While everyone is looking ahead to what’s to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2025, many also find themselves looking back on past projects they loved. Sometimes, while one may like a movie at the moment, the benefit of hindsight will make things clearer; indeed, some movies can lose their charm over the years. Fans of certain Marvel Studios movies can rewatch happily, though, knowing that the movies they’re revisiting will be just as good as they remember.
Many genuinely great MCU movies are worth looking back on as they continue to age gracefully. Rather than ranking them and pitting them against each other, sometimes it’s simply fun to just celebrate great cinema and acknowledge how great of an experience it is to look back on them. These MCU movies are just as great as you remember, and revisiting them will only confirm how timeless they are.
10
‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016)
Directed by Joe Russo & Anthony Russo
Steve Rogers’s (Chris Evans) tenure as Captain America has been hailed as one of the best Marvel trilogies of all time. One of its best movies is the third, Captain America: Civil War, which brought all of the Avengers together to duke it out over the political conflict of the Sokovia Accords and the framing of Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).
Seeing the Avengers fight each other will never not be entertaining. Everyone loves a good superhero-on-superhero battle, and Captain America: Civil War brings it heavy. The mere premise makes it an abundantly entertaining movie that seems to never really get old, thanks to the ever-exciting action sequences and dense, dramatic, plot-driven story. Captain America: Civil War is always a fun one to return to and keeps its quality to this day, making it one of the best movies in Phase Three.
- Release Date
-
May 6, 2016
- Cast
-
Martin Freeman
, Daniel Brühl
, Robert Downey Jr.
, Sebastian Stan
, Elizabeth Olsen
, Chadwick Boseman
, Chris Evans
, Paul Rudd
, Frank Grillo
, Scarlett Johansson
, William Hurt
, Paul Bettany
, Anthony Mackie
, Emily VanCamp
, Tom Holland - Runtime
-
147 Minutes
- Writers
-
Stephen McFeely
, Christopher Markus
9
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ (2017)
Directed by James Gunn
After the mass success of the first Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel Studios was quick to greenlight the second film. While nothing was going to surpass how truly amazing the first movie was, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 came very close. The sequel still has all the fun and spunk the first one did while doubling up on the emotional message. It develops its characters far more, exploring their backstories and the bonds they are forming as a found family.
Even 8 years later, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is still as entertaining and heart-warming as ever. Yondu’s (Michael Rooker) death still hits just as hard, and Rocket and Groot’s escape from the Ravagers is as fun as always. The first two Guardians of the Galaxy films age gracefully, and 2023’s third entry will probably hold the same status.
- Release Date
-
May 5, 2017
- Cast
-
Dave Bautista
, Chris Pratt
, Chris Sullivan
, Vin Diesel
, Kurt Russell
, Zoe Saldana
, Karen Gillan
, Elizabeth Debicki
, Sylvester Stallone
, Glenn Close
, Sean Gunn
, Nathan Fillion
, Tommy Flanagan
, Michael Rooker
, Pom Klementieff
, Bradley Cooper - Runtime
-
137 minutes
- Writers
-
James Gunn
, Dan Abnett
, Andy Lanning
, Steve Englehart
, Steve Gan
, Jim Starlin
8
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)
Directed by Jon Watts
Spider-Man: No Way Home was a huge help in bringing people back to theaters in the aftermath of the pandemic. The movie had people all over the planet cheering and celebrating in theaters, and while some may believe that it’s more of a one-time experience, the cameos and constant fan service are not the only things that make it entertaining. In fact, many of Spider-Man’s most rewatchable scenes are thanks to this movie.
The third Tom Holland Spider-Man installment’s story, plot, character arcs and overall filmmaking style are all-around great. Rather than nostalgia-feeding by inserting multiverse characters for no reason, they support the story and Peter’s arc as a hero and a young man in the film. Spider-Man: No Way Home is just as engaging as it was when people originally saw it in theaters, packed full of Spider-Man fun that can’t be seen anywhere else.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Release Date
-
December 17, 2021
- Cast
-
Tom Holland
, Zendaya
, Benedict Cumberbatch
, Jacob Batalon
, Jon Favreau
, Jamie Foxx
, Willem Dafoe
, Alfred Molina
, Benedict Wong
, Tony Revolori
, Marisa Tomei
, Andrew Garfield
, Tobey Maguire - Runtime
-
148 Minutes
- Writers
-
Chris McKenna
, Erik Sommers
, Stan Lee
, Steve Ditko
7
‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017)
Directed by Taika Waititi
Thor: Ragnarok is one of the most commonly noted Marvel Studios movies when it comes to fan-favorite. People claim that the movie is one of the best in the MCU and even go as far as to declare that it saved Thor (Chris Hemsworth) from the obscurity of only appearing in The Avengers movies and losing his franchise after the failure that was Thor: The Dark World.
Taking Thor in a more comedically-driven direction proved that he didn’t need to be confined to the more Shakespearean demeanor that he held for the majority of the MCU up until that point. Hemsworth seemed to enjoy it, as well, too, as this is one of his best performances as the character and made for some rewatchable scenes. The jokes still hold up, and the action is still wonderful.
- Release Date
-
November 3, 2017
- Runtime
-
130 Minutes
- Writers
-
Eric Pearson
, Craig Kyle
, Christopher Yost
, Stan Lee
, Larry Lieber
, Jack Kirby
, Greg Pak
, Walter Simonson
, Carlo Pagulayan
6
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)
Directed by James Gunn
The first Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the most iconic Marvel films overall. It was the ultimate underdog story for both the franchise and director James Gunn himself. The fact that it was that big of a success is proof of the movie’s quality, humor, and emotional connection with the audience. With a project this good, there’s no question that it will age well.
The soundtrack is, to this day, considered one of the best in recent years, adding to the film’s essence. People love everything Gunn did for both Marvel and superhero films overall, and it all started with Guardians of the Galaxy. It turned some of Marvel’s most unknown and unimportant teams into absolute fan favorites and proved that the MCU could succeed away from its most widely known characters.
Guardians of the Galaxy
- Release Date
-
July 30, 2014
- Cast
-
Zoe Saldana
, Karen Gillan
, Vin Diesel
, Michael Rooker
, Djimon Hounsou
, Lee Pace
, Benicio Del Toro
, Glenn Close
, Dave Bautista
, Chris Pratt2
, Bradley Cooper
, John C. Reilly - Runtime
-
122 Minutes
- Writers
-
James Gunn
, Nicole Perlman
, Dan Abnett
, Andy Lanning
5
‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ (2014)
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is another MCU film that fans consider the best of Phase Two and one of the best superhero projects ever made. It was so good that it catapulted Joe Russo and Anthony Russo to being some of the most important directors for Marvel Studios. The duo would later return to finish the Infinity Saga with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. They were even recently hired to continue The Avengers franchise in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The compelling bond between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The Winter Soldier continues to make for one of the best in Marvel history. It’s the perfect example of a great friendship and truly depicts how astounding the first Star Spangled Man was. Moreover, Captain America: The Winter Soldier thrives as a classic political thriller, meaning those who don’t necessarily love superhero movies can still enjoy this brilliant film.
- Release Date
-
April 4, 2014
- Runtime
-
136 Minutes
- Writers
-
Christopher Markus
, Stephen McFeely
4
‘Iron Man’ (2008)
Directed by Jon Favreau
Of course, the first film in the MCU is one that is 100% worth returning to from time to time, whether because of the phenomenal performance by Robert Downey Jr. or how groundbreaking it was for superhero cinema. It has some of the best Iron Man moments in the MCU, the CGI was incredible in 2008, and the overall movie remains one of the best in the MCU up to the modern day, pretty much inventing the franchise’s winning formula.
Some would think that a movie that turns 20 years old in a mere 3 years would have aged by now, but that is far from true. Given the quality of some of Marvel Studios’ recent projects, Iron Man actually looks far better than it did 17 years ago. Compared to some projects (because of how poor the visual effects working environment has been recently), the CGI is actually better than some of the recent films.
- Release Date
-
May 2, 2008
- Runtime
-
126 minutes
- Writers
-
Matt Holloway
, Art Marcum
, Hawk Ostby
, Mark Fergus
3
‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo
The big finale of the Infinity Saga, Avengers: Endgame, is often considered more of an event, given everything it had to do and did by the end of its runtime. The movie had to wrap up 11 years of storylines in a concise manner and somehow managed to do so, ending the saga with one giant final battle that included pretty much every major MCU character at that point.
The spectacular setpieces featured are so rewatchable and fun that, despite the 3-hour runtime, it’s worth returning to because every major sequence is so enjoyable that one barely even feels how long it is. The performances all across the board are great, and mixed with the action and stakes at play, Avengers: Endgame is one of the most enjoyable Marvel experiences out there.
- Release Date
-
April 26, 2019
- Runtime
-
181 Minutes
- Writers
-
Keith Giffen
, Stan Lee
, Larry Lieber
, Don Heck
, Jim Starlin
, Joe Simon
, Steve Englehart
, Jack Kirby
, Steve Gan
, Bill Mantlo
, Stephen McFeely
, Christopher Markus
2
‘Black Panther’ (2018)
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Black Panther was, and still is, one of the most revolutionary superhero films of all time. The story was great, and it had one of the best villains in superhero cinema. Moreover, the film had a cast and crew that was made up of Black artists, making it groundbreaking and entertaining for so many reasons. It set a precedent that still exists today, especially in the world of comic book movies.
The project is made even more impactful thanks to the amazing legacy that the late Chadwick Boseman left in the film industry. Going back to watch Black Panther makes it a great celebration of everything Boseman did for movies and depicts how abundantly important he and his character are to the very fabric of the MCU.
- Release Date
-
February 16, 2018
- Runtime
-
134 Minutes
- Writers
-
Joe Robert Cole
, Ryan Coogler
1
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo
Avengers: Infinity War is commonly considered the best entry in The Avengers franchise for a very good reason. By some means, the Russo brothers weaved together multiple plot lines and character arcs into a two-and-a-half-hour movie that juggled every major Avenger while still keeping Thanos (Josh Brolin) as the protagonist.
It’s also the most memorable of the franchise for its shocking and now-infamous ending. The project delivered a completed story that can be viewed alone while remaining the first entry in a duology: indeed, fans don’t need to see the sequel to get a beginning, middle and end. Avengers: Infinity War is one of the most entertaining Marvel films and will seemingly never get old.
- Release Date
-
April 27, 2018
- Cast
-
Chris Hemsworth
, Anthony Mackie
, Elizabeth Olsen
, Robert Downey Jr.
, Scarlett Johansson
, Mark Ruffalo
, Sebastian Stan
, Paul Rudd
, Chadwick Boseman
, Don Cheadle
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Josh Brolin
, Tom Holland
, Evangeline Lilly
, Paul Bettany
, Chris Evans
, Jeremy Renner - Runtime
-
149 minutes
- Writers
-
Stephen McFeely
, Christopher Markus
