that Red Hulk was meant to beryllium a a 3rd enactment surprise, and that the assemblage was accidental to beryllium guessing astatine Samuel Sterns' program (with those having work the comics successful a amended presumption to foretell correctly). Marketing, however, went each successful connected Red Hulk. So overmuch truthful you'd presume helium came successful the mediate of the movie and not during the last 10 minutes.

Reshoots don't mean a movie volition beryllium bad. Neither does a publication inactive being written during filming. Good movies travel from these conditions each the time. But erstwhile a movie flops it's casual to look astatine a messy accumulation similar Brave New World (cut storylines, characters, etc) and spot wherefore it felt truthful half-formed.

That being said, it was beauteous awesome to get Tim Blake Nelson backmost arsenic Sterns arsenic helium was the archetypal "oh they'll ne'er wage this off" MCU escaped end.

12. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicked disconnected Phase Five and adjacent though it opened huge, it fell massively successful its 2nd week - a 70% driblet disconnected which was officially the largest 2nd week diminution successful MCU history. The trailer had everyone hyped, and the thought of Kang being the caller Thanos was a deed among fans (especially since helium was a clip traveler and Loki's archetypal play acceptable him up arsenic a immense multiversal threat). So what went wrong?

It was benignant of a operation of things, the main 1 being that fans went into this movie reasoning it would beryllium a overmuch bigger turning constituent for the Multiverse Saga than it would up being. It didn't request to beryllium an Empire Strikes Back level introduction but it needed to do something. Change something. By past end, Kang was defeated (some adjacent scoffed astatine Ant-Man being the leader to destruct the Conquerer) and we got different bare committedness successful multiversal mayhem. Phase Four's Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home opened the thought up wide but past Doctor Strange successful the Multiverse of Madness killed the momentum, contempt it being a amusive movie successful its ain right. Quantumania squashed the momentum again and everyone was backmost to wondering what was next. When would this ever get followed up on? Scott Lang's disquieted helium made a large big mistake? That was implicit 2 years (and six movies) ago.

Oh, and Quantumania's stab astatine making M.O.D.O.K. enactment was besides an unfortunate blight. It was a swing. It missed. Valiant effort.

Overall, Quantumania's not arsenic atrocious arsenic you deliberation it is, but it besides didn't determination america toward thing meaningful astatine a clip erstwhile fans were precise bare for a Multiverse Saga done line.

11. Echo

In Phase Five we're going to beryllium dealing with a fistful of "this would ne'er person been greenlit today" projects. These are spinoff shows based connected characters who Marvel thought popped erstwhile they debuted elsewhere and present sadly got their bid unceremonious dumped and swept nether the rug. The archetypal (and lowest ranked) connected the database is Echo, centered connected Native American hearing-impaired transgression brag Maya Lopez from the Hawkeye series. As the archetypal bid released nether the Marvel Spotlight banner -- indicating standalone street-level stories that won't impact broader MCU storylines -- Echo was released each astatine once. Or possibly dumped is the due term, fixed that each erstwhile Disney+ Marvel bid was hyped up and rolled retired weekly, lasting astatine slightest respective weeks.

But the streaming waters were antithetic now. The tide had rolled backmost but Marvel Studios inactive had shows successful the can. Echo wasn't a full nonaccomplishment creatively though, contempt what its unceremonious presumption mightiness indicate. Star Alaqua Cox kicked each sorts of butt portion some Echo and Hawkeye, arsenic shows, ushered Wilson Fisk backmost into the MCU. In the end, sadly, Echo was inactive a middling offering, a quality mislaid successful a oversea of progressively banal root stories and a swarm of streaming bid that rapidly deterioration retired their invited due to the fact that they're designed to consciousness similar overlong movies.

10. Ironheart

Ironheart didn't get the afloat hatchet occupation that Echo received, since it was released implicit 2 weeks (three episodes astatine a time), but it inactive sat astir for 2 years earlier airing, which made for a agelong 2 years since Riri Williams was successful Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and 5 full years since the task was announced successful 2020.

After enduring a circular of toxic reappraisal bombing, Ironheart, for the astir part, was well-received, though ever done the lens of "there's excessively overmuch Marvel and this should person travel retired a portion agone and...holy s***! is that really Mephisto?" It was an intriguing blend of Stark-style tech and acheronian sorcery that hadn't been explored earlier successful the MCU, each swirled up with Riri's grief implicit the decease of her champion person and stepfather. It roped successful heavy chopped characters from the satellite of Iron Man and Doctor Strange but it's mean okay-ness didn't assistance footwear its "also-ran" label. It's a shame Ironheart ended successful a cliffhanger since not lone volition determination ne'er beryllium a 2nd play but we whitethorn not ever adjacent spot Riri again. In fact, the quality astir apt to look from the ashes of Ironheart, successful immoderate different MCU project, is Mephisto. Which is comic considering how, for a fewer weeks, the net went huffy with theories astir him down behind everything successful WandaVision.

9. What If...? Seasons 2 & 3

While not technically a portion of the MCU, we request to outcry What If...? The gorgeously animated anthology bid was, similar its comic counterpart, deed oregon miss. Sometimes it floundered with goofy escapades portion different times it floored you with absorbing subversive concepts and devastating tragedy. It's important to enactment that this series, similar Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, is canon successful a roundabout multiversal mode arsenic these are stories really occurring successful different Marvel universes. And the champion happening What If...? did was make a serialized constituent to its seasons that culminated successful immense cross-dimensional battles against mega-villains similar Infinity Ultron (in Season 1, yes), Strange Supreme, and adjacent the Order of the Watchers.

We're combining some seasons 2 and 3 of What If...? for this introduction since they some much oregon little adjacent quality-wise and unneurotic they archer 1 story, with Captain Carter astatine the bosom of it, starring the Guardians of the Multiverse successful a quest to halt threats to world itself. It was each beauteous chill considering that the show's archetypal episode, "What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?", was conscionable a rudimentary flip connected Captain America with nary large surprises. It had america disquieted that each occurrence would conscionable beryllium a replay oregon tally done of an MCU movie with a fewer things flipped. But What If...? coiled up being overmuch much than that, thankfully. It was adjacent the task that brought Sam Rockwell backmost arsenic Iron Man 2's Justin Hammer ("What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?").

Not yet disposable for streaming.

8. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

It can't beryllium a astonishment that Peter Parker/Spider-Man adventures ever makes for a large watch. There's a crushed he's been Marvel's apical canine for 25 years successful theaters (and 70 years successful the comics). Peter's seemingly never-ending conflict to equilibrium his beingness arsenic a genius teen who pines for a circumstantial classmate and his unsafe escapades arsenic a wall-crawling, web-slinging vigilante has fundamentally go a go-to blueprint for superhero stories.

With standout animation and amusive tweaks to the Spidey look (his champion person is Nico Minoru, helium goes to schoolhouse with Tombstone, Harry Osborn is an influencer, etc), Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man fits nicely into the What If...? country of the Multiverse Saga, giving america caller twists and turns portion inactive embracing what radical emotion astir the character, astatine his core. It is, admittedly, a bid that works champion if you already cognize Spider-Man's "greatest hits" but by this constituent astir people, oregon capable people, do.

7. The Marvels

The Marvels got done soiled astatine the container office. It's amended than radical springiness it recognition for. Is it a crowning jewel for the MCU? Of people not. But it was an inspired, hilarious team-up that worked arsenic a sequel to some 2019's Captain Marvel and the Ms. Marvel Disney+ series. It's failure, unfortunately, came astatine a clip erstwhile "superhero fatigue" was an net rallying outcry and repugnant reappraisal bombing was commonplace (note: Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel were besides antecedently reappraisal bombed if you're looking for the evident misogynist pattern).

The 1 glaring happening that The Marvels proved though, with its across-the-board fiscal failure, was that streaming series-to-movie pipeline was busted from the beginning. Thunderbolts* would besides tally into this ceramic wall. People were not pursuing characters from TV to the multiplex truthful that information that two-thirds of the Marvels came from streaming bid was an Achilles bottommost that someway wasn't anticipated. Still, container bureau aside, The Marvels was a comic and heartfelt cosmic caper with an amusing instrumentality connected body-swapping (location swapping?) and 1 hellhole of a astonishing usage for Flerkens.

6. Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool's authoritative raunchy MCU debut was really much of a 20th Century Fox superhero eulogy, moving to adjacent the books connected past heroes we'd ne'er spot again via the menace of Wade Wilson's "universe" being pruned by the TVA. More importantly though, it was the surefire cardinal dollar deed Marvel Studios desperately needed aft Quantumania biffed it it and The Marvels beefed it.

Deadpool volition ever get radical into the theater. There are moviegoers retired determination who volition spot Deadpool movies adjacent if they don't ticker all, most, oregon adjacent immoderate of the MCU. But the winning cardinal dollar summons present was Hugh Jackman returning arsenic Wolverine and giving fans a ferocious, affectional show aft years of Jackman and Ryan Reynolds joshing with 1 different pursuing Reynolds' disastrous Deadpool successful 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It didn't substance that Jackman said he'd ne'er play the relation again aft Logan. This was each excessively goofy and breathtaking to not get hyped and psyched about. And past seeing Jennifer Garner, Wesley Snipes, Dafne Keen, and Chris Evens (as Johnny Storm) each instrumentality was delightful icing.

Seeing John Krasinski play Reed Richards successful Doctor Strange successful the Multiverse of Madness was an inspiring motion toward the net but it was thing compared to seeing Channing Tatum don the Gambit suit and trench coat, really fulfilling a once-promised dream.

5. Daredevil: Born Again

Despite Iron Fist's awesome nonaccomplishment which, connected immoderate levels, ruining the vibe for the full Defenders-verse connected Netflix, there's inactive a batch of affinity for those characters and the stars who played them. We didn't cognize what the eventual plans were 10 years agone but we each conscionable assumed Charlie Cox, Kristen Ritter, Mike Colter, Jon Bernthal, and the remainder of the street-level characters from the 5 Netflix bid (and 1 miniseries) would proceed connected somehow, successful movies oregon whatnot. But with the demise of Marvel Television arsenic a abstracted entity and Marvel Studios creating streaming bid for Disney+, it each became beauteous uncertain (despite Cox's cameo successful Spider-Man: No Way Home). But then, small by little, Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio would get invited to the creation (She-Hulk: Attorney astatine Law, Hawkeye, etc) and anticipation was backmost connected the menu.

The existent shift, however, that gave america the large Daredevil: Born Again (which was massively reworked, re-shot, and retooled successful immoderate alternatively insane ways) was Marvel Studios ditching the thought that everything needed to beryllium connected, which besides meant everything needed to beryllium successful the aforesaid Marvel "tone." Daredevil could erstwhile again beryllium edgier and darker and beryllium arsenic helium utilized to connected Netflix. Born Again is tragic, gritty sequel to the archetypal 3 seasons of Daredevil acceptable successful a New York present legally tally by Mayor Wilson Fisk. The events of the series, and each that happens successful NYC, won't impact thing successful the MCU, but present that's okay. We're astatine a constituent present wherever we astir similar our nutrient not touching. Born Again is escaped to beryllium brutal, bloody, and bold, arsenic Matt Murdock reels from idiosyncratic nonaccomplishment and contends with his arch-nemesis present being a beloved nationalist fig (who loves to rip isolated freakin' faces, by the mode - sheesh!).

4. Agatha All Along

The lone holdover amusement from the Create More Content Era™ that didn't get treated similar a shameful concealed was Agatha All Along.

This grand, enchanting WandaVision spinoff, from WandaVision writer Jac Schaeffer, was allowed to merchandise weekly, making fans' treacherous march down the Witches' Road a genuinely spellbinding affair. Agatha All Along was dark, mysterious, and campy successful each the close ways. Its magical "elimination round" format made for a unsocial blend of astonishment and suspense that allowed Agatha to beryllium some silly and sinister. It besides helped it consciousness similar an existent TV amusement alternatively than an elongated movie. And with Kathryn Hahn returning for different twisted crook arsenic Agatha Harkness, it's nary wonderment this bid is 1 of the champion reviewed projects of the past 2 Phases.

Agatha All Along is the 2nd portion of what's meant to beryllium an unofficial trilogy, wrapping up with the upcoming Vision Quest, and with Wanda "dying" successful Multiverse of Madness, it was large to get some a spiritual travel up to Scarlet Witch's communicative and the crafty Billy Maximoff reveal. Wanda "perished" knowing that her kids existed in, apparently, ever different beingness but Agatha All Along made 1 of them full connected Earth-199999.

It besides didn't wounded to person Aubrey Plaza playing Death aft the quality was archetypal teased each the mode backmost successful Phase 1. Just sayin'.

3. Loki: Season 2

The information that fans were inactive connected committee with Loki's 2nd play contempt Jonathan Majors' engagement and the endless watercourse of nonsensical TVA technobabble (the full play is an overloaded mentation of Star Trek's "teching the tech") is simply a testament to Tom Hiddleston and the enduring emotion for the God of Mischief. In Season 2, with the full multiverse successful situation mode, Loki had to marque decisions astir his ain fate. The backstabbing variant, who erstwhile saw the TVA arsenic a caller spot to rule, a caller throne to beryllium upon, finds "glorious purpose" done self-sacrifice, learning the meaning of emotion and relationship for the archetypal clip successful his life.

Loki was the archetypal of the Disney+ MCU bid to get an authoritative Season 2. It wasn't arsenic impishly amusive arsenic the archetypal play -- with its affectional send-off successful the finale remaining the item of the uneven agelong of episodes that preceded it -- but it was inactive a satisfying sequel featuring 1 of the MCU's top bequest characters. Those who skipped it, however, whitethorn beryllium precise amazed to spot what Loki's woody is erstwhile helium pops up again successful Avengers: Doomsday. If that Loki is the Loki from the Loki series. Or if Hiddleston is adjacent playing Loki and not idiosyncratic else.

2. Thunderbolts*

The astir critically-acclaimed movie of Phase Five, Thunderbolts* gave fans the mega-team movie they'd been wanting since Endgame. It conscionable didn't travel successful the signifier of the Avengers. At slightest not the old Avengers, right?

It was a thrilling, moving ensemble that filled the Avengers void, the Guardians void, and the...Void void. It was heavy and thoughtful and had unexpectedly affectional messaging astir intelligence unwellness and the powerfulness of community. And it was capable of a originative occurrence that manager Jake Schreier is helming the MCU's X-Men movie.

Financially? Well, we're inactive successful a murky play for Marvel Studios wherever they conscionable can't get the container bureau instrumentality they request for these $200 cardinal dollar movies (which is why, of course, the adjacent 3 movies are Spider-Man, Avengers, Avengers). Kevin Feige confirmed what everyone recovered retired the hard mode with The Marvels, which was that the Disney+ streaming shows were not a beardown capable launching pad for movies. By design, this movie was astir B (C?) level characters forging their way arsenic misfits, but erstwhile you person a squad of mid-carders and/or curtain jerkers, you're gonna get the equivalent successful dividends astatine the container office.

Still though, Thunderbolts* is excellent. It continued to solidify Florence Pugh's Yelena arsenic the champion caller post-Endgame quality portion besides successfully introducing Marvel's warped mentation of Superman, Sentry - which was the "dark" unstable instrumentality connected Superman successful the comics agelong earlier Zack Snyder tried his hand. Thunderbolts* is funny, touching, and much astir battling interior demons than cosmic threats.

Not yet disposable for streaming.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Unlike Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, James Gunn's 3rd and last Guardians movie delivered the tears, turmoil, and solution that the trailer look to promise. Yes, earlier Gunn would permission Marvel (this clip of his ain accord) to forge and pb the caller DCU, he'd marque definite we were each bawling our freakin' eyes out.

With a loathsome villain successful High Evolutionary, a backstory for Rocket filled with affectional and carnal agony, needle drops from the likes of Faith No More and Beastie Boys, unthinkable laughs, thoughtful resolutions, and the MCU's archetypal authoritative pre-Deadpool & Wolverine F-bomb, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a cleanable swan opus for these beloved heroes. Even though helium didn't needfully privation to usage Adam Warlock, and resented having had to acceptable him up backmost successful Vol 2., Gunn made it each flawlessly work, penning and directing 1 his champion movies connected the mode retired the door. We'll spot galore of these characters again but the nonaccomplishment of Gunn volition decidedly beryllium felt.

Many of the post-Endgame sequels were bittersweet sad stories, from Spider-Man: No Way Home to Thor: Love & Thunder to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Guardians Vol. 3 whitethorn beryllium the biggest sobfest of them each but it besides has a transportation perfect, signifier fitting ending. It whitethorn not beryllium "happy," but it's damn rewarding.

Matt Fowler is simply a freelance amusement writer/critic, covering TV news, reviews, interviews and features connected IGN for 17 years.