MovieChat Forums > Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) Discussion > Best MCU Franchise?

Best MCU Franchise?

posted 2 years ago by FilmBuff (7360)
18 replies | jump to latest

I think the 3 MCU Spider-Man films are the overall best series in the MCU so far, but Guardians of the Galaxy has a chance to stake a solid claim for 2nd place if this film is on par with the first two.

I did a little bit of math to see how I rank the franchises, and came up with this list.

Spider-Man 1, 2, 3
Guardians of the Galaxy 1, 2
The Avengers 1, 2, 3, 4
Captain America 1, 2, 3
Thor 1, 2, 3, 4
Doctor Strange 1, 2
Ant-Man 1, 2, 3
Iron Man 1, 2, 3

Iron Man and Thor suffered primarily because Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 are my two least favorite MCU films. Captain America also dropped due to one film, as The Winter Soldier is my favorite of all MCU films, and Civil War is top 10, but the first film was bad enough to drag the entire franchise down with it.

I haven't seen Black Panther 2 yet, so I didn't rank that franchise.

[–] Magicdave (921) 2 years ago

You are of course, entitled to your opinion, but for me, the best trilogy was the Captain America trio, because, without the first film laying solid groundwork, there would not have been the Avengers.

[–] FilmBuff (7360) 2 years ago

I agree that the first Captain America film laid some of the groundwork for the Avengers film, though the same can be said about Thor, The Incredible Hulk, and the first two Iron Man films. Together they set the stage for what was to come, and while the first Captain America film did its part to advance the narrative, the film itself was somewhat weak, in my opinion. The climax is especially bad, but the whole film is uneven, and it feels like so much more could have been done with the material.

[–] Magicdave (921) 2 years ago

To me, Cap was the most HUMAN of the Avengers and therefore the most relatable.
As much as I enjoyed the Spider-Man films, I could never really relate to him like I can to Steve Rogers.

[–] FilmBuff (7360) 2 years ago

Very interesting. I've always felt Spider-Man was the most relatable of all superheroes. He isn't a super soldier, billionaire, tech genius, Norse God, or cosmic entity. He's an average-looking, short, broke kid that nearly anyone can relate to.

[–] Kowalski (77075) 2 years ago

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY IS EASILY MY FAVORITE FRANCHISE FROM WITHIN THE MCU...

THAT SAID...OUR OPINIONS DIFFER QUITE A BIT AFTER GUARDIANS...I LOVE THE ANT-MAN FILMS...PROBABLY MY SECOND FAVORITE FRANCHISE...THEN THE AVENGERS FILMS...THEN IRON-MAN...I LIKE THE THIRD INSTALLMENT...NEXT IS CAPTAIN AMERICA...I FIND THE FIRST FILM TO BE THE BEST HERE.

[–] NorrinRad (5470) 2 years ago

Captain America for me is Hands Down the best trilogy of the MCU:

Captain America 1, 2, 3
The Avengers 1, 2, 3, 4
Spider-Man 1, 2, 3
Guardians of the Galaxy 1, 2
Iron Man 1, 2, 3
Thor 1, 2, 3, 4
Doctor Strange 1, 2
Ant-Man 1, 2, 3

[–] FilmBuff (7360) 2 years ago

I guess it comes down to how you rank the individual installments. For me, the first Captain America film drags the other two down, while all three Spider-Man films have been top-notch. The Avengers have the same problem, with the 2nd and 4th films taking away the luster of the 1st and 3rd.

[–] NorrinRad (5470) 2 years ago

Just on the impact that the characters have had on the MCU, "The Whole Series is greater than the Sum of the films." and it was intentional by Marvel. Now indeed that spill-over of the Character's impact flowed over into other films with the Avengers series being the beneficiary. The MCU is a really calculated foray into Long-Form Story-Telling and the Spider-Man series was left as a Johnny-Come lately and was meant as a possible jumping off point for the MCU. That would have been The Black Panther but Boseman passed before his two films could be filmed.

CA 1, CA 2, and CA 3 just built to a very satisfying crescendo with MCU world building and world shattering impact.

Just my own biases.

[–] Crocodile (3148) 2 years ago

[deleted]

[–] WhereIsRent (1089) 2 years ago

Agreed, Spider-Man has the most consistent three films and the most rewatchable MCU films for me.

Guardians of the Galaxy is a close second though but it is slightly let down as the second film is the weakest of the trilogy but still pretty good.

Having watched the third Guardians film last night my initial thoughts are the opposite of many critics in that I think it’s the best of the trilogy and one of the best MCU films along with Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

[–] FilmBuff (7360) 2 years ago

I still like the first Guardians film best, but realize it's hard to make part 3 the best of a series. I like the new Guardians film better than the 2nd, and think the entire franchise has been consistent. It's still not up to the level of the Spider-Man trilogy, but firmly in second place for me.

[–] olioz (3780) a year ago

Gotg is easily the best.

[–] FilmBuff (7360) a year ago

Guardians 2 brings it down. All 3 MCU Spider-Man films are excellent.

[–] olioz (3780) a year ago

I find them equally good. I can't get into the spiderman movies.

[–] Satan2016 (25890) a year ago

Still have no idea WTF those numbers mean!

[–] FilmBuff (7360) a year ago

Really?

Spider-Man 1 is the first Spider-Man film. Spider-Man 2 is the second one... easier than typing Homecoming, Far From Home, etc.

[–] Magicdave (921) a year ago

That could also be confused with original three films in the Sony trilogy

[–] FilmBuff (7360) a year ago

I reckon so, though the thread is pretty clear we're discussing the best MCU franchises.