This is the counterpart to the previous "Rank 'Em" list I put together for the MCU Phase Four Disney+ series. From best to least, here are the post-"Endgame" MCU movies released over the past two years. Spoilers ahead.
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home - This absolutely does not hold up in rewatches because the gimmick with the multiple Spideys and the lack of crowd reaction kill a lot of the experience. However, I'm a sucker for any kind of story progression, and this version of Peter Parker finally becomes the universe's punching bag in a big way. The use of the secondary characters like Doctor Strange and Aunt May is much improved. And Alfred Molina and Willem Dafoe stealing the show is the best justification I've seen yet for the MCU putting so much emphasis on the multiverse concept.
2. Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - I have a lot of complaints about this film, particularly the boring last act, where everything devolved into another big battle sequence with too much CGI. On the other hand, the amount of care and effort that went into this one is clear, and Simu Liu is such a good addition to the MCU roster. I'm looking forward to the future team-up movies just so we can have him back in action. Tony Leung's Wenwu is also one of the better villains we've seen recently, and the fight scenes are great - the clash on the MUNI bus is one of my favorites.
3. Wakanda Forever - This was always going to be a tough film, because of the loss of Chadwick Boseman and the uncertainty of how to move forward. I think that Ryan Coogler and company did the best that they could, but "Wakanda Forever" is such a glum film, and Shuri suffered drastic changes to her character as her role was forced to expand. I'm also still very ambivalent on Namor, probably because underwater kingdoms are such fundamentally screwy concepts, and taking a more realistic tack than "Aquaman" didn't really help. Still, this is a well-made film with some great disaster and action sequences, and ensures that some of the MCU's best will have a path forward.
4. Thor: Love and Thunder - I'm honestly puzzled as to why this flopped so hard, and garnered such a poor reception. Then again, I'm one of the few who seems to have missed the joke with "Thor: Ragnarok" and genuinely liked "Love and Thunder" better. The mix of terribly serious subject matter and goofy humor is rough at times, but I love how ambitious it all is. And as previously established, I'm a sucker for story progression. Thor moving on to a new phase of his life is exactly what I wanted to see. If nothing else, I'm thrilled that Natalie Portman got to be a badass.
5. Black Widow - It's impossible for this film not to feel like an afterthought, coming after "Endgame" and taking place earlier in the timeline. I think the best thing that I can say about it is that it's middle of the road - no serious flaws and no special highs. Still, the new characters are very good, especially Florence Pugh's Yelena. The concept is clever, and ultimately it feels like there would be a significant absence if this film didn't exist. However, "Black Widow" may become best known for everything that went on behind the scenes of its release during the pandemic.
6. The Eternals - I was really rooting for this film to be better, with Chloe Zhao directing, and a cast full of interesting names. Unfortunately, it was a mistake to have Gemma Chan in the lead role, along with such a large ensemble to keep track of. The film looks absolutely gorgeous, from the cinematography to the costuming to the effects work. Sadly, Zhao's approach to the Eternals as characters leaves a lot to be desired, and the story is entirely too clunky and self-serious. I applaud it for its ambitions, but this one stands out from the pack for all the wrong reasons.
7. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Finally, the more I think about this movie, the more exasperated I am with it. Wanda and her kids' characterization from "Wandavision" is mostly ignored. The multiverse elements are underwhelming, and the big crossover event with the "Illuminati" left me cold. While it was fun to see Sam Raimi adding some horror flourishes (and his car) to the MCU, Doctor Strange remains one of the most under-developed MCU characters, who has had a much better track record as a supporting character than as the lead of his own movies.
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