The 10 best films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The staff and contributors at FreeGameTips choose their favorite movies from the Marvel Universe: Avengers, Black Panther, Captain America and more.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the greatest cinema phenomena of all time. Established as a media franchise, we are talking about a succession of more or less interconnected films that, in fact, now also have series (without going any further, in 2021 we will have a total of six on Disney +). But we will all agree on the fact that after the so-called Phase 3 a line has been drawn, a turning point, which reflects the end of a great stage that began in 2008; although it also begins, at the same time, another period where new icons will have to take over.

The 10 best movies of the Infinity Saga [Fases 1-3]

The home that brings together that list of 23 films, what we understand as the Infinity Saga, is available —almost — in its entirety on the Disney + platform (all except The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home , for not having its distribution rights) that already has 100 million subscribers worldwide. It is also there where you can see the rest of the series and content related to Marvel. If you have a PS4, Xbox One, PS5 or Xbox Series X | S, there is an official app to see all the Disney + content with an active account.

https: // Marvel Universe: The 20 highest grossing films in the history of the MCU [2021]

The editorial staff of FreeGameTips and its collaborators have voted for their favorite films within this seal; a strictly subjective selection where, surely, many positions are different for some of you. For our part, we recommend that you see them all in chronological order, as this is how best will be understood not only the course of events, according to the vision of its creators, but also the evolution that the saga has undergone on all fronts.

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10. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

We knew Tom Holland’s Peter Parker from Civil War and we had no doubt that the actor was going to adapt perfectly to the character. Spider-Man: Homecoming is far from perfect; it’s a transition movie for both the spider-man figure and the MCU at the time. The viewers did not know yet what was coming to us with Infinity War, so we took this entertaining film as the third interpretation of the wall-crawler after the vision of Sam Raimi with Tobey Maguire and Marc Webb with Andrew Garfield.

Spider-man homecoming

Here we find a mix between the Ultimate Spider-Man started by Michael Bendis and the comics where Parker is more comfortable with his condition as a teenager. Here it really is; He is not a guy at work, but has the concerns of a kid. That is why Homecoming is a start over, a presentation focused on the contrast between humor and responsibility; a process that narrates the assimilation of the character in a rookie high school student. The film makes it clear to you that this Spider-Man is an aspirant and, for this, he puts on the table the rival of Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 that we never had: The Vulture. A fantastic Michael Keaton devoured the screen with a dreamlike performance; added to a Marisa Tomei who perfectly saved the ballot of being a younger, different Aunt May.

The final stretch was very good, and although the film lacks some things, such as the lack of strictly memorable moments, it laid the foundations for a character that awaits us – if there are no problems with licensing agreements – many more stories in the that Parker will take on a much more prominent role in the potential new Avengers.

9. The Avengers (2012)

Four years after Iron Man, the MCU sent a message to the world: MCU is a true cinematic universe. The first great crossover of the house of ideas on the big screen was translated into applause and surprise; one perhaps surpassed by those who came after, but one of those that are not lacking in the favorites lists. It is justified.

The Avengers

Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye together, because together they are more. Joss Whedon wanted to see it like this and that’s how they told us. They had an army, but we had the Hulk. The truth is that there was everything. Humor, action, minutes of glory for each character, a good villain, a plot with unexpected twists and, from one moment to the next, this film turned the name of the Avengers, the Avengers, into an all-powerful trademark that in a matter of a Five years would break all possible records in the cinema.

It cost drama and epic to go hand in hand, it cost a large production company to give the green light to this expensive and risky crossroads with prominence for more than one character (The Fantastic Four never achieved it in the seventh art), so there was They had to start working earlier, so that the mattress on which The Avengers stood would not be hostile territory. Now, when nine years have passed since its premiere (almost a decade!) It is still as enjoyable as in that unforgettable year 2012.

8. Black Panther (2018)

Black Panther arrived in 2018, like so many other tapes of a Marvel willing to continue to be news. A character without as much weight as others in the comics, it was not an easy undertaking having to give full prominence to a less established icon. So it was time to place T’Challa where he had surely been deserving for some time. The next king of Wakanda was a different air to the Marvel Cinematic Universe due to its structure, its focus, away from the previous plot, and with a personal touch on behalf of an entire community.

Black panther

His reception was triumphant, there was finally a superheroic icon in this universe with which the African-American public could be reflected. Above all, an entertaining film that tells us about the learning process of the character played by the now eternal Chadwick Boseman, whose role went from defending and representing his country to taking on a prominent role in the great war that was about to have. place.

Black Panther is a very significant film, it transmitted positivity to a community that continues to struggle socially and that ultimately transcended beyond the screen itself. Without stereotypes or complexes, Black Panther swept Hollywood with no less than three Oscars for Best Soundtrack (Ludwig Goransson), Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.

7. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Who was going to tell us that The Guardians of the Galaxy, which was by no means the most popular license in the world of comics, was going to make the leap with so much personality and charisma. If before we cited Fantastic 4 as an uninspiring case to reunite superheroes on the big screen, this first volume by James Gunn moved away from proposals such as X-Men and focused on what had been cooking in Marvel’s UCM Studios, took the group of Star Lord and company and spawned a commercial phenomenon embraced by merchandising, with humorous and iconic moments and the rebellion that characterizes the group. The result? Essential, to tell the truth.

It was here that the most marked humorous intentions that others like Waititi would later take were made clear and, although some say it has to do with what we read many years ago in the comic, others think that Dan Abnett’s original idea was perfectly captured. . In any case, what difference does it make? It was not the objective to replicate the role, but to transcend on the big screen.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Perhaps she had a certain constant desire to please everyone and she was somewhat overloaded, she embraced topics and did not say anything too surprising; but it connected with families, made children fall in love, and opened the doors to much more. In fact, it broke down the walls that were imposed on the Guardians of the Galaxy before the premiere. Go if they were able, there are the results at the box office. Here we will agree many: this film had a soul and knew how to connect with the great masses.

6. Thor Ragnarok (2017)

The god of thunder does not miss the mark in this ranking with its third episode. Directed by Taika Waititi, we find ourselves before a very different approach to the previous proposals of the character on the big screen. Its director’s own stamp, there is no doubt. Thor Ragnarok is loved and hated in equal measure; or maybe not so much, but the voices who did not like the direction of this tape have been heard repeatedly.

Thor Ragnarok

From the dark to the naive tone; humor everywhere in the purest Guardians of the Galaxy style, a plot full of references, winks and comedy. Here everything was exaggerated and things were not taken so terribly. In fact, the passage of time is leaving this closing of Thor’s trilogy in a better place, because it can be seen without so much need to be connected with the UCM, because it is known to be independent and in a way autoconclusive. That independence, which is perceived from the first act of production, allows it to also be a box of surprises: anything can happen.

In the end, we remember performances like Cate Blanchett’s and forget others like Tessa Thompson’s. There are two options: either you fit in with their proposal and you get to the end without realizing it, or you see yourself totally out of a very particular idea.

5. Iron Man (2008)

Everything has a beginning and an end. Iron Man was, for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the beginning of a saga that even those responsible did not imagine that this dimension would reap. After Sony’s attempts with Spider-Man and a quarter of Sam Raimi that would never reach theaters, a Marvel willing to overcome a decade of the nineties for oblivion settled a slow transition, which was going to simmer , but supported by the iron will of the character devised by Stan Lee.

Hombre de Hierro

Robert Downey Jr. in a more than remarkable role to tell us about the birth of a brilliant motorized exoskeleton like few others. And that is what we remember most: an excellent film, imperfect, but whose rhythm is still more than a decade later an example of how to introduce a character, an example of how to adopt a personality enough to forget about uncomfortable comparisons with others. cultural manifestations, and a balance in its plot where humor, love, action and bragging were not lacking. The Iron Man in his sauce laying the foundations of something very beautiful on the table. Surely it is the best Iron Man movie of its respective trilogy, there is a lot of consensus here. Its greatest merit? Create a school and make sure that not only the comic folks came that spring of 2008 to see the umpteenth superhero on the big screen. Everything else is history.

4. Avengers: Endgame (2019)

It took just a year for the penultimate film of Phase 3 of the MCU, the conclusion of a storm that went around the world. The Russo brothers faced here the most difficult yet: to overcome Avengers: Infinity War. Like everything, there are those who remain with this conclusion; others prefer the former. Others even believe that this enthusiasm is not so bad. The reality is that the culmination of eleven years of films left us moments to remember, clearly shelving many icons; taking all the time necessary to say goodbye, one by one, to those who had accompanied us until now. A goodbye, also a see you later, which made clear the importance that the name of the Avengers has had in a whole generation of young and not so young.

Avengers Endgame

Long, very long was Avengers Endgame. With some moments that left us wanting more, that we would have told differently or that made this extensive footage somewhat bulky. More than three hours of film where Kevin Feige’s smashed many records again, including the highest grossing film of all time on a global scale.

3. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Captain America: Civil War was released in 2016 to kick off Phase 3 and make it clear that things were getting serious. It was introduced in the Captain America trilogy, but in reality it could perfectly have been considered an Avengers feature film. Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s original comic book is Extraordinary (2006-2007), a crossover comic that stood at the height of crossover comic book conflicts in the early 2000s.

The idea, the original of Brian Michael Bendis, was successfully transferred to the cinema, with differences and licenses that not everyone liked. It is normal, but the virtue of this film is how it knew how to differentiate itself from the comic to tell us about a new Civil War that is coherent and cohesive with the UCM. Also, it was Tom Holland’s first foray as Peter Parker; each character was presented very well with minimal prominence, such as The Winter Soldier.

Captain America: Civil War

We cannot deny that this start of Phase 3 was sensational, for many excellent and, surely, at that time it was ranked as the best film of the eight years of the Marvel Universe. Tony Stark and Captain America in two sublime roles, scenes to remember and a remarkable rhythm. At times it seemed like an orchestra seasoned with action, blows and feeling. Did your end fail you? Well, for some it is what keeps it from being higher on this list, but Civil War is a very great movie.

2. Captain America: the Winter Soldier (2014)

Perhaps this is one of the films that showed us that Marvel not only wanted to focus on humor with films focused on honoring each character in the comic, but that something more was being sought here; continue a story that was going to lead to a major conflict that, as the succession of events has clearly stated, the degree of epicity was going to be very accentuated. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a great movie, overall; Recommended not only for Marvel fans or fans of the character, as for example it happened more closely with the first Chris Evans film.

Captain America: the Winter Soldier

To begin with, The Winter Soldier is different in its approach, it left wickers for what would be Infinity War much later. The heritage of the Russo is undeniable, it is their mark from the first minute. It is difficult to detach from the screen watching the development of its story: it is very entertaining.

He knew how to combine moments of tension very well with the more relaxed ones, without leaving things in the pipeline, with everything well finished. If he was rewarded for his direction, it is surely for not answering all the questions until the end; for generating doubts in the viewer and awakening the desire to reach the end. When we left the cinema, we did not realize its importance in the future of the MCU, but when we saw the following installments of Phase 3, we understood many things. Surely there is no need to say anything more if you know what we are talking about. We remember The Winter Soldier with a smile on our faces. Great Evans, Johansson, Mackie, and Samuel L. Jackson.

1. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

The fifth highest grossing film of all time is also one of the most remembered, loved and valued in the MCU. It is the Thanos movie, the expertise where everything we could ask of the meeting that started in 2021 ended up happening. A full-blown crossover full of superheroes, as in the comic, with the exception that this was a movie with a superlative budget, with characters with whom we had been empathizing for years, starting a story that would be concluded later with Endgame.

Avengers Infinity War

There was everything in Infinity War. Plot approach, epicity, sadness, drama, prominence rarely seen for a villain with a great reputation in the staples … The passage of time has placed this film as one of the greatest media phenomena of all time, as it was an event, not just a film, in which different intangibles were brought together so that telling the story of the Gem of Power was transferred in such a satisfactory way to the dark rooms. 149 minutes that ended with an enormous silence, a period and followed that made us leave the cinema with the sensation of having happened something imperfect historical; despite a somewhat run over structure in certain sections.