The MCU Ranked: An Ongoing List

Grace, Jay, and I are big fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It's been many years in the making and over 30 films deep. I'm updating on WWYG?! the MCU rankings that we have compiled as we have watched the movies together.

And yes . . . you'll notice that we decided to include non-Marvel movies in our rankings. I regret nothing about this.

KEY:

Infinity Saga

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Multiverse Saga

Phase 4

Phase 5

Phase 6 

(This list is always being updated, as new movies come out.) 

1. Spider-Man: Brand New Day

2. Spider-Man: Homecoming 

[n/r] Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse

3. Iron Man 3 

4. Spider-Man: No Way Home 

5. Spider-Man: Far From Home 

6. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 

7. Avengers: Infinity War 

[n/r] Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse 

8. Black Panther 

9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

10. Guardians of the Galaxy 

[n/r] Deadpool 

11. Captain America: The First Avenger 

12. Thunderbolts*

13. The Fantastic Four: First Steps

14. Thor: Ragnarok 

15. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3

16. Black Widow 

17. Avengers: Endgame 

18. Ant-Man 

19. Ant-Man and the Wasp 

20. Captain America: Civil War 

21. Iron Man 

22. Deadpool & Wolverine

[n/r] Deadpool 2

23. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

24. Thor 

25. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 

26. The Avengers 

27. The Marvels

28. Eternals 

29. Captain Marvel 

30. Iron Man 2 

31. Avengers: Age of Ultron 

32. Thor: Love and Thunder

33. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 

34. Doctor Strange

[n/a] Shazam!

35. Captain America: Brave New World 

36. Thor: The Dark World 

37. The Incredible Hulk (Ed Norton edition) 

38. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Don't like our rankings? That's fine. I know there are others out there that will suit you better. Here is another web writers thoughts on the MCU phenomenon.

And what about the MCU TVverse?

I can't really scale them in the same list as the cinematic stories, so I'm creating a separate list here. (This includes the original ABC TV shows, the original Netflix shows, and the Disney+ series.)

1. Daredevil

2. Jessica Jones

3. Loki

4. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

5. Agatha All Along

[special] Werewolf by Night

6. Daredevil: Born Again (only inclusive of s1 . . . so far?)

7. What If . . . ? (all of the current seasons)

8. Agent Carter

9. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

10. WandaVision

11. Hawkeye

12. Ms. Marvel

13. The Punisher

14. Luke Cage

15. The Defenders

[special] The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

16. Echo

17. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

18. Ironheart

19. Iron Fist

20. Cloak & Dagger

21. Moon Knight

22. Runaways

23. Inhumans

24. Secret Invasion

COV55D-19

Sarah finishes the spring semester of her sophomore year of college today.

Grace and Hannah have about two more weeks of the official school calendar. 

Grace is preparing to take three unusually-presented AP Exams in those next two weeks, along with finishing up her classwork. 

Hannah is wrapping up her first year of Middle School by closing out Sixth Grade with final reading assignments, completing research paper projects, taking weekly quizzes.

None of them are reaching these milestones in the environments they could have imagined. None of them wanted to talk to their teachers through video chats. Definitely, none of them wanted a parent to serve as their daily goad for getting work done. 

But they have persevered. And they have done well. They are succeeding, despite the circumstances. And their success is due to their inherent skill, desire, and goal-setting . . . not because of any pushes or pulls that Lynda or I have started. (Despite our presence in some cases--as they would likely remind you, were you here to ask.)

So--today's note is simply an acknowledgment of who they are and the challenges they are overcoming.

Good for them. Because they are good.

Turning XII

Hannah--my youngest--but definitely no longer my smallest daughter turns twelve today. And it is remarkable when you compare who she is now as a sixth-grader to who she was even less than twelve months ago. When they start to grow up, sometimes it feels like they board a rocket ship of change that just keeps getting faster and faster.

And if you know me you know that while I have a great fondness for cute infants and babies, I really enjoy it when kids grow old enough to be something like themselves. People who can talk to you, carry on a conversation about The Mandalorian, and humor me by laughing at my jokes--or at least laughing at me.

Hannah is right in that sweet spot. She is fully herself (though, paradoxically, there is still much about her that is still changing and forming) and she doesn't mind spending time with me. Which is great.

Anyway, what I'm telling you is that I'm so proud of who she is and how she is becoming her own person.

She's sharp. She's bright. She's very ready to be older than she is and more independent than she can be allowed to be.

She might be the one to get into the most trouble in a few years. We'll have to wait and see on that--but not that I'll let it happen, you understand.

No matter, though, she is a great person and I am so proud of her.

The happiest of birthday's to my (former) banana!