All 9 MCU 2021 Releases, Ranked Worst To Best

After a year of absences and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marvel Studios came back stronger than ever with 9 MCU releases across 2021. The year marked the start of the MCU's Phase 4, which Marvel studios started on a high note with the release of WandaVision. The highly anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home rounded out the year, which is on track to become the biggest movie of 2021, and perhaps one of the biggest movies of all time. All in all, Marvel Studios released 4 new movies and 5 Disney+ shows, bringing the total number of projects up to 9, easily the highest out of any other year for the MCU.

More importantly, 2021 saw Marvel Studios venture into the world of television for the first time, with 5 shows released throughout the year. The Disney+ shows were a huge success due to their longer form of storytelling and gripping, emotional plots. Marvel Studios managed to bring the MCU movie experience to the small screen through these shows due to their cinematic budget, while at the same time upholding a semi-steady flow of weekly MCU content year-round.

The MCU has grown significantly in 2021, with its projects bringing the total number of official MCU installments to 32. Next year promises to be an even bigger year for the shared universe, with 3 movies, 4 shows, and 2 Disney+ specials slated for release in 2022. As 2021 comes to a close, it's worth looking back at the nine MCU releases of the year to see how these projects stack up against one another.

9. Eternals

Starting off the list is Eternals. The November release introduced audiences to a team of 10 immortal beings that have watched over the earth for millennia. Unfortunately, Eternals failed to achieve its full potential with critics deeming the movie lackluster. The MCU's 26th movie was the first to receive a rotten stamp from the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, even though its audience scores are not the lowest out of all the other MCU movies. Expectations were high for Eternals, especially with Academy Award-winning director Chloe Zhao behind the camera, but the film failed to deliver on most fronts, relegating it to the last spot on the list.

8. What If...?

What If...? was Marvel's first foray into animation—at least where the MCU is concerned—which they utilized to tell an anthology that would be impossible to pull off in live-action. The animated series explored the multiverse as it showed how key MCU moments played out in alternate realities. However, the lack of real stakes makes this the MCU's most unnecessary project, as it did nothing to further the MCU's story and branched out in so many different directions that it left audiences wondering: what's the point? The unique premise and the introduction of Uatu The Watcher (Jeffery Wright) make What If...? an enjoyable series, but its uniqueness was not enough to grip audiences the way the remaining projects on the list did.

7. Black Widow

Natasha standing among wreckage in Black Widow

Marvel Studios' first film after a 2-year gap, Black Widow, is next on the list. Scarlett Johansson finally got to star in her own movie after 11 years of playing Natasha Romanoff in the MCU. The movie had an unexpected family-centric story that followed Natasha's adventures as a fugitive between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. The film had a lot of high points throughout, such as Natasha and Yelena's (Florence Pugh) relationship and David Harbour's portrayal of the Red Guardian, but the fact that it's a prequel to Natasha's death in Avengers: Endgame was detrimental to the film's stakes. While still a great film, the setting of the film as well as its predictable ending hold it back.

6. The Falcon And The Winter Soldier

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier dealt with the aftermath of Steve's (Chris Evans) decision to pass the shield on to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) at the end of Endgame. The 6-episode show focused on Sam's moral struggle as he tried to decide whether he should take up the mantle of Captain America or not. Marvel's second show included some impactful social commentary about racial discrimination and social status, and balanced it out with great cinematic action and an espionage theme. However, the show's obvious twists and lackluster villains prevent it from cracking MCU's 2021 top 5.

5. Hawkeye

Being the last original Avenger to receive his own project, the Hawkeye show finally gave Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) a chance to shine. Drawing inspiration from the fan-favorite Hawkeye run by Matt Fraction, the Christmas-themed Disney+ show told a grounded and contained story about Clint taking on Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) as his protege. The show also featured Vincent D'Onofrio's long-awaited return as the Kingpin, but this time as part of the MCU. While not perfect, Hawkeye was a great addition to the MCU, and the fact that it brings up the halfway point on this list speaks volumes of the quality of the four remaining entries.

4. Loki

Next up is Loki, Marvel's first project centered around a villain. Loki introduced the multiverse and variants to the MCU, two concepts that will form the basis of quite a few of the remaining Phase 4 releases, not the least of which is next year's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Tom Hiddleston was able to show a new side of Loki after already playing the character for 10 years. The Disney+ show also featured Jonathan Majors MCU debut as Kang the conquerer, or at least a variant of him; the villain most likely to replace Thanos as the next multi-phase threat. Loki was able to merge romance, time travel, and universe-ending stakes in a 6-part saga that rivals the MCU's best. A second season has already been confirmed, and will probably deal with the ramifications of Sylvie's (Sofia Di Martino) decision to kill He Who Remains.

3. Wandavision

Perhaps the most creative MCU release to date, WandaVision kicked off Phase 4 through a twisted take on the sitcom genre. Audiences finally got to witness the consequences of all the loss Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) experienced as part of the Avengers. The show primarily dealt with Wanda's grief, which led her to hold an entire town hostage while she created a reality that reflects her vision of the perfect life, influenced by the sitcoms she used to watch as a kid. Wanda's character development throughout the series was one of its highlights; by finally giving Wanda enough screen time to do the character justice, WandaVision delved deep into the journey one goes through after experiencing the loss of a loved one, a journey that is unfortunately relatable to a large number of viewers. WandaVision's fusion of genres, coupled with its creative storytelling format, makes it the best MCU show to date. Audiences will get to see Wanda again in the upcoming Multiverse of Madness, where she is rumored to play an antagonistic role.

2. Spider-Man: No Way Home

Sony and Marvel Studios' latest collaboration, Spider-Man: No Way Home was the last MCU movie of 2021. No Way Home saw Tom Holland's Peter Parker take on villains from all over Spider-Man's 20-year history on the silver screen. This multiversal fiasco was filled to the brim with fan-service moments, while at the same time delivering a heartfelt and emotional Spider-Man story. No Way Home is the highest-rated live-action Spider-Man film, which is fitting given the fact that it's a celebration of everything that came before it. No Way Home's bittersweet ending was the perfect way to conclude Tom Holland's first MCU trilogy and set up his second one as the wall-crawling hero. While the Spider-Man threequel is on a clear path to becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year, and possibly one of the highest ever, there is still one MCU project that managed to deliver a better story in 2021.

1. Shang Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

Shang-Chi fights Wenwu with the Ten Rings

Coming in at number one, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the MCU's best outing of 2021. Before this movie, Shang Chi was only known to a percentage of avid comic book readers, yet his MCU adaptation highlighted the character's best aspects with the aid of Simu Liu and Tony Leung's brilliant performances as Shang Chi and Wen Wu, respectively. The film juggled themes of legacy and parental expectations, while introducing audiences to an entire cast of new characters, and finally resolving Iron Man 3's infamous Mandarin twist.

While the film's climax featured the same CGI-heavy final battle customary in MCU films, the stunning visual effects combined with precise choreography set this a tad above the usual MCU standard. Even though Wandavision was more creative, and No Way Home was an epic cinematic event, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was the most rounded-out MCU project of the year, as it managed to deliver a compelling and personal story as well as introduce half a dozen interesting characters. All of these factors combined make Shang Chi the best MCU release of 2021.

From new characters to new versions of old ones, from mega-blockbusters to small screen twisted sitcoms, the MCU was more diverse than ever in 2021. The Disney+ shows introduced a new form of storytelling essential to exploring a few of the MCU's most underutilized characters, while the MCU movies continue to give audiences memorable experiences with their genre-defining superhero films. Even though the year had its fair share of highs and lows, 2021 was one of the best years for MCU enthusiasts as it had more new content than some of them can keep up with, and 2022 looks to continue this trend with movie sequels starring Marvel's most popular characters, and new Disney+ shows introducing long-awaited fan-favorite characters into the MCU.

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