Every Marvel movie starts with a studio title card showing comic panels flipping across the screen.

For "Thunderbolts*," all of these panels are related to the comic book character Robert "Bob" Reynolds, also known as Sentry.

It's a teaser that Pullman's Bob will become Sentry later in the film.

As the animation continues, darkness trickles over the comic pages until it completely covers the Marvel logo. This foreshadows the Void, the dark side of Sentry, who takes over Bob's mind in the film's final act.

There are other moments that foreshadow the Void's appearance in the film. For instance, Yelena describes her depression and loneliness as a void in the opening scene.

"Thunderbolts*" opens with Yelena, a Russian assassin, completing an assignment for her employer, Val, at a lab in Malaysia.

To infiltrate the lab, Yelena expertly fights several armed guards in a sequence reminiscent of the corridor fight scene in "Oldboy."

"Thunderbolts*" director Jake Schreier hasn't said if he drew inspiration from the 2003 Park Chan-wook movie. However, other Marvel creatives have previously said they were influenced by the iconic fighting sequence.

The fight scene's visuals also feel like a nod to the Void's power to spread darkness that turns people into shadows.

"Thunderbolts*" introduces a new secret organization within the MCU known as the OXE group, which Valentina founded with the aim of creating a superhero who can protect the world.

A similar group also exists in the Marvel comics, but it was coincidentally first introduced in a 2023 "Thunderbolts" comic series months after the cast for the movie had been announced.

Valentina also heads up the OXE group in the comics. However, a robot clone of Valentina takes charge of the organization and uses it to help a new Thunderbolts team.

Early in the film, when Yelena, John, and Ava are trying to escape Val's trap, they locate an independent power source blocking Ava's ability to move through solid objects.

"On your left," John tells Yelena as he reaches the power source and smashes it with his shield.

The phrase dates back to "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." It was used by Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) every time he passed Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) while running in Washington, DC.

Sam memorably said the line back to Steve in "Avengers: Endgame," when he and all the heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe arrived through portals to help defeat Thanos and his army.

Many aspects of "Thunderbolts*" mirror the 2012 movie "The Avengers."

Both films are about a group of misfits brought together by a spy boss who try to kill each other before deciding to work together to save New York from a major threat.

The destination of the final showdown in "Thunderbolts*" also calls back to the ending of "The Avengers."

The Thunderbolts confront the main villains, Val and Sentry, in the Watchtower, which is the same place Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) confronted then-antagonist Loki (Tom Hiddleston).

The Thunderbolts also work together to save civilians outside Grand Central Terminal, where the original Avengers previously fought the Chitauri in "The Avengers."

But the final fight in "Thunderbolts*" contrasts with its predecessor. In "The Avengers," the titular heroes face off against an alien invasion, while in "Thunderbolts*," the villain is a man-made experiment gone wrong.

At the end of "Thunderbolts*," Val tricks the team into appearing at a press conference where she introduces them as the New Avengers.

After the New Avengers moniker is name-dropped, composer Alan Silvestri's iconic "Avengers" theme discreetly starts playing.

The first part of the credits shows multiple magazine covers featuring the New Avengers.

Many of these covers recreate iconic posters and images, including the "We Can Do It!" poster produced by J. Howard Miller during World War II, featuring Yelena, instead of Rosie the Riveter. Another recreates the "Washington Crossing the Delaware" painting by Emanuel Leutze. In another, the team poses as the band Queen in the style of the cover of their second studio album, "Queen II."

This is intended to show the extent of the Thunderbolts' newfound fame following their formal introduction as the New Avengers.

After the main credits, the "Thunderbolts*" logo switches to "The New Avengers" in a bright yellow bolded font.

It's the same logo seen in the Marvel comics, right down to the crossbar in the capital "A" doubling as a right-pointing arrow.

"Thunderbolts*" has two end-credits scenes. The first one is inconsequential, but the second teases Marvel's next movie, "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," which is set to be released in theaters on July 25.

In the scene, the New Avengers are interrupted by an alert about an extradimensional ship entering the atmosphere.

That spacecraft turns out to be one belonging to the Fantastic Four, as indicated by the retro style number 4 on the exterior. Michael Giacchino's theme music for the upcoming "Fantastic Four" reboot plays in the background as the ship soars through space.

Jake Schreier, the director of "Thunderbolts*," told Comicbook.com in a video published on Thursday that he did not film the second end credits scene.

Schreier said the specifics of the second end credits scene were decided "quite late," and it was filmed only recently.

"I was there when it was filmed and I can say that it comes from the set of a production that might be starting production right around now," Shreier said, seemingly referring to "Avengers Doomsday," which began production in March.

"It's a film about its characters, not about its universe, and it's more concerned with the protagonists' lives and what their actions mean than about sequel set-ups and cameos." — William Bibbiani, TheWrap

"It also pulls back on the massive visual effects extravaganzas the Marvel movies have turned into, instead using Hollywood magic when it narratively makes the most sense and embracing a more traditional action-movie feel with characters who 'punch and shoot' a lot." — Brian Truitt, USA Today

"It's a team-up superhero movie that's ballsy enough to set aside the usual labyrinthine weave of subplots and dig into mental health, childhood trauma and domestic abuse — and do it with feeling." — Phil de Semlyen, Time Out

"'Thunderbolts*' always feels like an intimate story about a real person, even as it inches the gargantuan Marvel Cinematic Universe toward its next series of massive crossover films." — Matt Singer, ScreenCrush

"That the final act of the movie is essentially set in a headspace, rather than above a threatened metropolis, is a testament to the interiority (not a word that often comes up in Marvel movies) of 'Thunderbolts*,' a film that finds vivid comic-book imagery to render authentic real-life emotions." — Jake Coyle, The Associated Press

"Pugh, in particular, gives the movie an emotional tangibility that makes it feel realms more solid than the last few years of Marvel product." — Alison Willmore, Vulture

"She's a superhero performer, easily navigating the tricky balance between cheeky Marvel-brand humour and genuine pathos." — Radheyan Simonpillai, The Guardian

"Perfectly balancing guilt and ennui without ever being too cute about it, the 'Black Widow' alum becomes the nucleus of the ensemble comedy that forms around her, none of which would work if Yelena didn't so credibly appeal to the better angels of the people around her." — David Ehrlich, IndieWire

"She's utterly natural in a story of wholly unnatural things, a rare and difficult feat. The film has given her an actual emotional arc to play, and she finds interesting variations within it." — Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair

"It's not just Pugh's screen presence, her sense of commitment or her penchant for making weapons-grade snark work, but her determination to mine mother lodes of psychological and emotional turmoil that gets you invested in this rollicking blockbuster past the usual franchise box-ticking." — David Fear, Rolling Stone

"Pullman is also excellent, finding complex notes in a role that could have just been CGI-enhanced gobbledygook." — Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

"Beautifully played by Pullman as a sweet-natured, broken man struggling to outrun his troubled past, Bob is a complex figure through which the movie explores mental instability and the fight between light and darkness." — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

"Bob is a character with several sides to him, and Pullman knocks every one of them out of the park. Whether he's timid and trying to stay out of the way or greedy with power, Pullman turns Bob into a beautifully well-rounded character that we care for regardless of what state he's in." — Ross Bonaime, Collider

"Ghost remains more of a neat gimmick than an interesting character…" — Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

"Ghost is so woefully underwritten that John-Kamen can't make much of an impact…" — Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

"Unfortunately, Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost, while absolutely an improvement over where we last saw her in Ant-Man and the Wasp, doesn't have much to do here. While the other characters have an opportunity to reckon with their darkness, Ghost is mostly relegated to pointing out details we already gleaned from her previous film." — Ross Bonaime, Collider

"It's also missing a bit of colour — literally, in the washed-out palette and CG shadow-threat that dominates the latter half of the film — and figuratively, in its subject matter." — John Nugent, Empire

"Schreier's drab aesthetics may be in tune with his villain but by not providing a vibrant visual contrast, the film doesn't totally hit the highs it seeks." — Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

"At times, the drab filmmaking feels thematically resonant. But there are more visually creative ways to do it than the ones employed by the incredible cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo ('The Green Knight'), who falls victim to the paint-by-numbers approach to these films (and the only paint colors he has are brown and browner)." — Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

"Although it's hard to shake the sense that on a practical level this studio is just scraping the bottom of the barrel, desperately hoping their minor characters can be converted into headliners, they've done a damn good job of it." — William Bibbiani, TheWrap

"'Thunderbolts*' by no means reinvents the superhero movie and its pacing isn't as consistent as it could be. But at a time when Marvel fatigue has taken a bite out of more than one fizzled blockbuster, it's a relief to watch a comic-book movie in which the smug wisecracking is dialed way down and the characters are given interior dimensions beyond their powers, including a certain emotional fragility." — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

"'Thunderbolts*' recaptures some of the magic of the early Marvel productions, when they felt like some alchemical phenomenon of corporate entertainment, and not just slop." — Alison Willmore, Vulture

"'Thunderbolts*' is good. Not 'single-handedly save the Marvel cinematic universe' good, but enough to make those self-declared victims of 'superhero fatigue' reconsider that it might not be the genre itself that's tapped out, but merely the focus on telling stories versus marketing future sequels and the sickly shimmer of nostalgia." — Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent

Downey, who played the titular Iron Man (aka Tony Stark), has two Oscar nominations to his name and one win for his performances in 1992's "Chaplin," 2008's "Tropic Thunder," and 2023's "Oppenheimer," respectively.

But he's not the only one. Terrence Howard, who played his best friend, James Rhodes, was nominated in 2006 for "Hustle & Flow," and his on-screen love interest, Pepper Potts, was played by Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow (who won for "Shakespeare in Love" in 1999).

The villain of the film, Obadiah Stane, was played by Jeff Bridges, who won in 2010 for "Crazy Heart." He has an additional six nominations under his belt for the films "The Last Picture Show," "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," "Starman," "The Contender," "True Grit," and "Hell or High Water."

Last but not least, Samuel L. Jackson made his first cameo appearance as Nick Fury in the post-credits scene. Somehow, Jackson was only nominated for an Oscar once in his career, for "Pulp Fiction" in 1995. He received an honorary award in 2022.

The film's star, Edward Norton, has been nominated four times: for "Primal Fear" in 1997, "American History X" in 1999, "Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" in 2015, and "A Complete Unknown" in 2025.

His two main antagonists in the film, Thunderbolt Ross and Emil Blonsky (aka the Abomination), were played by Oscar winner William Hurt and nominee Tim Roth, respectively.

Hurt, who died in 2022, won for his performance in "Kiss of the Spider Woman" in 1986, and received an additional three nominations in 1987, 1988, and 2006 for "Children of a Lesser God," "Broadcast News," and "A History of Violence."

Roth was nominated in 1996 for his role in "Rob Roy."

Terrence Howard was replaced with Don Cheadle for the highly anticipated sequel to "Iron Man." Cheadle himself was nominated for an Oscar in 2005 for his performance in "Hotel Rwanda."

But he's not the only Oscar nominee who joined the MCU in its third film. Scarlett Johansson also made her debut as Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, in this film. She's since been nominated twice, for "Marriage Story" and "Jojo Rabbit," both in 2020.

The two villains in this film have also been acknowledged by the Academy. Whiplash was played by nominee Mickey Rourke (nominated in 2009 for "The Wrestler"), while his financier Justin Hammer was played by Sam Rockwell, who won in 2018 for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." He was additionally nominated in 2019 for "Vice."

Hopkins is one of the most iconic actors of his generation, with two wins ("The Silence of the Lambs" and "The Father") and four nominations under his belt. There was no better choice to play the ruler of all Norse gods, Odin.

Thor's love interest, Jane, was played by Portman, a one-time winner and two-time nominee. Her performance in 2011's "Thor" was the same year as her Oscar win for "Black Swan."

Lastly, Clint Barton (or Hawkeye, if you prefer), played by Renner, made a cameo appearance in this film. He's been nominated twice for performances in "The Hurt Locker" and "The Town."

Stan was nominated in 2025 for playing Donald Trump in "The Apprentice," 14 years after making his first appearance as Bucky Barnes in "Captain America: The First Avenger" — and it certainly wasn't his last. Stan is set to play Bucky once more this summer in "Thunderbolts" after making a brief cameo in "Captain America: Brave New World."

You'd be forgiven for forgetting that Tommy Lee Jones had a role in the MCU, as he's never reprised his role as Colonel Chester Phillips. But he's in there!

In the past, Jones has been nominated for Oscars three times ("JFK" in 1992, "In the Valley of Elah" in 2008, and "Lincoln" in 2013). He also won in 1994 for "The Fugitive."

Stanley Tucci had a more pivotal role in the film as Dr. Erskine, the kindly scientist who gives Steve Rogers the serum that gives him superpowers.

He was a much creepier character in his Oscar-nominated performance in "The Lovely Bones" in 2010.

Ruffalo is a four-time Oscar nominee, with nods for "The Kids are All Right" in 2011, "Foxcatcher" in 2015, "Spotlight" in 2016, and "Poor Things" in 2024.

Spoilers for "Iron Man 3," but it turns out that Ben Kingsley was actually playing an unsuccessful actor named Trevor Slattery, not Iron Man's archenemy, the Mandarin, in a controversial plot twist.

Thankfully for Kingsley, his real career is going much more smoothly. He won in 1983 for "Gandhi " and received three additional nominations for "Bugsy" in 1992, "Sexy Beast" in 2002, and "House of Sand and Fog" in 2004.

Guy Pearce played Iron Man's real foe in this film, Aldrich Killian. In 2025, Pearce received his first Oscar nomination for his performance in "The Brutalist."

Redford has been nominated three times for an Academy Award: in 1973 for "The Sting" as an actor, and then as a producer and director for "Quiz Show" in 1994.

He's also won twice. First, in 1981 for best director of "Ordinary People," and then he received an honorary award in 2002.

In "Winter Soldier," he plays a shady governmental figure named Alexander Pierce.

First up with the smaller roles. Djimon Honsou, who had a small but pivotal role as Korath the Pursuer in the film, has been nominated twice for "In America" in 2004 and "Blood Diamond" in 2007.

John C. Reilly, who also had a small role as a Nova Corps corpsman, was nominated in 2003 for "Chicago."

Benicio del Toro plays the Collector, an alien who does exactly what his name says. He won in 2001 for "Traffic," and received another nod in 2004 for "21 Grams."

Somehow, eight-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close is also in this film with a small role as Nova Prime Rael. Her most recent two nominations were for 2017's "The Wife" and 2020's "Hillbilly Elegy."

One of the true co-leads of the film, Gamora, is played by Zoe Saldaña, who received her first Oscar nomination this year for the controversial film "Emilia Pérez."

But, most famously, 12-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper is in this movie, voicing Rocket the Racoon, in a vocal performance that's frankly been wrongfully ignored by the Academy.

Cooper has been nominated as an actor, producer, and screenwriter in various combinations for "Silver Linings Playbook" (released in 2012), "American Hustle" (2013), "American Sniper" (2014), "A Star Is Born" (2018), "Joker" (2019), "Nightmare Alley" (2021), and "Maestro" (2023).

When Tony Stark needed to replace the AI in his suit, he just so happened to choose the voice of Oscar-nominated actor Kerry Condon. Her voice has been heard in multiple MCU movies as FRIDAY, Tony's replacement for JARVIS, his old AI who became Vision.

Condon added Oscar nominee to her résumé after getting nominated for "The Bashees of Inisherin" in 2023.

Julie Delpy, who was nominated as a screenwriter for "Before Sunset" and "Before Midnight," appears in flashbacks to Natasha Romanoff's time in the Red Room as a child. Those experiences were explored in 2021's "Black Widow," sans Delpy's character.

Douglas, who won for his acting in "Wall Street" in 1988 and for producing best picture winner "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in 1976, has played the original Ant-Man Hank Pym since 2015's "Ant-Man."

Most prominently was Chadwick Boseman, who joined the MCU as T'Challa/Black Panther in "Civil War." He received a posthumous nomination in 2021 for his performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" after his death in 2020.

Marisa Tomei, winner for "My Cousin Vinny" in 1993 (and additional two-time nominee for "In the Bedroom" and "The Wrestler"), was cast as Peter Parker's Aunt May, a role she'd reprise multiple times.

But even glorified cameos were cast with Oscar nominees in this film. Alfre Woodard, 1984 nominee for "Cross Creek," plays a grieving mother who makes Tony Stark reconsider his position on certain political matters.

Plus, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Jim Rash (also an actor) has a small role as an MIT employee.

Most obviously is the titular Dr. Stephen Strange, who was played by two-time nominee Benedict Cumberbatch — he was nominated for "The Imitation Game" in 2015 and "The Power of the Dog" in 2022.

His love interest, Christine Palmer, was played by Rachel McAdams, who was nominated in 2016 for "Spotlight."

His frenemy Mordo was played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who received a nomination in 2014 for "12 Years a Slave."

Last but certainly not least was his mentor, the Ancient One, played by Tilda Swinton, who won in 2008 for her performance in "Michael Clayton."

Stallone has the rare honor of being nominated twice for playing the same character. First, he was nominated for playing boxer Rocky Balboa in "Rocky" in 1977. Thirty-nine years later, in 2016, he was nominated for playing Rocky again in "Creed."

Stallone was also nominated for the screenplay of "Rocky."

Keaton played Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture, in "Homecoming." His lone Oscar nomination is also avian in nature — he was nominated in 2015 for "Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)."

When Peter, our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, gets his own tricked-out suit from his mentor Tony Stark, it comes with its own AI. Peter chooses to name her Karen.

Karen is voiced by none other than Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly, who won in 2002 for her performance in "A Beautiful Mind."

Fun fact: Connelly's husband is Paul Bettany, the voice of JARVIS/Vision, another Marvel AI.

Blanchett played Hela, the goddess of hell, and Thor and Loki's long-lost sister. In her career, she's received six nominations and won twice: first in 2005 for playing Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator," (making her an Oscar winner for playing an Oscar winner) and then again in 2014 for "Blue Jasmine."

Jeff Goldblum also joined the MCU in "Ragnarok" as the dictatorial leader of a planet called Sakaar. Goldblum's Oscar nomination came for directing the short film "Little Surprises" in 1996.

Director Taika Waititi also has a role in this film, playing a rock creature called Korg. Waititi won an Oscar for his screenplay of "Jojo Rabbit" in 2020. He was also nominated as a producer for best picture.

Most hilariously is the cameo Matt Damon made as an actor playing Loki in a hilarious play depicting the events of the MCU thus far.

Damon is also an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, as he won in 1998 for co-writing "Good Will Hunting." He was also nominated for his acting in the film, as well as in 2010 for "Invictus" and 2016 for "The Martian." He also produced "Manchester by the Sea," earning an additional nomination for best picture in 2017.

In addition to the previously nominated Chadwick Bosman, the rest of the cast included legends and highly respected actors.

T'Challa's love interest, Nakia, was played by Lupita Nyong'o, who won an Oscar in 2014 for "12 Years a Slave."

T'Challa's best friend, W'Kabi, was played by Oscar-winner Daniel Kaluuya. He was recognized for his performance in "Judas and the Black Messiah" in 2021. He had previously been nominated in 2018 for "Get Out."

T'Challa's mother and queen of Wakanda, Ramonda, was played by Angela Bassett. She was nominated first in 1994 for "What's Love Got to Do With It," but she later made history in 2023 by becoming the first actor to be nominated for their performance in an MCU movie after the release of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" in 2022.

After Bassett lost in 2022, she received an honorary award in 2024.

But that's not all! T'Challa's father figure, Zuri, was played by Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker, who was awarded in 2007 for "The Last King of Scotland."

Finally, T'Challa's Uncle N'Jobu was played by Sterling K. Brown, who received his first nomination for "American Fiction" in 2024.

Brolin had appeared in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" before this film, but "Infinity War" was the first real look viewers got of Thanos, the biggest bad of the MCU to date.

Brolin had been nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Milk" in 2009.

Kenneth Branagh, Oscar winner for the screenplay of "Belfast," among many other nominations, and director of "Thor," also made an uncredited cameo as the voice behind a distress call at the beginning of the film.

After being mentioned in "Ant-Man," Hank Pym's wife, Janet Van Dyne, was played by three-time nominee Pfeiffer in the sequel three years later. Her nominations came from "Dangerous Liaisons" in 1989, "The Fabulous Baker Boys" in 1990, and "Love Field" in 1993.

Hank's frenemy Bill Foster (also known to comics fans as Goliath) was played by Laurence Fishburne, who was nominated in 1994 for "What's Love Got to Do With It."

Perhaps the most powerful person in the MCU, Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers has been played by Larson since 2019. She won an Oscar in 2016 for portraying a kidnapped young woman in "Room."

She was joined by five-time nominee Annette Bening, who had a dual role in the film as Mar-Vell, Carol's mentor, and the human representation of an AI known as the Supreme Intelligence. Bening picked up her fifth nomination last year for "Nyad," after previous nominations for "The Grifters" in 1991, "American Beauty" in 2000, "Being Julia" in 2005, and "The Kids Are All Right" in 2011.

Carol's Kree mentor Yon-Rogg was played by Jude Law, who has been nominated twice in his career: for "The Talented Mr. Ripley" in 2000 and "Cold Mountain" in 2004.

Gyllenhaal played illusionist Quentin Beck, or Mysterio, in the film. He had been nominated in 2006 for "Brokeback Mountain."

Simmons reprised his role as J. Jonah Jameson from the original Tobey Maguire "Spider-Man" trilogy. In between those films wrapping up and this one, he won an Academy Award in 2015 for "Whiplash." He received another nod in 2022 for "Being the Ricardos."

To match Scarlett Johansson's nominations, Marvel cast two equally formidable actors to play her adopted sister, Yelena, and mother, Melina.

Yelena was played by Pugh, who was nominated in 2020 for "Little Women."

Melina was played by Weisz, who won in 2006 for "The Constant Gardener," and was nominated again in 2019 for "The Favourite."

Yeoh was already an icon before her 2023 win for "Everything Everywhere All at Once," but it certainly was the cherry on top of an illustrious career — one that included playing Shang-Chi's aunt Ying Nan.

But did you know that Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu is also in this movie?

Hsu, who was nominated for playing the daughter of Yeoh's character in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," has a small scene at the end of the film as the disbelieving friend of Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina).

In alphabetical order: Angelina Jolie (Thena) won in 2000 for "Girl, Interrupted" and was nominated in 2009 for "The Changeling," and also received a humanitarian award in 2014; Barry Keoghan (Druig) was nominated in 2023 for "The Banshees of Inisherin"; Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos) was nominated in 2023 for "Causeway"; Kumail Nanjiani (Kingo) was nominated in 2018 for co-writing the screenplay of "The Big Sick"; and Salma Hayek (Ajak) was nominated in 2003 for "Frida."

Mahershala Ali also had a voice-only cameo in this film's post-credits scene as Blade, who will (hopefully) one day be the star of his own film. Ali has won two Oscars: first in 2017 for "Moonlight" and then in 2019 for "Green Book."

First, another version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, played by Andrew Garfield in "The Amazing Spider-Man" and its sequel, made his triumphant return in this movie. Garfield has been twice nominated for performances in "Hacksaw Ridge" in 2017 and "Tick, Tick…Boom!" in 2022.

One of the villains from "Amazing Spider-Man 2" was Electro, played by Jamie Foxx. Foxx was nominated twice in one year, winning for his performance in "Ray" in 2005, and settling for just a nomination for "Collateral."

Willem Dafoe reprised his role as the Green Goblin from 2002's "Spider-Man." Across his career, Dafoe has been nominated for Oscars four times: in 1987 for "Platoon," in 2001 for "Shadow of the Vampire," in 2018 for "The Florida Project," and in 2019 for "At Eternity's Gate."

Thomas Haden Church popped up as Sandman, reprising the role from "Spider-Man 3" in 2007. He was nominated in 2005 for his performance in "Sideways."

Finally, Tom Hardy made a brief post-credits cameo as Eddie Brock/Venom, the star of his own trilogy from 2018 to 2024. Hardy was nominated for best supporting actor in 2016 for "The Revenant."

Theron was introduced as Stephen Strange's future love interest, Clea, in the post-credit scene.

Fans were excited, as Theron is a high-caliber actor, with two Oscar nominations ("North Country" in 2006 and "Bombshell" in 2020) and a win ("Monster" in 2004) to her name.

Of the three additions, Christian Bale as Gorr the God-Butcher is the most significant as the film's main antagonist.

Bale is no stranger to superhero films, as he famously played Batman in three films. He also has real acting cred, with a 2011 Academy Award win for "The Fighter" and three additional noms in 2014 ("American Hustle"), 2016 ("The Big Short"), and 2019 ("Vice").

A secondary antagonist was Zeus, played by Russell Crowe, also a convert from DC movies. He played Jor-El, Superman's dad, in "Man of Steel." Crowe has also won an Oscar, in 2001 for "Gladiator." He was previously nominated in 2000 for "The Insider," and in 2002 for "A Beautiful Mind."

Following in Matt Damon's footsteps was Melissa McCarthy, who appeared in the play-inside-the-movie as an actor playing Hela in a reenactment of the events of "Ragnarok." McCarthy has been nominated for Oscars twice: in 2012 for "Bridesmaids" and in 2019 for "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"

Murray had a small role as the ex-friend — and perhaps more — of Janet Van Dyne while she was trapped in the Quantum Realm.

The actor was nominated in 2004 for his performance in "Lost in Translation."

Cosmo the Spacedog was voiced by Maria Bakalova, who was nominated for her performance in 2020's "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm."

After Disney bought 20th Century Fox in 2019, it was only a matter of time before Deadpool made his way into the MCU. But as the title suggested, he wasn't alone. Instead, he was joined by Hugh Jackman, reprising his role as Logan, aka Wolverine, one of the most popular comic-book performances of all time.

But Jackman doesn't just play gruff Canadian superheroes. In 2013, he was nominated for an Oscar for playing Jean Valjean in "Les Misérables."

"Deadpool & Wolverine" was filled to the brim with cameos, but one of the quicker ones was Matthew McConaughey voicing a cowboy variant of Deadpool, complete with a hat, boots, spurs, and a Texan drawl, aptly named Cowboypool.

McConaughey won an Oscar in 2014 for his performance in "Dallas Buyers Club."

Ford, somehow, has only been nominated for one Academy Award in his decadeslong career: for the 1985 film "Witness."

In the first season of "Loki," viewers were introduced to time traveler extraordinaire Mobius, played by Owen Wilson, who received a nomination in 2002 for co-writing the screenplay of "The Royal Tenenbaums."

We also met a variant of Loki played by Richard E. Grant, who was nominated in 2019 for his performance in "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"

Season two added newly minted Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan as Ouroboros (or OB). He won in 2023 for his performance in "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

Wright voiced the omnipotent narrator, the Watcher, in the series. He was nominated for the first time in 2024 for his performance in "American Fiction."

The original Hawkeye, Clint Barton, was played by two-time nominee Jeremy Renner. Over the course of the show, he bonded with a protégé, Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld.

Steinfeld was 13 years old when she landed her Oscar-nominated role in 2010's "True Grit."

Bishop's mother, Eleanor, was played by Vera Farmiga, who was nominated in 2010 for "Up in the Air."

Moon Knight stopped Arthur Darrow on his quest to bring Egyptian gods back to Earth to judge humanity.

Hawke has been equally thwarted on his quest for a little gold statue. He's been nominated four times — for acting in 2001's "Training Day" and 2014's "Boyhood," and for co-writing the screenplays of 2004's "Before Sunset" and 2013's "Before Midnight" — but has never won.

"Secret Invasion" was an almost entirely skippable Disney+ series despite its very talented cast, which included Oscar winner Olivia Colman as a British secret agent.

In addition to her 2019 Oscar win for "The Favourite," Colman was also nominated in 2021 and 2022 for "The Father" and "The Lost Daughter," respectively.

"Echo" was an (at this point) underrated Disney+ series released in the beginning of 2024. Greene played Skully, a grandfatherly figure to our protagonist, Maya.

Greene was nominated for best supporting actor in 1991 for his performance in "Dances With Wolves."

Two-time Academy Award nominee Domingo voices an alternate version of Norman Osborn, aka the Green Goblin, in this Disney+ animated series about the first days of Spider-Man's vigilante career.

Domingo was nominated in 2024 and 2025 for his performances in "Rustin" and "Sing Sing," respectively.

Vanessa Kirby, nominated in 2021 for her role in "Pieces of a Woman," will play Sue Storm, aka Invisible Woman.

She's joined by Emmy winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (The Thing), SAG Award winner Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (Human Torch).

Another member of the cast — though we don't know who he's playing yet — is John Malkovich. Malkovich was nominated in 1985 for "Places in the Heart" and in 1994 for "In the Line of Fire."

It's not been officially confirmed who Cohen will be playing in "Ironheart," but there's heavy speculation he'll be playing a certain devilish character who was teased way back in "WandaVision."

Cohen has been nominated for three Academy Awards: for the screenplays of "Borat" and "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," and for acting in "The Trial of the Chicago 7."

Harris has been nominated for four Academy Awards: in 1996 for "Apollo 13," in 1999 for "The Truman Show," in 2001 for "Pollock," and in 2003 for "The Hours."

Rotten Tomatoes score: 46%

The best part of "Quantumania," the third installment in the Paul Rudd-led "Ant-Man" series, was Jonathan Majors' introduction as the MCU's next big bad, Kang, audiences and critics agreed — although, Majors' time in the MCU was short-lived as a result of his recent legal troubles.

While critics had a tougher time with the miniature film, the audience score of 81% shows that fans had a good time with Scott, Hope, Hank, Janet, and Cassie down in the Quantum Realm.

"The general color-drenched too-muchness of it all might be tolerable if the plot wasn't such a by-the-numbers slog, alternating hyperkinetic action sequences with draggy recitations of exposition," wrote Decider's John Serba.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 47%

"Eternals," directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, attempted to introduce an entirely new team of superheroes, an alien race called the Eternals, to the MCU, and followed them from prehistoric times all the way through present day. Your mileage may vary on how successful she was — but "Eternals" did introduce Harry Styles to the MCU, so there's that.

"Zhao ultimately robs the artist's comic of its sweep by constantly turning a space opera into a repetitive character drama," wrote Ed Gonzalez for Slant Magazine.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 48%

"Brave New World" sees Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) officially take over for Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as Captain America on the big screen, while his old friend Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) is the new Falcon.

Sam must go up against President Thunderbolt Ross — with Harrison Ford taking over for William Hurt, who died in 2022 — who has somehow turned into, you guessed it, Red Hulk.

"Though it ties together threads from the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, 'Brave New World' is neither particularly good or bad. It's just another Marvel movie," wrote Dylan Roth for the Observer.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 53%

"Secret Invasion" continues the story of the Skrulls, a few decades after we last saw them in "Captain Marvel," as they search for a new planet with the help of Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson.

But not even the all-star cast of Jackson, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Don Cheadle, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, and more could save this show from getting torn apart by critics.

"If a series about Nick Fury doesn't feel urgent or crucial, then the MCU is losing the battle for our attention," wrote Melanie McFarland for Salon.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 62%

"The Marvels," the long-awaited follow-up to 2019's "Captain Marvel," sees Brie Larson's Carol Danvers team up with Monica Rambeau, aka Photon (Teyonah Parris), and Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel (Imani Vellani) to take down a new threat.

"It might not have the overwhelming impact of an 'Endgame' or even a 'Guardians 3,' but this is the MCU back on fast, funny form," wrote Empire Magazine's Helen O'Hara.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%

The follow-up to smash hit "Thor: Ragnarok" and the first-ever fourth solo film for an MCU hero didn't live up to expectations, at least according to critics. But we did get to see Natalie Portman return to the MCU as her version of the Mighty Thor, a couple of screaming goats, and a jaw-dropping post-credits cameo.

"Though Chris Hemsworth, as usual, has a lot of fun in the title role, the film around him too often strains to provide excitement and laughs," wrote Wall Street Journal's Kyle Smith.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

"Thor: The Dark World" — the 2013 sequel to the 2011 film — stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular Norse god, Tom Hiddleston as his mischievous brother Loki, and Natalie Portman as Thor's Earth-bound love interest Jane Foster. It wasn't as well-received as its predecessor, but it has its defenders. And now, it's been ranked better than "Love and Thunder."

"This feels like a really, really, expensive episode of 'Doctor Who.' In a good way," wrote Larushka Ivan-Zadeh for Metro.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 68%

Edward Norton took over from Eric Bana for "The Incredible Hulk," which was plagued with rumors of behind-the-scenes drama, reported by Collider, including that Norton rewrote much of the movie while it was shooting, and that there were many clashes between Norton, director Louis Leterrier, and Marvel Studios.

Those dueling visions led to a moderately received comic-book film.

"The climax is a bit of a yawn, but most of what precedes it is vigorous and sharp," wrote Tom Charity of CNN.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 70%

"Echo" is a five-episode series following Maya Lopez, aka Echo, a character first introduced in "Hawkeye." After the events of "Hawkeye," when she learned that her adoptive father, Wilson Fisk, was responsible for the death of her real father, Maya returns home to her small town in Oklahoma to reckon with her mysterious past.

"'Echo' resists pandering in its celebration of female, Indigenous, and disabled identities, keeping it all rooted in character moments that are organic and well earned," wrote Jen Chaney for Vulture.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%

In retrospect, "Iron Man 2" had an impossible job: to build upon what is still regarded as one of the finest superhero films of all time. Perhaps that's why critics weren't too kind to "Iron Man 2," which focused on Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, being rude to everyone around him while covering up his own impending death. Oh, and Mickey Rourke is there playing Whiplash, a Russian villain who loves his bird.

"Casting the likes of Downey and Rourke and then imprisoning them in jointed refrigerators is resource-squandering of the highest order," wrote Dana Stevens for Slate.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 74%

After the events of the Disney+ miniseries "WandaVision," Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff has been taken over by the dark forces of the Scarlet Witch, putting her on a collision course with Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Stephen Strange as he works to protect a new teenaged friend, America Chavez (played by Xochitl Gomez), from Wanda's plans.

"It might be Marvel's multiverse, but 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' is [director Sam] Raimi's plaything. And we wouldn't want it any other way," wrote Kristy Puchko for Mashable.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%

The Avengers team up once again in "Age of Ultron" to take down the nihilistic AI known as Ultron, designed as a "suit of armor around the world" by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, aka Iron Man and the Hulk, who is hell-bent on destroying the planet at all costs.

"The sharp, interpersonal dramedy that made the first movie such a delight is again present in flashes, but not infrequently it is drowned out by the noisy, inevitable need to Save the World," wrote Christopher Orr for The Atlantic.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 77%

Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston were both nearly unknowns when they were cast as Norse gods Thor and Loki — and this movie catapulted them both to the A-list almost immediately.

Both Hemsworth and Hiddleston were still involved with the MCU through 2023, with Hemsworth's Thor getting a fourth solo film (a first for the MCU) and Hiddleston's Loki getting a second season of his Disney+ series (also a first for the MCU). Seeing their chemistry as brothers in this first film explains why. But in 2025, their future remains to be seen.

"The new Marvel Comics movie 'Thor,' directed by Kenneth Branagh, is equal parts trippy, tacky, and monumental, the blend surprisingly agreeable, a happy change from all those aggressively down-to-earth superhero flicks like 'Iron Man,'" wrote David Edelstein for Vulture.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%

After the 2019 acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the X-Men are now finally able to become part of the MCU — and the very first X-Men story brought into the universe brings Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine back to the big screen. This time, he teams up with Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, also known as the Merc with a Mouth.

The two go on a rambunctious cameo-filled ride throughout the multiverse to try and save Deadpool's friends from total destruction.

"'Deadpool & Wolverine' is the ultimate love letter to Marvel fans: The cameos and references are aplenty and brilliant, the source material is treated with respect and, best of all, it's pure, unadulterated fun," wrote The Seattle Times' Dominic Baez.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%

"Iron Man 3" focuses on Tony Stark dealing with his PTSD after the events of "Avengers" — aka his near-death experience flying a nuclear bomb through a wormhole in space. But the big twist of this movie, the bait-and-switch identity of the Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley, remains this movie's biggest legacy.

"A thrilling film and a somewhat satisfying conclusion to the 'Iron Man' trilogy," wrote Nicolás Delgadillo for Discussing Film.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%

Brie Larson stars as Carol Danvers, a former US Air Force pilot who is exposed to a blast of cosmic energy in the '90s, experiences memory loss, and is taken in by an alien race called the Kree. As Carol tries to remember her past, she's introduced to a young(er) S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, a digitally de-aged Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

"The main strength is a core of female friendship: Carol Danvers is the only Marvel hero you could imagine getting hammered and belting out songs by No Doubt," wrote The Observer's Wendy Ide.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%

Set between the events of "Captain America: Civil War" and "Avengers: Infinity War," and exactly a decade after her introduction as Natasha Romanoff in "Iron Man 2," Scarlett Johansson finally starred in her own solo film with "Black Widow."

The film also introduced actors Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz to the MCU, all three of whom we'd love to see again in the future — and, in the case of Pugh and Harbour, we'll see them in "Thunderbolts."

"In all the ways that matter to an MCU fan, 'Black Widow' the film meets or exceeds all expectations. It is a killer action flick, and a unique viewing experience... in that I loved it, and the fact that I loved it also makes me livid," wrote Salon's Melanie McFarland.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%

Uncanny valley visual effects aside, "She-Hulk" was simply a lot of fun, led by the talented Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters, cousin of Bruce Banner (aka the Hulk), gifted lawyer, and reluctant superhero.

Plus, fans got to see the official reintroduction of Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, or Daredevil, into the MCU.

"'She-Hulk: Attorney At Law' was a massive success. It had a little bit of a bobble on the dismount, but it stuck the landing all the same. Here's hoping we see way more of Jennifer Walters in the MCU to come," wrote IGN's Amelia Emberwing.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%

Simply put, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is the role that Chris Evans was born to play. Audiences see Evans first as a digitally altered scrawny kid from 1940s Brooklyn who, against all odds, is chosen to receive a "super soldier serum" and become Captain America due to his pure heart. With anyone else, it'd be unbearably cheesy, but Evans sells it.

"No clever messages here, just bang-on romance and action, with another fresh twist on 20th-century history woven in for the kids to dive into after the credits have rolled," wrote Ed Gibbs for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%

"Vol. 3's" 82% score makes it the lowest-rated "Guardians" movie, though it has a high 94% audience score.

The film serves as a swan song for this version of the Guardians, comprised of Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Groot (Vin Diesel), Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Kraglin (Sean Gunn), as well as director James Gunn in the MCU.

He's now co-running DC Studios and is directing a new Superman movie, which is out this summer.

Richard Roeper called the film "a funny, big-hearted adventure" in the Chicago-Sun Times.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%

Rudd plays Scott Lang, a white-collar criminal who is enlisted to take on the mantle of Ant-Man, a shrinking superhero who used to be Michael Douglas' Hank Pym. But, as Pym is too old to suit up, he and his daughter Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) teach Lang how to control ants, shrink and grow at will, and how to break into Pym's lab to take down Darren Cross (Corey Stoll).

"Paul Rudd stars in a formulaic but consistently entertaining and likable Marvel summer blockbuster," wrote NME's Nick Levine.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%

After the tragic (and unexpected) death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, the highly anticipated "Black Panther" sequel was rewritten to be a story of grief and mourning, while also setting up the future of Wakanda in the MCU for years to come.

Lupita Nyong'o, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett all put in stellar performances, with the latter receiving an Oscar nomination, while Tenoch Huerta introduced viewers to the underwater king Namor with a bang.

"A thoughtful and mature exploration of communal grief in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Chadwick Boseman," wrote Chicago Reader's Sheri Flanders.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%

"Agatha All Along" is a spin-off of one of the most successful Marvel Disney+ shows, "WandaVision." Now, the spotlight is on Agatha Harkness, a formerly powerful witch whose powers were stripped and memories stolen by Wanda.

But you can't keep a good witch down — in this show, she teams up with an all-star cast (Patti LuPone, Aubrey Plaza, Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata) to get her magic back at any cost.

"A charming concoction of snappy humor, strong performances, and enchanting nostalgia that makes for perfect pre-Halloween viewing. Kathryn Hahn's sheer magnetism alone will have you spellbound," wrote Empire Magazine's Sophie Butcher.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

"GotG Vol. 2" delves into the true parentage of Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, as played by Chris Pratt. In addition to the rest of the stellar returning cast, Kurt Russell was added to play Peter's biological father, Ego the Living Planet, and Pom Klementieff joined the team as the empathic alien, Mantis.

"In Marvel lingo, 'Guardians 2' feels like a great six-issue arc, the kind of storytelling that used to be the backbone of superhero comics," wrote The Atlantic's David Sims.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

"Avengers: Infinity War" is the first part of the culmination of the first 10 years of the MCU, which concluded one year later in "Avengers Endgame."

The film "Infinity War" follows Thanos, an alien who is dedicated to erasing half of the universe's population, as he scours space for the six Infinity Stones. Meanwhile, the Avengers stop at nothing to prevent him from getting all six with disastrous consequences.

"The conclusion of 'Infinity War' is so shocking because it doesn't feel like a cliffhanger, more like a drastic wiping clean of the slate before the whole cycle starts again, with whatever reversal of fortune or comprehensive reboot it may be," wrote Film Comment Magazine's Jonathan Romney.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

"Falcon" was the second MCU series to drop on Disney+, after "WandaVision," and the hype was high. While this series is charming thanks to the hilarious chemistry between stars Anthony Mackie (Falcon) and Sebastian Stan (the Winter Soldier), the series' two antagonists, Karli Morgenthau and John Walker, brought down the material.

Glad Sam finally got the shield, though!

"It's far from a perfect show, but it had moments of emotion and connection that have often been lacking in the MCU as a whole," wrote Polygon's Tasha Robinson.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

"What If...?" is based on the popular Marvel comic series of the same name. Each episode explores what would've happened if one small (or huge) thing had changed in the MCU, like what if T'Challa had become Star-Lord instead of Peter Quill, or what if Peggy Carter had received the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers?

It lasted for three seasons.

"For dedicated Marvel enthusiasts, on the other hand, 'What If...?' might feel inessential. But the prospect of speculative fan fiction with a stamp of approval will be hard to resist," wrote The Guardian's Jack Seale.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%

"Moon Knight" focuses on Isaac's truly impressive performance as mercenary Marc Spector ... and museum gift shop employee Steven Grant ... and the super-powered avatar of the Egyptian god Khonshu.

Things might have gotten a bit confusing by the end, but episode five remains a high mark in MCU acting, thanks to Isaac.

"Isaac's having fun and that fun is infectious whenever Steven is on screen. Accuracy is overvalued in acting, innit? I'd much prefer watching Steven Grant destroy a loo," wrote Esther Zuckerman for Thrillist.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%

Seven years after the original Netflix "Daredevil" series was canceled, the Man with No Fear is back, and this time he's on Disney+.

Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), and Vanessa Fisk (Ayelet Zurer) all returned for this continuation of Daredevil's story.

The blind lawyer turned vigilante once again faced off against Fisk, who was somehow elected the mayor of New York City.

Business Insider's Eammon Jacobs called the show "the best Marvel project in years."

Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%

By adding the Wasp to the title of the film, Evangeline Lilly is the true first woman to play a titular superhero in the MCU, though she still shares top-billing with Paul Rudd as Ant-Man. In "Ant-Man and the Wasp," the two insect-themed heroes reunite to rescue Hope's mom, played by the radiant Michelle Pfeiffer, from the mysterious quantum realm after an accident decades prior.

"Its intent is limited to amusing and diverting for a couple of hours of high-summer fun. That it does," wrote Matthew Norman of the London Evening Standard.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%

The first season of "Loki" premiered in June 2021, bringing back one of the most beloved MCU characters from the dead. Sure, this Loki is technically Loki at his most evil, right after the events of 2012's "The Avengers," but it's always nice to see Hiddleston don his golden horns.

However, "Loki" evolved into a genuinely moving story about self-love, destiny, and the capacity to change for good, when given the opportunity.

Season two returned in October 2023.

"The new Marvel series combines the inventiveness of 'WandaVision' with the buddy-comedy repartee missing from 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,'" wrote The Daily Beast's Nick Schager.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%

Cumberbatch joined the MCU to play Dr. Stephen Strange, a hot-shot surgeon who loses the use of his hands after a brutal car crash and seeks out sorcerers who can help him regain his strength.

As Richard Brody wrote in The New Yorker, the film "lives up to its title, in mostly good ways."

Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%

Marvel's latest film sees a bunch of B-list antiheroes (sorry, but it's true!) led by Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova/Black Widow) come together to fight a mysterious, shadowy new villain known as the Void.

"That's why 'Thunderbolts*' is so much better than most of Marvel's post-Endgame films. It's not just because it's a rough-edged, big-hearted spy thriller about lovably clueless anti-heroes. It's because it has an actor as charismatic as Pugh at its center," wrote Nicholas Barber for the BBC.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

If "Captain America: The First Avenger" was Marvel's take on a WWII drama, "Winter Soldier" is the MCU's version of a tense, political thriller as Cap uncovers multiple layers of conspiracy within the US government, and must go on the run from his presumed-dead best friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), now brain-washed into the murderous assassin the Winter Soldier.

"'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' delivers the superhero movie goods, but it does so with a grin and a wink, and that seems more and more like the right way to approach these things," wrote Jason Bailey for Flavorwire.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

Essentially an "Avengers" movie, "Captain America: Civil War" sees Captain America team up with his friends Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) to save his friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) from getting wrongfully convicted for a bombing at the United Nations.

Cap goes up against Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Vision (Paul Bettany), and War Machine (Don Cheadle) in order to save his friend.

Of course, this movie is also famous for introducing Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, aka Black Panther, and Tom Holland as the MCU's version of Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man.

"It is one of the best movies to ever come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, balancing engaging action set pieces and witty dialogue with intelligent character studies and ethical debates," wrote Salon's Matthew Rozsa.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

Gael García Bernal entered the MCU as Jack Russell, an apparent monster hunter who's actually hiding a secret: Every full moon, he turns into a full-on bloodthirsty werewolf. Shot entirely in black and white, "Werewolf by Night" successfully evoked the monster movies that Universal Studios became famous for.

"'Werewolf By Night' is a charming tribute not only to the pulpy horror comics on which it's based but to the scary and silly classic cinema that a generation of film lovers grew up watching late at night on local television," wrote Dylan Routh for the Observer.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

After four years of teasing out the six main Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Hawkeye, and Hulk), they all met up on the big screen for the first time in "The Avengers."

Under the watchful eye of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, viewers saw Earth's mightiest heroes team up for the first time to take out Thor's brother Loki as he attempted to conquer the world on behalf of a mysterious purple alien.

"A mega-budget action extravaganza that succeeds on just about every level, and it's one you should certainly go and see as soon as possible," wrote Luke Holland for NME.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

Picking up a few months after the events of "Avengers: Endgame," Peter Parker/Spider-Man must figure out how to balance his life as a web-slinging superhero and a simple teenager with a crush on his friend MJ, played by a delightful Zendaya. Add in a truly unhinged Jake Gyllenhaal performance as Quentin Beck/Mysterio, and you have the makings of a solid Spidey film.

"The stakes this time turn out to be considerably lower, and your friendly neighborhood Spider-Teen is arguably just the guy to bring things down to Earth and reestablish a human scale," said NPR's Bob Mondello.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

At the time, it was a huge swing for Marvel to entrust writer/director James Gunn with bringing one of the lesser-known superhero teams into the MCU — but, as we know, it was one of the smartest gambles Marvel ever made.

"Guardians," led by the ever-charming Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, combines hilarious jokes with a genuinely sweet story about found family: In this case, Peter finds Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket.

"Blessed with a loose, anarchic B-picture soul that encourages you to enjoy yourself even when you're not quite sure what's going on, the scruffy 'Guardians' is irreverent in a way that can bring the first 'Star Wars' to mind," wrote Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" was the third reboot of Spider-Man in 15 years, but somehow, once again, the powers that be managed to find a third actor who was just as qualified as his predecessors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to bring Spidey to life.

After his introduction in "Civil War," "Homecoming" focuses on Peter Parker's sweet bond with Tony Stark/Iron Man, and his realization that being a hero is about more than a cool suit.

"The youthful vibe of this character reset, with its sense of humor and its light touch, makes 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' one of the most enjoyable Marvel movies in years," wrote Chesapeake Family Magazine's Roxana Hadadi.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

After years of being side characters, Wanda Maximoff and Vision, who are played by Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, respectively, were finally able to step into the spotlight.

And how lucky we were to see it. "WandaVision" remains one of the weirdest projects the MCU has put out, as the first few episodes skip through decades of sitcom classics like "Bewitched," "Malcolm in the Middle," and "Modern Family."

Olsen and Bettany were both nominated for Emmys for their performances in "WandaVision," and we couldn't agree more with the honor.

Richard Roeper wrote for the Chicago-Sun Times, "If you're one of those Marvel Cinematic Universe fans who feel it's time for something truly unique and different: Meet 'WandaVision.'"

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

Simu Liu mentioned Marvel in a post on Twitter (now X) back in 2018, asking if they were "gonna talk or what #ShangChi."

Three years later, Liu debuted in his own solo film as Shang-Chi in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." In it, Shang-Chi comes to accept his past as a member of his father's (played by the always wonderful Tony Leung) criminal organization, the Ten Rings, while protecting his mother's village from the attacks of a demon known as the Dweller-in-Darkness.

"It's a good movie. It's got a plausibly fearsome villain by way of Leung, a nice ensemble of heroic personalities, and a dose of actually-poignant family drama undergirding all the rest," wrote K. Austin Collins for Rolling Stone.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

"Hawkeye," starring Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld as two of the most talented archers in the world, was a refreshing change of pace; the stakes weren't cosmic.

Instead, it came down to Renner's Clint Barton and Steinfeld's Kate Bishop battling it out against a Russian mob with an affinity for tracksuits while dodging Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, played by Vincent D'Onofrio, brought back from the Netflix Marvel series limbo.

"The series was loosely inspired by the excellent Matt Fraction and David Aja run of 'Hawkeye' comics, and some of that fun makes its way into the show," wrote Vanity Fair's Sonia Saraiya.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%

"Ragnarok" was one of the most impressive feats in MCU history — the first two "Thor" movies are among some of the lowest-rated MCU movies, while "Ragnarok" is in the top 10 of all Marvel movies, period.

This comes down to director Taika Waititi, who was able to infuse his signature style and tone into the MCU in this cosmic adventure that's also a straight-up comedy, following Thor on his journey to prevent the total destruction of his home world, Asgard.

"Beautifully filmed with serious kinetic energy by director Taika Waititi, with a crackling script, 'Thor: Ragnarok' is a heap of fun. Cue 'Immigrant Song,'" wrote Kristen Lopez for Culturess.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%

"Spider-Man: No Way Home's" charms are impossible to deny, even if the plot has more holes than Swiss cheese.

For Marvel movie fans, it's hard to imagine something more satisfying than seeing Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire together on screen, discussing their rogues' galleries, Tobey's weird web situation, or how with great power comes great responsibility.

"Throughout all of it, the weird and complex history of Spider-Man as a cinematic icon isn't a hindrance to the story; instead, it's an enhancement, using the quirks of the character's legacy as a source of illumination into why he has endured so long," wrote Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

The reason that pop culture is what it is today can be boiled down to the mega-success of this movie, which set up an entire cinematic universe, revived Robert Downey Jr.'s career, and boosted director Jon Favreau's status so high that he's now basically one of the auteurs of the entire "Star Wars" universe.

But this film is simple: Billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark (Downey) is kidnapped by a group of terrorists, who lead him to discover that his weapons are landing in the wrong hands. So, he builds a suit of armor and becomes a superhero.

"Led by Downey's career-resurrecting performance as billionaire weapons peddler Tony Stark, it proves just as indispensable to the movie's giddy escapist appeal as the seamless CGI effects and eye-popping pyrotechnics," wrote Craig Outhier of the Orange County Register.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

"Endgame," as a movie, is a magic trick. Somehow, this movie crams in 11 years of MCU story-telling, every major character from all of the films, travels back in time to essentially walk through the universe's greatest hits, has real stakes, and makes a three-hour movie fly by.

When the Avengers decide to try to undo Thanos' universe-shattering snap, the original crew from the 2012 movie (with a few notable additions like Karen Gillan's Nebula, Paul Rudd's Ant-Man, and Don Cheadle's War Machine), travel through Marvel history to find the Infinity Stones.

"Eleven years of Universe building, and this is the crescendo. It really pays off, I've never seen anything quite like it," said James Luxford on the BBC.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

Marvel's second special presentation was this 44-minute holiday special focusing on the Guardians trying to give the still-mourning Peter Quill the perfect Christmas with the help of his hero Kevin Bacon.

"Adept at taking B-level comic book characters and turning them into franchise hits, [director James] Gunn does a lot with a little here with Marvel's first-ever holiday special," wrote The Wrap's Karama Horne.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

After Chadwick Boseman was introduced in "Captain America: Civil War" as Black Panther, fans were waiting with bated breath for his solo film — and they weren't disappointed. "Black Panther" is a riveting story, where the "villain" (a supremely cast Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger) has a very compelling point and even gets the hero, T'Challa, to change his mind.

Supported by all-stars like Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Sterling K. Brown, along with newer finds like Letitia Wright and Winston Duke, "Black Panther" is special. To date, it's the only Marvel movie to be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.

"'Black Panther' is a revelation, the first film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe that truly feels like an of-the-moment masterwork that also happens to be a comic-book movie," wrote Roxana Hadadi of Chesapeake Family Magazine.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

"Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" is an animated series set in an alternate reality. It tells the origin story of yet another Peter Parker, this time voiced by Hudson Thames.

"'Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man' is surprisingly mature for being this energetic and squishy, a PG-rated take that treats its teen characters with respect by not insulting their intelligence or limiting their growth," wrote Jarrod Jones for The AV Club.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%

"Ms. Marvel" stars newcomer Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, a normal teenager who stans Captain Marvel (aka Carol Danvers) — and when she finds an otherworldly bangle connected to her family history, she's able to become more similar to her favorite heroes than she ever thought possible.

With a distinct, fun visual style and amazing supporting performances across the board, "Ms. Marvel" has established a high benchmark for the MCU Disney+ series.

"'Ms. Marvel' doesn't reinvent the superhero wheel. Instead, it dips it in gold and bedazzles it with eye-melting visuals," wrote Eric Francisco of Inverse.

All scores mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, but are subject to change.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 9%

"Fantastic Four" is the second on-screen iteration of the famed Marvel family consisting of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Miles Teller), his love interest Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Kate Mara), her brother Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Michael B. Jordan), and their friend Ben Grimm/The Thing (Jamie Bell).

After they travel to a different dimension and acquire fantastic, if gruesome, powers, they face off against Doctor Doom, played by Toby Kebbell, a former friend turned homicidal maniac.

"A poorly constructed, ineptly executed, flatfooted piece of Branded Product that plays as though it were written by a piece of software fed every superhero movie script to date and instructed to synthesize them," wrote Flavorwire's Jason Bailey.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 11%

After dying at the end of "Daredevil," Elektra, played by Jennifer Garner, is revived by her mentor, Stick, to become a force for good. Eventually, she abandons this lifestyle and becomes a contract killer until an evil organization known as The Hand attempts to kill her.

Tim Robey of The Telegraph called the film "Studio dross of the lowest grade."

Rotten Tomatoes score: 11%

The first Marvel film of 2024 (though not part of the MCU) was "Madame Web," which stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic living in New York City who somehow gains clairvoyance. She teams up with three young women — Julia (Sydney Sweeney), Anya (Isabela Merced), and Mattie (Celeste O'Connor) — who each have spider-powers in their future to take down a mysterious foe, Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim).

"Even Johnson has her limits, and 'Madame Web' blows so far past them that you can practically guess which scenes were shot last based on the degree to which its star has given up," wrote Allison Wilmore for Vulture.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 13%

As you might've guessed from the title, Howard is a duck. Specifically, a resident of the planet Duckworld, which is like Earth, but inhabited by ducks. When Howard finds himself on Earth in the state of Ohio, he must team up with a woman, Beverly Switzler (Lea Thompson) to try and get home.

"Sound the horns, light the speakers, and cue the marching band, because 'Howard the Duck' is here ... and bad movie historians could not ask for a more mallard-droit venture than this," wrote Michael Burkett of the Orange County Register.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 15%

In "Morbius," Jared Leto stars as Dr. Michael Morbius, a highly intelligent doctor dying from a rare blood disease. In his quest to find a cure, he accidentally turns himself into a "living vampire," a being with enhanced strength, sonar capabilities, a psychic connection with bats ... and the unending desire to drink blood.

"'Morbius,' at best, will be remembered as the latest effort on Sony's part to make its nascent Sinister Six franchise happen. And, like 'fetch,' it's hard to see that happening," wrote Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 16%

What seems to be the final film in Sony's ill-advised SSU (Sony's Spider-Man Universe) is "Kraven the Hunter," which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular Kraven. In the film, Kraven works to free his brother Dmitri (Fred Hechinger) from the villainous Rhino (Alessandro Nivola).

"'Kraven the Hunter' is a terrible movie, but you almost feel sorry for it," wrote Peter Howell of The Toronto Star.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 18%

Nicolas Cage returns as stuntman-turned-flaming-skeleton Johnny Blaze, who has been in hiding since the events of the first film. When he finds out that the devil himself has fathered a child and is planning to raise him, he rides again as the demonic Ghost Rider in exchange for getting his soul back.

"Cage appears to find his role as this second-tier Marvel Comics antihero alternately silly, tremendously fun, and the means to a decent paycheck for not all that much work," wrote the Austin Chronicle's Marc Savlov.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 22%

Sophie Turner plays Jean Grey, who begins to lose control of her psychic abilities, unleashing what's called the "Phoenix Force." The rest of her mutant teammates and some enemies assemble to try to help Jean control her powers, leading to tragedy.

"Outgunned on the action front by box-office rivals and too nervous to tell a more intimate story, 'Dark Phoenix' leaves the franchise running on empty," wrote Michael Hale of Sight & Sound.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 23%

Yes, the "Men in Black" franchise is based on the Malibu Comics run of the same name. Malibu was then acquired by Marvel in 1994.

The 2019 stand-alone sequel sees Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson take over for Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, playing two new agents, Agent H and Agent M, who are paired up in London to uncover a mole within the agency.

"For all its oddball aliens and fantastical technology, the most unbelievable thing about 'Men in Black: International' is just how thoroughly it wastes Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth," wrote Mashable's Angie Han.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 24%

Until Mahershala Ali's "Blade" film is released, Wesley Snipes will be the only big-screen version of Blade, a human-vampire hybrid who has dedicated himself to hunting vampires. In the last film of the trilogy, Blade, played by Wesley Snipes, teams up with two new vampire hunters (Ryan Reynolds' Hannibal King and Jessica Biel's Abigail Whistler) to defeat Dracula.

"This has all the appeal of reheated, congealed blood," wrote Time Out's Nigel Floyd.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 25%

Not long after "Howard the Duck," the next Marvel movie was released: "The Punisher." In it, Lundgren plays Frank Castle, a presumed-dead former detective whose family was blown up by a car bomb placed by the Mafia. However, Castle survived the bombing and has now dedicated his life to getting revenge on everyone involved.

This film never got a theatrical release in the US, but it was released internationally, thus qualifying it for this list.

Time Out's Suzi Feay called the film "destructive, reprehensible, and marvelous fun."

Rotten Tomatoes score: 27%

Years before he became Captain America, Chris Evans took on the role of Johnny Storm, better known as the Human Torch, in "Fantastic Four." He was joined by Jessica Alba as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, and Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm/The Thing.

Instead of traveling to a parallel dimension, this version of the Fantastic Four's origin story sees them interact with a cosmic cloud in space, giving them their powers. But, like in the reboot, their primary nemesis is Doctor Doom, this time a former classmate of Reed and Sue's, played by Julian McMahon.

On the AV Club, Keith Phipps simply called the movie "A garish mediocrity."

Rotten Tomatoes score: 28%

In "Ghost Rider," viewers watch as Cage's Johnny Blaze descends into hell as the literal devil's bounty hunter, a power he received after trading his soul to spare his father's life. Now, when he's around an evil spirit, he becomes the Ghost Rider, a flaming skull demon who rides a motorcycle. He gets into a race against the son of a demon to prevent him from unleashing hell on Earth.

"Nic Cage seems comfortable in the role of the flaming-skulled biker, but the plot holes are too deep even for his Herbie-like arachnid motorcycle to negotiate," wrote David Jenkins for Time Out.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 29%

"The Punisher" stars Thomas Jane as Frank Castle, a former FBI agent whose entire family is murdered after his cover is blown by the vengeful Saint crime family, the head of which is played by John Travolta. Frank then dedicates his entire existence to getting revenge on those who were involved in the death of his wife and children.

"A comic-book action movie with an unpleasant edge," wrote Nev Pierce for the BBC.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 29%

"War Zone" saw its titular role re-cast with Ray Stevenson, whose version of Frank is now five years into his career as the vigilante the Punisher. This time, Frank goes up against one of his most famous adversaries in the comics, Jigsaw (played by Dominic West), while evading the police, who have created a "Punisher Task Force" dedicated to bringing him in.

"You couldn't call it shoddy, exactly, and the actors take it painfully seriously; it's just dispiriting to see all this endeavor in the service of something so humorless and disgusting," wrote Andrew Pulver of The Guardian.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 30%

In "Venom," Tom Hardy plays journalist Eddie Brock, who loses his job, his fiancée (played by Michelle Williams), and his reputation after he steals confidential documents and confronts a powerful CEO, played by Riz Ahmed. Simultaneously, he is exposed to an alien symbiote who calls itself Venom, and the two bond together to protect the Earth.

"Not since 'Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance' has a Marvel Comics adaptation centered on such a splendidly weird lead performance," wrote the Chicago Reader's Ben Sachs.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 33%

"Kick-Ass" and its sequel are based on the series of the same name, which was initially published by the Marvel imprint Icon Comics. It has since moved to Image Comics, the third-largest comics brand behind Marvel and DC.

Specifically, "Kick-Ass 2" reunites viewers with the vigilante duo of Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Dave Lizewski/Kick-Ass and Chloë Grace Moretz as Mindy Macready/Hit-Girl as they once again face off against Christopher Mintz-Plasse's Chris D'Amico, who has an NSFW alter ego.

"Although the film has the cheap veneer of female empowerment that comes from having a girl assassin, it is rotten with misogyny," Jenny McCartney for The Telegraph.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 36%

Now that Disney officially owns Fox, the next X-Men movie we get will likely be an entirely different continuity. For a franchise with high highs and low lows, it's just unfortunate that this was the last hurrah.

"New Mutants" stars Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Blu Hunt, Henry Zaga, and Adam Beach as a group of teenage mutants living in a hospital. They were all sent there after causing horrible accidents (or even deaths) with their powers, only to discover that things at the hospital are not what they seem.

"The concept behind 'The New Mutants' is a solid, intriguing one that could've reinvigorated the familiar origin superhero story. Instead, Boone opts for genericism, ending the 'X-Men' franchise with an angsty-teen whimper," wrote Meagan Navarro for Bloody Disgusting.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 37%

The cast from the first film all returns, joined by Doug Jones and Laurence Fishburne, who provide the physical form and voice, respectively, of the Silver Surfer, a herald from outer space who serves to warn a planet of its incoming destruction at the hands of the planet-killing Galactus.

"An off-brand superhero movie, the cinematic equivalent of one of those generic breakfast cereals with a badly drawn squirrel for a mascot," wrote Slate's Dana Stevens.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 37%

The 2009 film focuses on Logan, or Wolverine, as played by Hugh Jackman, and what his life was like before he became the X-Man that we knew and loved in the three previous movies. It follows him from the Civil War to the 1970s.

"'Wolverine' starts with a roar before sliding into a chaotic, preachy mess," wrote The Irish Times' Donald Clarke.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 38%

After the events of the first film, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) has retired and subsequently had his memory wiped of all things alien, but Agent J (Will Smith) drags him back into duty to confront their biggest threat yet.

"This is effective button-pushing sci-fi entertainment, but you won't need to be neuralized to forget it," wrote Andy Jacobs for the BBC.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 41%

"Venom: The Last Dance" is exactly what it sounds like: a trilogy-capping film. It stars Tom Hardy as both the human reporter Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote best frenemy, Venom. In "Last Dance," Eddie and Venom must make difficult decisions regarding their relationship and the safety of the planet.

"At least the film ends with a fittingly poignant/ridiculous tribute to the greatest love story ever told about a man and his symbiotic alien goo," wrote Indiewire's David Ehrlich.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 42%

"The King's Man" is based on the Icon Comics series "Kingsman" (originally titled "The Secret Service"), telling the story of the very first members of the Kingsman, including Ralph Fiennes' Orlando Oxford, his son Conrad (played by Harris Dickinson), a maid/spy Polly (played by Gemma Arterton), a butler/spy Shola (played by Djimon Honsou), and more as they go up against Russian sorcerer Rasputin, as played by Rhys Ifans.

"It is downright diabolical for Vaughn to make audiences even imagine a sequel to this unnecessary prequel simply to see if can be as outlandish as promised," wrote the Los Angeles Times' Mark Olsen.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 43%

Affleck plays Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer with preternaturally sensitive senses and a healthy helping of Catholic guilt who decides to save Hell's Kitchen by becoming Daredevil, the Man Without Fear.

He's joined by Jennifer Garner as Elektra, an assassin with a heart, and Jon Favreau as Foggy Nelson, his best friend and fellow lawyer. They go up against the crime boss Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, played by Michael Clarke Duncan, and the unstable assassin Bullseye, played by Colin Farrell.

Joe Morganstern of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "It isn't a great film, or even a greatly original one. Still, it has many grace notes, and interesting oddities."

Rotten Tomatoes score: 46%

It's been a tough time for the MCU over the last couple of years, and "Quantumania" seems to be a nadir for the long-running franchise.

In this film, Ant-Man (or Scott Lang), played by Paul Rudd, travels to the microscopic Quantum Realm to save his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), who was sucked in there by a mysterious device. Along for the ride are his girlfriend Hope/The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), her mom Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), her dad Hank (Michael Douglas), and various other citizens of this new plane of existence.

Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal called it "another lackluster blockbuster."

Rotten Tomatoes score: 47%

"Apocalypse" is the ninth "X-Men" film overall, and the third installment in the prequel trilogy that stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult as younger versions of mutants from the original three films.

In "Apocalypse," the team must unite to defeat the world's first mutant, En Sabah Nur, or Apocalypse, as he tries to remake the world when he is awoken after thousands of years.

"This is one of the big dangers for the extended franchise model of filmmaking, that characters and series will be kept alive not because there's a story to tell, but because the franchise must be kept alive," wrote Peter Suderman for Vox.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 47%

"Eternals," directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, attempted to introduce an entirely new team of superheroes, an alien race called the Eternals, to the MCU and followed them from prehistoric times through the present day. Your mileage may vary on how successful she was, but "Eternals" did introduce Harry Styles to the MCU, so there's that.

"Zhao ultimately robs the artist's comic of its sweep by constantly turning a space opera into a repetitive character drama," wrote Ed Gonzalez for Slant Magazine.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone reunite as Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, and his doomed girlfriend Gwen Stacy, in this over-stuffed sequel that sees Peter going up against Jamie Foxx's Electro, Dane DeHaan's Green Goblin, and Paul Giamatti's Rhino.

"Over-stuffed with plot and consequently struggles to invest the audience in any of it, since there's so much to get through and so many future films and spin-offs to set up," wrote The Atlantic's David Sims.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 51%

"The Golden Circle" stars Taron Egerton once again as Eggsy, a newly minted member of the secret spy organization the Kingsman. After many of its members are wiped out, Eggsy and his colleague Merlin (Mark Strong), travel to the US and meet their American equivalents, the Statesman.

David Edelstein simply wrote, "What a mess it is" in his review for Vulture.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 56%

"The Last Stand" is another interpretation of the "Dark Phoenix Saga," this time focusing on Famke Janssen's version of Jean Grey after she's resurrected following her death in "X2." Like the 2019 version of the story, Jean is unable to control her powers and kills people that she cares about until she is ultimately taken out by Logan.

"'The Last Stand' pretty much looks and plays like the first films, though perhaps with more noise and babe action and a little less glum," wrote Manohla Dargis for The New York Times.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 57%

"Blade II" might be a little tough to watch in the year 2024, as its plot focuses on a pandemic that turns vampires into Reapers, aka rabid vampires, but the additions of Ron Perlman and a young Norman Reedus are worth the watch. Plus, it was directed by horror visionary Guillermo del Toro, which means, at the very least, that it's never boring.

As the AV Club's Nathan Rabin wrote, "The world can always use another entertainingly trashy B-movie, and 'Blade II' fits the bill."

Rotten Tomatoes score: 58%

"Venom: Let There Be Carnage" is a lean, mean, killing machine. Ostensibly, the movie is about Venom and Eddie working together to defeat the serial killer Cletus Kasady, played by a dialed-in Woody Harrelson ... but, in actuality, it's a romantic comedy between Venom and Eddie trying to figure out how to live together in one body.

"A love story written in blood, sweat, and the slime of half-eaten brains," wrote The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 58%

Wesley Snipes makes his debut as Blade, a vampire-human hybrid who has dedicated his life to hunting down vampires in the seedy underworld of his home city, using his unique advantages, like the ability to walk in the daylight.

"'Blade's' stomach-turning special effects, bone-crunching martial arts and cynical humor will more than satisfy any action-film addict's need for a fix of eye-popping escapist adrenaline," wrote the Washington Post's Michael O'Sullivan.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 62%

After saving the universe, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) has once again left Earth to continue saving the rest of the galaxy — but when her powers get entangled with her best friend's daughter, Monica (Teyonah Parris), and a Captain Marvel superfan who has nicknamed herself Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), she must return to her home planet to see what exactly is going on, and confront the mistakes of her past.

"It's silly and makes little sense, but it's such a fun time at the movies. And isn't that why we go to see movies in the first place?" wrote Kristen Lopez for The Wrap.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%

Eric Bana took on the role of Marvel's not-so-jolly green giant in Ang Lee's version of "Hulk" in one of the most faithful comic-book movies, at least aesthetically speaking, even if the character's origin wasn't exactly the same as on the page. A supporting cast of Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, and Nick Nolte also elevates this movie.

"Where so many comic-book movies feel as disposable as Kleenex, the passionate, un-cynical 'Hulk' stamps itself into your memory. Lee's movies are built to last," wrote Newsweek's David Ansen.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%

"Spider-Man 3" made the mistake of trying to cram too many villains into one film, a mistake that "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" replicated a few years later. In the film, Peter, as played by Tobey Maguire, faces off against his best friend Harry Osborn (James Franco) as the new Green Goblin, Flint Marko/Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and Eddie Brock (this time played by Topher Grace), aka Venom.

He also infamously dances down the streets of New York City with the most emo haircut of all time, which is later referenced in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" a decade later.

"Too many villains, too many pale plot strands, too many romantic misunderstandings, too many conversations, too many street crowds looking high into the air and shouting 'oooh!' this way, then swiveling and shouting aaah!' that way," wrote Roger Ebert.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%

The follow-up to smash hit "Thor: Ragnarok" and the first-ever fourth solo film for an MCU hero didn't live up to expectations, at least according to critics. But we did get to see Natalie Portman return to the MCU as her version of the Mighty Thor, a couple of screaming goats, and a jaw-dropping post-credits cameo.

"Though Chris Hemsworth, as usual, has a lot of fun in the title role, the film around him too often strains to provide excitement and laughs," wrote Wall Street Journal's Kyle Smith.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

A decade after we last saw Agents J and K, viewers were once again treated to the comedic duo of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, but with a twist.

The film focuses on an alien who travels back in time to kill a young Agent K (Jones) in the 1960s, leading Agent J (Smith) to also travel back and team up with the young Agent K, played by Josh Brolin, to fix the future.

"The movie represents at least a partial return to form, not as inventive as the first, but surely better than the recycled materials that made up the second," wrote The Atlantic's Christopher Orr.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

"Thor: The Dark World," the 2013 sequel to the 2011 film, stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular Norse god, Tom Hiddleston as his mischievous brother Loki, and Natalie Portman as Thor's Earth-bound love interest Jane Foster. It wasn't as well-received as its predecessor, but it has its defenders.

"This feels like a really, really, expensive episode of 'Doctor Who.' In a good way," wrote Larushka Ivan-Zadeh for Metro.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 68%

Edward Norton took over for Eric Bana in "The Incredible Hulk," which was plagued with rumors of behind-the-scenes drama, including that Norton rewrote much of the movie while it was shooting, and that there were many clashes between Norton, director Louis Leterrier, and Marvel Studios.

Those dueling visions led to a moderately received comic-book film.

"The climax is a bit of a yawn, but most of what precedes it is vigorous and sharp," wrote Tom Charity of CNN.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

"The Wolverine" separates Hugh Jackman's Wolverine from the rest of the X-Men for his own little side quest in Japan. In it, he wrestles with the consequences of his actions (aka killing Jean Grey in "X-Men: The Last Stand") and with his "curse" of immortality.

"Director James Mangold's film features some breathtakingly suspenseful action sequences, exquisite production and costume design and colorful characters, some of whom register more powerfully than others," wrote Christy Lemire for RogerEbert.com.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

Released just five years after Tobey Maguire hung up his spider-suit in 2007, "The Amazing Spider-Man" had its work cut out for it. And, largely, the movie succeeds at introducing a new take on our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and his second-most iconic love interest Gwen Stacy (played by a luminous Emma Stone), while attempting to introduce new lore regarding Peter's parents' disappearance.

"The casting is just right. As if moving back in time, Andrew Garfield is the Spidey Sean Connery, as opposed to Tobey Maguire's Roger Moore," wrote The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%

In retrospect, "Iron Man 2" had an impossible job: to build upon what is still regarded as one of the finest superhero films of all time.

Perhaps that's why critics weren't too kind to "Iron Man 2," which focused on Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, being rude to everyone around him while covering up his impending death. Oh, and Mickey Rourke is there playing Whiplash, a Russian villain who loves his bird.

"Casting the likes of Downey and Rourke and then imprisoning them in jointed refrigerators is resource-squandering of the highest order," wrote Dana Stevens for Slate.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 74%

After the events of the Disney+ miniseries "WandaVision," Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff has been taken over by the dark forces of the Scarlet Witch, putting her on a collision course with Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Stephen Strange as he works to protect a new teenage friend, America Chavez (played by Xochitl Gomez), from Wanda's plans.

"It might be Marvel's multiverse, but 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' is [director Sam] Raimi's plaything. And we wouldn't want it any other way," wrote Kristy Puchko for Mashable.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 75%

"Kingsman," based on the Icon Comics run of the same name, is a far bloodier and funnier movie than anything viewers have seen from a comic book movie in some time. Taron Egerton stars as Eggsy, a petty criminal and Royal Marines dropout who is turned into a super-spy with the help of his mentor, Harry, played by Colin Firth.

"On Day One of filming, they must have thrown away the moral compass and taken a group vow to splatter our sensibilities with stylish, gratuitous violence and one 'Wait, what?!' moment after another," wrote Richard Roeper for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%

The Avengers team up once again in "Age of Ultron" to take down the nihilistic AI known as Ultron, designed as a "suit of armor around the world" by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, aka Iron Man and the Hulk, who is hell-bent on destroying the planet at all costs.

"The sharp, interpersonal dramedy that made the first movie such a delight is again present in flashes, but not infrequently it is drowned out by the noisy, inevitable need to Save the World," wrote Christopher Orr for The Atlantic.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 77%

Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston were both essentially unknowns when they were cast as Norse gods Thor and Loki (as evidenced by their casting announcement in Deadline), and this movie catapulted them both to the A-list almost immediately.

Both Hemsworth and Hiddleston still have a future with the MCU in 2024 — Hemsworth's Thor got a fourth solo film (a first for the MCU) that had an open-ended conclusion and Hiddleston's Loki got a second season of his Disney+ series (also a first for the MCU), which also left the door wide open for more Loki in the future. Seeing their chemistry as brothers in this first film explains why.

"The new Marvel Comics movie 'Thor,' directed by Kenneth Branagh, is equal parts trippy, tacky, and monumental, the blend surprisingly agreeable, a happy change from all those aggressively down-to-earth superhero flicks like 'Iron Man,'" wrote David Edelstein for Vulture.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%

Of course, some of those characters predate the Icon Comics character, but without the on-screen success of "Kick-Ass," it's hard to tell when those adaptations would've come to pass.

"Kick-Ass" stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson — who is currently suiting up for his third comic-book movie as Kraven the Hunter — as Dave Lizewski, a normal teenager and comics super-fan who decides to become a vigilante called Kick-Ass. He inspires a movement, and teams up with other vigilantes like Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) to take down organized crime.

"Everything you've likely heard about 'Kick-Ass' is true, providing you've heard it's profane, outlandish, ultra-violent, shocking, funny and wildly entertaining," wrote Tom Long of The Detroit News.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%

"Deadpool & Wolverine" was released on July 26. Eleven days later, it had made $852 million worldwide, out-grossing the $782 million of the first film and the $785 million of the second film, according to Box Office Mojo.

Besides being a team-up between Deadpool, the Merc with a Mouth, and Wolverine, the best-known X-Man by a mile, "Deadpool & Wolverine" is a love letter to the 20th Century Fox era of superhero films, with cameos from Jennifer Garner, Wesley Snipes, Chris Evans (as Johnny Storm!), Dafne Keen, and more.

"Dotted in among the quips and Easter eggs is the superhero equivalent of 'Toy Story 2,' a mournful goodbye to the things we once held dear, even if some of those things weren't that great to begin with," wrote Slate's Sam Adams.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%

"Iron Man 3" focuses on Tony Stark dealing with his PTSD after the events of "Avengers," like his near-death experience flying a nuclear bomb through a wormhole in space. But the big twist of this movie, the bait-and-switch identity of the Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley, remains this movie's biggest legacy.

"A thrilling film and a somewhat satisfying conclusion to the 'Iron Man' trilogy," wrote Nicolás Delgadillo for Discussing Film.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%

Brie Larson stars as Carol Danvers, a former US Air Force pilot who is exposed to a blast of cosmic energy in the '90s, experiences memory loss, and is taken in by an alien race called the Kree. As Carol tries to remember her past, she's introduced to a young(er) SHIELD agent, a digitally de-aged Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

"The main strength is a core of female friendship: Carol Danvers is the only Marvel hero you could imagine getting hammered and belting out songs by No Doubt," wrote The Observer's Wendy Ide.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%

Set between the events of "Captain America: Civil War" and "Avengers: Infinity War," and exactly a decade after her introduction as Natasha Romanoff in "Iron Man 2," Scarlett Johansson finally stars in her own solo film with "Black Widow." The film also introduced actors Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz to the MCU, all three of whom we'd love to see again in the future.

"In all the ways that matter to an MCU fan, 'Black Widow' the film meets or exceeds all expectations. It is a killer action flick, and a unique viewing experience... in that I loved it, and the fact that I loved it also makes me livid," wrote Salon's Melanie McFarland.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%

Simply put, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is the role that Chris Evans was born to play. Audiences see Evans first as a digitally altered scrawny kid from Brooklyn who, against all odds, is chosen to receive a "super soldier serum" and become Captain America due to his pure heart. With anyone else, it'd be unbearably cheesy, but Evans sells it.

"No clever messages here, just bang-on romance and action, with another fresh twist on 20th-century history woven in for the kids to dive into after the credits have rolled," wrote Ed Gibbs for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%

"X-Men" gave us Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Halle Berry as Storm, Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, James Marsden as Cyclops, Anna Paquin as Rogue, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique ... the list goes on.

While the film is a pretty straightforward origin story/team-up film, the action set the template for what the next 20-plus years of movies would look like.

"The 'X-Men' comic books have spawned a cottage industry of mutant characters, and the movie helps make sense of these legions while offering the established fan base something new to cheer," wrote Jami Bernard for the New York Daily News.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%

After the galaxy-saving stakes of the first two "Guardians" films, it was refreshing to watch our favorite rag-tag group of heroes come together to just save one of their friends, Rocket (Bradley Cooper), after he was gravely injured by a new threat, Adam Warlock (Will Poulter).

Of course, the film also deals with Peter/Star-Lord's (Chris Pratt) trauma of having to see a new version of his dead ex-girlfriend Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) — a sentence that only makes sense if you've seen "Infinity War" and "Endgame" — but if this is the last we see of our nice space friends, it was a great run.

"Now that nearly every other cinematic release reads like a holding pattern until they finally get around to mutants, 'Guardians Vol. 3' is the first sign in a while that Marvel might actually have some genuine enjoyment left in the tank," wrote Jackson Weaver for CBC News.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%

Rudd plays Scott Lang, a white-collar criminal who is enlisted to take on the mantle of Ant-Man, a shrinking superhero who used to be Michael Douglas' Hank Pym.

But, as Pym is too old to suit up, he and his daughter Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) teach Lang how to control ants, shrink and grow at will, and later break into Pym's lab to take down Darren Cross (Corey Stoll).

"Paul Rudd stars in a formulaic but consistently entertaining and likable Marvel summer blockbuster," wrote NME's Nick Levine.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%

"Deadpool 2" expanded the universe of Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, a mutant mercenary who has a tendency to break the fourth wall. In addition to bringing back Teenage Negasonic Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), Colossus (Stefan Kapičić), and Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), "Deadpool 2" adds Josh Brolin as Cable and Zazie Beetz as Domino, two welcome additions.

In "Deadpool 2," Deadpool teams up with an X-Force (of sorts) to find young Russell Collins, a mutant with fire capabilities, who is the target of the time-traveling assassin Cable, who wants to kill Russell as a teen before he becomes a serial killer in the future.

"'Deadpool 2' goes bigger than the first, but the shockingly touching family theme pulls all of the new characters and big set pieces together well. Another wild, hilarious ride for the character with just enough honesty and heart," said Perri Nemiroff in a Collider video review.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%

After the tragic (and unexpected) death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, the highly anticipated "Black Panther" sequel was rewritten to be a story of grief and mourning, while also setting up the future of Wakanda in the MCU for years to come.

Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong'o, Letitia Wright, and Winston Duke all put in stellar performances, while Tenoch Huerta introduced viewers to the underwater king Namor with a bang.

"A thoughtful and mature exploration of communal grief in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Chadwick Boseman," wrote Chicago Reader's Sheri Flanders.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

The whole gang reunited in 2003 for "X2," which sees the X-Men go up against Brian Cox's William Stryker, an anti-mutant military scientist who is planning to commit genocide against all mutants.

"'X2' is pretty much all that you'd ever want out of a comic book movie. It's smart, it's breathlessly paced, the characters have at least 2 1/2 dimensions, and the action sequences are jaw-droppers, even on the small screen," wrote The Advocate's Alonso Duralde.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

After playing Deadpool in the 2009 "X-Men" spin-off "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Reynolds was determined to do the character justice in his own film with a completely redesigned version of him.

Seven years later, Reynolds starred in "Deadpool," which tells the story of mercenary Wade Wilson who embarks on a journey to cure himself of terminal cancer with some unintended consequences, like when he becomes immortal and scarred across his entire body.

"'Deadpool' is obnoxious and puerile and infantile and has an irritating meta tone so snide that it's constantly in danger of nullifying the entire movie, and I still got a pretty big kick out of it," wrote Will Leitch in The New Republic.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

"GOTG Vol. 2" delves into the true parentage of Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, as played by Chris Pratt. In addition to the rest of the stellar returning cast, Kurt Russell was added to play Peter's biological father, Ego the Living Planet, and Pom Klementieff joined the team as the empathic alien, Mantis.

"In Marvel lingo, 'Guardians 2' feels like a great six-issue arc, the kind of storytelling that used to be the backbone of superhero comics," wrote The Atlantic's David Sims.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

"Avengers: Infinity War" is the first part of the culmination of the first 10 years of the MCU, which concluded one year later in "Avengers: Endgame."

"Infinity War" follows Thanos, an alien who is dedicated to erasing half of the universe's population, as he scours space for the six Infinity Stones. Meanwhile, the Avengers stop at nothing to prevent him from getting all six with disastrous consequences.

"The conclusion of 'Infinity War' is so shocking because it doesn't feel like a cliffhanger, more like a drastic wiping clean of the slate before the whole cycle starts again, with whatever reversal of fortune or comprehensive reboot it may be," wrote Film Comment Magazine's Jonathan Romney.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%

"First Class" will go down in history as the film that introduced audiences to young Professor X and Magneto, played by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, respectively.

The film takes place in the '60s, as a young Magneto tracks down the Nazi scientist who killed his mother, and a young Professor X has yet to be confined to his wheelchair.

"For reasons arising from the way the 'X-Men' film franchise has developed, this is the first Marvel movie set in the period when the characters were created, and thus able to embrace the Rat Pack cool that was part of their original charm," wrote Kim Newman of Sight & Sound.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%

By adding the Wasp to the title of the film, Evangeline Lilly is the true first woman to play a titular superhero in the MCU, though she still shares top-billing with Paul Rudd as Ant-Man.

In "Ant-Man and the Wasp," the two insect-themed heroes reunite to rescue Hope's mom, played by the radiant Michelle Pfeiffer, from the mysterious quantum realm after an accident decades prior.

"Its intent is limited to amusing and diverting for a couple of hours of high-summer fun. That it does," wrote Matthew Norman of the London Evening Standard.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%

Cumberbatch joined the MCU to play Dr. Stephen Strange, a hot-shot surgeon who loses the use of his hands after a brutal car crash and seeks out sorcerers who can help him regain his strength.

As Richard Bailey wrote in The New Yorker, the film "lives up to its title, in mostly good ways."

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

For a generation of movie fans, Tobey Maguire will forever be their Spider-Man, and director Sam Raimi's trilogy, beginning with 2002's "Spider-Man," will always be the best on-screen representation of the most famous wall-crawler in movie history.

"Spider-Man" stars, as previously stated, Maguire as Peter Parker, and he's supported by an all-star cast of Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris, and more. The story watches Peter go from a gawky teenager to the super-powered, spandex-clad Spider-Man as he faces off against the Green Goblin (Dafoe), who is determined to take away everything that matters to Peter.

"At its best, 'Spider-Man' takes the adolescent yearning at the heart of most superhero sagas and gives it a lovely swing. The script, by David Koepp, isn't inspired, but it keeps the emotional beats clean, and director Sam Raimi treats his hero tenderly: He gives him space to watch and think as well as act," wrote Slate's David Edelstein.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

If "Captain America: The First Avenger" was Marvel's take on a WWII drama, "Winter Soldier" is the MCU's version of a tense, political thriller as Cap uncovers multiple layers of conspiracy within the US government, and must go on the run from his presumed-dead best friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), now brain-washed into the murderous assassin the Winter Soldier.

"'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' delivers the superhero movie goods, but it does so with a grin and a wink, and that seems more and more like the right way to approach these things," wrote Jason Bailey for Flavorwire.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

"Days of Future Past" reunites the original "X-Men" cast from the first three movies with the younger versions of themselves introduced in "First Class" by taking Hugh Jackman's Wolverine and sending him back in time to prevent a great tragedy in the present day.

"A pleasingly coherent, plot-driven action movie, positively streamlined by the standards of today's superhero blockbusters," wrote The Independent's Laurence Phelan.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

Yes, "Big Hero 6" is based on the Marvel team of the same name, which began in the late '90s. When Disney purchased Marvel in 2009, it was only a matter of time before the House of Mouse merged their two powerhouses, animation and Marvel.

And, with the success of "Big Hero 6," there's a strong argument for more Disney Animation comic-book movies. This one focuses on Hiro Hamada, a teenage robotics prodigy living in San Fransokyo.

After the death of his older brother Tadashi, Hiro connects with Tadashi's invention, a healthcare robot named Baymax, to save the city, along with Tadashi's friends Fred, Go Go, Wasabi, and Honey Lemon.

"An origins story ripe with innocence and loss, this anime-inflected treat harks back to Disney's big-hearted heritage even as it looks forward towards new worlds of innovation," wrote The Observer's Mark Kermode.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

Essentially an "Avengers" movie, "Captain America: Civil War" sees Captain America team up with his friends Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) to save his friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) from getting wrongfully convicted for a bombing at the United Nations.

Cap goes up against Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Vision (Paul Bettany), and War Machine (Don Cheadle) to save his friend.

Of course, this movie is also famous for introducing Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, aka Black Panther, and Tom Holland as the MCU's version of Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man.

"It is one of the best movies to ever come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, balancing engaging action set pieces and witty dialogue with intelligent character studies and ethical debates," wrote Salon's Matthew Rozsa.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

"Men in Black" follows Will Smith as James Edwards, an NYPD officer who becomes convinced that aliens are real, leading him to join the Men in Black, a secret government organization dedicated to monitoring and protecting alien refugees that live on Earth. He's partnered with Agent K, played by Tommy Lee Jones.

It's a loose adaptation of the Malibu comic series of the same name.

"'Men in Black' is the wryest, sharpest, most entertaining special effects film in recent memory, a simultaneous participant and mocking parody of the more-bang-for-your-buck behemoth genre," wrote CNN's Paul Tatara.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

After four years of teasing out the six main Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Hawkeye, and Hulk), they all met up on the big screen for the first time in "The Avengers."

Under the watchful eye of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, viewers saw Earth's mightiest heroes team up for the first time to take out Thor's brother Loki as he attempted to conquer the world on behalf of a mysterious purple alien.

"A mega-budget action extravaganza that succeeds on just about every level, and it's one you should certainly go and see as soon as possible," wrote Luke Holland for NME.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

Picking up a few months after the events of "Avengers: Endgame," Peter Parker/Spider-Man must figure out how to balance his life as a web-slinging superhero and a simple teenager with a crush on his friend MJ, played by a delightful Zendaya.

Add in a truly unhinged Jake Gyllenhaal performance as Quentin Beck/Mysterio, and you have the makings of a solid Spidey film.

"The stakes this time turn out to be considerably lower, and your friendly neighborhood Spider-Teen is arguably just the guy to bring things down to Earth and reestablish a human scale," said NPR's Bob Mondello.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

Simu Liu tweeted Marvel back in 2018 asking if they were "gonna talk or what #ShangChi." Three years later, Liu debuted as Shang-Chi in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."

In it, Shang-Chi comes to accept his past as a member of his father's (played by the always wonderful Tony Leung) criminal organization, the Ten Rings, while protecting his mother's village from the attacks of a demon known as the Dweller-in-Darkness.

"It's a good movie. It's got a plausibly fearsome villain by way of Leung, a nice ensemble of heroic personalities, and a dose of actually-poignant family drama undergirding all the rest," wrote K. Austin Collins for Rolling Stone.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

At the time, it was a huge swing for Marvel to entrust writer/director James Gunn with bringing one of the lesser-known superhero teams into the MCU. But, as we know, it was one of the smartest gambles Marvel ever made.

"Guardians," led by the ever-charming Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, combines hilarious jokes with a genuinely sweet story about found family: In this case, Peter finds Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Rocket the Raccoon (Bradley Cooper).

"Blessed with a loose, anarchic B-picture soul that encourages you to enjoy yourself even when you're not quite sure what's going on, the scruffy 'Guardians' is irreverent in a way that can bring the first 'Star Wars' to mind," wrote Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" was the third reboot of Spider-Man in 15 years, but somehow, once again, the powers that be managed to find a third actor who was just as qualified as his predecessors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to bring Spidey to life.

After his introduction in "Civil War," "Homecoming" focuses on Peter Parker's sweet bond with Tony Stark/Iron Man, and his realization that being a hero is about more than a cool suit.

"The youthful vibe of this character reset, with its sense of humor and its light touch, makes 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' one of the most enjoyable Marvel movies in years," wrote Chesapeake Family Magazine's Roxana Hadadi.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%

For many years, "Spider-Man 2" was considered, at least by critics, to be the best Spider-Man movie. From the iconic subway fight against Alfred Molina's Doc Ock to the tear-jerking hero speech by Aunt May to an almost exact replication of one of Spider-Man's most iconic comic panels, "Spider-Man 2" remains genuinely enjoyable, even 20 years later.

"It's unusual and gratifying to find a multimillion-dollar movie that's been put together with some thoughtfulness, that doesn't neglect subtlety in between delivering the smash-bang-wallop," wrote Anthony Quinn of The Independent.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%

"Ragnarok" was one of the most impressive feats in MCU history. After all, two "Thor" movies are among some of the lowest-rated MCU movies, while "Ragnarok" is in the top 10 of all Marvel movies, period.

This comes down to director Taika Waititi, who was able to infuse his signature style and tone into the MCU in this cosmic adventure that's also a straight-up comedy, following Thor on his journey to prevent the destruction of his home world, Asgard.

"Beautifully filmed with serious kinetic energy by director Taika Waititi, with a crackling script, 'Thor: Ragnarok' is a heap of fun. Cue 'Immigrant Song,'" wrote Kristen Lopez for Culturess.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%

At this point, you've probably heard that "Logan" is more of a Western than a traditional superhero movie, which is correct.

"Logan" follows a beaten-down Logan whose powers are leaving him, all his friends are dead or dying, and he's living in secret as a limo driver. But when a mysterious young mutant with powers like his shows up, he musters his strength one last time to help her escape.

This was supposed to be Hugh Jackman's last hurrah as Wolverine, but you might have heard of a little movie called "Deadpool & Wolverine" which made Jackman change his tune.

"Make no mistake, 'Logan' earns its tears. If Jackman and Stewart are serious about this being their mutual 'X-Men' swan song, they could not have crafted a more heartfelt valedictory," wrote Rolling Stone's Peter Travers.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" now has the distinction of sharing the third-best Spider-Man movie crown with "Spider-Man 2" (more on the top Spidey films later). But "No Way Home's" charms are impossible to deny, even if the plot has more holes than Swiss cheese.

For Marvel movie fans, it's hard to imagine something more satisfying than seeing Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire together on screen, discussing their rogues' galleries, Tobey's weird web situation, or how with great power comes great responsibility.

"Throughout all of it, the weird and complex history of Spider-Man as a cinematic icon isn't a hindrance to the story; instead, it's an enhancement, using the quirks of the character's legacy as a source of illumination into why he has endured so long," wrote Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

The reason that pop culture is what it is today can be boiled down to the mega-success of this movie, which set up an entire cinematic universe, revived Robert Downey Jr.'s career and boosted director Jon Favreau's status so high that he's now basically one of the auteurs of the entire "Star Wars" universe.

But this film is simple: Billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark (Downey) is kidnapped by a group of terrorists, which leads him to discover his weapons are landing in the wrong hands. So, he builds a suit of armor and becomes a superhero.

"Led by Downey's career-resurrecting performance as billionaire weapons peddler Tony Stark, it proves just as indispensable to the movie's giddy escapist appeal as the seamless CGI effects and eye-popping pyrotechnics," wrote Craig Outhier of the Orange County Register.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

"Endgame," as a movie, is a magic trick. Somehow, this movie crams in 11 years of MCU storytelling and every major character from all of the films, and travels back in time to essentially walk through the universe's greatest hits, has real stakes, and makes a three-hour movie fly by.

When the Avengers decide to try to undo Thanos' universe-shattering snap, the original crew from the 2012 movie (with a few notable additions like Karen Gillan's Nebula, Paul Rudd's Ant-Man, and Don Cheadle's War Machine), travel through Marvel history to find the Infinity Stones.

"Eleven years of Universe building, and this is the crescendo. It really pays off, I've never seen anything quite like it," said James Luxford on the BBC.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

"Across the Spider-Verse," the sequel to "Into the Spider-Verse," takes the story of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and levels it up in every way.

Now, Miles is up against not just an extra-dimensional villain known as the Spot (voiced hilariously by Jason Schwartzman), but also an entire society of spider-people, including his old friends Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) and Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), as they are told by Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) that Miles isn't even meant to exist.

"'Across The Spider-Verse' truly explodes the idea of what a comic book movie can be. This is thanks to the boundlessly exuberant and adventurous way it both constructs and captures its world(s) during this jaunt through the multiverse," wrote Uproxx's Jason Tabrys.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

After Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020, was introduced in "Captain America: Civil War" as Black Panther, fans were waiting with bated breath for his solo film, and they weren't disappointed.

"Black Panther" is a riveting story in which the "villain" (a supremely cast Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger) has a compelling point and even gets the hero, T'Challa, to change his mind.

Supported by all-stars like Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Sterling K. Brown, along with newer finds like Letitia Wright and Winston Duke, "Black Panther" is special.

To date, it's the only Marvel movie to be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.

"'Black Panther' is a revelation, the first film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe that truly feels like an of-the-moment masterwork that also happens to be a comic-book movie," wrote Roxana Hadadi of Chesapeake Family Magazine.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

"Into the Spider-Verse," which took home best animated feature at the 2019 Oscars, is a movie that has to be seen to be believed. Spider-Men (and -Women!) travel from all over the multiverse to help teenager Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) grow into his own as his universe's new Spider-Man.

It proves you don't have to be Peter Parker to be Spider-Man, anyone can wear the mask, as Miles says. The upcoming two-part sequel has a lot of hype to live up to, but we'll always have the greatness of "Into the Spider-Verse" to fall back on.

"Maintaining a breathless pace, the filmmakers pile up sci-fi conceits, one-liners, and a melange of animation styles; as opposed to lots of other comic book adaptations, this actually captures the sensation of getting absorbed in a comic book," wrote the Chicago Reader's Ben Sachs.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 11%

"Madame Web" is the most nonsensical Sony Marvel movie thanks to its baffling story. Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim), a man with spider-like powers, hunts a group of girls who he believes will kill him in the future. Cassandra Web (Dakota Johnson) uses her clairvoyant abilities to stop him. editing means most of Ezekiel's scenes are dubbed over, which pulls the audience out every time he speaks.

The poorly-written movie also tries to shoehorn as much Spider-Man-related lore into the plot as possible, including the birth of baby Peter Parker — which bears little influence on the adventure. It just happens. Basically, "Madame Web" is a mess.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 15%

"Morbius" follows Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) as he tries to cure himself of a degenerative disease using bats from Costa Rica. Instead, he turns into a bloodthirsty vampire. While it attempts to be a comic book horror movie, "Morbius" quickly descends into a predictably boring punch-up between Leto and Matt Smith. Yawn.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 17%

"Kraven the Hunter" tries to replicate the success of "Venom" by pitching its lead character, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, as a brutal vigilante who has no issue with dishing out bloody vengeance against those who wrong him.

The action is nothing special, though Taylor-Johnson does a decent job of carrying those sequences. The convoluted origin story tries to cram too much into its two-hour runtime, and the result is a mediocre mess.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 19%

Nicolas Cage's second time as Ghost Rider came in 2011's "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," with a completely forgettable storyline involving demons hunting a young boy. Fans have seen this plot numerous times over: a grizzled fighter protects an innocent person. It falls flat on its flaming face.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 27%

"Ghost Rider" isn't a bad film, but it is incredibly average. It's a shame because the character is completely over the top: He's a motorbike rider who turns into a flaming skeleton at night and fights demons. But it was moderately successful, earning $228 million worldwide, according to Box Offive Mojo. Cage's wacky performance shows he had fun with the role, but the film doesn't showcase how scary Ghost Rider can be like he is in the comics, which feels like a missed opportunity.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 30%

The first "Venom" movie is a strange blend of a dark, gritty superhero movie and a slapstick rom-com around journalist Brock and a gooey, Symbiote alien called Venom. It never quite finds its footing, and the outcome is a subpar comic book adventure that somehow managed to make $800,000 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Stranger things have happened.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 37%

"Venom: The Last Dance" is the worst of the "Venom" trilogy. It attempts to create a new big villain for Sony's growing universe with the god of the Symbiotes, Knull (Andy Serkis). But it fails to tap into anything interesting about the character from the comics because the story is pulled in so many different directions.

The messy plot sees Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) on the run from Knull's huge monsters who have been sent to kill the not-so-dynamic duo. Rushed sub-plots include: Brock and Venom running from the military, an alien-loving family looking for Area 51, and a talented scientist experimenting on the Symbiotes.

Throw in some painfully generic dialogue, and "Venom: The Last Dance" feels like someone asked an AI to make a comic book movie with the prompts: "Venom," "Tom Hardy," "rock music," and "cinematic universe."

Rotten Tomatoes score: 51%

Andrew Garfield played Parker for a second time in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." He revels in the chance to explore the hero even further as he grapples with his family's legacy. His chemistry with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy deepens including that heartbreaking ending. It's just disappointing that, like other early "Spider-Man" movies, it tries to do too much.

This sequel is so preoccupied with setting up sequels and a spinoff that it forgets to focus on the fact that audiences fell in love with Garfield's take on both Parker and Spider-Man.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 57%

"Venom: Let There Be Carnage" is similar to the first film, except a piece of the Symbiote is now bonded to a depraved serial killer called Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), and they call themselves Carnage. The film's boring plot revolves around Brock (Hardy again) and Venom trying to stop Carnage from killing more people. There's not much substance to it, but it leans harder into the fun slapstick comedy between Eddie and Venom.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%

"Spider-Man 3" is the mediocre ending to Sam Raimi's trilogy, starring Tobey Maguire as the titular hero. Although the film's attempt to adapt the Venom storyline is admirable, it ultimately falls short.

It tries too hard to cram in Topher Grace as Eddie Brock/Venom, Harry Osborn (James Franco) as the new Green Goblin, and Thomas Haden Church as the Sandman. Plus, the climax rushes at breakneck speed to resolve everything, making the film a disappointing end to Raimi's trilogy and Maguire's time as Spider-Man.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

"The Amazing Spider-Man" arrived in theaters in 2012, only five years after "Spider-Man 3". The new take on the hero introduced Garfield as Parker in an edgier story that leaned closer to the "Ultimate Spider-Man" comics.

Garfield's dedicated performance and his endearing dynamic with Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy make up for the cluttered plot, which sees Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) try to turn the world into lizards to rid humanity of all illnesses.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

2002's "Spider-Man" is the blueprint for every subsequent cinematic version of the iconic hero. Raimi masterfully translated the Web-Slinger from the page to the screen, complete with the will-they-won't-they dynamic with Mary-Jane Watson (Kristen Dunst). Maguire delivers a pitch-perfect dorky performance as Parker, but he also nails Spider-Man's signature quips.

The story is cheesy in places, but when the characters are that engaging, who cares? It gets bonus points for Willem Dafoe's delightfully ham-fisted Norman Osborn, also known as the Green Goblin.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

Back in 2019, "Spider-Man: Far From Home" looked at how Parker copes with the death of his mentor, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), following the events of "Avengers: Endgame." Although it's understandable why he fails to notice that Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) is up to no good as a new "hero" named Mysterio, it's irritating nonetheless.

He arrives in the story claiming to be from a different universe, holding all the information about a mystery unfolding around the world, and Peter barely suspects a thing.

Regardless, it is still pretty fun watching Spider-Man try to work out of his comfort zone across Europe, proving that the hero doesn't need the cityscape of New York to thrill audiences. Plus, Holland and Zendaya's adorably awkward dynamic adds a surprisingly authentic teen romance story amongst the thrilling fight sequences and plot twists.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" is Tom Holland's second outing as the Wall-Crawler after his MCU introduction in "Captain America: Civil War." While most MCU movies involve end-of-the-world stakes, "Homecoming" refreshingly focuses on a smaller threat, as the hero tries to stop Michael Keaton's Vulture from selling experimental weapons to gangsters in his neighborhood. It deserves your attention for its smart third-act twist.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%

Yes, Maguire and Garfield returning to play their respective Spider-Men next to Holland in the multiverse story is an exhilarating treat. It helps that the trio has exquisite chemistry together throughout the climax. However, the plot is just an excuse to bring heroes and villains back from previous films rather than trying to tell a truly original story.

However, it manages to raise emotional stakes outside of the multiverse mcguffin, largely due to a tearjerker gut punch involving Parker's Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).

The sequel also does a great job of pushing Holland's young hero to his limits. It'll be interesting to see how Marvel and Sony carry him forward after stripping the character back to basics in the film's closing moments. Tom Holland confirmed "Spider-Man 4" starts filming in Summer 2025.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%

Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 2" continues the franchise by exploring how Parker copes with maintaining his life and his college degree while battling a man with eight mechanical arms. Sure, it's a silly premise, but the film offers a fascinating juxtaposition between Parker's insecurities next to the villainous Doctor Octopus' (Alfred Molina) genuine desire to better the world.

Plus, Spidey's fight with Doc Ock on the subway is one of the best live-action superhero fights of all time.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is the follow-up to 2018's "Into the Spider-Verse," and sees Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) face the realization that he was never meant to get spider-powers. It's crammed full of Easter eggs that nod to live-action "Spider-Man" movies and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The comic-inspired animation also makes each new dimension unique with different color palettes and musical cues. And that's without mentioning the fiercely elegant fight scenes. But it's Miles' conviction that he's meant to be a hero that really makes his story worth revisiting again and again.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" hurls the audience into a multiverse story with numerous Spider-Men. But it does a fantastic job of weaving in a heartfelt, coming-of-age story about a young teenager, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). He struggles to balance the weight of getting superpowers with the pressure of starting a school for talented students and making his parents proud.

Throw in its gorgeous animation style, and it's easily the best Sony Marvel movie of the last two decades.