On April 26, 2019, a decade of stories about Earth’s mightiest heroes and the galaxy’s greatest defenders came to a close as we witnessed them all join forces to fight the villain that broke them apart and subsequently brought them together. With such an explosive and satisfying finale, longtime Marvel fans (myself included) were left wondering how it could possibly be followed up, and I can honestly say the end result wasn’t what was expected.
In recent years, Marvel has released an influx of media, including the introduction of limited series, at record speed for the company. What used to be one or two movies a year turned into multiple projects every year. While the superhero content has been fruitful, many believe Marvel’s quantity-over-quality tactic has caused the company to fall off. As a movie fanatic and longtime Marvel girlie, I believe that each project has its own outlook, and I definitely have a fair share of my own when it comes to Marvel’s recent releases. So, with no authority whatsoever besides that of my own declaration, here’s my definitive ranking of all post-Endgame Marvel releases.
22. secret invasion
For those who don’t know, Secret Invasion is a gigantic event in the comics, spanning across multiple issues and involving just about every Marvel hero. The miniseries is about an alien invasion in which the Skrulls shapeshift into any human being (including the heroes) and live a life on Earth undetected, resulting in large bouts of betrayal and epic plot twists. What had the potential to be a huge MCU event ended up being scaled down immensely and concluded with an unsatisfying finale with no emotional stakes.
21. ant-man and the wasp: quantumania
Personally, I don’t think this was the right movie to try and set up a central villain. There were such high stakes that fell short, and the attempted comedy threatened to override the entire focus of the film.
20. thor: love and thunder
As a longtime Thor fan, this movie was such a far deviation from his character. It’s honestly as if Thor became a parody of himself, and the comedy made satire of the whole plot. While this film is a good watch, it feels like there’s something missing from it.
19. i am groot
While these shorts don’t offer up much, they’re still very cute and quick watches. Who doesn’t love Baby Groot?
18. she-hulk: attorney at law
I will be the first to admit I’m a longtime She-Hulk defender. This show was entertaining and brought in Daredevil and Megan Thee Stallion, so it automatically gets points. The most disappointing part was the finale since it was so jumbled up and just felt thrown together, but I definitely want to see more of She-Hulk herself in the near future.
17. guardians of the galaxy: holiday special
While not the most substantial plot-wise, I absolutely loved this special and the lighthearted charm that only the Guardians could bring into a holiday special.
16. what if…?
Animation is such a versatile platform and perfect for fleshing out alternative stories that offer a new perspective to the MCU. Seeing our heroes in different scenarios definitely brought in new forms of entertainment.
15. ms. marvel
This is quite literally one of my favorite character introductions. Ms. Marvel herself brings back the charm of getting excited over heroes and invokes a youthful energy that is definitely needed (Young Avengers potential?).
14. black widow
While she definitely deserved her flowers prior to her death, this movie was an intense thriller that honored Natasha Romanoff’s life and impact in a way that also showcased her humanity and spirit.
13. hawkeye
Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, and Maya Lopez supremacy.
12. spider-man: far from home
While I didn’t necessarily love Phase 3 ending with this instead of Endgame, I do think this film brought peace to Peter’s journey (and the world’s) as we all coped with entering the next phase of the MCU without its first leading man.
11. shang-chi and the legend of the ten rings
As the first original film separate from the Avengers, it definitely carried its weight and set up a new element within the MCU.
10. eternals
I will always be in the trenches for this film. Despite receiving mixed reviews, I loved the introduction of so many new characters in a beautiful storyline that spans across the entire timeline of the world.
9. doctor strange in the multiverse of madness
While this movie is visually impressive and high on my rewatch list, you can still tell that the writers of this movie didn’t watch WandaVision prior to writing this film, leaving Wanda’s character development questionable and her jump to absolute villainy with next to no mention of Vision (albeit still with the Darkhold) very uncharacteristic. Still, the incredible characters and jaw-dropping fight scenes make this film deserving of its flowers.
8. the falcon and the winter soldier
I’m always a sucker for minor beloved characters getting more screen time, and pairing these two together was the perfect way to set up Sam’s Captain America and deviate from Bucky’s Winter Soldier in a way that leaves behind Steve Rogers’ legacy with the people he loved the most.
7. werewolf by night
As the first Special Presentation, it definitely lived up to the hype. By diving into the supernatural and following classic monster hunters, this large deviation away from superheroes in ominous black-and-white opened up new avenues within the MCU.
6. moon knight
Two words: Oscar. Isaac.
5. loki
Absolute cinema. The conclusion to this show was such a beautiful full-circle moment for this character and brought a balance to the MCU that I hope is revisited in the near future.
4. guardians of the galaxy: volume 3
This movie changed my whole view of the Guardians. I wasn’t expecting much going into it, but this was thoroughly one of the most entertaining and eye-catching movies I’ve watched. Coupled with a killer soundtrack and a more than satisfying finale, Guardians deserved a top five spot.
3. spider-man: no way home
I wish I could recreate the emotions I first felt when watching this movie. Not only did it provide an incredible story and subsequent setup for classic Spidey potential for our MCU Peter Parker, but it was also a beautiful culmination of all the Spider-Men we know and love. The hype around this movie isn’t one that can be easily replicated.
2. black panther: wakanda forever
This is one of the most beautiful movies in existence, I fear. Full of emotion and heart and grief, it was truly the perfect way to honor Chadwick Boseman and did so beautifully. Invoking stellar performances from the entire cast (Angela Basset, most notably, did the thing), this movie is one that should go down in history books just for the atmosphere it provided.
1. wandavision
WandaVision was the first Marvel limited series, and it instantly set a standard that’s been hard to reach since. Using the backdrop of classic decades of TV to follow the rise of one of the most iconic MCU heroes, this show was the creativity and originality Marvel desperately needed to lean into more. In my opinion, there’s nothing beating the WandaVision era.
Though I haven’t had a chance to tune in yet, Marvel’s latest release, The Marvels, is currently playing in theaters and has since garnered mixed reviews. Coming up as well is Season 2 of What If…?, premiering on Dec. 22 and airing new episodes consecutively for nine nights. While it’s hard to predict the success of Marvel releases these days, the creed I always try to stick to is to not judge before a first watch, and don’t shy away from simply being entertained.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest!