Howdy! In honor of Stan Lee, one of the true founders of the Marvel universe,
Let's acknowledge and celebrate some of the amazing ways he and his characters affected our world.
Stan Lee: Don't make me come down there, you punk!
Specifically, let's look at some of the ways his characters brought experiences to our theaters for Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In all the good, the bad, and legendary.
Let's look back at the top three best and worst Marvel movies.
Iron Man:Together.
And if you do happen to like these movies that I don't, that's great.
It's just my silly personal opinion, and all these Marvel movies are of a high Hollywood standard.
So take this list with a pinch of salt. Maybe all these movies are a classic to you. Good for you if they are.
Also, just a heads up, there may be some spoilers.
Anyway, onto the countdown.
The third-worst Marvel movie is: The Incredible Hulk.
Damn it, Edward Norton is awesome. How could they botch this up so badly? Edward is a great choice for
Dr. David Banner,because he's known to play these two-sided personality roles in movies like Fight Club.
Where there's a sense of harmlessness to his demeanor, yet you know there's something fierce bubbling beneath the surface,
The main problem with this Hulk version is it feels so disappointing and unsatisfying.
In Avengers, for example,
there's something so viscerally satisfying and overwhelming about seeing The Hulk causing catastrophic damage.
Yet in this movie,
we're far too rarely given that fundamental satisfaction of seeing Hulk smash.
Again, going back to Avengers, The Hulk in Avengers is an incredible dichotomy of psychology.
Uncontrollable raw power and mystery. And through seeing him composed to seeing him in a fight, we get that complete cycle of satisfaction.
They knew that in later movies,and because of that,we get tons of satisfying Hulk damage scenes in them.
Normally, I'd be all for focusing on a character's emotional struggle, like they do in this version of the Hulk.
But what's amazing about the Hulk now is we see his emotional struggle through his fighting.
While here, most of the time he's just running about or we're just focusing on him as Banner.
Which is why I found this movie overall disappointing.
With a more appropriate director, this had real potential to be an amazing first Hulk movie.
It's a shame but turned out pretty bland.
The third best Marvel movie is:
Guardians of the Galaxy,One and Two.
There really is no marvel movies quite like these. The Guardians of the Galaxy movies are just a refreshing experience on all fronts.
The feel to these movies is completely different to all the other Marvel movies.
Once we step off the earth, we essentially step into a intergalactic Space-Western comedy.
But at the same time, there's still that hint of drama and clues to a much deeper story to keep me engaged.
I love these two together because they're both a pretty similar experience.
Yet, they feel so fresh and it's always such a joy to be immersed in the Guardians of the Galaxy universe.
Peter Quill, aka Starlord.
Bad Guy: Who?
Starlord: Starlord, man! Legendary outlaw?
It's just a fun, relatable, clumsy protagonist.
He's insecure and he's very prone to mistakes. And as a result, he's relatable, and a lot of fun to watch.
Certain scenes really left me with that lighthearted cheer & goosebumps,
like that scene when you first see Quill put on his headphones deep in outer space.
There's that sense of unknown, but a willingness to embrace that unknown with a free spirit, and that philosophy always leaves you with a smile.
And the funny thing is, despite Guardians of the Galaxy Two feeling very similar, it still feels fresh!
I think to a lot of us it didn't matter they were similar,because we just wanted so much to see this intergalactic star-flying universe again.
We know there's gonna be comedy, botch-ups, and jaunty adventures of unlikely superheroes.
Quill: You put your turd in my bed, I shave you.
Rocket: Oh, it won't be my turd, it'll be Drax's
And that's exactly what I wanted.
When I think back to these movies, I remember the style, the colors.
Hell, these are probably the two Marvel movies I remember all the scenes of the best.
Every scene is brimming with space-personality, mystery, colors, and that constant sense of momentum to the story.
While all Marvel movies produce a few laughs,
both Guardians of the Galaxy movies had my theater laughing a lot, pretty ruckusly at times and that's amazing.
In fact, I'd say The Guardians of the Galaxy are the two movies that capture
the free-spirited, human warmth of a Marvel Cinematic Universe best of all.
Quill: Said it yourself, bitch. We're the Guardians of the Galaxy.
And the second worst Marvel movie is:
Thor
Thor: The Dark World tends to be the Thor movie that gets the most flak.
But personally I've got too many chuckles from Thor and Loki's brotherly quips to consider it one of the worst.
I understand the original Thor movie is very close to a lot of people's hearts.
But I personally just found it very clumsy and ham-handed.
This was the first Disney Marvel movie I saw that just felt kind of silly, like really silly.
But frankly the first attempts to fit a God into the crew of somewhat mortal human Avengers was always gonna be a clumsy, muddled task.
And that's essentially what we see here in Thor; growing pains.
This was in the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
When the creators were still getting a feel for how to pull off, essentially, pretty silly characters.
One half of the movie is set on Asgard while the other half of the movie is set on Earth as Thor adjusts to human society.
In terms of Asgard,
the city does have massive scope and it's a visual spectacle.
But I guess I'm just not impressed by fantastic CG graphics anymore. (No one is)
I'm more impressed by gripping human drama and emotional vulnerability.
But unfortunately,
those definitely aren't the strong points of this Marvel movie.
To me,the earth side of the movie just felt like a typical Superman, foreigner story.
Where we have an overpowered character introduced to the human world.
And we already know our customs are gonna be foreign to him.
This Chick: I know. It's great, right.
Thor: Another! (smashes cup!)
PhantomStrider: But he's going to learn to adapt while Natalie Portman fawns over his biceps.
As highly impressive biceps as they are (<3)
the original Thor just felt too predictable for me and, honestly, apart from Natalie Portman,
I can't remember a single character from Earth. They're all that forgettable to me.
This is a case where I feel the main actor really carried the movie.
I think most people can agree Chris Hemsworth is the perfect choice for Thor.
He really brings that sense of humbleness and good cheer to the role, yet he still has that sense of withheld power and brute strength.
Personally, I think the Thor movies just aren't the strongest Marvel has to offer.
Which is ironic because Thor has become one of the strongest characters in the Marvel franchise.
Hell, by Infinity War, he's essentially overtaken Captain America as a new leader of the Avengers.
And the second best Marvel movie is:
Captain America: Winter Soldier and Civil War
Since both these movies are Captain America movies,
I'm gonna clump them together.
Both these movies did something at the time I hadn't expected from Marvel movies.
They challenged the viewer.
Winter Soldier gave a very real commentary on the mass surveillance era we're entering into,
and where in that era do we draw the line?
Between freedom and safety. And at the same time, they expand upon Captain America's character so much.
Through his ethical challenges and choices, they turned him into one of my favorite characters in the Marvel Universe.
We begin to see Steve's moral compass being truly challenged.
Both these movies are commentaries on ethics, morality, and personal freedoms.
Which is exactly what you want from a modern Captain America movie.
Steve: Price of freedom is high, always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it.
There's a real sense of desperation in Steve's behavior as he becomes a fugitive in Winter Soldier.
And for the first time I really did start thinking, "how is the hero gonna win?"
And in Civil War, that morality is again brought into question
as Steve and the other Avengers are forced to pick sides.
Friends become transient and it's a struggle to know who to trust.
And what's amazing is many of us felt the sense of
heartbreak and emotional struggle right along with the Avengers as they went through it.
We also see interesting things like real consequences for the hero's actions.
Civil War and Winter Soldier both broke the status quo in ways I never thought I'd see in large budget, cinema, Hollywood flicks.
They showed that Steve, aka Captain America, would always stand up for what he felt was right,
even if he was standing alone.
Probably the most heart-wrenching scene for me was when Tony discovers that Steve's friend, Bucky, killed his parents.
You can understand that in that moment all that he could see would be red and nothing would stop him from hunting Bucky down.
Steve: This isn't gonna change what happened.
Tony: I don't care...he killed my mom.
Both Winter Soldier and Civil War can be some of the heaviest Marvel movies we've ever gotten.
They can be bleak and dark. But damn they can reuse that darkness to make an incredible experience of a movie.
And in my opinion, the number one WORST Marvel movie is:
Iron Man 2
Ah, Tony Stark.
Tony: Yea, done deal.
In one moment, you can be so charming in your confidence and sharp tongue,
yet so frustrating when you botch up so badly.
Normally, we get a sense of confidence from Tony because of his brilliance and tactical mind. He's like Sherlock Holmes (which he also played).
We've been taught to assume he'll have everything figured out and know exactly what he's doing.
But here, despite reassuring everyone, he blunders up so many times, it's just annoying!
Iron Man 2 tends to be the movie where people start to feel the wear of Marvel movies.
This was the first Marvel movie that felt a little bit samey and predictable.
It didn't feel like it changed things up that much.
And good Jebus are the villains boring in this movie!
The main bad guy's, essentially, just a guy in the suit and we barely see him.
But still, despite this, the moment Stark puts on that Iron Man suit, I just get shivers down my spine.
It just feels like a lot of the ideas here were forgotten or just meandering in this movie.
The main villain barely has an appearance. And by the end, Tony's heart condition just kind of feels sidelined without a second thought.
And that's a shame because Tony's heart condition was one of the points
I really felt his humanity and invulnerability, as much as can be expected from Tony Stark anyway.
Probably the scene that bothered me the most is when Tony gets blind drunk.
It feels completely unnecessary and really didn't add to his likability in this movie.
But that being said, most celebrity indulgence scenes tend to have me tuning out.
So maybe that's it, as I simply can't relate to being a party animal or having real-life friends for that matter.
But despite some of these annoying scenes, we still get the usual Iron Man fast quips and Tony's overconfident charm.
Plus we get to see the first appearance of the lovely Black Widow in this one, aka Natasha.
Some may roll their eyes at how Natasha is introduced in this one as she's not really expanded upon as a character much.
But I've really got to say Scarlett Johansson brings such a magnetism to this role
purely through her mannerisms, her movements, her eyes, and her tone of voice.
What I find interesting is she's a character that drips magnetism while revealing so little about herself.
And I actually think there's a lot of sophistication in that.
That takes a very deep understanding of body language, and I think that's really cool.
While I prefer her in later movies, like The Avengers, where she becomes a more fully developed character,
this was an interesting way to introduce her. It certainly could have been worse.
Despite Iron Man 2 feeling more like a semi watered-down sequel. I'm glad I saw it.
I loved the main character still and the action scenes still had me immersed in my seat.
It's nice to have a worst list where I still get quite a lot of enjoyment from what is considered the worst Marvel movie by many.
And before we get to number 1, just one quick honorable mention.
Spiderman: Homecoming
Getting the perspective of a ground level teenage superhero like Peter is frankly refreshing,
particularly after the heaviness we had in Civil War beforehand.
And I think that's the main thing I enjoyed about Spiderman: Homecoming.
It was from that young, teenage perspective, and a very likable teenager at that.
He's humble and always very grateful for everything he's been given, which is really refreshing.
And pretty obviously, the number one BEST Marvel movie is:
The Avengers movie series
You just can't choose one Avenger movie!
I'm sorry, you just can't!
All three movies are, essentially, miracles!
How so many characters from different movies could come together and it's actually work is insane!
While I actually feel that Age of Ultron is a little bit more exciting than the original Avengers movie,
the original broke so much new ground and Ultron had arguably the most exhilarating
30 seconds of action in all of the Marvel Universe history.
And Infinity War just blew the minds and broke the hearts of everyone.
(Avengers Theme)
Banner: You guys are so screwed now!
PhantomStrider: All three of the Avengers movies were so
inconceivably massive in spectacle till we reach the point of Infinity War where the scope is of such
Intergalactically massive proportions. That is, frankly, overwhelming.
By Infinity War, we're essentially watching the end of the universe.
And the first Avengers movie is basically the most glorious, action-packed celebration of teamwork and justice ever.
Just bringing all these characters together and making each one
likable and relatable was an unbelievable feat in itself.
Age of Ultron drags the handicap of being the middle movie,
which is naturally gonna make it feel more like filler, but it's still a solid Avengers sequel.
It gives us more development of the characters, a thrilling story and while more awesome Hulk scenes.
Robot: Oh, for God's sake! (smash)
And what's interesting about Infinity War is I can't claim it left me excited or empowered like the original two movies.
But every moment of it was heart pounding!
I haven't been so invested in a film since the final Harry Potter movie.
And the fact is, by Infinity War, we have 30 characters each with their own complex backstories and motivations all mushed together into one massive film
Yet, miraculously, it works!
While some people complain about Thanos.
I, personally, think he is the best final villain we could have asked for.
I've wanted to see him and the Avengers just duke it out for a long time.
And that's exactly what they do.
Admittedly, I wanted to see them win, but I guess we'll get that next time.
Not everyone may have liked Infinity War's ending and Quill may have screwed over the entire crew with his stupid indecisiveness,
but most people agree, Infinity War was an unbelievably gripping, massive, monster of a movie experience.
Honestly, I only get a movie experience like Infinity War once every ten years or so.
But when I do, I don't forget it.
And as of this video, I can't wait to see the end of Infinity War.
For those curious, if I had to choose one of the three, it'll probably be Infinity War.
But it could be argued that all three deserved places as number one.
It's an obvious choice, but I personally consider all three Avengers movies the greatest Marvel movies of all.
While some people are starting to get a little bit tired of the Marvel movies,
I personally still get such a good thrill from going to see them and, frankly,
I still find it amazing that multi-million dollar,
blockbuster movies could actually evolve to challenge the viewer and not feel watered-down.
Personally, I'm happy if the Marvel movies keep going for another decade, even if that experience to us isn't as fresh as it once .was
I still get some good laughs and a smile from these movies.
So, I'm happy if they keep going.
And my deepest respects go to Stan Lee.
For all the people his comics touch the lives of for so many years and for putting his passion into his work for so long.
For however much or little it's worth now, thank you for your service, sir.
And thank you for watching and I'll see you when I see you.