The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is currently the best-reviewed Marvel Cinematic Universe title on Rotten Tomatoes. Since the MCU started with the original Iron Man back in 2008, the franchise has become known for its high quality. While some viewers point out the formulaic nature of some Marvel titles, all of the movies have been well-received. Only two films, The Incredible Hulk and Thor: The Dark World, are not Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and none of them have a rotten rating. That unprecedented streak (the MCU is 23 movies and counting) is a big reason why Marvel's emerged as the dominant pop culture property in the past decade.

Marvel's critical success carried over into WandaVision, their first foray into Disney+ streaming shows. Released earlier this year, WandaVision earned praise for its lead performances and unique narrative. The hope is the MCU can stay on the right track with the premiere of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier on Disney+ this week, and based on the early returns, it's shaping up to be one of the franchise's best offerings yet.

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On Rotten Tomatoes, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier currently has a 97% rating. That is slightly higher than Black Panther, the MCU's top-rated movie with a 96% score.

This is obviously a great start for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, but there is an important caveat to keep in mind. As of this writing, the show has only 59 reviews counted, so the initial score is based entirely on the earliest reviews published ahead of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier's debut. By comparison, Black Panther has 519 reviews accumulated, so there's a considerable gap between the two projects. As more The Falcon and The Winter Soldier reviews come in, its score will likely fluctuate over the next couple of weeks. For comparison, WandaVision was at one point the MCU's highest-rated movie or TV show, but its score eventually settled at 91%, putting it slightly below the franchise's most-acclaimed offerings. WandaVision has 173 reviews counted, which is probably a reasonable ballpark for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

Even with that in mind, it doesn't take anything away from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. It's encouraging to see the show come out to such widespread acclaim, especially since it has lofty ambitions in terms of narrative. In addition to being a gripping action-thriller, it's also attempting to tackle timely and relevant themes, most notably with Sam Wilson looking to take over the mantle of Captain America. It sounds like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will deliver plenty of substance to go along with its Marvel spectacle. Hopefully the full season is a rewarding experience and continues Phase 4 on a high note.

Next: Marvel Is Correcting Its Spider-Man: Far From Home Post-Endgame Approach

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

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