Phase 4 of the MCU marked the beginning of a new saga following the defeat of Thanos in Endgame. With new heroes like Shang-Chi and America Chavez making their debuts, the future is looking bright for these universes. Unfortunately, not all of the new faces are as promising. Here are all of the current MCU Phase 4 movies ranked from worst to best.
***SPOILER WARNING: This article contains spoilers for every Phase 4 MCU movie that has been released so far. If you’re behind by a film or two, then proceed with caution.***
6. Eternals
All Phase 4 MCU Movies From Worst to Best
Woof. Sure, this might be one of the worst MCU movies of all time, but it’s also unbearably long. Eternals is the blip in film form. You go into the theater or sit down on the couch to watch it and as Harry Styles appears on screen you check your phone to discover that somehow there are five years of texts and emails piling up.
Eternals is the first proper introduction to the Celestials and how they’re formed in the MCU. Yet when it comes down to it, none of the titular characters — the Eternals — are interesting enough to make viewers care about them. However, Eternals has some redeeming factors in the quality of camera work and overall visuals. It’s certainly one of the most visually striking MCU movies to date.
Although the events of the film were nearly apocalyptic, it doesn’t appear like they’ve made much of a dent in the rest of the MCU. Overall, it’s a long movie that seemingly doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things (yet).
If you’re on the fence about checking it out, it’s absolutely not a must-see film. The more worthwhile option is just to sit and stare at a blank screen for two and a half hours instead of watching Eternals. At least you can meditate and reflect on your life instead of experiencing this (pretty) snoozefest.
5. Black Widow
All Phase 4 MCU Movies From Worst to Best
Unlike Eternals which has a fantastic cast and director but just fails to tell an enjoyable story, Black Widow stars one of the original Avengers that has been around since Iron Man 2. Then again, releasing a new movie about a dead character is a weird way to try to put butts in the seats.
Black Widow focuses on the time in Natasha Romanoff’s life between Civil War and Infinity War. Along the way, she teams up with her old Soviet cover family in order to take out the mastermind behind the Black Widow assassins.
Ignoring the odd cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit during the opening credits, the rest of the film isn’t that great either considering everyone knows what’s going to happen since it’s a prequel. No amount of danger Natasha gets in is ever tense.
However, the biggest problem is no fault of the film itself but it’s more on Kevin Feige and the powers that be at Marvel Studios. Simply put, Black Widow came too late to feel important or impactful in any way. It could have been much better if they focused on this character earlier in the Infinity Saga.
4. Thor: Love and Thunder
All Phase 4 MCU Movies From Worst to Best
Following up on the general success that Thor: Ragnarok had, Love and Thunder ended up dropping the ball a little bit. That’s not to say it’s anywhere on the level of the original Thor or Dark World, but it’s clearly not on the same level as Ragnarok. While Taika Waititi’s witty writing was still there, most of the big moments felt rushed and didn’t land the same way they did in Ragnarok.
Worst of all, Christian Bale’s Necrosword-toting villain, Gorr the God Butcher, was horrendously underutilized. Bale is one of the best actors alive today and only having him in the movie for a few short scenes and then the final battle seems like a missed opportunity. Fortunately, Bale still delivered a fantastic performance in his relatively brief on-screen time.
To be fair, there’s a big jump from Black Widow to Love and Thunder, but the latest entry in the Thor movies certainly earned this spot. There’s no doubt that it’s a fun and enjoyable movie if you go into it expecting a wild and goofy time. Plus the movie sets up an interesting plot line for the future where Hercules and maybe even the rest of the Gods will hunt down Thor following the attempted murder of Zeus.
3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
All Phase 4 MCU Movies From Worst to Best
Even though this movie isn’t the one that kicked off Phase 4, it certainly feels that way. Technically, Black Widow — which was released two months prior — was the start of the new phase. But that felt more like a continuation of a story that should have been told as a part of the Infinity Saga. Shang-Chi is the beginning of the new heroes that will lead the MCU post-Thanos.
Almost everything about this movie is enjoyable — despite what the review bombers say. Awkwafina and Simu Liu put on a show as best friends Katy and Shang-Chi. The fight scene choreography is some of the best we’ve ever seen in a Marvel movie. On top of that, there’s even a cameo featuring one of the oldest villains in the MCU, Abomination.