It had been a while since I’d rewatched the 5 worst-rated movies of the MCU, so I marathoned the whole bunch and am very glad that I did.

It’s an understatement to say I watch a lot of Marvel movies, but rewatching the five worst-reviewed projects from the MCU‘s 16-year run was a far more enjoyable marathon than I expected. I’m lucky enough to write about the movies and TV shows I love for a living, but it’s easy to get stuck in the rut of only focusing on what’s new and the “best” of what’s not. Time isn’t infinite, so that makes sense to a degree, but it’s a unique experience to revisit some of Marvel’s more divisive projects removed from their initial swarm or critical attention.

While it’s a given that there are many movies in the MCU, taking a long, intentional look back at the whole bunch drives home just how massive the franchise is. Even those who actively re-watch Marvel movies regularly can’t hope to revisit them all often, and I know I’ve fallen victim to sticking to the ones I remember most fondly. However, that’s something that should probably change. I found a lot to love watching the five “worst” movies of the MCU.

The MCU’s 5 Lowest-Rated Movies, Explained

I didn’t just accidentally stumble into watching the MCU’s “worst” movies – it was very much on purpose, and looking up what they actually are on Rotten Tomatoes surprised me a bit before I even started watching. While some – like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – line up pretty well with my own personal opinions, that wasn’t the case top to bottom. Quantumania takes the bottom spot, and moving up from there in ascending order, the list includes Eternals, The Marvels, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Incredible Huk.

It is interesting to note that the list is comprised entirely of post-Endgame projects, except for The Incredible Hulk. Also interesting is that, with the same exception, audiences seem to be far higher on these movies than critics. Regardless, while none of these numbers hit the highs Marvel Studios likely hoped for, a franchise as old as the MCU never dipping below 46% (and only dropping below 62% twice) is impressive in its own right.

Most Of MCU’s “Worst” Movies Were Victims Of Misguided Expectations

One of the big questions I had rewatching the MCU’s worst-reviewed movies is why they fell to the bottom in the eyes of critics. First, make no mistake – while these aren’t generally the projects I’d pick as my least favorite in the franchise, they each have at least a few undeniable flaws that distance them from the MCU’s best. However, the running theme seems to be that these five movies largely just didn’t meet common audience expectations in tone or content.

The most obvious example here is Ant-Man’s trilogy-closer. Scott Lang’s first two cinematic outings succeeded by marrying Paul Rudd’s every-man humor with relative small-stakes conflicts, reveling in the inherent humor and wonder in growing and shrinking around everyday objects. Taking that franchise and pivoting hard to a sci-fi/fantasy epic tasked with introducing Kang the Conqueror to the MCU just fundamentally removes what audiences already connected with in previous outings. However, knowing what I was getting into and managing expectations let me enjoy Quantumania for what it is instead of what I wanted it to be.

This is perhaps more true for Thor: Love and Thunder – at least for those who read the comics. Gorr’s story in the pages of Marvel Comics is a bloody, brutal, and personal affair that shakes the god of Thunder to his core, prompting truly deep introspection in the hero about the role of gods, worship, duty, death, and fear. Those simply aren’t present in Love and Thunder. Expecting the former and seeing something more akin to a children’s fairytale villain was jarring, but the latter still works in isolation.

Misguided expectations are perhaps less of a concern for the other three movies, but it still rings true to a degree. Eternals came as audiences were desperate for a cross-narrative to unite the MCU, but the project is a slow-paced drama that plays in its own sandbox. The Incredible Hulk is a return to the straightforward action and dark visuals popularized before the MCU, which seemed jarring after Iron Man was bold, bright, and new just months earlier. Audiences may have expected The Marvels to follow up on Secret Invasion, but that’s just not the story it tells.

Even The Worst MCU Movies Have Breathtaking Scenes

Eternals may have an unsatisfying end to the Deviant plot line, and Quantumania may not make Kang as intimidating as he deserves, but there are still scenes in these “disappointing” movies that had my jaw on the floor. The MCU may have made the move less impactful by riffing on it in Thor: Ragnarok, but Bruce Banner dropping himself out of an aircraft as a human bomb to battle Abomination is the best kind of amazing. Thor, Jane, and Valkyrie confronting Gorr to the Shadow Realm is one of the most visually striking sequences in any Marvel movie.

Eternals is absolutely filled with beautiful moments, taking advantage of the practical sets. Even Quantumania even has its moment of visual splendor as thousands of Scott Langs ebb and flow like an ant colony as the inside of Kang’s probability drive lets loose. The Marvels uses its body-swapping gimmick to deliver a fast, fun, and undeniably creative brawl early on. It’s a shame that these wonderful scenes may not get the attention they deserve being housed in movies of a lower reputation, but they’re no less worthy of revisiting.

I Hope Marvel Studios Doesn’t Take The Wrong Message From The Lowest-Rated MCU Movies

While Marvel Studios is clearly filled with passionate individuals who love the Marvel Universe, they do, of course, need to pivot and make changes based on what works and what doesn’t on release. Disney CEO Bob Iger has made clear the company’s plans to refocus on quality, but I hope that the MCU doesn’t learn the wrong lesson from its worst-rated movies.

Eternals‘ missteps don’t mean audiences don’t want slower, atmospheric movies; they just want a better-utilized villain. Quantumania doesn’t mean MCU movies shouldn’t get weird, but they can’t lose their heart. The Marvels shouldn’t discourage more female-led projects, and The Incredible Hulk isn’t a sign Bruce Banner can’t lead his own movie. Thor is still a beloved character, but he needs to more finely walk the line between slapstick humor and drama.

The MCU is massive, and its easy to overlook the movies deemed not so great. Moreover, it’s entirely reasonable for viewers to skip over the movies that just don’t work for them. However, if rewatching the MCU‘s five worst-rated movies has taught me anything, it’s that even a “bad” Marvel movie is still pretty good, and sometimes the critics’ opinions just don’t match my own. Next time you have a few free hours, hit play on a Marvel project you haven’t watched in a while. You might just be surprised with how much you enjoy it.

Note: All MCU movies are available to stream on Disney+.