And which ones you can watch on Canadian Netflix.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is less than a decade old but it has still churned out some of the most dependable popcorn fare in history. Remarkably, nearly every movie on this list has felt like required viewing and the train isn’t looking to stop any time soon. With 8 more movies on the docket and umpteen TV offerings, I wanted to take a look back at all 14 of the movies that got us to where we are now.

The ranking below is informed by multiple sources, including but not limited to, the Rotten Tomatoes critics scores and IMDb user rankings listed. I include these as an illustration of quality and consensus.

14. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Rotten Tomatoes: 67% | IMDb Score: 6.8

While never dull or incompetent, The Incredible Hulk is further argument that the more outlandish a superhero character, the better they’ll be in a supporting role. The Hulk is an absolute highlight in small doses in the Avengers movies but it’s challenging to make an unstoppable character relatable.

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13. Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Rotten Tomatoes: 66% | IMDb Score: 7.1

Like with Hulk, Thor seems to be best suited for a supporting comedy role. Plus, Loki’s multiple fake-out deaths shine a bright light on the low stakes for commodifiable characters.

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12. Iron Man 2 (2010)

Rotten Tomatoes: 72% | IMDb Score: 7.0

While it can be argued that MCU movies follow a formula, Iron Man 2 did the least in following it. You could almost see the executives snapping their fingers impatiently waiting to be handed their money, thank you very much.

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11. Thor (2011)

Rotten Tomatoes: 77% | IMDb Score: 7.0

While the movie did feature a few great fish-out-of-water comedy moments, Thor came during the muddled first “phase” of the MCU where the films started to feel like placeholders for the now-announced Avengers. I remember watching Thor and wishing more of it had taken place in the other realms because that’s surely where the character would shine, but considering I got my wish with The Dark World, I was probably wrong.

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10. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Rotten Tomatoes: 80% | IMDb Score: 6.9

There’s a reason that Steve Rogers has become such a stand-out character for the MCU. While not terribly memorable in its own rights, Captain America: The First Avenger did everything it needed to do to lay the groundwork for why Rogers would act the way he does in the rest of the franchise. If you’re going to make a movie that’s really more of a commercial for the next one, this isn’t the worst way to do it.

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9. Iron Man 3 (2013)

Rotten Tomatoes: 79% | IMDb Score: 7.2

Iron Man 3 brought its title character right out of the shadow of its predecessor. Instead of simply going off and having his own new adventure, we got to see Tony Stark actually dealing with the consequences and magnitude of his decisions in The Avengers. Plus, the movie itself is sometimes fun and sometimes spectacular, and it included a plot twist that showed a willingness to defy comic book canon.

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8. Avengers: Age of Ultron

Rotten Tomatoes: 75% | IMDb Score: 7.5

While fans were more keen on Age of Ultron than critics, no one can argue that Joss Whedon had an unenviable task in trying to follow up The Avengers. Formulaic, if not a bit cluttered, the sequel hit all of its important points as an entertaining spectacle. The icing on the cake is James Spader’s Ultron, who stands as one of the best villains the MCU has offered to date.

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7. Ant-Man (2015)

Rotten Tomatoes: 81% | IMDb Score: 7.4

While it wasn’t quite the surprise hit that Guardians of the Galaxy turned out to be, Ant-Man is still a darling of a movie. More than any other movie in the franchise, you get exactly what you came for with Ant-Man, an MCU movie starring Paul Rudd. Period.

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6. Doctor Strange (2016)

Rotten Tomatoes: 90% | IMDb Score: 8.0

In introducing a new genre branch to the MCU, Doctor Strange is Marvel’s biggest risk since Guardians of the Galaxy and once again, it paid off. From Cumberbatch’s electric performance to the incredible (perhaps to the point of being worth seeing in 3D) special effects, Doctor Strange is certainly deserving of being considered among the upper echelon of the MCU.

5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes: 89% | IMDb Score: 7.8

With The Winter Soldier, Captain America bypassed Tony Stark as the king of the MCU. It’s sleek, stylish, and entertaining but also poses questions about the everlasting fight between security and privacy.

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4. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Rotten Tomatoes: 90% | IMDb Score: 8.0

At worst, Civil War can be accused of following the MCU formula to a tee. It’s explosive and entertaining, balancing the gravitas of a Winter Soldier with the quippy team fun of The Avengers. As an added bonus, it set the scene for important upcoming MCU entries with Black Panther and the scene-stealing Spider-man.

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3. Iron Man (2008)

Rotten Tomatoes: 94% | IMDb Score: 7.9

It’s not much of a stretch to suggest that if Iron Man wasn’t as good as it is, there wouldn’t be an MCU. At its time of inception, The Incredible Hulk was just some other movie from another studio. But when Iron Man delivered, blending incredible special effects with the impossibly charismatic Robert Downey Jr. as lone cowboy billionaire Tony Stark, who could blame the studios for wanting to do it again?

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2. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes: 91% | IMDb Score: 8.1

In a cinematic universe populated by gods, monsters, and supermen, the story of a space-faring band of misfits, including a sentient tree and a talking raccoon, seemed a bit… weird when we first heard about it. Then when James Gunn, the guy who directed Slither and PG Porn was signed on, we knew it was either going to be amazing or terrible. Thankfully, the risks and quirks paid off.

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1. The Avengers (2012)

Rotten Tomatoes: 92% | IMDb Score: 8.1

We didn’t know what to expect when the first phase of the MCU came to a close. We’d met all these characters but had no idea how it would work when all the pieces got mashed together. The result was one of the most spectacular spectacles that ever spectacled. It’s rightfully, if not unfairly, the standard by which all other superhero movies are measured.

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