The Marvel Cinematic Universe So Far

In a mere eight years, the Marvel Comic Company has taken the characters and properties that they still own the movie rights to and produced something unlike anything cinema has ever seen. They didn’t just create another franchise. The intertwined a series of franchises into one cinematic world with no end in sight. Eight years and ten films, if one counts the instalment coming later this year “The Guardians of the Galaxy.” That film promises to blow the Marvel Cinematic Universe up into whole new levels of awesome, expanding things beyond superheroes into space opera. Hopefully they will pull it off.

Meanwhile, here is a personal ranking of the films they have released so far:

1. “The Avengers” (2012) Joss Whedon

The team-up film that no one thought they could pull off, and that every comic fan has always wanted to see.

2. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014) The Russo Brothers

Great action AND it is also about something.

3. “Ironman” (2008) John Favreau

The film that made all of this possible, renewed Downey’s career, and made general audiences aware of a Marvel hero that wasn’t Spiderman or an X Man.

4. “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011) Joe Johnston

The period piece of the series. Also, Captain America is a boyscout superhero that really works as a concept.

5. “Ironman 3” (2013) Shane Black

Shane Black’s comic sensibilities really refine the comedic series of the bunch.

6. “Thor: The Dark World” (2013) Alan Taylor

This is well-made nonsense.

7. “Ironman 2” (2010) John Favreau

This is where everything was teetering on the edge of failure. The story almost collapses under the weight of Marvel trying to set up further films.

8. “Thor” (2011) Kenneth Branague

Mixing a fantasy environment into the “real world” setting of the other films.

9. “The Incredible Hulk” (2008) Louis Leterrier

I’m not sure Marvel had a good handle on things at this point.