Summary

• The original Avengers' solo projects contributed significantly to the success of the MCU.
• Iron Man 2 was a big disappointment with a weak villain, too many characters, and a lack of excitement.
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the MCU's best grounded film, with Marvel attempting to recreate its success multiple times.

The 2012's The Avengers, Marvel's original six main heroes — Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye — would go on to have their MCU journeys intimately connected.

That became evident in the MCU's Avengers movies, but it also extended beyond them. Multiple Avengers played roles in one or more solo projects of the team's other . Each original MCU Avenger contributed to the shared universe by establishing a solid corner of it and introducing new heroes and villains in their solo projects, though some of them were better than others.

13 Iron Man 2

Released In 2010

Iron Man 2 is one of the MCU's biggest disappointments. The movie followed the excellent Iron Man in Robert Downey Jr.'s solo franchise as Tony Stark. However, instead of improving on the great foundation established by its predecessor, Iron Man 2 was a dull entry in the MCU that had very little going for it.

Mickey Rourke's Whiplash is easily one of the MCU's worst villains, with his entire story and role being boring. There were also too many storylines and characters in the film, with it feeling like Marvel's setup for the MCU's future. Still, RDJ was as likable as always as Iron Man, and Scarlett Johansson had a great debut as Black Widow.

12 Thor: The Dark World

Released In 2013

Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 2 are more or less interchangeable at the bottom of the list. Chris Hemsworth's second solo movie as Thor is definitely his worst. The movie tried to go for a darker tone, only to come out uninspired and bland. There was almost no fun or excitement to be had.

Thor: The Dark World has a couple of redeeming qualities that rank it higher than Iron Man 2. Tom Hiddleston's Loki and his interactions with Hemsworth's Thor are captivating and deepen in the movie when compared to 2011's Thor. The sequel's handling of Frigga's death and its impact on the characters is also a high point.

11 The Incredible Hulk

Released In 2008

The MCU has only had one Hulk movie due to the character's complicated rights issues. As it stands, Mark Ruffalo, who has played the hero since 2012's The Avengers, willl seemingly never get a solo film. That makes The Incredible Hulk, with Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, a relic of the MCU's past.

The movie is mostly forgettable, with a few good fights between the Hulk and Abomination, as well as sporadic character moments. More could have been done with Banner's trauma and the duality of the character, with The Incredible Hulk's decision to cut Banner's suicide attempt being one of the things that hurt the film. In the end, it felt very formulaic.

10 Thor

Released In 2011

Hemsworth's first solo outing as Thor is a unique entry in the MCU. The movie is the only one directed by Kenneth Branagh in the franchise, who made Asgard feel very alive and look as grandiose as it should be. There is a classic hero's journey to follow in this one.

Arrogant and selfish, Thor is sent to Earth by Odin, only to return when he is worthy. The film does a great job of showing just how different Thor is from humans like Natalie Portman's Jane Foster. It is interesting to see that romance bloom and Thor start to change his ways the more time he spends on Mdigard. 2011's Thor sets up the hero's future appearances nicely.

9 Thor: Love and Thunder

Released In 2022

Thor: Love and Thunder is one of the most controversial entries among the original Avengers' solo projects. The movie could have been so much more, as it came from director Taika Waititi, who had successfully turned the franchise around with Thor: Ragnarok. Sadly, a mismatch of tones and lack of screen time for Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher led to disappointment.

Still, there is a lot of fun to be had in Thor: Love and Thunder. Most of the movie's comedic elements work when they are applied at the right time. Hemsworth and Portman continue to have great chemistry, and the actress' MCU return as the Mighty Thor was worth the long wait. The movie is viewed in a bad light due to how much better it could have been.

8 Black Widow

Released In 2021

Despite being one of the first of the Avengers to be introduced in the MCU, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow would be one of the last to get a solo project. The Black Widow movie took so long to get made that Natasha Romanoff was dead by the time it came around. As such, the film follows a story set in the heroine's past.

2021's Black Widow is a fun MCU entry. It introduced two fan-favorite characters in the form of Thunderbolts*'s Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova and David Harbour as Red Guardian. Natasha's past with the Red Room and her family were both finally explored in detail, clearing up many of the mysteries surrounding the character. Sadly, the movie came in too late, preventing the Black Widow franchise from being built.

7 Iron Man 3

Released In 2013

Iron Man 3 is one of the MCU's most underrated movies. It does not reach the heights of the original Iron Man or some of the MCU's best films, but there is still an emotional story at the movie's core. The bond that forms between Tony Stark and the young Harley Keener is quite sweet.

The final Iron Man movie in the MCU also does a great job of focusing on how The Avengers impacted Tony Stark. The character has panic attacks due to his near-death experience in the crossover film, with Tony even deciding to abandon his life as Iron Man. However, the short-lived nature of that decision hurts Iron Man 3 in hindsight.

6 Hawkeye

Released In 2021

Marvel Studios' Disney+ series have been a bit of a mixed bag. However, Hawkeye is one of the most enjoyable shows to come out of the streamer. That is in great part due to Hailee Steinfeld's MCU debut as Kate Bishop, with the actress's bubbly young hero playing off Jeremy Renner's grumpy veteran Clint Barton perfectly, with Renner finally getting a solo project in the MCU.

Hawkeye is a fast-paced series that has a lot of fun with the dynamic between its lead characters and their power sets, with plenty of trick arrows. The show was also responsible for the return of Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin. While different from his time in Netflix's Daredevil, Wilson Fisk's Hawkeye finale appearance upped the show's stakes considerably.

5 Captain America: The First Avenger

Released In 2011

The Avengers helped Chris Evans' Captain America explode in popularity, with the hero firmly becoming one of the moving forces of the MCU. However, before that, the character debuted in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. The movie did a fantastic job of telling Steve Rogers' origin story, with the war setting making it a unique entry in the franchise.

Evans showed off his insane charisma in the role right from the start. The eventual leader of the Avengers is a solid pillar of the MCU, with Evans' Captain America movies being among the franchise's best. His MCU debut set up many of the relationships and storylines he would continue to explore in the future.

4 Iron Man

Released In 2008

The MCU started with a bang. Robert Downey Jr.'s first time playing Tony Stark, 2008's Iron Man, is the best first solo project from any of the MCU's original Avengers. RDJ just exhaled the same energy Tony Stark is known for in the comics, delivering a charismatic performance that served as the basis for the entire franchise.

While many Multiverse Saga projects have been criticized due to bad VFX, Iron Man's still hold to this day.

Iron Man had a great story, compelling characters, engaging action, and a decent villain. One of the movie's strongest aspects is it's CGI. While many Multiverse Saga projects have been criticized due to bad VFX, Iron Man's still hold to this day, with some even thinking Tony Stark's suits of armor look the best they have ever looked in that first film.