Every MCU Movie Trilogy, Ranked Worst To Best

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the rare franchise that has been going on for so long and has so many moving parts that it’s home to several different trilogies. Almost every major character has received at least a trio of films to tell their stories, and for the most part, they’ve all been quite good. Thor, Captain America, and Spider-Man actually have four movies each, but for the sake of this list, we’re only looking at the first three installments, especially in the case of Cap, since it’s a different character in the suit.

The Avengers have also had four films as a team, with a fifth on the horizon. However, since Avengers: Infinity War, the third entry, connects so closely to the fourth, Avengers: Endgame, it’s not being included here. Even without considering The Avengers movies, there are some great trilogies to choose from. Some took nearly a decade to complete while others were released within the span of four or five years.

A few of these trilogies helped set the tone for the bigger releases like Avengers: Age of Ultron, while others were meant to establish a new normal following one of those bigger releases, like Avengers: Endgame. Most are also in the conversation for the best superhero trilogies ever.

6

Ant-Man

The success of the Ant-Man movies was kind of surprising to a lot of people. The character isn’t exactly one of the most popular or iconic from the comic book pages compared to the likes of Spider-Man or Thor. However, it worked remarkably well because Paul Rudd is just so likable and charismatic. In the first film from 2015, he has to carry a lot of the hijinks and he’s so good at it that it made for a great time.

The sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp also delivered more fun action, especially as he and Evangeline Lilly got to share the load of the superhero action. It still keeps a relatively chill tone compared to some bigger, more dramatic superhero projects and that’s what the audience is looking for sometimes, especially coming so soon after the sad ending of Avengers: Infinity War.

It was in the third film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, that the trilogy slipped up. It received the worst reviews of the series, sitting at 46% on Rotten Tomatoes, flopped at the box office (especially given its high budget), and was criticized for its overuse of lackluster CGI and other aspects. It prevents the trilogy from being great, yet they can still all be watched together for a fun time.

5

Thor

Despite Thor being a well-known character, his run in the MCU wasn’t off to the hottest of starts. While his early movies aren’t exactly bad, most fans agree that they’re not on par with what we got from the other “Big Three” in Iron Man and Captain America. 2011’s Thor is a solid fish-out-of-water piece that sees the character end up in New Mexico, which is far different from the world he’s used to in Asgard.

Thor: The Dark World was a disappointing sequel, especially after more people got invested in both Thor and Loki in The Avengers. The movie just didn’t do all that much of note and for a long time, it had the worst reviews of the franchise and was considered by many to be the low point of the MCU. Then, everything changed when Taika Waititi stepped in.

The filmmaker helmed Thor: Ragnarok and found creative things to do with the character. He also allowed Chris Hemsworth to truly tap into his comedic side. Add in an impressive visual style and new characters like Valkyrie and the Grandmaster, as well as a great villain in Hela, and it’s one of the best entries in the entire MCU, raising the overall quality of the trilogy.

4

Iron Man

It all had to start somewhere and for the MCU, that was with 2008’s Iron Man. Watching it back today shows that the franchise didn’t have its formula totally set, yet it’s still a blast to go back and see for Robert Downey Jr.’s rockstar performance. That allows it to withstand the test of time as a quality film that helped set the tone for the rest of the long-running franchise. Iron Man 2 came a few years later and didn’t quite live up to the original.

It shoehorned in a few things to set up The Avengers, yet also managed to introduce us to the likes of Natasha Romanoff, while also giving us more Nick Fury and the fun of Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer. Iron Man 3 is where people seem to have the most mixed feelings, as some hated aspects of it while others loved it. Sure, the Mandarin reveal disappointed some, yet it’s actually part of what makes Iron Man 3 work.

The movie takes away a lot of the gadgets that Tony Stark uses, forcing him to utilize his genius brain and find creative ways around these problems. If anything, Tony has never looked smarter on screen than he does during Iron Man 3. Together, it makes for an enjoyable and important trilogy.

3

Captain America

For the longest time, it felt like Captain America easily had the best trilogy in the MCU. Part of the reason why is that his movies all feel like they tell a cohesive story across three films, with clear connections. Captain America: The First Avenger is a good origin story with a sad ending that establishes who Steve Rogers is, sets up the Tessaract, and sets up Steve’s relationship with Bucky Barnes.

That Bucky bond is integral to the rest of the trilogy, especially when he shockingly shows up in The Winter Soldier as that character. Many fans hold that movie up as the best film in the entire MCU. From the political thriller vibes to Steve doing whatever it takes to help Bucky to the huge twist that changes the face of the franchise, it’s a special movie.

Captain America: Civil War is basically another Avengers movie, as so many characters come together. Despite having to include so many characters and debuting both Black Panther and Spider-Man, Captain America: Civil War never loses sight of Steve’s story and, again, his relationship with Bucky. It’s something of a masterpiece that caps an outstanding trilogy.

2

Spider-Man

The MCU’s take on Spider-Man had a lot to live up to. The original trilogy by Sam Raimi has longtime fans so a lot had to be done to surpass that. The MCU managed to do so, starting with Spider-Man: Homecoming. This truly felt like a high school take on Peter Parker while also featuring one of the best villains the MCU has ever seen and included a fun supporting role for Tony Stark.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is the most forgettable of the trilogy, yet it’s still a great time. It’s actually a fantastic teen romantic comedy on top of being a big-budget superhero project, and Mysterio proved to be an intriguing villain. However, what really moved this trilogy up the ranks was how well the third installment worked.

Spider-Man: No Way Home did something incredible, managing to fit so many key storylines into things and bringing back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s takes on the hero. They managed to do this without it feeling like a cameo-fest. It was another billion-dollar hit and stands as the best post-Avengers: Endgame MCU movie for many.

1

Guardians Of The Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy came from out of nowhere to be a massive hit. In the comics, they were basically “D-list” characters and nobody was clamoring for a movie about them. However, the ragtag group ended up captivating audiences and became fan favorites. The first installment set up their relationships, which were crucial to everything going forward.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 went on to tell a hugely emotional story that further established this team as a found family and added to their fan-favorite status. Again, it was met with widespread acclaim. Those films were released three years apart, yet we had to wait about six more years to wrap up the trilogy.

The wait was worth it for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which managed to end their story satisfyingly. The fight against Thanos changed the dynamic of the team, yet it also worked to conclude arcs. Star-Lord returned home, Rocket avenged his tragic past and became the leader, and Gamora found a new family. This is a rare trilogy where it’s hard to pick the best movie.