Not every MCU movie is a hit. Some just lack the fun, excitement, drama, or emotional connection needed to be considered a great superhero film. Phase Four has been getting a lot of controversy for its mix of successes and failures. While some rise to the top, in other cases, fans are left with movies such as Thor: Love and Thunder, which took more fun in reaching for the joke than in discussing the severity of the situation. The movies rated the lowest on Rotten Tomatoes bounce from a tone challenge to being downright forgettable. While Marvel movies may have a lot in common, what makes the best ones great is their ability to distinguish themselves from the pack.
None of these movies do that positively. If they do make themselves unique, they do so negatively. They do not share the best factors found in a Marvel movie and have either been written off by the viewers or simply forgotten by the Marvel Cinematic Universe itself. These movies are not ones that embrace the best parts of the MCU, but are ones that capitalize on its worst factors and simply do not know what they are doing in the grand scheme of the narrative.
10 Iron Man 3 (2013) - 79%
Although Iron Man 3 is not the worst of the trilogy, it is not the best either. Iron Man 3 falls in the middle, not quite great, but fairly more forgettable than it is bad. Tony Stark's solo outings are more about him and his connection to Stark Industries than to the rest of the MCU, so while the movie accomplishes what it needs to get done for Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, there is not much excitement that really comes from this one, and Tony Stark ends up being a lot more important in group team-up films than he is here.
9 Thor (2011) - 77%
Thor suffers from its Shakespearean language choices that make Thor so separated from people on Earth. He is a God, so he is more powerful than a human, but the movie itself is never so upbeat or so serious. It does an interesting job of setting up Loki as a villain and the complex relationship between Loki and Thor. But while Thor is an alright movie, it feels very simplistic as a Phase One movie compared to what the MCU would come out with afterward.
8 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015) - 76%
Even though Avengers: Age Of Ultron may be one of the most important MCU movies in preparation for Avengers: Infinity War, the film itself is a mess of story plots that never quite weaves the right way. It teases the Infinity Stones, gives a brief glimpse into the upcoming tension between Steve and Tony, introduces Clint Barton's secret family, attempts to navigate a romance between Bruce and Natasha, sets up Wanda as an important character, all while dealing with a robot uprising led by Ultron, and handles the downfall of SHIELD, all in one movie. It is too jam-packed for the length of time it is, and is desperate to incorporate nearly every storyline needed to prepare for what comes next.
7 Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022) - 74%
The decision to take on a horror approach did not do this movie any favors. While taking a risk can be appreciated, it was not one that added anything to the story, and if anything, it made Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness stick out in a bad way. It is not necessarily a bad movie, but in the grand scheme of things, it is adding to the Multiverse Saga without actually doing anything to alter the reality fans are familiar with. Stephen's actions in this movie have him jumping through different realities, but it comes across more as a tour of what could be than it portrays anything meaningful.
6 Iron Man 2 (2010) - 71%
Iron Man 2 has nothing to grow on other than the events of Iron Man. Its most useful storyline is the addition of Natasha Romanoff as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent disguised as Tony's assistant. This movie does more to introduce Natasha Romanoff into the fold than it does to keep a further interest in Tony Stark. Tony's story really picks up in The Avengers, with Iron Man 2 just acting as a stepping stone to the next movie.
5 The Incredible Hulk (2008) - 67%
When it comes to forgotten Marvel movies, The Incredible Hulk likely comes in first place. Before Mark Ruffalo took on the role of Bruce Banner, Edward Norton had portrayed a far more serious version of the character. But, in the end, it felt more like Marvel re-invented Bruce Banner in The Avengers, ignoring The Incredible Hulk and not making any real references to it until She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.
4 Thor: The Dark World (2013) - 66%
Thor: The Dark World is a rare example of a movie that does not add anything positive to the franchise. While it includes the importance of an Infinity Stone and sadly says goodbye to Thor and Loki's mother, Thor: The Dark World was considered the worst Marvel movie for a long time. The movie's relevance did not appear to be important again until Thor re-visited this point in time during Avengers: Endgame.
3 Thor: Love And Thunder (2022) - 63%
Thor: Love And Thunder reunites Thor with Jane after years apart, but a reconciled romance is not enough to save this movie. Jane is facing cancer, and rather than accept the severity of this or the seriousness surrounding the kidnapped children from Asgard, Thor: Love And Thunder would rather make jokes at nearly every opportunity. The movie attempts to have a serious undertone, with the central villain being a man wronged by the Gods and wanting revenge. However, the movie is never quite able to meet the tone that the story deserves.
2 Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (2023) - 46%
Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania is a mess of a movie that attempts to do what Loki did fairly easily. Accidentally forced into the Quantum Realm, Scott, Hope, Cassie, Hank, and Janet must escape. Janet's refusal to tell the entire truth about what she experienced in the Quantum Realm means that her friends and family struggle to figure out who the villain is.
However, Janet having not told anyone the truth just seems more like an excuse for everyone to be clueless about the Quantum Realm than anything else. Still, the movie tries to set up Kang as a villain, even though Loki already had, and the movie does not amount to much.
1 Eternals (2021) - 47%
Given the Eternals had been around the entire time everything had happened and chosen to do nothing about it, they were already thin on emotional compassion. Saying they were simply not supposed to get involved is not a good enough reason, and just seems like a lazy excuse to justify why they never appeared before now. Eternals spends too much time jumping between the past and the present to give any type of development to either time period, and the group's chemistry never quite meshes the way it needs to for the group to stand out among The Avengers or the Guardians of the Galaxy.