Marvel Studios' 10 WORST Movies According To Critics (And There Are Some Shockers)

With Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania the latest Marvel Studios movie deemed "Rotten" by critics, we're taking a closer look at the 10 worst-reviewed Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbusters. Take a look...

By JoshWilding - Feb 16, 2023 11:02 AM EST

Filed Under: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Marvel Studios' Phase 4 slate was undeniably hit-and-miss, with the decision to produce a lot of TV shows leading to a quantity over quality issue for many fans. Now, critics are no longer quite as forgiving towards the MCU, something that's evident from the mauling Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania has been taking over the past 24 hours.

More reviews will be counted in the coming days, of course, but it's going to take a lot for the threequel to be lifted from that dreaded "Rotten" status on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

We appreciate that many of you don't care what the critics think and, honestly, that's not a bad thing. You should make up your own minds, but the fact is that general audiences keep an eye on those scores and it can make or break a movie's chances of financial success (see: Black Adam).

Now, we've rounded up and ranked the 10 worst-reviewed MCU movies, but will you agree that these should be considered among Marvel Studios' most terrible offerings? You'll have to hit the "Next" button below to find out...

10. Captain America: The First Avenger - 80%

Critics Consensus: With plenty of pulpy action, a pleasantly retro vibe, and a handful of fine performances, Captain America is solidly old-fashioned blockbuster entertainment.

The fact we're kicking off this list with a movie that scored 80% just goes to show how critic-proof the MCU has usually been. Captain America: The First Avenger was a fun ride, though, and while it didn't necessarily break new ground, this origin story still served as an effective introduction for Steve Rogers.

It was a shame to see Marvel Studios back down from pitting Cap against the Nazis because, while they were present, a much greater focus was put on HYDRA. Regardless, this is far from a bad movie as we're sure you'll agree.

9. Thor - 77%

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Critics Consensus: A dazzling blockbuster that tempers its sweeping scope with wit, humor, and human drama, Thor is mighty Marvel entertainment.

Like Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor was a relatively small-scale story for a studio that was still finding its feet at the time. The Incredible Hulk had disappointed, as had the Iron Man sequel, so a lot was riding on the God of Thunder's introduction.

Director Kenneth Branagh did a fine job, though, and the blockbuster made stars out of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. It's not necessarily a classic, but is always a fun movie to revisit.

8. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 76%

Critics Consensus: Exuberant and eye-popping, Avengers: Age of Ultron serves as an overstuffed but mostly satisfying sequel, reuniting its predecessor's unwieldy cast with a few new additions and a worthy foe.

After The Avengers did the impossible by assembling Earth's Mightiest Heroes from multiple franchises, it was always going to be tough for the sequel to meet the lofty expectations of fans and critics alike.

A much busier movie than its predecessor, Joss Whedon didn't do enough to break the mould, and another faceless army proved tedious for some. Despite that, Age of Ultron is an underrated gem with a fantastic villain, some great ideas, and moments which deserve to be remembered as iconic.

7.Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - 74%

Critics Consensus: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness labors under the weight of the sprawling MCU, but Sam Raimi's distinctive direction casts an entertaining spell.

With Sam Raimi back at the helm of a comic book movie, we all expected the Doctor Strange sequel to blow us away. The filmmaker's unique style definitely elevated a flawed script that only further muddied the waters of the Multiverse which still hasn't been properly explained.

Some big cameos and a stellar performance from Elizabeth Olsen were appreciated, though, and Strange was taken on an undeniably thrilling journey. The cracks started showing here, though, specifically when it comes to Marvel Studios expecting moviegoers to be as well-versed in the MCU as hardcore fans.

6. Iron Man 2 - 71%

Critics Consensus: It isn't quite the breath of fresh air that Iron Man was, but this sequel comes close with solid performances and an action-packed plot.

Iron Man 2 was rushed into theaters too soon after its predecessor. Tasked with setting up The Avengers through some heavy-handed references, the movie also had to introduce Black Widow, War Machine, and a villain who is now best forgotten.

Marvel Studios tried to do too much here and it shows. There's a lot to love about the sequel in all fairness, and it's by no means a disaster, but it should be easy enough to understand why this ranks among Marvel Studios worst blockbusters.

5. The Incredible Hulk - 67%

Critics Consensus: The Incredible Hulk may not be quite the smashing success that fans of Marvel's raging behemoth might hope for, but it offers more than enough big green action to make up for its occasionally puny narrative.

As we reach the second half of this countdown, we come to a movie that is only okay at best. Whether it was the goofy subplot about Bruce Banner being scared of having sex in case an elevated heartrate caused him to Hulk out or the fact major issues behind the scenes created a mess of a story, it's easy to see why critics didn't love this as much as Iron Man.

Still, it boasted a good cast and a final battle that was pretty groundbreaking at the time. It's a genuine shame that a direct sequel was never able to happen.

4. Thor: The Dark World - 66%

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Critics Consensus: It may not be the finest film to come from the Marvel Universe, but Thor: The Dark World still offers plenty of the humor and high-stakes action that fans have come to expect.

With Game of Thrones veteran Alan Taylor at the helm, the hope was that the Thor sequel would be an epic Viking/fantasy adventure akin to the hit HBO series. It wasn't.

Despite wasting its big bad, Malekith, the movie is far from awful and features some cool developments. Unfortunately, Jane Foster's disappointing role, a surprisingly underwhelming final battle in London, and the misuse of some key characters really hold this one back. It's still miles better than our next movie, though.

3. Thor: Love and Thunder - 64%

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Critics Consensus: In some ways, Thor: Love and Thunder feels like Ragnarok redux -- but overall, it offers enough fast-paced fun to make this a worthy addition to the MCU.

A movie we would argue deserves to be at #1 at the worst-reviewed MCU movie, Taika Waititi was fully unleashed with his Thor: Ragnarok follow-up and delivered an absolute stinker.

Wasting Christian Bale and Russell Crowe (the latter delivered a career-worst performance), we loved watching the Mighty Thor's story play out, but that's about it. Doused in colour, poorly acted, and full of cringe-worthy jokes, this will hopefully be Waititi's final MCU movie, something we never thought we'd say.

2. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania - 51%

Critics Consensus: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania mostly lacks the spark of fun that elevated earlier adventures, but Jonathan Majors' Kang is a thrilling villain poised to alter the course of the MCU.

The movie that inspired this feature, it's fair to say none of us expected the Ant-Man threequel to be this poorly received.

Director Peyton Reed has said he no longer wanted the franchise to be a palette cleanser, but the filmmaker clearly isn't cut out for epic storytelling on this level. What's particularly concerning is that this opening chapter of Phase 5 is incredibly important to the wider Multiverse Saga, so it's fair to say we're not off to a great start!

1. Eternals - 47%

Critics Consensus: An ambitious superhero epic that soars as often as it strains, Eternals takes the MCU in intriguing -- and occasionally confounding -- new directions.

The Marvel Studios movie many of us expected to win a "Best Picture" Oscar proved to be a crushing disappointment. We don't think it deserved reviews quite this bad, but too many characters and one of the MCU's worst villains makes its placement here easy enough to understand.

Eternals is a franchise that should have been a game-changer for this shared world, but as we write this, it's hard to say whether a sequel, which addresses the big cliffhanger ending, will ever be released.

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75 Comments

1 2

MosquitoFarmer - 2/16/2023, 11:47 AM

Good lord, Wilding. Why not try harder to spread the negativity? Try having a lovely day; at least a Coke and a smile.

TheHumanSpider2 - 2/16/2023, 11:59 AM

@MosquitoFarmer - oooooohhhhh, but when the "negativity" is against any other studio!

MosquitoFarmer - 2/16/2023, 12:07 PM

@TheHumanSpider2 - He gets that giddy with every article.

Origame - 2/16/2023, 12:09 PM

@TheHumanSpider2 - yeah. I really don't get the complaints about "negativity" people have nowadays. If it were against people who did nothing wrong, yeah I could see it as a problem. But it's against movies and corporations.

I'm probably gonna write an article on the fanboys that are all over this site.

MosquitoFarmer - 2/16/2023, 12:26 PM

@Origame - But this is about Wilding, not negativity in general…

Origame - 2/16/2023, 12:38 PM

@MosquitoFarmer - but your complaint is about him being negative.

lvcl - 2/16/2023, 12:40 PM

@MosquitoFarmer -
Negativity? that's what Disney oozes by making such bad movies.

This article is a fairly objective listing of the critics' scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

Quantumania 50% and going down with each new comment.

And it seems that they have deactivated the audience score so that you cannot see the percentage of fans who give their opinion

TheFinestSmack - 2/16/2023, 11:50 AM

Another list! What a twist!

Kyos - 2/16/2023, 11:59 AM

Eternals is where Multiverse should be, but otherwise it's not completely inaccurate.

ShellHead - 2/16/2023, 11:59 AM

Honestly my excitement for Quantumania this week has been dampened by the amount of negativity on this site. Bummer.

TheHumanSpider2 - 2/16/2023, 12:03 PM

Most MCU movies are mediocre not "bad", the truly bad MCU movies are: Ant-Man 2, Ant-Man 3, Thor 2, Thor 4, Captain Marvel, and (ESPECIALLY) Black Widow.

TheWalkingCuban - 2/16/2023, 12:13 PM

@TheHumanSpider2 - black widow’s only graces (not the saving kind, it’s still terrible) are red tornado and new black widow. Crimson dynamo and Yentl? “Warmer” i quit, whoever they are I liked em.

FireandBlood - 2/16/2023, 12:07 PM

So mostly Phase 1 movies? Interesting.

Origame - 2/16/2023, 12:20 PM

@PlusUltra - ...no. it's tied with phase 4. And with the fact 2 of the phase 1 movies are above 75.

FireandBlood - 2/16/2023, 12:27 PM

@Origame - There’s 4 phase 1 movies on there, only 3 Phase 4 movies. How’d you get a tie out of that?

Origame - 2/16/2023, 12:39 PM

@PlusUltra - eternals, Thor 4, ant man 3, and Dr strange 2 make 4 movies from phase 4.

FireandBlood - 2/16/2023, 12:44 PM

@Origame - Ant-Man 3 is Phase 5. Phase 4 ended with Wakanda Forever.

Origame - 2/16/2023, 12:54 PM

@PlusUltra - oh OK. My bad.

Phase 4 was confusing. It didn't have an ending, just stopped.

SATW42 - 2/16/2023, 12:07 PM

There is literally nothing shocking on this list

1 2

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Marvel Studios' 10 WORST Movies According To Critics (And There Are Some Shockers)

With Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania the latest Marvel Studios movie deemed "Rotten" by critics, we're taking a closer look at the 10 worst-reviewed Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbusters. Take a look...

10. Captain America: The First Avenger - 80%

9. Thor - 77%

8. Avengers: Age of Ultron - 76%

7.Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - 74%

6. Iron Man 2 - 71%

5. The Incredible Hulk - 67%

4. Thor: The Dark World - 66%

3. Thor: Love and Thunder - 64%

2. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania - 51%

1. Eternals - 47%

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