AVENGERS: ENDGAME is the culmination of 11 years of cinematic world-building. Starting with Iron Man back in 2008, a simple post-credits sequence starring Samuel L. Jackson has spawned a franchise model that few have attempted before, and many have tried to emulate since. By the time this epic is released, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will account for 10 years, 21 films, several TV series, billions of dollars, and one violent raccoon later, we come to the end of an era.
If we cast our minds back to 2008, the superhero landscape was very different at the time. We’d had a relative handful of X-Men and Spider-Man films, Fantastic Four had two cracks at the bat, and even Blade has passed its third entry. Yet all of these films were isolated in their own little universe. With the release of IRON MAN, a character who had not managed to become a household name yet, there was no reason to think that this would be any different.
PHASE 1
Iron Man (2008) ★★★★½
It all began here. Robert Downey Jr is every bit a star from scene one, completely aware that Stark’s redemption story mirrors his own (minus the weapons of mass destruction). Structurally similar to every other origin story on the horizon, director Jon Favreau wastes no time in blowing up the would-be hero. Cleverly combining elements and designs from one of the earliest comics through to more contemporary fare, the script manages to get us caring about billionaire Tony Stark and understand his motivation in less than the time it takes for a string of pearls to hit the gravel of Crime Alley. The action is all top-notch, and a few obvious CG elements aside, it’s also remarkable how much of this still works flawlessly. This was the very making of a major modern Marvel.
The Incredible Hulk (2008) ★★★½
This is sort of a bastard, green-skinned stepchild in the MCU these days, mostly because of Mark Ruffalo taking on the role since The Avengers. In fact, it’s entirely possible to take this out of the mix when rewatching the saga. Yet despite the lingering memories of Ang Lee’s Hulk only 5 years before, and the massive success of Iron Man only months before, it’s still a fun action flick that manages to tell a compact origin and get on with the business of a man trying to maintain his rage.
Iron Man 2 (2010) ★★★½
With the benefit or hindsight, and an additional 15 films to date, this sometimes messy first MCU sequel wasn’t sure if it wanted to be an Iron Man story or build a universe. In other words, it became the prototype for the next 8 years. Yet there’s still so much to love. Tony sticking it to the man over his right to party hard in a WMD. A (recast) Rhodey turning up in the War Machine armour. The first appearance of ScarJo as Black Widow, merely hinting at the character she would become. Tony in a donut hole. Everything that Sam Rockwell is doing as Justin Hammer. Howard Stark as a blatant Walt Disney figure. It isn’t always faithful to comic book lore, but the kick-ass finale in a beautiful garden is the roller coaster that we came to this theme park for.
Thor (2011) ★★★★
THOR will always hold a special place in our hearts. It was the first Marvel film we reviewed on The Reel Bits, and our first major interview (with Tom Hiddleston and Jaimie Alexander). Before Guardians of the Galaxy or Doctor Strange, this was Marvel’s biggest gamble. It would take Marvel another 2 Thor films before they realised that Led Zeppelin was absolutely necessary for heroes that come from the land of the ice and snow. Read full review >>>
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) ★★★★½
What we have here is Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first period film. What could have been a jingoistic, flag-waving bit of saccharine is given the perfect tone by Joe Johnston. Drawing on the same magic he pulled out for The Rocketeer, this is an unabashed tribute to a bygone era. Yet what makes this work the most is Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. We truly believe at all points he is simply a man who doesn’t like bullies. Read full review >>>
The Avengers (2012) ★★★★
The culmination of a four-year plan, this takes the principle of escalation and amps up the action incrementally throughout the film, leading us to a conclusion that is just as massive as the finales that have since tried to one-up it in later chapters. Read full review >>>
PHASE 2
Iron Man 3 (2013) ★★★★½
This one divides audiences, but we love it. Taking the Extremis storyline of the comic books and infusing it with Shane Black’s unmistakable rhythm, it began Phase 2 with right amount of scale and humour. A legitimate case can be made against Sir Ben Kingsley’s depiction of The Mandarin, but all is forgiven with the All Hail the King Marvel One-Shot anyway. Read full review >>>
Thor: The Dark World (2013) ★★★★
Continuing the divisiveness of Phase 2, it’s a film that certainly has its problems, not least of which is the lack of a strong villain and the occasionally inconsistent tone. Yet it’s also one of the first MCU films to fully embrace the full extent of the cosmic universe, and for that it will always remain jaw-dropping. Read full review >>>
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) ★★★★★
It’s The Shield vs S.H.I.E.L.D.! Back in 2014, we rashly declared this “the best Marvel film to date.” Of course, Guardians of the Galaxy came out a few months later making it a short-lived title. A throwback spy thriller with impeccable action, it addresses the idea of what powerful organisations do with their influence during times of great fear, not just in the wider plot but within the interpersonal relationships as well. Read full review >>>
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) ★★★★★
There are some comics that are just made for the big screen, and this group pops straight out of the panels. A crazy concept pays off in spades as the group of misfits join the big leagues to show the rest how it’s done. It is hard to imagine a more perfect comic adaptation, or a straight-up more enjoyable film, than this. Now: where’s that new Howard the Duck movie? Read full review >>>
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) ★★★½
The capstone sequel takes everything up several notches, and can barely keep it all inside. The first film to actually show a fully-functioning Avengers coming out of the gate, it’s a film that has its problems. Whedon’s biases are on his sleeve, including a second wisecracking Tony Stark in Ultron. It becomes increasingly obvious in the final scenes that Whedon was more interested in bringing Scarlet Witch to the screen that anything else, so it’s best to view this as a hinge in a bigger story. Read full review >>>
Ant-Man (2015) ★★★
There’s a lot to like here. The rapid-fire dialogue (especially from Michael Peña) and the deadpan Paul Rudd makes this instantly distinguishable from its predecessor. The climactic Thomas the Tank Engine train fight is ridiculously inventive and clever, a throwback to high-concept films from the 1980s. Yet the tone is also incredibly inconsistent. Humour slaps up against a familiar plot of corporate rivalry and conflicting ideals for technology – in fact that it was largely the basis for the Obadiah Stane character in 2008’s Iron Man. Read full review >>>
PHASE 3
Captain America: Civil War (2016) ★★★★
Sure, both Tony and Steve go from rational to jerk far too quickly, and the length is more noticeable in a repeat viewing. This is one of the instances where less would be more. Having said that, the film distills 100+ comics down into a manageable debate. It’s also the film that introduced Black Panther and Spider-Man to the MCU. Read full review >>>
Doctor Strange (2016) ★★★★
One of most straightforward origin narratives, but also surrounded by the MCU’s most visually inventive and beautiful worlds, opening up a vast Multiverse for the first time. In Mikkelsen’s Kaecilius, the series finally overcomes Marvel’s issue with uninspiring villains. Although single-minded, and to some extent one-dimensional, he provides a solid focal point for Strange’s mono-mythic journey. Also: TILDA. SWINTON. Read full review >>>
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) ★★★
An all-out melee happens just off-camera, and our attention remains on the adorable Baby Groot. Drax might mistake this for a metaphor for the entire film. If we’re going to criticise Marvel films for underdeveloped villains, we need to point out GOTGV2’s total absence of one until about 90 minutes in.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) ★★★★
Larb. The Infinite Spider-Verse expanded a little more with this outing. Or is it Iron Man 3.5? After 5 Spidey flicks in 15 years, it’s amazing there’s still an original take to be had. Larb. Plus: a Spidey fully integrated into the MCU was worth waiting for. How many times do I have to say larb? Read full review >>>
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) ★★★★½
One of Marvel’s most grand and epic stories is also one of its funniest. It’s disarming, charming, and ridiculously fun: so now you’d better stop and rebuild all your ruins. Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost’s script flies by the seat of its pants through a narrative that is equal parts Norse mythology and pure comic bookery. Strangely this is never a detriment to the film, and it should come as no surprise that the god of thunder works best when placed in the heart of a swirling maelstrom. Read full review >>
Black Panther (2018) ★★★½
The first half of this film is magical, mystical, and magnificent, one in which the Afrofuturism of Wakanda is given ample time to evolve. Most criticisms can be confined to the final act of the film (and arguably the South Korean car chase) in which the digital rag doll fight could have been lifted out of literally any film. Still, in the marketing for Avengers: Infinity War, Wakanda serves as a large part of the narrative. The superb Shuri (Letitia Wright) needs her own movie. Read full review >>>
Avengers: Infinity War (2018 ) ★★★★½
Some films change the world, while others just make it more awesome to live in for a few hours. The tenth anniversary Marvel Studios film falls somewhere in between and is a joyous celebration of comic bookery and beloved characters. More than that, it’s the culmination of an idea that began as a post-credits sequence a decade ago. It’s an emotional, sometimes downbeat, and always powerful piece of storytelling. The best part? It’s only the first half of an epic. Read full review >>>
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) ★★★★
The highly ant-icipated next chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a ridiculously fun saga of ant(i)-heroes, inventive action, and enough humour to leave you with a perman-ant smile. (That last one was a small stretch). After the massive event of Avengers, it’s nice to know Marvel can still tell low-stakes stories that have high levels of fun. Filled with sight-gags and emotional moments in equal measure, this shows us that the smallest heroes get to have the biggest amount of fun. Read full review >>>
Captain Marvel (2019) ★★★★
The twenty-first entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes back to its roots, exploring the dream of the 90s action blockbuster while paving a path to the future. The twenty-first film in the MCU returns to the roots of hero-building that began with Iron Man in 2008. Like every fledgling hero, she has a few missteps along the way, but emerges out the other side as a fully-fledged Avenger ready to defend the planet. So, for everyone that tried to review bomb this film prior to its release, Carol answers them unblinkingly: “I have nothing to prove to you.” Read full review >>>
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Which brings us all the way to the endgame. The reason for the season. We find ourselves at the climax of one of the greatest pieces of modern storytelling and world-building in the history of the medium. Yeah, I went there. It arrives in cinemas this week.
