As Thunderbolts* rolls out to theaters this weekend, Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will come to an end. Marvel Studios has launched six films since 2023, which comprise the fifth phase of the MCU as a whole, and the second of the Multiverse Saga. Notably, every movie of this phase was a sequel, save for the final entry.
As we approach the final phase of the Multiverse Saga, which kicks off with The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July 2025, we wanted to take a look back and assess MCU Phase 5. As with each phase, there have been highs and lows, but after the letdown of Phase 4, there were some truly encouraging signs of life over the past two years.
With that in mind, here are our rankings of all the MCU’s Phase 5 movies.
MCU Phase 5 movies, ranked
6. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Overview: “Ant-Man and the Wasp find themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that pushes them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.”
- Release date: February 17, 2023
- Director: Peyton Reed
- Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathryn Newton, and Jonathan Majors
Not only is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania one of the weakest, weirdest, and most poorly constructed entries in the MCU, but it now has the unfortunate legacy of having its lead villain be effectively wiped from the annals of history due to an actor’s real-world issues.
Quantumania has its moments, and Paul Rudd turns in another solid performance, but from the atrocious CGI to the confusing stakes to the squandering of the stellar supporting cast, featuring Katy O’Brien, David Dastmalchian, William Jackson Harper, and Bill Murray, there’s no question that this is the low point of Phase 5 and possibly the entire saga.
5. Captain America: Brave New World
Overview: “Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with President Thaddeus Ross. He must soon discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.”
- Release date: February 14, 2025
- Director: Julius Onah
- Cast: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford
Replacing iconic characters is a wildly difficult job, and it’s also what Anthony Mackie was asked to do in Captain America: Brave New World. Mackie’s charismatic enough as Sam Wilson to put some wind in this movie’s sails, but the villain was lackluster, and the obsession with tying up as many MCU loose ends as possible stretched the plot far too thin. The new Cap deserves better, and thankfully, he should get another shot in Doomsday.
4. The Marvels
Overview: “Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau.”
- Release date: November 10, 2023
- Director: Nia DaCosta
- Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Seo-Jun Park, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, and Samuel L. Jackson
In so many recent Marvel movies, you can see the seams where the studio has tried to cut and paste the reshoots into a near-finished product. This has never been more readily apparent than in The Marvels, which is a delightful adventure with incredible chemistry between its three leads. The problem is that it’s weighed down by poor pacing, yet another underwhelming villain, and a post-credits scene that overrides the stakes of the movie.
3. Deadpool & Wolverine
Overview: “Deadpool & Wolverine finds Wade Wilson with his past as the morally flexible Deadpool behind him, until he suddenly finds himself in a fight for the survival of his homeworld and must suit-up again—and convince a reluctant Wolverine to help him.”
- Release date: July 26, 2024
- Director: Shawn Levy
- Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew Macfadyen
Much like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Deadpool & Wolverine rode a tidal wave of nostalgia to box office success and critical acclaim. While it was not quite the MCU merger fans might have anticipated, it tied a bow on the Fox era of X-Men movies while bringing a more mature tone to the MCU. It also convinced Hugh Jackman to suit up as Wolverine at least one more time, and that alone is enough to push it into the top half of this list.
2. Thunderbolts*
Overview: “Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes—Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?”
- Release date: May 2, 2025
- Director: Jake Schreier
- Cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Pierce, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus
There’s a level of craft to Thunderbolts* that hasn’t been prevalent in the MCU since Avengers: Endgame. The ensemble is exceptional, the plot stands on its own, the CGI isn’t distracting, and the set pieces are thrilling. Even the score rocks. Thunderbolts* is the second-to-last MCU movie before Avengers: Doomsday, and while it doesn’t set up a multiverse-ending catastrophe, it does give us a group of characters we actually care about.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Overview: “In Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, our beloved band of misfits are looking a bit different these days. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.”
- Release date: May 5, 2023
- Director: James Gunn
- Cast: Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Will Poulter, Maria Bakalova, and Chukwudi Iwuji
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was James Gunn’s third and final Marvel movie before taking over DC Studios, and it’s also the pinnacle of Phase 5. In fact, it has an argument for the best post-Endgame movie, putting Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon in the limelight and brilliantly meshing Gunn’s skewed sense of humor with a genuinely heartbreaking story. If this is the last we ever see of the Guardians team together, it’s a perfect send-off.
