The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a large tapestry of films (and TV series). Focusing on the big-screen side, since its inception, the ambitious superhero universe has experienced something many other franchises in Hollywood have not: quality consistency. With over 30 films and counting, the MCU has typically enjoyed a healthy amount of critical acclaim, which has allowed it to turn increasingly obscure characters into household names.
However, not everything has been a bed of roses for Marvel Studios — particularly in recent years. A considerable amount of its theatrical releases have been either divisive or downright critical duds. Yet, it's safe to say we've all experienced this — we watch a movie that's largely disliked, and we find ourselves liking it to an extent... maybe even enjoying it.
So, I thought it appropriate to ask the question: What's one MCU movie that's disliked/hated, but you actually appreciate? Now, the universe is comprised of 36 films, so picking just one film may be tough. As such, if you feel like it, you can expand your answer to three picks. As a reminder, here are all the MCU films released so far:
Phase 1:
- Iron Man (2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Thor (2011)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- The Avengers (2012)
Phase 2:
- Iron Man 3 (2013)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Ant-Man (2015)
Phase 3:
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Doctor Strange (2016)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Black Panther (2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Phase 4:
- Black Widow (2020)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
- Eternals (2021)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Phase 5:
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
- The Marvels (2023)
- Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
- Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
- Thunderbolts* (2025)
To start off, I'll give my three picks (because, yes, I cannot pick only one). First, there's The Incredible Hulk. It captured the essence of the Hulk character perfectly. It portrayed Bruce Banner's turmoil in a way that was faithful to his comic book history, and delivered some of the best action in the MCU so far.
My second pick is Thor: The Dark World. Is it the best the MCU has to offer? No, but it was a fine Thor adventure that furthered the complicated relationship between the God of Thunder and his brother Loki. One could go as far as to say The Dark World was the movie that made the God of Mischief such a beloved character.
Through Thor and The Avengers, Loki was, for the most part, just a grand villain. The Dark World gave him depth and more relatable aspects that allowed us to connect with him and questionably say, "Hm, maybe the power-hungry, murderous space deity isn't so bad after all."
My third pick is Black Widow. Despite the criticisms directed at it, it was a great film. While some decisions were not the best, it was a gripping story about found family and sisterhood that did justice to Natasha Romanoff. It also introduced Yelena Belova to the MCU, a contribution that, on its own, would bump it up my Marvel Studios ranking.
To not break the rule of three picks, I'll give an honorable mention: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It didn't have the same charm as the first two Ant-Man movies, but it was pretty fun. Some decisions were questionable, but it was overall a solid entry in Scott Lang's franchise that had fun with the nature of the hero's powers and furthered his family dynamics.
Now's your turn. What's the one (or, three) unpopular MCU movie that you enjoy? Let me know in the comments.