Another year, another phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come to a close. With The Fantastic Four: First Steps kicking off the film side of phase 6, and the Wonder Man series kicking off the television side, this is the perfect time to look back on Phase 5 and reflect on what worked and what didn’t.
15. Secret Invasion – What should’ve been a mysterious spy thriller surrounding Skrulls hiding on Earth was just a reason to kill off Maria Hill. This series was the biggest letdown for me personally. I was so excited for the mystery and deception, but none of that happened.
14. What If…? Seasons 2 and 3 – What If…? was another huge disappointment for me. There were so many unnecessary episodes that just did not move me in any way. I’m sorry, but why would I ever care about Howard the Duck having a child… There’s a handful of good episodes in each season, and that is the show’s saving grace to avoid being in the last spot on this list. The introduction of Kahhori in season 2 was the best thing to come out of this series.
13. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – This film’s saving grace was Jonathan Majors’ performance as Kang the Conqueror, but even that is a dud now due to his controversy and everything related to his character being taken off of Marvel’s slate. The dialogue in this movie feels like a Disney Channel original, and pretty much every scene Kang was not in was forgettable.
12. Echo – I actually enjoyed the series, but I think the ending was rushed, and that’s a problem many of the Marvel series have. However, Alaqua Cox as Maya is amazing, and she does so much with her face to portray Maya, and Vincent D’Onofrio also continued his excellent work as Wilson Fisk.
11. Ironheart – I think Ironheart was a standard show. There was nothing absolutely exceptional about it, but I have no complaints either.
10. Agatha All Along – I was glad to finally get the Billy Maximoff introduction, but only time will tell if that character gets to go anywhere within the MCU. I enjoyed the “twist” of the series, but I wasn’t really satisfied with the ending
9. The Marvels – This movie is heavily overhated, and I don’t know why (I do know why, but that would be a whole other conversation, but the simple answer is misogyny). I think Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonnah Paris have great chemistry together, and the action scenes are well done.
8. Captain America: Brave New World – Again, this movie is overhated. Brave New World has some of the best action scenes in Phase 5. Sam Wilson is using the shield and his suit in creative ways we haven’t seen before, and it keeps each action sequence fresh. It also does the spy/thriller aspect better than Secret Invasion.
7. Deadpool & Wolverine – Each Deadpool movie is just a bunch of vibes, but this one has the best vibes. Though, as an audience, Marvel fans have expressed their disinterest in the reliance on cameos, this film works well, even with the many cameos that happen.
6. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man – In this cinematic Spider-Man drought, I enjoyed seeing the origin of Spider-Man once again. Seeing Peter learn his strengths and weaknesses, and seeing characters we haven’t yet seen in the MCU like Harry and Norman Osbourne, plus Nico Minoru and Lonnie, was nice to see.
5. Thunderbolts* – This film was a strong entry into the MCU. The thematic balance of darkness and light in this film, plus the performances of Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman, made me excited for the future of the MCU.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 – James Gunn is kind of a pro at comic book movies at this point, and this film was a great farewell to Marvel. Each member of the team gets a satisfying ending in this trilogy, which can be hard to achieve with a group that’s part of a larger interconnected universe. “I bet we were fun,” was such a crushing line in the theater, and even now it still hits.
3. Daredevil: Born Again – Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio back as Daredevil and Kingpin, with other stars of the Netflix series making their MCU debut as well? How could this not be a top 3 project? Cox and D’Onofrio deliver in every episode; it’s as if no time passed between the Netflix series and now.
2. Loki Season 2 – Loki season 2 was such a great conclusion to Loki’s character that it makes me nervous for how he appears in Avengers: Doomsday. Loki getting to live in his glorious purpose was the best possible way the series could’ve ended. Plus, the supporting cast (Owen Wilson, Wunmi Mosaku, Sophia DiMartino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jonathan Majors) deliver excellent performances beside Tom Hiddleston.
1. X-Men ‘97 – Without a doubt, the best entry of phase 5 (though whether it’s MCU canon is debatable, I guess). The animation style was different, with the animation itself being vibrant, smooth, and seamless. Nearly every episode was an emotional roller coaster, and truthfully, no other characters in Marvel have more compelling storylines than the X-Men.
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