Here we go folks, moving right into Phase 2 of the MCU! I have to be honest folks, it’s a good thing I established the ‘short paragraph and bullet points’ format in my first post, ‘cause there are a few movies on this list that I could have gone on and on about. Thanks, past Andrea!

Iron Man 3 - 2013, directed by Shane Black

I came into this with weirdly high expectations after enjoying Iron Man 2 so much than I expected to and was kind of let down. I think it has one too many storylines. And yes, I’m saying this knowing that Infinity War and Endgame are on the horizon. I don’t know if it’s Extremis, ‘cause that’s a cool story from the comics, and Guy Pearce makes a great baddie. I still don’t love the twist with The Mandarin, although I do love Ben Kingsley. Weirdly, for me, I think it’s this ‘it’s Christmas’ is the thing that throws me the most in this flick. I had to double-check its release date (May 3, 2013) to see if it came out at Christmas to warrant this strange plot point. However, there are plenty of things I do like about it. I think Robert Downey Jr. does an amazing job portraying Tony’s PTSD, panic attacks, state of mind, etc, after the Battle of New York. Great action sequences and Tony with Harley Keener is really fun. However, I don’t particularly care for this movie’s treatment of the ladies. Yes, Pepper gets her Rescue origin here, but Rebecca Hall comes in as Dr. Hansen, and while a genius she kind of gets reduced to ‘woman that Tony slept with once who then gets killed by the bad guy’. Not a strong look Marvel.

• The saddest is when the robots ‘die’ in the attack on Tony’s house 

• No mid-credits scene 

Thor: The Dark World - 2013, directed by Alan Taylor

The complete opposite to the previous film, I came into this movie with very low expectations, ‘cause apparently, the one thing everyone knows about Thor 2 is that it’s bad. You guys! It’s not that bad! I think that’s the thing with the ‘bad’ Marvel movies is that there’s still a lot of stuff to like in them, Jane’s date with Chris O’Dowd, (and Chris O’Dowd in general) adorable. Kat Dennings, still fantastic. Stellar Skateboard running around Stonehenge naked, genuinely funny. The whole aether thing is very confusing, and the Dark Elves feel a bit out of place in the MCU. Like, truly, they feel like they should be in J.J. Abrams Star Trek franchise, not a Marvel movie.

• Darcy: “It’s okay we’re Americans” Jane: “Is that supposed to make them like us?”

• That Chris Evans cameo though? Pure GOLD

• Renee Russo’s Frigga = underrated

• Also, add another notch for the Whoniverse! We’ve got a companion and a Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) now!

Captain American: The Winter Soldier - 2014, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

I mean, considering my pretty mediocre feelings about the previous two movies, I was SO excited to finally get to this one. Anthony and Joe Russo have been a gift to the MCU. I love a good spy thriller, and to get one of those with Cap, Tasha, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Sam Wilson thrown in…I mean, this is a perfect Andrea movie. Getting to see Steve re-integrating into society as best he can, while Tasha gives him a hard time about it is gold. All of the Hydra stuff, the Winter Soldier’s intro attacking Fury, THAT ELEVATOR FIGHT, you guys, it’s just great! On top of that, you get that reminder of how Steve and Sam first bonded, as soldiers, who survived when their brothers in arms didn’t. I’m sad that it’s been so long since I watched this one, ‘cause I really love it. Additional thoughts:

• “On your left” pure gold

• This is Natasha at her spy-iest, and I LOVE IT

• Steve visiting the Smithsonian and old Peggy

• FWWGA addition: Robert Redford

• “Air conditioning is fully operational” This line when Fury’s vehicle’s being attacked is just amazing

• Agent 13 is so under used, I wish we got a lot more Sharon Carter

• WE HAVE AN Abed cameo! Just a reminder that Community is also top-notch entertainment (at least for a few seasons)

Guardians of the Galaxy - 2014, directed by James Gunn

I have ridiculously fond memories of seeing this movie in theatres. Packed house on opening weekend with a massive group of friends and strangers. And then that opening, Star-Lord dancing and singing his way through those ruins, you just knew you were in for something completely different than anything we’d seen in the MCU before. Kevin Feige knocked it out of the park yet again, by taking a Marvel property that not a lot of people were familiar with, giving it to a talented director (James Gunn) and letting him do a fun heist movie in space! (And boy do I love a good heist movie!) The casting is great, the story is fun and fast-paced, and we finally get to meet Thanos after him lurking around the shadows and post-credits scenes for a while. Plus, that soundtrack is absolute perfection, I still listen to it often. (and sing along very loudly to every song)

• Do you love early-2000s CW classic Roswell as much as I do? Then you probably also clocked the Brendon Fehr cameo on Xandar

• For a change we a ‘famous award-winning white WOMAN’ addition to the MCU in Glenn Close, well in addition to, ‘cause John C. Reilly.

• Doctor Who addition to the MCU arrives in Karen Gillan’s Nebula

• I actually recently watched this really interesting video that explains why Guardians worked so well in comparison to Suicide Squad when they have essentially the same characters and plot. Enjoy.

Avengers: Age of Ultron - 2015, directed by Joss Whedon

I had a lot of trepidation going into this one, ‘cause I remembered not being particularly fond of it. However, I was pleasantly surprised, and have determined that this is a movie that has benefitted a lot from what comes after it: Civil War, Infinity War, Endgame, WandaVision. Something I noticed (but clearly missed when I originally watched it) was all the talk of ‘monsters’ in this film. Natasha, Bruce, Tony, the Maximoff twins and Ultron all refer to themselves as monsters at one point (or more) in the movie, but since I’m not doing in-depth analysis here, I’ll refrain from doing a deep dive into what that means. (I told you there were a few I could go on about😉) However, the big thing that I took away from this movie (and especially as we’re heading towards Civil War) is the difference between Steve and Tony, just on a base level of dealing with the world. Steve was and is a soldier, he was on his own by 18 and has learned to trust his gut and intuition when it comes to people (he shows this on Sokovia when he doesn’t question letting the twins join in the fight against Ultron) and prefers to talk things through. Whereas Tony trusts himself, and he’d much rather ask for forgiveness than permission. However, he’s been doing things based on his guilt and fear and then has to deal with the world-altering repercussions of those decisions (more on this when I talk about Civil War) I’ll stop myself there, ‘cause I also have to mention that I FORGOT THAT ULTRON CREATED VISION?!?! WOW. Bad brain.

• The “Language” running joke through this movie is fantastic. I love being reminded that Steve’s a literal old man.

• “Please be a secret door, please be a secret door, please be a secret door, yay” RDJ gold.

• The whole ‘who’s worthy?’ of Thor’s hammer, and how it comes back around in Endgame

• Welcome to Wakanda and Hello! Andy Serkis.

• OH YEAH, Hawkeye’s family’s in this one 

• “I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science created was me” - Cap

• I love that Vision gives himself a cape because of Thor

• “The city is flying, we’re fighting robots, I have a bow and arrow, none of this makes sense” Hawkeye’s self-awareness in this pep talk is top-notch

• OH! This is when Hulk goes to Sakar!? 

• No post-credits scene 

Ant-Man - 2015, directed by Peyton Reed

It’s kind of odd that Phase 2 finishes with Ant-Man, but it’s hard to be upset about it, ‘cause this movie is so dang fun! Did you know that I love a heist movie? Have I mentioned that already in this post….? Ageless vampire Paul Rudd joins the MCU as Scott Lang, and it makes me so happy, ‘cause I just love him. However, it must be stated that the true stand-out of the Ant-Man movies is Michael Peña’s Luis. Sure the plot of the movie with the power-crazed Darren Cross is a bit bland, but I’ll take it ‘cause it means that I get silly fights with train sets and other toys. The visuals in this movie are fun and well-done, the big to small to big again is probably really hard to do, but it looks great here.

• Oh yeah, Peg’s in this! Hi Hayley Atwell, I love you!

• Definitely forgot that Scott has a degree in electrical engineering 

• Bo from Superstore has a cameo and all I can hear when I see him is ‘bo bo booooow’

• It should be noted that Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale and Evangeline Lilly all join the MCU in this movie ON TOP of everyone else. It’s like Marvel calls and actors are like, “Yes.” no questions asked.

• Cassie’s devotion to her dad is maybe one of my favourite things ever. (it also makes me want a Young Avengers something in the future)

• Welcome to the FAWWG club Michael Douglas 

• “I think our first move should be to call the Avengers” You’re not wrong Scott.

• When Antony dies, truly devastating 

So, here’s my updated personal ranking as of the end of Phase 2. What does your Phase 1, Phase 2 MCU ranking look like? Comment and let me know! See you after Phase 3! Civil War here I coooooome!

Like a lot of people during the ol’ Covid, I’ve had a lot of extra time on my hands. Over the years I’ve made all these lists of movies and shows I’d like to watch, and then suddenly I had all this time to actually watch them. The ‘no re-watches’ rule I’d implemented for myself a few years ago, the one I did to try and force myself to make time for new things, sort of became moot. I had the time. I watched the things. Oh, I watched them. As a human who lives alone, and suddenly had her very full calendar reduced to work and not work, streaming services and I have had an EXCELLENT relationship throughout these past 13 months.

Amongst those things that I’ve watched have been Marvel’s newest TV forays, WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. And I have to say, they’ve been making me miss the ol’ MCU. A LOT. So, with Oscar-movie watching almost finished and new restrictions in BC, I’m launching on my first full rewatch of the MCU since I don’t know when. I’m going with chronological release order, and since I’m me and I can’t help myself, I’m going to be doing a personal ‘definitive ranking’ as I go. And since I’m a sucker for a blog project (that we’ll be lucky if I complete, coughGoTrewatchcough) I figured I’d hop on over here and share some thoughts along with my ranking so far.

Iron Man - 2008, directed by Jon Favreau

The movie that launched an empire. I have very fond memories of watching Iron Man in theatres. It felt so new, so different, at the time. Sure there had been superhero movies before, but none felt quite like this, and I think casting had a big part to do with it. Robert Downey Jr. embodies Tony Stark in a way that makes the two of them (for better or worse) feel almost indistinguishable. I also can’t believe how YOUNG he looks! I know this came out in 2008, but DANG. Baby Tony here. Other thoughts:

• I can’t believe I forgot that Jeff Bridges was in Iron Man. Launching the ‘famous, award-winning white guys as villains’ in the Marvel universe

• Remember when Terence Howard was Rhodey?!

• Oh hi Paul Bettany - right now you get to just record, but soon you’ll have almost the most makeup of them all! Muwahahahaha

• I miss incredibly dry Coulson from Phase One. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED Clark Gregg in AoS, but seriously, he’s perfect here.

The Incredible Hulk - 2008, directed by Louis Letterrier

Poor Incredible Hulk. I can see how hard it tries, and honestly, I don’t think it’s as bad as everyone says it is. For me, it suffers a lot from ‘too much destruction’ syndrome. I get that they really want to emphasize the gamma monster of it all, but the Hulk and Abomination battles are just too long. Ed Norton isn’t a bad Banner, I like a lot of what he brings to the role. I also liked the humour here, and the nods to the comic and old TV show (Hi there Lou Ferrigno).

• In other ‘remember they’re a part of the MCU?’ news, Hi Liv Tyler, Tim Roth and Tim Blake Nelson

Iron Man 2 - 2010, directed by Jon Favreau (written by Justin Theroux)

As I was watching Iron Man 2 I was realizing how little of this movie I remember. Tony dealing with being poisoned by the thing that’s keeping him alive, the government trying to steal his suit, and Pepper being increasingly annoyed with him. Which, I get, I’d be annoyed too Pep - he’s a frustrating human being. However, I also liked this a lot more than I thought I would. I mean, Sam Rockwell does a lot for that, ‘cause he’s always a good time, especially here as Hammer trying (and failing) to out-Stark Tony. On top of that, we get the introduction of Scarlett Johanssen’s Natasha Romanov! Considering how much of a badass she gets to be here, particularly in the fight at the Hammer compound, it’s really baffling that it’s taken a full decade to get her solo movie.

• Elon Musk has a cameo in this

• Hi Don Cheadle!

• Add Rockwell and Mickey Rourke to the ‘famous award-winning white guys’ list!

Thor - 2011, directed by Kenneth Branagh

Here’s the thing with Thor, yes, it has its fair share of issues, Chris Hemsworth’s too-blond eyebrows being the tip of that iceberg, but it’s still our first venture into the ‘cosmic’ part of the MCU, and for that, I think we have to give it some credit. I think Branagh does a pretty good job introducing us to the ‘science magic’ of the MCU. Sure, I think he makes Asgard a bit too ‘Shakespeare’, but it sort of works. Hemsworth and Natalie Portman are sweet, but I don’t quite buy their love story. Although, I do love Jane Foster, and I’m happy she’s here (and coming back for Thor: Love & Thunder) Last, but not least, we get the introduction of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, which, wow, I bet they didn’t know how much he’d blow up after this.

• FAWWG addition: Anthony Hopkins

• All the dudes knowing that Sif is the best warrior of them all - again, why did we have to wait until 2019 to get the first female solo flick?

• Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgard are an absolute joy

• Oh hi there Hawkeye

• Hemsworth gives good torso folks. (For more excellent torso work, may I recommend The Legend of Tarzan starring another Skarsgard, Alexander)

Captain America: The First Avenger - 2011, directed by Joe Johnston

I have very fond memories of seeing this with Craig Kerbrat in San Diego one year when we didn’t have passes for that day at SDCC. A large selling point being that the movie theatre would be air-conditioned. We were Canadians in southern California in late July, there’s only so much heat we could handle at once. I have a huge soft spot in my heart for this flick. Watching The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Erksine’s (one of several FAWWG additions here, Stanley Tucci) insistence on finding the right person for the super soldier program makes SO much more sense. Steve' Rogers is just a good guy, he wants to join the army, not for fame or glory, or to ‘to kill Nazis’, it’s because he ”doesn’t like bullies”. Casting in the MCU continues to be spot-on, I know they pursued Chris Evans for this role, and I’m happy he accepted, ‘cause he’s spot-on as Cap. We also get Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, I love her with every fibre of my being and would recommend everyone to watch her stand-alone series (Agent Carter). Other thoughts:

• This is the Britishiest movie about America, I clocked Jenna Colman (Clara from Doctor Who), and Natalie Dormer (Margery Tyrell of Game of Thrones), plus Dominic Cooper, Richard Armitage, Toby Jones, and David Bradley.

• Science magic again!

• FAWWG: Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving

Avengers - 2012, directed by Joss Whedon

Oh man, Avengers. Why DC decided to try and do their team-up movie without laying the groundwork like Marvel did still baffles me because while this movie is objectively fantastic, a big reason that it works is that we don’t have to do the origin stories for six characters. No, they just get to team up and save the world in spectacular fashion instead, ‘cause the film assumes you know who they all are. Instead, we get to have more fun bringing the characters together, showing their ‘powers’ in action. The banter, the action, the story, it all works perfectly here and is the best way to close out Phase one of the MCU.

• I’ll never not love that Cap’s primary weapon is a shield, it says so much about him as a character

• ALAN SILVESTRI! Seriously, that score! chef’s kiss

• Literally nothing funnier than Hulk beating up Loki during the battle.

How my MCU ranking looks after Phase One: (yes, I sure did make and colour-code index. cards just for this ranking)

See you after Phase Two!