The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Phase 4 is coming to an end this year. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever coming soon to conclude this stage, join us as we rank all MCU Phase 4 movies from worst to best.
Take note that this ranking is highly influenced by various movie critics and each movie’s respective output at the box office. Other articles may have a different view of the following movies. This is a personal choice by the writer and is therefore subject to any comments, suggestions, or other reactions.
6. Eternals (2021)
Amongst all the movies in this list, Eternals had the most questionable timeline. Viewers were left questioning about “what’s next” or “where these ancient deities fit in the whole MCU”. Though the visuals were stunning and there were a lot of characters introduced in this one, it still lacked depth. Some are even calling for it to be a Disney+ series rather than becoming a full movie. Do you agree that it should have been a TV show?
IMDB: 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomato Meter): 47%
Rotten Tomatoes (Audience Score): 78%
5. Black Widow (2021)
At long last, Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow finally gets a standalone movie that focuses on her origins. Though the actress (Scarlett Johansson) and the studio had issues during post-production due to a Disney+ release (which, by the way, cost them millions in revenue), the movie still received decent reviews at best. Black Widow’s movie may come as an origin movie but Marvel sets it up for plans that include Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) as part of “Thunderbolts”.
Unfortunately, some critics are calling the film “the worst in MCU history” and that the movie is “so bad”. However, as saddening as it is, this is probably the best way that Black Widow is sent to the cosmos after her death in Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame. It’s definitely not the best, but it’s fairly an entertaining superhero film considering that Black Widow is a street-level or B-lister type of Avenger. It has that femme fatale concept perfectly mixed with the superhero genre.
IMDB: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomato Meter): 79%
Rotten Tomatoes (Audience Score): 91%
4. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
The beloved God of Thunder really did get a fourth movie thanks to the huge success of Thor: Ragnarok. However, it gathered mixed reviews and immediately dropped value in sales in its 2nd week. There are several reasons why some fans perceive Thor: Love and Thunder as a “redundant” movie. Here’s why:
- Thor 4 follows the usual MCU script of putting a new character (either between or after the movie) that sets up for another movie.
- Though Taika Waititi’s approach to Thor: Ragnarok was great, it didn’t quite live up for Thor: Love and Thunder. The comedic approach was a bit too much.
- To top it all off, the movie failed to give the main Villain, Gorr the God Butcher a great storyline. Christian Bale did great as Gorr, but they needed more of him butchering Gods across the universe.
Overall, Thor: Love and Thunder is a good and entertaining movie. It is fairly fun, enjoyable, and heartwarming. Plus, the music is great knowing that Taika brought heavy metal to the MCU. As a result, it’s ranked the fourth best MCU Phase 4 movie so far, beating Eternals and Black Widow.
IMDB: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomato Meter): 65%
Rotten Tomatoes (Audience Score): 78%
OTHER NEWS: Marvel’s “What If…?” Season 2; Release Date, Possible Stories, and Returning Characters?
3. Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
We have seen the first black superhero in Black Panther. Now, we finally get to see the first Asian superhero to hit the big screen – Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings.
Featuring Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, the movie takes us to the real story of the infamous Mandarin who is truthfully called Xu Wenwu (Shang-Chi’s father). However you wanna look at the movie, you can’t deny the fact that Shang-Chi has some of the best fight scenes in the franchise. Even though the plot is quite predictable, the beautiful graphics made up for it. Furthermore, Shang-Chi could be part of the Avengers soon and he could be an integral part of Earth’s mightiest hero now that he holds the powers of the Ten Rings.
IMDB: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomato Meter): 91%
Rotten Tomatoes (Audience Score): 98%
2. Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
The most anticipated and most hyped MCU movie this year was no other than Doctor Strange in the MultiVerse of Madness.
Fans may have been disappointed that all of their expectations never came to reality, but, Doctor Strange 2 already exceeded what is really expected. The introduction of The Illuminati – which features Professor X, Captain Marvel, Reed Richards, Captain Carter, and Baron Mordo – plus the arrival of the multiverse jumper, America Chavez. Not to mention, they heavily tackled the very essence of the movie, the multiverse.
IMDB: 7.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomato Meter): 74%
Rotten Tomatoes (Audience Score): 85%
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
You did not see that one coming.
The appearance of Tom Holland’s predecessors as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, may have made the movie the best in Phase 4. Not only that, Spider-Man: No Way Home brought the multiverse idea to life, thanks to Peter Parker and Doctor Strange.
Related News: Spider-man: No Way Home Sets Up Sony’s Sinister Six and Its Final Villain
Even though there were already rumors of Maguire and Garfield joining the sequel, fans were still surprised by their arrival in this universe. The nostalgia alone gave a huge boost to the film.
IMDB: 8.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomato Meter): 93%
Rotten Tomatoes (Audience Score): 98%
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is coming very soon and could be the best movie in Phase 4.
As announced at the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2022, the Black Panther sequel will mark the end of the fourth phase. The trailer had just dropped two weeks ago but whoever holds the mantle is still unknown. Who should be the next Black Panther?
Marvel Studios are already laying out its plans for Phase 5 and 6. With two huge Avengers movies releasing in the coming years, MCU is set to become bigger as time goes by.
Do you agree with our list? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times
OTHER NEWS: Who’s Going to Be The “Black Panther” in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
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