Wow what a roller-coaster ride Phase 4 has been starting with Covid-19 delays, horrible CGI and just as bad film/TV series. This phase in the MCU introduced us to so many new characters, heroes, and villains that at times it was really hard to keep up. Is safe to say that Phase 4 was a bit too ambitious in its planning and it definitely showed amongst the fans and general audience. So here are our movie lists for the TOP MCU Phase Four Films/TV Series.
DISCLAIMER: We haven’t seen She-Hulk or Ms Marvel so we are unable to include it on this movie list.
13. Thor: Love and Thunder
There was nothing to like about this film, Taika Waititi’s jokes fell flat and seemed way too childish. The overexposure of Korg was a bad decision as he just seemed way too cringey for the film. I can honestly say no one likes Jane Foster and her plot twist was not as impactful as it should have been, this was a massive step down for Thor and the franchise and the less we talk about the CGI the better. The only good part of Love and Thunder was Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher.
12. Hawkeye
Hawkeye introduced us to Kate Bishop who seems to be the next archer-type character in the MCU moving forward. But was this Hawkeye show needed? The character has always been a secondary character so there wasn’t much love for this show when it first came out. The good thinking about Hawkeye was that we were able to see Florence Pugh’s, Yelena Belova get more screen time in which she stole the scene.
11. Eternals
Direct by Oscar winner Chole Zhao and boasting a fantastic up-and-coming cast, Eternals was supposed to be the game changer in the MCU. Eternals was beautifully shot with some of the cinematography to be jaw-dropping, it’s the story itself that ultimately let this film down. Eternals marked the first film in the MCU franchise to be rotten with a score of 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. Eternals was overstuffed and too long for a first film for these characters, if there is an Eternals 2 let’s hope they can cut it down and streamline the story a bit more.
10. Black Widow
The first MCU film to release since the Covid-19 pandemic, while it was nice to see an MCU film on the big screen again Black Widow is another film that we didn’t need but it was a little too late for this character to have her solo film. No one cared about this film because we already know what Black Widow’s fate would be by the end of the film, Black Widow would have been a great Phase 2 film as we would have explored her back story a lot more.
9. What If?
What If? is an interesting concept as a whole, we got to witness a lot of questions that were being discussed amongst the fans in regards to “what if this happened”. Animatedly exploring the multiverse was a refreshing and unique touch from the MCU with some of the What If? episodes coming together in the show’s final episodes or being explored in future films.
8. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
If there was an award for Biggest Disappointment then Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would be the clear winner. While the film was horrible it was like I said just a massive letdown. The film promised to explore the multiverse in all its glory, however, all we got was a quick 20-second montage of Doctor Strange and America Chavez tumbling through 10 or more universes before landing in Earth-838 where most of the film was set. The film did have a crowd cheering moment with John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic, a character fans have been clamoring to see for years.
7. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Quite possibly the most emotional MCU film that has or ever will be released after the shocking passing of Chadwick Boseman. Ryan Coogler had the weight of the world on his shoulders with trying to further the Black Panther story while also not trying to disrespect what Chadwick’s legacy has done to this character. Ryan Coogler knocked it out of the park, he introduced to us a new world and a potential new Avenger in Namor, he also introduced a new Black Panther with Shuri taking over the mantle and the film is a beautiful tribute to Chadwick Boseman similar to what we saw with Paul Walker in Fast an Furious 7.
6. Moon Knight
Another new character introduced during phase 4, Moon Knight was pretty much what everyone expected it to be. It was a great first introduction to Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight, his performance was fantastic as he was able to portray the different personas of his character. The CGI throughout the series is most definitely better than some of the phase 4 films.
5. Falcon and the Winter Solider
The MCU needs a realistic and grounded piece of content every now and then and that’s exactly what Falcon and the Winter Soldier delivered. Almost a buddy cop type of series between Sam Wilson and Buck Barnes where at the end of the show we are introduced to a new Captain America that will have a key role to play in the coming Avengers films. The series also brought back a fan favorite villain with Baron Zemo as we saw his character fleshed out even more and he became more likable as a character.
4. WandaVision
The first MCU show had us all theorising from start to finish and it also birthed the infamous Mephesto meme. WandaVision was an excellent concept where each episode takes place in a different time period before eventually catching up to real-time. There were so many twists, turns, and returns where some of them landed and others just never being capitalised further. The show explored Wand’s trauma of losing her beloved Vision and eventually we saw her become the Scarlett Witch.
3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shang-Chi blew me away, from the trailers this seemed like just an average MCU film, but I was most certainly wrong. Shang-Chi was excellent in so many ways, it introduced us to new characters and Avengers, and it had ties to other MCU films in the past while also setting up the future. The fight choreography was a clear highlight, especially in the bus scene and the CGI was pretty good overall.
2. Loki
Loki was the show that started the multiverse movement and introduced us to the MCU’s next big bad in Kang. Loki throughout this series was not like the Loki we know throughout the films, yes this may have been the 2012 version of Loki as he managed to escape the grasp of The Avengers but everything about him throughout the show seemed different. He seemed more worried and not as confident as he usually was. This could largely be due to the TVA and the extent of work that they do to keep the multiverse in line. Loki changed the MCU has a whole in its short episode series and no doubt the second season of Loki will further push the overall MCU story along.
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Three generations of Spider-Men come together for one film in the most satisfying and fan-pleasing way. No Way Home was a fantastic Spider-Man film and easily the best of the current MCU era. No Way Home paid homages to the previous Spider-Man films introducing their villains and the return of Andre Garfield and Tobey Maguire still sends chills down my spine to this day. No Way Home not only nailed the fan service but also progressed Peter Parker’s (Tom Hollands’ version) along as he stepped out of the shadow of Tony Stark and become his own person. We saw Peter lose everything throughout this film, his spirit, his aunt, and everyone he ever cares for is all gone or forgotten. No Way Home is the perfect event-level film such as Endgame and when done right it’s a massive success among fans and the box office.
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