Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already broken numerous records, becoming one of the highest-grossing films in the MCU. Tom Holland’s fourth solo feature is also the final non-Avengers-related film in the MCU’s complicated Multiverse Saga, as the next film set to release after it is Avengers: Doomsday later this year. This saga consists of Phases Four, Five, and Six, started all the way back in 2021 with the TV show WandaVision, and will conclude with the unreleased 2027 film Avengers: Secret Wars.
The entire Multiverse Saga has been a major low point for the MCU, with some of its movies and TV shows receiving low fan approval and box-office reception. But Spider-Man: Brand New Day has reinvigorated the love audiences had for the MCU; now, many are wondering if it is the best film in the entire Multiverse Saga. When comparing the fifteen films of the Multiverse Saga, it’s very interesting to see where Spider-Man: Brand New Day ends up.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the third film of the Ant-Man trilogy directed by Peyton Reed and written by Jeff Loveness. The movie stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne, and debuts Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang. The film’s main villain was Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. As the first film in Phase 5, it was intended to be the audience’s first introduction to Kang as a villain. Before Avengers: Doomsday‘s reveal that Doom himself will be the next Thanos-level threat, the MCU was planning to have Kang be the next major threat the Avengers faced, and this film was intended to set it up with Scott and the cast going into the Quantum Realm to face him.
What audiences got was an extremely dull film, lacking in plot, performance, and structure. The entire film feels chaotic and two-dimensional, with nothing worthwhile to take away from it. The film itself didn’t have many fans, and the only thing fans enjoyed was Jonathan Majors’ performance as Kang. That performance didn’t last long, as Majors soon found himself in extreme legal trouble and Marvel decided to let the actor go. After this, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is nothing but a sour taste in MCU fans’ mouths.
Captain America: Brave New World is the 2025 film starring Anthony Mackie as Captain America. The film was directed by Julius Onah and written by numerous writers. It follows Captain America, who ends up in an international incident involving the President of the United States, Thaddeus Ross, whose actions prompt him to turn into the Red Hulk.
Despite being Sam Wilson’s film debut as Captain America, Captain America: Brave New World feels more like a delayed Incredible Hulk sequel that lacks the Hulk. This disjointed sequel placement already made the film hard to enjoy, but when the entire plot is a regurgitation of Sam having to prove he’s Captain America to the public again, combined with an uninteresting plot, villain, and twist that the trailers spoiled, a lot of people found Brave New World largely uninspired.
Possibly the most ambitious film from Marvel Studios, Eternals was released in 2021 and was directed and written by Chloé Zhao with assistance from Patrick Burleigh, Ryan, and Kaz Firpo. Starring an all-star cast including Game of Thrones alums, the story revolved around a race of ancient aliens that came out of hiding after the events of Avengers: Endgame to face a nefarious group called The Deviants.
The film is unlike anything else in the MCU, with stunning visuals, a slow-paced burn, and extensive worldbuilding. But what it had in those categories it lacked in others. Audiences missed the familiar, fun energy of previous MCU films and characters, and the Eternals lacked it. The film is generally received as a beautiful, boring slog to get through. With such bad reviews and the end credits scene, which is much more awkward after Marvel’s failure with the Blade IP, it is likely a film many would advise against for anyone trying to catch up to the MCU.
Thor: Love and Thunder is the fourth Thor film starring Chris Hemsworth. The film brings back Taika Waititi as director and writer, and even Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Lady Thor. In this film, Thor’s retirement is interrupted by Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher, who is hunting gods across the galaxy. Embarking on a cosmic adventure, Thor, Valkyrie, and Lady Thor defeat Gorr the God Butcher.
Thor: Love and Thunder attempted to build on the goodwill Taika Waititi earned with Thor: Ragnarok. But the film lacks the same charm, humor, and scale as the previous Thor film. Combine that with shaky character writing for everyone involved and some horrendous CGI and VFX, and the film left many Marvel fans with a bad taste in their mouth. The story as a whole is lacking in areas it shouldn’t be.
The Marvels was released in 2023 and was directed and written by Nia DaCosta, with additional screenwriting being done by Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik. The film follows Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, Teyonah Parris’s Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan as the three’s light-based powers become entangled. The three have to work together to defeat Dar-Benn, a dangerous Kree Revolutionary.
The 2022 sequel to Doctor Strange, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, returns Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character in a film that goes through the multiverse. Directed by Sam Raimi, famous for Spider-Man and Evil Dead, and written by Michael Waldron, the film introduced America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez, as a desperate multiverse traveler trying to escape Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff, who began hunting her after the events of WandaVision.
The movie had a lot to like, from its great visuals to its excellent use of cameos and the fun of Sam Raimi directing a superhero film again. But many marked it as a strange character arc for Wanda, whether or not one saw WandaVision. The film also features a bizarre end-credits scene involving Charlize Theron’s Cleo. Whether one likes it or not, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness did introduce many multiverse concepts being explored today, like returning actors, incursions, and separate timelines that are going to come into play in Avengers: Doomsday.
Black Widow (2021) is the standalone film Scarlett Johansson got far too late. Following the Black Widow’s adventures post-CaptainAmerica: Civil War, Natasha reunites with her family: Florence Pugh’s Yelena, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz’s Melina Vostokoff to deal with the Black Widow program that’s haunted her entire life and confront her past as a spy.
Fans were desperate for a Black Widow standalone film for years, especially as she was one of the original six Avengers. But after she died in Avengers: Endgame, it looked like the only story Johansson’s Black Widow could tell was a prequel. This already set the film down in many fans’ eyes, but what didn’t help was the completely inaccurate adaptation of the famous Marvel villain, Taskmaster. But where this film fails, it also succeeds: Scarlett does a great job as Natasha, and the new characters are immediately memorable. With some great spy action and direction by Cate Shortland, Black Widow (2021) becomes a fun entry in the MCU that came too late.
Deadpool & Wolverine is the third film in the 20th Century Fox Deadpool trilogy, acting as a direct continuation while also being Ryan Reynolds’ debut feature in the MCU. The film also brings back Hugh Jackman’s legendary Wolverine performance and lets him don the yellow-and-blue costume that fans were dying to see him in. When Wade discovers that his world is threatened by the lack of an “anchor point,” he travels the multiverse to save it and everything he’s fought for.
An extremely hilarious film from director Shawn Levy that showcases the chemistry between Ryan and Hugh while also bringing back cameos from other Fox-related Marvel franchises, Deadpool & Wolverine was a hit among fans. But while some saw the extreme humor as engaging, a lot found it tiring after such a prolonged period, and the extended cameos do become a bit unbearable, making the movie lose a lot of its steam. Still, Deadpool & Wolverine offers a fascinating finale and hopefully promises more Ryan Reynolds Deadpool in the future.
Arguably, no movie had it tougher than Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Not only is Black Panther one of the highest-rated films in the MCU, but after the unfortunate passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020 broke the hearts of many across the globe, this film had a lot to say and a lot to prove. Directed and written by Ryan Coogler with assistance from Joe Robert Cole, the film centers on Letitia Wright’s Shuri and the entire nation of Wakanda as they mourn the passing of T’Challa amid rising tensions between the surface world and the underwater kingdom of Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta.
This film does an excellent job of honoring Chadwick while highlighting the power of family and connection in Shuri and her mother, and making Namor a visible, easy-to-understand threat as he lays waste to all around him. Even as the tension reaches the upper stages of drama, it doesn’t lose its focus as a film centered on loss and grief, making Shuri a powerful main character.
Thunderbolts*, directed by Jake Schreier and written by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, features an ensemble cast of the MCU’s more troubled antiheroes, including Yelena, U.S Agent, Red Guardian, Ghost, and Taskmaster. The team of mercenaries and assassins faces off against the mysterious Sentry and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine while they deal with their own loneliness.
The film was a great hit among fans, especially with the marketing reveal that this was actually a “New Avengers” film. Fans really enjoyed the ensemble cast, their interactions, and the film’s theme as it approached mental illness in an empathetic way. By the end of the film, this team became the Avengers the world had to get used to, and while their powerset is lacking, they’ve got the emotions and hearts to win over the audience. It’ll be interesting to see how they deal with threats in Avengers: Doomsday.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps was released in 2025 and was the Fantastic Four’s revival after a disappointing 2015 reboot attempt. Starring Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing, and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, the film established the Fantastic Four as their own independent team in a separate 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic universe with their own villains to face, including the antagonists of the film, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) and Galactus (Ralph Ineson).
The film was a breath of fresh air alongside DC’s Superman (2025). Full of vibrant colors, comic-accurate suits and appearances, and great familial moments that one would expect in the Fantastic Four comics. The film did Marvel’s first family justice, but it remains to be seen how the MCU handles the Fantastic Four in the future, especially after Avengers: Doomsday.
Serving as the final film in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and possibly the last Guardians of the Galaxy film in the MCU. Starring all of the expected Guardians of the Galaxy, the Guardians confront Rocket’s past to save his life while still reeling from the loss of Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War. By the end of the film, most of the Guardians retire from the active life of being superheroes, with Peter Quill even returning to Earth to meet with his father once again, after they all defeat the High Evolutionary.
The Guardians of the Galaxy films have always been the highlight of the MCU, so a finale to the trilogy was guaranteed to be rated high. But where this one truly succeeds is in its emotional drama: the farewell scenes between Peter and Gamora are intense, and Rocket’s backstory is given the screen time it needs to tug at the heartstrings. If the Guardians return in future Avengers films, they won’t be the same, and that is a good thing. It’s time to put some of these characters to rest.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton, and Andrew Lanham, introduced Shang-Chi, Marvel’s strongest fighter, played by Simu Liu. The story focused on Shang-Chi confronting the past he ran away from, including his criminal father and estranged younger sister, all while dealing with the Ten Rings organization.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a fantastic film and really showed how powerful the martial-arts side of the Marvel world can be as a storytelling setting. Simu Liu plays Shang-Chi in such an earnest way that he became immediately appealing to fans. The action is still among the best presented in the MCU, thanks to Cretton’s work and the work of stunt coordinator Brad Allan and key fight coordinator Andy Cheng, both prominent members of Jackie Chan’s stunt team. This was a movie that Marvel had to capitalize on and generate a sequel for ASAP; unfortunately, that sequel doesn’t look to be coming until after Avengers: Doomsday.
Already reaching insane box-office numbers and earning critical acclaim, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the follow-up to Spider-Man: No Way Home and the final film before Avengers: Doomsday. Bringing back Tom Holland as Peter Parker along with his supporting cast, the film follows Peter after the spell that made everyone forget who he was and how the years of isolation and superheroing have affected his life. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, and Justin Kuritzkes the film was an emotional, necessary drama for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker as he deals with a new mind-controlling antagonist.
It’s an entertaining and emotional film, with fans and critics enjoying Holland’s performance and the action. The film does almost everything right, even handling the consequences of Peter’s spell from No Way Home. Some of the only downsides are its runtime and some opinions on the antagonist, but with a profound theme and a great ending, the film is a contender for the best Spider-Man film of all time, even though it faces stiff competition.
When it comes to MCU hype, no film compares to Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: No Way Home in the MCU. The third film in the Home trilogy handles the problem Mysterio left Peter Parker after exposing his identity to the world. When Peter goes to Doctor Strange to get it reversed, the two accidentally drag in villains from other universes into the world to fight Peter.
This film really addresses all the concerns fans had about Holland’s Peter Parker by maturing him immensely and showing his heroism as he tries to save the villains from their fates and suffers for it. And to make it even better, it returns Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men in a jaw-dropping final fight that had theaters roaring with applause. While on a non-theater rewatch, some dry moments don’t land; the film was legendary when it released, and that’s what makes it the best of the Multiverse Saga.
