The Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s best-rated motion pictures in a very long time could have come too late for Marvel Studios. With regards to the rating of MCU motion pictures, these in direction of the highest of the checklist have a tendency to return from the Infinity Saga. The installments from Captain America‘s MCU timeline, particular person Iron Man tales, or Avengers motion pictures typically discover themselves greater ranked.
Marvel’s 2026 motion pictures shall be trying to change this by bringing extra prevalent Multiverse Saga tales into the highlight as a number of the MCU’s finest. These initiatives embody Spider-Man: Model New Day and the story of Avengers: Doomsday, with the MCU making an attempt to recapture the magic of the franchise’s previous.
Though a number of initiatives from Phases 4 and 5 of the MCU failed at this, the franchise’s fortunes have modified very lately. Sadly, although, the perfect MCU motion pictures in an extended whereas could show to have come too late for the franchise to repair the problems it has suffered since 2019.
Thunderbolts* & The Incredible 4: First Steps Have been Returns To Kind For The MCU
In 2025, Marvel Studios launched each Thunderbolts* and The Incredible 4: First Steps. After a number of years of inconsistency concerning vital success within the MCU, these two motion pictures proved to be a return to kind. Thunderbolts* presently has an 88% vital approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Incredible 4: First Steps sitting at an 86% score.
As confirmed by each motion pictures’ viewers approval rankings, it’s not solely critics who loved Thunderbolts* and The Incredible 4: First Steps. The previous has a 93% score from followers, with the latter holding a 91% score. This proves that, by way of sheer high quality, the MCU is again in kind for the primary time in an extended whereas.
Thunderbolts* and The Incredible 4: First Steps mark the primary time two MCU motion pictures in a row have acquired Rotten Tomatoes scores greater than 85% since 2019. Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Dwelling have been the final two to realize this feat, with the flicks since then fluctuating. With these two 2025 motion pictures, although, the MCU appears again heading in the right direction.
Each MCU Motion pictures Underperformed At The Field Workplace
Nevertheless, regardless of each motion pictures receiving sturdy reactions from critics and followers alike, each Thunderbolts* and The Incredible 4: First Steps have been underwhelming from a industrial perspective. The MCU has been identified to battle on the field workplace lately, which was a actuality not thought doable between 2012 and 2019.
Nevertheless, of the final seven motion pictures launched by Marvel Studios, solely two have turned a major revenue. These motion pictures are Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine. Thunderbolts* and The Incredible 4: First Steps didn’t do a lot to turn out to be worthwhile for Marvel Studios, because of the previous’s $180 million funds and the latter’s value of $200 million.
Thunderbolts* ended its theatrical run with a worldwide field workplace whole of $382 million, simply above the movie’s estimated break-even level of $360 million. Though The Incredible 4: First Steps continues to be in theaters, it has solely earned $378 million after struggling a large 66% drop in viewership between its opening and second weekend.
Marvel’s Robust Motion pictures Got here Too Late After Part 5’s Blended Bag
With these information and figures in thoughts, it may be argued that Marvel’s finest motion pictures in years got here too late for the MCU, particularly after Part 5. Part 5 was a combined bag in each vital and industrial phrases. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was not loved by followers or critics and flopped on the field workplace, incomes $470 million worldwide however with a large $388 million funds.
The subsequent film after this was Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, a vital and industrial success. The pattern took a downward spiral as soon as extra, although, with The Marvels. The Marvels was preferred by some and is now classed as considerably underrated, however it’s Marvel’s lowest-grossing film of all time, with solely a $200 million worldwide gross.
After this was the $1.3 billion hit, Deadpool & Wolverine, earlier than Captain America: Courageous New World disenchanted as soon as extra with lackluster opinions and an underwhelming $415 million gross. This brings us to Thunderbolts* and The Incredible 4: First Steps. Not like the likes of Ant-Man 3, The Marvels, and Captain America 4, these two motion pictures have been beloved by critics and followers.
Regardless of this love, nonetheless, each nonetheless underperformed commercially. This might show that the return to high quality merely got here too late. Wider audiences may have felt burned by Part 5, wherein they gave an opportunity to too many underwhelming MCU motion pictures. Now, regardless of the opinions, audiences could also be extra prepared to attend for Disney+ releases.
The MCU’s Focus On Lesser-Recognized Characters Hindered Its Greatest Motion pictures In Years
Past the potential concern that Marvel waited too lengthy to focus extra on high quality over amount as soon as once more, Thunderbolts* and The Incredible 4: First Steps have been hindered by their lesser-known characters. The Incredible 4 are a family Marvel title amongst comedian followers, but it surely stays the fact that no main film primarily based on these characters has grossed over $400 million worldwide.
Whereas Thunderbolts* did have large characters like Bucky and Yelena, the remainder of the crew have been featured in both lesser-seen MCU motion pictures like Black Widow or Ant-Man and the Wasp, or have been launched in TV reveals like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Not like Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine, the final two well-reviewed MCU motion pictures, neither Thunderbolts* nor The Incredible 4: First Steps have been primarily based round enormous, well-known heroes. That is one more reason why the MCU‘s finest motion pictures in years have did not impress on the field workplace, past the straightforward risk that Marvel left it too late to return to kind.