The incredible success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has many challengers but no real equals in today's world. The seemingly-unstoppable roster of movies and characters that Marvel Studios has been able to put out in a relatively short period of time has conquered both the box office and the hearts of both fans and critics alike.
With so many movies already under the franchise's belt and so many more planned for the future, it can leave a newcomer wondering what the best of the series truly is given so many conflicting opinions. With this in mind, here are the top 10 MCU movies according to the critical scores on review aggregate site Metacritic to help provide a starting point.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (70)
A generally more easygoing movie in the franchise, 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp followed the gargantuan Infinity War team-up movie, and its smaller scale no doubt helped in winning over a large percentage of critics.
Following events and plot threads from the first Ant-Man movie and the character's appearance in Captain America: Civil War, this sequel focusses its stakes more onto familial drama for a more lowkey, but still wildly inventive, crime caper involving the central shrinking technology gimmick.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (70)
A big and generally unexpected step forward for the MCU all around, The Winter Soldier injected the franchise's huge scale with political thriller elements to great success.
The inclusion of conspiracy movie veteran Robert Redford goes a long way in legitimizing this pacy action thriller as it sets up future movies and presents one of the more topical stories from modern comic book movies.
Doctor Strange (72)
Despite a fairly out-there premise about a society of wizards protecting the Earth from all manner of cosmically supernatural forces, the key to Doctor Strange's success was its simplicity.
Benedict Cumberbatch's introduction to the MCU is a succinct origin adventure that comes heavy with the visual effects fun and masters the MCU's affable comedic tone throughout.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (73)
The first standalone Spider-Man movie of the tentative deal struck between Marvel Studios and Sony following the success of the character's appearance in Captain America: Civil War, Homecoming injects a clear John Hughes teen movie vibe to the superhero universe which both critics and fans got a kick out of.
Despite being the third actor to tackle Peter Parker in the space of fifteen years, Tom Holland makes the role his own with the movie's coming-of-age perspective on heroism and villainy really helping it to stand out.
Thor: Ragnarok (74)
Taiki Waititi's threequel in the Thor franchise proved to be its biggest hit with both critics and fans so far, in no small part thanks to the director's distinct comedic sensibilities.
Ragnarok nonetheless doesn't abandon the plot elements from the previous Thor appearances and, in fact, brings most of them full circle for a satisfying trilogy blowout that reinvigorated the character for even more movies down the line.
Captain America: Civil War (75)
Often thought of as more an Avengers movie than a Captain America movie, Civil War continues the story of The Winter Soldier with a greater mindfulness of its place within the ever-expanding fictional universe.
However, the introduction of new characters, like Black Panther and the MCU's version of Spider-Man, and their own accompanying plot threads doesn't slow down the movie's adventure.
Guardians of the Galaxy (76)
One of the biggest and boldest moves that the MCU has ever made, Guardians of the Galaxy took one of Marvel comics' least well-known properties and spun it into movie franchise gold.
Its upbeat rhythm proved as infectious for critics as it was for audiences and the comedic space opera ushered in a new era of the MCU, where standalone introductions were more momentous than even the bigger ensemble movies.
Avengers: Endgame (78)
The culmination of all of the MCU's massive machinations to date, Avengers: Endgame conquered the box office and delivered a satisfying end to many of its longest-running character arcs.
With the expanse of space already explored in previous movies, the fourth Avengers outing incorporates a risky time travel element that pays off while keeping a focus on the emotional connection between its many, many intersecting characters.
Iron Man (79)
Still one of its most beloved creations by fans and critics alike, the original MCU movie altered the already very successful marriage of high-concept comedy and sci-fi action in modern comic book movies into something truly phenomenal.
Though nowhere close to the longest, Robert Downey Jr.'s tenure as a superhero created one of the most inseparable bonds seen between character and actor in the 21st century and redefined the origin story into the streamlined form that audiences know today.
Black Panther (88)
Both the first MCU movie and the first superhero movie, in general, to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, Black Panther was a cinematic milestone in more ways than one.
Representation of a predominantly black cast playing predominantly African characters made it one of the most unique and forward-thinking ventures of the genre and critics adored it, making it both the highest-rated MCU movie and the highest-rated Marvel comics adaptation on Metacritic to date.