Since its inception in 2008 with Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has developed to become one of the biggest blockbuster-making franchises in history, with their movies often earning upwards of an unfathomable $1 billion.
From the huge team-up movies to the solo adventures, fans continue to flock to these movies with so much enthusiasm. But while pretty much every MCU movie has been a financial success a few stand out as the franchise's highest-grossing movies which pull in some impressive numbers.
Updated on September 14th, 2022 by Colin McCormick: With Thor: Love and Thunder hitting Disney+, it marks the end of another successful theatrical run for the MCU. The highest-grossing movies in the cinematic universe highlight the heroes and stories that have connected with fans the most, leading to some huge box office numbers. While every fan might have their own favorite movie, these are the MCU's highest-grossing movies.
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) – $770,882,395
With the success of Phase 1 of the MCU already established, Guardians of the Galaxy felt like the movie that tested how far the cinematic universe could go with unknown characters. While the Guardians were far from household names, their space odyssey made them some of the most popular characters in the MCU.
With the likable cast of characters and James Gunn's distinct sense of humor, Guardians of the Galaxy felt like a breath of fresh air that was immediately embraced by fans. But its massive box office success still seemed to surprise everyone.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) $850,482,778
After a couple of lackluster solo movies, Thor was in need of a new take, and Taika Waititi was brought in to revamp the character. Going for a more colorful look, a sillier tone, and leaning into Chris Hemsworth's comedic talents, Thor: Ragnarok made the God of Thunder cool again.
Making Thor one of the funniest MCU characters seemed to really work for fans with the third Thor movie far outgrossing the previous two. It proved that it was never too late for the MCU to take a new approach with its characters.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) - $869,113,101
Following the surprise success of the first movie Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 became one of the most anticipated movies in the MCU. James Gunn seemed to know what worked so well the first time and delivered the same humor, heart, and some of the best needle-drops in the MCU.
Along with the fan-favorite characters returning, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 brought in some fun new character and some Hollywood legends like Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone. It all made for a movie that surpassed the original's impressive box office take.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - $878,346,440
After being introduced in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland's Spider-Man got his own solo movie with Spider-Man: Homecoming. The movie cleverly cemented Peter Parker in the middle of his high school life while balancing being a superhero.
Despite the other Spider-Man franchises still being fresh in the minds of fans, this fun and youthful take on the iconic hero was a winner. Its box office success helped cement that Spider-Man fit in right at home in the MCU.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022) $952,302,547
Following his first solo movie, Doctor Strange grew his reputation as one of the most interesting heroes in the MCU in Avengers: Infinity War and Spider-Man: No Way Home. There was already a lot of anticipation for what he would do next, but Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had a lot of surprises in store.
Along with continuing the Multiverse Saga, the Doctor Strange sequel featured the return of Wanda Maximoff in a villainous role and some really fun cameos all overseen by comic book movie legend Sam Raimi.
Captain Marvel (2019) - $1,129,727,388
The first MCU movie to feature a solo female superhero in the lead role, Captain Marvel tells the origin story of Carol Danvers, a Kree warrior who explores her past life on Earth in the 1990s. Oscar-winner Brie Larson stepped into the role of Carol while Samuel L. Jackson teamed with her to make one of the funniest MCU friendships.
Coming off the tease at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, fans were eagerly awaiting Captain Marvel's debut and her incredible display of abilities immediately cemented her as one of the strongest heroes in the MCU.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) - $1,132,532,832
Following Spider-Man's life after the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home saw Peter Parker traveling to Europe on a school trip, and coming into contact with the intriguing Mysterio.
The movie showed how Peter had matured in the time since his first solo outing, but it retained its dedication to showing his struggles as well. With awesome visuals and likable performances from its core cast, Far From Home built on the success that Spider-Man: Homecoming established.
Captain America: Civil War (2016) - $1,151,918,521
The nature of Captain America: Civil War's story, of a conflict between Iron Man and Captain America, meant it brought together a substantial roster of heroes, but by doing so it somewhat felt like another Avengers movie rather than the conclusion to Cap's solo trilogy.
While Civil War struggled to balance its large cast of characters in places, it still felt small-scale when compared to the comic book event of the same name, which lessened the impact of its political plot to some extent. On a more positive note, though, its story acted as a refreshing change for Marvel, and the film debuted Spider-Man and Black Panther in the MCU.
Iron Man 3 (2013) - $1,215,392,272
As the conclusion to the Iron Man trilogy, Iron Man 3 had a lot of weight on its shoulders, and though it received recognition for its exploration of Tony's psyche, taking one of the best characters Jon Favreau introduced to the MCU in a new direction, the movie still generated mixed responses among fans for its take on iconic villain the Mandarin.
Telling the story of Tony after the events of The Avengers, Iron Man 3 was the MCU's adaptation of the Extremis storyline from Marvel Comics, though ultimately the movie's version of the Extremis treatment has not had the long-term ramifications of its comic book counterpart.
Black Panther (2018) - $1,336,494,321
The first MCU movie to feature a Black protagonist, Black Panther introduced audiences to the layered and rich society of Wakanda, and it chronicles hero T'Challa's journey as he takes up the throne and decides what kind of ruler he will be.
The movie became one of Marvel Studios' most acclaimed releases, even earning a Best Picture nomination. The critical acclaim mixed with the exciting character and his world as well as the cultural impact made for a massive movie event and one of the most rewatchable solo MCU movies.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015) - $1,395,316,979
The second onscreen team-up of the Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron sees the superhero squad facing off against the rogue A.I. Ultron, and also introduced now-fixtures of the franchise, Scarlet Witch and Vision.
In contrast to its predecessor, Age of Ultron's villain was perceived as underwhelming, and though the movie unpacked the dynamics of the Avengers team in a light and fun way, some choices like the Black Widow and Hulk romance were met with confusion.
The Avengers (2012) - $1,515,100,211
The culmination of Phase One of the MCU, The Avengers brought together its disparate selection of heroes for the first time, to face the threat of Loki and the Chitauri. The Avengers showed what the MCU could become, and marked the first appearance of Thanos.
Full of memorable lines, interesting character interactions, and dynamic action sequences, the success of The Avengers allowed the MCU to push on and reach new heights with its subsequent releases, serving as proof that a franchise using such crossovers could work.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - $1,913,383,023
The MCU's most recent movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home is currently still in theaters, meaning that its colossal box office numbers continue to grow.
An ambitious film that shows just what the presence of the multiverse in the MCU can mean, No Way Home brings together three versions of Spider-Man and sees them face off against a collection of the hero's most notable villains. With a great story that uses action and quiet moments equally well, not to mention fantastic chemistry between its leads, No Way Home has become a true phenomenon.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) $2,048,359,754
Bringing together not only the Avengers but also heroes like the Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Infinity War assembled a huge cast of characters for the fight against Thanos. The film shows the true power of Thanos as he travels to acquire every Infinity Stone, racing against heroes trying to stop him.
Even with a more downbeat ending than fans expect from the MCU, Avengers: Infinity War delivered an epic and unexpected thrill ride with a massive ensemble of heroes. The result blew audiences away and left them eagerly awaiting the story's conclusion.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) - $2,797,501,328
Concluding the decade-long story of the Infinity Saga, Avengers: Endgame is the highest-grossing movie of the MCU to date, and saw its huge cast facing off against Thanos for the final time, regrouped after the catastrophic events of Infinity War.
Though some characters were given more favorable fates than others, eliciting a wide range of reactions from audiences, Endgame did deliver in providing fans with an emotional ending to its long-building narrative, bringing together plot threads from a wide range of earlier movies and putting them to good use.