Every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, ranked from worst to best

The first all-hands-on-deck superhero team-up film in the MCU is still the best, and the bar by which all future ones will be judged. The balancing act pulled off by writer-director Joss Whedon is a marvel (no pun intended) of blockbuster moviemaking: He manages to service the story of every titular hero from previous standalone films, create character arcs that feed into the larger plot, and provide a beginning, middle, and end to the story of Earth’s mightiest heroes coming together for the first time. And he does it all with a breezy wit and meaningful emotional stakes that keep you engaged for the entire two-and-a-half hours. Under the one good eye of Nick Fury, the story unites Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton (admittedly, Hawkeye gets the short end of the stick, serving as the brainwashed pawn of Loki for most of the film) in a battle against the God Of Mischief, who plots to lead a Chitauri invasion of Earth. From the character-based humor to the , it’s everything a Marvel fan—or even casual moviegoer—could want. [Alex McLevy]