Now that I've seen Civil War here is my udpated ranking for the films in the MCU!
12. Iron Man 2
This movie has so many problems not focusing on the story and setting up The Avengers. Robert Downey Jr. is still great as Tony Stark, Don Cheadle was a great replacement as Rhodey, and it introduced Scarlett Johannson as Black who is pretty much the hottest woman on Earth. The problems with the movie are mainly Whiplash, Sam Rockwell, and it's storytelling. This movie has great moments but it has shitty moments as well.
12. Iron Man 3
Definitely not as good as the first Iron Man movie but it is an improvement over Iron Man 2 even though it does have its problems. Yes I happen to be one of the people that I did not like the Mandarin twist because he was set up in the beginning as this awesome villain and when Tony Stark finally finds him it is revealed that he is a pill popping drunk British actor. Now I know that there is a short that reveal there is a real Mandarin but still it is such a waste of Ben Kingsley as a villain because he was set up perfectly in the beginning and he was great but they completely throw that away in the third act. The movie then goes downhill from there and the reveal of Guy Pearce as "The Mandarin" at the end was just kinda lazy. Another thing is why is it that Tony Stark can't seem to get his armor working right in this movie. There is still some good once again Robert Downey Jr. is the most consistent thing about Iron Man movies he still does a great job and the action is entertaining. Like I said not as good as the first Iron Man movie that film was great but it is better than Iron Man 2.
11. Thor: The Dark World
Thor: The Dark World was....alright! Sometimes I even have trouble getting through this movie because of how slow it is at times. I don't hate this movie because there are good things in this movie the obvious one being the return of Tom Hiddleston as Loki, some entertaining action scenes, and Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif who should be with Thor rather than have Thor be with Jane Foster (Even though I'm in love with Natalie Portman). However, the film suffers from too much comedy with supporting character Darcy played by Kat Dennings irritating me more than making me laugh. Also, Malekith was a weak villain not really looking like the way he does in the comics and in the cartoons. A lot people think this is better than the first movie but for me it's not even close.
10. Thor
This is a solid movie and it introduced the concept of making science and magic one in the same thing. Kenneth Branagh's direction was great which I felt like was missing from the second movie. It did a solid job introducing magic into in the MCU being a far cry from the realistic tone that was set in the first Iron Man movie. It was the first movie to give us Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif, and Phil Coulson also has a big part in this movie. Overall, I really enjoy this movie and Chris Heworth does a great job as Thor.
9. The Incredible Hulk
This is probably one of the most underrated comic book movies out there and it's sad that it gets overlooked considering it is the most forgotten film in the MCU. I like this movie and I think everyone can agree it is way better than the Ang Lee Hulk movie from 2003. This was the Hulk movie for the general movie audience and it had a lot more action and it was a lot more fun. It's a shame it didn't do that well because it was coming out the same year as Iron Man and The Dark Knight. If it came out a year after the movie would have done better at least in my opinion. Edward Norton does a great job in the role even though Mark Ruffalo is the best Hulk ever put on film there is a part of me that would have loved to have seen Edward Norton continue in the role but it is what it is.
8. Captain America: The First Avenger
I like Captain America: The First Avenger and the sequel was even better than the first. It's a solid period piece set in World War II even though it was a bit cheesy. Chris Evans redeemed himself after being in the two Fantastic Four movies that weren't good and he was great Captain America. This movie also gave us Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter and she even branched off into her own TV show. Hugo Weaving as Red Skull was great as well. All in all, I like this movie and I think it's super underrated. Obviously I prefer Winter Soldier over this movie, I also prefer the Russo brothers direction, but I still enjoy this movie and I think they did a good job at what they were trying to do at the time.
7. Ant-Man
Now before I saw this movie I was a bit hesitant because of the production problems and Edgar Wright was originally going to direct this movie and he dropped out because his concept was before the MCU even formed and they wanted the movie to fit in the unvierse. Surprisingly the movie worked out so well and while there is a part of me that would have loved to have seen Edgar Wright continue on as the director but Peyton Reed was the guy to direct this movie especially considering how much he is a fan of the character. Ant-Man was such a pleasant surprise much like Guardians of the Galaxy and it even excepted the fact that Ant-Man is a ridiculous concept and it didn't take itself seriously. Paul Rudd was hilarious and great as Scott Lang and Michael Douglas was great as Hank Pym. I'm excited to see Paul Rudd come back for Captain America: Civil War and I can't wait for Ant-Man and the Wasp.
6. Avengers: Age of Ultron
I think Avengers: Age of Ultron gets criticized way too much and I personally love it as much as I did the first movie. Of course it had big shoes to fill because it was coming off the success of the first movie and that was the really the first time you got to see these superheroes together in one movie which is something that had never been done before so it had a lot to live up to. I was never expecting it to be better than the first movie and I'm glad I didn't have that expectation. James Spader as Ultron is great and he is probably one of the best villains in the MCU. For me he is up there with Loki and Winter Soldier. My favorite action scene in the movie is the Hulkbuster fight because it is awesome seeing the Hulk smash things it is just amazing. They did Hawkeye better than they did in the first Avengers movie. Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Vision are great additions to the team. Although I do think t Quicksilver in the X-Men franchise is better. Vision for me was definitely the standout and when he lifted Thor's hammer for the first time my theater was cracking up. Obviously it's not better than the first one but I still love it to this day.
The film that started it all and revived the career of an actor who was a has been for almost a decade until his comeback roles in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Zodiac. Robert Downey Jr. then went on to play Iron Man and he is honestly the perfect actor for the role. It's going to be hard to imagine anyone else in the role when he is done playing the character because Robert Downey Jr. is literally perfect as Tony Stark. That man is made out of charismatic gold. He even looks so much like Tony Stark from the comic books. My favorite part of the movie was him in the cave seeing him build his Iron Man suit for the first time. Had this movie not succeed we wouldn't be where we are today, I love this movie, and it still holds up after 8 years. For me it is still the best out of all the Iron Man movies by far.
4. The Avengers
Like I said when I was talking about Age of Ultron, The Avengers is a special movie because it was the first time you finally these superheroes together in one movie. I know it's a bit low on my list but I still love the movie and I still think it's one of the best superhero movies ever. There are just two movies I loved more but I still adore this movie. Loki was a great villain and even better than he was in Thor. The Hulk smashes things and it's amazing. He got the most laughs in my theater when it came out and when The Hulk was throwing Loki around like a rag doll everyone in my theater were laughing their asses off. His fight with Thor in the movie was great as well. Every character in The Avengers is even handled really well. Also, this was the movie that finally gave WB the balls to finally start a DC Cinematic Universe and now we're getting a Justice League movie next year.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
Before Ant-Man this was the biggest surprise hit for Marvel and this movie is reason why Groot has become one of the most popular character of the MCU. This movie was the first big gamble for Marvel because not a lot people knew who Guardians of the Galaxy were and they somehow managed to make it work. I absolutely loved this movie and it shows that Marvel Studios is on a role. There were elements of Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, and even Indiana Jones. The reason why this movie worked is because Marvel doesn't do the same thing and they manage to make their other movies feel different from the genre. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a political/espionage/spy thriller, Ant-Man is a heist movie, and Guardians of the Galaxy is a sci-fi adventure movie. The humor work, the action was great, the cast was spot on, the soundtrack was awesome. Sure a lot of people give Ronan the Accuser a lot of crap but I still absolutely loved this movie and I can't wait for Vol. 2.
2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
I loved Captain America: The Winter Soldier because it raised the bar for the superhero genre and it was when Phase Two of the MCU finally started getting great after the average Iron Man 3 and the alright Thor: The Dark World. This movie was more than just a superhero movie it was a political/espionage/spy thriller borrowing elements from movies like The Bourne Identity, The Parallax View, and Three Days of the Condor. Which is one of my favorite things about the Captain America movies is how much they are personal stories. When the Russo brothers were brought on to direct everyone was like the guys from community? And they blew everyone away. The action in this movie is some of the best action I've seen in the MCU and it was so intense making my pulse pound. Captain America is the most badass he has ever been in a Marvel movie, they made Black Widow a really good character, the chemistry with all the characters in the movie was great, Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier was great, and it had anti-trust with S.H.I.E.L.D. It was definitely my favorite Marvel movie until.....
1. Captain America: Civil War
Now that I've seen Captain America: Civil War I can now say that it surpasses Captain America: The Winter Soldier as my favorite Marvel movie. I agree with Chris Stuckmann where the Captain America movies are the only movies in the MCU where the sequels get better. Both Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3 are average and nowhere near as good as the first Iron Man movie, both Thor movies are alright but interchangable, and even though I love Avengers: Age of Ultron it's not as good as the first Avengers movie. This movie has the best action in any superhero movie and lots of emotion. Also, that airport scene though and Ant-Man.....WOOOOOOO! Black Panther and Spider-Man were amazing. Tom Holland is hands down the best live action Peter Parker/Spider-Man yet and I can't wait for his solo movie.
That's my udpated ranking for the MCU movies so let me know your thoughts down below!