All 13 MCU Movies & Shows Starring The Original 6 Avengers, Ranked

Summary

The original Avengers’ solo projects contributed significantly to the success of the MCU.
Iron Man 2 was a big disappointment with a weak villain, too many characters, and a lack of excitement.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the MCU’s best grounded film, with Marvel attempting to recreate its success multiple times.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is only the major success that it is today because of the original Avengers cast, as the stars contributed to the franchise with several solo projects over the past two decades. After uniting for the first time in 2012’s The Avengers, Marvel’s original six main heroes — Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye — would go on to have their MCU journeys intimately connected.

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That became evident in the MCU’s Avengers movies, but it also extended beyond them. Multiple Avengers played roles in one or more solo projects of the team’s other members. Each original MCU Avenger contributed to the shared universe by establishing a solid corner of it and introducing new heroes and villains in their solo projects, though some of them were better than others.

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13 Iron Man 2

Released In 2010

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The third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man 2, is an action-superhero film that occurs six months after the original film’s events. After outing himself as the heavy metal superhero known as Iron Man, Tony Stark goes to great lengths to avoid demands from the government for his tech. But, unfortunately, the technology Tony used to save his life is beginning to impact his health inversely – just in time for a man named Ivan Vanko to arrive, who creates his version of the Iron Man tech to settle a decades-long score with Howard Stark’s son.

Director Jon Favreau Release Date May 7, 2010 Cast Robert Downey Jr. , Mickey Rourke , Don Cheadle , Gwyneth Paltrow Runtime 124 minutes

Iron Man 2 is one of the MCU’s biggest disappointments. The movie followed the excellent Iron Man in Robert Downey Jr.’s solo franchise as Tony Stark. However, instead of improving on the great foundation established by its predecessor, Iron Man 2 was a dull entry in the MCU that had very little going for it.

Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash is easily one of the MCU’s worst villains, with his entire story and role being boring. There were also too many storylines and characters in the film, with it feeling like Marvel’s setup for the MCU’s future. Still, RDJ was as likable as always as Iron Man, and Scarlett Johansson had a great debut as Black Widow.

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12 Thor: The Dark World

Released In 2013

Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 2 are more or less interchangeable at the bottom of the list. Chris Hemsworth’s second solo movie as Thor is definitely his worst. The movie tried to go for a darker tone, only to come out uninspired and bland. There was almost no fun or excitement to be had.

Thor: The Dark World has a couple of redeeming qualities that rank it higher than Iron Man 2. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and his interactions with Hemsworth’s Thor are captivating and deepen in the movie when compared to 2011’s Thor. The sequel’s handling of Frigga’s death and its impact on the characters is also a high point.

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11 The Incredible Hulk

Released In 2008

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The second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is The Incredible Hulk, which was released in 2008. The film introduced a new backstory for the Hulk to differentiate it from the 2003 movie, Hulk. Actor Edward Norton played the role of the green hulk, and his alter ego Bruce Banner. He is joined by actress Liv Tyler who plays his love interest, Dr. Elizabeth “Betty” Ross. Betty’s father, General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), is hoping to recreate a World War II supersoldier program and, in the process, exposes Bruce to gamma radiation that transforms him into the Hulk. He flees to find a cure for himself but is eventually tracked down by Thunderbolt, who forms an alliance with Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth). After The Incredible Hulk, Mark Ruffalo took over the character for subsequent movies in the MCU.

Director Louis Leterrier Release Date June 13, 2008 Cast Edward Norton , Liv Tyler , Tim Roth , William Hurt , Tim Blake Nelson , Ty Burrell , Lou Ferrigno Runtime 112 minutes

The MCU has only had one Hulk movie due to the character’s complicated rights issues. As it stands, Mark Ruffalo, who has played the hero since 2012’s The Avengers, willl seemingly never get a solo film. That makes The Incredible Hulk, with Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, a relic of the MCU’s past.

The movie is mostly forgettable, with a few good fights between the Hulk and Abomination, as well as sporadic character moments. More could have been done with Banner’s trauma and the duality of the character, with The Incredible Hulk‘s decision to cut Banner’s suicide attempt being one of the things that hurt the film. In the end, it felt very formulaic.

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10 Thor

Released In 2011

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Chris Hemsworth’s MCU debut as the Asgardian God of Thunder saw him navigating the ultimare sibling rivalry and parental expectations. Kenneth Branagh’s theatrical adaptation of the long-running Marvel Comics deals with Thor’s quest to prove himself worthy. Banished to Earth for his impulsiveness and tendency to violence, Thor must earn his destiny, while Tom Hiddleston’s Loki tries to destroy him.

Director Kenneth Branagh Release Date May 6, 2011 Cast Chris Hemsworth , Natalie Portman , Tom Hiddleston , Kat Dennings , Stellan Skarsgård , Idris Elba , Clark Gregg , Colm Feore Runtime 115 minutes

Hemsworth’s first solo outing as Thor is a unique entry in the MCU. The movie is the only one directed by Kenneth Branagh in the franchise, who made Asgard feel very alive and look as grandiose as it should be. There is a classic hero’s journey to follow in this one.

Arrogant and selfish, Thor is sent to Earth by Odin, only to return when he is worthy. The film does a great job of showing just how different Thor is from humans like Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster. It is interesting to see that romance bloom and Thor start to change his ways the more time he spends on Mdigard. 2011’s Thor sets up the hero’s future appearances nicely.

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9 Thor: Love and Thunder

Released In 2022

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Thor: Love & Thunder is the fourth Thor film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and director Taika Waititi’s second outing with the character. The movie finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey to find inner piece. But when Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) goes on a killing rampage against the gods, Thor is thrown back into the action. Tessa Thompson returns as Valkyrie, as does Waititi’s Korg. Natalie Portman also returns to the franchise for the first time in nine years as Jane Foster, who transforms into the Mighty Thor to wield Mjolnir.

Director Taika Waititi Release Date July 8, 2022 Cast Christian Bale , Russell Crowe , Tessa Thompson , Chris Pratt2 , Natalie Portman , Karen Gillan , Chris Hemsworth Runtime 118 minutes

Thor: Love and Thunder is one of the most controversial entries among the original Avengers’ solo projects. The movie could have been so much more, as it came from director Taika Waititi, who had successfully turned the franchise around with Thor: Ragnarok. Sadly, a mismatch of tones and lack of screen time for Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher led to disappointment.

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Still, there is a lot of fun to be had in Thor: Love and Thunder. Most of the movie’s comedic elements work when they are applied at the right time. Hemsworth and Portman continue to have great chemistry, and the actress’ MCU return as the Mighty Thor was worth the long wait. The movie is viewed in a bad light due to how much better it could have been.

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8 Black Widow

Released In 2021

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Black Widow is a film about Natasha Romanoff in her quests between the films Civil War and Infinity War. This is the 24th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first solo film for Black Widow, one of the original six Avengers. The character previously appeared in seven MCU films, including all four Avengers movies. Black Widow was originally scheduled for May 2020 but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Director Cate Shortland Release Date July 9, 2021 Cast Scarlett Johansson , Florence Pugh , David Harbour , O-T Fagbenle , Olga Kurylenko , William Hurt , Ray Winstone , Rachel Weisz Runtime 134 minutes

Despite being one of the first members of the Avengers to be introduced in the MCU, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow would be one of the last to get a solo project. The Black Widow movie took so long to get made that Natasha Romanoff was dead by the time it came around. As such, the film follows a story set in the heroine’s past.

2021’s Black Widow is a fun MCU entry. It introduced two fan-favorite characters in the form of Thunderbolts*‘s Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova and David Harbour as Red Guardian. Natasha’s past with the Red Room and her family were both finally explored in detail, clearing up many of the mysteries surrounding the character. Sadly, the movie came in too late, preventing the Black Widow franchise from being built.

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