5 years ago today, box office records were shattered, tears flowed, and fans everywhere witnessed one of the greatest cinema storytelling eras come to a end. With the release of Avengers Endgame, the culmination of a 11 year saga. Since that film's release the MCU has experienced a serious flow of ups and downs while trying to maintain it's grip on pop culture and introducing a new generation of characters.
Since the film series was such a juggernaut of the 2010's I figured I'd share my personal list of the top 5 MCU movies..so far.
5. Iron Man
There have been way better movies the MCU has released since Iron Man was released in 2008. This film deserves a spot on any MCU film simply for providing the spark that started it all. While there may have been plans to kickstart a cinematic universe, if Robert Downey Jr's charismatic and confident yet conflicted turn as Tony Stark was not as enticing as it was, the MCU may have never been born.
The film's plot is serviceable and with it's minimal budget and effects some of the film has not aged well, but it's served it's purpose as Iron Man's and The Avengers origin story. Iron Man was a significant gamble that worked and birthed something we'd never imagine.
4. Guardians Of The Galaxy
At the time of the film's release it was so far different than anything Marvel had put out at the time. Featuring at the time a C list Marvel property full of C list characters, that many people outside of devoted fans had never heard of. James Gunn using the low expectations to his advantage, crafted a part space opera, part fish out of water 80's nostalgia comedic zinger of a film.
Peter Quill's introduction dancing to Red Bone Come and Get Your Love should be in any discussion regarding best character debuts. That debut scene also helped show we were in for a different kind of marvel film at the time. The film also played a bit part in continuing the arc of Thanos and the infinity stones. The film proved that light hearted comedy in comic films can work, and spawned two sequels, a Disney Plus special, rides at Disney Park's and more.
3. Winter Soldier
Winter Soldier turned 10 Years old this year and to me is one of the better MCU films in the entire catalog and has held up very well. It was the MCU movie to me that had that first shit just got real moment, when it was revealed Hydra had infiltrated Shield for all these years. When First Avenger released in 2011, I personally overhyped the film so much I was severely disappointed when it didn't meet my expectations.
Winter Soldier exceeded my expectations, integrating a political conspiracy thriller into a comic book film. While giving Steve Rogers more of a purpose trying to find out what happened to his friend Bucky, was top tier story telling. For the action piece I think we all can admit the elevator scene is one the best fight scenes in cinema history.
2. Black Panther
When Black Panther was released February 16, 2018 it was a cultural event. Sold out shows, audience members came in droves with their dashikis on and represented leading the box office gate to a total of $1.3 billion. Fan's went to show love for the culture, but the story of the film is what engaged them. Showing a African Utopia society and the technological advancements the fictional country Wakanda had was a sight to see. Chadwick Boseman was a screen general as Wakanda's king T'Challa and his hero Black Panther. T'Challa learned quickly in the film, that sometimes you pay for the sins of your parents and that the traditional way of doing things is not always the best.
But it was Michael B. Jordan as one of Marvel's top 3 villains alongside Thanos and Loki who stole the show as Killmonger. Killmonger was full of rage and misplaced anger but wanted to use Wakanda's resources to help liberate Black people. T'Challa and Killmonger learn from one alone in their respective ways, which made the film even more powerful. It was he last film in the MCU released before the last two Avengers film to cap off the Infinity Saga, which gives it another cool spot in history.
1. Avengers Infinity War/Endgame
I count these two films released a year apart as one, mainly due to the fact it tells an complete story across the two and is an culmination of a saga. In fact originally the two films were called Infinity War part 1 and part II which illustrate how attached at the hip they are. Honestly Infinity War maybe the better film pacing and stakes wise, but Endgame is the more emotional film. Infinity War showed the chaos and brutality that Thanos could do and had that gut punch of seeing your favorite heroes turn into dust after that snap knowing we had to wait a full year to see how everything played out.
Endgame was a fan service film full of callbacks to previous films, easter eggs, that amazing final battle scene where Cap finally uttered the famous Avengers calling. I can watch that scene over and over by the way, and of course that emotional death. It truly was the apex of the MCU thus far and one of the coolest things to witness. This is why it is the best of the 33 films released in the MCU so far.
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