The MCU Tag of Ten + Marvel Movie Rankings

 Hello!

Today is my second entry in ThunderbirdQueen and Miss Woodhouse's 23: An MCU Blogathon! I'll be filling out the tag and more...

Check out HERE for more posts from this blogathon!

I know that I already filled out a Marvel tag this month, but I'm going to try to put different answers! If you want to compare you can check out the first one HERE.

Am I forgetting something? Oh yeah:

SPOILER ALERT! I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU) SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ALL OF THE MOVIES THEN READ NO MORE! Have a nice day. OR, if you've seen the movies already you can proceed.

The MCU Tag of Ten: Questions:

What is Your Favorite Movie?

Youʼll see in a moment, I guarantee it. Just read to the end of these questions.

What is Your Favorite Stan Lee Cameo?

One of my favorites is the one in Thor (2011)! Heʼs the guy driving the truck and trying to pull the hammer, Mjölnir, out of the pit it is in.

Who is Your Favorite Character from the Original Six?

Hands down, HAWKEYE! It all started just because I am obsessed with Archery. I LOVE the legend of Robin Hood. Legolas is my favorite Lord of the Rings character. Brave (2012) is my favorite Pixar movie. When I saw Avengers (2012) for the first time, Clint obviously became my favorite because of that. But, throughout the movies he stayed my favorite because he is just the most awesome superhero EVER! He doesnʼt get enough love (or his own movie, hello?) so I need to talk about him whenever I can.

Who is Your Favorite Sidekick (characters not from the Original Six who donʼt have their own movie)?

I have a few, so allow me to elaborate:

• Ned, Spider-Manʼs “guy in the chair”! He is definitely one of my favorites!
• Groot. Because Groot is absolutely adorable and what saved Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) for me.
• Rhodey. I love this guy! Heʼs gone through some hard stuff, but I love his determination and loyalty. Heʼs the best.

What is the Funniest Moment?

I realized in my other post that I didnʼt list so many of my favorite quotes! Ack! This question is perfect, though, because I have so many favorite moments that are my favorite because I laugh so much.

(Paraphrasing all of these. I mean, I hope they're accurate, but I'm just doing then from the top of my head)

From Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017):

ʻ“Join me and we can build my LEGO Death Star.”

 “No way, man! Thatʼs awesome! How many pieces?”'

“Ned, Ned, the glowy thingʼs a bomb!”

ʻ“I know what a girl sounds like.” 

*interrogation voice* “Iʼm not girl!”ʼ

ʻ“Too much bread.” 

“I like bread.”ʼ

From Thor: The Dark World (2013):

ʻ“Try pushing it.”

“I am pushing it!”

“No, youʼre hitting it. Try pushing it gently.”ʼ

 '"I think you missed one."

 "Shut up!"'

"Well done, you just decapitated your grandfather!"

'"Look, why don't you let me take over? I'm clearly the better pilot! "

"Is that right? Out of the two of us, which one can ACTUALLY fly? *the Harrow takes out a building* Not a word..." '

And all of Thor: Ragnarok (2017) is a hoot! That is why it is one of my favorites.

 I canʼt forget: Avengers: Endgame (2019):

*Peter Quill is dancing around and singing* Rhodey: “So, heʼs an idiot?”

Who is Your Favorite Villain?

Ugh, it's so hard to choose someone different from last time! I should've thought this through some more. I'll go with Yon-Rogg from Captain Marvel (2019) because I love to hate him.

What is Your Favorite Power or Technology? 

Ahhhh! I can't pick such an important thing! I love so many of them! I'll go with the old standby of Spider-Man's abilities.

What is Your Favorite Sequel (no trilogies!)?

I love Captain America: Civil War (2016). For so many reasons, but mostly because it has the best people. Yes, itʼs a very painful movie because everyone is fighting everyone else, but I love it.

What are Your Favorite End Credits? Or End Creditʼs Scene?

 I love that this is a question because it is such a part of the MCU! My favorite is the scene in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). It shows that the Vulture is truly thankful to Peter for saving his life! Ack! It makes me so happy.

I can tell you which one isnʼt my favorite. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). Talk about a cliffhanger!

Who is Your Favorite Ship?

Iʼm going with Pepperony. First, thatʼs one of the best ship names ever. Plus, they are so good for each other! They do step away and spend time without each other from time to time because they understand that they arenʼt perfect, but in the end they are the best thing that ever happened to each other.

Actually, I can do better than that, Thor, thanks for asking.

Remember the first question where I was asked to name my favorite? Do you really expect me to choose one favorite? Why donʼt I just rank all of them? Well, if thatʼs what you wanted then youʼre in luck because that is exactly what I decided to do.

Note: These are just my personal rankings based on how well I liked them, not the “quality” of the films. If your list is completely different, then thatʼs awesome! Iʼm glad that you liked the ones that I didnʼt so much. I hate it when people tell me that my favorite movies are garbage (which happens a lot, surprisingly. Then again, maybe I just have controversial favorites? *cough*The Last Jedi*cough*) so Iʼm not saying that. Each of these movies have values contributing to the whole MCU! For each movie Iʼm going to list why it is there and not higher or lower, and then say some of my favorite things (which I am limiting to five or else Iʼll be here all day [Update from the future: Actually, even with only five it still took me all day to write this.]). Because yes, all of these movies have made me laugh at some point or another! Some have made me cry! Some Iʼve only seen once, so my rankings might change after Iʼve seen them more times.

While I have reviewed four of these movies, one of my goals is to review as many as I can in 2021! These are just have bullet points listing why I love them, so one day I'll write up whole spoiler-free reviews talking about content concerns and whatnot.

(And yes, there are 22 instead of 23 because The Incredible Hulk (2008) is almost impossible to find a copy of and I haven't seen it yet)

Starting at the bottom and going up:

22. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Yep, this is at the very bottom. The story was just so weird and grossed me out. It has a feeling of an 80ʼs movie (which, letʼs just say, is not my favorite).

What I like:

• Groot!!!! As!!!! A!!!! BABY!!!!! Sooooooooo cute! My sisters and I were saying that the first five minutes with Groot dancing around as a baby could honestly have been a whole two hour movie and we still wouldʼve watched it and loved every second.
• Kraglin. Yondu. Especially Yondu and Rocket talking to each other and understanding each other? Some quality stuff there, my dude.
• Mantis! She is such a sweet character and I love her. Some of her and Draxʼs conversations were really weird, but on the most part I liked them.
•  Gamora and Nebula fighting but then talking about how they just wanted to be sisters? I love all of my sisters so seeing that made me really happy.

21. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

The first Marvel movie that I ever saw. For awhile it was pretty high on my list because of that reason, but when I rewatched it last December that all changed. There is so much violence and fighting. How did this get only a PG-13 rating? My sisters and I were saying that if they took out half of the lengthy fight scenes and explosions this movie would be much shorter. And probably brought more of an impact (other than people just punching each other...)?

What I like:

• Stan Leeʼs cameo. One of my favorites!
• “On your left.” Meeting Sam! Sam is one of my favorites and I love all of his parts in here. Even when he barely knows Steve he is so loyal!
• Robert Redford as a villain. Yes, great choice.
• Bucky saving Cap. Ah, my heart canʼt handle it! He knows that he knows him and wonʼt just let him drown.

20. Ant-Man (2015)

This one isnʼt here because I dislike it, more just because I found it kind of boring? Iʼm sorry! I donʼt know why! Maybe after I watch it for a second time Iʼll really like it.

What I like:

• Luis. Hey, heʼs another sidekick whom I love! He is hilarious in every way.
• The whole heist. I love a good heist. Especially how Hank and Hope planned on Scott breaking into their house to recruit him.

19. Doctor Strange (2016)

I really like the characters and the message and all of that...itʼs just that the powers kind of freak me out. Itʼs just weird for me, okay? I donʼt mind it so much with the other films that heʼs in, but for some reason the first one gets to me.

What I like:

• Stephen Strange. His character arc is one of the most well developed that Iʼve ever seen in my life! Bravo!
• Christine. I love Christine. She is so sweet, and I want her and Stephen to work out as a couple. Obviously, he needs to grow some more, but still.
• The Ancient One. I liked the discussions of power and the responsibilities that it holds!
• The cape. Every superhero has a cape, right? This was a genius move to make his relic a cape that seems to have a mind of its own!
• Itʼs funny. I laugh a lot. Especially when Stephenʼs talking to Wong.

18. Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Ever since I was little Iʼve had a dislike of “myths”, especially ones that involve “gods”. I just donʼt like it (this occurred based on a traumatic experience which we donʼt need to go into). Thatʼs why all of the Thor movies are lower on this list than might be expected (and why Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) is my least favorite). While this one is so cheesy and cringy in parts (to me), there are some great moments.

What I like:

• That whole scene that I listed above with “funniest moment”.
• Darcy.
• Loki.
• Darcy.
• Loki. Yep, that covers it.

17. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Iʼve only seen this one once and donʼt remember a lot of it, but I donʼt remember anything bad.

What I like:

• The beginning scene. I love Peter singing to a song, using a rat thing as a microphone!
• Drax. While he was there to be just comedic relief in the second one, I really liked his development here!
• “We are groot.” Groot being precious! 

16. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

I know all of you are horror struck that this one is so low! There is one reason for that: You canʼt have an Avengers movie without Hawkeye! This was well made up for in Endgame, but if this had had even a ten second clip of Clint reading a magazine it wouldʼve been higher.

What I like:

• Tony and Peter acting like father and son. I just love it so much! Ever single moment with the two of them is my favorite.
• ʻ“He'll die alone, as will you.” “She's not alone.”ʼ: This part makes me cry! 
• Itʼs really funny. I could quote a million lines here.
• Thor literally activating a dead star. Talk about epic!
• “Yibambe!”: How the Wakandans are so willing to help!

15. Iron Man 2 (2010)

This one isnʼt here because I donʼt like it, just because it is not as memorable as the others. Still a great time!

What I like: 

• Fantastic villains.
• Seeing Natasha.
• How Tony is trying to deal with being so scared of dying.
• ʻ“I think I did okay!” *explosions*ʼ: That describes my life.
• Howard Stark giving Tony the tools to save his life.

14. Thor (2011)

The aesthetic of this one is not my favorite, but the plot is undeniably good.

What I like:

• THE HAWKEYE CAMEO! THIS BRINGS ME SO MUCH JOY! “You better call it, Fury, because Iʼm starting to root for this guy.” He couldʼve taken Thor down, but he waited to see his potential. BECAUSE HE HAS THE BIGGEST HEART!
• Darcy. Darcy is a sold win any time she is there. 
• Thor growing a lot in this movie. Learning about responsibilities!
• Loki! Strongest antagonist motivations ever?? Yes!

 13. Iron Man 3 (2013)

This one is kind of scary, but I really like it.

What I like:

• Harley and Tony working together!!!! So cute! Sure, Tony is a jerk in these moments, and suffering from PTSD is not a decent excuse, but I love the two of them. It set such a good foundation for when Tony would later work with Peter!
• Tony having PTSD. It is so realistic in so many ways and it really enhanced Tonyʼs character.
• Rhodyʼs password. That was hilarious!
• The whole charade of the plot!
• Tony and Pepper!

12. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Commonly a less popular one, but you will see the reason I like it so much has a common element. Whose name is Clint. Barton. Because he is. the. best.

What I like: 

• Cliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiint.
• “You didnʼt see that coming?”. I was going to list out every time that Hawkeye interacts with one of the Maximoffs as a separate thing that I liked, but I should just put it as one element and let you know how much I love it. I love the relationship between the brother and sister and how Clint is kind of a grumpy dad to them.
• Tonyʼs fear. The MCU is so strong because of this. To me, all of his actions are so understandable because of how he just wants to protect the world. His world.
• Backstory with Black Widow. I have to admit, I didnʼt completely mind her and Bruce as a couple. The way that they both feel like monsters really connected them (in the end of everything though, I appreciated what Marvel did which her connection to everyone).
• Pietro and Wanda. I love them. Also their "made up names" Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are just awesome. I feel the need give them a shout out.

11. Avengers (2012)

The first time the team gets together! All of movie makes me so happy.

What I like:

• AGENT COULSON! Heʼs so sweet and wonderful.
• Hawkeyeʼs jaw-dropping skills.
• Bruce. Because Bruce is a big sweetheart who is one of my favorites.
• The team working together!!
• The fabulous music score that just pulls the whole movie together.

10. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

I feel obliged to have this one so high because of the sheer start of the journey. It was one of the first and is one of the best.

What I like:

• Peggy Carter! I love absolutely everything about her because she is stunning in every way.
• Tommy Lee Jones as a commander being everything that I hoped he would be.
• “I can do this all day.” The start of Steveʼs story! Why was he picked? Because he is so caring, selfless, and courageous. Also, I love the chase after the Hydra agent right after Steve is injected with the serum. The little kid who says, “Go get him! I can swim!” is so stinking cute!
• Howard Stark. Until I rewatched this I didnʼt remember that he is in here, but I love his contributions!
• Bucky. Because, of course.

9. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

This movie movies around on this list the most. It makes me laugh so hard and for some reason the vibe is really my thing. This is the reason that I donʼt want a fourth Thor movie, just a third Guardians of the Galaxy featuring him!

What I like:

• Loki. Especially: “Get help!”, “Thatʼs how it feels!”, and the snake story.
• Bruce! I love seeing him so confused. That sounds cruel, but heʼs just so sweet and helpful that itʼs really adorable.
• The whole “revolution” guys. The joke with “Rock, paper, scissors.” is so subtle, but so good!
• The music. This soundtrack just brings up to a new level!
• Thor using lightening for the first time. BOOM. EPIC. 

8. Iron Man (2008)

The place where it all started! The story is such a strong one and a great introduction to Tony. I just reviewed it, so I donʼt have much else to say about it, but know that itʼs a favorite.

What I like:

• The guy in the cave, Ho Yinsen, who helps Tony.
• Happy, because Happy is always likable. 
• Pepper who is a BOSS. Brilliant!
• Just, so much of it, okay?

7. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Iʼve only seen this one once, but man, it left a strong impression on me! It was solid!

What I like:

• Cassie helping her dad! It's so cute, I can't handle it.
• Luis and the Ex-Con guys. What happened when given “truth serum” was hilarious and did not disappoint.
• Eva and the professor. Both people who were hurting and Eva especially was afraid, and just wanted to live.
• Hope showing how epic she is as being the Wasp! 

6. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Iʼve seen two Marvel movies in the theater. Endgame and this one. Iʼm very pleased that of all of them they were these two.

What I like:

• The best follow up to Endgame that there ever couldʼve been.
• The plot twist that I saw coming from a mile away yet was another plot twist that was so unexpected.
• Happy and Peter. Happy helping Peter and giving him pep talks was awesome.
• Peter struggling with so many things and just wanting to have a vacation like a normal teenager, but helping all the same.
• “Night monkey!”

5. Captain Marvel (2019)

When my sisters and I first saw Endgame, Captain Marvel was the most annoying person in the universe. We couldnʼt stand her. Sure, she helped, but seemed to be doing it grudgingly. Because of that we werenʼt sure that we wanted to see a movie all about her. WE WERE WRONG. IT WAS FANTASTIC. I love every single part of this movie. It was so inspirational, and fun, and had deep characters. A few days later we rewatched Endgame and loved her in it. It made so much sense!

What I like:

• The whole message of getting up after getting knocked down.
• Carol. Carol was just awesome in all ways.
• A young Nick Fury! He was really cool.
• Jude Law. Sure, heʼs the “baddie”, but he rocks being the “baddie”. 
• Monica and Maria! Love them!

4. Black Panther (2018)

When I first saw this movie my main thought was, “Eh, it was okay.” When I rewatched it this December it really hit me. Maybe the fact that Chadwick Boseman is no longer with us? Whatever it was I really loved this movie. The design is flawless and the incorporating of cultural elements is spectacular.

What I like:

• TʼChallaʼs struggles. I know, I always sound so heartless, but his journey of, “Being the king that he wants to be.” was incredible.
• Le aesthetic. Blending culture and technology seamlessly is a hard task, but they pulled it off.
• Killmonger. What a complicated character, but has such a strong background! 
• TʼChalla. Okoye. Nakia. Shuri. All of the characters are so defined!
• The music. Once again, magnificent in all ways!

Here we are entering the top three! 

3. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Is there a lot of fighting? Yes. Does it have a dastardly villain who is hatable in every way? Yes. But I loooooooooove it. Just donʼt ask me to pick a side because I honestly canʼt.

What I love:

• (Say it with me) HAWKEYE!!!!! Especially him taking care of Wanda, joking with Nat, and sticking with Cap through so much.
• Our first introduction to Spider-Man! Especially because he references STAR WARS.
• Capʼs wonderful loyalty to Bucky. Even when Bucky feels terrible he is there for him. In addition to that, Samʼs loyalty to Cap. Sam doesnʼt trust Bucky at all, but he believes in Cap.
• BLACK WIDOW. She really struggles with picking a side, and in the end goes back and forth. All of her motivations are so strong.
• TʼChalla. His whole revenge motive and stepping away from it is what really set his character.
• (Technically this is six) How it looked at the aftermath of Age of Ultron! That is so rare, but it discussed real issues!

2. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

This was one of the movies that got me into the MCU. Where else could I put it?

What I love:

• That. This. Movie. Is. So. Relatable. Peter Parker is one of the most relatable characters of all time.
• “If you canʼt do it without the suit, then you shouldnʼt have it.” How he just wants to help but makes so many mistakes. He struggles through it. #kindredspirit
• Peter and Tonyʼs relationship.
• The best villain and a plot twist that shocked me for days. Still does.
• How funny it is! Especially Ned and his obsession with being the “guy in the chair”.

1. Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Nope, I canʼt even express how much I love this. One day I will write it up featuring a lot of squealing, but for now just know that it is one of my favorite movies of all time! Quickly saying one thing, though:  A TIME HEIST. THE BEST PLAN THAT THERE HAS EVER BEEN IN THE UNIVERSE.

There you have it! I am so exhausted from all this typing, yet I now want to see all of these movies again. Life in a fandom never ends.

Thanks to TQ and Miss Woodhouse for hosting this! Thanks to you guys for making it through this post. Please, tell me how you rank all of the movies! I want to see and talk about it with each one of you. Are you surprised by any of my picks? Does anyone else have a hard time picking a favorite power?

MovieCritic