There’s hardly any doubt that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a lot of people’s favorite film franchise, and for good reason. Usually delivering interesting storylines along with the many superheroes, villains, and antiheroes it features, Marvel Studios’ films (and more recently series) continue to conquer the world.
With the recent releases of the incredibly touching box-office hit Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as well as the holly jolly Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which premiered on Disney+, Marvel‘s phase of introductions, which featured plenty of new faces, has officially come to an end. Per Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, a clear picture is painted about which films were the best of Phase 4.
18/18 ‘Eternals’ (2021) — 47%
Chloé Zhao‘s first superhero film spans thousands of years of humanity as it tells the story of a group of newcomers (who, in reality, really aren’t newcomers) named the Eternals — a group of ten immortal individuals who descend upon Earth to protect humanity from the Deviants in 5000 B.C. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, the super-group reunites once more to fight the good fight.
Eternals is an innovative addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four, featuring an engaging and original plot. Some viewers find it bland and dull, which is probably why it pulled in low ratings, sitting at 47%.
17/18 ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ (2022) — 64%
Natalie Portman‘s Jane and Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor reunite in Taika Waititi‘s colorful second MCU film after Thor: Ragnarok. This time, viewers embark on Thor’s healing journey as he tries to defeat Christian Bale‘s terrifying Gorr, a galactic killer who seeks to kill all Gods and has kidnapped Asgardian children. With the help of Valkyrie (as played by Tessa Thompson), Jane, and Korg (voiced by Waititi), Thor sets out on a cosmic adventure to make things right.
The director’s first film with Marvel is one of its best, wielding a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93%, so naturally, fans went in with high expectations. Unfortunately, to everyone’s surprise, Love and Thunder ended up being one of the least-liked MCU films to date, with a Tomatometer score of 64%. Nevertheless, it is still a good pick for those who plan to watch something funny yet touching.
16/18 ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ (2022) — 74%
Directed by 2002’s Spider-Man filmmaker Sam Raimi, the second installment of the Doctor Strange franchise features a much darker color palette and eerie tone as it introduces viewers to America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a teen girl with a familiar face who can travel across multiverses to battle multiple threats, including other versions of him from different universes. After appearing in Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) dreams for a long time, America and Strange finally meet by accident and seek help from Elizabeth Olsen‘s powerful Scarlet Witch.
All in all, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness offers a different concept that had never been explored in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is very different from what Marvel fans were used to. With lots of special effects, this film invites viewers on a wild ride. Although engaging, some viewers argue that the plot doesn’t make much sense as there are lots of confusing, questionable plot holes in-between the storyline, resulting in a score of 74%.
15/18 ‘Black Widow’ (2021) — 79%
Set post-Civil War, Black Widow picks up shortly after the events of the Captain America movie as it follows Scarlett Johansson‘s fugitive character as she is being hunted by Secretary of State Thadeus Ross (William Hurt). In this film, Natasha is forced to come to terms with the darker parts of her ledger when a threatening conspiracy with ties to her past arises.
Although not exactly an origin movie, it tackles the painful journey that Natasha and her sister Yelena (Florence Pugh) were subjected to during their childhood years. Sending viewers back in time to 1995, the film helps audiences better understand these characters and their backstories. A compelling film with Marvel’s boldest and most unsettling opening credits to date, Black Widow scores 79% on Rotten Tomatoes.
14/18 ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ (2021) — 84%
Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier offers audiences an insight into the lives of Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) post-Endgame events, and it follows the dynamic duo as they team up to take down Daniel Brühl‘s iconic Zemo in this gripping, globe-trotting thriller.
Apart from being extremely action-packed (and very good at that), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a bundle of laughs. On top of that, the series introduces new, important characters as it revisits old ones and cements Sam’s new role as the upcoming Captain America, making it a highly entertaining addition to Marvel’s Phase 4, and garnering 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
13/18 ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ (2022) — 84%
This year’s tear-jerking box-office hit Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was everything we could have wanted and more—following the death of T’Challa (played by the late, great Chadwick Boseman), Shuri (Letitia Wright) and her family gather to celebrate his life during heart-wrenching times and join forces with their people to protect their home from intervening world powers.
A thoughtful homage that introduces new compelling faces and reflects on love, loss, grief, and anger, Wakanda Forever scores 84% on the critic platform. Although it doesn’t live up to the outcome of the first film, it’s still a pretty solid watch and a beautiful tribute to Boseman.
12/18 ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ (2022) — 85%
Tatiana Maslany steps into the shoes of Jennifer Walters, Bruce Banner’s (Mark Ruffalo) cousin, also known as your favorite attorney at law, in She-Hulk. This legal comedy follows Jennifer as she navigates through life and does her best to bring justice to the world — in the meantime, she has to deal with the fact that she happens to be a green 6’7 Hulk with superpowers.
Aside from some inconsistent CG, She-Hulk is a breath of fresh air—whether you love it or hate it, the series is a fun show with tons of cameos that fans cannot help but be excited about, earning an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.
11/18 ‘Moon Knight’ (2022) — 86%
Moon Knight tells the story of Marc Spector and Steven Grant, two distinct characters wonderfully played by Oscar Isaac. Mark and Steven are two alters of a man with dissociative identity disorder, and the series follows them both as they are drawn into a puzzle that involves Egyptian mythology.
One of Marvel’s best Phase 4 projects, Moon Knight was the first series to introduce a new protagonist and anti-hero. Intriguing and captivating, this twisting Disney+ series, which scores 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, surely demands viewers’ full attention.
10/18 ‘I Am Groot’ (2022) — 87%
The most wholesome series of all, I Am Groot, follows our favorite talking tree as the mischievous toddler grows up in the galaxy and sets off in a series of peculiar, extremely cute adventures with equally adorable, unusual new characters.
A charming watch for people of all ages, this heartwarming series will assuredly brighten up everyone’s day by providing audiences with tons of humorous short tales, earning 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.
9/18 ‘Werewolf by Night’ (2022) — 90%
In what felt like a breath of fresh air and a homage to classic horror films, the Halloween special Werewolf by Night tells the intriguing story of a lycanthrope superhero, played by Gael García Bernal, who fights evil using the super abilities given to him thanks to a curse.
With a score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, this surprising feature ended up being one of the best out of all new Phase 4 projects. With incredible cinematography and very atmospheric shots, Werewolf by Night perfectly manages to dive into less explored genre territory for Marvel.
8/18 ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ (2021) — 91%
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduces new superhero Xu Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), who is forced to come back to China to confront his past and stop his highly respected father, Wenxu (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), the leader of the Ten Rings organization, of unintentionally releasing evil upon the world.
Combining memorable characters, stunning, fantastic imagery, thrilling action, and extremely well-executed fight sequences, this 2021 Marvel film is possibly one of the projects that stand out the most in MCU’s fourth phase. For its efforts, it has a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.
7/18 ‘WandaVision’ (2021) — 91%
The first Disney+ Marvel series to air, WandaVision was one of the most talked-about Marvel projects. Set right after the events of Endgame, the series depicts a seemingly perfect household in the style of classic sitcoms, allowing audiences to take a sneak peek into the familial life of Wanda and Vision (Paul Bettany).
Filled with intriguing twists and turns, this mind-bending series also introduced new important faces. Although worldwide viewers did not know what to expect from the show, it ended up blowing audiences’ minds away, earning 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.
6/18 ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ (2022) — 92%
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is the Christmas special we all needed this year. It centers around Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax’s (Dave Bautista) quest to find a holiday gift for Peter (Chris Pratt) on Earth.
With some surprising revelations and cameos throughout, this wholesome special makes a good watch during this time of the year. Apart from featuring a short runtime, which makes it easier to watch on the go, it’s also incredibly heartwarming and got a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
5/18 ‘Hawkeye’ (2021) — 92%
Another suitable watch during this time of the year would, of course, be Hawkeye. As one can already tell by the Christmas tree in the background, the Disney+ show gives off major holiday vibes. Jeremy Renner‘s Clint Barton partners up with Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop to confront enemies from his past in this jolly show.
As it turns out, critics were pleasantly surprised with Hawkeye — it scored 92% on the Tomatometer. Never boring and always humorous, this series perfectly introduces Kate and is guaranteed to entertain viewers.
4/18 ‘Loki’ (2021) — 92%
Tom Hiddleston reprises his role as Loki in the series of the same name, and it is absolutely bonkers (in the best possible way). Loki provides fans with an innovative storyline in which an alternate version of Loki accidentally created a new timeline after the events of Endgame.
Exploring time traveling in a really interesting way, the Disney+ series features astonishing landscapes and a magnificent soundtrack that ended up exceeding many people’s expectations—for its efforts; it got a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
3/18 ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021) — 93%
Speaking about time traveling, next up on the list is fan-favorite Spider-Man: No Way Home, which focuses on Peter’s journey after traumatic Far From Home events. This ambitious superhero film follows the beloved character as he struggles to have his identity revealed (for the first time in the history of the Spider-Man movie). To make things right, he asks Strange for help, to disastrous results.
Deeply moving, action-packed, and entertaining are some of the words to describe the film. Plus, it’s not any news by now that it counts with all three versions of Spider-Man (Holland, Maguire, and Garfield), which makes it even more fun and nostalgic—for its efforts, it got a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
2/18 ‘What If…?’ (2021) — 94%
Just like the title suggests, What If…? asks its titular question as it takes pivotal moments in the MCU and gives them a major turn of events, triggering off possible scenarios that depict what would have happened if things did not go as initially planned.
A fun watch that makes fans contemplate the past and future of the cinematic universe, the animated series What If…? offers a few different and thought-provoking tales. Surprisingly, it scored 94% on the platform.
1/18 ‘Ms. Marvel’ (2022) — 98%
Iman Vellani‘s Kamala Khan is a Muslim American 16-year-old Avengers fangirl (particularly, an extreme Captain Marvel enthusiast). Although she struggles to fit in with the rest of the students, her popularity arises once she discovers her super awesome superpowers.
An excellent addition to the treasured cinematic universe, Ms. Marvel is the highest-rated Phase 4 project on Rotten Tomatoes, according to the critic’s 98% score. Funny, refreshing, and incredibly creative, the latest Disney+ Marvel series establishes Kamala as a charismatic, powerful character and sets her up for a bright future in the MCU.
