Top 10 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Films, so far...  

The MCU has been one of the most successful film franchises over the past two decades, sporting 28 movies (with release 29 coming this month, 'Thor: Love & Thunder') and 6 Disney+ tv series. Each being huge hits for the studio. The franchise has seen many highlights over its near 15 year run, including the conclusion of Infinity Saga. With no end in sight and over 10 films already slated for release over the next two years, I thought it would be a good idea to re-cap the franchise so far, highlighting my ten favourite films in the MCU so far. This is just my opinion, but I do believe these are the best titles Marvel has released thus far. So without further ado, here are the top 10 MCU so far. Lets go! 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - Arguably my favourite film in the MCU, 2014s 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier', saw the MCU take on a different genre altogether, with the film feeling more like a Jason Bourne inspired, spy adventure rather than a superhero film. The film introduced one of the MCUs most famous villains, turned anti-heroes 'The Winter Soldier' aka Buck Barnes, played by the wonderful Sebastian Stan. The film also showcases a great friendship between Falcon aka Sam Wilson played by Anthony Mackie and Captain America himself, played again by Chris Evans. The film is also directed by the famed Russo brothers, who went on to help 'Captain America: Civil War', 'Avengers: Infinity War' and 'Avengers: Endgame', showcasing their talents behind the camera and directing some of the best action set pieces in the franchise thus far. 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' transcends what we thought Marvel movies could be, showcasing an entirely different style. 
  
Doctor Strange: In The Multiverse of Madness (2022) - The latest Marvel release to hit physical media, 'Doctor Strange: In The Multiverse of Madness' also proved to be one of the franchises most unique releases. Directed this time around by Hollywood legend 'Sam Raimi' (Evil Dead trilogy, Spider-Man trilogy, Drag Me To Hell). Raimi brings his signature style to the MCU, showcasing the weird, the wonderful and the downright weird. Raimi's style lends itself to one of the MCU's most unique releases to date. The film is filled with references to Raimi's previous works whilst never feeling forced. Some of the imagery is straight out of a horror movie, which I loved and Cumberbatch is fantastic once again as Dr Stephen Strange. The standout though in the film is Elizabeth Olsen as 'The Scarlet Witch as Wanda, who is truly terrifying in this film in moments. This is a great entry in the MCU and a lot of fun for superhero fans. Keep an eye out for some of those references. 

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - Another multiverse themed MCU film, 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' has paved the way for what superhero films can be like heading into the future. Filled with references and cameos to boot, this film is an absolute blast from start to finish. The cast are all incredibly likeable, with Tom Holland's portrayal as Peter Parker and his masked alter-ego 'Spider-Man' being a standout once again. The story has huge implications on both Spider-Man's world and the future of the MCU. If you somehow missed this one, you need to check it out, it's well worth your time!

Iron Man (2008) - The film that started it all, Jon Favreau's 2008 'Iron Man' marked the beginning of the MCU in style. Robert Downey Jr. blew the world away with his performance as Tony Stark/Iron Man, a billionaire playboy turned superhero. Jeff Bridges' villain, Obedire Stain is also a great antagonist, still ranking among one of the MCUs best villains to date. The first entry in the MCU might seem quaint by today's standards, but the film still holds up, providing audiences with a compelling superhero origin story, with a loveable lead and fantastic action set pieces. The film set the stage for future films to come, introducing a fun, lighthearted tone but with emotional weight and narrative heft. The film still ranks among one of the best MCU films to date and is well worth a revisit for MCU fans. 

Captain America: Civil War (2016) - The Russo Brothers returned in 2016, to helm the 'Captain America: the Winter Soldier' follow-up film, 'Captain America: Civil War'. A film that sees our heroes divided, going toe-to-toe with one another when faced with political division. The film is tense and marks the MCUs most serious film to date. Dealing with heavy, hot button issues, but to the backdrop of the MCU. Captain America and Iron Man are divided on the issue, forming their own alliances against one another, resulting in one of the best action scenes in the MCU to date, the airport fight scene. It's filled with great action, showing our heroes duke it out, in classic MCU fashion. The stakes are high, the action is tense and the characters are all great. This still remains one of the MCUs best outings thus far. 

Guardians of The Galaxy (2014) - The MCU has been known to take substantial risks, this was most evident with their 2014 film 'Guardians of The Galaxy', written and directed by James Gunn. This film sees a group of misfits, lead by Chris Pratt's Starlord aka Peter Quill as they take on Ronin the accuser. A ruthless villain that wants to harness the power of the power stone, one of six infinity stones. The strengths of this film lie in the cast. We have Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Batistsa as Drax, Bradley Cooper as Rocket and Vin Diesel as Groot. The characters are all wonderful, endlessly funny and likeable, but not without their flaws, which make them all the more relatable. The cosmic backdrop of this adventure still remains as fun as it was nearly 10 years ago, and awesome mix-tape volume 1 may just be the greatest movie soundtrack of all time. This film is killer and still remains one of my favourite science-fiction adventure films of all time. 

The Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - When it was announced that the Infinity Saga would come to an end, in an epic two-part conclusion, many fans, including myself, were worried that the franchise would buckle under the weight of the MCU. At this point, we had over 30 characters that needed to be balanced in this story. It seemed impossible, but boy were we wrong. 'Avengers: Infinity War' is a major feat in blockbuster filmmaking. The film is relentless in its pacing, moving the story forward, whilst also giving us the right amount of time with each of our beloved heroes. The Russo brothers returned to direct once again, and do a marvelous job, bringing their sense of humanity to this massive undertaking. The writers cleverly pair the characters up with their likeness, Thor is with the Guardians of The Galaxy, Cap is with Falcon, Black Widow, Vision and Wanda, Spider-Man, Iron Man and Doctor Strange all partner up, and the rest all team-up, setting the stage for the films final act in Wakanda. It is truly epic, and has one of the boldest endings in cinema history. It's a true testament to the creatives at Marvel and their ability to pull off the impossible. I adore this film. 

Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - Up until this point, Thor was a stern and stoic character. He served his purpose in fish out of water scenarios in the previous two Thor films and the Avengers films. However, Writer/Director Taika Waititi (JoJo Rabbit, Hunt for The Wilder People, What We Do In The Shadows and Boy) took the character in a far different direction, making him comedic in nature. Thor: Raganrok is nearly a full blown comedy film, with serious moments thrown in throughout, to keep in line with the MCu brand. Waititi breathed fresh life into the character, who was becoming stagnant on the big-screen. Thor is great here, with Hemsowrth flexing his comedic chops and ability to improvise dialogue in some truly hilarious sequences. His pairing with Mark Ruffalo's Hulk/Bruce Banner, was a stroke of genius, giving some of the best moments of the film. Jeff Goldblum also joins the MCU as 'The Grandmaster' in the film, and he is amazing, stealing nearly every single scene he is in. Tom Hiddleston also returns as fan favourite 'Loki' as well, to hilarious results. 'Thor: Ragnarok' is fantastic and I can't wait to see what Waititi and Hemsworth do with the upcoming 'Thor: Love & Thunder'. 

Iron Man 3 (2013) - The first film of phase 2, Iron Man 3 had a lot to accomplish. It needed to prove to audiences that Phase 1 wasn't a fluke, whilst also re-establishing the world after the events of 2012's 'The Avengers'. Iron Man 3 does this in spades. It is a testament to the likeability of Robert Downey Jr's portrayal as Iron Man. The film deals with Tony Stark's PTSD after the events of 'The Avengers' whilst also juggling a new threat in 'The Mandarin'. There's a lot to love here in Iron Man 3, writer/director Shane Black does a tremendous job of balancing the quickfire dialogue with some of the film's more serious moments. Whilst it has been a topic for debate for many years now since the film's release, I believe the villainous twist (which I won't spoil just in case you have somehow missed this gem), is remarkable and honestly had me fooled. I think 'Iron Man 3' is fantastic and proves that Marvel has many tricks up their sleeve. 

The Avengers (2012) - After the first after credits sequence in 'iron Man' where Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury speaks to Tony Stark of 'The Avengers Initiative', fans were highly anticipating the first team up of Earth's Mightiest Heroes'. In 2012, we got this with Joss Whedon's 'The Avengers'. This film had a lot to prove, and it did just that, providing one of the most enjoyable filmgoing experiences of all time. 'The Avengers' is a remarkable achievement in filmmaking. Laying the platform for the MCU on this scale and proving that cinematic universes can exist and they can be a tonne of fun. The film is filled with our group of heroes, with all their trademarks remaining intact. Tom Hiddleston shows up once again as Loki, the main antagonist of the film and he remains a great foil for our heroes. I had an absolute blast with 'The Avengers', and it still remains one of the MCUs best. 

The MCU is a juggernaut, with hit after hit. There are no signs of the franchise slowing down and to be honest, no one wants it to. The films are fun, the characters are lovable and the creative talent involved are all magnificent. Be sure to check out Sanity's amazing selection of Marvel films on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD as well as the endless amount of merchandise available.

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Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here