According to Rotten Tomatoes‘ list of “Best 300 Movies of All Time”, Phase 3 has been the most popular era of the MCU for a reason. As of Phase 5, the MCU’s 33 movies have been all over the spectrum of fan and critic reception. Every Phase has included at least one critical or commercial failure, and certainly several hits. Iron Man, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Avengers: Infinity War are highlights of each Phase of the Infinity Saga, whereas The Incredible Hulk, Thor: The Dark World, and Ant-Man and the Wasp struggled to meet the same standards.

In May 2024, Rotten Tomatoes released an updated “300 Best Movies of All Time” list, which ranks films depending on the combination of their Tomatometer rating and their Audience Score. Rotten Tomatoes‘ list presents various surprises, such as the inclusion and the omission of several superhero movies. It also says a lot about the MCU’s Infinity and Multiverse Sagas, confirming the apparent consensus about both eras of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also providing hope for the franchise’s future.

MCU Phase 3 Has The Most Movies On RT’s Best Movies Of All Time List, Making It The Best

The MCU’s Most Popular Phase 3 Movies Are Also The Best Reviewed

Eleven superhero movies managed to join Rotten Tomatoes‘ “300 Best Movies of All Time” list. Of them, only one is a DC movie — Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight — and eight of them are MCU movies. Curiously, Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse claim the top spots in terms of Marvel movies, and Spider-Man: No Way Home leads the MCU’s rankings, being the only Phase 4 movie on the list. After Spider-Man: No Way Home, three Phase 3 movies make it onto Rotten Tomatoes‘ list, accompanied by two Phase 1 movies and one Phase 2 film.

All three Phase 3 films included on Rotten Tomatoes‘ 300 best movies brought with them a change of pace to the MCU. Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok reinvented Chris Hemsworth’s Thor after Thor: The Dark World‘s poor reception, turning the God of Thunder into an MCU star ahead of the Infinity Saga’s conclusion. Just one year later, Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther became a worldwide event due to its real-life cultural relevance and its social commentary. And of course, the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Endgame wrapped the Infinity Saga masterfully, rewarding die-hard fans and general audiences alike.

Why MCU Phase 3 Is Marvel’s Best

Marvel Studios Found Strong Talent And A Solid Release Plan In Phase 3

If not objectively perfect, Phase 3 is the most consistent era of the MCU. Crossover events like Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame weren’t just exciting by premise alone, but they also provided solid reasons to feature each of their characters. Every hero and villain in these MCU events went through a well-defined arc that reshaped previous plotlines and relationships while setting up future individual and collective storylines. Solo movies such as Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Captain Marvel took advantage of their MCU connections, but focused on introducing their respective stars with standalone stories.

Meanwhile, sequels such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Spider-Man: Far From Home either made the right corrections to some of their characters or finished establishing them as key MCU figures. From a general perspective, the MCU’s Phase 3 moved at a fast yet steady pace, raising anticipation for immediate follow-ups but taking up new and old storylines in between. When Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame arrived, all of Phase 3 and the entire MCU seemed more cohesive in restrospect as a result.

With eleven films released over three years, Phase 3 is almost exactly twice as big as Phases 1 and 2 combined.

RT’s Data Indicates MCU Phase 4 Isn’t As Bad As Everyone Thinks

The MCU’s Phase 4 Isn’t Nearly As Consistent As Phase 3, But It Contains Multiple Successes

Phase 3 left the bar high for the MCU’s Phase 4 and the whole Multiverse Saga. On top of that, several unforeseeable circumstances affected Marvel’s plans for Phase 4, which caused all projects to make constant changes and lose the level of consistency that made Phase 3 so enjoyable. Still, Rotten Tomatoes‘ “300 Best Movies of All Time” list proves that Phase 4 was far from a failure. Not only was Spider-Man: No Way Home one of the biggest movies released throughout the globally difficult 2020-2022 period, but it also claimed a spot among the best-rated Marvel movies ever.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is only one of Phase 4’s many successes, which aren’t only defined by reviews or box office numbers. WandaVision dominated online discourse in 2021, heralding the beginning of a brand-new release format for the MCU. Loki season 1 broke viewership records not long afterward and rose to the top of Marvel’s best-rated TV shows along with Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, and What If…?. Phase 4 movies such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced groundbreaking MCU elements that will likely play an important role later down the line.