The Marvel Cinematic Universe owes much of its prestigious reputation to its Avengers movies. Four years after its launch in 2008, the franchise first assembled its trademark group of heroes in The Avengers. Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) returned in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which saw Earth’s Mightiest Heroes take on the artificial intelligence threat Ultron (James Spader). 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War brought Thanos (Josh Brolin) to the forefront as the MCU’s first big bad and incorporated all of the world’s most prominent superheroes. Finally, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame concluded the Infinity Saga with one last battle against Thanos and some poignant farewells.
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In December 2026, more than seven years since the MCU’s last Avengers movie hit theaters, Avengers: Doomsday will bring new and returning heroes to the big screen. The introduction of Doctor Doom (Downey Jr.) as the MCU’s next Avengers-level villain should pave to the way for 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars and the end of the Multiverse Saga. Before the MCU’s next big movie event commences, it’s a great opportunity to look back and rank all four Avengers films.
4) Avengers: Age of Ultron
Avengers: Age of Ultron may be under-appreciated in the larger MCU, but it’s still the weakest Avengers movie. The original squad of heroes battles Ultron and seeks to curb his plan to wipe out humanity, producing some great action sequences and interesting character interactions as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes work as a team for the second time. The debuts of the morally gray twins Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Jonhson) are a major highlight, however the latter was sadly wasted when the film killed him off toward the end. Moreover, Black Widow and Hulk’s clumsily written romance comes across as forced and completely unnecessary.
Ultron isn’t the most memorable villain despite his fascinating origin story. Thus, as a result of the aforementioned missteps, Age of Ultron ends up as only a mediocre Avengers film.
3) Avengers: Endgame
A significant portion of MCU fans would rank Avengers: Endgame as the best Avengers movie, but the widely beloved installment contains more flaws than most believe.
With the world in shambles five years after Thanos erased half of the universe’s life forms with a single snap, the remaining heroes regroup for one last scheme to defeat Thanos and restore mankind. Endgame pulls off some amazing moments, such as the final fight against Thanos, the fallen heroes’ epic return through portals, and Iron Man’s emotional sacrifice, however, the movie stumbles in other areas.
Black Widow’s sacrificial death around the midpoint unfortunately removes her from the Endgame‘s biggest and best scenes, rendering the iconic character nearly forgotten by the end. Additionally, Endgame‘s puzzling underuse of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) after setting her up as an important piece of the finale is a disappointment. The triumphs of Endgame aren’t quite enough to diminish its blunders, but the film is still a terrific viewing experience.
2) The Avengers
Over a decade later, The Avengers has wonderfully stood the test of time.
After years of buildup, the team assembles on screen while Loki (Tom Hiddleston) tries to take over the world using the Tesseract. With a compelling group of heroes and an exquisite villain, The Avengers delivers an excellent superhero story. There’s a palpable thrill in the air when the Avengers fight together on the streets of New York City, and their banter throughout that works well to flesh out their personalities and group dynamic. Black Widow and Hawkeye’s friendship, Iron Man’s heroics, and Loki’s trickery are standout qualities that separate The Avengers from Age of Ultron and Endgame. The Avengers remains a legendary comic book film thanks to its exhilarating action, high stakes, and strong foundation for ensuing MCU installments.
1) Avengers: Infinity War
No Avengers movie to date has managed to surpass the greatness of Avengers: Infinity War. With giant expectations to fulfill, the MCU delivered a spectacular high-stakes narrative with a gut-punch of an ending.
When Thanos emerges to collect the remainder of the Infinity Stones and snap half of humanity out of existence, the Avengers take heavy blows as they scramble to combat this immense threat. Infinity War truly feels like the monumental MCU it was meant to be, because it involves all of the saga’s heroes — from the original six Avengers to the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and more. Thanos’ victory in the final act shocked audiences, and it remains arguably the most memorable ending of any superhero film.
Without a glaring flaw to cheapen its tense atmosphere, action-packed sequences, and captivating convergence of MCU characters, Infinity War topples all other Avengers movies.
Which Avengers movie is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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Image Courtesy of DC Comics -
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.
