Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a trying time for the franchise. The reality had begun to set in that Marvel was no longer the center of the pop culture landscape, and its brand had diluted significantly due to the sheer quantity of TV shows being pumped out onto Disney+. It was also pretty evident that during Phase Five, which lasted from February 2023 to May 2025, Marvel had to significantly pivot and rethink its entire cinematic universe following the allegations made against Jonathan Majors, who was slated to be the Multiverse Saga’s primary antagonist, Kang the Conqueror.
It was a rough time for Marvel, one that it’s only just now trying to move past. While no Marvel movies were released in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there wasn’t really any excuse to explain why only one Marvel movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, was released in 2024. Some films were still successful and managed to turn a large profit, but Phase Five has the dubious honor of also including some genuine critical and commercial failures for the series.
So, with Phase Five completed and Phase Six already underway with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, let’s take a look at each Phase Five MCU movie and rank them from worst to best.
6. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
You almost have to feel bad for And-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania because, in another world, this could have been a decent mid-tier action movie like the other Ant-Man films. Sadly, it can’t hold a candle to its earlier entries. Marvel’s extensive use of CGI has always been a crippling criticism for its post-Endgame films, and that’s no more apparent than here, where virtually all of Quantumania feels like oddly composited CGI.
The lighter tone of the earlier movies has also been ditched in favor of needless world-building and setting up the next several films, which is especially galling given how Jonathan Majors’ Kang would quickly be written out of the franchise, making all of the extensive setup here legitimately worthless. The sad thing is that Majors was actually pretty good as Kang, but now that Robert Downey Jr.’s Dr. Doom has been made into the MCU’s new big bad, there is virtually no reason to give Quantumania a watch, not even if you like Paul Rudd’s take on the character.
5. The Marvels (2023)
For some reason, a lot of people absolutely loathe The Marvels, and while it most certainly isn’t a great movie by any definition of the word, it does have a few moments that make it passable. For example, Iman Vellani makes a great Ms. Marvel, and it’s clear that she’s having fun in the role. That, and the fight scenes utilizing the teleportation gimmick that its trio of protagonists are saddled with are pretty fun, too. But… that’s about it.
The mercifully short length of The Marvels makes it feel like a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it movie, one that quickly sets up its conflict and just as quickly resolves it, which is aggravating given the amount of homework someone needs to do to actually get up to speed about what’s happening in the film. So far, The Marvels has been the biggest box office bomb in the MCU’s history, and the only reason it’s not at the bottom is because it at least feels like it’s setting up a few plot threads that later, better films can explore.
4. Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
Captain America: Brave New World didn’t have to be as disappointing as it was. It’s clear from the very beginning that the film underwent extensive reshoots, and by the time it was released, enough people at Marvel seemed to have thrown their hands in the air and given up, resulting in a movie that’s all over the place. Nearly everything about Brave New World reeks of being a focus-tested and safe release, hardly having anything to say about any of its topics, which is especially galling given how the earlier Captain America films always had something to say about either politics or moral/ethical issues.
Yes, the action is serviceable, as are Harrison Ford’s and Anthony Mackie’s performances, but everything else is so aggressively mediocre that it results in a true middle-of-the-road cinematic experience that only pre-existing fans may find some value in, and even then, that’s a big if.
3. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
You either love or hate Deadpool as a character, and there were concerns that when Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, it would try to tone down Deadpool’s R-rated sensibilities. Fortunately, that never happened, and Deadpool was allowed to be as raunchy and violent as usual in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Honestly, the casting of Hugh Jackman definitely reads as a publicity stunt, especially given Marvel’s flagging box office and how Jackman’s interpretation of the character received the perfect ending in Logan, but at the very least, seeing a Wolverine who’s allowed to curse and murder to his heart’s content is fun. The dynamics between him and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool is what makes the movie shine, but it tends to go a bit overboard on poking fun at 20th Century Fox, which may grow old after a while. Comedy is subjective, though, and if you liked the earlier Deadpool movies, you’ll like Deadpool & Wolverine.
2. Thunderbolts* (2025)
Most people may have written off Thunderbolts* as a knock-off of DC’s Suicide Squad, but that absolutely isn’t the case, as the film has much more to say than that cinematic misfire ever did. The concept is still somewhat similar, revolving around a group of anti-heroes being forced to work together to stop a bigger threat, but the charm of Thunderbolts* lies in how it looks at the inner demons of each character and explores them.
Depression, grief, loneliness, and irrelevancy are all explored, and it doesn't sugarcoat any of it, making this a surprisingly dark superhero action film. This is mostly thanks to the excellent cast assembled here, with Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, and Wyatt Russell doing a lot of the heavy lifting. It even subverts a the expected Marvel tropes in favor of telling a story that takes thematic risks and sets up a status quo that appears interesting and exciting. It’s a shame this underperformed at the box office because Thunderbolts* is a remarkably good movie.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
The Guardians of the Galaxy series is usually hailed as being one of the best subseries in the MCU, and while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 may not be the best entry in the series, it more than delivers a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Yes, viewers will have to do a bit of homework to figure out what happened between Star-Lord and Gamora, but the original story here is emotionally gripping and effective. Rocket Raccoon’s past is simply heartbreaking, and Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary is one of the most detestable Marvel villains that you love to hate in the best way possible.
Most importantly, it offers a satisfying end to the story that started back in 2014 and gives all of the characters the happy ending they deserve. Thanks to the film still retaining James Gunn’s signature brand of humor and characterization, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is easily the best MCU movie of Phase Five.
Where To Watch All Phase Five MCU Movies Online
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