The definitive rankings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, part 2

Marvel will release “Avengers: Infinity War,” the culmination of their 18 prior films, on Friday. In what will be an unprecedented event, this film will combine characters from each of their prior entries, creating an ensemble piece the likes of which have never been seen. Last week, I ranked my top five Marvel movies — here are the rest of the films, numbers six to 18.

18: The Incredible Hulk

In summer 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe launched with two films that would create a franchise. One will be seen far later on this list, and the other one is here in dead last place. Oh well, just didn’t work.

17: Iron Man 2

While the first Iron Man was a whopping success, the sequel was one of the more middle-of-the-road action movies of the 2010s.

16: Avengers: Age of Ultron

The first Avengers was a triumph, while the follow-up was quite the letdown. The Ultron plot was somewhat meaningless and was just a bridge to get us from the events of the first Avengers film to what should be a better third installment.

15: Iron Man 3

While a disappointing Marvel film, this is surely one of the best Christmas movies ever released in the first week of May. Why Marvel felt the need to set this film during the holidays, I have no idea, but “Iron Man 3” represents a valiant attempt by Marvel to try to do something different that just wasn’t successful.

14: Thor: The Dark World

Many would say 14th place is too high for “Thor: The Dark World,” but I actually think it gets a bad rap. Yes, it’s not that great, with a rather generic plot and somewhat lifeless romance, but the film is pure fun.

13: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2.

While many will cry foul that this film is only one spot above the universally disliked Thor sequel, this is one of the most overrated films in the entire Marvel canon. Yes, the film has fun jokes, good music and the characters of the original film, but they all feel like the diet version of the original.

12: Doctor Strange

Squarely in the middle is where Doctor Strange belongs. Boring at times, but a lot of credit goes to Marvel for stretching their boundaries and exploring the supernatural realm of their canon.

11: Thor

While this is one of the more forgettable Marvel movies, upon re-watch it is incredibly fun. This is your classic fish-out-of-water tale, and the interactions with Thor and the humans on Earth are absolutely classic.

10: Spider-Man: Homecoming

I truly enjoyed this movie, but still can’t help feeling that it’s overrated. I especially think it pales in comparison to the first two Spider-Man films and doesn’t even hold up that well next to the first “The Amazing Spider-Man,” which I understand is a hot take. Regardless, this film is pure Spider-Man and really evokes the childlike excitement of a comic book.

9: Captain America: The First Avenger

This is probably the most straight-up, by-the-books superhero film Marvel has made, with rather standard action sequences set in World War II. That said, the film’s simplicity works in its favor and lets Chris Evans truly shine.

8: Ant-Man

Back off, haters, “Ant-Man” is No. 8. The recipient of Zack Snyder’s famous “flavor of the week” comment, many dislike “Ant-Man” for the fact that it feels like a throwaway movie with no significance. And you know what? It very well might be, but it’s super fun, has a tight script, visual appeal, a dynamite cast and a fun villain.

7: Thor: Ragnarok

After mixed results, Marvel finally figured out how to make Thor work, and the answer is by dialing up the humor and the style. This film is the ultimate crowd pleaser that gets major brownie points for just being different, both visually and in terms of content.

6: Captain America: Civil War

This is essentially what the Avengers sequel should have been, except it was labeled as a Captain America movie. Regardless, “Civil War” was a fascinating look at the dynamics of this ragtag group of superheroes, and it did a great job both servicing the franchise as a whole, while also keeping the plot self-contained and small.

Erik Benjamin is a senior television, radio and film major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at ebenjami@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @cokezeriksugar.