Marvel Studios' Phase Five Movies And TV Shows Ranked From Worst To Best (Part 1, #14 - #8)

Marvel Studios' Phase Five Movies And TV Shows Ranked From Worst To Best (Part 1, #14 - #8)

Marvel Studios' Phase 5 came to an end with Ironheart last week, and we're reflecting on this tumultuous chapter in the Multiverse Saga by ranking its movies and TV shows from worst to best. Check it out!

Feature Opinion
By JoshWilding - Jul 07, 2025 11:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Marvel Studios

With the release of Ironheart's final three episodes last Tuesday, Phase Five has reached its end. Starting with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania in 2023, much has changed over the past two and a half years.

That movie was meant to introduce us to Kang and his many Variants after Loki set the stage for him to be the Multiverse Saga's big bad. As we write this, Kang is out, and Doctor Doom is in. Oh, and Mephisto just made his debut....on streaming. 

It's been an unpredictable few years of storytelling, with the latter half largely devoted to Marvel Studios' attempt to move back to quality rather than quantity. Unfortunately, many of the movies and TV shows in this first half of our Phase Five ranking fall under the "quantity" category. 

You can find out how we've ranked a tumultuous Phase Five by clicking the "Next"/"View List" buttons below. 
 

14. What If...?

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What If...? season 1 had a couple of forgettable episodes, but for the most part, it offered viewers an exciting glimpse at the Multiverse's potential.

The same could not be said for the second and third seasons. Released a year apart, both underwhelmed, though season 3 was particularly bad. There were still some fun concepts and stories, but the show ended up being a misfire and became less "What If...?" and more "WTF?" as the focus shifted to just telling silly, outlandish stories. 

Worryingly, What If...?'s Matthew Chauncey is now set to serve as X-Men '97's showrunner following Beau DeMayo's departure. 
 

13. Echo

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Marvel Studios dumped the entirety of Echo on Disney+ in a single day, and this "Marvel Spotlight" series was forgotten almost as quickly as it arrived. 

Vincent D'Onofrio was on top form as The Kingpin, as was Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez. However, while we appreciated the respectful, deep dive into Choctaw Nation history and lore, it was a strange way to give a street-level character superpowers and, unfortunately, felt a little tacked on. 

Echo was somewhat butchered in the editing room, with a flashback episode chopped up and dispersed throughout the remaining episodes. Still, Daredevil's brief cameo was fun. 
 

12. Secret Invasion

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Even with the controversial death of Maria Hill (a huge waste in hindsight), Secret Invasion started strong and remained a showcase for what an incredible talent Samuel L. Jackson is from start to finish. 

Unfortunately, the series declined in quality massively as it continued. The heroic Skrull concept was a misfire, and the less said about the visual effects used to bring the Super-Skrull to life, the better. We'd criticise the villain, but can't even remember his name. 

Still, there were ideas here that worked, and Jackson massively elevated the material. It's just a shame this event and concept were wasted on a largely forgettable streaming series. 
 

11. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

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The decision to shoot Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania almost entirely on The Volume made it a largely soulless affair that proved the technology was no substitute for real locations and sets. 

The threequel had a lot of redeeming qualities, including a superb performance from Jonathan Majors and a long-overdue exploration of the Quantum Realm and its place in the Multiverse. However, wasting Kang the Conqueror on an Ant-Man movie was an insane decision that cut the Saga's big bad off at the knees. 

Majors' legal troubles didn't help matters, but it was this movie that marked the beginning of the end for Kang and opened the door to Doctor Doom.
 

10. The Marvels

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The Marvels wasn't that bad, but it was a disappointment. What should have been an epic event movie played more like an extended episode of a Disney+ TV series, and it's still baffling that it ignored the events of Secret Invasion, seeing as Nick Fury and the Skulls were front and centre. 

Very much a "quantity over quality" movie from this era of MCU storytelling, the Captain Marvel sequel bombed. Still, the cast was on top form, there were some legimttaley great gags and fight scenes, and a post-credits scene featuring a freaking X-Man!

Similar to how Avengers: Endgame made Thor: The Dark World a more pivotal, memorable adventure than it was in 2013, the same might eventually be the case for The Marvels after Avengers: Doomsday is released. 
 

9. Ironheart

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Ironheart was no masterpiece, but the three-year wait from the end of production to release ensured the VFX were top-notch, and that made a huge difference. 

Riri Williams' story hit a lot of familiar beats and rarely broke new ground. Still, The Hood was a compelling villain, and the long-awaited introduction of Mephisto should be a game-changer for the MCU (the casting of Sacha Baron Cohen was also pitch-perfect). 

Like Echo, Marvel pretty much just dumped this series on Disney+ and moved on. With Armor Wars scrapped, we don't know when or where Ironheart's characters will return, but we definitely want to see (most of) them again.
 

8. Captain America: Brave New World

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Make no mistake about it, Captain America: Brave New World was almost certainly one of the MCU's most reshot movies. While we can cry and complain about The Leader's redesign and the MIA Serpent Society, something about that original cut clearly wasn't working.

The movie we got was fine. It introduced Adamantium, featured some stellar action scenes, and delivered an epic Red Hulk battle that left us wanting more. Anthony Mackie also cemented himself as the MCU's new Captain America. 

The Leader's arc, everything about The Falcon, and the largely pointless Sidewinder remain weak points, but this movie was solid. Still, like Captain Marvel, this Captain deserved better and will hopefully be redeemed in Avengers: Doomsday next December. 

Check back here later this week to find out how we ranked the rest of the Multiverse Saga's Phase Five offerings!

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Ryguy88
Ryguy88 - 7/7/2025, 11:26 AM
Lmao "Part 1"
PetuniaMajors
PetuniaMajors - 7/7/2025, 11:28 AM
The article we needed
DarthOmega
DarthOmega - 7/7/2025, 11:32 AM
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ZaphodDent42
ZaphodDent42 - 7/7/2025, 11:33 AM
Got as far as What If? Being last and gave up on this!
BrainySleep
BrainySleep - 7/7/2025, 11:33 AM
"The Marvels wasn't that bad"

Oh yes it was!
Wahhvacado
Wahhvacado - 7/7/2025, 11:34 AM
I really wish I could purge my memories of Secret Invasion
Goldboink
Goldboink - 7/7/2025, 12:04 PM
@Wahhvacado -
I have none, so I'm, good there.
HammerLegFoot
HammerLegFoot - 7/7/2025, 11:34 AM
I really liked Ant Man 3. And the complaint about the Volume is weird to me. They are in subatomic level of existence, how would you build a set for that?
Lisa89
Lisa89 - 7/7/2025, 11:34 AM
"Part 1"
The suspense is killing no one.
Omario
Omario - 7/7/2025, 11:36 AM
Invasion should be at the bottom. I didn't see Echo as bad.
WaffeX
WaffeX - 7/7/2025, 11:40 AM
"Check back here later this week to find out how we ranked the rest of the Multiverse Saga!"

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Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 7/7/2025, 11:44 AM
I agree that these would be the bottom seven, but I'd rank it thusly:

14. What If
13. BNW
12. Secret Invasion
11. Echo
10. Quantumania
9. Ironheart
8. The Marvels
WalletsClosed
WalletsClosed - 7/7/2025, 11:45 AM
Literally all of this is terrible. Quite impressive...
URCOMMENTSUCKS
URCOMMENTSUCKS - 7/7/2025, 11:56 AM
Isn't Echo supposed to have a handprint tattooed on her face? Also, isn't she supposed to be, you know... HOT?
AllsNotGood
AllsNotGood - 7/7/2025, 12:05 PM
The list according to @Doubled i means @allsgood

1. What If...?
1. Echo
1. Secret Invasion
1. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
1. The Marvels
1. Ironheart
1. Captain America: Brave New World

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BritishMonkey
BritishMonkey - 7/7/2025, 12:05 PM
Secret Invasion above Echo?
I knew this list would be nonsense.
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 7/7/2025, 12:21 PM
Ooooh the suspense...
RitoRevolto
RitoRevolto - 7/7/2025, 12:24 PM
I kinda forgot about Echo. I hate what they did by giving her superpowers when she never needed them or a crutch to begin with. So lame.
SauronthePower
SauronthePower - 7/7/2025, 12:24 PM
Quantumania should be at #8 on this list. Pfeiffer and Majors literally elevated the material. As bad as Murray, Stoll, Rudd, and Gentora 🙄were, the movie was fairly good until the WASP scene
Baf
Baf - 7/7/2025, 12:25 PM
The movie we got was fine? Fine!? Thats exactly what I'm looking for when I shell out over $60.
nibs
nibs - 7/7/2025, 12:34 PM
The Marvels and Ant-Man are abysmal but there are a handful of seconds of entertainment value in them. Brave New World offers absolutely nothing. Josh liked it because of the fight scenes - which are without a doubt some of the ugliest scenes ever captured on film - and because it introduces the concept of adamantium. If you got enjoyment out of back-story for Wolverine's claws, you should probably be committed to a mental institution. Worst MCU movie (worst comic book movie?) to date, hands down.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/7/2025, 12:59 PM
Not sure where I rank these projects number wise but there’s definitely some I enjoyed more then others or atleast on par…

Something like Secret Invasion , What If & Quantumania have elements or episodes I enjoy but they would be towards the lower end of my Phase 5 enjoyment (both Marvels & Echo were decent for me aswell but moreso towards the top I think).

The top 2 I guess would be BNW at no 2 and Ironheart at 1 since I enjoyed both moreso then the others though not by much…

BNW especially has become an odd comfort movie for me to put on in the background as I do other things , it’s just an easy & fun watch imo.

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