The Marvel Cinematic Universe is more than 15-years-old and during that time the popular movie franchise has experienced its share of highs and lows. Hopefully, history will show that the remaining MCU entry scheduled to debut this year (The Marvels) will be counted among the series' achievements and not its setbacks. Until then, here's the hierarchy of the MCU's awe-inspiring capabilities:
33. Thor: Love and Thunder
Less a movie than a poorly-conceived series of sketches parodying Thor, the MCU and comic book movies in general, Love and Thunder plumbs new lows in the ongoing saga of Earth's Mightiest Heroes and their allies.
32. Eternals
The biggest detractors of the "Snyderverse" generally resent those films for not being more like Marvel movies. And WB executives, craving the rival studio's box office numbers, panicked along the way, ordering ill-advised alterations to their own projects (Suicide Squad and Justice League, especially) in order to mimic the sensibilities of the competition's output. The funny thing is, the MCU's 26th entry is essentially their version of Justice League. Eternals director and co-writer Chloe Zhao revealed in a recent interview that she was inspired by fellow director Zack Snyder's first Superman film, Man of Steel. One of Eternals' stars, Richard Madden, even seems to have been cast mainly because of his similarities to Henry Cavill. The former's Ikaris is clearly modeled after Cavill's Superman; they even possess the same basic power-set and alien origins. MCU-architect Kevin Feige publicly named MoS follow-up Batman v. Superman his favorite film. So in an ironic twist, it appears that more than a few people at Marvel want their work to be more like that of the DCEU.
However, the fatal flaw in Eternals' Snyderverse leanings, characterized by thoughtful deconstruction of superheroes and an examination of their impact on humanity, is the fact that its titular characters are complete unknowns to the general moviegoing public. It's hard to care about how strangers fit into the world and a single film is nowhere near enough to familiarize us with these 10 people. On the other hand, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman have been household names for decades.
The first MCU movie to receive an official "rotten" designation on Rotten Tomatoes, Eternals' vaunted diversity seems to be an example of the maxim, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." While the story features the studio's first deaf superhero as well as its first Pakistani superhero, the lone Black male do-gooder among the titular alien protectors is depicted as the only coward of the bunch. Throw in lots of shoddy-looking CGI -- especially, the Deviants (monsters with little-to-no personality) -- and you've got yourself the worst MCU flick to date.
If Marvel's intention was to produce a cut-rate Justice League movie, then: Mission Accomplished. If only Hawkeye had gotten a movie and the Eternals had gotten the Disney+ series.
31. Captain Marvel
Though Captain Marvel cost a reported $175 million to produce, that money isn't evident on the screen -- except for de-aging Nick Fury by 24 years. With the rubbery-looking make-up and gaudy costumes, this prequel looks more like a television movie on the Syfy channel than an installment of the MCU. The alien Skrulls in particular seem ripped from a bad episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The fact that what appears to be a house cat turns out to apparently be the monster from the lamest scene in The Force Awakens doesn't help either.
The movie's biggest problem, however, is that it's an origin story in which the title character's origin is presented as a mystery. And when it's finally revealed, it's jaw-droppingly anti-climactic. But that's actually par for the course here. The one thing Captain Marvel possesses in abundance is blandness. This 21st installment of the MCU excels at underachieving.
The importance of diversity casting and inclusiveness can't be overstressed. But why exactly, in a movie with a female lead, was a male character from the comics -- Mar-Vell -- changed to a woman in the film adaptation?
Given that the movie's title character already has superpowers when she first appears, the film is a better origin story for Nick Fury than for Carol Danvers -- until the hugely disappointing and retconned explanation for the loss of his eye is revealed. At that point, you wanna just forget his involvement with the entire movie -- if you hadn't already checked out from seeing Danvers whitesplain things and condescend to him.
30. The Marvels
The Marvels has the dubious distinction of owning the lowest box office opening of the MCU's 33-movie, 15-year history (including all of the pandemic releases). Ironically, its predecessor, Captain Marvel, grossed over $1 billion but is a much worse film. While ticket sales for other installments indicate that "superhero fatigue" is a myth, the Captain Marvel franchise has apparently exhausted audiences' patience.
29. Doctor Strange
From the fake-looking costume to the mind-numbingly repetitive ending, this poor man's Inception and example of Hollywood's continuing commitment to white-washing is Marvel Studios' biggest shame. Although the original, comic book version of the Ancient One is definitely an outdated racial stereotype, there were certainly better options than to just make the character -- a legendary Asian sorcerer -- white. There's no upside to this nadir of an otherwise amazing actor's (Benedict Cumberbatch) stellar career.
28. The Dark World
With one huge exception, the MCU is particularly prone to sophomore slumps with regard to its sub-franchises. While Captain America and Doctor Strange boast sequels that are exponentially better than their debuts, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man and even Iron Man hit foul balls during their respective second at-bats. But like his fellow Avenger, Ant-Man, Thor struck all the way out.
Without doubt the worst part of an already terrible movie is Loki showing off some of his illusion tricks, which is mostly a lame excuse to feature a sort of Captain America cameo (This would be his first, but unfortunately not his last, trash cameo in another hero's film series). Why bring Steve Rogers into this sh-- show?
Where to start? The Dark Elves are even more bland and unmemorable than the first movie's Frost Giants. And the Viking Age iconography, laser guns and starfighters make for a truly gobbage combination. The tone is all over the place, careening recklessly from completely unfunny attempts at humor to wholly uncompelling and woefully over-the-top melodrama. Rumor has it that Marvel was going for a Game of Thrones vibe with this trash (director Alan Taylor did helm 7 episodes of GoT) but Thor 2 doesn't even live up to the widely-hated final season. Don't get me started on the weirdly sappy yet simultaneously unconvincing "love" story.
Ian and Darcy's romance is more compelling than Thor and Jane's. And Anthony Hopkins has always been horrible at choosing roles in the action genre and his Odin in the Thor movies, especially this one, certainly upholds that piss-poor tradition. Aside from all of its other f----ups, The Dark World doubles down on the MCU's decision to give its Norse people off-brand Downton Abbey accents. You know, when you screw up royally, the best course of action is to stop what the f--- you're doing. They recast Warmonger, Fandrill and Bruce Banner AND even let Chris Hemsworth stop bleaching his eyebrows. But I guess they're sticklers for continuity when it comes to accents.
Even star Chris Hemsworth didn't like this steaming pile of viking turd.
Far and away the best (possibly the only good) thing about Ragnarok is Korg -- the gladiator made of rocks. The problem is that a character like Korg would normally serve as comic relief. But as a parody of a comic book movie, Ragnarok never allows for any relief from the unrelenting silliness. The second-best thing about Ragnarok is the fact that Asgard is utterly destroyed in the end -- but only because it guarantees that we'll never again be subjected to the lamest aspects of the Thorverse...barring any prequels (smh).
The suits at Marvel Studios' no doubt loved the profits and positive critical reception generated by Ragnarok but the creative decision-makers were apparently far less thrilled by the movie's story choices as evidenced by the undoing of some of Thor 3's major events. Infinity War wasted very little time replacing the eye that Thor lost and his obtaining a replacement for his destroyed hammer, Mjolnir, was a key aspect of IW. It was so important that his use of his new weapon, Stormbreaker, nearly won the Infinity War -- and may yet do so in the upcoming follow-up, Endgame.
But the biggest tragedy of Ragnarok is that fans essentially got the superhero version of a Three Stooges movie instead of a long-awaited film adaptation of the "Planet Hulk" storyline from the comics. And now they probably never will.
26. Thor
From the hokey, discount store-bought looking costumes to the boring villain to the unfunny jokes this was a mess through and through. The only good thing about Thor is the Sword in the Stone ripoff scene in which the original Thunder Cat picks up his beloved hammer.
This clown is the same guy that Ragnar and the rest of the cast of Vikings look up to and LITERALLY worship?! Can't be. And why exactly do the Asgardians all have British accents? Not having the cast sound Scandinavian is a huge missed opportunity.
25. No Way Home
No Way Home follows Into the Spider-Verse's playbook as worlds collide with multiversal shenanigans, including Spidey's cheesiest big-screen villains coming back to haunt him.
24. The Incredible Hulk
Ironically, this least memorable of the Hulk's movie appearances features the best-looking Jade Giant to grace the silver screen and debuted a little over two months after Iron Man. But there's a reason that Marvel likes to pretend that The Incredible Hulk never happened. Unfortunately, it's not the worst entry in the MCU. There are plenty of other movies in the catalogue that should be disavowed.
23. Iron Man 3
The Iron Man trilogy just gets worse and worse. This shit only made a billion dollars because, being the first MCU release following The Avengers, moviegoers expected more of what they got in that movie. An Avengers sequel this was not. Intended to be an exploration of Tony Stark's attempt to cope with the PTSD he suffers as a result of his experiences during the Invasion of New York, Iron Man 3 is little more than a shit-show of bad CGI, lame storytelling and the corniest aspects of Iron Man lore (Extremis and the Iron Patriot -- smh).
22. Far From Home
Peter and the rest of the world adjust to the Big Resurrection following Thanos' snap. The world also mourns the loss of Steve Rogers, the Vision, Natasha Romanoff...and Tony Stark.
21. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is full of missed opportunities. One example is the criminal under-use of Death Dealer, who falls into the Boba Fett category of movie characters: a mysterious badass with a dope design whose bumped off in an egregiously anti-climactic manner after minimal screen-time. But Shang-Chi's biggest shame is the fact that legendary villain Wenwu (who was unfortunately given the racist nickname "the Mandarin"), who fans have been looking forward to seeing onscreen since the MCU's inception, is killed off in his sole, looong-awaited appearance.
Shang-Chi also follows the apparent new tradition of MCU films featuring adult baby sisters too immature to come to terms with their older siblings' escape from the assassination trade without resorting to a violent greeting during a surprise reunion with said sibling.
20. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
Drax steals the show with his newfound comedy chops in this cosmic sequel, Baby Groot is always entertaining, the exchanges between Quill and Gamora are hilarious and Nebula's "Get over it" line is unforgettable. Everything else in this flick is pointless drivel. From the VR videogame ships to the various Ravager dramas to the Blob ripoff scene -- it's pretty damn bad.
Curiously enough, a few of Yondu's scenes from Guardians 2 are hijacked in another 2017 Disney release -- The Last Jedi. Yondu's Mary Poppins impersonation is recreated by Princess Leia; Yondu's revelation that his parents sold him is echoed by Kylo's bombshell regarding Rey's origin; and Yondu's ultimate sacrifice for his protege (Quill) is mirrored by Luke's.
19. Homecoming
Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey, Jr. must get along pretty well. This makes the fourth movie they've done together. You can catch 'em both in Chaplin, Only You and Civil War. Of course, they're just reprising their Civil War roles in Homecoming. Tomei's the new Aunt May and Downey's Tony Stark/Iron Man. The biggest casting surprise of Spider-Man: Homecoming is Michael Keaton, who returns to superhero cinema for the first time in 25 years (since his starring role in Batman Returns). He's also fresh off of starring roles in back-to-back Best Picture Oscar-winning movies. In one (Birdman), he satirizes comic book movies and the actors who star in them. Now, he's Spider-Man's second-oldest enemy in the comics. He went from a bat, to a miscellaneous bird, to a vulture. Whatever, man. 2016 gave us Batman v. Superman. 2017 brought Batman v. Spider-Man.
In the web-slinger's 2nd reboot in four years, a fifteen-year-old Peter Parker faces off against the Vulture. And the creative shot-callers behind the MCU should get kudos for making the Vulture compelling alone. He has always been exponentially lame on the page. But, surprisingly enough, he works onscreen. Oh yeah, a none-too-shabby Shocker comes along for the ride as well.
In fact, Spider-Man: Homecoming treats the villains much better than it does Captain America, who's back in his costume-shop-style suit from 2012's The Avengers -- even in a mid-credits scene which really amounts to a prank, as opposed to the usual future-movie-tease to which we've become accustomed.
That's just one of the changes. Flash Thompson is unfortunately no longer a jerky jock -- now he's a bench-warmer on the school's academic team.
The most significant alteration to Spidey's conventional history comes in the form of his mentorship by Tony Stark. And believe me, Homecoming could've used a lot less Iron Man. As a matter of fact, the web-slinger more or less comes across as Iron Man-in-training. This Spider-Man reboot essentially relegates the star to a sidekick. If you've ever wondered what a Robin solo film would look like -- this is it. The worst thing about the movie is the preponderance of Spider-gizmos and the Iron Man-style Spider-suit Peter Parker gets from Stark. You have to wonder how much inspiration the filmmakers drew from Inspector Gadget.
And I really could've done without seeing Peter whine because he worried that he was hopelessly trapped beneath a pile of rubble -- this despite the fact that he wasn't injured in the least when the various slabs of concrete landed on him to begin with. Note to Marvel: I know you guys pride yourselves on not taking yourselves too seriously but most of us would appreciate you not depicting our would-be heroes coming dangerously close to crying like bitches out of frustration or humiliating themselves while wearing cringe-worthy costumes in ridiculous PSAs.
There are some welcome additions as well. The object of Peter's crush is refreshingly not Gwen Stacy. Now he's got a thing for Liz Toomes -- captain of the academic team. And friendless oddball Michelle has a thing for him. And both of these new ladies happen to be African-American. Truthfully, Homecoming features more females of African ancestry in speaking -- even prominent -- roles than Wonder Woman. Having Michelle and an African-American security guard at the Washington Monument point out to a white academic decathlon coach that the structure was built by slaves was a nice touch as well.
Also, the second Shocker gave the friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man a run for his money and, unlike his predecessor, is still here to tell the tale. When the first member of Adrian Toomes' crew to use vibro-blast devices, gets himself disintegrated for threatening to snitch on the operation, the Shocker steps up. And easily fills his vacant gauntlet.
Perhaps the biggest surprise here is the appearance of Donald Glover as Aaron Davis aka the Prowler. For those out of the loop, Davis is the uncle of Miles Morales -- the half-African-American and half-Puerto Rican Spider-Man in the comics. It gets deeper: Glover and the spidey pajamas that he wore on an episode of his former sitcom, Community, served as one of the inspirations that led to the creation of the mixed web-crawler in the first place. While Miles does get a mention in Homecoming, there are no plans to replace Peter in the MCU. Instead, Morales will be swinging to a theater near you next year in his own animated movie.
While most self-respecting superhero movies contain easter eggs related to comic books, Homecoming goes a step further. This thing is chock-full of references to classic high school films as well, including nods to Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Risky Business.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is a fun time and it surpasses the previous Spider-Man film adaptations but after so many missteps and so much build-up, it just wasn't quite enough. And unfortunately, it's more Batman and Robin than Batman Begins.
18. Ant-Man and the Wasp in Quantumania
Quantumania represents Scott Lang's worst on-screen appearance (which includes Civil War and Endgame). It's also the worst installment of the Ant-Man trilogy. The only good thing about this thing is its primary villain, Kang.
17. Ant-Man and the Wasp
2015's Ant-Man was an actual superhero movie that fit nicely into the MCU. The follow-up, Ant-Man and the Wasp, seems more like a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel. The story mostly centers on a father and daughter with miniaturizing technology at their disposal on a desperate hunt for a way to restore Ma Dukes to normal size. They might as well have named this shit Honey, Mom Shrunk Herself. The only thing missing was an end-credits scene featuring Rick Moranis. You're better off watching an old episode of "The Littles".
16. Iron Man 2
Though Tony Stark's second outing is more introspective than the first, the story's nowhere near the highlight of the movie. Loosely based on the Iron Man comics story "Demon in a Bottle", about Tony's struggle with alcoholism, Iron Man 2 is completely devoid of alcoholism. If you can stay awake long enough, what you'll wanna see is Iron Man and War Machine battling Ivan Venko and his unmanned drones at the end of the movie. And speaking of Venko, he's a pretty interesting guy -- bird and all -- when he's not wearing his trademark electric whips or a drone suit.
15. The First Avenger
Like Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger introduces a lesser-known superhero to theater-goers. Unlike the previous movie, The First Avenger mostly takes place in the past -- during the 1940s. It's unique in that it's the only World War II movie of the series.
The story details how a short and scrawny but tough and principled U.S. Army reject (Steve Rogers) becomes the first and last successful participant in the military's "super-soldier" program in which his strength, agility, endurance, healing, speed and reflexes are increased exponentially. He also grows taller and gains an astounding amount of muscle mass. His primary weapon, a shield made from vibranium, was designed by one of his contemporaries, genius-industrialist Howard Stark (Tony's father). Following Rogers' plane crashing into the Arctic Ocean, Stark retrieves an otherworldly device called the Tesseract (which was also on the plane) while attempting (unsuccessfully) to locate Steve and the aircraft.
After Rogers awakens in New York City after being frozen in the Arctic for seven decades, he's offered a mission by Nick Fury in a post-credits scene.
You won't see anyone flying through the clouds but watching Cap acquire his powers is entertaining enough. Like Iron Man, Captain America's worldview has an enormous impact on events to come in later movies.
More than anything else, the blue lasers derailed the middle of Captain America's origin story. But the beginning (filled with 1940's sci-fi and spy action) and the end (Steve Rogers discovering that he's a man out-of-time) are essential viewing.
14. Iron Man
Iron Man is the movie that started it all. This story about a billionaire arms dealer who decides to dedicate his life to protecting the world from the instruments of war instead of profiting from them is the film that kicked off the MCU.
After he's critically injured during a terrorist ambush, genius weapons-supplier Tony Stark uses his time in captivity to build a crude metal suit of armor equipped with a flamethrower. Following his escape and homecoming, he decides to change his life. He not only shuts down his corporation's lucrative weapons division he also further develops his armored suit and uses it to battle terrorism across the globe.
Understanding that most non-comic book readers are completely unfamiliar with the character, Marvel Studios wisely presented the movie as an origin story -- establishing the precedent for the initial solo film of nearly every Marvel hero to come. Billionaire genius Tony Stark's (the man inside the Iron Man suit) motivations and inner-demons play a pivotal role in a couple of the later movies -- and the fate of the world -- and this one gives you an idea of what kind of guy he is.
While the movie's primary importance lies in its presentation of background information, what you'll love most is seeing Iron Man flying -- and crashing. However, Stark reveals his previously secret identity to the world during a press conference at the end of the movie. As a result, S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division)-director Nick Fury approaches him and lets him know that his organization is considering him for "the Avengers Initiative".
Including a Ghostface Killah song was a brilliant touch -- Tony Stark knocking Tony Stark.
13. Endgame
Endgame has got to be the most inconsistent movie in the entire MCU. The directors reportedly filmed multiple endings so that as few people as possible would be able to pinpoint the story's true resolution. It seemed like the filmmakers took a similar approach to the movie's tone. It's as though they shot a slacker (a la Grandma's Boy), a superhero parody (Superhero Movie), a memorial drama (The Big Chill), a dark comic book film (Batman v. Superman), and an action extravaganza but couldn't decide which direction to use -- so ultimately chose to haphazardly stitch all five together. The result of this style of filmmaking is a highly profitable clusterfuck that simultaneously comes across as a boring action movie, a depressing comedy and a rushed, disappointing wrap-up to the Infinity Saga.
The inconsistencies aren't limited to the film's tone either; they also extend to the well-established personalities of some of the characters.
There are some great moments: especially Black Widow's (nobody seems to remember that there are two arachnid-themed Avengers) ultimate sacrifice. But the best moments -- Cap's use of Mjolnir, Thanos' stoic acceptance of defeat and Iron Man's costly victory -- are all part of a sequence that takes two hours to get to!
Endgame starts off promising enough: we finally see Hawkeye again (thankfully out of his ridiculous uniform) after three years; Tony Stark and Nebula work together in a desperate but doomed attempt to get Peter Quill's battered ship to civilization before they run out of breathable air (they've already run out of food -- the consequences of embarking on a hopeless mission without a real plan); Captain Marvel miraculously locates the pair in time; after locating Thanos, the surviving Avengers minus a malnourished Iron Man but with assistance from Marvel and Nebula confront him again; Thor chops off the retired warlord's gauntlet and then his head. Unfortunately, Thanos revealed before his death that he destroyed the Infinity Stones -- which leads the heroes to conclude that they must accept the new state of the universe.
Things are still moving along nicely when we catch up to some of the survivors five years later: Steve Rogers has taken a page out of the deceased Sam Wilson's book and now leads "survivors' guilt" group therapy sessions; and Ant-Man, who's been trapped in the Quantum Realm since before The Snap, is finally released when a rat (a shoutout to Disney?) manages to step on the "Enter" button on the keyboard in Luis' van; Cap and Scott present the latter's Back to the Future plan to Tony, who's now living the quiet life with Pepper and their daughter, Morgan.
Here's where the stupid kicks off: the Avengers seek help from Bruce Banner, who's now essentially Beast from the X-Men; they also catch up with Thor, who's turned into the Big Lebowski; then a bunch of slapsticky time hijinks ensue, including Captain America back in his most ridiculous uniform and all of a sudden vain for the first time ever. During a crucial mission, he inexplicably takes the time to admire himself and exclaims that he has, "America's ass!" Wtf. By the way, the fact that this takes place immediately after he fights himself in an idiotic Superman III moment that should never be repeated in any other comic book movie -- ever -- doesn't help either.
Also, Thor finally becomes the clown that his father always feared he would be. And for some reason, he hands the Asgardian leadership reins over to Valkyrie -- who was just as much of a drunk as he is a mere six years prior (in Ragnarok). Worse, she was a despotic slave-master's mercenary toady and failed to lift a finger when Thanos and his people murdered half of her fellow refugees (in Infinity War). Even Drax would make a better king. And where the hell did she get flying horse??
Eventually, things get back on track: Hawkeye and Black Widow head to Vormir in order to get their hands on the Soul Stone, which costs Natasha her life; when Nebula visits 2014, Thanos discovers the 2023 Avengers' plan and decides to let them do his dirty work and then simply take the Stones from them; we get a battle royale between the Avengers and their allies and Thanos' vast army.
Even though we've all known for a year that Black Panther and Spider-man would be resurrected (a moment that elicited applause in the theater), it was great to actually see the two of them -- not to mention Falcon and Bucky -- step onto the battlefield.
While Endgame represents a step back in MCU quality in some respects (especially after the two giant leaps forward of Black Panther and Infinity War), the filmmakers seemed to have learned lessons from others' mistakes: Tony Stark gets the death that his DC counterpart and fellow billionaire/genius/playboy/non-superpowered hero (Bruce Wayne) should've had in The Dark Knight Rises; and Thanos is allowed the dignified end that his fellow galactic tyrant (Darth Vader) was denied in Return of the Jedi.
There's potentially a great, albeit much shorter, film embedded within Endgame. I have zero interest in seeing the director's cut (most of which are longer than a movie's theatrical version) of this 22nd MCU film; I'd rather see the No-Nonsense cut, which would hopefully be missing the pointless bullshit in the middle of the story. The movie would benefit most from the removal of some of the time-travel capers -- the lamest sequences BY FAR. It was enough to know that Tony Stark invented time-hopping and that the surviving Avengers employed the technique in order to retrieve the Infinity Stones from the past. We didn't need to see all of them retrieve them any more than we needed to see Steve return them -- or any more than we needed to see Dr. Banner integrate his two beefing personalities. These cheesy and unnecessary exercises in fan-service deserve a spot in comic book cinema hell alongside Green Lantern, Batman & Robin and the 1960s Batman television series. Three snaps, three deaths, a changing-of-the-guard, a confirmation of a long-held suspicion and a massive battle were stretched into a comedic (but unfunny) three-hour stroll down memory lane. Endgame needed to provide a resolution to Infinity War's unfinished business; not revisit the previous 21 films in ways large and small.
The movie's undisputed greatest line is delivered by the very mortal Tony Stark:
"I am Iron Man."
12. Guardians of the Galaxy
Although adapted from a Marvel comic line, Guardians of the Galaxy is more The Ice Pirates than The Winter Soldier. In turn, Guardians is the likely inspiration for The Last Jedi. This throwback homage to 80s space comedies is the kind of adventure movie that seemed to be lost to cinematic history but the Milano's crew of assorted goofballs is right at home in the 21st century.
11. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3
Aside from Groot -- who's adult again and boring now -- and Rocket -- whose critical condition robs him of his comedy chops -- the Guardians' trilogy-closer improves on its predecessor -- and the series' abominable holiday special -- in nearly every other way. Of particular note is the fact that the team finally faces a compelling villain, the High Evolutionary, after battling two wet blankets (Ronan the Accuser and Ego the Living Planet) in as many films.
10. Black Widow
After a pandemic-related delay of over two years (105 weeks), the MCU, which had begun releasing three films a year before COVID, finally gave us another movie.
The story, set between Civil War and Infinity War, begins with Natasha's efforts to remain under-the-radar after having been branded a fugitive (along with Steve Rogers and James Barnes) following her violation of the Sokovia Accords at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport. Her decision to switch sides has put her in the crosshairs of Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross. And after Yelena Belova, who posed as Natasha's sister as part of a Russian sleeper cell in Ohio, reaches out, the former assassin heads to Budapest. Though she fears the consequences of returning to the city following her defection, fellow-assassin Yelena explains that no one wants to be targeted by "one of the big ones" (like Thor) who'd come to avenge Natasha's murder. After discovering that the Black Widow program is still active, the two determine to dismantle it once and for all. But first they have to find its director. And that means reuniting with the spies who posed as their parents 21 years earlier.
Though no other Avengers appear onscreen, plenty get shotouts (T'Challa, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Tony Stark, Ant-Man, Thor) and Clint Barton's voice is heard over an earpiece. The 24th MCU movie starts out pretty great but it goes from sugar to rat-shavings once the action moves to Hungary, which is pretty early on. Among other things, including the nearly non-stop and sometimes literal man-bashing, the inconsistent tone is a huge problem. It seems like the director couldn't decide whether the vibe should be sincere action drama or goofy comedy and went with both. There are certain dramatic moments that are outright ruined by the forced injection of intended humor, which turns out to not be funny anyway. The end-credits scene is a prime example.
Widow also follows the trend of excusing the behavior of movie characters with blood on their hands by reinventing their explicitly stated or implied origins (Maleficent, Cruella). Now, Natasha is no longer really guilty for all of the "red in her ledger", she's a victim of psychological conditioning. Even the little girl she tried to blow up in order to take out her father somehow survived. And her fellow assassins are victims of chemical brain-washing. But it's worth noting that she intended to murder a little girl and did kill a bunch of dudes on the boat in The Winter Soldier after leaving the KGB. And whatever happened in San Paolo and the hospital fire that Loki mentioned in The Avengers are still glowing bright red in that ledger.
And as head-scratching a decision as it is, Widow plays out like a sitcom for most of its runtime. Natasha's pseudo-father, Alexei Shostakov, is a bumbling fool while her fake-sister, Yelena Belova, is the best in her field and her faux-mom, Melina Vostokoff, is a scientific genius. Alexei embodies all of the long-running tropes for a sitcom father: he's a well-meaning moron; oafish; and inadvertently insensitive. He even has a "dad bod", despite being a recent prison inmate and having the same super-soldier serum that's kept Steve Rogers and Bucky looking like gym rats for 80 years. And of course, he's always wrong while his assigned wife and daughters are always right. Alexei seems more like a live-action version of Homer Simpson than a superhero. There are some genuinely funny moments (Melina announcing that she's "clearly injured" and Yelena's excitement over her multi-pocketed vest) but none of them are related to the stale sitcom cliches.
Some of the problems are just dumb. For instance, the late-stage reveal of the villain's identity -- the story's big twist -- is as predictable as hot summers. Also, Olga Kurylenko, who's five years older than Scarlett Johannson's Natasha Romanoff, portrays a character who Scarlett Johannson's adult Natasha Romanoff attempts to kill as a child. The problem is that Kurylenko is five years older than Johannson, and obviously so. What's more, Natasha doesn't dye her hair until after returning to (and leaving) Budapest -- the city in which she most feared being discovered. There's also a scene in which Natasha fights Yelena to a draw. But given that the former has more experience -- Yelena's trained with the Red Room while Natasha's trained with the Red Room, with S.H.I.E.L.D. and fought robots (Ultron clones), supersoldiers (Bucky) and alien invaders (the Chitauri and Thanos' minions) -- her little sister should've been light work. Most perplexing is the fact that Melina speaks broken and heavily-accented English for the majority of her screen-time, which makes her a strange choice for an agent tasked with posing as an American soccer mom.
Where the movie really loses its individuality is in the spy/assassin elements. There is an homage to the James Bond franchise in the form of a scene of Natasha watching Moonraker while mouthing all of the dialogue. But the many superspy elements in Widow aren't even cliches; they're more like specific pieces of other movies in the genre strung together in order to fill the runtime. Widow is closer to a late 80s rap song packed with samples than an actual film.
Here are some of those samples:
The protagonist is a female Russian assassin (Salt, Anna, Red Sparrow); a Russian sleeper cell in suburban America is exposed (Mile 22); a spy uses a high-tech face mask to deceive other spies (almost every Mission Impossible movie); the villain explains his plan to the protagonist (a disturbing number of James Bond movies); two assassins fight in a kitchen using household items (The Bourne Supremacy); a female assassin is out to get lethal revenge on the man/men responsible for the death(s) of her family (The Rhythm Section, Peppermint); Olga Kurylenko is a cast-member (Quantum of Solace); there's a villain wearing a mask featuring metal teeth (the character "Jaws" actually has metal teeth in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker); a "good spy" pilots an out-of-control helicopter (Spectre, Mission: Impossible -Fallout); there's a Russian prison break (Ghost Protocol); a female spy is killed remotely by a small detonation to the head (M:I III); there's a motorcycle chase (M:I 2, Rogue Nation, Fallout); there's a Russian spy indoctrination program (Red Sparrow); female spies are recruited from the dregs of society (La Femme Nikita, Point of No Return); a female assassin suddenly remembers who she is (The Long Kiss Goodnight); a fugitive assassin causes mayhem in Russia (The Bourne Supremacy); and a female assassin brutalizes and/or kills several men (Ava, Atomic Blonde).
Sampling aside, the primary reason that Black Widow works is because it's essentially a remix of The Winter Soldier with a little bit of Civil War thrown in for seasoning. This is Steve and Bucky's reunion story with Natasha playing Steve and Yelena -- and at times, Taskmaster -- in the role of the Winter Soldier.
While Widow does feature a cast with diverse ethnic backgrounds, it also includes the troubling Hollywood tendency to tease interracial romances between Black men and white women that never actually pay off (The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Force Awakens, The Rise of Skywalker, Suicide Squad, Into the Spider-verse). There's certainly more romantic chemistry between Natasha and Rick Mason than in the proposed 'ships between Sam Wilson and Bucky or Finn and Poe Dameron. Speaking of how the movie treats Black men, the film is full of statements about destroying the patriarchy, acted out with plenty of violent confrontations showcasing women remorselessly beating up on dudes (contrasted by the fact that every time a woman lays a finger on another woman, she's wracked with guilt -- even though all of the women involved are assassins). But given that the story takes place in Hungary, Russia and Siberia, a scene featuring Yelena beating down a Black male surgeon with no compunction is particularly problematic; these are places where Black men are significantly absent from the upper levels of the reigning power structure. And the writers conveniently look past the fact that Melina -- a white woman -- is the person who developed the brainwashing chemical in the first place, and has been actively facilitating the human trafficking that the film rails against.
While Widow doesn't crack the MCU's top 5, it more than makes up for the unwatchable WandaVision and the phenomenally overrated Loki.
The big question is: Now that Natasha's off the hook (only according to this movie) for the many murders that she committed -- and attempted -- during her career as an assassin, will Hawkeye get an excuse too?
The best exchange:
Natasha: "Everybody good?"
Melina: "I am clearly injured."
9. Ant-Man
Like Blade, Ant-Man was one of those comics that was pretty good for lining the cat's sh#tbox. His solo comic, anyway. Thanks to Quicksilver and, especially, Hawkeye, he was never in danger of being the worst Avenger. His strength was always in his contribution to the team. So, when he was completely left out of the team's first nine movies (that's not even counting those out-of-place Hulk joints) it seemed like it was a wrap for his chances at getting onscreen. Hey, he created Ultron and he wasn't even mentioned in that movie. But, maybe the shot-callers at Marvel Studios and Disney are hip-hop wannabees who took a page from true deejays (the ones who scratch vinyl, not the laptop kind) and decided to focus on maximizing hidden potential instead of only reusing the people's favorites. Or maybe they just figured that nobody would care if they made changes to the wack stuff. Who the hell knows?
Anyway, Ant-Man bears the distinction of being the only superhero movie that belongs to the "heist film" genre (or at least the only one that I can think of off of the top of my head). Our hero pulls off four -- count 'em, four -- such heists before the credits roll. If you really are counting, there's: the VistaCorp burglary that lands him in state prison; the theft of his future super suit; the infiltration of Avengers HQ; and the attempted swiping of the Yellow Jacket suit. Happy now? Both Ethan Hunt and Danny Ocean might have trouble keeping up with this guy. And how great was it to see the Falcon in action again? After being criminally under-used in The Age of Ultron, Wilson is a sight for sore eyes. Although, the more colorful suit is a step in the lame direction.
Ant-Man represents the very rare occasion in which a heavy emphasis on comedy in a superhero movie was a good idea. As much as people criticize comic book movies for taking themselves too seriously, Green Lantern, Superman III, Superman IV, The Green Hornet, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, The Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer, Steel, and The Phantom serve as reminders of the dangers of not doing so.
8. Wakanda Forever
Director Ryan Coogler has added to his flawless resume by creating this contemplative follow-up to his cinematic masterpiece. Following the death of King T'Challa, his subjects must come to terms with his absence while grappling with the discovery that there's isn't the only secretive, yet powerful kingdom wary of attempts at colonialism. The film also doubles as a stealthy, feature-length meditation on grief, specifically, in the wake of the passing of its planned star: Chadwick Boseman.
7. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
The former Sorcerer Supreme devotes himself to protecting teenage orphan America Chavez from an embittered mass-murder Wanda Maximoff, who intends to steal her ability to travel between universes. Strange must confront his own character flaws or neither he nor his rescuee will survive.
Forced to battle demons, monsters, secret societies and a fallen witch, Dr. Stephen Strange's second solo mission is exponentially better than his first. Doc Strange is undoubtedly the most-improved MCU hero and sub-franchise -- hands down. The movie's only flaw lies in the inclusion cheesy ass Illuminati members: Black Bolt, Reed Richards and Professor X (and his goofy yellow hoverchair).
6. The Avengers
While the Dark Knight trilogy made comic books realistic, The Avengers is the best example of comics brought to life.
Was Scarlett Johannson's asinine curly wig necessary? I watched some of Lost In Translation again the other night, and was reminded that ScarJo is reasonably photogenic (not to mention authentic-looking) with long, straight, home-grown hair.
Black Widow, Hawkeye, Loki, Colonel Fury, Thor and Captain America all don absolutely ridiculous costumes, but Iron Man and the Hulk steal the show and make up for all of the campy idiocy. When those two let loose in New York City, it's hard to believe your eyes.
5. Age of Ultron
The Age of Ultron is only a disappointing follow-up to The Avengers because The Avengers set the bar ridiculously high. But it's an improvement in the following ways: Nick Fury's thankfully diminished role, Captain America's much-improved uniform, and especially - the villain.
Though his origin was unnecessarily altered, Ultron made for an interesting adversary and owing to James Spader's extremely charismatic characterization, should enter the pantheon of cinematic automatons. As villainous as he is, Ultron is more or less the physical manifestion of Tony Stark's megalomaniacal ego. And he accurately (unfortunately) calls out the Avengers for the killers that they are.
Although, I gotta say, I'm not sure his evil plan to drive mankind to extinction made much sense. If Ultron had succeeded in killing off billions of people by dropping the Sokovian capital city of Novi Grad from the upper atmosphere, wouldn't it have been much more difficult for him to function in the long term? Despite his best intentions though, Ultron did not tally up the highest body count. That honor belongs to the Hulk, who went on a rampage in an African city before ultimately being subdued by Iron Man and Veronica -- which is a name that's, thankfully, a hundred times more mature than "Hulkbuster armor". This isn't one of those movies in which the African-American dude is the first casualty, but having an Avenger kill off countless Africans, civilians included, and later saving the lives of an entire population of a European city sort of misses the point.
And why, why -- Why go back to the stupid-ass blue lasers from Captain America: The First Avenger? And right off the bat, at that? Fuck, man.
But hey, at least Cap had some great lines. Some of the best actually - even better than Iron Man's. They include:
"I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science invented was me."
"You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed - walk it off."
"What kinda monster would let a German scientist experiment on him to help his country." (Sarcastically referring to himself and the Maximoffs)
The depictions of the Scarlet Witch, and especially, Quicksilver, were much better than expected. Although, the idea that their superpowers were derived from "experiments" using Loki's stupid wizard staff is a reminder of how far these movies haven't progressed. I suppose Marvel felt compelled to maintain a certain consistency in regards to idiocy -- it lines up nicely with the first movie's illustration of the magic stick's ability to grant it's wielder mind-control powers. I realize that 20th Century Fox owns the exclusive rights to mutant powers, but couldn't the filmmakers have just left the origin of the twins' powers unsaid (We all know they're Magneto's kids)? Mystery is far superior to lameness. And, if one of them had to die, why couldn't Wanda have been the one left in the dirt? I personally prefer physical superpowers to magic. For one thing, they're easier to quantify. And the last thing this franchise needs is more ludicrousness. Seriously, Maria Hill and Robin Hood survive and we lose the best version of Quicksilver, ever? South Korean geneticist Dr. Helen Cho takes a shot from Ultron at close range and she survives too? Come the fuck on.
The Age of Ultron is by no means profound and to most people it's an entertaining distraction at best, but AI researchers would do well to view it as the latest in a long line of cautionary tales.
4. The Winter Soldier
When I saw the Superbowl ad for this movie I had zero interest in seeing it...ever. Not even on blu-ray or Netflix. It came across as completely corny in that commercial. The release of Iron Man 3 followed by Thor: The Dark World the year before seemed to signal a downward spiral for the quality of Marvel movies and the sight of Scarlett Johannson's bright, Kool-Aid red wig and Samuel Jackson's Matrix-wannabe leather trench coat just seemed like more of the same. By the way, none of the posters were any better. The revelation that the Falcon was in the film wasn't welcome news either. Sidekicks and characters with wings are usually massive red flags letting you know you're about to see something that sucks donkey nuts. I wondered if history was repeating itself like when 1989's Batman eventually devolved into Batman and Robin...or when Superman descended into Superman IV...The Empire Strikes Back begat Attack of the Clones...and on and on and on. As entertaining as The Avengers is, the truth is Captain America hadn't added much to the thrills. In fact, his goofy costume with the red pirate boots was one of the liabilities. Whose decision was it to put him back in the outfit that he himself (and everyone else) ridiculed in his first solo movie? I get it. It's his signature costume from the comic book, but Captain America: The First Avenger's director, Joe Johnston, wisely realized that it was impossible for that suit to be taken seriously in a live-action, real world setting.
Eventually, two things convinced me to give it a shot. First, I saw a trailer with an uncharacteristic somber tone that contained a single shot of Cap standing over about a dozen bodies. Second, the word-of-mouth was not just overwhelming, it was thoroughly positive. Everyone that I talked to gave it an enthusiastic recommendation. A female friend told me she'd gone to see it three times already and didn't mind seeing it again. At this point I still wasn't convinced. Hell, some people just like action, no matter how terrible the movie is. But I was curious.
From the very beginning it's evident that Winter Soldier is an entirely different movie than Marvel's previous offerings. The most striking disparity is between this film and the first Cap adventure. The sequel isn't a merely a departure. It belongs to another genre altogether. The First Avenger was a light-hearted, good vs. evil, period war movie about a superhero. Winter Soldier is a mostly sober conspiracy thriller loaded with paranoia, suspense, timely concern about government overreach, global surveillance, spies, assassins and shades of grey. According to the filmmakers, there was also a reassuring reliance on practical stunts and special effects and less dependence on CGI whenever possible. Luckily, somebody wised up and replaced the stupid blue lasers with bullets. There are no traces of mystical energy sources and no Nazis. Unlike in The Avengers, there are also no aliens, no Iron Man, no Thor, no Hulk, no Loki and best of all, no Hawkeye. Jackson's Nick Fury and Johannson's Black Widow do make appearances, however. This is the most grounded and mature Marvel movie so far but those two don't let you forget that this is based on a comic book when they're onscreen because neither one looks like they belong in the real world. Luckily, it's only the look that's distracting. They fit right in otherwise. But so far, neither of them is worthy of a solo movie. It seems like somebody overlooked some of the details somehow. Like, why the hell is BW's hair the same color as Ronald McDonald's? And why doesn't she at the very least put it in a ponytail when she goes on special ops missions? And as for Colonel Fury...why is he in all black leather when everyone around him is either in a uniform or a suit? Even in the office!?
To the probable delight of Republican moviegoers everywhere, S.H.I.E.L.D. bigwig Alexander Pierce illustrates the importance of small government. This mf actually orchestrated -- and nearly executed -- a plot to lethally eliminate all potential troublemakers on American soil, most of whom are U.S. citizens. Luckily, Captain America, Falcon, Nick Fury, Sharon Carter and Natasha Romanoff shut that shit down permanently in The Winter Soldier.
Despite my reaction to the trailer, the Falcon's inclusion was a great decision. He's no more a sidekick than Black Widow is and wings are way, waay more realistic than Jackson's wardrobe. Incidentally, he is Captain America in the comics, as he's currently traded in the wings and taken over the costume, shield and duties from Steve Rogers.
Aside from the costume, Chris Evans' Steve Rogers hasn't changed drastically. His hallmark sincerity and stoicism's still there but he's a little more suspicious of people's motives now and there's the suggestion that he's disenchanted with his role as a soldier in today's world. This only serves to broaden and deepen the character and Evans portrays the new depth perfectly.
There are a ton of superhero movies out there and lots more are on the way. Honestly, most of them are a big waste of time and money. Only a handful of them are actually good. As of 2015, there's the Dark Knight trilogy, The Avengers, this movie, and then there's everything else. In that order.
Winter Soldier is the 4th highest-grossing film in the U.S. for 2014 and 7th highest-grossing film of the year, worldwide. It might have been #1 if it'd had a better trailer director.
3. Civil War
In 2016, two blockbusters told the story of superheroes involved in mass destruction and accidentally causing mass civilian casualties during their struggles against super-powered enemies, and the subsequent attempts at government oversight of said heroes. One of those films is Batman v. Superman and the other is this movie.
Civil War is a very loose adaptation of the 2006 comic book storyline of the same name. In the movie version, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.N. step in after the last straw in Avengers-related mayhem -- the Scarlet Witch's accidental killing of a bunch of bystanders during a mission to catch The Winter Soldier's Brock Rumlow. During a meeting between the team and the U.S. Secretary of Defense, some of the previous missions that ended in collateral damage come up, including: the NYC invasion; the heli-carrier crashes in D.C.; Iron Man's fight with the Hulk in Wakandia; and the Sokovia battle. But aside from a grieving mom slapping the shit outta Tony Starks for accidentally killing her son, and Helmut Zemo's revenge mission, there's no real focus on the actual victims. Speaking of victims, it seems to me that the Scarlet Witch should've had a much harder time getting over her brother's death in The Age of Ultron -- her twin brother and only family, at that. But, what do I know?
And, hey, Ant-Man's finally a part of the team. But if he was gonna be included, why change the Ultron story so that Starks and Bruce Banner are his creators instead of Henry Pym? It's a fairly fundamental change, too. I gotta say, that puts a whole lotta dirt on Starks' resume. He was an international arms dealer and he devised a killer robot that nearly succeeded in destroying the planet? This guy's beginning to look like a threat to humanity. It's a lot.
We also see the return of Winter Soldier's Brock Rumlow. And he's as despicable as ever. It's not that surprising that Rumlow, a former S.H.I.E.L.D. enforcer, would harbor a deep-seated hatred of Captain America after he crashed a helicarrier into the building that he was standing in. But selling material for use in dirty bombs is taking things a little too far.
In some respects, Civil War represents a setback for Captain America's story. The Falcon has lost some of his sincerity and gained some cheesiness, like the less realistic costume. And the stupid drone is one of those things you leave in the comic book. Actually, it's too dumb for comics, too. Black Widow is still running around on combat missions having not bothered to tie her hair back, and this time around, despite the fact that she's superpower-free, she's not bothering to bring firearms along. Wtf? It's stuff like this that makes it a good idea for neither of them to have their own movie. And they were both so great in The Winter Soldier. As they say: "One step forward and two steps back." As popular as it is, Civil War definitely registered a few spikes on the ridiculosity meter.
The best things about Civil War are: Captain Rogers' finally-resumed hunt for the Winter Soldier; the Black Panther's and Zemo's respective quests for vengeance; and the brawl involving Iron Man, the Captain and Bucky. By the way, props to the Russo brothers for not putting Zemo in costume. It was also nice to see Rogers finally get some action -- even if it was only a kiss.
Batman v. Superman has been criticized for not being "fun". But if Falcon and company don't appreciate the gravity of the situation, why should we? In the future, maybe the Avengers should take a cue from T'Challa and Zemo -- and get serious.
Interestingly enough, the Winter Soldier proves that his brainwashing has worn off by revealing to fellow superpowered dude Steve that he remembers that the latter's mom was named Sarah (Sound familiar?).
"They" say that the book is always better than the movie. Well, I read the comic book series that inspired Infinity War years ago and I'm telling you straight -- that theory doesn't apply here. I more or less knew what would happen beforehand and my eyes were still glued to the screen. I say more or less because some story changes were made between comic and movie. Doctor Strange is much, much better in the comics but it's Thanos' story and his screen incarnation is miles above the version in the source material. He's more than anybody could ever reasonably hope for. It's fitting that Thanos killed Loki with his bare hands in the beginning of the story and hopefully it symbolizes the new era of MCU villains obliterating the old. Seeing the Mad Titan enforce his will on the universe made me wonder why we had to put up with Thor's lame brother for four whole movies when villains like this (and Killmonger) were possible.
I've seen Infinity War three times already and I like it even more than I did the first time I watched it. There was some question as to whether a live-action Thanos would or even could do the original comics version justice. And the fact is that the iteration of the character that we see in Infinity surpasses all the ones that came before. But there are standouts on the other side of the war as well.
The pressure was on for the MCU's 18th feature to deliver on 10 years worth of build-up. And Infinity War certainly met the challenge. The Guardians of the Galaxy have never been better -- not even in their own movies. Quill and Rocket outshone the vast majority of the other characters onscreen. The two of them really did have the best lines. Infinity also provides the greatest showcase for Thor. It's a huge step up from the Thor trilogy, in particular. He really does emerge as the hero, albeit an unsuccessful one.
1. Black Panther
Infinity War was the biggest global cinematic money-maker of 2018. But unlike Infinity War, Black Panther wasn't just a movie -- it was an event (and the biggest domestic money-maker). And a cultural touchstone. And a watershed moment for big-budget filmmaking.
Black Panther, even more than The Dark Knight, elevates the comic book movie to a genre that's capable of actually saying something. The film's complex social commentary far exceeds any other installment in the wildly successful MCU while still managing to become the third highest-grossing movie of all time in North America and rack up $1.34 billion at the global box office.
T'Challa, who protects his people under the guise of the legendary Black Panther, finally returns home to the seemingly third-world African nation Wakanda as the heir apparent following the death of his father, King T'Chaka, in Civil War.
Meanwhile, T'Challa's American-born cousin, Erik Stevens, is on a collision course with the new monarch, steadily inching his way to his ancestral home with single-minded determination. After becoming a Navy SEAL and graduating from MIT, Stevens honed his skills as a warrior in Afghanistan and other hot spots around the globe, picking up the nickname "Killmonger" (a reference to his considerable body count) along the way. His military career also includes black-ops missions in which he helped to destabilize governments.
With assistance from black market arms dealer Ulysses Klaue (first seen in The Age of Ultron) and Tilda Johnson, Stevens uses his skills to steal (or liberate) two Wakanda artifacts from a London museum. One of the items, a weapon, is revealed to be made of vibranium - the same Wakandan material that comprises Black Panther's suit and Captain America's shield.
After murdering both of his accomplices, Stevens makes his way to Wakanda, where he reveals his native name (N'Jadaka) and the fact that he's of royal blood (as the son of King T'Chaka's brother) and thereby eligible to challenge T'Challa's claim to the throne. Following his defeat of T'Challa in ritual combat, N'Jadaka does indeed assume the Wakandan throne and announces his intention to distribute the country's advanced technology and weaponry (based mainly on vibranium) to the African diaspora across the globe so that the world's Black population can rise up against white regimes. T'Challa, beaten to within an inch of his life and presumed dead, and his loyal supporters initiate a Wakandan civil war in order to stop the new king from inciting an international race war.
The central conflict in Black Panther stems from the ideological differences between T'Challa and Stevens. The former is a staunch isolationist who continues Wakanda's previous rulers' policy of disguising the advanced nation as a third-world country, in part so as not to share their priceless reserves of vibranium that not only powers Wakandan technology but also bestows enhanced abilities upon the Black Panther. Stevens, on the other hand, not only wants to reveal Wakanda's true nature, his lifelong dream has been to expand the kingdom into an empire that dominates the rest of the world as insurance against the subjugation of Black people. T'Challa also acts as a stand-in for Black Africans while Stevens represents African-Americans, whom he views as being abandoned, historically, by the former.
Fittingly for a story about Native Africans, the cast is almost entirely comprised of Black actors.
Black Panther marks the third collaboration (all critical and commercial smashes) between writer/director Ryan Coogler and co-star Michael B. Jordan, placing them among the ranks of legendary cinematic teams such as Martin Scorcese/Robert DeNiro, Spike Lee/Denzel Washington and Tim Burton/Johnny Depp. And with his scene-stealing turn in BP, Jordan proves that he's just as adept at portraying villains as he is heroes.
Updated 11/11/23
Originally posted 2/27/19
