Marvel Studios has been developing its Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since 2008. Launched with Iron Man, this connected universe has become an absolute reference in the superhero genre in cinema. At the time of writing, 34 MCU films have already seen the light of day, with Deadpool & Wolverine being the latest. Among these 34 films, there are some very good ones, like Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Infinity War or even Doctor Strange, there are some nice ones like the Spider-Man trilogy, but there are also some failures. We will focus here on the 10 worst films of the MCU according to us:
10) Shang-chi and the legend of the ten rings
Shang-Chi is an ultra-formatted product of the MCU. A proposition that never goes off the beaten track and that serves up the same inconsistent soup to spectators. Asian culture is only a pretext to sell cinema tickets and is never fully highlighted. The story is extremely clichéd, and takes up the same usual clichés of family belonging, heritage, paternal opposition, family secrets, etc. Everything is sewn with white thread, and the final climax is a messy and soulless fight. The fact remains that Destin Daniel Cretton, the director, has succeeded in produce quite simply the best hand-to-hand combat scene in MCU history. And it's still fair to point that out.
9) Avengers: Age of Ultron webp”>
It’s the unloved from the quadrilogy Avengers. Out of overconfidence, Joss Whedonfails to repeat the feat of the first Avengers. A pastiche of the first installment, this sequel never manages to find the balance of its predecessor. Bigger, louder, more ostentatious, Age of Ultron fails to find its cruising speed. One of the film's major weaknesses is also Ultronhimself. An iconic character in comics, the killer robot is never fully iconized or developed here, and his potential for wickedness and madness is barely touched on. Too bad. And then, we'll avoid discussing the totally stupid death of Quicksilver…
8) The Marvels
Released in 2023, The Marvels holds the record for the worst MCU film in terms of box office receipts. With only $206 million in box office revenue, it is the worst score in the entire history of Marvel Studios. It must be said that The Marvelsis an extremely classic, very codified proposition, which is content to fill a lazy specification. A work which never leaves the usual framework of the firm, and which never takes any narrative or visual risk. A globally insignificant film, like its villain. In fact The Marvels is a film that doesn't care, quickly seen, quickly forgotten.
7) Ant-Man and the Wasp
This sequel is above all a copy-paste of the first part. Peyton Reed takes no risks and decides to replay the same clichésthan in the previous opus. Unfortunately, we feel that the footage lacks creativity, particularly in the expression of variations in scale, between gigantism and minuscule, which are nevertheless the character's own identity. The filmmaker does not renew the formula, and the story is weighed down by a botched antagonist.
6) Iron Man 2
A sequel that is far too classic compared to the slap in the face of the first part. A messy final climax, a less polished aesthetic, a digital mush that announces the malaise that will later take hold of the MCU. Without being a shame (especially compared to some recent opus) this Iron Man 2 is above all extremely disappointing compared to the quality of the first part.
5) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
< p>This new Ant-Man had the mission of launching Phase 5 of the MCU and introducing a new big bad: Kang the Conqueror. Unfortunately, Peyton Reed's film is weighed down by eye-popping aesthetics and disjointed epileptic editing, which makes futile movements to mask a plot without substance… A slightly wiser cousin of Thor: Love and Thunder, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is above all an almost assumed wish version of Star Wars. The filmmaker thus offers an artificial work, where references accumulate, in which it is difficult to believe in the stakes and to feel concerned by the hackneyed wanderings of the characters. And then, now that Jonathan Majorswas ousted out of the equation, and Fatalis will replace Kang, this film doesn't even have any reason to exist anymore
4) Black panther: wakanda forever
We're probably going to get beaten up. However, here, we don't really like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Still directed by Ryan Coogler, this interminable sequel is ultimately an anecdotal proposition. And 2 hours and 40 minutes is long. The director gets bogged down in a long-winded plot, a fairly boring one that takes up the usual clichés of the MCU films. We thus find a not-so-villain villain, who seeks to defend his people against the supposed threat of Wakanda. A worthy heir to Killmonger, this Namor is not up to his eccentricity and ambiguity in the comics. But the biggest problem with the film lies in the treatment of Shuri. A strong female character who seeks to assert herself and gain authority in the face of a patriarchal world, we have the impression, given the post-credits scene, that her quest has no goal. An additional sequence that is downright shameful, in which the audience discovers that T’Challa has an heir. A way of saying: “newborn young heroine, you will not be queen, since the king has a male heir”. Where and how to keep a company patriarchal…
3) thor: love and thunder
After the success of Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi is back for Thor: Love and Thunder. Unfortunately, it's a cold shower. A heavy-handed comedy, Thor: Love and Thunder pushes the flaws of its predecessor to their paroxysm. Idiot script (at the same time it is co-written by Waititi's son), heavy-handed jokes, aesthetics sometimes unacceptable for this kind of production, this fourth part is a long, very long, bad joke, which takes its audience for idiots. The perpetual “I don't care” attitude is a hindrance to the good development of the story. Especially as the arc of Gorr and Jane Foster in Thor, written by Jason Aaron, is exciting, extremely mature and dramatic, addressing themes of legacy, sacrifice, and fascinating introspection. And this paper gold is transformed into a work that annihilates all suspense, seriousness and ultimately all dramatic tension…
2) Black Widow
It is probably the most outdated MCU film. Black Widow, whether in its writing or its aesthetic, is a superhero film that is ten years behind its time. A work that doesn't bring much to the overall mythology of the MCU, and which is content to propose ultra classic and outdated stakes. An atmosphere that is never helped by a cliché antagonist as possible, a Machiavellian villain without depth, without soul, without trajectory. It is an inconsistent and impersonal film that never does honor to the character of the Black Widow. It is ugly, without rhythm, without much interest, see almost opportunistic. We sometimes have the feeling that the film only exists on the pretext of offering an adventure about a superheroine. There remains David Harbour and Florence Pugh, who, newcomers to the MCU, still have the verve and the desire to offer good things.
1) Thor: The Dark World
Second installment of the Thor quadrilogy, The Dark World is undoubtedly the weakest opus (the first one wasn't great already…). Directed by Alan Taylor in 2013,This second chapter is above all a transitional film. A work that allows the introduction of a new infinity stone: the Aether. And apart from this desire to introduce Thanos a little more while waiting for Infinity War, the plot doesn't have much else to tell. The adventures are fairly boring, and the interpretation of Christopher Eccleston as Malekith is not up to the standard of his paper counterpart. An underused iconic villain, Malekith never really has time to exist or be a proper threat. The whole thing is wrapped up in a messy treatment of the action that reaches its climax in a soporific climax. Fortunately, Loki remains, a character who is always exciting, impactful, iconic, embodied with a master's hand by the immense Tom Hiddleston.