Here is our complete ranking of every Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 movie and TV show released. Spider-Man: Far From Home served as the epilogue to this story while also setting up a bit of what would come next. The deaths of Iron Man and Black Widow, as well as Captain America growing old, forced Marvel Studios to push its focus in new directions for Phase 4.
MCU Phase 4 has not been the smoothest for Marvel Studios. The expansion to Disney+ with original MCU shows significantly increased their output on a yearly basis and brought challenges as the movie studio learned what it took to make programming for the small screen. The Phase 4 movies have also been a bit more divisive than Marvel's track record in recent years, resulting in more conversations about superhero movie fatigue. Of course, the MCU was also challenged in various ways due to COVID-19, as the pandemic forced them to push back most of Phase 4 on several occasions and figure out how to make the next MCU movies and shows under various restrictions.
There are plenty of bright spots and exciting developments in the MCU Phase 4 movies and TV shows, though. New characters like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) are just a few of the fan-favorite additions. Meanwhile, established heroes like Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) received more prominent roles. With Marvel Studios confirming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ends Phase 4 in 2022, the beginning of the Multiverse Saga will include 15 projects - seven movies and eight shows - in total. Here is every MCU Phase 4 movie and TV show ranked worst to best.
13. Marvel's What If...? Season 1
Marvel Studios ventured into the world of animation for the first time in Phase 4 with Infinity Stones-powered Ultron. Despite featuring some fun scenarios and playing a role in setting up some big multiverse concepts, What If...? season 1 was quite a mixed bag overall. Some of the issues include less-than-convincing voice-over performances and underwhelming stories. The show was still a success, as evidenced by seasons 2 and 3 already being announced, but What If's inconsistency makes it an afterthought among other MCU Phase 4 movies and shows.
12. Thor: Love and Thunder
The success of Chris Hemsworth's return as Thor Odinson was enjoyable for stretches, as the MCU veteran is still a great god of thunder, and Waititi nails the action. Thor: Love and Thunder does feature the welcomed return of Jane Foster and her transformation into Mighty Thor, but the movie does not give her enough screentime to fully flesh out her story. Similarly, Gorr the God Butcher has a surprisingly small role for being the main villain. Christian Bale's performance is quite fun, which makes it all the more disappointing that he is not featured more and gets little opportunity for any actual god butchering.
11. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Six years after Benedict Cumberbatch's first solo film, setup for Avengers: Secret Wars.
10. Eternals
Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), and Druig (Barry Keoghan) are among the stand-out characters introduced. Eternals is far from perfect, but it knows what it is, which is something other Phase 4 movies struggled with.
9. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
The end of Avengers: Endgame told audiences that Sam Wilson would be the MCU's next Captain America, and Isaiah Bradley's story and explores the treatment of Black men in America. The show might have stumbled a bit with its attempted U.S. Agent redemption, and the Power Broker twist for Sharon Carter dragged out far too long. But, the show also gave audiences the unforgettable moment of Baron Zemo dancing and Sam Wilson wearing the Captain America suit. Mix in some solid action and seeing Sam and Bucky's everyday lives, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is better than it often is regarded - even if the Flag Smashers villain plot underwhelmed.
8. Hawkeye
Next up for the MCU Phase 4 movie and TV show rankings is Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin return. Hawkeye is certainly low-stakes in the grand scheme of Phase 4, but that is part of what makes it shine so bright. Yelena Belova's return was a blast and provided some closure for Black Widow's death too.
7. Black Widow
Speaking of Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson's long-awaited solo movie comes next in the MCU Phase 4 ranking. Due to her death in Avengers: Endgame, Yelena Belova and Red Guardian immediately made Florence Pugh and David Harbour's characters fan-favorites, as both brought a fun energy to Black Widow. The movie certainly has some faults, namely its use of Taskmaster and not fully exploring the Red Room. Its larger connections to the shared universe - like revealing what happened in Budapest - allowed the movie to fill in some gaps too.
6. Ms. Marvel
One of the most delightful entries of any MCU Phase 4 movie or show, Marvel's first Muslim hero to life in live-action. Ms. Marvel never shied away from incorporating Pakistani culture, Muslim traditions, and historical events like the Partition. The show was better for it, as Kamala Khan was fully realized as a character from the first time audiences saw her. Her journey of mastering her powers and believing that a brown girl from Jersey City can be a hero is touching and relatable to all. Ms. Marvel's villain story with the Clandestines and Damage Control dragged down the show at points, but that still could not stop Kamala Khan from becoming one of MCU Phase 4's best new characters.
5. WandaVision
As the first MCU Phase 4 project and witch Agatha Harkness, while there was an even greater appreciation for Monica Rambeau, Darcy Lewis, and Jimmy Woo after the show too. Sure, SWORD's villainous role was not the most developed, and some loose ends were left, but WandaVision showed the promise of Marvel's TV shows and elevated Scarlet Witch to be one of the MCU's best characters. It cracks the top 5 of this ranking as a result.
4. Loki
The first multiverse project of MCU Phase 4, Loki is bisexual. Loki also succeeds in large part thanks to the friendship that is formed between the trickster and Owen Wilson's Mobius. Viewers might be split on whether the Sylvie romance worked, but their dynamic on screen is excellent regardless. Throw in the appearances of other Lokis from the multiverse and He Who Remains, Loki's multiverse mystery narrative is quite gripping. It is no wonder Marvel Studios moved fast to announce a second season to one of the best MCU Phase 4 projects.
3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
MCU Phase 4 cameos, making it a project that even brand new Marvel viewers could enjoy.
2. Moon Knight
The highest ranking Disney+ show among MCU Phase 4 projects is easily Moon Knight's Easter eggs are not distracting, and there are no Marvel cameos to speak of. It only features a few main cast too, allowing its characters to be fully fleshed out - including Ethan Hawke's terrifying Arthur Harrow. There may be too much going on by the end, but Moon Knight is entirely different from the rest of Phase 4 in its structure and tone, making it more than deserving of the second placement.
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home
To conclude the MCU Phase 4 movie and show ranking, Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man returns. Thankfully, the film managed to meet and even exceed those expectations. It is easy to be cynical about the epic multiverse story in Spider-Man: No Way Home as a cash grab from Marvel and Sony. While the movie set box office records, there is also no doubt that the movie justified this narrative swing. Peter Parker's quest to help cure past Spider-Man villains encapsulated his good nature, even when his life was still in shambles due to Mysterio revealing his secret identity. Even the returns of Maguire and Garfield came to benefit Peter's story and overcoming the grief after Aunt May's death. It helped the MCU soft-reboot Spider-Man, where he is stripped of his Iron Man connections and becomes a broke kid trying to get into college with a low-tech Spider-Man suit.
Of course, there is an incredible amount of fun to be had with Spider-Man: No Way Home thanks to the multiverse. Seeing multiple iterations of Spider-Man, who are each important to different generations together on screen, was a special experience. It proved once and for all that Andrew Garfield is a great Spider-Man, even if his solo movies were not the best, while Tobey Maguire reminded everyone why his Peter Parker is iconic. The interactions between them are perfect and memorable. Meanwhile, Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin return further solidified his status as an iconic Marvel movie villain, with his unmasked face and excellent fight scenes making him more threatening. With Peter and MJ's relationship also playing a pivotal role, there is not much that Spider-Man: No Way Home gets wrong - making it an easy call for it to lead the MCU Phase 4 movies and shows ranking.
