Variety's Ranking Of Over 50 Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies And TV Shows Is Dividing Opinions

Variety has ranked 54 movies and TV shows from Marvel Studios, but the trade's take on how each of these MCU projects stacks up against each other has split fan opinions! You can check it out here...

News

By JoshWilding - Aug 01, 2025 02:08 PM EST

Filed Under: Marvel Studios

Source: Variety

Between movies, TV shows, and animated series, there have been over 50 Marvel Studios projects since Iron Man blasted onto our screens in 2008.

Ranking them is no easy feat, but Variety has taken a crack at it, and the results have proven hugely divisive. Moon Knight was worse than Echo and Captain America: Brave New World? The Fantastic Four: First Steps is beneath The Marvels and Ironheart? And wait, Avengers: Endgame is the best MCU movie over Black Panther?!

Some of you might agree with those decisions, but you can still probably see why this list has split opinions.

Looking back at these movies and TV shows, it's wild to see how far Marvel Studios has come since Phase 1 culminated with what was then the biggest superhero movie of all-time: The Avengers.

Ultimately, everyone's ranking is going to differ, and one person's favourite movie or TV show could be someone else's least favourite (though we'd imagine none of you would place Secret Invasion at #1).

You can check out this ranking of the MCU's movies and TV shows—according to the trade, at least—below. Once you've done that, head to the comments section to let us know your thoughts.

54 - Secret Invasion
53 - Thor: The Dark World
52 - Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
51 - Moon Knight
50 - Thor: Love & Thunder
49 - The Incredible Hulk
48 - Iron Man 2
47 - Echo
46 - Eternals
45 - Captain America: Brave New World
44 - The Falcon & The Winter Soldier
43 - What If…?
42 - Avengers: Age of Ultron
41 - Werewolf by Night
40 - Thor
39 - She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
38 - Ant-Man & The Wasp
37 - The Fantastic Four: First Steps
36 - Black Widow
35 - Iron Man 3
34 - Captain Marvel
33 - The Marvels
32 - Ms. Marvel
31 - Ant-Man
30 - Ironheart
29 - Doctor Strange
28 - Thunderbolts*
27 - Daredevil: Born Again
26 - Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
25 - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
24 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
23 - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
22 - Spider-Man: Far From Home
21 - Hawkeye
20 - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
19 - Captain America: The First Avenger
18 - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
17 - Deadpool & Wolverine
16 - Agatha All Along
15 - The Avengers
14 - Spider-Man: Homecoming
13 - Captain America: Civil War
12 - Avengers: Infinity War
11 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
10 - Loki
9 - Thor: Ragnarok
8 - Iron Man
7 - Spider-Man: No Way Home
6 - X-Men ‘97
5 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4 - WandaVision
3 - Guardians of the Galaxy
2 - Black Panther
1 - Avengers: Endgame

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94 Comments

1 2 3

Nomis929 - 8/1/2025, 2:29 PM

No one working at VARIETY has ever read a Marvel comic book so their opinion is invalid!

Goldboink - 8/1/2025, 2:41 PM

@Nomis929 -
99% of the moviegoing public hasn't either.

MaxPaint - 8/1/2025, 2:50 PM

@Goldboink - So?

Nomis929 - 8/1/2025, 3:05 PM

@Goldboink - Their opinion is invalid also!

Goldboink - 8/1/2025, 4:59 PM

@Nomis929 -

Nomis929 - 8/1/2025, 6:00 PM

@Goldboink - LOL!!!! That's pretty much what I look like on the weekends! :)

Goldboink - 8/1/2025, 6:52 PM

@Nomis929 -
Everyone looks like that to me come Friday night

Ryguy88 - 8/2/2025, 9:03 AM

@Goldboink - and we can get their rankings from IMDB

Mercwitham0uth - 8/1/2025, 2:32 PM

That list is [frick]ed.

McMurdo - 8/1/2025, 2:40 PM

@Mercwitham0uth - yeah endgame at #1 is AIDS

amesjazz - 8/1/2025, 4:18 PM

@McMurdo - Legit one of the biggest movie letdowns I've ever experienced. Really stopped following Marvel afterwards.

MyCoolYoung - 8/1/2025, 2:34 PM

I respect their opinion but I don’t agree with it. 50 too many to rank so I ain’t revising it. Civil war and infinity war is my goat

Canyoublush - 8/1/2025, 2:34 PM

Finally endgame getting the recognition it deserves. Too many fanboys criticising the movie but with no valid criticism whatsoever it’s weird. There’s so many complaints about it but the truth is it wasn’t infinity war, it wasn’t executed in the same manor therefore it’s bad or disappointing? It’s sad that nobody understands how storytelling works. The film is cinema compared to all the other MCU films. Infinity war is great but tbh both movies are like the two towers and return of the king for me. Just one giant movie split into two chapters (not counting fellowship here for the sake of argument). Endgame has rightfully earned this number one spot imo.

Oberlin4Prez - 8/1/2025, 2:38 PM

@Canyoublush - I mean, I thought the almost 3 billion dollars it made was validation enough. But what do I know. Lol

Also who's complaining about it? I loved it. I haven't met someone who didn't.

McMurdo - 8/1/2025, 2:42 PM

@Canyoublush - meme take. Endgame features a fat drunk Thor. It's outta the top 5 on that alone. Shit it ain't even top 10

Lucasberg - 8/1/2025, 2:51 PM

@Canyoublush - Movie deserves all the praise. Endgame somehow met the insanely high expectations and delivered. Anyone pretending that it's not at least way up there amongst CBMs is deluded, dishonest or a silly person!

Canyoublush - 8/1/2025, 3:02 PM

@McMurdo - Actually it doesn’t. Thor starts off with his usual physique then he gets fat after five years. Are you okay in the head? I don’t think you are. I don’t know how old you are but you have this weird primitive way of critiquing movies. I read your critique of DOFP….. not impressed and now you don’t like endgame because Thor got fat? Let me ask you something.. did you even pay attention to the movie?? Probably not. 🤦🏿‍♂️ What else you got.

Canyoublush - 8/1/2025, 3:04 PM

@Lucasberg - Yeah people were scrutinising the time travel aspect of it when every time travel story is contradictory and therefore unrealistic. I gave up arguing after a while. Too exhausting arguing with primitive people.

Canyoublush - 8/1/2025, 3:06 PM

@Oberlin4Prez - I was arguing about it with others online a few months ago on both YT & Reddit. I wasted my time when they had already made up their minds lol. I loved it too. Saw it three times. The emotional payoff is undeniably satisfying.

McMurdo - 8/1/2025, 3:12 PM

@Canyoublush - you lost me at coping right off the bat kiddo. Fat Thor is Fat Thor.

2050 - 8/1/2025, 4:45 PM

@Canyoublush - i guess I haven’t been hanging around enough on forums and social media, but I’ve always heard good things from fans and those who have watched Endgame. Not much negatives from my experience. And the positive reactions are warranted. Making a good CBM is difficult enough; tying up 10 years worth of storylines and involving dozens of characters from multiple franchises should have made it an impossibility. It is truly a fantastic achievement that will likely never come to pass again.

ObserverIO - 8/1/2025, 6:26 PM

@2050 - Yeah, as impossible as it was to stick the landing with Endgame, sticking the landing with Doomsday and Secret Wars is like that times a million.

Canyoublush - 8/1/2025, 7:07 PM

@2050 - yes indeed.

Ryguy88 - 8/2/2025, 9:06 AM

@Canyoublush - Endgame sucked. The plot being to go back in time and then fight a different version Thanos should have been killed at the conception stage.

Canyoublush - 8/2/2025, 9:15 AM

@Ryguy88 - you are entitled to your opinion of course. Whatever works for you.

Radders - 8/6/2025, 8:56 AM

@Canyoublush - Its an good movie elevated by an epic and emotional third act - I started to mentally switch off in the time heist part. The tonal shift to light hearted caper (mostly) was jarring following a sobering first act about grief and loss.
Thor's character was badly handled and became a farce, instead of being a portrayal of someone dealing with PTSD, he just becomes a joke so the scene with his Mum had less impact - I could go on but I'd be here all day lol

movieguy18 - 8/1/2025, 2:37 PM

Here we go 🙄

BlackStar25 - 8/1/2025, 2:37 PM

Moon Knight is too low man...

TheVisionary25 - 8/1/2025, 2:41 PM

@BlackStar25 - agreed

Still one of the best post EG projects imo alongside NWH , Shang Chi ,Loki etc.

Lucasberg - 8/1/2025, 3:12 PM

@BlackStar25 - of course it is haha. List is pretty crappy all over the place lol

TheVisionary25 - 8/1/2025, 2:39 PM

Everyone’s going to have their own taste & preferences so it is what it is…

I will say to me that I personally until the finale which was weak , I found SE enjoyable as a political thriller/buddy story with Talos & Fury and still think it has its highlights & moments while something like TDW & TIH I just find to be bland & mediocre no matter how many times I see them.

Also Iron Man 3 is probably as good as the first one imo , don’t @ me!!.

ImNotaBot - 8/1/2025, 2:41 PM

Ironheart at 30 in front of F4 is a crime against humanity and Wakanda Forever is one of the worst MCU movies

ImNotaBot - 8/1/2025, 2:43 PM

@ImNotaBot - Agatha All Along at 16 in front of GoTG vol 3, Thunderbolts, CA:The First Avenger and F4?! the [frick] is wrong with you Variety?

Malatrova15 - 8/1/2025, 3:00 PM

@ImNotaBot - both aré slop my man

Apophis71 - 8/1/2025, 2:42 PM

Did they just pick them out of a hat cos those are all over the show, for everyone I can get why it would be where it is there is at least two which are nowhere near where they deserve to be one way or another. I mean I stopped taking it seriously when Moon Knight was listed BELOW Love and Thunder. Opinions vary and all of that but what were they measuring these on as I don't see any kind of pattern beyond a relatively safe choice for the top 10 outside of the fact Infinity War is down in 12th (views as to if that or Endgame rank higher differs but the gap between is almost never that wide when Endgame is top).

theFUZZ008 - 8/1/2025, 2:43 PM

@Apophis71 - You can tell they did with all the Marvels lining up.

LogansRazor - 8/1/2025, 2:42 PM

Seems Winter Soldier is most people's #1. GOTG, Black Panther I see as well. Top 10 can go either way, but some of these picks are jacked up!!

Yellow - 8/1/2025, 2:42 PM

WTF, Infinity War is WAY better than Endgame.

May be an unpopular opinion buy the fact that the final enemy of the Infinity saga is ab variant from a different timeline from a different alternative universe of the Thanos we saw is...plain bad writing.

Who is that bald guy saying he is Thanos and why should I care.

Apophis71 - 8/1/2025, 2:47 PM

@Yellow - For me I tend to consider IW and Endgame as two parts of the same film and refuse to seperate them in listings if doing one or even choose which is better. I respect all views on why one is better than the other and can see the points they make fully but...

ObserverIO - 8/1/2025, 6:30 PM

@Yellow - When they killed Thanos at the beginning of Endgame I thought that was the most balls-out badass thing. The whole movie I'm wondering who the bad guy's gonna be and then oh wait... it's just a Thanos variant.

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Variety's Ranking Of Over 50 Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies And TV Shows Is Dividing Opinions

Variety has ranked 54 movies and TV shows from Marvel Studios, but the trade's take on how each of these MCU projects stacks up against each other has split fan opinions! You can check it out here...

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DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.