Ranking: Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 5 Films
- randazzojj123
- Jun 30
- 7 min read
Welcome back to the blog readers. It has been a little over two years since I made a post like this, but I feel it is necessary to my growth as a critic and this blog as a whole to be able to rank the films released during the Phase 5 period of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In almost two-and-a-half years, we have had six MCU theatrical offerings, and I will rank them from worst to best now that Phase 5 is winding down and Phase 6 is starting up in July. So where would I rank the six films against each other? Stick around to find out.
NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts on each film, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen all films yet.
The early phases of the MCU brought us a revelation with Ant-Man (2015) (holy shit, that film turns ten in a few weeks) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). When a third Ant-Man film was announced, I was curious to see how they would expand on what they have already given us, but having the benefit of hindsight dramatically changed my position on this film from when I saw it last. I did like it at the time, and I do like some elements, but it was pretty disappointing to say the least.
The one glaring positive I have had over the last two and a half years will continue to be how fucking talented Jonathan Majors is in anything, especially as Kang the Conqueror in this film. His performance was truly menacing and terrifying at points in my opinion. I just wish Marvel was not in that "as much as we can as fast as we can" mentality mandated by Chapek, because he could have been a really good main MCU villain if given the right material and time and effort.
I do also still stand on the opinion that the visuals in the Quantum Realm were some of Marvel's best (save for M.O.D.O.K), but not everything else was the best. The story was shotty and convenient, the score was pretty forgettable, and Bill Murray (who I normally love) did not feel in place in a film like this. I think this (and the dual strikes) were the death blow to Marvel in terms of the Kang experiment, and this is where they decided to swerve to Doctor Doom as the main focus (one I really am hoping works out in the end). Kang was killed by Ant-Man!
The first of three MCU theatrical offerings in 2025 will most likely go down as the weakest of the three (when The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)) comes out, I will have that opinion by the year's end). And to think I had a whole lot of hype for this film because all of the promotional material was knocking it out of the park. Plus, Harrison Ford was going to play "Thunderbolt" Ross in place of the late, great William Hurt AND turn into Red Hulk? What could go wrong? A lot, actually.
I do want to start by talking about the fact that Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford were excellent in this film as Sam Wilson / Captain America and Ross. Their natural chemistry together was masterful and natural, as if Ford has been this character the whole time. I also liked Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres. But Tim Blake Nelson was wasted in this film, as was my favorite guy Giancarlo Esposito, and Shira Haas may just be Marvel's worst casting because of her inability to act and the politics of her inclusion.
The story, while more coherent than that of Quantumania's, still felt nonsensical since the Leader's plan was dumb as fuck. And the Leader is supposed to be intelligent? What made us think that he was going to have this master plan to begin with in terms of having five writers on this film? Plus, the action was good but the post-credits scene where Samuel Sterns tells Sam about the others feels awkward as hell.
4. The Marvels
I do have to say that this is honestly the most forgettable of the Phase 5 films, even though I ranked it fourth on this list. This is the one that I had the least faith in going in. It came out in the midst of the actors' strike and a lot of bad publicity in the MCU realm. And I have to say that the film is solely anchored by the performances and chemistry of the leads in Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani.
Larson has the most fun as Captain Marvel that I have seen so far, Parris levels up from her previous performance in WandaVision (2021), and Vellani delights me every time she shows up as Kamala Khan. And even Samuel L. Jackson was having fun as Nick Fury. But Zawe Ashton plays possibly the worst MCU villain ever put to screen and she plays her so lifelessly. Not even a surprise Lashana Lynch appearance could salvage the paper-thin story.
Here's the thing. The story of this film feels like a natural progression from Captain Marvel (2019), but the fact that it relies so heavily on WandaVision and Ms. Marvel (2022) is what really lost me and a lot of other people. And I hated that singing planet with a burning passion. Although I think the post-credits scene will be important for the future, especially in Avengers: Doomsday (2026), since I think the "OG" X-Men come from the universe that Monica Rambeau is in at the end of that film.
The most recent film on the list to release, I really did not know what to expect going into Thunderbolts* (2025). I knew that I loved most of the cast of this film for different reasons, and director Jake Schreier (who has since been tapped to direct the MCU's upcoming X-Men film) directed my favorite episode of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (2024-25). Thank goodness it turned out the way it did, because this film is awesome.
Everybody in the cast absolutely kills it in this film, and their chemistry together is totally unmatched. Highlights for me include David Harbour, Florence Pugh, and Lewis Pullman (the latter two are at the emotional heart of the film and Pugh nearly broke me near the end of the film). Sucks that Taskmaster got yeeted within the first 20 minutes of the film, because I was looking forward to seeing her.
What this film says about mental health is definitely something I have been lauding since I saw the film in early May, and I did mention this is the cheapest form of therapy ever (this and Inside Out 2 (2024)). I also love stories when a bunch of rag-tag characters have to come together and battle their inner demons to achieve a common goal. I cannot wait to see them back as the *New Avengers in Doomsday.
I want to preface this part of the list by saying I had the strongest hype before this film released. It felt like peak Marvel in my opinion: who would cameo? Who would show up? Taylor Swift as Dazzler? But above all else: would I be able to enjoy myself like I did with those original films? The main question I have been asking since the film released almost a year ago: why was Thor crying?
Ryan Reynolds gives possibly his finest performance as the Merc with a Mouth (and not Truthful Timmy, the Blowjob Queen from Saskatoon). And Hugh Jackman gives possibly his finest performance as Wolverine in this film. And their chemistry together is absolutely unmatched. Their old married couple shtick was wonderful to see, and really carried the film, even though the other performances feel a bit phoned in.
And I had so much fun with the film that feels so much like a buddy film in a way. The other characters do serve a purpose for the story, and even the "Cavillrine" was a great addition. The story is awesome and can even tug on the heartstrings, and all the licensed music is incredible as well. Now do you know what I think about all of the doubters of this film? Finger-licking, dead inside, pixie slabs of third-rate dime-store nut milk...
And we of course had to save the best for last. I have believed this since the minute I walked out of that theater, but this is by far the best MCU film since Avengers: Endgame (2019). Nothing in Phase 4 (and some of the films in Phase 4 like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (both 2021) were awesome in their own way) could even come close to this.
The performances (well, at least most of them) were top-to-bottom incredible, especially from Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, and Chukwudi Iwuji (especially Iwuji's High Evolutionary, I think one of the best Marvel villains ever). Even the voice acting from Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and Maria Bakalova, and secondary performances from people like Will Poulter and Sean Gunn were awesome to see.
The real meat and bones of why I love this film so much has everything to do with the highly-emotional and personal story that James Gunn tells. We have come to love this rag-tag family, and everything at the heart of this story is the familial bond that is shared throughout all the characters. Who knew a talking raccoon and a talking humanoid tree could make us all so emotional?
As you can see from this list, there have been some real lowlights for the MCU in Phase 5, but when the hits hit it feels so damn good. Phase 6 officially kicks off next month with The Fantastic 4: First Steps, and I cannot wait to join you on this journey that will conclude the Multiverse Saga. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.
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