The Marvel Cinematic Universe stuck the landing with “Phase One.” Five solo superhero adventures built to the beautiful payoff of 2012’s The Avengers, the ambitious crossover epic that made “Phase Two” possible. The Avengers’ Joss Whedon was the only Phase One filmmaker who returned to the director’s chair for Phase Two (although Iron Man helmer Jon Favreau stayed on as an actor in the role of Happy Hogan).
In Phase Two, newcomers like James Gunn and Peyton Reed continued the solo series of Avengers like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America while also introducing exciting new characters like Ant-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Alan Taylor
Along with Iron Man 2, Alan Taylor’s Thor: The Dark World is usually given a low spot on rankings of the MCU’s movies. It’s criticized for rigidly following the cookie-cutter formula with a generic superhero adventure that fails to carve out its own identity.
Formulaic plotting and Jane Foster’s marginalization aside, the most egregious thing about The Dark World is that it doesn’t have any fun with the idea of dueling space Vikings. Taika Waititi would later show Taylor how it’s done with the unbridled zaniness of Thor: Ragnarok, revitalizing the audience’s (and Chris Hemsworth’s) interest in the God of Thunder.
Joss Whedon
After giving Phase One the perfect finale, Joss Whedon returned for the first Avengers sequel in Phase Two. Age of Ultron is an unfortunate example of diminishing returns. Whedon’s script scales down the apocalyptic threat of its villain and squanders the endless possibilities of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes taking on a cybernetic overlord with access to every computer on the planet in favor of neatly replicating the plot formula from the first movie. Age of Ultron is burdened with acting as a stepping stone between too many other Marvel projects to stand on its own two feet.
Much like the first movie, Age of Ultron culminates in a big climactic battle in a city with an army of faceless goons – the only difference is that the city is floating in the sky. Still, there’s a great middle-act sequence on Hawkeye’s farm. This is a bold chunk of the movie with no action that instead focuses squarely on the characters and their relationships.
Shane Black
Shane Black had already established a working relationship with Robert Downey, Jr. before he was hired to direct Iron Man 3. Black directed one of Downey’s best performances in the “buddy cop” neo-noir Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. As the creator of the Lethal Weapon franchise and the writer of The Long Kiss Goodnight, Black is a legend of action cinema, but his MCU entry was wildly polarizing. It was controversial among comic book readers for the Mandarin twist.
But the Iron Man threequel has a lot of great elements, like Tony’s post-Avengers PTSD and the Air Force One Barrel of Monkeys sequence. In the second act, Tony loses his suit and has to fight bad guys without the convenience of his tech, which was an interesting development akin to Spidey’s powerlessness in Spider-Man 2.
Peyton Reed
Marvel fans will always lament the fact that Ant-Man wasn’t directed by Edgar Wright. The genre-bending director of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Baby Driver would’ve undoubtedly given his version of Ant-Man the same lively energy and fast-paced action. But his replacement Peyton Reed still did a great job with the film.
After the mindless destruction of Age of Ultron, Ant-Man offered Marvel fans a refreshingly small-scale heist comedy. Paul Rudd might not have been the most obvious casting choice for a superhero, but his lovable goofball charms were perfect for Ant-Man’s lighthearted tone. Ant-Man follows all the familiar superhero origin beats – a training montage, a romantic subplot, etc. – but it’s still a really fun movie.
The Russo Brothers
Years before they would wipe out half of all life in the Marvel universe, the Russo brothers made their first contribution to the MCU with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The Russos had the tricky task of integrating a World War II-era super-soldier into the modern world, and did so masterfully through the lens of a ‘70s-style paranoid political thriller (and even included the genre’s most recognizable star, Robert Redford).
After his first couple of one-note MCU appearances, The Winter Soldier revitalized Chris Evans’ on-screen portrayal of Steve Rogers. He’s still a straightforward goody-two-shoes, but the Russos stepped up his action with a healthy dose of John Wick-style badassery. On top of that, Steve’s best friend-turned-brainwashed assassin made for one of the MCU’s most compelling villains.
James Gunn
Some pundits expected Guardians of the Galaxy to be Marvel’s first box office bomb. The property was thought to be too weird and obscure to attract a blockbuster audience. But thanks to James Gunn’s spot-on execution, it ended up being one of the MCU’s biggest hits. Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot, and Drax all promptly became fan-favorites.
Marvel didn’t shy away from Gunn’s idiosyncratic voice (except for the hard-R parts) and the movie as a whole offers the perfect blend of heart, humor, and spectacle. The first Guardians movie defined the MCU’s comedic style and completely changed the franchise.