The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly putting out new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. One of its biggest successes is Avengers: Endgame, which became the highest-grossing movie ever upon its release. That movie was written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, although the latter shared how confusing it was to write for Chris Hemsworth's Thor after Ragnarok changed his vibe. What's more, he thought that Taika Waititi and company were making the hero into an "idiot" at first.

Moviegoers who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will recall how Ragnarok brought new life to the God of Thunder. While audiences responded to that movie, McFeely was puzzled by how to write for Thor as a result of its zany and comedic-centered tone. As the writer said in an interview with Vanity Fair,

Well, he certainly didn't mince his words. Ragnarok was a huge departure from the first two Thor movies. While the movie's pivot to comedy (and inclusion of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk) helped to give Thor new life, the Infinity War and Endgame writers were understandably confused about what to do with the character. Luckily they figured it out, and pairing Chris Hemsworth's hero with the Guardians of the Galaxy ended up being a winning combination.

While Thor: Ragnarok helped to renew interest in The God of Thunder, it clearly threw McFeely and Markus for a loop. Funny enough, fans ended up not loving its next sequel Love and Thunder, which was also directed by Taika Waititi. Even Chris Hemsworth admitted the movie didn't stick the landing, and was perhaps a bit to "wacky" that time around.

It should be interesting to see what comes next for Thor as he return to the big screen this winter. Hemsworth was included in the Avengers: Doomsday cast list, with McFeely once again writing the script... this time with Michael Waldron. Although fans are worried that the OG Avenger might die in the next two Avengers flicks, which are both being directed by The Russo Brothers.

All will be revealed when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. We'll just have to wait and see how goofy Thor ends up being in the movie, especially because he's an adopted father now.

While Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston play (adopted) brothers in the MCU, they're nothing alike both on and off screen, and that's a big reason why they're so great as Loki and Thor. That point was proven again recently, when Tessa Thompson spoke about her Thor: Ragnarok cast mates and explained why Hemsworth is like "a baby with muscles," and Hiddleston is the exact opposite of that.

At the BFI London Film Festival, Tessa Thompson jokingly said working with her Aussie MCU co-star was like being with “a baby with muscles” who eats every hour. Well, there’s no denying that Hemsworth is a foodie, as he would get in shape for the Thor movies by eating six meals a day. But we know he combines his massive diet with his rigorous workout regimen. Plus, his co-star's comments are a compliment to his performance as well, as she followed that up by saying he'll "do anything to get the laugh."

As for what the Valkyrie actress said about Tom Hiddleston, on the other hand, “a big baby” is not the adjective she used to describe him. In fact, she used the opposite descriptors, saying:

It’s funny that Thompson describes Tom Hiddleston as so “serious,” considering Loki has done a lot of outrageous things that fans can’t help but laugh over. From his witty one-liners to his mischievous pranks, Hiddleston brings a charming, playful tone to the character. However, he also knows exactly how to bring the drama and the gravitas, too.

The Creed star's comments allude to that. However, she also made it clear how inspired she is by Hiddleston's meticulous preparation process. Explaining the genius way he navigates working with green screen, Thompson said:

I love that! After all, working with blue/green screens can be very complicated, as you always have to imagine what’s around you. By having pictures on hand of what would likely be in post-production, it’s no wonder Hiddleston gave us such a believable performance!

I think it's safe to say that the way Thompson described her co-stars is fitting when you consider who they play. That funny and spontaneous "baby" energy is great for Thor, especially in Ragnarok. Meanwhile, while Hiddleston also brought the funny as Loki in this movie, he's significantly more serious than his brother.

Now, you can revisit the three MCU stars’ unforgettable dynamic in Thor: Ragnarok by streaming it with a Disney+ subscription.

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe may not be quite as big a franchise as it once was, the movies are still a great deal of fun for the audiences that are going to the movies to see them. It turns out the movies are also just as much fun to make. At least they were for Tessa Thompson, though she admits that Chris Hemsworth was a big reason for that.

In a recent appearance at the BFI London Film Festival (via Variety), Thompson talked about her experience in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from Thor: Ragnarok to The Marvels. She made it clear that she had an absolute blast making movies with director Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth, calling the Thor actor…

While Thompson may sound like she’s being critical of Hemsworth here, it’s clear she actually loved working with him. She complimented the actor (with whom she also appeared in the failed reboot Men in Black: International) who may act like “a baby” a lot of the time. But she said that was all in service of a willingness to “discover,” which made working with him great. Thompson continued…

Thompson’s most recent entry in the MCU was by voicing her character of Valkyrie in the recent Marvel Zombies! animated series. Her name was not included in the massive cast list for Avengers: Doomsday, making it seem unlikely, though not impossible, that we’ll be seeing her again in the next MCU movie.

Making Marvel movies, as well as other major blockbusters, is certainly unlike most traditional film projects. The movie's heavy reliance on CGI means that most of the movie what we see on screen was never really there while the actors were filming their scenes. Many performers have talked about how difficult that can all be.

It turns out that was exactly why Tessa Thompson wanted to become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actress says she wanted to challenge herself, because she was far from certain that she’d really be able to make a movie like that. In the end, she found the experience quite freeing. She explained…

I think we can all agree now that Tessa Thompson absolutely can make those movies. Her last live-action appearance in the MCU, in a brief cameo in The Marvels, showed that she doesn’t even need Chris Hemsworth to make it work.

There are a lot of great stories that have been told in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but one of the best has to be the relationship between Thor and Loki. Over the course of the Infinity Saga, Thor and Loki go through a lot together, but there are even more connections between the pair than I realized.

A post on Instagram, which contains a different social media post, is going viral that makes reference to the complex relationship between Thor and Loki. Specifically, it references that in each of the first two Avengers movies, Thor, who believes his brother to be dead in both cases, is wearing tributes to his Loki, though they’re not the easiest thing to see. The post reads...

Loki dies so many times in the MCU that it’s difficult to keep track. Each time Thor discovers that his brother isn’t dead, it’s kind of a big deal. When Thor mentions how terrible it was when he thought Loki was dead after the pair are reunited in Thor: Ragnarok, the trickster god asks if his brother mourned him. Clearly he did.

I had never noticed these particular costume references before, but they are certainly there. By the time we see Thor in Avengers he knows his brother is alive, but clearly his armor was made before that. I found Thor’s hair in Avengers: Age of Ultron to be an especially nice touch as it’s never made reference to in the film, but it’s absolutely there.

And of course, these aren’t the only references to Thor’s love of his deceased brother. When Loki dies for a third time, at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, Thor goes all out to show the love he has for his brother. As one commenter on the post above mentioned, saying…

This item is a bit harder to miss, as the shot of a naked Thor in Love and Thunder makes sure you see it, though it’s still possible you forgot it was there.

It’s been quite the journey for Thor and Loki, and it’s possible that journey isn’t quite over yet. Loki still lives in the MCU, or at least a Variant of him does, and we know that both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast. The brothers being reunited yet again is certainly possible, even likely considering not bringing them together at least briefly would feel like a lost opportunity.

Thor and Loki have certainly been through a lot recently, with Loki taking on oversight of the multiverse and Thor becoming a father. The pair certainly would have a lot to talk about.

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is barreling toward a major franchise turning point with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, fans have a lot of questions about where the movies and their favorite characters might be going. Chris Hemsworth recently gave fans a scare with what many thought was a farewell to his days as Thor. I'd personally been wondering about what it meant and, finally, the actor clarified his intent with that clip.

Back in May, Chris Hemsworth posted a video celebrating the legacy of Thor in the MCU. Considering it came just a few weeks after Hemsworth was officially confirmed as part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast, many wondered if the video indicated that the upcoming Marvel movie would be his last time wielding the hammer. Hemsworth recently spoke with THR and clarified the situation, saying…

Hemsworth’s video certainly got fans talking. Some wondered if he was simply saying goodbye to Thor then and there. Others, knowing about his Avengers: Doomsday casting, seemed to be getting prepared for Thor to be killed off in the movie or otherwise see the story reach some sort of ending.

While the Australian actor says there was no need for “damage control,” it’s still good to hear him clarify his thought process behind the video. Whatever else Chris Hemsworth does in his career, it’s difficult to imagine he’ll ever do anything that will be quite as big as Thor. With that, I think his decision to honor the character is a worthy endeavor.

Also, certainly when we see Thor in Doomsday, he’ll be a very different sort of character than he was in the last Avengers movie. While 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder wasn't as well-received as its predecessor, it was a major turning point for Thor as a character. It seems that was at play in posting the video, as it celebrated the first chapter of Thor, with a new one on the horizon.

Of course, we still can’t entirely discount the possibility that Thor’s days may be numbered. He’s one of the few original Avengers still kicking around in the MCU. If most of the Asgardian warrior's days are behind him, I wouldn’t exactly be shocked. With the news that Avengers: Secret Wars will function as some sort of MCU reboot, it’s difficult to know just which characters will make it to the other side, and which ones will be played by the same actors, as recasting Marvel heroes is absolutely on the table.

That's still a little ways off, though, and fans can still look forward to seeing Chris Hemsworth as Thor, at the very least, in Avengers: Doomsday, which hits theaters on December 18, 2026. In the meantime, stream the God of Thunder's various movie appearances using a Disney+ subscription.

Speaking as a fan of superhero movies, I actually tend to prefer the source material in most cases. However, if there is one thing I believe most films (and a few TV shows) have handled better than the comics, it is making the heroes and villains look pretty good. The following are some essential examples of comic book characters whose screen iterations had better costume designs.

Batman (Batman Begins)

I believe the nighttime attire worn by Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne in 2005's Batman Begins outshines what the comics had delivered up to that point, not just in the aesthetic sense. I also love this Batsuit for its practicality and ingenuity, boasting features that include a fully bulletproof top to cover his entire torso and a cape that turns into wings when an electric current is run through it.

Captain America (Captain America: The First Avenger)

Steve Rogers' original costume from Marvel Comics is a bit hokey, with its winged helmet and feathery finish, but the outfit worn by Chris Evans' MCU iteration had a bit of an uneven history before its preferred final form. In his debut in Captain America: The First Avenger, he bears the stars and stripes on a tactical suit that thankfully made a comeback in the third act of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, following his ridiculous uniform from The Avengers.

Wonder Woman (Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice)

Instead of a patriotic leotard (which, given her Themiscyrian ancestry, does not make sense), Gal Gadot's Diana Prince fights in Amazonian battle armor. It also bears a bird-shaped emblem at the top, instead of a "WW," which also would have been nonsense to include, considering she never actually gives herself the name "Wonder Woman" in the DC Extended Universe.

Ant-Man (Ant-Man)

In 2015's Ant-Man, when Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) first sees the suit and helmet that he would soon use to shrink to microscopic size, he points out that it looks like a motorcycle outfit. Indeed, it does, which alone makes it an improvement over the tight jumpsuit with a partially opened, antannaed helmet that Hank Pym wears in the comics.

Robin (Batman & Robin)

I am not a fan of the impractical, anatomically correct full rubber suits that plagued the live-action Batman movies of the '80s and '90s. However, I am thankful that Batman & Robin's grown-up version of the Boy Wonder (played by Chris O'Donnell) is not just wearing a leotard. I even admire the decision to replace the green and yellow in his color scheme with black for added stealth, like his older companion... not that stealth is ever really a necessity for these iterations of the Caped Crusaders anyway.

Iron Man (Iron Man)

I would say it is no wonder that more recent comic books show Tony Stark wearing Iron Man armor that better resembles the sleek design created for Robert Downey Jr.'s MCU iteration, instead of the bulkier original suit.

Superman (Man Of Steel)

I am still convinced that the all-time best Superman costume created for live-action media was worn by Henry Cavill in 2013's Man of Steel. In fact, I think Clark Kent's red and blues from the DC Extended Universe outshine that of any of his comic book iterations, and for one reason in particular: I have never been a fan of his red trunks, and I am happy to see that feature omitted here.

Black Panther (Captain America: Civil War)

In his first appearance in Marvel Comics, T'Challa's warrior outfit was merely a skin-tight jumpsuit with a cape. Chadwick Boseman's MCU iteration of Black Panther ditches the cape, thankfully, and gives him some tangible armor, complemented beautifully by the pointed charms placed between his neck and shoulders.

Hawkeye (The Avengers)

I would say it was the right call for Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton to lose the helmet that Hawkeye wears in the comics, as I doubt it would have translated well to live-action cinema. At least, the suit he wears in 2012's The Avengers and subsequent MCU installments retains some of the purple from his original color scheme.

Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man (Spider-Man)

Author Sean O'Connell's book, With Great Power: How Spider-Man Conquered Hollywood During the Golden Age of Comic Book Blockbusters, actually quotes my description of what, arguably, makes Tobey Maguire's suit from Sam Raimi's trilogy the best live-action Spider-Man costume. The early 2000s era Peter Parker looked best for his outfit's anatomically correct spider emblems on the front and back, striking platinum webbing, and some mean-looking eyes.

Falcon (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

It was easier for fans to take Anthony Mackie's portrayal of Sam "Falcon" Wilson seriously than his comic book counterpart due to the drastic changes to his uniform. Removing his red and white V-neck jumpsuit with attached, foldout wings in favor of a tactical outfit and mechanical, retractable flight gear was the right call.

Scarlet Witch (WandaVision)

We caught a glimpse of what Scarlet Witch's original design would look like if adapted for live action in WandaVision when Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) wore an exaggerated headpiece, red leotard, and cape for Halloween. This would help viewers better appreciate the outfit she settles on at the end of the series, which is more grounded but also better represents her unparalleled power as a sorcerer.

Vulture (Spider-Man: Homecoming)

There are many reasons why Michael Keaton's Adrian "The Vulture" Toomes from Spider-Man: Homecoming is considered one of the all-time best Spider-Man movie villains, including his costume. Giving the experimental weapons dealer more practical wings, powered by propellers, helps ground the character better than his design in the comics, which is just an old dude in homemade feathered wings.

Thor (Thor)

Like many other Marvel Comics heroes of his time, Thor was originally depicted as wearing a tight, sleeveless jumpsuit, in addition to his signature winged metal helmet. I would say Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder boasts a decent-looking helmet at the beginning of his 2011 MCU debut, but I am especially glad his outfit actually includes armor that also covers his arms in a sleek fashion.

Star-Lord (Guardians Of The Galaxy)

Chris Pratt's Peter Quill simply looks so much cooler in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, rocking a red leather duster and protective face mask, as opposed to a uniform that looks exactly like what the Nova Corps wears in the comics.

Doctor Strange (Doctor Strange)

Instead of tights and a tunic, putting Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr. Stephen Strange from 2016's Doctor Strange in a monk-like robe with the Cloak of Levitation made it easier to take the role seriously in the MCU.

Shazam (Shazam!)

You could argue that the costume worn by Zachary Levi's Billy Batson is a bit cartoonish, but that fits perfectly with the more breezy, comical tone of 2019's Shazam! The biggest selling point for me, however, is the constantly glowing lightning emblem, which is just a brilliant touch.

Two-Face (The Dark Knight)

Previous iterations of Harvey "Two-Face" Dent see half of his face become a bizarre, discolored monstrosity, inspiring him to wear custom-made, dual-colored suits. For Aaron Eckhart's version from 2008's The Dark Knight, the damaged side of his face resembles a more authentic result of a burning incident, and his suit's "evil half" is simply charred from the same event, grounding his appearance and, therefore, making the Batman villain even more unsettling.

Mr. Furious (Mystery Men)

I can't imagine seeing Ben Stiller's version of Mr. Furious in the same red and black jumpsuit the raging vigilante wears in Dark Horse's Flaming Carrot comics. However, putting him in a flame-embroidered black leather duster in 1998's Mystery Men works so well.

Nick Fury (The Avengers)

Can you even begin to imagine Samuel L. Jackson wearing Nick Fury's stealth suit from the comics instead of the black leather jacket he wears in The Avengers? Not even David Hasselhoff dressed like that for his pre-MCU portrayal of the character in the made-for-TV movie, Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Fantastic Four (2005's Fantastic Four)

I think the cast of the MCU's The Fantastic Four: First Steps looks great in their outfits, which call to mind the characters' original comic book appearances in the 1960s. However, I personally prefer the darker and more minimalistic approach in the otherwise widely despised adaptation from 2005.

M'Baku (Black Panther)

I cannot help but assume that Winston Duke's M'Baku would have looked simply ridiculous wearing a white gorilla's whole face around his head in 2018's Black Panther. However, settling for a decorative mask and a few touches of fur suit the portrayal perfectly.

Nebula (Guardians Of The Galaxy)

Originally, in the comics, Nebula was not a cyborg, but just another, otherwise fierce, blue woman with long hair like Gamora and a traditionally feminine uniform. Making Karen Gillan's iteration from Guardians of the Galaxy a victim of mechanical alterations not only improves her look, but also adds some absorbing complexity to her story.

Loki (Thor)

For 2011's Thor, it was right to get Loki out of his tight, green jumpsuit from the comics and into a more earnestly crafted outfit fit for a god, especially when played by an actor like Tom Hiddleston.

Black Spider-Man Suit (Spider-Man 3)

I realize that the Black Spidersuit from 2007's Spider-Man 3, the result of the alien Symbiote bonding with Peter Parker's red and blues, is, essentially, nothing more than a monochromatic redesign of Tobey Maguire's original suit. However, when considering how iconic that costume already was (and remains), the simple recoloring makes it pop in the same way that printing a photo in black and white tends to improve the image.

Mr. Freeze (Batman & Robin)

I don't think there is a single person who would deny that the way 1997's Batman & Robin depicts the "coldhearted" Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is egregiously over-the-top. However, I cannot deny that I believe the design of his costume, handcrafted from aircraft-grade aluminum and thousands of blue LED lights, is epic, especially when compared to the colorful jumpsuit and glass bulb helmet he was given when the comics still called him "Mr. Zero."

Charlie Cox's Daredevil (Daredevil)

The early 2000s take on non-seeing attorney Matt Murdock's vengeful vigilante alter ego (played by Ben Affleck) tried to improve on the comics' red, skintight spandex jumpsuit by replacing it with red, skintight leather. The acclaimed MCU canon series Daredevil put star Charlie Cox in a Kevlar suit with a protective helmet that combines a subtle shade of burgundy with accents of black, resulting in a suit that wins over the originals in terms of both style and function.

Pepper "Rescue" Potts (Avengers: Endgame)

In 2010, Pepper Potts took on an armored vigilante alter ego known as Rescue, whose suit was, essentially, a feminized rework of Tony Stark's Iron Man armor, color scheme, and all. When Gwyneth Paltrow brought Rescue into the MCU in Avengers: Endgame, the appearance changed things up a bit by making purple the main color of her armor.

Moon Knight (Moon Knight)

Honestly, just about all comic book iterations of Moon Knight have looked pretty cool, but Oscar Isaac's Marc Spector from the Disney+ original series, Moon Knight, boasts an outfit that is more comparatively authentic to a genuine Egyptian warrior. Not to mention, giving him actual glowing white eyes makes him infinitely more intimidating.

Yondu (Guardians Of The Galaxy)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 from 2017 pays tribute to the comic book iteration of Yondu by having Michael Rooker wear a punk rock mohawk-style fin on his head, which is certainly fun to see. However, I'm glad James Gunn refrained from bringing back the character's very revealing original outfit, which is basically two straps to cover his nipples and a skirt.

The Eternals (Eternals)

With all due respect to the late, great Jack Kirby, his original designs for the immortal Marvel heroes known as the Eternals are pretty generic. However, their outfits from Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao's 2021 movie are far sleeker and more grounded, with additional details that help them stand out from other MCU characters.

Valkyrie (Thor: Ragnarok)

Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie trades in a typical, suggestive armored leotard for awesome-looking full-body warrior garb in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok.

Following the departure of Robert Downey Jr., at least as Iron Man, Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has been one of the last, and the most visible, of the original Avengers team. With other Avengers, like Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, also passing the torch to new heroes, one wonders just how much longer Thor will be around.

It seems likely that Hemsworth may follow in the footsteps of his fellow Avengers and hang up his hammer before too long. However, fans were recently given a scare as they were afraid he’d chosen to do it now.

Marvel Fans Were Afraid Chris Hemsworth Was Leaving The MCU

Yesterday, Chris Hemsworth posted a video to his YouTube channel titled “Thank You! The Legacy of Thor.” The video included a variety of shots and interviews with various people from the beginning of Hemsworth’s time in the MCU up through the present day. Along with the video came a post that read…

Needless to say, the video and the post gave fans a start because it’s easy to see it all as a farewell. Numerous posts indicated that when they first saw the post, they thought it was a retirement announcement. Comments included…

• Got scared for a second that this was announcement that you were retiring from the character -@reallynotnoone
• I my heart skipped a beat the second I saw this came across this video, I THOUGHT YOU WERE RETIRING 😭 PLEASE DON'T SCARE US LIKE THAT MY FATHER AND I ADORE THOR AND YOU -@veronicakim5412
• I WAS THINKING THIS WAS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE THOR'S END IN MCU Don't scare me like that, Chris!! -@nichols._.editss
• literally got scared....Chris Hemsworth is a true legend .....Lots of love from India Sir -@vedant3598
• Ok. I thought this is like a farewell video Need Thor 5 -@hi_im_willow

However, fans don’t need to be too worried about losing Thor. At least not yet.

Chris Hemsworth Isn’t Done With Thor Quite Yet

While Hemsworth’s post could be read as a goodbye, anybody who saw the reveal of the Avengers: Doomsday cast knew that the Thor actor isn’t done yet. His name was the first one revealed in the epic Marvel livestream. He also re-confirmed this fact at the end of his post, saying…

Of course, none of this means that Chris Hemsworth’s Thor days aren’t numbered. Thor may be appearing in next year's Avengers: Doomsday, but there’s certainly no guarantee the character will survive the events. Perhaps this was a way for Hemsworth to begin to say goodbye to his time in the MCU.

Considering just how big the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become, even if you’re not a huge fan, you probably have a movie or two that you enjoy. Of course, the actors who appear in the MCU have their favorites as well. And a lot of them, as it turns out, actually love the same movie: Thor: Ragnarok.

Speaking with six different actors who have appeared in the MCU, Disney’s D23 Fan Club finds four of them of them who are big fans of Taika Waititi’s first outing directing a Marvel film. Both Simu Liu and Iman Vilani list it among their favorites, as does Ant-Man star Paul Rudd, who said…

However, one of the more surprising people who put Ragnarok on the top of their list was Natalie Portman. She’s one of the few who picks a franchise that she’s actually part of, but she picks the one Thor movie she wasn’t in, saying…

To be fair, it’s completely understandable why so many people love Thor: Ragnarok, it’s actually just a flat-out great movie in my opinon. Portman’s comment that it makes you smile the whole time is right on the money. The movie is fun, funny and exciting in equal measure. Whatever it is you love about Marvel movies, or just movies in general, Thor: Ragnarok has it. It’s one of the best MCU movies to date.

Paul Rudd, being a part of one of the other comedy-focused corners of the MCU is sure to appreciate the movies in the franchise that have made you laugh. Natalie Portman made her return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the movie that followed Ragnarok. It seems quite likely that her love for it is part of the reason Taikia Waititi was able to convince her to come back in a single meeting.

The fact that many of the follow-up Thor: Love and Thunder took things a little too far (even Chris Hemsworth sees it as a failure) shows just how precarious the balance was, and how easy it was to overdo it all.

One thing that’s probably worth noting, is that of all the movies mentioned by the various stars, none of them call a movie that has been released post-Avengers: Endgame their favorite. That’s probably something that Marvel would like to change. Perhaps one of the other upcoming Marvel movies will become somebody's favorite.

When Taika Waititi was announced as the director of the third Thor movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a lot of fans scratched their heads. Waititi was best known for making indie comedies like What We Do In The Shadows and Hunt For the Wilderpeople. Those movies were also much smaller than a massive Marvel blockbuster. A lot of people voiced displeasure regarding Waititi’s new job.

Today Taika Waititi is a director whose projects get noticed, and who has been involved in multiple major franchises. But that’s all thanks to the success of Thor: Ragnarok. Speaking with EW, the director admits that taking the job catapulted him into the Marvel fandom, subjecting him to all the negativity from those who thought he would ruin something great. But as Waititi points out, it all worked out pretty well. He said…

It’s not exactly news that fans can be passionate about the things that they love, to the point that many can get quite vocal, and angry if they see something happening they don’t like. Dealing with fan harassment is unfortunately a regular occurrence now that has become the norm rather than an exception.

There’s certainly no argument that Taika Waititi didn’t make some pretty significant changes to Thor as a character in Ragnarok. The first Thor movie, directed by Kenneth Branagh had been truly Shakespearean in tone. Waititi would give Thor a humorous bent, basically exactly the sort of movie those angry fans were afraid he'd make.

Of course, as Waititi said here, it turned out this version of Thor is exactly what fans wanted. Both of Waititi’s Thor movies were massive box office hits and while some think that Thor: Love and Thunder pushed things a little far, people clearly love the funnier Thor.

Some of Marvel’s greatest successes have come when it has tapped up-and-coming directors who aren’t necessarily the first names you think of when it comes to helming massive blockbusters. Before the Guardians of the Galaxy films, James Gunn’s highest profile gig was as screenwriter of two live-action Scooby-Doo movies. Yet Gunn would turn out to be the perfect choice to handle the franchise. When Marvel picks weird directors, sometimes magic happens.

At this point, there’s no indication that Waititi will be directing more movies in the MCU. The future of Thor as a character is also in question. Whatever happens, hopefully, it will be exactly what fans want, even if they don’t realize it at first.

Everybody makes mistakes but that fact does not make it any less frustrating when a character in a movie makes a blunder. Sometimes, the person we are supposed to be rooting for does something that makes us more furious than anything the bad guy is responsible for. See what we mean by reliving these moments that made heroes the accidental villains of their own stories.

Superman II (Clark Gives Up His Powers)

In 1980's Superman II, Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) believes he can only have a normal life with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) by becoming human, which he achieves by entering a device at the fortress of solitude. Soon after, he realizes the error of this decision when General Zod (Terrence Stamp) and his allies take over the White House.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones (The Jedi Council Hires Anakin To Protect Padme)

In the second Star Wars movie (in chronological order), when Padmé Amidala's (Natalie Portman) life is threatened, the Jedi Council chooses none other than trainee Anakin Skywalker to be her bodyguard. They should have known better, given his obvious emotional connection to her, which would eventually lead to a forbidden affair and marriage. Silver lining: the birth of Luke and Leia in the next movie.

Inglourious Basterds (Lt. Hicox Flashes The American Three)

One of the most intense moments from one of Quentin Tarantino's best movies, 2009's Inglourious Basterds, sees a disguised Lt. Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender) accidentally reveal to Major Hellstrom (August Diehl) that he is not German by merely holding up the wrong fingers when asking the bar for three drinks. Perhaps this one is really on the British Army for not teaching him that the German Three is made up of the thumb, index, and middle finger but who could have known when that would come in handy?

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (Tony Stark Creates Ultron)

Wanting to create a "suit of armor for the entire world," Tony "Iron Man" Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) teams with Bruce "Hulk" Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to develop a powerful computer program that could do their work for them. Little did he know that this creation would become the eponymous villain of 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron (voiced by James Spader), providing another cautionary lesson against relying on AI.

Scream (Sydney Runs Upstairs Away From Ghostface)

Minutes after condemning the slasher movie trope of women running upstairs from the killer instead of out the front door, Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) does the same exact thing after Ghostface first attacks her. The star of the Scream movies is still one of our favorite horror final girls but it almost makes you wonder how she manages to survive as long as she would with a blemish like that on her track record.

Prometheus (Meredith Vickers Runs From A Rolling Spacecraft In A Straight Line)

Ridley Scott's 2012 Alien prequel, Prometheus, is one of the most divisive sci-fi movies ever made but even its strongest supporters cannot argue against one character's uproarious miscalculation. Why Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) does not choose to easily run out of the way of the alien spaceship rolling toward her and, instead, keep running straight until it crushes her is a mystery that may remain unsolved.

Guardians Of The Galaxy (Drax Summons Ronan)

In 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, a few drinks make Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) confident enough to fight Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) himself, so he sends the tyrant to his current location. As a result, he gets his butt handed to him and Ronan gets away with The Power Stone.

Shrek Forever After (Shrek Makes A Deal With Rumpelstiltskin)

If there is one downside to Shrek (Mike Myers) finding love with Fiona (Cameron Diaz), she may have made him more willing to let his guard down a bit, potentially leading to his disastrous decision in 2010's Shrek Forever After. His nostalgia for his swamp-dwelling days clouds the ogre's judgment when speaking with Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn), who convinces him to wish himself into an alternate reality where the trickster rules Far Far Away.

Bee Movie (Barry Sues Humanity)

Writer Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie stars the comedian as an insect named Barry B. Benson, who becomes angry at humans profiting off of their honey and seeks legal action. He succeeds and bees no longer work in favor of the human race but it ends up causing an environmental disaster.

Avengers: Infinity War (Star-Lord Punches Thanos)

By putting Thanos (Josh Brolin) under Mantis' (Pom Klementieef's) trance, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Peter Parker (Tom Holland), and the remaining Guardians come super close to removing the Infinity Gauntlet from his hand. However, Peter "Star-Lord" Quill (Chris Pratt) learns that the Titan killed Gamora and punches Thanos in anger, breaking the trance and allowing him to get away. This is one moment from 2018's Avengers: Infinity War that understandably prevents some fans from calling it one of the best Marvel movies.

The Descent (Juno Chooses An Unmapped Cave To Explore)

We are not sure if we can count Juno (Natalie Mendoza) as a hero of 2005's The Descent, due to the idiotic stunt she pulls in the otherwise great horror movie. Her friends learn that she chose an unexplored cavern for their spelunking trip only after they get trapped inside with man-eating, nocturnal mutants.

Hancock (Hancock Fights Mary)

It is revealed in Hancock that Will Smith's eponymous superhuman gets weaker the longer he stays in contact with Mary Embrey (Charlize Theron), who turns out to be part of his kind, too. That does not stop him from engaging in a cataclysmic fight with her near the end of the superhero movie not based on a comic book from 2008.

The Blair Witch Project (Mike Throws The Map In The River)

It is not unusual for horror movie characters to make questionable decisions but when Mike (Michael C. Williams) tosses the map to the Black Hills Forest in The Blair Witch Project is simply unforgivable. He argues in the 1999 found footage thriller that the map was ultimately useless, and he may have been right, but discarding the one chance you may have of reaching safety is never the right move.

Skyfall (Q Connects Silva's Computer To MI6's Mainframe)

There is a reason they say you should go through IT before you investigate a suspicious piece of equipment at the office yourself and Q (Ben Whishaw) demonstrates why in 2012's Skyfall. Perhaps the older version of the tech wizard from previous James Bond movies would have been smarter about hooking up Silva's (Javier Bardem) laptop to MI6's main system, which causes the organization to lose control of their tech to the villain.

Army Of Darkness (Ash Speaks The Wrong Incantation)

Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams becomes increasingly dumber in each of the Evil Dead movies, leading up to his absolute worst mistake while trapped in the Middle Ages in 1992's Army of Darkness. He does not even bother to properly memorize a set of words that will take him back to modern times when he finds the Necronomicon and, in attempting to fake his way through it, ends up unleashing more evil forces.

The Big Lebowski (Walter Destroys A Stranger’s Car)

Suspecting that teenage Larry Sellers used stolen ransom money to purchase a hot Corvette, Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) smashes it repeatedly with a crowbar, only to discover it belongs to Larry's angry neighbor. It is easily one of the funniest moments from one of the best movies of the 1990s, The Big Lebowski, but also makes us sad for The Dude (Jeff Bridges) that he is best friends with such an impulse-driven dolt.

Jeepers Creepers (Darry Tries To See Into The Creeper's Pipe)

In Jeepers Creepers, witnessing the Creeper (Jonathan Breck) shoving dead bodies down a large pipe sticking out of the ground, Darry (Justin Long) tries to investigate by looking down the pipe himself but ends up sliding right into the killer's lair. If only he had listened to his sister, Trish's (Gina Philips), meta warning: "You know the part in scary movies when somebody does something really stupid, and everybody hates them for it? This is it."

The Flash (Batman Sacrifices Himself To Destroy Zod's Ship)

While Michael Keaton's return as Batman in 2023's The Flash was awesome, one not-so-stellar moment sees him attempting to save the day by crashing the Batwing into Zod's ship. Unfortunately, the otherwise valiant effort caused very little damage to the craft and only the Dark Knight fatally succumbed to the crash.

Moana (Maui Steals The Heart Of Te Fiti)

The opening scene of the modern Disney animated movie classic, 2016's Moana, explains how Maui (Dwayne Johnson) stole and misplaced the heart of Te Fiti, which he insists was for humanity's benefit. It is not until he meets the title character (voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho) that he realizes that the artifact's absence caused damage to the Hawaiian Islands and their locals.

Jumanji (Peter Tries To Cheat The Game)

In the original 1995 adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's children's book, Jumanji, Peter (Bradley Pierce) tries to end the wild board game's reign of terror by dropping the dice at the right number to finish. Unfortunately, the game knows better and punishes him for trying to beat it by reverting the evolutionary process, turning him into a monkey.

Iron Man 3 (Tony Stark Gives The Mandarin His Address)

One of the major issues fans have with Iron Man 3 is Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) rash decision to challenge The Mandarin to a one-on-one duel, going as far as revealing where he lives on a video recorded by a press member. Well, the fearsome terrorist clearly got the message, based on the violent attack on Stark's home, which forced him to jump ship and get stuck in Tennessee.

Paranormal Activity (Micah Breaks Out A Ouija Board)

If we were to make a list of the worst significant others in horror movie history, there would definitely be a place for Micah (Micah Sloat) from the first Paranormal Activity movie, released in 2009. Exhibit A: after a medium warns against using a Ouija board, as that would make his and Katie's (Katie Featherston) haunting situation much worse, Micah decides to bring one into the house and makes their haunting situation much worse.

Sleeping Beauty (Flora And Merryweather Fight Over Aurora's Dress Color)

In 1959's Sleeping Beauty, Aurora's fairy guardians want to make a dress just for her but Flora wants it to be pink and Merryweather is dead set on making it blue. Despite being advised not to, they use magic to change the dress' color over and over, which ends up alerting Maleficient of their location and putting Aurora in danger.

Evil Dead (Eric Reads From The Necronomicon)

Fede Alvarez's Evil Dead is considered one of the best horror movie remakes of its time but is certainly not without its flaws. In fact, the demonic carnage is caused when Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), for no reason at all, reads aloud from the Necronomicon, ignoring blatant warnings written into the flesh-bound, blood-inked book to leave it alone.

Deadpool (Wade Leaves His Ammo Bag Behind)

Twice in the 2016's Deadpool does the Merc with the Mouth (Ryan Reynolds) leave behind a huge duffle bag full of weaponry that certainly would have really come in handy against his foes. Instead, he is forced to rely on "maximum effort"... and his immortality, of course.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (Peter Gives Mysterio E.D.I.T.H.)

In 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, feeling that he has found a trusted friend in Quentin "Mysterio" Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), Peter Parker (Tom Holland) decides to give him full control of E.D.I.T.H. – an augmented reality security, defense, and artificial tactical intelligence system designed by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Unfortunately, that is exactly what the disgruntled former Stark Industries employee wanted him to do, planning to use it to launch an attack on London.

Annabelle Comes Home (Daniela Explores The Warrens' Artifact Room Alone)

Whether or not you believe in the stories behind the Conjuring Universe movies, we imagine no one wants to be caught dead where Ed and Lorraine Warren keep their collection of haunted heirlooms. However, Daniela (Katie Sarife) braves the forbidden room in hopes of making contact with her late father but ends up unleashing the demon that possesses the eponymous doll in Annabelle Comes Home.

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (Clark Fails To Properly Explain His Situation To Bruce)

In the moments leading to the climactic battle of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) takes way too long to explain to Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) that Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) is holding his mother (Diane Lane) captive and, instead, resorts to doing exactly what the evil billionaire wants him to do and fight the Dark Knight. When he finally gives an explanation, with Batman seconds away from killing him with a Kryptonite spear, he says, "Save Martha," instead of the more matter-of-fact, "Lex is going to kill my mom."

The Marvels (Carol Destroys The Supreme Intelligence)

In The Marvels, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) is forced to work with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) after their powers become linked but the hero otherwise known as Captain Marvel is reluctant to rope her friends into the battle against Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton). This is because she is personally responsible for their enemy's vengeful motivation, having created a Civil War among the Kree after destroying their A.I. leader.

Fantastic Four (Reed And Others Test Their Teleportation Device While Inebriated)

The 2015 Fantastic Four adaptation was widely disliked for a multitude of reasons, including the dumb decision that leads to the four main characters gaining their superpowers. After a few too many drinks, the designers of a groundbreaking teleportation device decide to test it out themselves, changing their lives forever.

Thor: Ragnarok (Loki Summons The Bifrost To Escape Hela)

In 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, when he and the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) are confronted by their sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett), Loki (Tom Hiddleston) tries to make a quick getaway with the Bifrost. It may have seemed like a good idea at the time but Hela ends up chasing after them, ultimately leading her right to Asgard while the half-brothers get stranded on Sakaar.

Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (Austin Keeps The Receipt For His Special Pump)

In the spy movie parody, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, when the titular agent (Mike Myers) is collecting the belongings he left behind before being cryogenically frozen, he claims that a certain special, Swedish-made pump does not belong to him. However, a credit card receipt for the item, a warranty slip with his name on it, and a book about his experiences using the product found with his stuff prove otherwise.

Sometimes, you see a movie, leave it, and you don’t think it needs a sequel. Or maybe you want a sequel, but it never gets made, and unexpectedly, a legacy sequel comes out decades later. All of this and more have led to some great films, so here are over 30 sequels that no one really asked for but are actually beloved.

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish

One year after the release of the fourth Shrek film in 2010, we got Puss in Boots. At the time, I think it's safe to say many of us weren’t looking for a spinoff of the sequels. However, we got it. Then, in 2022, we got its sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Between its unique animation style, its existential questions about death, a truly horrifying villain and all the humor we know and love from the Shrek films, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish will stay with you for a long time after watching it, and I can’t say that’s typically expected from a film that’s sequel to a spinoff.

Twisters

Back in 1996, after the release of Twister, there was talk about making a sequel. However, nothing came of that, and we all moved on. Then, almost 30 years later, stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones and director Lee Isaac Chung came flying onto the scene to make the legacy sequel Twisters, and boy did it work!

Top Gun: Maverick

Yes, there had been chatter about a Top Gun sequel for years and years and years after its release in 1986. However, we got nothing for literal decades. Then, 36 years later, Tom Cruise and co. came zooming back into theaters with Top Gun: Maverick, and it dominated.

The film raised the bar for aviation action, and it somehow managed to not just live up to Top Gun, but exceed it in a lot of ways. Overall, the film by Joseph Kosinski was an epic and wild ride that came out three decades after the original, proving that the need for speed was still there.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (And Everything That Followed)

Let’s be real, they could have stopped at three if they wanted to. However, the Mission: Impossible movies didn’t end there, and thank goodness. After the releases of M:I 1, 2 and 3, they switched up the naming trend and revamped with the release of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in 2011.

Since then, we’ve gotten so many wild stunts from Tom Cruise and so many seemingly impossible missions, and it’s not stopping there either. That’s because if there’s a mission, we will always choose to accept it.

Toy Story 3

The first two Toy Story movies were all about Buzz, Woody, and co.’s adventures in Andy’s room. These two films came out in 1995 and 1999, and they are beloved by so many. Then, in 2010, eleven years after 2 came out, they returned again with Toy Story 3, which saw the toys donated to a childcare center.

While the film wasn’t exactly asked for, it was made and it blew audiences away. It also left them crying their eyes out.

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

Did we need a legacy sequel to Jumanji that saw the board game turned into a video game? No. But did we get it? Yes. And did it blow audiences away? 100%.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan, this film was a super fresh take on the classic starring Robin Williams as the kids ended up in the jungle rather than the jungle ending up in their homes. And it was so well received, that now there are two more films based on the video game adaptation of the classic board game.

Cobra Kai

There’s always been a demand for more Karate Kid, however, no one asked for or quite frankly deserved the goodness that is Cobra Kai. Rather than following Daniel LaRusso, the show flips the script and follows his original rival Johnny Lawrence as he works to start his own dojo and turn his life around.

After starting out on YouTube, the show found great success, and eventually wound up on Netflix. Now, Cobra Kai is one of Netflix’s most bingeable and beloved shows.

Creed

After six Rocky movies that came out across four decades, you’d think another one or a spinoff wasn’t necessary. However, then Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan came in swinging with the story of Apollo Creed’s son Adonis, and to mix my sports metaphors, they knocked it out of the park.

Blade Runner 2049

Folks were apprehensive about returning to the universe of Blade Runner 35 years after the original’s release. However, Blade Runner 2049 received good reviews and a positive response from audiences in the time since its release in 2017. Although, should we be surprised by that? It was directed by Denis Villeneuve and starred Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford.

The Incredibles 2

Admittedly, there was always a want for an Incredibles sequel. However, the one we got was not what we expected. After ending the first film on a cliffhanger, there was a 14-year break and then we got The Incredibles 2 which took the story in a new, refreshing and exciting direction.

Mad Max: Fury Road

After making three Mad Max movies between 1979 and 1985, the prospect of the franchise returning with such force in 2015 was unexpected. However, it ended up being incredible, because not only is George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road a hit, it’s now widely considered one of the best action movies of all time.

Fast Five

Fast Five is the film that definitively changed the Fast and Furious franchise. While the previous Fast movies were rooted in street racing and did up the ante every time, the fifth installment took things to a whole new level. Following the team’s heist in Brazil, this film proves that sometimes a fifth movie can be the best one, because, to this day, Fast Five is one of if not the best Fast and Furious movie.

Prey

The Predator franchise began in 1987, and each decade since, we’ve gotten a new film. However, in 2022, I don’t think many asked for or expected Prey. The film was widely well-received, and the prequel introduced many to the wildly talented actress Amber Midthunder. It went over so well with audiences, in fact, that it’s now considered one of the best Predator movies.

Toy Story 4

If you thought Toy Story 3 seemingly came out of thin air, then you likely really weren’t ready for Toy Story 4. Released nine years after the third film, this project is quite different from the others as it sees the toys with Bonnie and Woody specifically struggling with his life as a toy. It’s a thoughtful and fun film, and one that I was surprised I loved so much since the bar was sky high for it.

Scream (2022)

While each Scream movie features a new ensemble of side characters, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette were always leading the films. However, 2022’s Scream – which is notably the first project in the franchise not directed by Wes Craven – acted as a changing of the guard. While Sidney, Gale and Dewey were there, the film was led by Melissa Barrera’s Sam, Jenna Ortega’s Tara and their set of friends, giving us a fresh yet fitting addition to this beloved horror franchise.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Yes, there was a want for Mamma Mia! 2, however, I don’t think anyone asked for them to go this hard! The film flashes back and forth between the present and the past, adding new ABBA songs and bringing back fan favorites, meaning the vibes were so high in this sequel and it's a worthy successor of its beloved predecessor.

T2: Trainspotting

In 1996, Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting was met with a lot of love. Then, 21 years later, in 2017, Ewan McGregor and co. got back together for the sequel T2: Trainspotting.

Shrek 2

Shrek was a cultural phenomenon, and honestly, it still is. However, Shrek 2 came onto the scene swinging, and the story that included the antagonistic Prince Charming and Fairy Godmother is widely considered the best Shrek movie.

Paddington 2

I’m not being dramatic, Paddington 2 is a masterpiece. As you will note if you look at its many five-star reviews, Paddington 2 is a wonderful, wholesome and deeply beloved film that is also a sequel that no one expected to love this much.

Before Sunset

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy put a wonderful love story to screen in Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise. Typically, romances don’t get sequels. However, in 2004, the crew got back together again to make Before Sunset, which is also a deeply loved film.

Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit

Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit – which is a wonderful title – was the surprise sequel to Whoopi Goldberg’s beloved Sister Act. While it’s not as beloved as the original, it is heaps of fun and filled with magical musical moments.

John Wick: Chapter 2

John Wick was an action-packed new film that blew people away. Then, after its success Chad Stahelski got to make more of these movies with Keanu Reeves, spawning one of the great action franchises.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

After the first Suicide Squad film, I don’t think anyone needed or really wanted another one. However, then James Gunn got his hands on the property and saved it with ease as he brought back characters like Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, and introduced new ones, like John Cena’s Peacemaker.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Six years after the release of Gremlins, we got another story about these little monsters. And like its predecessor, it’s a spooky and fun film that audiences really love.

Halloween (2018)

In 1978 we saw Jamie Lee Curtis lead the iconic slasher Halloween, and we were introduced to the legendary horror villain Michael Meyers. After that, we got movies in 1981, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2007 and 2009. In fact, 2018’s Halloween is the third movie to just go by the singular name. So, it’s safe to say there were questions about if we needed an eleventh film in the franchise. However, this entry from David Gordon Green was a welcome one that breathed new life into the franchise.

Magic Mike XXL

Magic Mike XXL is one of those movies that has no right to be as good as it is. I don’t think many thought Channing Tatum’s movie about strippers would get a sequel, however, Magic Mike ended up being quite the success. A few years later we got its great sequel that takes the beloved strippers on the road so they can go to a stripper convention.

Thor: Ragnarok

If you’ve watched the Marvel movies in order, you know that Thor: The Dark World is a dark spot in the franchise. So, going into the threequel about the God of Thunder, apprehension is the word I’d use to describe many viewers' thoughts about it. However, under the direction of Taika Waititi, the third Thor movie took a hard turn into comedy, leaned into Chris Hemsworth’s comedic sensibilities and brought this franchise based on the Norse hero back to life.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

You know, The Terminator did say “I’ll be back,” and he was right. In 1991, Arnold Schwarzenegger returned as the titular character, and he did so with a bang. To this day it's considered one of the great sequels, and The Terminator came back a few more times after that.

Psycho II

It might not be as critically acclaimed as its predecessor but Psycho II has quite the cult following. The film follows Norman Bates 20 years after the events of the first film, and offers an interesting look into what happened two decades after those infamous events at the Bates Motel.

Predator 2

Predator 2 is a cult classic. While it’s not as acclaimed as its predecessor, the 1990 sequel led by Danny Glover has many fans who adore it.

Home Alone 2: Lost In New York

The first Home Alone became a fast favorite and one of the best Christmas movies. Then, two years later, Kevin McCallister didn’t get left home alone, he got lost in New York, and the shenanigans that ensued made this sequel just as classic as the original.

Aliens

After Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic Alien, James Cameron took over to helm the sequel, Aliens, in 1986. Not only is it a great sequel, it’s one of the best sequels ever. And, not only is it a fantastic sequel, it’s also just flat-out one of the best movies of the ‘80s.

From cult classics to critically acclaimed flicks, there’s a whole swath of sequels we didn’t really ask for. However, I’m oh so happy they happened, and I think a bunch of viewers are too.

Thor: Ragnarok was a significant movie among all the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. It marked a significant shift in the character of Thor, leading to a more comedic take on the character. While many, including Hemsworth himself, felt that the most recent Thor movie Love and Thunder went too far when it came to the ridiculousness, Ragnarok still holds up, and many fans are still enjoying some of the movie's best moments.

A lot of Thor: Ragnarok’s hilarious dialogue was reportedly improv on the set rather than being written into the script. This includes a fan-favorite scene, currently going viral on Instagram, where Chris Hemsworth’s Thor tells a story about Loki stabbing him when they were kids. Of course, what still has fans laughing, even years later, isn’t so much the story as it is what appears to be a genuine reaction from Tom Hiddleston laughing at the story. Check it out.

This new posting of the old scene has a lot of reactions. Some of the comments have thousands of likes showing just how many people truly love this moment. Some of the most popular comments include:

• And Tom just went with it. Love those two gentlemen.
• Tom was like "ahh i remember that like yesterday, fun times"
• The fact that he says he stabbed him so nonchalantly like that is hilarious 🤣🤣
• Tom was not expecting to enjoy that improv as much as he did

Tom Hiddleston does look on the verge of cracking up as he starts to smile. Within the story, we're clearly meant to take in that Loki is laughing at hearing the story that Thor is telling about what he did as a kid, but it’s easy to read the shot as Hiddleston reacting to hearing Hemsworth’s adlib and finding it just as funny as the rest of the audience. To be honest Mark Ruffalo's reaction is equally priceless.

It seems quite clear that a lot of people love Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston working together in the Thor movies. The duo is absolutely a big part of why the movies work, and the lack of Loki in Thor: Love and Thunder was certainly felt.

Unfortunately, it’s far from clear at this point if we’ll ever see Thor and Loki together on screen again. It’s honestly unclear if we’ll ever see Thor or Loki on screen again at all. Both characters are still kicking out there in the MCU, but Loki is pretty busy keeping the whole of time together and Thor is busy raising a kid.

We don’t know what the plans are for Thor and Loki are going forward. And with the MCU having become as big as it has in recent years, it’s possible that there are simply no plans at all for either of them. That would be a tragedy as it

Sure, Hollywood has always been criticized for having a nepotism problem, but it does admittedly give us a thrill when we see some real-life brothers and sisters appearing together on the big screen, whether they're keeping with the theme and playing siblings or simply popping in for a quick cameo. From the Fannings to the Wilsons to the Murphys, here are 32 times celebrity siblings acted alongside each other in the same movie. 

John, Joan, Ann and Bill Cusack (Grosse Pointe Blank)

The Cusack clan is crammed with actors, from '80s icon John Cusack to his Oscar-nominated sister Joan. And while those two have frequently featured together onscreen in films like Sixteen Candles, Broadcast News and High Fidelity, you can actually catch four out of the five Cusack siblings in the 1997 black comedy Grosse Point Blank.

Luke, Owen and Andrew Wilson (The Royal Tenenbaums)

After Luke and Owen Wilson made their big screen acting debuts together in 1996's Bottle Rocket alongside older brother Andrew, all three Wilson brothers reunited again in Wes Anderon's 2001 family dramedy The Royal Tenenbaums. 

Macaulay and Kieran Culkin (Home Alone)

Long before the former was a Party Monster and the latter was Succession's Roman Roy, Macaulay and Kieran Culkin were two young tikes starring as McCallister cousins in the classic 1990 Christmas comedy Home Alone. Several decades later, the famous bros—along with their acting siblings including Rory, Christian and Shane—reunited for voiceover work in the Prime Video animated series The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy.

Elle and Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam)

Both Fanning girls began their acting careers when they were small, with four-years-junior Elle making her movie debut as a younger version of big sis Dakota's character in 2001's I Am Sam. As adults, the sisters play on-screen siblings in Mélanie Laurent's film adaptation of the bestselling Kristin Hannah wartime novel, The Nightingale. 

Ben And Casey Affleck (Good Will Hunting)

Three years younger than Ben, Casey Affleck memorably had a supporting role in Gus van Sant's 1997 drama Good Will Hunting, which starred and was written by his brother and their childhood friend Matt Damon. Casey would later have the leading role in Ben Affleck's directorial debut, 2007's Gone Baby Gone. 

Daniel, William and Stephen Baldwin (Born on the Fourth of July)

Despite working in Hollywood for decades, the four Baldwin brothers have only appeared on-screen together once: in the 2020 documentary, My Promise to PJ, which Daniel directed. However, you can catch three of the four lads—Daniel, William and Stephen—in the 1989 Oliver Stone film Born on the Fourth of July.

Marlon and Shawn Wayans (White Chicks)

The Wayans family tree is an extensive one, including show-business siblings Nadia, Shawn, Keenen Ivory, Dwayne, Kim, Damon and Marlon. The latter two brothers famously collaborated on the '90s WB sitcom The Wayans Bros as well as comedy films including Don't Be a Menace, the Scary Movie series, White Chicks, Little Man and Dance Flick. 

Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko)

Filmmaking runs in the Gyllenhaal family: Maggie and Jake's parents are writer-directors Stephen Gyllenhaal and Naomi Achs. And while the siblings have received critical acclaim for their own individual films—she for titles like Secretary and Crazy Heart; he for Brokeback Mountain, Zodiac and Nightcrawler—their collective effort, the 2001 psychological thriller Donnie Darko, might just be their most beloved. 

Maude and Iris Apatow (Knocked Up)

The daughters of director Judd Apatow and comedic favorite Leslie Mann, Maude and Iris began their Hollywood careers as child actresses in their dad's films, including 2007's Knocked Up, '09's Funny People and 2012's This Is 40. Both continued acting as adults: Maude is best known for her role as Lexi Howard in HBO's Euphoria, while Iris has popped up in Netflix projects like Love and The Bubble.

Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estévez (Young Guns)

Following in dad's footsteps, all four of Martin Sheen's kids—sons Emilio, Ramón and Carlos (a.k.a. Charlie), and daughter Renée—became actors. Emilio and Charlie, in particular, each saw great Hollywood success and worked on numerous movies together, including Wisdom (1986), Young Guns (1988), Men at Work (1990) and Rated X (2000).

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (It Takes Two)

It's rare to see the Olsens apart onscreen: as child stars, the twin sisters became a pop culture phenomenon starring opposite each other in movies like It Takes Two, Billboard Dad, Passport to Paris, Holiday in the Sun and New York Minute. The sisters even worked together when they were only a few months old, sharing acting duties as Michelle Tanner on the television sitcom Full House.

James, Dave and Tom Franco (The Disaster Artist)

All three Franco brothers had a role to play in The Disaster Artist, the 2017 bio-comedy about the making of the cult classic The Room: James directed the flick and portrayed its leading man, Tommy Wiseau; Dave played Wiseau's costar, Greg Sestero; and older brother Tom popped up as one of the crew members of the movie-within-a-movie. 

Dylan and Cole Sprouse (Big Daddy)

Before they were better known as Zack and Cody in The Disney Channel's The Suite Life TV franchise, twin brothers Dylan and Cole Sprouse shared their first major theatrical film role in the 1999 comedy Big Daddy, in which they co-starred opposite Adam Sandler as five-year-old Julian McGrath. 

Jeff and Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys)

Real-life brothers Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges star as the eponymous Baker Boys, a pair of piano-playing siblings, in this 1989 musical dramedy written and directed by Steve Kloves. In one scene, a fraternal squabble between the bros was reportedly so realistic that Beau went to the hospital believing Jeff really broke his hand. 

Luke and Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok)

Though there's not one single movie starring all three Hemsworth brothers—Chris, Liam and Luke—there are several that feature at least two of the Aussie-born siblings. In 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, Luke showed up as a dramatized version of Chris's God of Thunder; and seven years later, he joined Liam in the cast of the 2024 action thriller Land of Bad. Now we just have to get Chris and Liam onscreen together!

Hilary and Haylie Duff (Material Girls)

In the 2006 teen comedy Material Girls, famous sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff star as—you guessed it—famous sisters named Tanzie and Ava, two wealthy, spoiled Hollywood socialites whose multimillion-dollar cosmetics fortune is destroyed after a major media scandal. 

Sunny and Sadie Sandler (You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah)

The whole Sandler crew stars in the fresh and funny Netflix dramedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah—one of the best coming-of-age movies in recent memory—including Adam's IRL daughters Sunny and Sadie, with the former as Stacy Friedman, a middle school student looking forward to her bat mitzvah, and Sadie playing her older sister Ronnie.

Sean and Chris Penn (At Close Range)

To portray the Whitewoods, a family gang of rural backwoods criminals, in 1986's At Close Range, director James Foley turned to a pair of actual brothers: Sean and Chris Penn. The actors would later both cameo in the 2003 mockumentary film Pauly Shore Is Dead, with Sean appearing as himself and Chris playing "Half of Gay Couple in Jail."

Tia, Tamera and Tahj Mowry (Seventeen Again)

After first gaining recognition as the leads of the TGIF sitcom Sister, Sister, twins Tia and Tamera Mowry expanded into films with the 2000 fantasy comedy Seventeen Again, which also starred another member of the Mowry family: their young brother Tahj, who you know from Smart Guy. 

Brian And Domhnall Gleeson (Mother!)

Fittingly, Brian and Domhnall Gleason's character names in Mother!—the 2017 psychological horror flick from Darren Aronofsky—are "younger bro" and "oldest son," respectively. The Irish lads are real-life siblings, along with novelist-screenwriter Rory and fellow actor Fergus, and they call Oscar nominee Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin) dad. 

Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo Marx (Duck Soup)

The legendary comedy quartet The Marx Brothers started as a family vaudeville act, populated by elder brothers Groucho, Harpo and Chico and later including younger siblings Gummo and Zeppo. The siblings starred in 14 motion pictures together from 1905 to 1949, including classics like Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera and Horse Feathers. 

Eddie And Charlie Murphy (Harlem Nights)

 For his first and, thus far, only directorial effort, Eddie Murphy put together a stacked cast for his 1989 crime comedy Harlem Nights, including legendary performers Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx, as well as his own older brother, actor-comedian Charlie Murphy. 

Nat And Alex Wolff (Stella’s Last Weekend)

The filmmaker behind the 2018 comedy Stella's Last Weekend was certainly familiar to brother-stars Nat and Alex Wolff—it was directed by their own mother, Polly Draper. Of course, it was far from the first time the siblings worked together: they previously starred together in the Nickelodeon series The Naked Brothers Band, which was created—you guessed it—by their mother. 

Rory And Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down)

Having a bunch of actors in the family is very convenient for the Culkin crew—anytime a filmmaker needed someone to play the younger version of older bros Macaulay or Kieran Culkin, all they had to do was call Rory. The actor played younger Macaulay in 1994's Richie Rich and played the younger version of Kieran Culkin's character in 2002's Igby Goes Down.

Abigail and Spencer Breslin (Raising Helen)

Both starting out in Hollywood as wee child stars, Abigal Breslin and her older brother Spencer played on-screen siblings in the 2004 dramedy Raising Helen, starring Kate Hudson as their aunt and guardian. That same year, they would both pop up in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, in which Spencer portrayed a prince and Abigail a little girl at an orphanage. 

Melvil and Yarol Poupaud (Broken English)

As New York singleton Nora Wilder, Parker Posey spends much of Zoe Cassavetes's 2007 rom-com Broken English being charmed by a fetching Frenchman named Julian, played by Melvil Poupaud. But he's not the only Poupaud that Nora encounters in the film: Melvil's real-life rocker brother Yarol also cameos as Guillaume, a man Nora meets at an art gallery. 

Ron And Clint Howard (Grand Theft Auto)

Ron and Clint Howard's decades-long screen collaborations kicked off when Clint was just two, appearing on The Andy Griffith Show alongside his older brother in the 1960s. In the years since, Clint has appeared in seventeen films directed by his actor-filmmaker bro, joining Ron in the cast of his first full-length feature, Grand Theft Auto. 

Chris And Scott Evans (Before We Go)

Scott Evans has appeared in two films alongside his big brother Chris, both of which dropped in 2014: the rom-com Playing It Cool and Chris's directorial debut Before We Go. Alas, we didn't get a brotherly reunion for 2023's Barbie, though it would have been very fun to see Chris Evans as a Ken!

Kevin, Nick and Joe Jonas (Camp Rock)

Obviously, the world knows the Jonas Brothers as a pop-rock band, but Kevin, Joe and Nick have also dabbled in acting over the years, appearing together in the 2008 Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock as well as its 2010 sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. 

Dennis and Randy Quaid (The Long Riders)

The Long Riders, a 1980s biographical Western directed by Walter Hill, stars four sets of actor brothers as the real-life siblings that made up the film's robber gangs. That included both Dennis and Randy Quaid, who played Minnesota outlaws Ed and Clell Miller, respectively. 

Nicholas and Christopher Guest (The Long Riders)

The Long Riders features a cast full of real-life siblings, including the Quaids, the Keaches, the Carradines. Brothers Christopher and Nicholas Guest also starred in the Western film as Robert Ford—the killer of Jesse James—and his outlaw bro Charles. 

Julia and Eric Roberts (Blood Red)

Despite many respective decades in show business, siblings Eric and Julia Roberts have only appeared in one feature film together. The duo, who are the children of actor-playwrights Betty Lou Bredemus and Walter Grady Roberts, played brother and sister in the 1989 Western Blood Red.

Men may be the more traditional villains in movies, but women have been some of the best. The kind of characters we just love to hate, played by some of the greatest actresses of all time. Here is our list of some of the best female villains in film history.

Nurse Ratched - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Louise Fletcher's performance as the manipulative Nurse Ratched is one of the most chilling to grace the silver screen. Her iron-fisted rule over McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) and the rest of the patients is quietly evil, making it way more effective and terrifying than an over-the-top style of villain. 

Wicked Witch Of The West - The Wizard Of Oz

There may be no more recognizable villain, male or female, to movie fans than the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard Of Oz. The Margaret Hamilton character has been scaring kids (in the best way) for almost a century. The role is so iconic that when we think of a generic "witch," we almost always picture the Wicked Witch of the West. 

Alex Forrest - Fatal Attraction

You know we couldn't make this list without the absolutely unhinged Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) in Fatal Attraction. Close's performance of the jilted lover is consistently ranked among the great villains of all time and it's easy to see why. The movie keeps viewers on the edge of their seats as she gets more and more detached from reality, leaving us all terrified of what could come next. 

Madeline "Ma-Ma" Madrigal - Dredd

Madeline "Ma-Ma" Madrigal (Lena Headey), the gang boss in 2012's Dredd, is among the most ruthless criminals on film in recent years. Her control over the housing block Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is trying to police is fanatical and all-encompassing. Ma-Ma doesn't seem to have - or want - friends or advisors, just soldiers in her battle for control. 

Mary Lee Johnston - Precious

A lot of the villains on this list are traditional movie villains. Mary Lee Johnston (Mo'Nique) in Precious is not traditional. She's also the "realest" villain on this list. So real, it's horrifying, making Precious being a great movie that you almost never want to watch ever again. She's so evil it's really hard to watch. Mo'Nique is fantastic, bringing this wicked character to life on the screen. 

Phyllis Dietrichson - Double Indemnity

Female villains are nothing new, of course. One of the all-time classic examples is Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity from 1944. Barbara Stanwyck plays the traitorous wife who takes advantage of an insurance salesman (Fred MacMurray) by dragging him into her diabolical plan to off her husband and collect on his life insurance. 

Kathryn Merteuil - Cruel Intentions

High school bullies make great villains. They make especially great villains when they are as manipulative as Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in Cruel Intentions. Kathryn has no morals and no ethics, she only cares about herself and doesn't care who she hurts. That's why watching her get caught in the end is so satisfying. It's also maybe the best use of music in the movies. 

Pamela Voorhees - Friday The 13th

In the history of horror movies, one of the most iconic has to be the original Friday The 13th. While Jason Voorhees is on the Mount Rushmore of slasher film villains after countless sequels and spinoffs in the franchise, it's his mother who is the real villain in the original and that's why she, Pamala Voorhees (Betsy Palmer), deserves to be on this list. 

Mystique - X-Men

Magneto may the "big bad" in most of the X-Men movies, but he wouldn't be nearly as threatening without his right-hand woman, Mystique. Played by both Rebecca Romijn and Jennifer Lawrence in the movies, the shapeshifting mutant does a lot of Magneto's dirty work. 

Elektra King - The World Is Not Enough

Given James Bond's history with women, you might expect more of his villains to be women. While there are plenty of henchmen, there are not a lot of women who played Bond villains. One great exception is the diabolical Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) in The World Is Not Enough. King,  wasn't born evil, but she definitely turned that way, perhaps even more extreme than the man who made her that way. 

Regina George - Mean Girls

Ruining Regina George's life might not have made Cady (Lindsay Lohan) happy in Mean Girls, but it sure was satisfying to watch! George, played by the great Rachel McAdams, is one of the all-time great girl-bullies in movie history. The manipulative popular girl gets what's coming to her in the end, after proving how awful she can be to even her closest friends. 

Bellatrix Lestrange - Harry Potter

It's impossible to see anyone other than Helena Bonham Carter in the role of the Harry Potter Bellatrix Lestrange. She plays the role of the villain perfectly in the series. Most of Potter and Co.'s enemies are male, of course, but one of the scariest has to be Lestrange.

Cassandra Nova - Deadpool And Wolverine

The MCU has a handful of female villains and for the most part, they are among the most powerful of all the villains. Take Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) in Deadpool And Wolverine, for example. She's just as powerful as her brother, Charles Xavier, but she's pure evil. That's a terrifying combination. 

Annie Wilkes - Misery

This list would certainly not be complete without one of the meanest villains of the '90s, or any other decade in film history. Annie Wilkes, played by Kathy Bates in an Oscar-winning performance. She completely stole the show in one of the greatest horror movies of all time and earned a place on the Mount Rushmore of movie villains. 

Mama Fratelli - The Goonies

Big-time fame came late to Anne Ramsey. The actress had built a solid career in Hollywood as a character actor, but she really hit the big time after playing the villainous Mama Fratelli, matriarch of a hapless, yet very mean family, in The Goonies. Tragically, she died just three years later of cancer at age 59. 

Amy Dunne - Gone Girl

Is there anything as scary as a cold, calculating villain like Amy Dunne in Gone Girl? Amy, played by Rosamund Pike, is certainly justified in her beef with her cheating husband, put her method of revenge is pure evil. It's also darn impressive, and in the end, she "wins," so she deserves to be on this list. 

Miranda Priestly - The Devil Wears Prada

Everyone has had bad bosses, but no one has had a boss quite as awful as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. Meryl Streep's performance as the ultimate boss from hell is one of the best of her amazing career and a rare example of the actress playing a true villain. 

Cruella DeVille - One Hundred and One Dalmatians

Disney has a long history of great female villains, and close to the top of the greatest ones has to be Cruella DeVille. The One Hundred and One Dalmatians baddie knows exactly how to tear out viewers' hearts in everything she does, to say nothing of making coats from puppies. 

Aileen Wuornos - Monster

Charlize Theron plays one of the rare real people on this list, serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster. Monster is the perfect description of her, too. While her unbelievably terrible life that led to her murders is something no one would wish on their worst enemy, what Wuornos became is pure evil in every way. Theron won an Oscar for her performance as Wuornos, who was executed in prison a year before the movie was released. 

Hela - Thor: Ragnorak

Some of the most powerful villains in the MCU are women and Hela in Thor: Ragnorak certainly qualifies here. Cate Blanchett's chameleon-like performance is just so great and Hela looks so cool, that you almost want to root for her. 

Maleficent - Sleeping Beauty

When you're such a good villain that they start making spin-offs about you, you absolutely belong on this list. Maleficent is one of the all-time great villains in Disney history and we love to hate her so much that she even got two films all her own in the 2010s, starring Angelina Jolie as the diabolical fairy, where we learn she's maybe not as evil as it seems. 

Harley Quinn - Suicide Squad

Of all the villains on this list, Harley Quinn is the most fun. Yeah, she's a psychopath, sure, but she's a fun psychopath! That's really all she wants to do, have fun and create chaos and that makes her pretty endearing in a lot of ways, as does Margot Robbie's awesome performance as the manic pixie dream psycho in the Suicide Squad movies. 

Veronica - Heathers

On the surface, you may argue that Heather Chandler (Kim Walker) is the villain in Heathers. Like Regina George, Chandler is the alpha mean girl in the crew of Heathers. But really, it's Veronica (Winona Ryder) and her boyfriend J.D. (Christian Slater), who are the real baddies here. They're the ones committing the murders, after all.  

Elle Driver - Kill Bill

Daryl Hannah was mostly known for rom-coms and more "innocent" characters before she was brilliantly cast by Quentin Tarantino as Elle Driver in Kill Bill. The California Mountain Snake, as Driver was known as part of the Deadly Vipers is a remorseless killer and relentless in her pursuit of her intended victim. 

Elsa Schneider - Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade

Elsa Schneider is the worst kind of traitor, she's a Nazi traitor who turns on one of cinema's great heroes, Indiana Jones. It's an unforgivable sin that earns her place on this list. Allison Doody's performance is great, as the surprise twist is something few saw coming. 

Catherine Tramell - Basic Instinct

It's unfortunate that Basic Instinct is really only remembered for one scene, surely you know which one. It's sad because Sharon Stone's work in the film as the calculating Catherine Tramell deserves to be remembered for more than just that interrogation scene. It's arguably the finest performance of her career. 

Jadis The White Witch - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Jadis The White Witch (Tilda Swinton) is, in the end, really nothing more than a dictator and a bully. She just has powerful magic to help her in her mercurial schemes and grievances. Not only does she delight in turning her enemies to stone for even the most minor slights, but she also plunges Narnia into winter for decades. 

Madison Lee - Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

Traitorous villains, like Madison Lee (Demi Moore) in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle are the worst kind of people, but they make for some epic baddies in movies. A former Angel, Madison turns to the dark side after she thinks Charlie disrespects her and goes after her old friends with total abandon. 

Ursula - The Little Mermaid

It's hard to narrow down all the great Disney female villains for this list, but we had to include Ursula from The Little Mermaid. She's the epitome of everything that makes Disney villains great. Life's full of tough choices, isn't it?

Mallory Knox - Natural Born Killers

Like many others on this list, Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) in Natural Born Killers is in some ways a victim of circumstance. Her upbringing was shocking, and her husband Mickey (Woody Harrelson) is the catalyst for their crime spree. Neither of those things gives her a pass though. Instead she makes this list as an all-time great villain. 

Frau Farbissina - Austin Powers 

One of the great Bond villainesses. Rosa Klebb in From Russia With Love is the inspiration for another great, Frau Farbissina in the Austin Powers franchise. Mindy Sterling's performance as Dr. Evil's right-hand woman is just pitch-perfect as a parody and she absolutely deserves to be on this list. 

President Alma Coin - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland) is the classic bad guy in The Hunger Games movies, but after Snow is finally deposed and Alma Coin (Julieanne Moore) takes over as President, it turns out she's just as ruthless as Snow. Her pettiness towards Katniss doesn't do much to endear her to anyone, either.

With a bit more fantastical whimsy than many of Apple TV+’s best shows, the film-to-TV reimagining of Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits is as irreverently wacky and ridiculous as time-travel movies and TV shows can get. Some of that comes from star Lisa Kudrow and the rest of the ragtag ensemble, but much of it stems from the imaginative duo of co-creators Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, whose past efforts helped to inform the streaming comedy.

CinemaBlend spoke with Waititi and Clement going into Season 1 of Time Bandits, and given just how wide the scope of the story is, I asked them if and how the former’s MCU films Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder paved the way for this series, and similarly inquired about how the impact of their shared vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows. Understandably, Clement attributed the size of it all to the Marvel features, as he put it:

Of course, a sizeable budget and massive scale are good things to have for an audacious remake like this, but all are essentially worthless without someone who knows how to turn the money into gold. And Taika Waititi explained who that person was for this show, saying:

Indeed, the Oscar-nominated Ra Vincent is no small-timer. He started as a sculptor for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Ring movies, moved up to handling set decoration for the Hobbit trilogy and Alice Through the Looking Glass. Along the way, he crossed professional paths with Waititi and Clement, and since handled production design on films like What We Do in the Shadows, Thor: Ragnarok, JoJo Rabbit, and Next Goal Wins, as well as Our Flag Means Death and the pilot of What We Do in the Shadows.

Save for Thor: Love and Thunder, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Eagle vs Shark, Vincent has been looped into the majority of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s mainstream creative ventures. And I think most fans would agree that the looks of all of those projects is spot-on and right in line with whatever moods and tones are needed. (The vamp’s house alone in Shadows is a design feat.)

Jemaine Clement agreeably shared praise for Ra Vincent in bringing up a series that wasn't already mentioned earlier. And he also spoke more generally to the idea that he and Waititi attempted to do with Time Bandits what they did with Shadows as far as building upon an existing story goes. In his words:

Among the funniest shows streaming on Hulu, Time Bandits was able to pull off some of its wild visuals by filming within the screened-in environments of The Volume, which Taika Waititi gained a bit of experience with while directing episodes of The Mandalorian. It's certainly possible his time on that show would have influenced his work on the Lisa Kudrow-helmed series even if he hadn't even joined the MCU or adapted his own film for TV. But I don't think he'd be going back in time to try and change any of that, either. And we're all the better for it. In Penelope, we trust!

Time Bandits is available to stream with an Apple TV+ subscription, with the final two episodes dropping on Wednesday, August 21. Check out all the other upcoming Apple TV+ shows heading to the 2024 TV schedule and beyond.

When you watch the Marvel movies in order, there may be no more significant shift in tone than the one we see for Thor in Thor: Ragnarok. The film was a significant departure for both Thor as a character and the Marvel Cinematic Universe more generally. Taika Waititi brought a fresh energy and humor to the franchise that, while many think he overdid it in Thor: Love and Thunder, is just perfect in Ragnarok, and hearing Cate Blanchett talk, that movie was an absolute joy to make.

Cate Blanchett recently spoke with GQ about some of her biggest film roles, among them, the role of Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. Most would likely agree that she is fantastic in the role, and one of the best MCU villains to date. Blanchett says she learned a great deal on the set, which she still uses today about how to act in front of massive green screens. She also learned how to throw hammers from Chris Hemsworth. Blanchett explained…

Blanchett does say the quiet part out loud, that Marvel movies often start filming without a complete script, and that the pieces get put together as the movie is happening. This isn’t exactly a secret, but it’s not something that is often discussed. Still, it sounds like Blanchett enjoyed working on the “jigsaw puzzle” and was proud to be the first major female villain in the MCU, something she didn't even realize was the case until later. She continued…

While the end of Thor: Ragnarok certainly made a return for Hela seem unlikely, with the Multiverse still a thing in the MCU, despite the transition away from Kang and toward Doctor Doom, a return for Cate Blancett is far from impossible. Until then, we’ll have to make do with the actress appearing with Thor and Loki at Disneyland only.

Being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe certainly looks like hard work. Playing a superhero requires constant hours in the gym. It means doing a lot of physically exhausting work on set. It means wearing a potentially uncomfortable superhero costume. However, for Chris Hemsworth, it turns out that the hardest part of the job isn’t all the physical exertion, it’s when you do the audio recording of all the physical exertion.

Playing Thor requires more than a few grunts, groans, screams and shouts. And because a lot of those noises are needed for off-camera scenes, or because an actor is running around or getting punched in the face, the audio recording for them is usually done after the fact. This ADR is referred to in the industry as “efforts” when an actor comes in to record all the various noises their character makes while they are exerting effort. CinemaBlend caught up with Chris Hemsworth on the red carpet at SDCC and he told us efforts were the most exhausting part because of the way they destroy his voice. He explained…

Honestly, while I would never have guessed that this could be the most exhausting part of making a superhero movie, hearing Chris Hemsworth describe it, I totally get it. We know voice acting is harder than it seems, often for many of these same reasons, and that's very similar to what's going on here. It sounds absolutely awful. And any action movie is going to have a lot of this kind of stuff, so recording just these noises would be rough.

Why can’t they use the sounds from the last movie? Between four Thor movies and four Avengers movies, Chris Hemsworth has been in a lot of Marvel movies and you’d think they have enough of a library of noises that they could use. It’s not like they’d need to reuse only a small handful of sounds. If there was anything unique in a new film Hemsworth could just do a few new sounds, then the film could pick the best choices from the pile for everything else. However, that's not how it works.

What the future holds for Thor in any upcoming Marvel movies is unknown. However, we do know that if we do see him again, Chris Hemsworth is going to have to do a whole new round of throat-destroying sound effects. The next time I watch all the Marvel movies in order I'm going to be thinking about these sounds in a whole new way.

Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent once said in The Dark Knight, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” While that exact scenario is not always the case in most comic book adaptations, there are quite a few instances in which the central character does not deserve to be called the hero as much as another member of the ensemble whose actions played a more pivotal role in the final victory. Let’s take a look at some of the best superhero movies in which the superhero ended up owing a supporting role a large debt of gratitude.

Avengers: Endgame (The Rat)

It would be easy to call Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) the real hero of one of the best Marvel movies, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, since he is the one who sacrifices his life to destroy Thanos (Josh Brolin) at the end. However, the Avengers would have never been able to build a time machine, collect the Infinity Stones, and reverse the Titan’s genocidal act if not for Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who was released from the Quantum Realm by a device activated by a rat that scurries across it. Thus, that rat is the MCU’s true savior.

The Batman (Officer Martinez)

Matt Reeves’ The Batman from 2022 is one of the rare live-action Batman movies to portray Bruce Wayne’s alter ego (Robert Pattinson) as a genuine detective, but he still never would have figured out Riddler's (Paul Rano) plan to flood Gotham without a tip from Martinez (Gil Perez-Abraham). The GCPD officer identified the villain’s murder weapon as a carpeting tool, leading the Dark Knight to find the map of explosive devices planted around the city underneath the killer's carpet.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Ned Leeds)

In the multiverse movie favorite, 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker would have never been able to stop Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and other inter-dimensional Spider-Man movie villains without help from his two alternate selves (played by Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire). The epic team-up might not have happened without Peter’s buddy, Ned (Jacob Batalon), who accidentally found the other Peters by using Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring.

Iron Man (Ho Yinsen)

In 2008’s Iron Man, Tony Stark is held captive by The Ten Rings with a fellow scientist named Yinsen (Shaun Toub), whom he thanks for saving him as he makes his escape from their cave. Indeed, Stark was saved by this Afghan family man in two ways: by creating the prototype electromagnet that kept shrapnel near his heart from killing him and by convincing him to reevaluate his life choices and become the hero he was destined to be.

Thor: Ragnarok (Surtur)

In the final act of Thor: Ragnarok, the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) admits that he is unable to save Asgard by defeating his sister, Hela, (Cate Blanchett). However, he is able to defeat her by allowing the Fire Demon Surtur (voiced by Clancy Brown, in one of his two MCU roles) to bring about the destruction of his beloved home.

Black Panther (M'Baku)

Because of his understandable motivation, fans of 2018’s Black Panther do not necessarily consider Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) to be a genuine villain, but he is still not a “good” person and does not qualify as the film’s “real hero.” For that, we chose M’Baku (Winston Duke) — the leader of Wakanda’s Jabari tribe, which found an incapacitated T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and kept him alive, allowing for his eventual revival and defeat of his corrupt cousin.

Guardians Of The Galaxy (Meredith Quill)

In 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter “Star-Lord” Quill (Chris Pratt), explains to Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) that his late mother, Meredith (Laura Haddock), equipped him with some of “Terra’s” greatest music in a cassette she called “Awesome Mix. Vol. 1.” These tunes turned out to be the perfect tool in defeating Ronan (Lee Pace), whom he distracts from his team’s attack by challenging him to a dance-off.

The Incredibles (Jack-Jack)

In the literally explosive final battle from the beloved Pixar movie classic, 2004’s The Incredibles, it is Jack-Jack of all people whose actions prove most effective in finally defeating Syndrome (Jason Lee). Not to mention, in that scene, the Parr Family's infant son proves that he is the most powerful of them all, boasting a remarkable arsenal of abilities.

Batman Returns (Catwoman)

Most would say there are two villains in Batman Returns and they are not wrong, but Michelle Pfeiffer’s Selina “Catwoman” Kyle is not one of them when you really think about it. In fact, she is the one who gets rid of the actual greatest threat to Gotham in the 1992 sequel (and one of the most overlooked Batman movie characters): corrupt industrialist Max Schreck (Academy Award winner Christopher Walken).

Unbreakable (Joseph Dunn)

If not for Elijah “Mr. Glass” Price (Samuel L. Jackson), David Dunn (Bruce Willis) would have never discovered his superhuman abilities, but because he also murdered many by causing that introductory train wreck, he is far from being the real hero of M. Night Shyamalan’s 2000 thriller, Unbreakable. It is David’s son, Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark), who really teaches his father to embrace his gifts and use them as a force for good.

Superman: The Movie (Eve Teschmacher)

In 1978’s Superman: The Movie, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) manages to hold the Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) prisoner by putting him in his pool with a Kryptonite-encrusted chain around his neck. Luckily, the wealthy criminal’s girlfriend, Eve (Valerie Perrine), defies him by removing the chain and allowing him to leave and save the day.

Batman (Vicki Vale)

In Tim Burton’s 1989 hit, Batman, photojournalist Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) not only attracts the attention of Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), but his nemesis, The Joker (Jack Nicholson). Near the end, she uses the criminal’s affection for her against him, keeping him distracted while the Dark Knight sneaks up and engages in a final battle with the clown.

The Meteor Man (The Bloods And The Crips)

At the end of the 1993 superhero comedy The Meteor Man, Jefferson Reed (Robert Townsend, who also writes and directs) has lost his powers when powerful crime lord Anthony Byers (Frank Gorshin) and his assassins show up to do him in. Just then, members of the notorious, real-life rival gangs, the Bloods and the Crips, show up in unity to defend the superhero, ultimately scaring away the vicious criminals who are apprehended by the authorities soon after.

Mystery Men (Carmine The Bowler)

The titular vigilante crew in 1999’s Mystery Men — a comic book movie that deserves a reboot — leave it to the spirit of The Bowler’s (Janeana Garofalo) father, Carmine, who possesses her bowling ball, to destroy Casanova Frankenstein’s (Geoffrey Rush) Psycho-frakulator, which destroys the master criminal’s mansion. saving the day. In the film’s final line, The Bowler admits to Carmine that he did save the day and that they will be “hearing about it for the rest of their lives.”

The Dark Knight (The Ferry Passengers)

In 2008’s The Dark Knight, the Joker (Heath Ledger) devises a cruel social experiment, claiming he will destroy two ferries — one commercial and the other carrying convicts — rigged with explosives at midnight unless one detonates the other first. However, neither boat chooses to sacrifice the other, disproving the criminal’s cynical hypothesis in a profound and inspiring moment of humanity in one of the bleakest comic book films ever made.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past (Quicksilver)

Needing to break Erik “Magneto” Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) from a prison inside the Pentagon, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) recruit the unhumanly fast Quicksilver (Evan Peters) to help them in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The slow-motion sequence would prove to be one of the all-time most iconic and dazzling scenes from an X-Men movie, which automatically makes him its true savior in our book.

The Toxic Avenger (Sara)

After being saved by the titular, hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength (played by Mitch Cohen) from 1984’s The Toxic Avenger, the non-seeing Sara (Andree Maranda) would become the beauty who tamed the beast, so to speak. Indeed, she manages to encourage "Toxie" to continue being the hero Tromaville deserves, when it needs him the most, even when he becomes afraid of himself and what he is capable of.

Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm (Andrea Beaumont)

Any fan of, arguably, the greatest animated Batman movie would agree that the true villains of 1993’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm are the ruthless criminals and corrupt figures whom Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delany) targets as her titular alter ego. Her methods may be against the philosophies of the Dark Knight (voiced by Kevin Conroy), but we cannot deny that she gets the job done.

Ant-Man (Officer Jim Paxton)

Because of his criminal record, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is looked down upon by Jim Paxton (Booby Cannavale) — a cop engaged to his ex-wife, Maggie (Judy Greer), who also acts as a loving stepfather to her and Scott’s daughter, Cassie. However, because Scott, as Ant-Man, risked his life to save Cassie from Darren “Yellowjacket” Cross (Corey Stoll), Paxton buried evidence that could have sent him back to jail, beginning a beautiful, overdue friendship between them.

The Avengers (Agent Phil Coulson)

In 2012’s The Avengers, trying to prevent Loki (Tom Hiddleston) from escaping the S.H.I.E.L.D. helipad, Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) is tragically killed. It is his death that ultimately motivates the initially dysfunctional heroes to set aside their differences, work together, and save the world from the Chitauri.

Batman & Robin (Mr. Freeze)

For starters, while many of his puns are criminally atrocious, Dr. Victor “Mr. Freeze” Fries (Arnold Schwarzenegger) does have a justifiable motivation — saving his terminally ill wife — which makes him less deserving of the villain label than his partner, Poison Ivy (Uma Thuman). He also earns his redemption by the end of 1997’s Batman & Robin by giving Bruce Wayne (George Clooney) the cure for McGregor syndrome, which saves Alfred Pennyworth’s (Michael Gough) life.

The Rocketeer (Peevy Peabody)

Director Joe Johnston’s vastly underrated 1991 adventure favorite, The Rocketeer, stars Billy Campbell as Cliff — a 1930s pilot who discovers a jetpack prototype that makes him into a flying superhero. However, you could argue that his mentor, veteran mechanic Peevy (Alan Arkin), is the real brains behind his vigilante exploits.

Batman Begins (Lucius Fox)

Christopher Nolan’s grounded approach to reimagining the origins of Bruce Wayne’s (Christian Bale) war against crime in 2005’s Batman Begins involves the explanation that he did not make all of his wonderful toys on his own. He would have no Batsuit, no Batmobile, and little of his other valuable utilities without the help of Wayne Enterprises' then-head of research, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman).

Ant-Man And The Wasp (Janet Van Dyne)

Ant-Man and the Wasp from 2018 is yet another great example of a superhero movie in which the villain is not really a villain — namely Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava “Ghost” Starr, who is nicknamed for her unstable power of intangibility. However, her unusual condition is luckily cured by Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), Hank Pym’s (Michael Douglas) long-lost wife, after he manages to rescue her from the Quantum Realm.

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (George And Harold)

Ten-year-old best friends George Beard (Kevin Hart) and Harold Hutchins (Thomas Middleditch) may have been the cause of a lot of the trouble in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, by hypnotizing Principal Krupp (Ed Helms) into adopting his titular. However, the entranced superhero also could not have defeated Professor Poopypants (Nick Kroll) without them.

Iron Man 3 (Pepper Potts)

There are actually several reasons why you could argue that Stark Industries CEO and Tony Stark’s wife, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), is the true hero of the Iron Man movies as a whole. Yet it is in 2013’s third installment that sees her really get into the action when she takes out Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian, in the end, using her incendiary abilities after being injected with Extremis.

The LEGO Batman Movie (Phyllis)

In 2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie, Bruce Wayne (Will Arnett) is banished to the Phantom Zone, where its gatekeeper, Phyllis (Ellie Kemper), helps him realize how selfish and cowardly he has been acting. She then allows him to temporarily return to Gotham, where he begins to finally work collaboratively with the likes of Robin and Barbara Gordon, and save the city from Joker and his villains’ collective.

The Crow (Darryl Albrecht)

Ernie Hudson plays one of the best ‘90s movie supporting characters in The Crow as Sgt. Darryl Albrecht. The Detroit cop, who was at the scene of Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and Shelly Webster’s murder, ends up becoming a trusted ally in the resurrected Draven’s plea for vengeance.

The Mask (Milo)

In 1994’s The Mask — one of Jim Carrey’s best movies — Stanley Ipkiss (Carrey) is able to make a swift escape from the police station holding cell with the help of his dog Milo. The Jack Russell Terrier also helps the banker take down Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene) and his henchpeople when the titular, mystical artifact turns him into one mean, green mongrel.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Nuala)

In Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy sequel from 2008, Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) seeks to lead a rebellion of mystical beings against the human race by unleashing the Golden Army. However, he and his sister, Nuala (Anna Walton) are physically linked, meaning they experience the harm of each other's injuries, and it is her deadly sacrifice that thwarts his plan.

The Dark Knight Rises (Officer John Blake)

At the beginning of 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Wayne has put himself into exile, following the death of Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) years earlier, until John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who has figured out that he is Batman, inspires him to don the cape and cowl again. It is no wonder that he chooses him to be his successor at the end — his legal name being “Robin” notwithstanding.

Black Adam (Amon Tomaz)

Following his resurrection, the nearly unbeatable Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) assures multiple times that he is “not a hero.” However, young superhero fan Amon Tomaz (Bodhi Sabongui) teaches him to embrace his potential to be one after all.

Music is a key part of any movie and that's no less true when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From the moment that the first Iron Man opened with a blast of AC/DC you understood who Tony Stark was. Today all the best MCU movies have some of the best music as well.  

There are so many great musical moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that it’s difficult to narrow down that list. We had to go bigger than a simple top 10. From needle drops to great pieces of original score, here are the best musical moments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so far.

12. The Star Spangled Man In Captain America: The First Avenger 

If you watch the Marvel movies in order, one of the best musical moments comes first. When Captain America is first created, rather than putting him on the front lines, he’s turned into a mascot. “The Star Spangled Man” is the song designed to help promote him, and by extension, the war. It’s a beautiful way for the movie to deal with the overtly political nature of Captain America head-on, and the song is pretty catchy, too. 

11. Peter Goes On Patrol In Spider-Man: Homecoming 

Our first chance of seeing the MCU Spider-Man really being a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man comes early in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Spidey swings around his home trying to help out where he can, and he does it all to The Ramones classic “Blitzkrieg Bop.” Considering both The Ramones and Peter Parker are from Queens, there’s really no better music for this montage. 

10. Peter Dances On Vormir In Guardians Of The Galaxy

No discussion of music in the MCU is complete without the music of Guardians of the Galaxy. Music is a key part of the way those movies not only set their tone, but also express emotion. The first big musical moment in the franchise comes when Peter Quill listens to “Come and Get Your Love” while dancing across an alien world. If you wondered what the Guardians of the Galaxy movie was all about, this scene pretty much explains all you need to know. 

9. The Opening Credits In Black Widow 

Black Widow is a unique movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a lot of ways, but one of the most interesting is that Black Widow has an opening credits sequence. Those credits are set against a melancholy version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as performed by Malia J. Taking the quintessential ‘90s song, the era of the movie’s opening scenes, and layering it with the darkness of what happened during Natasha Romanoff’s teen years gets the audience perfectly in sync with the character. 

8. Wanda Fights Back In Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Wanda Maximoff is now seen as one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but she didn’t see herself that way in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The young woman was terrified of the battle going on in Sokovia, but after a pep talk from Hawkeye, she made the decision to fight, and the score swelled to meet her in an epic superhero moment. 

7. Peter Makes His Choice In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the movie where the team of misfit heroes come the closest to falling apart. The Chain, a song about connection, plays twice during the film. The second time is during Quill’s battle with Ego, where he makes the decision to choose his surrogate family over his actual father.  

6. Deadpool & Wolverine Team Up

The Deadpool movies have always been creative when it comes to thier use of music. Unfortunately, the first two entries in the franchise technically don't qualify for this list. Deadpool & Wolverine, however, does. And it's got a musical moment so epic it may never let you see a piece of classic rock and roll the same way again. The film uses the best Madonna song "Like a Prayer," when Deadpool and Wolverine have their epic team up battle and it's everything fans could possibly want

5. Entering Wakanda In Black Panther 

Ludwig Göransson’s score for Black Panther is one of the highlights of the entire film. There’s an ethereal and otherworldy quality to the music, which focuses on a land untouched by colonial hands. The song simply titled “Wakanda” first plays as T’Challa is returning home after a mission early in the film, and when the ship crosses the barrier and we see the real Wakanda for the first time the music hits a beautiful crescendo that transports you there.  

4. Iron Man Arrives At Stark Expo In Iron Man 2

The first Iron Man has more than its share of classic metal needle drops, but the best of those moments actually comes in the opening moments of Iron Man 2. AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill” plays as Iron Man jumps from a plane. At first it looks like he may be going into battle, but actually he’s just showing off for a crowd at Stark Expo, which is a fitting juxtaposition, given the rest of the movie.

3. Thor's Battle On The Rainbow Bridge In Thor: Ragnarok 

Thor: Ragnarok was a drastic shift in tone for the character of Thor after the two previous solo films. Nothing made that clearer than the movie’s opening battle set to Led Zepplin’s “Immigrant Song.” The tune returns for the final battle as well. It’s Thor at his absolute best.  

2. The Final Goodbye In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 

All stories must end, and the story of the Guardians of the Galaxy, at least this version of the Guardians, ended about as well as it could have been expected. Rocket plays Florence & the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over.” It’s hard to feel bad saying goodbye with a song that even makes Drax want to dance.  

1. Avengers Assemble In Avengers: Endgame 

Alan Silvestri’s Avengers Theme is the most iconic piece of Marvel music for a reason, from the moment we heard it as the camera first circled The Avengers it was a song that stirred our emotions. In Avengers: Endgame that moment is only bigger, as heroes from over a decade of film come together to fight for everything. It made people literally cheer in the theater for a reason.

After only releasing one movie in 2024, we'll see multiple upcoming MCU movies released in 2025 and beyond. This means even more opportunities for great music. We've heard some of the new Fantastic Four score. The future of MCU music is looking bright.

Movies scores add so much to films it’s hard to overstate just how important they are. Music can completely change the mood of a movie, or a scene, in ways that little else can. Most movie scores follow a tried and true formula and while we would never discount the importance of such scores, the ones on this list are different. They are meant to be jarring, or at least different enough that they reach new heights in what a film score can be. Here are 32 of the most unconventional film scores we think are among the best of all time. 

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

We’re all very used to Dany Elfman’s contributions to film scores at this point. He’s been one of the most in-demand composers for decades. That wasn’t always the case, and when Tim Burton brought him in to do the score for Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Elfman’s eclectic style wasn’t at all conventional. Elfman came from an art-rock background and by diving into movie scores, he brought a very fresh perspective. It fit Burton’s style perfectly, which explains why they’ve worked together so often since. 

There Will Be Blood

Leave it to Paul Thomas Anderson to think outside the box and bring in Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood to do a soundtrack for him. There Will Be Blood was not Greenwood’s first soundtrack, but it was his first for a major studio production. It’s a haunting, discombobulating soundtrack that adds so much to the movie, that it’s hard to imagine that the film would be as harsh and disturbing as it is without it. 

Birdman

Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Birdman is unconventional in many ways, not the least of which is the percussion-heavy score by jazz drummer Antonio Sánchez. The pulsing rhythms push the story forward as much as the editing of the movie, meant to be seen as all one take. It’s brilliant. 

No Country For Old Men

Composer Carter Burwell has been scoring the films of the Coen Brothers for decades, but with No Country For Old Men, his score is different, mostly because of how little there is of it. A majority of the movie has no score at all, but that makes the rare times it does appear so much more effective. In all, there are only 16 minutes of music on the soundtrack and even those are minimalist. It evokes a perfect eerieness for the film. 

The Social Network

Trent Reznor had never composed a film score before David Fincher approached him to do the music for The Social Network. Reznor, and his co-composer Atticus Ross, weren’t sure they could do it at first, but Fincher stayed on them and we’re all lucky for it. The pulsating soundtrack, which reminds us of Nine Inch Nails, but definitely isn’t,  is one of the many reasons the movie’s seemingly mundane story crackles to life on screen. 

Tron: Legacy

The original Tron was a groundbreaking film in its use of CGI, and so for the sequel, which was almost three decades in the making, the filmmakers knew they had to make a splash. Hiring EDM legends Daft Punk to score the film was a stroke of genius. While the soundtrack only has fleeting moments of the duo’s signature sound, it’s completely outside the box of what one expects from a soundtrack and fits the movie’s CGI look perfectly. 

28 Days Later

According to director Danny Boyle, he had the post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor “in his head” the whole time he made 28 Days Later. While one of the cult band’s songs, “East Hastings” appears in the film, they did not write the foreboding soundtrack. Still, composer John Murphy's soundtrack evokes GY!BE brilliantly, and it makes for a seriously scary soundtrack, in all the best ways. 

A Clockwork Orange

Groundbreaking composer and musician Wendy Carlos’ first foray into film scoring came in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. The combination of her Moog-heavy electronic sounds with the classical music (mostly Beethoven) in the movie is spot on for the dystopian future the film portrays. Carlos would work with Kubrick again on the eerie soundtrack for The Shining as well. 

Punch-Drunk Love

Classical music critic Greg Sandow calls the soundtrack to Punch Drunk Love “sounds” as much as music in his glowing review. He’s completely right, as composer Jon Brion used field recordings as much as music to create the soundtrack, to amazing effect. It’s unlike any other rom-com soundtrack you’ve ever heard, which is what you expect from a movie directed by P.T. Anderson. 

Dredd

Most of the soundtrack to Dredd has a fantastic heavy synth/industrial sound which is pretty unique on its own, but what sets this soundtrack truly apart from others is the music set to the “slo-mo” scenes. The composer, Paul Leonard-Morgan, took inspiration from a Justin Bieber song he heard that was slowed down so much that one minute represented 10 minutes of music in real-time. The ethereal effect is astounding. 

Requiem for a Dream

Kronos Quartet is one of the most avant-garde classical music so if they are going to agree to perform on a soundtrack, you know it’s going to be interesting. The work they do on composer Clint Mansell’s Requiem for a Dream soundtrack is wild and unsettling, just like the movie. It’s impossible to think of the film with any other music. 

Psycho

Without Bernard Herrmann’s legendary score for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, it’s safe to say that it’s a completely different film. It’s easy to watch Psycho today and giggle at what seems like tropes in the filming and the music (the violin screeching in the shower scene), but you have to remember it was all cutting edge in 1960. It’s one of the scariest scores to one of the scariest films ever. 

Metropolis

Metropolis was originally released as a silent movie in 1927, but in 1984, the great composer Giorgio Moroder reimagined the film with an entirely new and modern score. Moroder wrote the music and enlisted some of his friends, like Freddie Mercury and Loverboy, to perform the music. While it was panned at first, it’s gone on to achieve cult status and is definitely a unique take on an old movie. 

Sicario

The music for Sicario first makes its presence felt in a very real way in the scene just before the main characters cross from Texas to Mexico for the first time. “Presence” is the best way to describe it, because audiences feel the music as much as they hear it. The rumbling bass and minimalist music convey the perfect sense of dread the scene needs. 

The Virgin Suicides

The soundtrack for Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, composed and performed by the French electronic duo Air, has been hailed by numerous publications as one of the best of all time, and with good reason. Despite the movie, released in 1999, being set in the 1970s, the music is very much of the era in which it was released, and its bright-yet-dark, fresh sound sets a perfect tone. 

Thor: Ragnarok

Marvel movies aren’t the first place most people would think of looking for a unique soundtrack, but Thor: Ragnarok isn’t a run-of-the-mill superhero movie, either. Director Taika Waititi brought in former Devo leader and long-time film composer Mark Mothersbaugh to do the soundtrack. Mothersbaugh is probably best known for his work on Wes Anderson movies but for Thor: Ragnarok, he incorporated more synth than usual and went out of his way to create a different-sounding Marvel movie, and boy does it work.

Blade Runner

Vangelis, a Greek composer whose career started in the 1960s is best known today for his avant-garde work in the early ‘80s on soundtracks like Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner. His electronic sound was the perfect compliment to the dark future presented in Blade Runner and without it, with a more traditional score, the movie would have been very different. 

Flash Gordon

There are a few reasons Flash Gordon has remained a cult classic over the years and one of the big ones is the amazing soundtrack. Written and performed by Queen, it has remained one of the most interesting soundtracks ever made and is just as listenable as an album as it is backing the movie. 

Rushmore

Composer Mark Mothersbaugh and director Wes Anderson have formed one of the most fruitful partnerships in modern Hollywood. Mothersbaugh's quirky music fits Anderson's style to a T and the music has been as much a part of Anderson's style as the production design and camera angles. When you hear a Mothersbaugh score, you know immediately who wrote it. Their first project together was Bottle Rocket but it was on Rushmore that the former member of Devo found his true voice within Anderson's world. 

Hanna

One surefire way to get a unique soundtrack is to task The Chemical Brothers with creating it. Hanna's soundtrack is spectacular and the pulsing rhythms and dream-like movements drive the movie forward like they are part of the main character's psyche. Without the soundtrack, it just wouldn't have the urgency that it has throughout. 

Friday Night Lights

Post-rock band Explosions in the Sky has a big, bold, triumphant sound. It's a style that fits Friday Night Lights perfectly. It's not the kind of music you'd expect to accompany a movie set in West Texas, or about high school football for that matter, but it just works so well. It moves you as much as the movie does. 

2001: A Space Odyssey

The score for 2001: A Space Odyssey is notable on this list because it's the only one that used predominately previously recorded works. It was very rare at the time for movies to forgo original scores and yet Stanley Kubrick did, choosing to use the music that inspired him to make the movie, rather than the original score by Alex North. It's hard to imagine the ending of 2001 with another other than György Ligeti's "Atmospheres"

Suspiria

One of the most underappreciated soundtracks on this list is Suspiria, written and performed by the Italian prog band Goblins. It's like no other soundtrack on this list and is one of the best to listen to on its own if you are a fan of '70s prog rock, though you've probably never heard anything like it. The 2018 remake of Suspiria also features an incredible and unique soundtrack written by Radiohead's Thom Yorke. 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The soundtrack for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is probably the most conventional on this list, but even though it was composed by the great Hans Zimmer, it still falls outside the box of most of his work. Zimmer worked with a supergroup to co-write and record the music that included Pharrell Williams, Johnny Marr, Mike Einziger, Junkie XL, and others. 

The Third Man

In 1949, when The Third Man was produced and released, music in movies was generally written for, and performed by large orchestras. Composer Anton Karas was a zither player, and as such, he wrote much of the music for that unique instrument. It has a jangly, post-war jazz style to it that was very different for its time and it's just lovely. 

The Warriors

The cult classic The Warriors has a soundtrack full of ominous synths and driving beats that composer Barry De Vorzon expertly crafted to fit the style and plot of the movie. While there are a number of pop songs included, it's the score itself that best represents the action on the screen. It is jarring at the best of times and keeps the audience on the edge as the gang navigates the city towards the safety of Coney Island. 

The Revenant

The late Ryuichi Sakamoto was a true pioneer in electronic music. Beginning with the Yellow Magic Orchestra in Japan in the late 1970s, Sakamoto was always pushing the envelope musically, and that includes his work on movie scores, especially The Revenant. For the score, he teamed up with Alva Noto and The National's Bryce Dessner to create something unique and special. 

Forbidden Planet

The soundtrack to Forbidden Planet, written by Bebe and Louis Barron, was like nothing that had come before it. It is considered the first entirely electronic score and it literally set the tone for sci-fi soundtracks for decades. 

Annihilation

The music in Alex Garland's Annihilation is haunting and eerie, just like the movie. Made up more of evocative sounds than a true score, it's still a work of genius by co-composers Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow. The two have teamed up a number of times to work with Garland including the incredible 2024 release, Civil War.

Hereditary

Horror films often incorporate interesting and nontraditional scores and Hereditary is a perfect example. It oozes feeling and dread in the best way. Written by multi-instrumentalist Colin Stetson, who is known for his work with bands like The Arcade Fire and TV on the Radio, the soundtrack is sparse but powerful. 

Midsommar

Midsommar's writer and director Ari Aster found inspiration while writing the movie in the music of electronica artist Bobby Krlic, also known as The Haxan Cloak. Aster naturally hired Krlic to compose the score and it's a home run, and not what you would expect from the movie, yet fitting perfectly. 

The Road

Indie music legend Nick Cave is not someone you might expect to compose the music for a dark, post-apocalypse movie like The Road, yet his work, alongside co-writer and fellow Bad Seeds member Warren Ellis, is as haunting, terrifying, and beautiful as the story the movie tells. 

If you’re reading this, then you’re likely someone who pays close attention to news about upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows, and rightly so. Still, sometimes it’s nice to revisit past MCU events, specifically by watching the Marvel movies in order, whether you’re breaking out your own copies or streaming these features with a Disney+ subscription. And, of course, one of the main ways the MCU has stood out is by popularizing post-credits scenes, many of which lay groundwork for future projects.

For those of you who specifically have these scenes on the mind, but don’t have the time to go back and revisit any of these movies, don’t worry, we have you covered. Below is every MCU Marvel movie post-credits scene in order, with many of these flicks containing more than one scene to enjoy after the main story is finished.

It’s also important to mention first that neither The Incredible Hulk nor Avengers: Endgame had post-credits scenes, hence why they aren’t included here (although the latter movie does play the sound of a hammer striking metal, harkening back to when Tony Stark was constructing his first suit of armor).

Iron Man

After revealing to the world that he and Iron Man are one and the same, Tony Stark returns to his mansion to find Nick Fury waiting in the shadows. The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. broke into the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist’s home to pick his brain on the Avengers Initiative.

Iron Man 2

When Tony Stark and Nick Fury chatted at Randy’s donuts, the latter told the former he had bigger problems in the Southwest region to deal with than him. Later on, Phil Coulson relinquished his Stark babysitting duties because Fury was sending him to New Mexico. In the movie’s final minutes, we learned this was to track down a mysterious hammer embedded in the desert: Mjolnir, Thor’s weapon.

Thor

Nick Fury brings Dr. Erik Selvig to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility to show him the Tesseract, a mysterious glowing cube that could potentially provide unlimited power to humanity. Unbeknownst to Fury, Selvig is being controlled by a still-alive Loki.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Some time after Steve Rogers awoke in the present day, Nick Fury approaches the super soldier about going on an important mission to save the world. This leads into a teaser for The Avengers.

The Avengers

Following Loki’s defeat at the hands of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the mysterious entity known as The Other meets with his master, i.e. the being who approved giving the Asgardian God of Mischief his Chitauri army, the mind-controlling scepter and the promise of being able to rule Earth, all if he obtained the Tesseract. That master turns out to be Thanos, who merely grins when The Other tells him that to battle the Avengers would be to court death.

Iron Man 3

It turns out that Tony Stark has been recounting the events of Iron Man 3 to Bruce Banner, a.k.a. one of his new Avengers teammates. Unfortunately, Bruce fell asleep basically right as Tony started telling the story, making it clear he doesn’t have the temperament to be a therapist. Undeterred, and perhaps out of spite, Tony starts talking about the “original wound” he suffered when he was 14 years old.

Thor: The Dark World

Post-Credits Scene #1: With the Aether finally out of Malekith’s hands, Asgardian warriors Volstagg and Lady Sif give the weapon to Taneleer Titan, a.k.a. The Collector, for safekeeping. It’s here we learn that the Aether and Tesseract are both Infinity Stones, with Volstagg saying it’s not safe to keep two of those powerful artifacts in the same place. After the Asgardians leave, The Collector quietly says, “One down, five to go,” indicating his interest in collecting all six Infinity Stones.

Post-Credits Scene #2: As a complete 180 from the first Thor movie, The Dark World’s final moments see the the God of Thunder and Jane Foster reuniting on Earth. As they embrace, the Frost Beast from earlier in the movie is seen frolicking around nearby.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Post-Credits Scene #1: HYDRA leader Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is shown to have possession of Loki’s scepter from The Avengers. Strucker informs Dr. List that they’ll feed the location of other HYDRA facilities to Captain America and his “colorful friends” to keep them off the scent of their work, and we then see that the only two survivors of these experiments with the scepter are Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, who are respectively seen showing off their telekinesis and super speed.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Some time after rescuing Steve Rogers from the Potomac River, Bucky Barnes, now cut off from his HYDRA handlers, is seen at the Smithsonian visiting his own memorial.

Guardians of the Galaxy

The Collector is sitting in the ruins of his museum, which was destroyed when his slave Carina grabbed the Power Stone and triggered an explosion. Cosmo the Spacedog, who had been one of The Collector’s exhibits, licks his face, and Howard the Duck, another exhibit, proclaims how gross that is while sipping a drink.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

With Loki and Ronan the Accuser having failed to respectively procure the Space and Power Stones for him, Thanos decides to handle searching for the Infinity Stones personally, and he retrieves the Infinity Gauntlet from his vault.

Ant-Man

Post-Credits Scene #1: Hank Pym reveals to his daughter, Hope, an advanced prototype Wasp suit that he and his wife Janet had been working on before she disappeared. At a certain point, Hank realized that he and Janet had been working on the suit for Hope, and she’s more than willing to don it, declaring, “It’s about damn time!”

Post-Credits Scene #2: Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson are shown to have Bucky Barnes in their custody, but because of “the accords,” they can’t contact Tony Stark for help. Steve thinks they’re on their own, but Sam mentions that he knows a guy who could help, referring to Ant-Man, whom he came to blows with during the main story. An expanded version of this scene is later shown in Captain America: Civil War.

Captain America: Civil War

Post-Credits Scene #1: Bucky Barnes is cryogenically frozen by Wakandan scientists so they can safely erase the HYDRA programming in his mind. Steve Rogers warns King T’Challa that if the U.S. government learns where Bucky is, they’ll come for him, prompting T’Challa to confidently respond, “Let them try.” We then see that they are actually in Wakanda, the most technologically advanced nation on Earth.

Post-Credits Scene #2: While giving an excuse to his Aunt May about why he’s beaten up, Peter Parker discovers that the web-shooter Tony Stark gave him is emitting a red light. After May gives him an ice pack and leaves the room, Peter points the red light to the ceiling, and it’s revealed to be a Spider-symbol with a variety of icons, indicating the web-shooter comes with some special features.

Doctor Strange

Post-Credits Scene #1: Doctor Strange is meeting with Thor at the Sanctum Sanctorum. The God of Thunder and his brother, Loki, have come to Earth in search of Odin, but Strange is not happy about Loki hanging around, given what a threat he is. So, after Thor agrees that he and Loki will leave Earth once they find Odin, the Master of the Mystic Arts agrees find the All-Father. An expanded version of this scene is later shown in Thor: Ragnarok.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Karl Mordo corners Jonathan Pangborn, the man who directed Stephen Strange to find Kamar-Taj, and takes away the magical energy he uses to walk. With Pangborn rendered a paraplegic once more, Mordo informs him that there are “too many sorcerers.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Post-Credits Scene #1: Kraglin practices using Yondu’s whistle-controlled arrow, but it doesn’t go well, as he accidentally impales an offscreen Drax with it.

Post-Credits Scene #2: In honor of Yondu’s sacrifice, Stakar Ogord and his cohort Martinex reunite with with old Ravager buddies Charlie-27, Aleta Ogord, Krugarr and Mainframe. This team is based on the original version of the Guardians of the Galaxy from the comics.

Post-Credits Scene #3: High Priestess Ayesha informs one of her underlings that she’s created an artificial being named Adam who will exact revenge on the Guardians for her, and the birthing pod he’s being formed in is shown.

Post-Credits Scene #4: Years after the main events of this movie, Peter Quill expresses his disappointment that Groot, who’s now a teenager, hasn’t cleaned up his room.

Post-Credits Scene #5: The three Watchers walk away from their informant, played by Stan Lee, after growing bored with his stories. Unfortunately for him, they were supposed to be his lift home.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Adrian Toomes is confronted in prison by Mac Gargan, the weapons buyer from the Staten Island Ferry. Now boasting a major scar on his face, Gargan informs Toomes that he and some friends of his on the outside are wanting to exact revenge on Spider-Man and have heard that Toomes knows who the superhero really is, but Toomes denies this.

Thor: Ragnarok

Post-Credits Scene #1: As Loki is questioning Thor about if it’s a good idea for him to come to Earth with the rest of the Asgardians and their allies, their ship is intercepted by a gigantic spacecraft, which Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige identified as the Sanctuary II, Thanos’ vessel.

Post-Credits Scene #2: After being overthrown by his former subjects, Grandmaster confronts the angry crowds gathered around him in the outskirts of his realm on Sakaar. He declares that the revolution is a tie, since if he’s take out of the picture, they’ll have nothing to rebel against.

Black Panther

Post-Credits Scene #1: T’Challa appears in front of the United Nations to announce that Wakanda will be sharing its knowledge and resources with the rest of the world for the first time. When questioned about what a nation of farmers can offer the world, T’Challa simply smirks, indicating he’s about to reveal the existence of his country’s advanced technology.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Bucky Barnes, now unfrozen, is shown in a Wakandan village with Shuri, rehabilitating after having the HYDRA programming erased from his mind.

Avengers: Infinity War

Nick Fury and Maria Hill are shocked by the sudden destruction unfolding around them in a city, and soon they are among the half of the universe that Thanos erased from existence using the Infinity Stones. However, before he turns to dust, Fury manages to send out a signal using a spruced-up pager that displays the Captain Marvel symbol.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Post-Credits Scene #1: Scott Lang is in the Quantum Realm gathering quantum energy that will be used to stabilize Ava Starr’s condition, and Hope van Dyne, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne are monitoring him from our dimension. Unfortunately, all three are snapped away by Thanos, leaving Scott trapped.

Post-Credits Scene #2: The oversized ant that Scott was using to carry out his house arrest routine in order to fool the FBI continues to play drums while the world goes to hell from the Snap.

Captain Marvel

Post-Credits Scene #1: Post-Snap, some of the surviving Avengers are monitoring Nick Fury’s pager at Avengers Compound and trying to figure out who the signal is being sent to. Suddenly, the pager shuts down, and seconds later, Captain Marvel appears before them asking where Fury is.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Back in 1995, Goose vomits up the Tesseract in Nick Fury’s office.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Post-Credits Scene #1: After swinging through New York City, Peter Parker (suited up as Spider-Man) and MJ watch a news report out in public where TheDailyBugle.net’s J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage where Mysterio not only frames Peter for the Elemental attack on London and his death, but also exposes his secret identity to the world.

Post-Credits Scene #2: As Nick Fury and Maria Hill are driving, we learn that they’ve actually been the Skrulls Talos and Soren from Captain Marvel this entire time. Talos expresses embarrassment at having been embarrassed by Mysterio’s deception, and Soren convinces him to call the real Nick Fury and inform him what happened. Talos attempts to get Nick Fury to come back, but the spy hangs up in the middle of the call, and we see he’s been on “vacation” aboard a spaceship packed with other Skrulls.

Black Widow

Post-Avengers: Endgame, Yelena Belova visits Natasha Romanoff’s grave with her dog. The visit is interrupted by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who’s come to give Yelena a new mission. Her target: Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, whom Valentina says is responsible for Natasha’s death.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Post-Credits Scene #1: Wong brings Shang-Chi and Katy to meet with Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers, both of whom are appearing as holograms. They ponder the origins of Shang-Chi’s rings, and then discover that they’re emitting some kind of beacon, but they don’t know where its message is going. After Carol and Bruce leave the meeting, Wong suggests Shang-Chi and Katy go home to get some rest, but the three of them instead go out for karaoke.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Although Shang-Chi’s sister, Xu Xialing, told him towards the end of the main story that she intended to disband the Ten Rings, we learn she’s instead taken control of the organization and is now training women alongside the men.

Eternals

Post-Credits Scene #1: Out in space, Thena, Makkari and Druig are visited aboard their ship by Eros, a.k.a. Starfox, and his companion Pip the Troll. Eros, who is a fellow Eternal and brother of Thanos, is aware that the trio’s surviving friends have been taken away by the Celestial Arishem, but he and Pip know where to find them.

Post-Credits Scene #2: After witnessing Sersi being taken away, Dane Whitman, whom she’s been dating, opens up a box containing the Ebony Blade. Before he grabs the sword though, a voice offscreen (confirmed in real life to be vampire hunter Blade) questions whether or not Dane is ready to wield it.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Post-Credits Scene #1: Following Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote being transported to the main MCU reality in the Venom: Let There Be Carnage post-credits scene, we see Eddie at a hotel bar in Mexico getting details about the world he’s in from the bartender, including learning about the Blip, Thanos and the Snap. Eddie decides to go to New York to track down Spider-Man, but he and Venom are soon returned to their universe, although a piece of the symbiote is left behind.

Post-Credits Scene #2: The first trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is shown.

Alternate Post-Credits Scene #2: If you watch Spider-Man: No Way Home: The More Fun Stuff Version, you’ll be treated to an additional post-credits that replaces the Doctor Strange 2 trailer. It shows how the effects of Strange’s second spell, i.e. the one that erased people’s knowledge of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, is affecting the lives of his former classmates.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Post-Credits Scene #1: Some time after developing that third eye and apparently getting used to it, Doctor Strange is approached by Clea, who informs him that his actions in this sequel have triggered an incursion into the Dark Dimension, prompting him to follow her back to that realm.

Post-Credits Scene #2: The spell that Strange cast to cause Pizza Poppa on Earth-838 to repeatedly punch himself finally wears off, to the man’s relief.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Post-Credits Scene #1: Dismayed at how the gods aren’t given the respect they once received, Zeus, who’s recovering from his run-in with Thor, decides that killing the Asgardian God of Thunder will make people fear their kind again. He tasks his son Hercules with finding Thor to carry out vengeance.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Jane Foster finds herself in Valhalla, the Asgardian afterlife where warriors who die in battle end up. She’s greeted outside its gates by Heimdall, who thanks her for looking after his son, Axl.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

While in Haiti, Shuri learns that before T’Challa died, her brother and Nakia had a son named Touissant, and they decided to have him raised away from Wakanda to avoid the “pressure of the throne.” That’s also why they didn’t attend T’Challa’s funeral, as it wasn’t time for the boy’s existence to become public. Shuri greets her nephew, who informs her that Toussiant is his Haitian name, but his Wakandan name is T’Challa, too.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Post-Credits Scene #1: Immortus, Rama-Tut and Centurion, three Kang variants from the Council of Kangs, discuss the recent demise of the movie’s main Kang the Conqueror. These Kangs decide because “they,” i.e. the MCU’s main heroes, are starting to “touch” the multiverse, it’s time for them to strike back so that all they’ve built won’t be destroyed. It’s then shown that the fortress where the Council is speaking is filled with thousands of other Kang variants.

Post-Credits Scene #2: The Loki variant and Mobius from the Loki TV series are seen at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair watching a presentation being given by Victor Timely, another Kang variant. Loki is terrified to see the man given his experience with He Who Remains, but Mobius doesn’t understand what the big deal is. An expanded version of this scene is later shown in the Loki Season 2 episode “1893.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Post-Credits Scene #1: Rocket Raccoon and Groot (who’s now fully grown into his King Groot form) are shown on the planet Krylor undertaking a mission to protect townsfolk from stampeding beasts. They are accompanied by Kraglin, Cosmo, Adam Warlock, his pet Blurp and Phyla, with this being the new Guardians of the Galaxy lineup.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Peter Quill enjoys breakfast with his grandpa Jason, agreeing to mow the lawn of a woman Jason knows, though Peter thinks the woman’s son, who’s 45 years old, should help. Jason, who’s reading a newspaper that includes a story about Kevin Bacon being kidnapped (referencing the events of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special) says, “Don’t get me started,” prompting Peter to want to hear more. It’s then teased that “The Legendary Star-Lord will return.”

The Marvels

Monica Rambeau awakens in an infirmary, and next to her is an alternate version of her mother, Maria, who goes by Binary. The X-Man Hank McCoy, a.k.a. Beast, is also in the room, and he informs Monica that she’s been transported to another universe. After Beast leaves, Binary asks who Monica is, prompting her to say, “Oh shit.”

Deadpool And Wolverine

Post-Credits Scene #1: While not a scene per say, a touching tribute for the 20th Century Fox era of Marvel movies plays to the tune of Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)." It's only appropriate, as without this era, we wouldn't have Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool and various other memorable portrayals of classic superheroes and super villains.

Post-Credits Scene #2: Deadpool pulls up footage in the TVA headquarters that shows Johnny Storm saying all the bad things about Cassandra Nova that the Merc with the Mouth says he did. Ok, so that part of his story checks out, but The Human Torch being killed is still his fault.

Captain America: Brave New World

Sam Wilson visits Samuel Sterns at The Raft, the same place where now-former President Thaddeus Ross is being incarcerated. Sterns warns Sam that there is an attack forthcoming from other worlds, and that he should prepare for "the others." Meaning, the main MCU reality will soon be colliding with the Marvel multiverse.

As each new Marvel movie comes out, we’ll let you know here if there are any post-credits events to go over. Meanwhile, if you’re looking to expand your horizons beyond the MCU, look over all of the upcoming superhero movies.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has always been home to incredible superhero action, but the franchise is based on something called the "comic" book, after all, so it wouldn't be fair to the medium if the movies weren't also quite funny. Luckily, humor has never been lacking in the MCU.

From Tony Stark's endless quips to Loki's sarcasm to Thor's obliviousness, there have been some absolutely hilarious lines delivered throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Choosing the funniest Marvel lines is a bit like trying to pick the best Marvel movie, but as in all things, we try.

"Tony Stark Was Able To Build This In A Cave, With A Box Of Scraps!"-  Iron Man 

Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark is always good for a one-liner but what may be the best line in the original Iron Man comes from Jeff Bridges' Obadiah Stane, when he gets angry that his scientists can't recreate Tony's miniaturized Arc Reactor. When they tell them what he wants can't be done, he screams at them that Tony did it, and under less than optimal conditions.

"Don't Make Me Hungry. You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Hungry" -  The Incredible Hulk 

The Incredible Hulk isn't exactly the funniest of the MCU movies, but it has its moments. One of them is both a great line and a fun reference to the original Incredible Hulk TV series. When confronting some thugs making his workplace dangerous Bruce Banner attempts the classic "Don't make me angry..." line, but his Portuguese isn't that great and he gets a word wrong.

"Sir, I'm Gonna Have To Ask You To Exit The Donut." - Iron Man 2

In Iron Man 2 Tony Stark, fearing his own death goes a bit of a bender, which ends with him eating a box of donuts while sitting inside the famous giant donut of Randy's Donuts in southern California. When Nick Fury arrives on the scene, he (mostly) politely, asks him to please come down from there.

"Know This Son Of Coul." - Thor

Many Scandinavian languages still have very traditional naming practices, so it makes sense that Thor, a Norse god, would understand that a man named Agent Phil Coulson, must, obviously, be the son of a man named Coul.

"You Don't Have One Of Those, Do You?" - Captain America: The First Avenger 

Captain America was the first successful attempt to use the super soldier serum, but he wasn't the first one to undergo the procedure. When Steve Rodgers (Chris Evans) and Bucky Barnes first discover what the serum did to Red Skull, Bucky has to ask his friend if also has a bright red monster face under his skin.

"That Man Is Playing Galaga! Thought We Wouldn't Notice, But We Did." - The Avengers

Tony Stark has some great moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but one of the best is when he holds court over the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, and calls out a member of the staff for apparently playing video games on his computer while all of New York is being attacked by aliens.

"You're In A Relationship With Me. Everything Will Never Be Okay." - Iron Man 3

Tony Stark may have been the MCU's first hero, but he was a guy who brought a lot of baggage with him wherever he went. Speaking with his girlfriend Pepper Potts, Tony made it clear that there was never going to be anything like normal when it came to him.

"This Is So Unlike You, Brother. So Clandestine. Are You Sure You Wouldn't Rather Just Punch Your Way Out?" - Thor: The Dark World

Loki and Thor may have grown up as brothers, but they had very different ways of handling any given situation. They were very good at giving each other a hard time, however, as Loki did when Thor was being uncharacteristic in his approach.

"Don't Look At Me. I Do What He Does, Just Slower." -  Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

The opening of Captain America: The Winter Soldier introduced us to Sam Wilson, who Steve Rogers literally ran circles around. Later, when Nick Fury is looking for support, Falcon assures Fury that he and Captain America are on the same page, even if their speed varies.

"Nothing Goes Over My Head. My Reflexes Are Too Fast. I Would Catch It." -  Guardians of the Galaxy  

Drax of the Guardians of the Galaxy is from a race that takes all speech perfectly literally. This leads to a number of great exchanges, but the best being a discussion of exactly this element of Drax, who responds to the idea that a statement might go over his head.

"The City Is Flying. We're Fighting An Army Of Robots. And I have A Bow And Arrow. None Of This Makes Sense." - Avengers: Age of Ultron

Hawkeye is the butt of more than a few jokes in the MCU, being the member of the Avengers with the most unique choice of weapons. In Avengers: Age of Ultron Hawkeye is, at the very least, aware that he is very much in over his head.

"Baskin-Robbins Always Finds Out!" - Ant-Man

When Scott Lang looks for work after leaving prison, he doesn't tell his new bosses he's an ex-con. Unfortunately, as the manager says, and as his friend Luis later confirms, "Baskin Robbins always finds out."

"Anybody On Our Side Hiding Any Shocking And Fantastic Abilities They'd Like To Disclose? I'm Open To Suggestions." - Captain America: Civil War

When all our favorite heroes fight each other in Captain America: Civil War each side tries to find different ways to get the upper hand by enlisting heroes the other side won't be ready for. Ant-Man is a largely unknown factor, and the fact he can also reverse his abilities and grow massive, is a big win for team Cap, leading Tony to ask if his team can do anything to match it.

"Just Wong? Like Adele? Or Aristotle? Drake, Bono, Eminem…" - Doctor Strange

The relationship between Doctor Strange and Wong has certainly come a long way since the two were first introduced. When Strange first met Wong he found it interesting the man only had the one name. Was it a first name or a last name? It didn't seem to matter. 

“I’m Mary Poppins, Y’all!” - Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has a number of great lines that will make you laugh, but none are quite as good as Yondu's tough guy reaction to be compared to Mary Poppins, which was a last-minute addition to the script. He probably wouldn't be that thrilled if he knew who she really was, but to be fair, Mary Poppins is cool.

"So…You Got Detention." -  Spider-Man: Homecoming 

One of the funniest bits of the first MCU Spider-Man movie was the ways that Captain America had been incorporated into many parts of high school. There seemed to be a Cap-hosted educational video for everything, including detention.

"He's A Friend From Work!" -  Thor: Ragnarok  

Thor: Ragnarok may have had the Asgardian's name in the title, but it was as much a Hulk movie as it was a Thor movie, and the big green guy had an amazing entrance into the Grandmaster's battle area that was only made by better by Thor calling him "A friend from work," which I guess is accurate, but a weird way to refer to the Avengers.

"You Cannot Talk One More Word, And I Will Feed You To My Children! I'm Kidding. We're Vegetarians." - Black Panther

M'Baku follows in a long line of secondary characters who steal every scene of the Marvel movie they are in. We don't really get to know him or his people until the end of the movie, so when he threatens to eat somebody, you tend to believe him, until he drops the punchline.

"Dude, You're Embarrassing Me In Front Of The Wizards." - Avengers: Infinity War

Is there anything worse than meeting wizards for the first time and then having your friend not look impressive in front of them? I didn't think so.

"You Want A Juice Box And Some String Cheese?" - Ant-Man and the Wasp 

In Ant-Man and the Wasp Scott Lang gets stuck with a malfunctioning suit, making it difficult for him to control his size. He grows and shrinks to random sizes at random times. This leads to a fantastic moment where Michael Douglas' Hank Pym asks a diminutive Scott, about the size of a grade-schooler, if he'd like a snack.

"If Toast Is Cut Diagonally, I Can't Eat It." - Captain Marvel

Nick Fury is one of the toughest people in the entire MCU, which makes the admission in Captain Marvel that he won't eat toast if it's cut diagonally incredibly bizarre. I guess we all have our quirks. 

"Honestly, Until This Exact Second I Thought You Were A Build-A Bear" - Avengers: Endgame

While Avengers: Infinity War is when most of the MCU's heroes meet, there are some that don't actually cross paths until Avengers: Endgame. You might not even realize that Iron Man and Rocket have never met until Tony reacts to the first thing the Guardian of the Galaxy says to him. 

 "I Thought That You Could Sense That With Your Peter-Tingle." - Spider-Man: Far From Home 

The first MCU Spider-Man movie doesn't even deal with the traditional power of Spidey Sense, so they never give it a name. By the sequel we learn that he does have the ability, but has never given it an official designation, leaving his Aunt May to come up with her own ideas.

 “This Will Be A Cool Way To Die.” - Black Widow 

Yelena from Black Widow has a very different way of looking at things than most people. When most of us see a massive avalanche that's about to bury us in snow, we run away, Yelena immediately realizes how cool it will be to die this way, because she's probably going to die this way.

"That's When I Knew. If They Can Teach Those Monkeys To Act That Brilliantly, Just Imagine What I Could Bring To The World." - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 

Trevor Slattery first appeared in Iron Man 3 as the fake Mandarin. He returns in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and immediately becomes one of the best parts of it. Almost everything he says is funny, mostly because he's an idiot. Including this gem which makes it clear he doesn't even know how movies work.

" Fall Collection, IKEA. Ass." - Eternals 

Eternals may be the least quipy of the MCU, but that doesn't mean it's entirely without funny lines. When the team tracks down Phastos, who is living happily among humans, Ikaris can't believe it and assumes he's built a safe house for himself. He accidentally destroys a table, which it turns out wasn't made of vibranium after all. 

"The Avengers?!? That’s Great!… What Is That?!" - Spider-Man: No Way Home 

Spider-Man: No Way Home brings together three different actors who all played Spider-Man in three different franchises. While they all have a lot in common, only one of them has the Avengers. During the Spider-Man: No Way Home ending, one of the Peter Parkers thinks that being an Avengers sounds cool, even if he's not really sure what that means.

"Yeah, But Given The Choice Between The Archer With The Mohawk And Several Bug-Themed Crime Fighters, Or One Of The Most Powerful Magic Wielders On The Planet, It's An Easy Call." - Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness 

When Doctor Strange needs magical help in Multiverse of Madness, he goes to Wanda Maximoff. While she suggests he could have looked for assistance elsewhere, he points out that most of the rest of the available heroes don't have the particular skill set he's looking for.

"I Love Being King And I Love My People, But It's All Meetings And Ravenmail And Meetings That Could Have Been Ravenmail" - Thor: Love And Thunder  

At the end of Avengers: Endgame Thor hands the throne of New Asgard to Valkyrie. Overall, she seems to have adapted to the job quite well by the time of Thor: Love and Thunder, but she has the same problems with her day job that so many of us have.

"A Colonizer In Chains. Now I Have Seen Everything." - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 

In the first Black Panther, Shuri refers to Everett Ross as "Colonizer" and the nickname apparently sticks. In the sequel he's been upgraded to her "favorite colonizer," but during the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ending, Okoye has a laugh at his expense when Ross has been arrested and she sees the handcuffs.

“Dad. A Guy Dressed Like A Bee Tried To Kill Me In My Room When I Was Six. I’ve Never Had A Normal Life..” - Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 

Cassie Lang has had an interesting life throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She's all grown up by the time of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but she clearly remembers where it all started for her. It's honestly surprising she's as well-adjusted as she is.

“Kill One Guy Who No One Loves.” - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 

Drax is very willing to do violence to get his way. This even though Peter Quill tries to talk him down. Initially, Drax wants to kill everybody who gets in their way, then he tries to bargain down to killing one person that nobody likes. 

“STOP RUNNING AND LET THE KITTENS EAT YOU. YOU WILL BE FINE.” - The Marvels 

 When Nick Fury's SA.B.E.R. headquarters needs to abandon ship quickly, during The Marvels ending, the fastest way to feed his entire staff to fuzzy little flerkins. Of course, the actual staff has a bit of a problem with this, leading to this hilarious announcement over the PA system. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going for years and it's not stopping anytime soon. There are plenty of upcoming Marvel movies that will continue to provide us with great lines for years to come.

Since I’ve seen all the Marvel movies in order, I can’t imagine Chris Hemsworth as any Avenger other than Thor, however, an old interview has resurfaced that has me thinking about other heroes he can play. During an interview with his on-screen step-brother Tom Hiddleston, the actor joked about which superhero he’d play if he wasn’t the God of Thunder, and his answer was surprising and hilarious.

In an old interview from the Thor: Ragnarok press tour (via marvelworld.in on Instagram) Tom Hiddleston asked his Ragnarok cast mate which Marvel character he’d play if he wasn’t Thor. The Australian actor then gave a quite unexpected answer, saying:

You know, Chris Hemsworth would make a great supersoldier. First of all, he’s superhero-ripped, plus Captain America is worthy and can lift Thor’s beloved Mjölnir. So, maybe he wanted to pick another character who was jacked and could wield the hammer – even though this was MCU information we didn’t actually know when Ragnarok came out. Either way, I could kind of see the actor playing Chris Evans’ beloved character, but this whole situation is still surprising.

While the initial answer shocked me, Hemsworth then went on to joke that he would change the Star-Spangled Man With A Plan into a hero inspired by the Aussie’s home country. This humorous answer, unlike his initial response, wasn’t as surprising, in fact, it was quite on-brand, as the Thor actor said:

Then Hiddleston asked if he wears the Australian flag, and Hemsworth said with a laugh: “Of course.” Adding to his description of this alternate Captain America, the Extraction star said:

Continuing to joke with the Loki star about his version of Steve Rogers, Chris Hemsworth continued to flesh out his character, saying:

Tom Hiddleston then said he wanted to see this movie, and bro, me too. 

In a way, Chris Hemsworth has been Captain Australia...sort of. A few years ago, he starred in a Super Bowl Crocodile Dundee trailer with Danny McBride that was actually an ad for the country Down Under. However, the was just a quick bit, like the God of Mischief, I want a whole movie with Hemsworth showing us his take on Captain America. 

Of course, the likelihood of Captain Australia being among Marvel’s upcoming movies is slim to none. However, it’s fun to fantasize about, and I’d honestly love to see Chris Hemsworth’s take on Captain America, I’m sure it’d be just as surprising and hilarious as his answer to this question.

So, while we imagine this silly situation, you can go back and watch Thor: Ragnarok, as well as all the Captain America movies with a Disney+ subscription. Also, make sure to stay tuned to the 2024 movie schedule so you don’t miss out on Hemsworth’s latest project, the Mad Max prequel Furiosa, and any other news that may arise about his future in the MCU regarding the God of Thunder, not the new version of Captain America, Captain Australia. 

Ask a fan of the superhero genre what their favorite film from the last 20 years has been – either from Marvel, DC, or an unaffiliated brand – and Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok will receive a lot of love. Following up on the dreadful and miscalculated Thor: The Dark World, Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok took a pendulum swing in the other direction, trading broody Shakespearean melodrama for weird but inspired sci-fi, and incorporating the filmmaker’s dry sarcasm. At the time, Waititi’s contributions to the Thor franchise was the breath of fresh air Marvel needed with that character. There’s a reason why the movie ranks high on our list of Marvel Studios movies, ranked. That air grew stale with Waititi’s follow up sequel, Thor: Love and Thunder, and now I’m beginning to understand why.

In a recent interview with the SmartLess podcast, Taika Waititi opened up about his time in the MCU, and he doesn’t come across as super appreciative. Waititi helmed two Thor films with Chris Hemsworth, which are available to stream with a Disney+ subscription and are essential to any viewing of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies in order. Though Waititi has the new sports comedy Next Goal Wins in theaters at the moment, he has dipped his fingers into the Marvel and Star Wars pots, and is no stranger to franchise work. But as he explained to the podcast hosts, he thought of his initial Marvel assignment as a paycheck gig. He said:

And you know what? He’s right. Franchise movies absolutely are ideal for paying one’s bills. And in no way, shape, or form is Taika Waititi the first (or last) Hollywood employee to take a job because it’s just that: a job. And the director has opened up about the fact that he essentially lied to Marvel during the interview process, convincing them that he could do things on the set that he hadn’t done before. And sometimes, that’s magic. Bring in someone who knows nothing about the source material, filter it through their own unique eye, and see how it plays. And it worked! 

Did Taika Waititi end up staying with the series because he now understood Thor, and knew how to move him forward in new and exciting ways? I wish. As mentioned, I have little issue with Waititi taking a Marvel offer for the paycheck, particularly to put food on the table for his family. Who would ever take issue with that? It’s the next thing Waititi said that really sours me on his continuation with Thor. As the writer-director explained:

I listened to the comments in context, and even tried to apply Waititi’s self-deprecating, cavalier sense of humor so as not to read to deeply. And I take away the fact that Waititi hated Thor. The comic character, as he states, physically made him ill. He was “baffled” by the character, and didn’t seem all that interested in figuring him out. As Waititi says, in the cringiest way possible, superheroes weren’t in his career plan as an auteur (now I’m saying “ugh” and rolling my eyes). But he tried it, for the paycheck.

What bothers me more than anything else is that this “auteur,” this allegedly pure storyteller who prides himself on heartfelt cinema such as Jojo Rabbit or Hunt for the Wilderpeople, kept doing it. And in the process, took a gig from a filmmaker who actually might enjoy Thor. Who actually might realize that he’s more than – checks notes – a “billionaire” who “lives in space” and “looks ridiculous.” (Seriously, what the hell was Waititi looking at?) And who might have delivered a Thor movie that rose to the level of Thor: Ragnarok, simply because he or she legitimately cared. 

A lot of Taika Waititi’s shtick in interviews is this aloof, too-cool-for-the-room demeanor. So maybe he’s putting this thicker layer of skin on to deflect from the half-hearted reception Thor: Love and Thunder received. (The movie sits at 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a meager 76% vote from audiences.) And again, I appreciate his candor in admitting that his Marvel stint was purely paycheck. 

But I’m someone who remains pot committed to the MCU, and I feel every feature released by the studio SHOULD have value. And like a lot of you, I think Marvel has become a little lax in their quality control on the recent films and Disney+ shows. Having dug deeply into the Infinity Saga for a recent feature on Captain America, and was struck (again) at the attention to detail, the rich characterization, and the care that went into Marvel storytelling. It has been absent as of late, and it has me worried about upcoming Marvel movies. Did Marvel play too fast and loose by allowing directors like Waititi – who didn’t understand their characters, and confess to not caring about understanding them – drive the bus? If even for one movie, allowing a storyteller to approach the MCU with a cavalier, self-proclaimed “ugh” attitude is heartbreaking. What should we care if the filmmakers responsible for the latest Marvel movie can’t, won’t, or don’t? 

Taika Waititi’s comments annoy me for these reasons. He’s entitled to take a job for the paycheck, of course. If Marvel was willing to give him millions to churn out a Thor sequel he didn’t care about because he viewed it as a paycheck, shame on them. What else would Marvel expect to receive in the end if they hire a filmmaker who admits to being “baffled” by the character? Why wouldn’t they hire the best person for the assignment? This is an issue facing Marvel as they shuffle potential directors on upcoming Avengers movies, hire new writers for Phase 5 and 6 movies, and try to restore order amidst the chaos caused by handing the keys over to apathetic filmmakers like Waititi in the first place. 

Of all the amazing and fantastic superhero weapons we’ve seen brought to life on the big screen, few are quite as impressive as Mjolnir. Thor’s hammer isn’t just something big and heavy to smash people’s faces with, Mjolnir is a powerful weapon weapon that can only be used by those who are worthy. But where did Mjolnir come from exactly? A hammer is a tool people use, so it must have been made by somebody, right? 

Of course, the question of what the hammer is made of is a little different depending on whether you’re talking about the actual physical prop used by Chris Hemsworth in the Marvel movies, or what the story in Marvel Comics actually is. And as it turns out, even when you’re talking about the prop, there are multiple answers to that question.

What Thor’s Hammer Is Made Of In The Marvel Movies 

ScreenRant spoke with Marvel Studios prop master Russell Bobbitt who is responsible for creating many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most iconic weapons and other items. After settling on the Mjolnir design it was his job to make it real. He explained that there are actually four different versions of Thor’s hammer on the set at any one time, and each one has a unique purpose on the set. Bobbitt explained…

The fiberglass hammer is apparently the one that is generally used when Thor is simply in the shot holding the hammer. It’s lightweight, so compared to the massive 60-pound hammer, it’s much easier to deal with, especially if the actor is going to be on set for a long day. Natalie Portman herself has talked about how heavy the Mjolnir actually is. She was likely lifting the full metal version.

Another interesting fact about how the hammer is handled on the set, in those scenes when people try, and fail, to lift Mjolnir, the hammer is actually bolted to the table or floor, in order to ensure that the actors can’t possibly lift it.

What Thor’s Hammer Is Made Of In The Comics 

Of course, the design of Thor’s hammer on the big screen is designed to make it look like something out of Marvel Comics, and Marvel Comics can “make” the hammer out of whatever it wants. In this case, Mjolnir is officially made of a material called Uru. It’s described in the comics as a metal ore, but one that actually resembles stone. It’s only found on the world Nidavellir, one of the Nine Realms that Asgard rules.

As such, in the comics most of the weapons wielded by Asgardians are made of Uru, so Mjolnir isn’t unique in that regard. The particular enchantment that makes Mjolnir only respond to those that are worthy is specific to the hammer, but the fact that Uru accepts enchantments well is one of the reasons that it is favored by Asgardians.

Mjolnir is an iconic weapon, and following the events of the Thor: Love and Thunder ending it is back in the hands of Chris Hemsworth’s character, so it seems likely we’ll be seeing it again. 

Everyone gets excited when a big-name star randomly appears in a movie for a cameo. Sometimes they are only there for a couple of lines, sometimes they get a little more. Sometimes they are playing themselves, or versions of themselves, and sometimes they are playing an actual character. The moment is always fleeting and wonderful regardless of the time on screen and whoever they are playing. Here's a list of some of the most amazing examples of celebrity cameos. Warning, this story does have spoilers. 

Bob Barker - Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore will forever be one of Adam Sandler's best movies, but the whole thing is almost stolen by one short appearance by the late, great Bob Barker, former host of The Price Is Right. For poor Happy, the price is wrong.

Neil Patrick Harris - Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle

In Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, Neil Patrick Harris plays an unbelievably funny exaggerated version of himself. He might just be the funniest part of the movie and while it's obvious he's playing himself as a character, the audience can't help but believe it, if just for the moments he's on screen. The cameo was so successful that Harris returned for the sequels. 

Bill Murray - Zombieland

Bill Murray's cameo towards the end of Zombieland is perfect. Not only does he play a zombie version of himself, but audiences are treated to a quick snippet of the Ghostbusters theme song. It's truly brilliant. 

Channing Tatum - This Is The End

Pretty much the whole cast of This Is The End feels like stars doing cameos. All the actors are playing ridiculous versions of themselves and there are a lot of stars. To pick one though, is easy. Channing Tatum as a prisoner at the end is just fantastic. He's got about one line, and for most of the scene, he's wearing a wrestling mask. You have to love any star willing to do what Tatum did here. 

Luke Hemsworth - Thor: Ragnarok

The first cameo audiences spot in the play-inside-the-movie in Thor: Ragnarok is, of course, Matt Damon as Loki. It's not as obvious who is playing Thor and many were confused because it looked so much like Chris Hemsworth. Well, that's because it was his brother, Westworld star Luke Hemsworth. 

David Bowie - Zoolander

David Bowie was no stranger to the screen. The musical legend was landing acting gigs early in his career and had major roles in Twin Peaks, Labyrinth, and The Last Temptation of Christ among others. His cameo in Zoolander is by far the funniest though. 

Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis - The Player

Robert Altman's The Player has an amazing 65 cameos in it, so how do you choose just one? It's actually pretty easy. There is a running joke through the movie as writers and producers pitch their projects to studio head Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) that they all want Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis to star in it. In the final scene, who pops up in the movie-in-a-movie? That's right Willis and Roberts themselves. 

Keith Richards - Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End

Johnny Depp based his legendary character Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films at least partly on another legend, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. It only makes sense that Richards himself would appear as Captain Teague in Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, who audiences would learn is Sparrow's father, because of course he is.  

Jimmy Buffett - Jurassic World

In a true "blink and you'll miss it" cameo, Jimmy Buffett is seen doing, what else, protecting his margarita during a dinosaur attack in Jurassic World. 

Jerry O'Connell - Can’t Hardly Wait

Trip McNeely! Jerry O'Connell's role in Can't Hardly Wait is more myth and legend than character, actually. Former high school stud Trip McNeely is spoken with great reverence throughout the movie, so when he does show as a sort of pathetic college freshman, it's all the more wonderful. 

Matt Damon - Eurotrip

This one might be the most unexpected and therefore funniest on the list. Matt Damon showing up as the singer of a power punk band singing about what Scotty (Scott Mechlowicz) doesn't know is now a classic moment on film. Don't tell Scotty. 

Topher Grace - Ocean’s Eleven

When audiences first meet Brad Pitt's character in Ocean's Eleven, he's teaching Hollywood stars how to play cards and his main client is none other than That '70s Show star Topher Grace (playing himself). Unfortunately, Grace is really terrible at learning, it seems, but it's very funny.  

Keanu Reeves - Always Be My Maybe

Keanu Reeves is one of the most beloved Hollywood stars and it's because of moments like when he randomly shows up in the Netflix romcom Always Be My Maybe as Sasha's (Ali Wong) new boyfriend. It's only one scene, but there's a reason it's the most talked about scene in the movie. 

Johnny Depp - 21 Jump Street

Johnny Depp clearly appreciates where he got his start, which was, of course, on the Fox show 21 Jump Street. It was in the spirit of that appreciation that Depp returned to the role of Officer Tom Hanson alongside his former co-star on the show, Peter DeLuise in the 2012 movie based on the show starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. 

Brad Pitt - Deadpool 2

By far the quickest cameo on this list is Brad Pitt's maybe one second appearance in Deadpool 2. It's the definition a "blink and you'll miss it" moment when Pitt's character, who says nothing and is in fact invisible for most of the movie, gets zapped by electrical wires, revealing the actor in just a few brilliant frames that had audiences gasping with excitement. 

Hugh Jackman - X-Men: First Class

Hugh Jackman loves playing Wolverine. A regular in the X-Men movies, his character isn't a big part of the origin story film X-Men: First Class but the filmmakers still found a brilliant way to work Wolverine in. As Dr. X and Magneto recruit mutants for the X-Men, they find Wolverine in a bar but his terse response when they ask him to join makes it clear he's not interested. At least not yet. 

Daniel Craig - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Only the Star Wars franchise could get a star as big as Daniel Craig to have a brief cameo in which his face is never seen. It was obviously a lot of fun for the James Bond star to show up in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, though Craig really hated the stormtrooper suit he had to wear for the scene. 

Kevin Bacon - Planes, Trains And Automobiles

Planes, Trains and Automobiles is one of John Candy's best movies, but before we even meet his character, there is a quick scene that surprisingly includes Kevin Bacon. As Steve Martin searches for a cab on a busy New York City street, he spies Bacon's unnamed character from across the street and races him to the cab. 

Stan Lee - Mallrats

There is no one in Hollywood with more cameos than the great Stan Lee. Before his death in 2018, the comic book writer appeared in more than 40 films and TV shows based on the Marvel comic books he was such a huge part of creating. But it's his appearance in Mallrats that came before them all, playing himself. Lee also shows up in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement as a wedding guest. 

Will Ferrell - Wedding Crashers

It takes guts to cast Will Ferrell in a cameo because he might just steal the show. In Wedding Crashers, you could argue he did. There isn't a more meme'd cameo on the internet than Farrell's character in the movie yelling "Mom! Where's the meatloaf??"

Bruce Springsteen - High Fidelity

It makes sense that in a movie that is all about great music, one of the greatest musicians of all time would make a cameo. Such is the case in High Fidelity when Bruce Springsteen shows up in one of Rob Gordon's (John Cusack) dreams about his top five exes and offers some sage advice. 

Martin Sheen - Hot Shots! Part Deux

Hot Shots: Part Deux is, by design, a silly, surreal comedy. One of the most surreal moments is when Charlie Sheen's character is traveling up a Southeast Asian river, satirizing Apocalypse Now, which, of course, starred his father, Martin Sheen. Suddenly, the voice-over changes from Charlie to Martin and the look both look up from their respective boats and yell to each other, "I LOVED YOU IN WALL STREET," which they starred in together. Very meta. 

Ben Stiller - Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

In one Anchorman scene, there is a rumble between the competing news teams on the various San Diego networks. Each anchorman is a star. Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson, and Tim Robbins show up with their respective teams, but it's when Ben Stiller shows up with the Spanish network that things get especially ridiculous and it's hilarious. 

Stephen King - It Chapter 2

Stephen King, like Stan Lee, pops up quite a bit in stories and books of his that have been adapted on screen. Going all the way to the early '80s with movies like Creepshow, and Pet Sematary, King has had cameos (and larger roles) in many of his stories. He even directed one, Maximum Overdrive, based on his short story "Trucks", though that isn't always fondly remembered, though it should be. In more recent years, he made a great cameo in It Chapter 2.

Madonna - Die Another Day

It's no surprise that Madonna would be picked to record a James Bond theme song, which she was for Die Another Day, though her Bond theme does not rank all that highly for most fans. In a rarer occurrence, the singer of the theme also got a cameo in the movie. Madonna plays a fencing coach who works with Pierce Brosnan's version of the British super spy. Let's be real, she was actually better acting in the movie, than singing in it.  

Micheal Jackson - Men In Black II

If there is any perfect role for late-era Michael Jackson, an alien that can't quite make it in the MIB fits the bill. The King of Pop only has about half a minute of screen time, and it almost feels like AI, even if that technology only existed in the Terminator universe at that point. It's a weird cameo, but it's kinda perfect. 

Elon Musk - Iron Man 2

It's definitely one of the weirder entries on this list. In the scene in Iron Man 2, in the very early days of the greater MCU, none other than the electric car-driving rocketman and X boss Elon Musk shows up for a brief cameo. Predictably, the tech entrepreneur wants to meet with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) about some ideas he has. 

Quentin Tarantino - Sleep With Me

If you take yourself back to September 1994, Quentin Tarantino is not yet the legend he has become since. A few weeks before Pulp Fiction set the cinema world on fire, Tarantino popped up in a small art film called Sleep With Me. Despite the very fine cast that includes Meg Tilly, Eric Stolz, and Parker Posey, among others, the film isn't really remembered all that fondly. Except for one scene. Tarantino delivers, in a very Tarantino way, a fantastic diatribe about the script for Top Gun and what it really meant. It's pure genius and while he doesn't get credit as a writer, it's exactly what you'd expect from him. 

Dan Aykroyd - Casper

Here's a good trivia question for you: How many times has Dan Aykroyd played his Ghostbusters character, Ray Stance, on the silver screen? Though there are three previously released Ghostbusters movies, the answer is four.  Aykroyd randomly shows up in the mostly forgotten movie Casper from 1995 as the two main characters are desperate to rid their house of ghosts. 

David Letterman - Cabin Boy

David Letterman is one of the most famous television stars in America, but weirdly, he was never really an actor. In fact, according to IMDB, he's only credited with one role in a movie in which he wasn't playing himself or in archival footage. That movie is the absurdist and, frankly, weird movie, Cabin Boy. It makes sense as it stars Late Night With David Letterman regular Chris Elliott and is directed by a writer from the show, Adam Resnick. It's... not a great movie, but it's worth watching for Letterman's one short scene when he attempts to sell Elliott's character a monkey. 

Mike Tyson - The Hangover

Mike Tyson’s part in The Hangover is one of the best of all time. Not only does the former boxing champion knockout Ed Helms, but he brings his tiger along for the cameo! Let’s get real, every movie could be a little better with a surprise Mike Tyson appearance. 

Sean Connery - Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves

In the summer of 1991, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves was everywhere. Not only was it the second biggest movie at the box that year, but the Bryan Adams theme “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”  spent almost the whole summer at number one on the Billboard charts. Somehow through all that, the movie's best-kept secret, Sean Connery’s uncredited cameo as King Richard, stayed a surprise for most moviegoers. Ah, those pre-internet days! 

A good cameo can make otherwise mediocre movies fun, and make good movies great if placed perfectly, like all the great ones on this list. 

While it’s a near impossible task to rank superhero movies because there are so many these days, undoubtedly, there are a few that are always at the top of the pack. From Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight to Jon Favreau's Iron Man, there’s a list of films that are essential to the lexicon of superhero movies, and it’s safe to say that the beloved and incredibly well-reviewed Captain America: The Winter Soldier lives on it too. So, when Deadpool’s director Tim Miller was asked about his favorite recent superhero movie he reflected back on the Russo Brothers' first film in the MCU, and spoke about why the Marvel classic is one of the best superhero movies. 

When asked what his favorite “recent superhero movie” was, Miller revealed it was Captain America: The Winter Soldier, giving the caveat that while his top movie isn’t exactly recent anymore (it came out in 2014), it is his all-time favorite. The director explained his reasoning to Collider, saying:

How could you argue with that logic? In CinemaBlend’s ranking of Marvel movies, Winter Solider is among the top five, and for years now the political drama of a superhero movie has remained a fan-favorite. This film is a fantastic sequel, that acted as both a continuation of the first Captain America and an expansion of the MCU, which is on full display if you go back and watch the Marvel movies in order. 

The plot is contained to its own story, and it's grounded in the MCU’s history too. Overall, The Russo Brothers really did a fantastic job with the film on all fronts, and it makes it obvious why they went on to direct three more Marvel movies.

Along with Winter Soldier, Miller also noted how Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok – which is tonally totally different from the Captain America sequel – also stood out as a favorite to him. The Deadpool director said:

Like Winter Soldier, Ragnarok showed how Marvel movies can thrive when they’re given the chance to play with genre. Both films have distinct voices, and they weren’t afraid to push the characters to unexpected and new places. 

Both these choices, but specifically The Winter Soldier, make so much sense to me. Like Deadpool, the Captain America film showed how a superhero movie can thrive when it jumps outside of the typical tropes of the genre. While those jumps were in two polar opposite directions – Deadpool is a meta comedy while Winter Soldier is a very straight political thriller – they are fantastic examples of the range superhero movies can have, and how good they can be when there’s a unique and distinct vision behind them. 

Luckily, we’ll get to see how Captain America’s and Deadpool’s stories continue as they both have films slated on the 2024 movie schedule. While Shawn Levy’s Deadpool 3 now has a release date that is in flux, it seems likely it’ll still come out sometime next year. Meanwhile, the Anthony Mackie-led Captain America: Brave New World is set to hit theaters in July. So, while we wait to see if these two movies can live up to their predecessors, you can stream Tim Miller’s favorite superhero movies, as well as his own Marvel film, with a Disney+ subscription. 

There are two things Mark Ruffalo is well known for when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first is, of course, playing Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk, having taken over the role from Edward Norton starting with 2012’s The Avengers. The second is the actor’s habit of accidentally spoiling plot details surrounding the superhero movie. For example, remember that time he nearly let slip how Avengers: Infinity War ended, something that shocked his interview partner Don Cheadle? Even just last year, Ruffalo let slip that he’s heard Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk will appear in an Avengers movie next.

But perhaps the biggest example of Ruffalo’s spoilery nature came in late 2017 with the release of Thor: Ragnarok, although in this instance, it wasn’t a result of his loose tongue, but rather a technological issue. So let’s go over the story of how Ruffalo inadvertently spoiled Ragnarok, and why Chris Hemsworth, who’s been playing the MCU’s God of Thunder since 2011, wasn’t mad about it.

How Mark Ruffalo Spoiled Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok was released to the public on November 3, 2017, close to two and a half years after Hulk was last seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and a year after Thor cameoed in Doctor Strange, although that scene was just recycling footage shot for Ragnarok. However, as with any major motion picture, there was a world premiere held for Ragnarok first, which took place at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Naturally Mark Ruffalo attended this event, and because he was one of the few people allowed to keep his phone, he live-streamed himself on Instagram prior to the movie playing to hype fans up for the Marvel movie.

Ruffalo thought he’d turned off his phone before Ragnarok started, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, though no one tuning in to the livestream saw anything since the phone was back in his pocket, they did hear pieces of the movie’s first 10 minutes. The Instagram Live video was eventually taken down,  roughly 2,500 people hearing Ragnarok’s opening scenes, and no doubt the audio was also ripped prior to the video’s removal and passed around online.

A few weeks after this snafu, Ruffalo explained on Late Night with Stephen Colbert that his extended Ragnarok livestream happened because he pressed the wrong button on Instagram. What he thought was supposed to end the video was actually just telling him to press another button to end it. He didn’t understand this, so the phone just sat in his pocket still broadcasting until a woman who worked for Disney came up to him during the movie and informed him about what he’d been accidentally doing. The Hulk actor also noticed that he’d gotten about 50 texts within the span of 10 minutes from people trying to alert him about what was happening.

While Mark Ruffalo initially thought he’d be fired because of this Thor: Ragnarok premiere incident, it worked out for him in the end. In 2020, Ruffalo shared that while Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was angry about what happened at first, when they next crossed paths, the executive hugged him and stated that the accidental livestream “got more press” than the Ragnarok premiere itself. In Feige’s eyes, Ruffalo’s mistake turned out to be a “genius” move.

Why Chris Hemsworth Isn’t Mad About Mark Ruffalo Spoiling Thor: Ragnarok

Kevin Feige wasn’t the only one unbothered by what went down. During the promotional circuit for Avengers: Endgame, Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth attended a roundtable EW interview with Feige, Robert Downey Jr. Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner. During the chat, Ruffalo was asked what was the biggest MCU-related thing he’d spoiled up to that point, which led to the following exchange between him, Hemsworth and Feige:

Kevin Feige: "I saw people running up and down the aisle and was like, ‘What are they doing?’ They went up to Mark, and I was like, ‘OK.’ Makes sense."

Mark Ruffalo: "That was the one that got me the call from the up high."

Chris Hemsworth: "Whoa, whoa, whoa wait. There was a lot of beautiful strategy there. Because everyone laughed so hard during that [livestream], you can hear it, that’s all you can hear is laughing. Then they went, ‘It must be good.’"

Ruffalo: "Well it sort of turned around on me, because when I came to work on Monday, everyone ran up to me. I thought they were coming to scream at me. ‘Barry [Curtis]?’ And he threw his arms around me and was like, ‘That was genius!’ We got more press than we could possibly have paid for."

For those unaware, Barry Curtis is the head of Marvel Studios who’s also appeared in Captain Marvel and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Had Mark Ruffalo truly been in trouble, he would have had to answer to Curtis, but thankfully it didn’t turn out that way. And as Chris Hemsworth explained, barely any of the dialogue in Thor: Ragnarok was heard on the livestream because the audience was laughing. So rather than any plot details making their way out into the wild, all Ruffalo really did was drum up some extra press for Ragnarok.

In the end, Thor: Ragnarok earned a lot of positive critical reception and still stands as the highest-grossing Thor movie with its $865 million worldwide haul. Did Ruffalo’s livestream play an integral role in getting more people to see the superhero blockbuster in theaters? There’s no way to know for sure, but clearly Chris Hemsworth and Kevin Feige were pleased with how it all turned out. 

As things currently stand, neither Mark Ruffalo nor Chris Hemsworth have any MCU appearances lined up, with the former last being seen in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and the latter starring in Thor: Love and Thunder. Once their futures in the franchise have been cleared up, we’ll let you know. Until then, stream their previous film and TV appearances with your Disney+ subscription, or look through the upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows guides to learn what the MCU has slated for the next several years.

Over the years, we’ve seen a great number of actors who have appeared in Marvel and DC movies, with stars like Ben Affleck and Ryan Reynolds quickly coming to mind. Another name in that category is Zachary Levi, who took on the role of Fandral in the second and third Thor movies years before leading the Shazam! franchise. 

While other actors who’ve appeared in both cinematic universes have stories about how they got involved that are fairly simple, by comparison, Levi’s is anything bu thatt. In fact, Levi was originally supposed to portray Thor’s friend and member of the Warriors Three way back in the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, only to depart the project prior to shooting and then return later on.

So what stopped the future DCEU star from showing up in the 2011 superhero movie, and why did he return to the role a couple of years later? Here’s a hint, it’s pretty much the opposite of what happened with Chris Pratt’s time on Parks and Recreation Season 6.

Zachary Levi Was Cast As Fandral In Thor, But Dropped Out Because Of Scheduling Conflicts With Chuck  

Zachary Levi’s Marvel journey started way back in 2009, when he was cast to portray Fandral in Thor, a film that would also introduce of Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder. But just a couple of months before the Kenneth Branagh-directed comic book movie was set to enter production, the actor had to depart because of scheduling conflicts with the NBC spy-comedy series Chuck, he told USA Today (via Digital Spy). The conflict came after the network ordered an additional six episodes of the show’s current season, meaning no Asgard for Levi... at least, not at that point.

Years later, when speaking about the whole situation at DragonCon 2021 (via The Direct), the Shazam! Fury of the Gods star said that working on Thor was a dream come true since he grew up “devouring Marvel Comics.” but at that time, NBC wouldn’t let him go off and make the movie at the last minute. 

Stuart Townsend Was Initially Cast As Levi’s Replacement, But The Role Ultimately Went To Josh Dallas  

Not long after Zachary Levi was forced to depart the project, Stuart Townsend, who had previously played Lestat de Lioncourt in Queen of the Damned and Dorian Gray in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, was hired to portray Fandral in Thor. However, just days before cameras were supposed to start rolling, The Hollywood Reporter published a story stating that due to unspecified creative differences, Townsend was off the cast list and was being replaced by Josh Dallas, the future star of Once Upon a Time and Manifest.

Oddly enough, this wasn’t the first time Townsend departed the first installment in what would become a high-profile film franchise, as he was originally slated to portray Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but was replaced by Viggo Mortensen just prior to the start of principal photography. Mortensen would later tell The Irish Times that he felt awkward about the whole situation. 

Levi Ended Up Playing Fandral In Thor: The Dark World After Dallas Dropped Out For Scheduling Conflicts Of His Own  

Though Zachary Levi would have to miss out on the first Thor movie, everything came full circle for the actor, and he ended up being able to portray Fandral in 2013’s The Dark World. But what about Josh Dallas? Well, just like the man he replaced several years earlier, he would have to step away from Alan Taylor’s sequel for a similar reason, as he told Entertainment Weekly in June 2012:

Around the same time, word began to spread that Levi was being eyed to play Fandral after having to miss out on the first movie, with The Hollywood Reporter reporting in June 2012 that talks were in the early stages. The actor would confirm the casting a month later during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (via MTV News). 

Zachary Levi Has Since Said It Was A ‘Bit Of A Bummer’ That His Character Wasn’t Really Developed Before Being Killed in Thor: Ragnarok  

The Warriors Three – Fandral (Zachary Levi), Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) – didn’t get nearly as much to do in Thor: The Dark World than they did in the first film. They had even less development before being killed off a few years later in Thor: Ragnarok, with Levi's character not saying a single word prior to being killed off by Hela (Cate Blanchett).

When speaking about the lack of development during a 2019 ScreenRant interview, the actor described the whole situation as a “bummer” Fandral so much fun and pretty much the live-action version of his Tangled character:

Levi admitted that it may have been for the best, as he could have still been under Marvel contract and not able to make Shazam!, which he described as “the coolest thing ever.”

Fandral Wasn’t The Only Marvel Character Zachary Levi Auditioned To Play  

Zachary Levi’s Marvel journey doesn’t start or stop with his portrayal of Fandral, as the actor was also in contention to play two other Marvel superheroes: Captain America and Star-Lord, roles that ultimately went to Chris Evans and Chris Pratt, respectively. However, as Levi revealed during a 2023 appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he wouldn’t get a chance to join the list of actors who played multiple characters in the MCU:

Later in the interview, Levi would admit that missing out on the chance to play Peter Quill was especially hard because he really thought “this is it.”

Though we most likely won’t see Fandral or the rest of the Warriors Three show up in any of the upcoming Marvel projects unless a resurrection is in store, we will be seeing a lot more of Zachary Levi in some of the big titles still set for release during the final months of the 2023 movie schedule.

SPOILER WARNING: This retrospective of rivals-turned-right-hands gives away the endings of several movies and crucial details from various TV shows, so we recommend you proceed with caution as you read on. 

Is there anything more satisfying in a movie or TV show than when the hero catches the villain? How about when the foes, instead, join forces?

We looked back on some of our favorite examples of when a “good guy" (or at least the main protagonist) combined efforts with a rival they were pitted against (or personally despised) to amazing effect. While many of these epic enemy team-ups come from classic action movies or in great superhero movies, for instance, some come from more surprising genres, but are no less thrilling. 

Ah Jong And Li Ying (The Killer)

In 1989’s The Killer, hitman Ah Jong (Chow Yun-Fat) takes one more assignment to afford an operation for a lounge singer he accidentally blinded in a shootout, while Inspector Li Ying (Danny Lee) is hot on his trail. However, after discovering the assassin’s moral character, the cop chooses to help him fight off the gangsters who want him dead, costing him his job, but earning our approval in John Woo's intense action thriller.

Batman And Catwoman (The Dark Knight Rises)

The live-action Batman movies have depicted the vigilante's relationship with Catwoman as -- in addition to flirtatious -- either adversarial (Batman Returns) or advantageous (The Batman), but 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises gives us a mix of both. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) initially catches Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) robbing him, but would have never prevented Gotham’s destruction at the end of Christopher Nolan’s finale without her help.

Billy Butcher And Homelander (The Boys)

Antony Starr’s Homelander may be just the worst and Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher is a bit reckless, but both look pretty good when compared to Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy, whom Butcher initially recruits to kill Hoemlander. But, when he harms Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) -- Homelander’s son with Butcher’s late wife -- the end of The Boys Season 3 turns into a stand-off with Soldier Boy at the receiving end of their laser blasts, whose brief alliance puts Solider Boy back in cryo-sleep.

Blade And The Bloodpack (Blade II)

Blade (Wesley Snipes) was born with abilities similar to a vampire, but also an intense grudge against them that he would be forced to set aside in director Guillermo del Toro’s second installment of the Blade movies from 2002. The Marvel character begrudgingly collaborates with a crew of vampires originally formed to kill him called the Bloodpack in order to stop a worse threat feeding on both humans and bloodsuckers known as Reapers.

Blondie And Tuco (The Good, The Bad And The Ugly)

In, arguably, Sergio Leone’s best western movie, 1966's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the “good” refers to Clint Eastwood’s Blondie; the “ugly” refers to Tuco (Eli Wallach), whom Blondie personally delivers to a sheriff at the beginning; and the “bad” is a hitman known as Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef). Each wants to get their hands on buried loot first, but the lawman and the outlaw come out on top after forming an uneasy alliance against the sadistic killer.

Butch Coolidge And Marsellus Wallace (Pulp Fiction)

In the second segment of, arguably, Quentin Tarantino’s best movie -- 1994's Pulp Fiction -- Marsellus (Ving Rhames) chases Butch (Bruce Willis) after he wins a boxing match he promised he would lose, until they both find themselves at the mercy of rapists Zed (Peter Greene) and Maynard (Duane Whitaker). Butch manages to escape, but soon returns with a samurai sword to kill Maynard and interrupt Zed’s violation of Marsellus, making things “cool” between them again.

Clarice Starling And Hannibal Lecter (The Silence Of The Lambs)

In the terrifying Best Picture Oscar winner, 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is certainly intimidated and often intentionally belitted by cannibalistic former psychologist Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), but I would not necessarily called them “enemies." In the end, he is cooperative in assisting with her search for Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) and even she admits he would consider it “rude” to come after her when she learns about his escape.

Daniel LaRusso And Johnny Lawrence (Cobra Kai)

It took decades for Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence's (William Zabka) fierce rivalry in the Karate Kid movies to end. The third season of the acclaimed sequel series, Cobrai Kai — also its first as a Netflix exclusive — saw the martial artists’ common foe, John Kreese (Martin Kove) join the titular dojo, which eventually led them to become partners and even friends.

Danny Ocean And Terry Benedict (Ocean's Thirteen)

Even after stealing $160 million from him, Danny Ocean (George Clooney) convinces Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) to finance his latest scheme in Ocean’s Thirteen. Yet, the casino magnate conspires to do some double-crossing of his own, which Danny, luckily, anticipated from the beginning, leading to a comical twist ending with Danny donating Benedict’s cut of the loot to charity.

Darth Vader And Luke Skywalker (Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi)

The sixth movie in the Star Wars franchise (in order) is less a story of enemies becoming allies, but a family reuniting — namely Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. At the climax of 1983’s Return of the Jedi, Darth Sidious’ (Ian McDiarmid) cruel abuse of the young warrior (Mark Hamill) convinces the Sith Lord to renounce the Dark Side, remove his helmet (revealing Sebastian Shaw as Anakin Skywalker), and have one moment of peace with his son before his death.

Willis Davidge And Jeriba Shigan (Enemy Mine)

In one of the most underrated sci-fi movies of the ’80s, Dennis Quaid is a futuristic space explorer stranded on a dangerous planet with a member of an alien race his people have been at war with for years, played by Louis Gossett Jr. But, Davidge and “Jerry's” relationship evolves from hateful, to a forgiving truce and, eventually, to brotherly in Wolfgang Peterson’s timelessly and heartwarmingly poignant parable,  Enemy Mine.

Frank Abagnale Jr. And Carl Hanratty (Catch Me If You Can)

In one of Steven Spielberg’s best movies of the 21st Century so far, Catch Me If You Can, FBI's Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) chases after young con artist Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) in the 1960s. After their cat-and-mouse game finally ends, Hanratty realizes Frank’s expertise in check fraud would make him a great agent — an offer that comes with a promise of friendship from his former pursuer.

Godzilla And Kong (Godzilla Vs. Kong)

Kong was the clear victor of his first big screen battle with Godzilla, but it was harder to predict who would win in director Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong in 2021. By the end of the blockbuster, both won against Mechagodzilla by forming an alliance that will continue in the forthcoming 2024 follow-up, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Luke Hobbs And Deckard Shaw (Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw)

The Fast and Furious movies are, essentially, a series about enemies becoming allies -- especially Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham). The former DSS agent and rogue MI6 agent became the stars of their own spin-off in 2019, in which they are thrown together as partners to stop a cybernetically enhanced terrorist (Idris Elba).

Jack Sparrow And Hector Barbossa (Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End)

Seeing Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) join forces with Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a last bid for piracy itself seemed like a perfect way to end the Pirates of the Caribbean movies in 2007. However, At World’s End was not that, nor the last time these rivals became reluctant allies — having also searched for the Fountain of Youth together in 2011’s On Stranger Tides and for Poseidon’s Trident in Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017.

Jerry And Newman (Seinfeld)

Most of Wayne Knight’s funniest moments as Newman on Seinfeld involve his attacks of the eponymous comedian, but Jerry Seinfeld once sought to help his nemesis for a chance to say, “Goodbye, Newman.” Jerry tries to increase Newman’s chances of transferring to Hawaii by taking over his route, which backfires when those people receive more mail than normal.

Captain Kirk And Commander Kang (Star Trek)

Starfleet joining forces with Klingons is nothing surprising today, with Michael Dorn’s Worf as chief of security in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Yet, it was almost completely unheard of on the original series before Season 3's “Day of the Dove,” in which James Kirk (William Shatner) and Commander Kang (Michael Ansara) must work together after their crews are both affected by a conflict-inciting entity.

Scar And Alexa Woods (Alien Vs. Predator)

In the presence of the Alien movies' Xenomorph, you would want a more complex and, overall, totally badass extra-terrestrial like the titular hunter from the Predator movies on your side. "Lex” Woods (Sanaa Lathan) had that advantage in 2004's Alien vs. Predator after earning the respect of visiting Predator, Scar.

Professor X And Magneto (X2: X-Men United, X-Men: Days Of Future Past)

Some of  the best X-Men movies see Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr (reluctantly) playing for the same team, such as when the telepath (James McAvoy) breaks his former friend (Michael Fassbender) out of prison in 2014’s Days of Future Past. Also, in 2003’s X2, the metal-bender (Ian McKellan) helped the X-Men take on anti-mutant extremist, Colonel William Stryker (Brian Cox), who sought to use Professor X (Patrick Stewart) to exterminate others like him.

Raylan Givens And Boyd Crowder (Justified)

U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) and career criminal Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) have shared many great moments on Justified that prove they do care for one another. For instance, in the first season finale, the frenemies become embroiled in a woodland shootout that ends with Raylan being saved by Boyd, who calls the lawman “his only friend" before leaving scot free.

Rey And Kylo Ren (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)

Despite its polarizing fan reception, 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi boasts great lightsaber battles pitting Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) against the slain Snoke's (Andy Serkis) Praetorian Guards. While the Jedi trainee discovered this truce was meant to coerce her into leading the First Order with him, at least they would make-up to take on Palpatine at the end of The Rise of Skywalker.

Rocky Balboa And Apollo Creed (Rocky III)

The first two Rocky movies were all about the rivalry between the eponymous boxer (Sylvester Stallone) and Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), but everything changed in the third chapter. With Creed’s much-needed help, Rocky regains his title against Clubber Lang (Mr. T), sparking a friendship tragically cut short in the next film, but revived vicariously when Rocky trains Apollo’s child, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan), in the Creed movies.

Peter Parker And Harry Osborn (Spider-Man 3)

Harry Osborn (James Franco) as the New Goblin is not quite one of the best Spider-Man movie villains, mainly because most would prefer his heroic turn near the end of Spider-Man 3. Having forgiven Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) for his father's death, he aids him against Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) and Venom (Topher Grace) and even puts himself in the way of his bladed glider to save his life.

Det. Del Spooner And Sonny (I, Robot)

As a technophobe, I understand why Del Spooner (Will Smith) was quick to suspect the “unique” robot known as Sonny (voiced by Alan Tudyk) might be a murderer in 2004's I, Robot. Yet, by the end of this underrated futuristic thriller, I actually found myself warmed by the sight of man and machine coming together against the real enemy: a tyrannical A.I. named KIKI.

The Terminator And Sarah Connor (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

Despite being one of the best '80s movie villains, Arnold Schwarzengger's time-traveling killing machine would be seen in a whole new light in 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) is, at first, understandably hesitant to trust a duplicate of the cyborg sent to kill her years earlier, which has been programmed to protect her and her son (Edward Furlong).

Thor And Loki (Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok)

The real heart and soul of the Thor movies might actually be Loki (Tom Hiddleston) -- who might also be the first great MCU villain, but the times he aided his brother (Chris Hemsworth) have been equally satisfying. Their truce made for a heartbreaking supposed death for the God of Mischief in 2013’s The Dark World, but their alliance to save Asgard from Hela (Cate Blanchett) in 2017’s Ragnarok spawned some of the most memorably fun moments for either Marvel character.

Walter White And Hector Salamanca (Breaking Bad)

In order to defeat drug kingpin Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), meth manufacturer Walter White (Bryan Cranston) was forced to turn to another person who despised him, Hector Salamanca (the late Mark Margolis). Lucky for Walt, Hector hated the Los Pollos Hermanos founder enough to let him rig his wheelchair with an explosive he could detonate when Fring came to visit him in one of the best Breaking Bad episodes, “Face Off."

Marquis Warren And Chris Mannix (The Hateful Eight)

From the moment they meet, it seems that Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and Sheriff Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins) will make up the central rivalry of Quentin Tarantino’s visually remarkable 2015 western. However, in one of the many dazzling twists from The Hateful Eight, the unlikely pair end up being the only ones who can trust each other among the loathsome lot of people they are forced to take shelter with, let alone the only survivors.

Wendell "Bud" White And Edmund "Shotgun Ed" Exley (L.A. Confidential)

This masterful period crime thriller puts an amusing spin on the “good cop, bad cop” dynamic by pairing aggressive "Bud" White (Russell Crowe) with straight-laced Ed Exley (Guy Pearce). While not being able to stand each other for multiple reasons, they end up being the only ones who can get to the bottom of an insidious case of corruption in the LAPD in Curtis Hanson’s L.A. Confidential.

Woody And Buzz (Toy Story)

The groundbreaking animation style of the first, and arguably best, Pixar movie, 1995’s Toy Story, is not all that made it a hit. Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear's (Tim Allen) evolution from bitter rivals of Andy's attention to friends desperate to escape a sadistic toy abuser together is a beautiful, captivating story, no matter the medium.

Sometimes friendship (or, at least, mutual respect and understanding) can come in the most unlikely places, and these 30 pop culture enemy team-up are solid proof.

In a time when the quality of movies is debated more fiercely than ever, the line that separates the average filmgoer from the professional critic wears somewhat thin. However, these two groups still very rarely see eye-to-eye, as evident by several divisive movies that came out in 2022 alone. 

Yet, every so often, Hollywood puts out a major, costly production — typically a high-stakes action flick or a sci-fi spectacle — that, miraculously, manages to please both critics and audiences. Drawing from sources like Rotten Tomatoes, the Internet Movie Database, and sometimes Metacritic, we have listed 30 examples of this phenomenon below.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

The film that reignited the Star Wars franchise is not only the highest grossing film of all time, domestically — according to Box Office Mojo — but also the most expensive film ever made, according to Forbes, with a recently discovered grand total of $533.2 million. The Force Awakens is also one of many sci-fi movies with an RT score above 90% (93%, to be exact) and fans felt the Force was strong with it, too, based on its 7.8 IMDb rating.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

You ask either a critic or an average moviegoer what they believe is the greatest Marvel movie yet and the answer will likely be Avengers: Endgame, which was loved by 94% of critics on RT and rated 8.4 on IMDb by fans. Praise like that — and its massive box office returns — probably makes Kevin Feige and co. satisfied with their $356 million investment in the epic Infinity Saga finale.

King Kong (2005)

None of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies cost nearly as much to make as the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s visually stunning remake of the 1933 monster movie classic, King Kong. Luckily, the $207 million budget (according to BBC) paid off in the eyes of both critics (it won an 84% on RT), and audiences who rated it 7.2 on IMDb.

Titanic (1997)

At the time, the $200 million budget for James Cameron’s historical epic, Titanic, was unprecedented and considered by many as a major risk, as a 1998 story by the Los Angeles Times recalls. However, the extraordinarily successful Best Picture Oscar winner won the hearts of the many who saw it, with critical reviews totaling to 88% on RT and fans showering it with a 7.9 IMDb rating.

The Dark Knight (2008)

A common choice for the greatest live-action Batman movie ever made — let alone the greatest superhero movie ever made — is The Dark Knight, which critics certainly loved, based on its 94% RT rating. It appears that the many moviegoers also made Christopher Nolan’s $185 million DC movie classic a box office juggernaut (grossing more than $1 billion worldwide) also went batty for it, based on its 9.0 on IMDb.

Tangled (2010)

According to Box Office Mojo, Tangled is the most expensive animated movie of all time, having cost Disney $260 million. It turned out to be worth it, with 89% of critics loving this reinterpretation of the story of Rapunzel and fans rating it at 7.7. on IMDb.

Avatar (2009)

James Cameron surpassed the record he set with Titanic with the release of his revolutionary sci-fi epic, Avatar, which made more than ten times its $237 million budget at the box office. Its cutting edge special effects also earned the film a matching critic score and audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes at 82%, and a strong 7.9 IMDb rating.

Avatar: The Way Of Water (2022)

According to Deadline, James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel to Avatar cost quite a bit more to make (approximately $460 million). Unfortunately, Avatar: The Way of Water fell short of its predecessor’s RT score (76%) and IMDb rating (7.7), but only slightly lower, and still very much high enough to be a critical darling and a bonafide crowd pleaser.

Spider-Man (2002)

Sam Raimi — a hero of low budget, indie filmmaking in all kinds of genres — stepped up to the big leagues with a $139 million adaptation of one of his own favorite comic book characters, Spider-Man. His passion for the Marvel hero (played by Tobey Maguire) and unique visual style wowed 90% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a 7.4 user rating on IMDb.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Raimi’s sequel to Spider-Man (featuring Alfred Molina as one of the Spidey’s best cinematic villains, Doc Ock), obviously, cost more to make ($200 million this time). Luckily, it was worth every penny, based on an IMDb rating that matches its processor (7.4), but a higher RT score at 93%.

Black Panther (2018)

While superhero movies had earned Oscars before Black Panther, Ryan Coogler’s stunning $200 million Marvel flick (according to Variety) was the first to earn a Best Picture nomination. If that seems to be an unlikely honor for such a film, its 96% RT and 7.3 IMDb rating would disagree.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Some people cite Rogue One as their favorite Star Wars movie, and its 7.8 IMDb rating suggests there are plenty of fans who agree. Critics dug the $200 million direct prequel to the 1977 original film, too, resulting in an 84% RT score.

The Avengers (2012)

By today's standards, a budget of $220 million seems kind of low for a movie that teams several major comic book heroes together. At least that made it easy for the MCU’s first big crossover flick, The Avengers, to exceed its cost with box office returns (becoming the most popular movie of 2012), in addition to being universally beloved — boasting a 91% for both critics and audiences on RT and an 8.0 on IMDb.

Batman Begins (2005)

The movie that revitalized the live-action Batman movie franchise after years of dormancy was Christopher Nolan’s exquisitely crafted $150 million thriller, Batman Begins. Fans and critics alike were also very happy to see the Dark Knight back in a rightfully dark fashion, based on its 84% RT score and 8.2 IMDb user rating.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Ask any fan of James Cameron’s apocalyptic, technophobic, time travel movie saga and they will name the second chapter as the best of the Terminator movies, most likely, considering its 91% RT score and 8.6 rating on IMDb. Terminator 2: Judgment Day was the most expensive movie ever made at the time of its release with a budget of $102 million, which would — when adjusted for inflation — equate to more than $227 million in 2023.

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (2009)

According to ScreenRant, the most expensive installment of the Harry Potter movies (including the Fantastic Beasts prequels) is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, with a budget of $250 million. Luckily, it is also one of the most acclaimed films of the fantasy franchise, having cast a spell on 84% of critics on RT and earning a 7.6 on IMDb.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Fans have been debating over which of the best Spider-Man actors deserves to be called the best for years now, but one thing that is for sure is that a lot of people have a soft spot Andrew Garfield. The future Oscar nominee led The Amazing Spider-Man, which boasted a $230 million budget and proved to be a satisfying surprise, earning a 71% critics score on RT with an even higher audience score of 77%, not to mention its 7.1 user rating on Metacritic.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

The MCU had never before crafted a crossover flick as massive in scale, scope, and ensemble as Avengers: Infinity War, which explains its budget ranging from $300-400 million, according to Variety. Fans and critics alike were captivated by our heroes’ crusade against Thanos (Josh Brolin), generating an 85% on RT and a closely matched 8.4 IMDb rating.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)

Disney took a big swing on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, spending $140 million to bring one of its most popular theme park attractions to life on the big screen. Fortunately, the first of the swashbuckling franchise was a grand success and remains the most widely beloved installment by 85% of critics on RT and the fans who rated it 8.1 on IMDb.

Iron Man (2008)

The film that kicked off the MCU (and revived Robert Downey Jr.’s career) is, unsurprisingly, among the franchise’s least expensive installments with a $140 million budget, which was considered a major cost at the time. Yet, Iron Man is still one of the most beloved Marvel movies, having earned a 94% on RT and a healthy IMDb rating of 7.9.

Star Trek (2009)

It cost $150 million to bring Gene Roddenberry’s iconic cosmic saga back to the big screen with a whole new cast and greater special effects. Luckily, this would not be the final frontier for the Star Trek franchise as J.J. Abrams’ reboot was a hit with critics (earning 94% on RT) and, miraculously, satisfied the fans that rated it 7.9 on IMDb.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

After the first cinematic adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ dystopian YA novel series exceeded expectations and became a huge financial success (making $408 million domestically on a $78 million budget), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, was given a higher budget of $130 million dollars. In addition to greater box office returns, it became the most acclaimed of the Hunger Games movies (so far), proving to be a champion on RT with 90% and on IMDb with a rating of 7.5.

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

One of the biggest surprise hits in the MCU (or in blockbuster history, period) is James Gunn’s adaptation of of one Marvel’s more obscure cosmic comic book titles, which cost a relatively meager $170 million. Yet, moviegoers and reviewers found themselves “hooked on a feeling” by Guardians of the Galaxy, which earned matching critic and audience scores of 92% on RT and a strong 8.0 IMDb rating.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Bringing George Miller’s breathtaking vision of a post-apocalyptic Australia to life with as little CGI as possible required a budget of $150 million. As a result, the Oscar-winning Mad Max: Fury Road became the most acclaimed of the Mad Max movies so far, wowing 97% of critics on RT and earning an 8.1 on IMDb.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Chris Evans' supersoldier may be the title character, but Captain America: Civil War is a basically an Avengers movie, costing $250 million to get so many characters involved at once. Critics seemed to love this thoroughly exciting, cleverly complex story of superheroes at each other’s throats more than the fans did, based on its 90% RT score and still healthy 7.8 IMDb rating.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Denis Villeneuve’s long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic is considered to be one of the biggest box office flops of its time, making only around $92 million on a $150 million budget. However, Blade Runner 2049 was praised by the moviegoers who did see it (giving it an 8.0 on IMDb) and impressed 88% of critics on RT.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

While David Ayer’s Suicide Squad was a financial success (raking in more than $325 million domestically on a $175 budget), it was not a big hit with the fans that rated it 5.9 on IMDb and much less so with critics who gave it a rotten 26%. James Gunn’s follow-up, The Suicide Squad, garnered the opposite results — not even making back its $185 million budget in worldwide sales (with a $168.7 million gross), but earning praise from 90% of critics on RT and satisfying fans who rated it 7.2 on IMDb.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder leads two of the lowest rated Marvel movies so far: Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Love and Thunder. However, the refreshingly funny and visually pleasing Thor: Ragnarok — which cost $180 million — is considered to be the Asgardian’s greatest adventure yet by both critics an audiences, earning a strong 7.9 on IMDb and a thunderous 93% RT score.

WALL-E (2008)

You can sense every penny of WALL-E’s $180 million budget in each beautifully animated frame of this sci-fi family film. Of course, the heartwarming story and bold message have a lot to do with why it is considered one of the best Pixar movies and earned a 95% score on RT and an 8.4 IMDb rating.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Even with a budget of $200 million, Spider-Man: No Way Home is not even the most expensive film led by Marvel Comics’ beloved webslinger, according to The Numbers. However, this multiversal crossover epic is one of the best reviewed of the bunch (earning a 93% on RT and an 8.2 IMDb rating) and is, just about, the most beloved live-action Spider-Man movie so far.

Money does not always bring you happiness, but it can lead to some great memories of the big screen.

Considering just how big the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become, the fact that its overall quality still trends toward being pretty good is a significant accomplishment. We all have our favorite movies, and our least favorite, but most of the time things are fine. Sometimes the MCU can be legitimately great, and it’s rarely actually that bad.

But, as with any form of art, perfection is largely unattainable. The best MCU films still have elements that could be better. By the same token, the worst installments aren’t entirely without merit. So, from Iron Man to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, here is a look at every single Marvel Cinematic Universe film, and the best and worst parts of each one. 

Iron Man 

Best Thing: Robert Downey Jr’s perfect casting

If there was one thing that first MCU movie had to get right above all else it was casting its first hero, and they simply could not have done any better. Robert Downey Jr. is absolutely perfect as Tony Stark. Both the actor and the character were men in need of second chances, and Downey shows that vulnerability perfectly while also coming across as heroic.

Worst Thing: The final battle is just robots punching each other

Iron Man set a tone for excellent casting in the MCU but unfortunately also set a tone for unfortunate endings. The big finale is ultimately just two guys in armored suits punching each other. There just isn’t a lot else there.

The Incredible Hulk 

Best Thing: Hulk Smash

If you’re going to see an Incredible Hulk movie then what you’re probably looking for is a massive green dude to break stuff and punch things. As far as that goes, The Incredible Hulk succeeds pretty well. The action sequence at the end against Abomination is fun enough that you might not notice the bad part about it.

Worst Thing: Early CGI doesn’t hold up

The bad part is that the CGI doesn’t really work. Part of this is certainly looking back in retrospect, as the Hulk looks different now, not only because he’s played by a different actor, but because he's animated better. 

Iron Man 2

Best Thing: Justin Hammer

There are two villains in Iron Man 2 and one of them audiences have repeatedly hoped we might see again. Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer isn’t the most important new addition to the franchise in the sequel, but he is absolutely the most fun.

Worst Thing: Whiplash

The other villain, however, doesn’t succeed nearly as well. Whiplash is what happens when your Iron Man movie is so successful you rush a sequel and just pull a villain off the shelf. There’s no depth here, which makes the conflict ring hollow.

Thor 

Best Thing: The Introduction Of Tom Hiddelston’s Loki

Thor would eventually come into his own, but he’s certainly not the most interesting thing in his own movie. From the very beginning, it was clear that what Marvel found with Tom Hiddleston as Loki was truly special. 

Worst Thing: Kenneth Branagh is not an action movie director

Branagh is a great director and the decision to bring his Shakespearean sensibilities to the superhero genre actually works a lot better than you might expect. Where he’s clearly having trouble, however, is the action. The superpowered battles just don’t have the impact, either on screen or for the audience, that they should.

Captain America: The First Avenger 

Best Thing: Steve throws himself on a grenade

Before Steve Rogers ever gets injected with super soldier serum he shows that he’s actually been Captain America from the beginning. The willingness to throw himself on a live grenade is what causes the rest of the movie to happen; it endears him to the other characters and to us, as well.

Worst Thing: The silly brief love triangle

There’s a scene shortly after Steve leads a heroic rescue mission where a woman (Natalie Dormer) who is very impressed by him makes a move and kisses him just as Peggy walks up. It leads to one of those classic misunderstandings which only exist in movies to keep romantic partners apart longer, and it’s always silly. 

The Avengers

Best Thing: That one team shot

You know the one. The moment when The Avengers become The Avengers. The camera circles around them, the music swells, and six movies come together in one moment, proving that the MCU truly works.

Worst Thing: Coulson’s death

It’s a key moment, as it’s part of what brings the characters together, but Agent Coulson was just as important to the success of the MCU as any of the Avengers, and it’s been missing something ever since he died.

Iron Man 3 

Best Thing: The Mandarin Twist

Because the MCU is based on existing Marvel Comics, you can get a general idea of what may happen if you know the stories, which is why the big twist in Iron Man 3 is so great. Nobody saw it coming.

Worst Thing: The Mandarin Twist

Having said that, a lot of people hated the Mandarin twist, and there’s an argument to be made that taking one of Marvel’s few Asian characters and having him ultimately played by a non-Chinese actor was the wrong move.

Thor: The Dark World 

Best Thing: Freya’s death scene

Thor: The Dark World has its share of issues, but Rene Russo’s Freya isn’t one of them. Her death scene is a fairly big surprise, and so it hits with emotional weight when the rest of the movie largely doesn’t.

Worst Thing: Who was the villain again?

The only thing that would have made the death scene better is if she were killed by a villain we actually remember. You don’t recollect his name or why he was the villain, and that’s the problem. No, I'm not going to look it up and pretend I remember.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

Best Thing: The Elevator Fight

Marvel movies are full of action sequences and most are fine, but few of them are truly great. Captain America: The Winter Soldier's elevator fight is well choreographed and shot, allowing for one of the most unique and exciting battles in the MCU. Even Chris Evans knows it's the best.

Worst Thing: Nick Fury’s “death”

Did anybody actually believe that Fury died here? The movie makes the reveal that he’s still alive feel like they thought they fooled somebody. They did not. 

Guardians Of The Galaxy 

Best Thing: We are Groot

By the end of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, we're fully on board with this team of broken misfits. Which makes the fact that we lose one of them hurt a lot more than we might expect. Groot’s final words resonate in a way that only a creature's of few words can.

Worst Thing: Another unmemorable villain

Perhaps because it has so many characters to introduce, it doesn’t have much time left for its villain. As such, Ronan the Accuser is given a very rushed setup and a weak motivation, despite his connection to the biggest villain of the first three phases. 

Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Best Thing: James Spader’s Ultron

Ultron maybe doesn’t have the most original motivation for rogue AI, but he does have the best possible voice for it. James Spader is absolutely perfect as the voice, and he brings a life to the CGI character that it desperately needs. It's a shame Spader has not returned to voice him since.

Worst Thing: Black Widow’s sterilization

The romance between Bruce Banner and Black Widow is an idea that starts and ends here, so it ends up having little impact, but that makes Natasha’s tearful admission that she cannot have children (and the implicit indication that there is something wrong with her because of it) that much more out of place.

Ant-Man

Best Thing: Creative final fight

The final battle in Ant-Man follows many of the same beats as several (far less) interesting battles in the MCU, but what those fights didn’t have was a Thomas the Tank Engine toy the size of a city bus. This battle uses the unique abilities of the characters to great effect to make this fight much stronger.

Worst Thing: Not enough Hope Van Dyne

Ant-Man is all about Scott Lang becoming a capable superhero, and it’s a fun journey, but the movie already has a woman quite capable in Hope Van Dyne. Leaving the Wasp reveal until a post-credits scene feels like a waste. 

Captain America: Civil War 

Best Thing: The airport battle

Is the airport battle a bit like taking all your superhero action figures and throwing them together? Yeah, but that’s also why it’s great. Not since the first Avengers had we seen so many of our favorite Marvel heroes in one place, and it still didn’t get old.

Worst Thing: Zemo’s plan is convoluted as hell 

Zemo is far from the worst villain in the MCU. He’s actually one of the more interesting ones overall, but it has to be said that his plan here is completely ridiculous. There are so many steps involved that it's almost funny that the plan actually succeeds.

Doctor Strange 

Best Thing: A final battle that isn’t just a fistfight

Some of the best parts of Marvel movies have been the action sequences where heroes and villains fight, but Doctor Strange tries something different when the hero goes up against Dormamu and finds a way to win that is entirely about outsmarting, not out punching, his opponent. It's not less exciting, but it's a lot more creative.

Worst Thing: Not enough Rachel McAdams

At this point, it seems like every working actor has a role in the MCU, but some of them have been criminally underused. When you get Rachel McAdams in your movie you should do something with her, but Doctor Strange doesn’t.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 

Best Thing: Nebula and Gamora

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is an emotional movie all the way around, but the most powerful relationship is between Gamora and Nebula. They very nearly kill each other before Nebula finally takes the first step to healing by revealing how she truly feels. It’s an incredible moment.

Worst Thing: Mantis as the butt of jokes

Mantis is a great addition to the Guardians, but her introduction is a tough one. The way that Drax perpetually insults her, in a way that is played for laughs, just isn’t as funny as it was supposed to be. 

Spider-Man: Homecoming 

Best Thing: Michael Keaton’s Villain speech

Michael Keaton is great across the board in Homecoming but the best moment comes as he's driving Peter and his date to the prom, and they have a conversation that, on the surface, seems plain, but is actually a much deeper conversation. They reveal themselves to each other, without giving anything away. 

Worst Thing: The M.J. “twist”

Homecoming tries to mix up the formula of Spider-Man movies, and does such a good job overall that feeling a need to force Zendaya’s character into being M.J. just isn’t right. She’s her own character, and should have been allowed to be such. Making her M.J. doesn’t do anything the movie or franchise needs.

Thor: Ragnarok

Best Thing: A new tone that suits Thor better

Everything changed for Thor with Ragnarok, but most importantly, what changed was his sense of humor. With Taika Waittiti at the helm, we had a Thor that was much lighter in tone, and that seems to suit the character and Chris Hemsworth a lot more.

Worst Thing:  An unworthy end to the Warriors Three

However, a casualty of Ragnarok, literally, were the Warriors Three, who it seems Waititi didn’t know what to do with, and so he disposed of them in short order. They deserved better. 

Black Panther

Best Thing: T’Challa rejects the ancestors

It’s difficult to not just say “everything” is what’s best about Black Panther. Chadwick Boseman is one of the MCU’s great casting decisions. If that hadn’t been clear previously, it is in the climax of the film, when T’Challa takes his father and the rest of his ancestors to task for their bad decisions.

Worst Thing: Two great villains gone too soon

One of the other things that makes the film so great is its villains. Michael B. Jordan is excellent as Killmonger, and at least he had a whole movie to shine. Andy Serkis’ Klaue felt like a villain who was never really given a chance to be as big as he could have been, despite being excellent whenever he was on screen.

Avengers: Infinity War

Best Thing: Groot and Stormbreaker

There are numerous moments in the last two Avengers movies that were clearly designed to make fans stand up and cheer, but the greatest moment of Infinity War comes from the least likely place. Groot becomes the true hero of the film when he unites the pieces of Stormbreaker and uses his own arm to give the weapon a handle.

Worst Thing: The Soul Stone

Many lives are lost in Infinity War, but none are more heartbreaking than Gamora. And, not simply from a storytelling standpoint. It’s frustrating because the premise of the Soul Stone sequence, that Thanos loves Gamora, is so clearly false by virtue of what he’s willing to do.

Ant-Man And The Wasp 

Best Thing: Michael Pena’s Luis

We met Luis in the first Ant-Man movie and he was absolutely hilarious, so the sequel did what all sequels at least claim to: give us more of what we want. Luis becomes a much more significant part of Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the sequel is better for it.

Worst Thing: More forgettable villains

Stop if you’ve heard this one before, but sometimes we forget who the villains in Marvel movies even are, and this is very much the case in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Ghost is set to return to the MCU, but we'll need a refresher on who she is.

Captain Marvel 

Best Thing: Captain Marvel Blasting Yon-Rogg

Sometimes a superhero movie builds to an epic and inevitable encounter between a hero and villain, and we get a fight that is everything we dreamed of. Sometimes the villain gets blasted into a wall because the hero owes him nothing, and it's even more satisfying.

Worst Thing: Unnecessarily '90s

Captain Marvel is set in the ’90s for “prequel” reasons, which is fine, but unlike the Guardians of the Galaxy films, which use music for particular story and character reasons, the setting here isn’t that important, and yet it never stops forcing itself on the story.

Avengers: Endgame 

Best Thing: Avengers Assemble

It was the moment we waited more than a decade for. A complete unification of every living hero in the MCU up to that moment. It was everything we wanted.

Worst Thing: Smart Hulk is born off screen

Considering just how long the Avengers movies are you'd think they would have found time to not just explain the origin of Smart Hulk, but let that important stuff happen on-screen.

Spider-Man: Far From Home 

Best Thing: Peter & MJ

It’s not really a shock that Tom Holland and Zendaya got together in real life because the chemistry between the two is excellent. We never really got to see it in the previous Spider-Man movie, but it’s the backbone of this one, and it's excellent.

Worst Thing: Mysterio’s backstory

Retroactively connecting a story back to something that we've already seen is, almost without exception, a clunky way to do things, and when it comes to Mysterio’s motivations, it’s pretty clunky here, as well. 

Black Widow

Best Thing: Florence Pugh

We lost our first Black Widow with the titular movie, but the film gave us a suitable replacement. Pugh’s Yelena isn’t a carbon copy of Scarlett Johansson, which means she’ll still bring something new to the MCU, while still lending similar skills to any plot that requires her. 

Worst Thing: The Taskmaster Reveal

It is perfectly acceptable for an MCU movie to do something drastically different with a character that is well-known in comics. However, if you’re going to treat the identity of a character as a big deal, the reveal needs to be bigger than what we got here.

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings 

Best Thing: Wenwu vs. Jiang Li

The martial arts combat of Shang-Chi is a nice change of pace from the usual MCU dust-up, and the best is the fight/romance of Wewu and Jiang Li. It’s a beautifully choreographed battle and an equally beautiful love story all at once. 

Worst Thing: CGI dragon fights

Shang-Chi does a great job introducing us to its characters and getting us to care about them, which makes it disappointing when the final battle focuses largely on massive CGI dragons that, while impressive, the audience has not invested in.

Eternals

Best Thing: An impressive ensemble 

Say what you will about Eternals, but it put together an incredible cast, developed each one into fully realized characters, and did so in a way that was compelling and interesting.

Worst Thing: The Massive Mid-Film Info Dump 

Relaying information that the audience needs can be one of the most difficult things for any movie. Many movies, and lots of Marvel movies, struggle with this, but Eternals massive info dump where a Celestial just explains everything to Sersi stops the movie dead in its tracks.

Spider-Man: No Way Home 

Best Thing: The live-action Spider-Verse

In a moment that Spider-Man fans could have only have dreamed of before it happened, three different big screen Spider-Men shared the screen and fought together. How could you not have loved that?

Worst Thing: So. Many. Villains.

Getting three Spidey’s was great, but they could have fought fewer bad guys. It’s not that any of them were bad, but only a couple of them really get any chance to be part of the story.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness 

Best Thing: Scarlet Witch Murders Everybody

The alternative universe version of various Marvel heroes was cool. Watching Scarlet Witch completely own them all was even better.

Worst Thing: Mordo is wasted

Mordo had an interesting character arc in the first Doctor Strange, and seeing where he would go made the sequel a compelling idea. Unfortunately, by the time we got to it, the MCU had a different story to tell, so the tease from the first movie went nowhere. 

Thor: Love And Thunder

Best Thing: The Mighty Thor

In a rare move, Marvel revealed years in advance that Natalie Portman would return to the MCU as The Mighty Thor. You don’t need to worry about spoilers when your reveal is awesome enough. 

Worst Thing: Thor Gets Lost in his own movie  

The Mighty Thor was great, and Thor: Love and Thunder has one of the better MCU villains in years. Unfortunately, Thor himself feels largely overlooked by his own movie. 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 

Best Thing: Shuri’s emotional journey

We knew that Wakanda Forever was going to be an emotional movie for lots of fans, but to make the road toward acceptance the actual plot was an inspired decision. We all understand Shuri’s story.

Worst Thing: Thunderbolts subplot

The journey of Everett Ross here is not nearly as satisfying. He seems to be there mostly to set up future movies, which takes away from the one we are actually watching.

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania 

Best Thing: Kang

Kang is expected to be the villain of this current MCU arc, and Quntumania was his coming-out party. It’s a great performance and a fantastic hint of what is to come.

Worst Thing: Where’s Luis?

With the movie mostly taking place in the Quantum Realm, I’m sure the filmmakers just didn’t know how to incorporate Michael Pena’s Luis in a way that made sense, but it’s a lesser film without him.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

Best Thing: The Bestie Boys One Shot

The Guardians of the Galaxy movies have given us solid action and great music, and in one of the trilogy’s final moments, it gave us all that and more in a simulated one-shot that looked epic and sounded amazing.

Worst Thing: Adam Warlock

Vol. 2 promised us Adam Warlock, but one wonders if he would have appeared if that post-credits scene had been left out. The performance and character are good, but the movie doesn’t seem to know what to do with him.

That's every MCU film. Do you agree with our choices?

Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure in the Disneyland Resort is the perfect place to go if you’re a serious Marvel fan. You never know just which heroes or villains from the Marvel Cinematic Universe you might run into on any given day. It’s pretty cool for fans, but it has to be more than a little weird for somebody like Cate Blanchett who is actually part of the MCU and knows the “real” Thor and Loki personally.

Blanchett, who played Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, recently visited the Disneyland Resort and got her picture taken with her on-screen family, Thor, and Loki. I happened to tweet out the picture which went a little viral on its own even, before Chris Hemsworth himself apparently saw it and decided to chime in on Twitter, saying that while “Thor” was glad to see his sister, he still holds a grudge over that whole “destroying his hammer” thing.

It’s a great picture. With the helmets on it would be easy at a quick glance to think Cate Blanchett was actually standing there with Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. Of course, Thor and Loki are in their standard MCU outfits, and Hela is in full vacation mode, but somehow that makes this picture that much better. 

The only problem with the image is that the hammer this Thor is holding actually looks fine. A version of Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor from Thor: Love and Thunder has also appeared at Avengers Campus. That one carries the shattered and then reconstructed version of Mjolnir from that movie. 

Of course, this makes me realize that Hela is one MCU character who doesn’t appear at Avengers Campus. Every time we get a new Disney+ series or movie, we usually get at least one new walk-around character at Avengers Campus. We actually saw multiple variants of Loki when the Loki series hit Disney+. It was like we got a new one every week. Unfortunately, Thor: Ragnarok opened prior to Avengers Campus, and Hela hasn’t appeared since that film outside of What If…? So there hasn’t been a reason for Disneyland Resort to add her. The only character we've seen get added long after their debut was the Avengers: Endgame version of Hulk. And that was largely a focus on the tech necessary to create Hulk in the first place. 

Maybe they could consider creating a Hela character to appear during the Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween Party. We’ve seen other MCU villains and monsters, like Agatha Harkness and Zombie Captain America appear in the past, and Hela would make a solid addition, and considering her MCU costumes she’d look amazing walking around Avengers Campus.

Besides, if we had a Hela character, then the next time Chris Hemsworth visited Disneyland, he’d be able to pose with her and return the favor, making for an excellent companion photo to this one. 

The Thor franchise has made quite an impact on the zeitgeist, so naturally many fans want to be the hammer-throwing superhero. Whether you want to dress up as Fat Thor at Disneyland or show off your impressive Thor cosplay look at a film's premiere, he’s become an incredibly beloved character in the MCU. Not to mention, I think the Thor actor Chris Hemsworth is a celebrity many men wish they could wake up as. And now, one fan has gone viral after humorlessly asking his followers if he was the next “look-alike” of the Marvel star, and then the Avengers actor totally made this fan's day by responding to the funny post.

Plenty of men probably wish they looked like a superhero-ripped Son of Odin. One fan named Justin humorously wondered if he nailed the part of a Chris Hemsworth “look-alike” as he posted a side-by-side photo of himself and the MCU actor on Twitter. This viral photo has received 26.3 million views with 26 thousand likes. In the caption, he jokingly pointed out that girls have said he looks like Chris Hemsworth. The Australian actor’s response to this was nothing but good humor right back at him which you can check out below.

It’s like looking in a mirror, right? It’s nice that the Extraction actor found a lot of hilarity in this situation. 

While this photo was a laugh-out-loud moment for the internet, because they clearly look nothing alike, celebrities have actually had doppelgängers of themselves walking around like a straight-up Twilight Zone episode. For example, DC Comics actor Dwayne Johnson has his very own uncanny doppelgänger in the form of Lt. Eric Fields from Morgan County, Alabama. Harry Potter actress Emma Watson also apparently has a look-alike who, of course, cosplays Hermione Granger at conventions. As long as an Us situation doesn’t happen if you were to go face-to-face with your look-alike, it’s a pretty fascinating experience to know there’s someone out there who looks like you.

While the viral Chris Hemsworth fan clearly knows his appearance separates him from the Thor: Love and Thunder actor, he was flattered by the response he got from the Rush actor. 

With a compliment like that, I should hope so, especially considering the career Hemsworth has had. His upcoming projects include a role in the Mad Max spinoff Furiosa which began filming last summer. The prequel’s official synopsis revealed Hemsworth will take on the role of a returning character of the series- the younger version of Immortan Joe. This fitness buff also looks intense and ready to fight in the second film in Netflix’s Extraction franchise. As for how much longer we’ll see this action star playing Thor, his future in the MCU remains unclear. Hemsworth has said if he were ever to return, it would probably be his last run as Thor, because he feels like the character needs to make an exit eventually. 

It’s nice to know that Chris Hemsworth acknowledged his “look-alike” fan the way he did. It shows he truly does have a good heart and an astonishing sense of humor. 

Make sure you don't miss Hemsworth returning as Tyler Rake in Extraction 2 premiering on June 16, all you'll need to watch it is a Netflix subscription. You can also always go back and watch Hemsworth as the God of Thunder in the Thor movies with a Disney+ subscription.

The Boys universe is preparing to expand on Amazon Prime, following the raunchy animated series The Boys: Diabolical. College-set spinoff, Gen V, already has an exciting cast, and now there will reportedly be a Marvel and DC star joining the ranks. 

One Take News reported that Clancy Brown has been tapped for an undisclosed role in the upcoming streaming spinoff. It’s not known how many episodes Brown will appear in, but reportedly according to sources, he will be in at least one episode. 

If Clancy Brown’s previous roles are any indication, his role on Gen V will definitely be one to look out for. The prolific actor was part of the Green Lantern cast and has played more than one character in the MCU. He portrayed Ray Schoonover on Daredevil and The Punisher, as well as the voice of Surtur in Thor: Ragnarok. So, he definitely has quite a bit of experience in superhero franchises, and that’s only just a fraction of his work as an actor.

It's hard to predict just what kind of role Brown will play on Gen V since he could play a professor at the college or a mentor of some kind to the young supes. Though perhaps he could continue playing villains. But hopefully, more information on his role is announced soon, but with Gen V not premiering until sometime in 2023, it may be a while.

Gen V has been in the works for a while now and follows the lives of young superheroes in college dealing with everything that hormonal young adults struggle with, on top of having powers. With The Boys being as raunchy as ever, Gen V will follow in its footsteps, and likely include some very hardcore scenes, but it’s not The Boys without it, so that’s not really a surprise.

As for the rest of the Gen V cast, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Jaz Sinclair is one of the leads, along with Patrick Schwarzenegger, whose dad had a funny reaction after he got cast. Gen V will also feature Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Sean Patrick Thomas, Maddie Phillips, Marco Pigossi, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, and Shelley Conn. So if reports are true, Clancy Brown is definitely joining a talented group of people for what can presumably be a pretty great series.

Meanwhile, Season 4 of The Boys is getting pretty big as well. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is joining the show for the upcoming season, bringing yet another Supernatural reunion to the Amazon series, and he had a pretty Negan-appropriate reaction. It will be interesting to see what the season will consist of and how it could tie into Gen V since the spinoff will be part of The Boys universe. 

Don’t forget to sign up for an Amazon Prime subscription, so you watch Gen V when it comes out. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what else to look forward to.

The timelines of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises in film and television are fairly complex, but they don’t really hold a candle to the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this point. There are not only dozens of blockbusters and multiple streaming shows, but even multiple realities to keep track of. And did we mention that there are always more upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows on the way? We sympathize with anyone trying to keep track of it all, and we put together this feature to help you in that endeavor – whether you want to watch everything in Chronological Order or in Release Order.

If You’ve Never Seen The Marvel Movies Before

If you’re a complete newbie when it comes to the goings-on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s no real reason to be cute about picking a specific entry point: you should stick with the Release Order route. You can start getting creative after you’ve watched everything and you start doing rewatches, but when you’re just getting into the MCU, your best path to take is the same path that all existing fans took into the comic book franchise.

If You’ve Seen The Marvel Movies Before

Are you a Marvel Cinematic Universe fan who remembers seeing Jon Favreau’s Iron Man on the big screen in 2008 and have seen everything else on opening weekend ever since? Rewatching all of the films and TV shows in release order may be too basic for you, so allow us to recommend giving Chronological Order a whack. You’ll be able to properly witness the full scope of the timeline going back to the first half of the 20th century and may pick up on things that you didn’t notice or understand during previous viewings.

Marvel Movies In Chronological Order

The filmmakers at Marvel Studios like to play around with time – and I don’t just mean via time travel (though that is certainly a part of it). The effort to construct a cohesive universe means crafting a firm and verbose timeline, and that has been accomplished with movies and TV shows set in the past, present, and future. Want to start a new MCU rewatch by witnessing the true launch of the Age of Heroes in the canon? This is the order you should follow.

Captain America: The First Avenger (Set In 1940s)

The full story set furthest into the past in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Captain America: The First Avenger – an adventure that entirely takes place towards the end of World War II. Spanning about two years (1943-1945), the story takes us from the transformation of Steve Rogers into Captain America, to his bold sacrificial move in the Arctic Circle that led him to being frozen in ice for decades. It’s in this film that we are introduced to not only the incredibly important titular hero, but also key supporting characters like James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes, Peggy Carter, Howard Stark, Johann Schmidt a.k.a. Red Skull, and Arnim Zola, all of whom have key roles to play in later movies. It's also the first of many stories to involve the Tesseract a.k.a. The Space Stone.

Captain Marvel (Set In 1990s)

There are flashbacks in Ant-Man, Ant-Man And The Wasp, Captain America: Civil War, and Black Panther that give audiences a peek into events that occurred after World War II in the MCU timeline, but the truth is that most of the 20th century remains open for exploration in future movies. The one part of the period that is an exception to this is the mid-1990s, which is when the events of Captain Marvel take place (specifically 1995). Naturally, this is where audiences get to meet Carol Danvers for the first time, and it’s also the introduction of the shape-shifting Skrull Talos, but from a chronological perspective, this also marks the debut of Phil Coulson and Nick Fury.

Iron Man (Set In 2010)

The opening scene of Iron Man 3 shows what it was like for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to experience the 2000 New Year’s celebration, but the timeline zooms ahead to 2010ish for the next big arc, and that’s the movie that started it all: Iron Man. It’s in this story that we get to watch Tony Stark transform into an armor-clad superhero, but also get to know James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Pepper Potts, and Happy Hogan. Plus it’s an opportunity to check in with Nick Fury and Phil Coulson more than 15 years after Captain Marvel.

Iron Man 2 (Set In 2010)

The reason why the setting of Iron Man is a couple of years after its release date is because the story directly dovetails with the events of Iron Man 2, which is set in 2010. The film begins with the same scene that ended the previous movie – Tony Stark declaring to the world that he is Iron Man – and gives fans a chance to catch up with James “Rhodey” Rhodes (who becomes War Machine), Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, Nick Fury, and Phil Coulson. This is the movie that also marks the first appearance of Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow, who is operating as an undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent spying on Tony as he struggles with a life-threatening illness, confronts the possibility of his technology being proliferated, and weighs entrance to the Avengers.

Thor (Set In 2010)

In Iron Man 2 we see Phil Coulson leave his assignment babysitting Tony Stark for a developing situation in New Mexico, and it winds up being revealed that the situation in question is the arrival of Thor on Earth a.k.a. Midgard (which means that it too is set in 2010ish). The first Thor movie is big on introductions, as we get to meet not only key Asgardians like the God of Thunder himself, Loki, Odin, Frigga, Heimdall, Sif, and the Warriors Three, but also notable humans such as Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, Erik Selvig, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jasper Sitwell, and Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye.

The Incredible Hulk (Set In 2010)

If you are paying attention during the second to last scene in Iron Man 2, you’ll notice a familiar broadcast playing on one of the monitors – specifically a news report about a rampage by the Hulk at a college. This is because The Incredible Hulk is yet another story that takes place around 2010. It’s not the most significant movie on the MCU timeline, as it only features two characters who go on to be really important (not counting the Tony Stark cameo), but it is noteworthy that those two individuals are Bruce Banner a.k.a. Hulk and future Secretary of State Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross, who is on a global hunt for the green monster.

The Avengers (Set In 2012)

Following the Iron Man 2/Thor/Incredible Hulk cluster, there is a small gap in the timeline, but things pick back up with The Avengers, which is set in 2012. This particular adventure was obviously notable for bringing Marvel’s established ensemble of characters together, with an alien invasion bringing together Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Nick Fury, Loki, Erik Selvig, Pepper Potts, and Phil Coulson in the same story, but the movie also marks the arrival of both Maria Hill and Thanos to the live-action canon.

Iron Man 3 (Set In 2012)

Immediately post-Avengers, both the chronological and release date timelines sync up for the most part. Iron Man 3 was the first movie to come out after the 2012 blockbuster, and it’s also the first story in-universe to follow it – taking place around Christmas of that year. Given that it is a more introspective story, with Tony Stark gaining a larger understanding of what it means to be Iron Man, the only important new character we meet is The Mandarin… who turns out to be a fake anyway. That being said, the film does also bring James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan and Howard Stark (albeit in video form) back into the action.

Thor: The Dark World (Set In 2013)

Thor: The Dark World is set during an unspecified season of 2013, and while it doesn’t expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe at all with new characters, it does update audiences on what has been happening with almost the entire ensemble that was featured in the first movie, including Thor, Loki, Jane Foster, Odin, Frigga, Heimdall, Sif, the Warriors Three, Darcy Lewis, and Erik Selvig. Plus it has an adventure that centers around one of the most significant elements in the canon: the Reality Stone.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Set In 2014)

It’s in the calendar year of 2014 that the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier play out, as audiences primarily catch up with Captain America and Black Widow as they sniff out a conspiracy within the goings-on at S.H.I.E.L.D. The blockbuster notably also brings back Bucky Barnes (now the Winter Soldier), Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Jasper Sitwell, Peggy Carter (now in her 90s), and Arnim Zola (now a computer), but also has fans get to know Sam Wilson a.k.a. Falcon, Sharon Carter a.k.a. Agent 13, S.H.I.E.L.D. Secretary Alexander Pierce, and strike team operative Brock Rumlow a.k.a. Crossbones.

Guardians Of The Galaxy (Set In 2014)

Thanks to particular title cards in the beginning of the movie, we know for a fact that Guardians of the Galaxy takes place in the year 2014, though the narrative that unfolds in the movie couldn’t be set further away from the main action in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is, of course, the story that brought the likes of Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Groot, Nebula, Yondu, and Kraglin into the live-action canon, while also seeing Thanos conspire with Ronan The Accuser to find The Power Stone.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (Set In 2014)

Because of the release schedule, most Marvel Cinematic Universe sequels are set at least a couple years after their predecessor, but that’s not the case with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is set just a few months after the first movie – letting it come directly after it in chronological order. This adventure is very different than the last, centering on the titular group as they meet a being who claims to be Peter Quill’s father, and a great new addition is made to the team with the arrival of Mantis.

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (Set In 2015)

Back on Earth in the year 2015, the Avengers reunited for a world-threatening crisis of their very own making – namely Tony Stark’s creation of the deadly artificial intelligence known as Ultron. Avengers: Age Of Ultron not only brings back together Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Falcon, War Machine, Nick Fury, and Erik Selvig for the first time since 2012, but also has a huge impact on the future of the franchise. This is the movie that initially put Scarlet Witch in action (not counting her Captain America: The Winter Soldier post-credits cameo), features the creation of Vision, has a role for Ulysses Klaue, and also involves two Infinity Stones: the Mind Stone and the Space Stone.

Ant-Man (Set In 2015)

Thanks to a particular line about the Avengers dropping cities out of the sky, we know that Ant-Man is set after the events of Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and as a result it’s pretty easy to pin it to its release year: 2015. It’s an important chapter for the MCU, as while the story about the heist of top secret technology doesn’t have much of an impact on the larger continuity of the franchise, it is the first movie for a lot of recurring characters, including Scott Lang a.k.a. Ant-Man, Hope van Dyne (pre-Wasp), Hank Pym, Luis, Kurt, Dave, Paxton, and Cassie and Maggie Lang. It also has cameos from Falcon, Howard Stark, and Peggy Carter.

Captain America: Civil War (Set In 2016)

It’s in the year 2016 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that a monumental change begins to take effect in regards to the way in which people of the world view superheroes. Understanding that there’s a serious risk in having costumed vigilantes operating without oversight, the Sokovia Accords are ratified globally, and it’s an issue that causes a great divide between members of the Avengers. This is obviously one of the most significant stories in the franchise timeline, both bringing together the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, Falcon, Vision, Winter Soldier, Agent 13, Ant-Man, Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross, Crossbones, and Howard Stark, while introducing T’Challa a.k.a. Black Panther, Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man, Helmut Zemo, May Parker, the Dora Milaje’s Ayo, and Everett Ross.

Black Panther (Set In 2016)

While there were four Marvel movies released between Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther, the latter is much closer on the timeline to the former than any other feature. With the 2016 blockbuster featuring the death of the Wakandan ruler T’Chaka, Black Panther is a film set in the aftermath as T’Challa returns home. While dealing with a challenge to the titular hero’s throne from a previously-unknown cousin, the new film brings in a couple of familiar faces with Everett Ross, Ayo, and Ulysses Klaue, but mostly features new characters, including Ramonda , Shuri , Okoye, M'Baku, Nakia, W'Kabi, and Ayo.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (Set In 2016)

Like Black Panther, Spider-Man: Homecoming is also very much set in the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, but a little more time has passed in between the stories. While the plot has Peter Parker struggling to be the best Spider-Man he can be while operating under certain restrictions from Iron Man, the film also introduces audiences to all of the important people in the hero’s life, including his classmates Ned Leeds, Flash Thompson, Michelle, a.k.a. M.J., Betty Brant, and teachers like Mr. Harrington. May Parker also makes her second MCU appearance, while there is also a part to play for Happy Hogan and a cameo from Pepper Potts.

Black Widow (Set In 2016)

Cate Shortland's Black Widow may have been released as the first title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Four, but it's a chapter that is still embedded amidst the various events that comprised the latter years of the Infinity Saga. While the blockbuster isn't set as close to the events of Captain America: Civil War as either Black Panther or Spider-Man: Homecoming, the plot is very much tied to that period – specifically in the sense that it picks up with the titular heroine on the run due to her disobeying the orders in the Sokovia Accords.

Doctor Strange (Set In 2016)

Dr. Stephen Strange gets specifically name dropped in Captain America: Civil War, but evidence suggests it’s because of his advanced skills as a brain surgeon – not because he eventually becomes one of the most magically gifted individuals on Earth. On the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline, Doctor Strange doesn’t actually go through his whole origin story until after the events of both Black Panther and Spider-Man: Homecoming - which pins the start of his journey in late 2016.

Thor: Ragnarok (Set In 2018)

Where Thor: Ragnarok sits on the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline is most easily perceived by its proximity to Avengers: Infinity War – which is evident from the post-credits scene that directly ties into the massive blockbuster. Without any specific dates available, the best guess is that the bulk of the movie takes place in the year 2018, with the God of Thunder going on a wild adventure that sees him travel to a garbage planet while his sister, Hela, takes over Asgard. This movie is important to the canon in that it refreshes audiences on the whereabouts of Hulk, Loki, and Heimdall, while also showing the fates of the Warriors Three and Odin. There's also a fun supporting role played by Doctor Strange, who is shown to possess very skilled control over magiks, and the introduction of fun new players including Valkyrie, Korg, Meik, and The Grandmaster.

Ant-Man And The Wasp (Set In 2018)

Like Thor: Ragnarok, we know that Ant-Man And The Wasp takes place very close to the events of Avengers: Infinity War because of what is shown during the end credits (namely the effects of The Blip). However, because the story plays out over less time, and goes further into the future than the third God of Thunder film, we’re putting it next chronologically. While tracing a plot that finds its main characters working to rescue the long-missing Janet van Dyne, this movie catches fans up with all the key Ant-Man players, including Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne (who finally becomes Wasp), Hank Pym, Luis, Kurt, Dave, Paxton, and Cassie and Maggie Lang.

Avengers: Infinity War (Set In 2018)

Taking place in the spring of 2018, Avengers: Infinity War plays out the first chapter in a two-part saga that Marvel Studios planned over the course of more than a decade. Following Thanos’ journey to collect all six of the Infinity Stones, the film features far too many characters to list here… and at the end of the day winds up killing approximately half of them.

Avengers: Endgame (Set In 2023)

As for Avengers: Endgame, the most significant events of the blockbuster take place in the year 2023, five years after the devastating ending of Avengers: Infinity War… but it’s also a hard title to specifically put on a timeline specifically because of the time travel antics that are featured. To get into all of the details here would be a touch too confusing, not to mention the crazy number of heroes and villains who appear, but the fact that the movie jumps the MCU canon into the near future is really the big takeaway from a timeline perspective.

WandaVision (Set In 2023)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe entered a new era with the release of WandaVision, not only because it's the first title in Phase 4, but also because it's the franchise's first Disney+ series. It's also an interesting story to consider in the Marvel timeline, as it's actually set between the events of Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. It's specifically said in dialogue on the show that the plot really begins about three weeks after the final battle against Thanos, and head writer Jac Schaeffer has confirmed that the events that play out happen over the course of about a week.

The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (Set In 2024)

Beyond being clearly set in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Disney+ series doesn't really provide too many anchors regarding where it sits in the timeline, but given the featured animosity regarding political restructuring after The Blip, it seems fair to say that a few months have past, putting it after the events of WandaVision.

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (Set In Spring 2024)

Thanks to its central antagonist having lived for a millennia Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is a movie that features scenes that go way back in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – but the vast majority is set in the “present”. It's not easy to pinpoint exactly when the events of the film occur in relation to Avengers: Endgame, but there is a moment when Wenwu says that the portal to the mystical world of Ta Lo will be open during the Chinese holiday Qingming Jie, which is celebrated in the spring.

Eternals (Set In 2024)

While many Marvel movies have featured flashbacks that are set centuries in the past, Eternals is a special case in that it goes back a remarkable 7,000 years in history, chronicling its characters' journey shepherding human society. That being said, the bulk of the action takes place in the post-Blip "present," and while there aren't really any specific seasonal markers, it feels safe to line it up in release order and say that events transpire around the time or after what happens in Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (Set In Summer 2024)

Although Spider-Man: Far From Home was the first MCU film released in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame – evidence suggests that it takes place after a number of the films and shows that followed it. The set up of the story suggests it takes place in the summer of 2024. The fact that Tony Stark is dead still weighs heavily on the minds of characters in this story, but once again we get to reconnect with the important people in Peter Parker’s circle, including Ned Leeds, Flash Thompson, M.J., Betty Brant, Mr. Harrington, May Parker, and Happy Hogan.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Set In Fall 2024)

Given the cliffhanger ending of Spider-Man: Far From Home, with J. Jonah Jameson and Mysterio revealing the web-slinger's secret identity to the world, Spider-Man: No Way Home had to be set in the immediate aftermath – and it delivers. It's made clear that the story is set in the immediate aftermath of Halloween (given that MJ's boss at the coffee shop requesting that decorations be taken down), and the narrative doesn't unfold over a great deal of time.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (Set In Fall 2024)

A considerable percentage of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness takes place outside of the normal MCU timeline, but there is still plenty of action set in the 616 Universe (which the movie designates). There aren't many details revealed within the film itself regarding when it is set – other than it being after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home – but thanks to the timeline order featured on Disney+, we know that it takes place between the events of the webslinger blockbuster and...

Hawkeye (Set In December 2024)

If you look closely in Spider-Man: No Way Home, you can see billboards for Rogers: The Musical, a fictional Broadway production that is more prominently featured in Hawkeye. With the blockbuster ending in November 2024, it's logical then that the Disney+ series is set in December of the same year – and specifically around Christmas.

Moon Knight (Set In 2025)

The Disney+ series Moon Knight in general has very few connections to the larger happenings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it most definitely is set within the canon, and we do have a general idea of when it's set thanks to the aforementioned official timeline on the streaming service. According to Disney, the events on the show take place after the events of Hawkeye – and given that Hawkeye is set in December 2024, it's fair that we pin the events to taking place sometime in 2025.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (Set In 2025)

Notable mention of Wong's battle with Abomination featured in Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings gives us at least one standout way in which to pinpoint She-Hulk: Attorney At Law's exact place on the MCU timeline, but still we're mostly relying on info from Disney+ here. The streaming service puts the show's events after those that take place in Moon Knight, but notably it is set before the events of the Marvel show that directly preceded it...

Ms. Marvel (Set In Fall 2025)

The Ms. Marvel series was released prior to She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, but the streaming service that debuted it says that they didn't come out in chronological order where the MCU is concerned. We don't know what exact month the events take place during, but it's worth noting that Kamala Khan is depicted as starting her junior year of high school, which means that it takes place in the fall.

Thor: Love And Thunder (Set In Late 2025/Early 2026)

Although we know that Thor: Love And Thunder takes place a fair amount of time after the events of Avengers: Endgame, it isn't perfectly clear exactly how far. The best guess we have to the setting comes from Thor telling Mighty Thor that it's been eight years, seven months, and six days since he last saw her... but that only gets us so far considering we don't know exactly when they broke up. We know that happened before the events of Captain America: Civil War, but details are vague, leaving us to pin the movie to 2025/2026.

Werewolf By Night (Set In Late 2025/Early 2026)

The Special Presentation Werewolf By Night opens up a new monster-filled corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though in doing so it doesn't get too specific regarding when it takes place in relation to other events that are happening in the canon. Disney+'s timeline says that it takes place after Thor: Love And Thunder, but because we don't really know when that blockbuster is set, it's hard to get an exact read on the timeline spot for the MCU's first full-on horror project.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Set In Late 2025/Early 2026)

In the case of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, fans will have to suss out the specifics when it comes to months/seasons, but at the very least we do know its position on the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline thanks to producer Nate Moore. The filmmaker confirmed to CinemaBlend that the blockbuster's setting is "potentially concurrent" with both the events in Thor: Love And Thunder and Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special (Set In December 2025)

Marvel Studios celebrated Christmas 2024 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the adventure in Hawkeye, and set one year later is the shenanigan-filled Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special. There isn't a specific mention of the year that things are happening, but it's clearly set after the events in Thor: Love And Thunder.

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (Set In Late 2025/Early 2026)

Because the film is primarily set in the time-warping Quantum Realm, Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania is not the easiest blockbuster to place on the Marvel timeline, but Nate Moore's comment about it being concurrent with Thor: Love And Thunder and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever gives us the confidence to at least pin it to late 2025/early 2026.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (2026)

As noted, the adventures in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 happened very close together on the MCU timeline, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has a similar relationship with the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. It's not made explicitly clear when the movie is set, but references are made to that Disney+ adventure, pinning the blockbuster to the early months of 2026.

Secret Invasion (2026)

The Disney+ original series Secret Invasion is heavy on flashbacks, dipping into many different eras of the MCU, but it's mostly set post-Blip. There aren’t any specific dates mentioned that specifically tell us whether or not the events are happening before or after the story in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (a tricky thing to pin down since so much of that film is set away from Earth), but we're going to stick by the rule of thumb and put it after.

The Marvels (2026)

Unlike Captain Marvel, which took audiences back to the 1990s in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Marvels is set in the contemporary era as to unite Carol Danvers with a post-Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan and a post-WandaVision Monica Rambeau. Even though it also features the return of Nick Fury, we're left to only assume that the events take place after Secret Invasion.

In Canon/Outside Of The Timeline

Clearly there is a lot going on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe… but you also have to remember that it is one of an infinite number of realities included in the multiverse. As the franchise has dug further into this idea, it has resulted in some projects being produced with stories that take place outside the MCU canon as it is generally recognized. We’ve included this special section in our feature to highlight these titles.

Loki

Technically a spin-off from Avengers: Endgame, Loki chronicles the version of the titular God of Mischief who managed to escape from the grasp of the Avengers thanks to a misplaced Tesseract. Having messed with the time stream, he is arrested as a Variant by the Time Variance Authority – and when he is brought to their headquarters, he finds himself in a location that exists outside of normal time and space. The series, which ran for two seasons on Disney+, doesn't really fit on the chronological timeline as a result, but it is at the very least best watched only after the aforementioned 2019 blockbuster.

What If

Debuting on Disney+ in summer 2021, What If is a series that is developed by Marvel Studios that exclusively focuses on stories that play out on alternate timelines that are similar to the events featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe... but with special changes altering everything. What if Peggy Carter had gotten the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers? What if the Ravagers kidnapped T'Challa instead of Peter Quill? What if Ant-Man and Wasp accidentally unleashed a zombie plague from the Quantum Realm? All those stories and more are told in this multiverse-centric animated series, and following the release of Season 2 at the end of 2023, a Season 3 is in the works that will spin even more of these kinds of tales.

Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine was heralded prior to release as the arrival of X-Men characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe... but that's not really what ends up playing out in the 2024 blockbuster. While there is an early scene set in the MCU and plenty of discussion about it between characters, the film mostly takes place in the Time Variance Authority, the universe from the X-Men franchise, and The Void at the end of time.  

Marvel Movies In Release Date Order

The construction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe wasn’t an accident. Executives and filmmakers didn’t simply put a bunch of project titles on slips of paper in a hat and pick them out at random to create a release schedule. While not all of the stories unfold in chronological order, there is a design behind the introductions of specific heroes and villains in the construction of the franchise. To best appreciate this fact, your ideal way of watching and/or rewatching the canon is in Release Order.

• Iron Man (2008)
• The Incredible Hulk (2008)
• Iron Man 2 (2010)
• Thor (2011)
• Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
• The Avengers (2012)
• Iron Man 3 (2013)
• Thor: The Dark World (2013)
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
• Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
• Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
• Ant-Man (2015)
• Captain America: Civil War (2016)
• Doctor Strange (2016)
• Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
• Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
• Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
• Black Panther (2018)
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
• Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018)
• Captain Marvel (2019)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
• WandaVision (2021)
• The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (2021)
• Loki (2021)
• Black Widow (2021)
• What If (2021)
• Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)
• Eternals (2021)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (2021)
• Moon Knight (2022)
• Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)
• Ms. Marvel (2022)
• Thor: Love And Thunder (2022)
• She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (2022)
• Werewolf By Night (2022)
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
• The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
• Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
• Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
• Secret Invasion (2023)
• The Marvels (2023)
• Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

That covers all of the existing films and TV shows in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (the vast majority of the MCU can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription), but it’s a franchise that is constantly expanding, and with each new addition to the canon, we will continue to update this timeline. For more MCU-related reading, check out our ranking of all the Marvel Movies so far.

Marvel Comics is stacked with characters from the LGBTQ+ community and for many years, queer fans have been looking for their big-screen depictions to reflect the identities and sexualities apart from the heteronormative. There’s finally been some strides in the past year, but in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, writer/director Taika Waititi almost teased Valkyrie’s queerness way before Loki and Eternals moments of representation, but the scene was cut. As Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters, the filmmaker expressed some regret over how he handled it. 

As previously revealed, Ragnarok almost featured a scene of a woman walking out of Valkyrie’s bedroom but the scene never made the actual movie. While speaking to  the scene, Taika Waititi shared why it was left out of the 2017 blockbuster: 

As Waititi reflected with iNews, the scene being cut came down to test audiences not connecting the dots of the scene, likely because it was too vague a moment. If it had made the movie, the LGBTQ+ community may not have been satisfied with such a light nudge at the character’s sexuality, who is also bisexual in Marvel Comics. As he suggested, he should have had Tessa Thompson’s character just “kiss” the other female character and make it more obvious. 

MINOR THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER SPOILERS AHEAD.

In Thor: Love and Thunder, the sexuality of Tessa Thompson’s character is finally made known through a casual conversation she has with Taika Waititi’s Korg. It is revealed she lost a love with a female character whilst we also learn that Korg seeks love in a male partner as well. The scene isn’t exactly what fans may have been hoping for, especially given Thompson told fans the King of Asgard would need to “find her queen” when Love and Thunder was announced at Comic-Con in 2019. It seemingly teased a full on love story for the character.  

More recently Tessa Thompson explained that her and Taika Waititi “would’ve liked to go even further” in terms of exploring Valkyrie’s sexuality, but there perhaps wasn’t enough time in the film to explore another romantic plot. Waititi sounds totally on board to keep telling inclusive stories on the big screen, saying this: 

Waititi’s Thor movies are certainly part of the slow strides within Hollywood to include more LGBTQ+ characters in major films. Last year, Loki acknowledged Tom Hiddleston’s character as bisexual and the first same-sex kiss in a Marvel movie occurred in Eternals. Perhaps more of Valkyrie’s love life will be explored in an upcoming Marvel movie! 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is so full of actors now that nearly every major Hollywood star has seemingly appeared in it. The cast of Thor: Love and Thunder alone is a who’s who of big names. But back in the early days Marvel didn’t have all the money in the world and so it largely cast unknown actors, and ended up turning them into stars. One of those stars is Chris Hemsworth who became Thor, though it could have been a different Hemsworth in the role.

In an interview with Wired, Chris Hemsworth talks about how his initial audition for Thor, in his words, “sucked” but that his brother Liam came very close to getting the role. In the end the feeling was that Liam was too young for the part, but that opened the door for his older brother to come back into the picture. Chris Hemsworth explains…

Chris Hemsworth has talked about nearly losing the role of Thor to Liam before. As an older brother I can appreciate the way one’s perspective can change when a younger brother finds more success in a given area. It can certainly enhance one's motivation. However, Chris Hemsworth says that his younger brother almost getting the Thor role wasn’t the only reason he was in a different place for his second audition. He’d also just done more in Hollywood, including a small but important role in the reboot of Star Trek, and had more confidence in himself the second time through. Hemsworth continues… 

Typecasting and superhero roles used to go together quite often and Chris Hemsworth has made no secret about having that worry. That first phase of the MCU was about building the Avengers Initiative, something nobody was sure would work, and it was reflected in the concept of the movies themselves, building a cinematic universe in a way that nobody had tried before. Nobody was sure it would work either but it certainly did. This has led us to now, where Chris Hemsworth is starring in Thor: Love and Thunder, the first of the MCU actors to get a solo fourth film. It certainly has worked out for him. 

We wouldn’t have guessed it years ago but, as of late, the Vikings genre has seen an uprising. Between the wildly popular Vikings series from The History Channel, to its Netflix spinoff, along with How To Train Your Dragon, The Last Kingdom and the Thor movies, there have been plenty of successful properties inspired by the Scandinavian seafaring people. And this weekend, Alexander Skarsgård stars as a Viking warrior prince in The Northman, which differs from other films in the genre.

The Northman is an A24 film from writer/director Robert Eggers, who previously made critically acclaimed favorites The Witch and The Lighthouse. While Skarsgård spoke about his latest flick, he shared the story behind the film with these words: 

Alexander Skarsgård, who is a producer on The Northman (and got seriously ripped to play the lead role) told Slash Film that a decade ago he had aspirations to see the Viking age be depicted in a historically accurate way, but he’d never seen it be accomplished. Skarsgård was born in Sweden, which makes his ancestors perhaps directly aligned with the Vikings. 

Of course, his father is Stellan Skarsgård, who coincidentally starred in two of the Thor movies. The younger Skarsgård spoke to the difference between The Northman and Marvel’s depictions of Norse mythology: 

The Northman features an incredible cast including Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Willem Dafoe and Björk. The movie was born out of Alexander Skarsgård’s own desire to make a Vikings film, which later turned into a discussion with Robert Eggers, who co-wrote and helmed it. The movie is an action epic that serves as a revenge tale for a Viking prince who seeks justice for his father’s murder. 

Thor, on the other hand, is based on Norse mythology and Marvel comics, making it a lot more shiny than the grimy and relentless world of The Northman. Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder will return this summer with Thor: Love and Thunder. 

The film has earned rave reviews from critics overall, with CinemaBlend also giving the flick a great 4.5 out of 5 stars in our review. The site’s own Eric Eisenberg called the movie “hypnotizing” and “special” when describing his experience with the film. The film managed to hit the No. 4 position at the box office during its opening weekend, earning $12 million. It's a special movie, one that's made all the more unique by its faithfulness to Viking culture.

Check out our interviews with the cast of The Northman and stay up to date on the upcoming 2022 movie releases coming next on CinemaBlend. 

Every once in a while, celebrity siblings - such as Ben and Casey Affleck or Dakota and Elle Fanning - end up sharing the screen together. Well, apparently it happens a little more often than just every once in a while, given the amount of examples we compiled below.

Jake And Maggie Gyllenhaal (A Dangerous Woman, Homegrown, Donnie Darko)

Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and his twice-nominated older sister, Maggie, are in three movies together: 1993’s A Dangerous Woman, 1998’s Homegrown (both were directed by their father, Stephen), and the eventual sci-fi cult classic, Donnie Darko, in 2001.

Jeff And Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys)

Oscar winner Jeff Bridges and his older brother, Beau, also played siblings in The Fabulous Baker Boys - a 1989 comedy in which the titular musicians become rivals after teaming up with a beautiful aspiring singer (Michelle Pfieffer).

Kate And Rooney Mara (Urban Legends: Bloody Mary)

Kate Mara of the House of Cards cast led the 2005 straight-to-video slasher, Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, in which her younger sister, Nightmare Alley’s Rooney Mara, made her acting debut.

Sean And Chris Penn (At Close Range)

Future two-time Oscar-winner Sean Penn and his late younger brother, Chris (best known from the Reservoir Dogs cast) played siblings in the 1986 crime thriller, At Close Range, starring Christopher Walken as their criminal father.

Andrew, Owen, And Luke Wilson (Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums) 

Owen Wilson and his younger sibling, Luke have also acted alongside their eldest brother, Andrew, in 1996’s Bottle Rocket and The Royal Tenenbaums from 2001 - both of which Owen also co-wrote with director Wes Anderson.

Chris And Luke Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok)

Chris Hemsworth has yet to star in anything with his little bro, Liam, but the Australian Marvel movie star’s older bother, Westworld star Luke, did show up in Thor: Ragnarok as a dramatized version of the God of Thunder, whom he is set to reprise (along with Matt Damon as “Actor Loki”) in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Dylan And Cole Sprouse (Various)

Twin brothers Dylan and Cole Sprouse (the latter of which went on to join the Riverdale cast) have shared the same role in several TV shows (most notably Grace Under Fire) and movies (such as Big Daddy with Adam Sandler) and have played siblings just as often, most famously as the title characters of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, its spin-off The Suite Life on Deck, and 2011’s The Suite Life Movie.

Tia, Tamera, And Tahj Mowry  (Sister, Sister, Smart Guy, Seventeen Again)

Twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry have shared the screen with their little brother, Tahj, several times - most notably as guest stars on each other’s respective sitcoms, Sister, Sister and Smart Guy, and in the 2000 Showtime original movie, Seventeen Again.

James And Dave Franco (The Disaster Artist)

After years finding success in the business in separate projects, James Franco and his younger brother, Dave, played Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero of the infamous cult favorite, The Room, in the 2017 biopic, The Disaster Artist.

Hilary And Haylie Duff (Various)

Haylie Duff would appear on three episodes of her younger sister, Hilary’s, Disney Channel show, Lizzie McGuire, and provided the singing voice of Isabella Parigi in the theatrical spin-off before they both played a singing group on an episode of American Dreams, sisters in the 2006 rags-to-riches story Material Girls, and both leant their voices to the infamous animated movie Foodfight!, which was released in 2012.

Aly And AJ Michalka (Various)

Singer-songwriter duo Aly and AJ Michalka first shared the screen in the 2006 Disney Channel original movie Cow Belles as sisters, again in the MTV original Super Sweet 16: The Movie the next year as rivals, followed by three episodes of Aly’s CW series Hellcats in 2011 as half-sisters. Most recently, they appeared in the 2015 drama, Weepah Way For Now, as what appear to be fictionalized versions of themselves.

Dakota And Elle Fanning (I Am Sam, Taken)

Elle Fanning has portrayed a younger version of her older sister, Dakota, on two separate occasions: first in the 2001 drama I Am Sam and secondly in the Steven Spielberg-produced, Syfy original miniseries, Taken, in 2002.

Spencer And Abigail Breslin (Various)

Academy Award nominee Abigail and her older brother, Spencer, played siblings in both Raising Helen and The Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement in 2004, played elves in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause in 2006, and later played cousins in the 2014 crime drama, Perfect Sisters.

Jason And Justine Bateman (Arrested Development)

Justine Bateman played her real-life brother, Jason's, sibling in the 1986 TV movie Can You Feel Me Dancing? and a sex worker whom Jason’s Michael Bluth mistakes for his long-lost sibling on Arrested Development.

John, Joan, Ann, And Bill Cusack (Grosse Pointe Blank)

While beloved star John Cusack and his Academy-nominated sister, Joan, have appeared in more films together than most celebrity siblings can claim (including Say Anything… and High Fidelity), the only screen credit that they also share with both their sister, Ann, and brother, Bill, is 1997’s Grosse Pointe Blank, which John also co-wrote and produced.

Bill And Brian Doyle Murray (Various) 

Bill Murray and his older brother, Brian, are both Saturday Night Live veterans (although at different times) and have several classic movies in common - including Caddyshack, Scrooged, Ghostbusters II, Groundhog Day, and The Razor's Edge.

Ben And Casey Affleck (Good Will Hunting, Chasing Amy)

Years before casting him in his amazing directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck shared the screen with his younger brother and fellow Oscar winner, Casey, in Good Will Hunting (which Ben co-wrote with Matt Damon) and Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy in 1997.

Macaulay And Kieran Culkin (Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York)

Kieran Culkin (now more famous than ever since starring on HBO’s Succession) made his acting debut alongside his older brother (child megastar Macaulay Culkin) in 1990’s Home Alone cast as his cousin, Fuller - a role he would also reprise in the 1992 sequel.

Rory And Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down)

In addition to playing Macaulay’s younger self in Richie Rich, the youngest Culkin brother, Rory, also played a younger version of Kieran as the title role in 2002's Igby Goes Down.

The Wayans Siblings (Various) 

Where do we start with the Wayans Siblings? Well, for instance, several of them (such as Damon and Kim Wayans) were a part of the In Living Color cast with star and creator Keenen Ivory Wayans, who later directed his younger brothers, Marlon and Shawn, in movies like White Chicks, the first two Scary Movie installments, and Little Man.

Zooey And Emily Deschanel (Bones)

In Season 5 of Bones, star Emily Deschanel’s sister (Zooey of the Elf cast fame and later the lead of the New Girl cast) guest starred as Temperance Brennan’s second cousin, Margaret Whitesell.

Fred And Ben Savage (Little Monsters, The Wonder Years, Boy Meets World)

After playing siblings in the family-friendly horror film, Little Monsters, in 1989, Ben Savage made a guest appearance on his older brother, Fred’s, hit dramedy, The Wonder Years, in 1990 and later returned the favor by inviting him to the Boy Meets World cast for an episode in 1998.

Charlie Sheen And Emilio Estevez (Various)

After making several movies together - including Young Guns, Men At Work, and Rated X (the latter two of which Emilio Estevez directed), Charlie Sheen (née Carlos Estevez) reunited with his brother on an episode of his hit sitcom, Two and a Half Men, in 2008.

Vanessa and Laura Marano (Saving Zoë)

Both of these talented ladies had guest appearances on Dexter at different times in the series’ run, but Vanessa Marano and her younger sister, Laura, did appear together in the 2019 mystery, Saving Zoë, as siblings torn apart by one’s unsolved murder.

Nat And Alex Wolff (The Naked Brothers Band, Mr. Troop Mom, Stella’s Last Weekend)

Hereditary’s Alex Wolff and his older brother, Peacock’s Joe vs. Carole cast member Nat Wolff, both debuted as fictionalized versions of themselves in Nickelodeon’s faux rockumentary, The Naked Brothers Band, its series continuation, and the 2009 TV movie Mr. Troop Mom before reuniting in 2018’s Stella’s Last Weekend, which was written and directed by their mother, Polly Draper.

Vera And Taissa Farmiga (Higher Ground, At Middleton, The Nun)

Scream Queens Vera and Taissa Farmiga, who are often mistaken for mother and daughter, played mother and daughter in 2013’s At Middleton after Taissa previously played her older sister’s younger self in Vera’s 2011 directorial debut, Higher Ground. However, interestingly, their characters in the 2018 Conjuring spin-off, The Nun, have no apparent familial ties.

Maude And Iris Apatow (Knocked Up, This Is 40, Funny People)

Euphoria’s Maude Apatow and her younger sister, Iris, have played siblings in 2007’s Knocked Up, its “sort-of sequel” This is 40 from 2012, and 2009’s Funny People - all three of which also starred their real mother, Leslie Mann, as their mother, and were written and directed by their father, Judd Apatow.

Dan And Sarah Levy (Schitt’s Creek)

While Annie Murphy plays co-creator Dan Levy’s on-screen sister in the Schitt’s Creek cast, Café Tropical owner, Twyla Sands, is played by his real-life sister, Sarah.

Mary-Kate, Ashley, And Elizabeth Olsen (How The West Was Fun)

After Full House made the Olsen Twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, household names and  before the Marvel movies made their younger sister, Elizabeth, an A-lister, all three of them appeared together in the ABC original TV movie How the West Was Fun in 1994.

Bill And Alexander Skarsgård (White Water Fury)

Years before his terrifying performance as Pennywise in It, Bill Skarsgård made his acting debut alongside his older brother, True Blood cast member Alexander, in the 2000 Swedish thriller, White Water Fury.

Blake And Robyn Lively (Simon Says)

Robyn Lively, star of 1989’s Teen Witch, shared the screen with her then up-and-coming half-sister, former Gossip Girl cast member Blake Lively, in a 2006 slasher flick called Simon Says, which also stars fellow ‘80s icon Crispin Glover.

Brian And Domhnall Gleeson (Mother!, Frank Of Ireland)

Despite plenty of years of experience between the them, it was not until 2017 when Star Wars star Domnhall Gleeson and his younger brother, Brian, shared the screen in Mother! before reuniting as co-creators and co-stars of the Amazon Prime original comedy Frank of Ireland - also starring their father, Brendan Gleeson.

Eddie And Charlie Murphy (Harlem Nights, Norbit)

Comedy icon Eddie Murphy worked behind the scenes a lot with his older brother, Charlie, who passed away in 2017, but the two would also share a few acting credits, - namely Eddie’s 1989 directorial debut Harlem Nights (also Charlie’s first movie), and in 2006’s Norbit, in which Charlie voiced a dog named Floyd.

Phylicia Rashad And Debbie Allen (The Cosby Show, Grey’s Anatomy, The Old Settler)

Phylicia Rashad and her younger sister, Emmy-winning dance legend Debbie Allen, have made guest appearances on each other’s shows - The Cosby Show, on which Rashad played Claire Huxtable, and Grey’s Anatomy, on which Allen plays Dr. Catherine Fox (née Avery) - and both starred in a 2001 TV movie called The Old Settler, which Allen also directed.

Ron And Clint Howard (Various) 

You can find Clint Howard in just about every movie directed by his brother, Ron Howard - including his feature-length directorial debut from 1977, Grand Theft Auto, which was also the brothers’ third time acting alongside each other after the 1963 film The Courtship of Eddie’s Father and a handful of episodes of The Andy Griffith Show.

Angelina Jolie And James Haven (Gia, Hell’s Kitchen, Original Sin)

Audiences probably remember Angelina Jolie’s brother, James Haven, better for other reasons than all the times he shared the screen with his younger sister - namely Gia and Hell’s Kitchen from 1998, and 2001’s Original Sin.

Jared And Shannon Leto (Various)

In addition to being bandmates with his young brother, Oscar winner Jared Leto, in 30 Seconds to Mars, Shannon Leto also shared the screen with him on a couple of episodes of My So-Called Life (on which Jared played the iconic Jordan Catalano) and through brief appearances in the movies Prefontaine from 1997, 1998’s Highway, and Sol Goode in 2003.

Chris And Scott Evans (Before We Go, Playing It Cool)

Former Captain America actor Chris Evans has a brother named Scott who has also appeared in two romantic-comedies from 2014 with his older sibling, called Before We Go (which Chris also directed) and Playing It Cool.

Sarah And Laura Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program, Bob’s Burgers, Masters Of Sex)

Comedian and actress Sarah Silverman and her sister, Laura, played heavily fictionalized versions of themselves as series regulars on The Sarah Silverman Program, made guest appearances on Showtime’s Masters of Sex together, and have recurred on Bob’s Burgers as Jimmy Pesto’s twin sons, Andy and Ollie.

Kevin, Nick, And Joe Jonas (Camp Rock Movies, Jonas)

Back when they were the biggest thing to come out of Disney Channel, Kevin, Nick, and Joe Jonas played three brothers in a band not named the Jonas Brothers in the Camp Rock movies, and later played themselves to more comedic effect in their own sitcom, aptly titled Jonas.

Looks like talent really does run in the family.

There are some pretty big stars that are part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and many of them have kids that are also fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’ve learned now and then that the children of many MCU stars have a favorite hero that is someone other than who their parent plays on the screen, but Chris Hemsworth apparently doesn’t have that problem. At least not yet.

Chris Hemsworth has twin eight-year-old boys and they recently celebrated their birthday, and they did with dad’s particular MCU style. Both kids were dressed as Thor for their birthday and Hemsworth shared the image to Instagram. Whether this was because that was the hero they wanted to be, or because dad insisted upon it, isn’t entirely clear.  

Chris Hemsworth says his kids aren’t allowed to dress up as any other heroes and while I’m sure he’s having some fun, I’m not sure which scenario is best. It might be a little upsetting as a dad if your kids like another Marvel hero more than Thor. At the same time, having your own kids dressed up like you is also a little weird.

But honestly, when you’re eight-years-old your favorite superhero probably is the one your dad gets to play in the movies. At some point these kids will probably become old enough that dressing up like their dad will be the least cool thing imaginable, so hopefully Chris Hemsworth and his wife are enjoying this phase of their lives. 

And it’s hard to not find this picture completely adorable. Even if one can imagine this will be a picture that, a few years from now, these kids might not want to see. Maybe by then they’ll both be serious Loki fans just as a way of messing with their dad. 

Maybe these kids could reuse their costumes at the premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder. The next Thor movie, the first character in the franchise to get a solo fourth movie, is set to come out later this year. While there are some pretty significant plot points that we’ve known about since the film was announced, mainly the fact that Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster will become The Mighty Thor, the rest of it, and how we will get there is very much still a mystery.

Whatever Chris Hemsworth's future as Thor will be, if this next movie is the end of his story or not, the upcoming film should be a big turning point the MCU that has the potential to create a lot of new Thor fans. But for Hemsworth, it looks like the two most important fans will be there with him, and next Halloween is going to be pretty awesome.  

The time has finally come - Vikings: Valhalla has officially premiered on Netflix and the long-awaited spinoff sequel series for the hit History Channel show, Vikings, has become a success for the streaming platform, jumping into the top ten right away. But, with only one season so far, one can probably binge the series pretty fast. 

Thankfully, we have plenty of awesome shows like Vikings: Valhalla for you to try out. From classics to newer series, this is what you should watch once you finish the new Netflix series. 

The Original Vikings Series (Amazon Prime)

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right? Vikings mainly follows the story of Ragnar, his Viking brothers, and his rise to king of the Viking tribes through his trials and triumphs as a deadly warrior. 

Vikings was a huge success while it was on the air, largely because of the amazing battle scenes, badass characters, and everything else you could possibly think of. If you’re looking for something close to Vikings: Valhalla, there’s no better option than revisiting the show that may have gotten you into Viking history in the first place. While the historical drama wrapped up back at the end of 2020, with a satisfying Vikings ending, we at least have the spinoff to look forward to now. 

Stream Vikings on Amazon Prime.

Spartacus (Starz)

You want blood? Oh, Spartacus has that and more. This Starz original series is set in the Roman Empire between 73 and 71 B.C., and follows Spartacus, the famed warrior and gladiator who led a rebellion against the Romans in order to become the legend that he is today. 

If you’re a fan of Vikings: Valhalla for the pure bloodshed and adult aspects of the show, then Spartacus is the perfect option for you. It’s a brutal series with killer fights that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, with characters you’ll want to root for and others you’ll want dead in an instant, just like Vikings: Valhalla. 

Stream Spartacus on Starz. 

Barbarians (Netflix)

This newer series is one for the ages. Barbarians is a Netflix original that mainly follows Arminius. While he was raised by the Roman people, once he sees the treatment of his original tribe, he breaks away from the Romans in order to stage a rebellion that will change the lives of everyone he knows forever.

Barbarians seems like Netflix wanted to make their own version of Vikings, and in some ways it does feel like a copy. However, that doesn’t change the fact that there are plenty of awesome battles for fans of Vikings: Valhalla to enjoy, and the politics of the tribes feel very familiar in a way that’s similar to what we see in that new series. 

Stream Barbarians on Netflix.

The Thor Films (Disney+)

He is the mighty Thor. For those who don't regularly watch Marvel films, Thor is one of the mightiest Avengers and is a Norse God, who has a trilogy (so far) of movies that show his story as a hero, from his first adventures on Earth to Ragnarok and the end of his homeland. 

While the Thor series isn’t necessarily accurate (they're just superhero movies based on Norse mythology), it’s still a hell of a lot of fun for fans of Vikings: Valhalla. If you are into Norse mythology from the show, you’ll see plenty of references in the Thor films, as well as appearances from other famous Norse gods such as Loki, Odin, Hel, and more. And, with Thor: Love and Thunder releasing in 2022, now’s the best time to watch all of them on Disney+.

Stream the Thor films on Disney+. 
Rent the Thor films on Amazon.

Norsemen (Netflix)

Sometimes, you just need a break from all the drama and intense bloodshed. Norsemen, another Netflix original series, is all about the life of Vikings living in the village of Norheim, but with a comedic twist that often ends in shenanigans for these so-called “warriors.”

Norsemen is such a breath of fresh air for fans of Norse history. While Norsemen has all the costumes and accents you imagine, just like Vikings: Valhalla, it’s so funny and spoofs Norse culture rather than take it so seriously. We love drama, but sometimes, we'd rather just sit back and have a laugh. What makes this show even better is that while everyone is dressed like Vikings, they talk pretty regularly in modern slang, so it's even more fun. 

Stream Norsemen on Netflix.

Game Of Thrones (HBO Max)

You knew this would be on here, let’s be honest. Game of Thrones was a popular HBO series that ran for eight seasons. During its much talked-about run, it followed several contenders for the Iron Throne, as whoever sits on it rules all of Westeros. From the north to the far east, both men and women will fight to their deaths in order to claim it and be crowed the ruler of the seven kingdoms.

Game of Thrones was a stellar show and won several awards. For fans of Vikings: Valhalla, I feel that this is the only show that does battle scenes better than Vikings, and is a great pick because of it. The Game of Thrones cast is excellent, the story is exceptional (for the most part), and everything else melds together so well. Don’t miss out on this one. 

Stream Game of Thrones on HBO Max. 

Real Vikings (History Channel)

Ever wanted to actually learn about the true Vikings? That’s what Real Vikings wishes to inform you about. After the success of Vikings on the History Channel, this show was created to tell viewers about the real Vikings that the show is based on, examining their history, lore, and everything else. 

I mean, if you’ve watched both Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla, I don’t know why you wouldn't want to watch this show. While it’s not as action-intense as the dramas, as it is a docuseries, it’s still as intriguing to watch and really teaches about the world of the Vikings and their culture, showing just where the popular series got all of its ideas from. 

Stream Real Vikings on the History Channel.

Marco Polo (Netflix)

If you’re looking for another historical drama, Marco Polo is the way to go. Based on Marco Polo (the person, not the children’s game) and his years with Kublai Khan of the Mongol Empire, following his rise from the simple son of a merchant to a high profile man in politics.

I was appalled when I found out Netflix has canceled this show after only two seasons. Marco Polo was so good and something that many could really enjoy, especially fans of Vikings: Valhalla. With heavy attention to the culture of the Mongol Empire and their customs, and a protagonist who was really badass, it had all the makings of a great show. Unfortunately, it ended way too soon. 

Stream Marco Polo on Netflix.

The Witcher (Netflix)

One of the most popular shows on Netflix is also a great show to watch next. The Witcher, starring movie and TV star, Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, follows Geralt, a legendary Witcher who is able to slay both monster and man with his sword. We are told his story alongside Ciri, a princess-turned-warrior, and Yennefer, a powerful sorceress. 

While The Witcher is far more about fantasy than Vikings: Valhalla (like there is legit magic in this show, which features witches and a wild variety of strange and dangerous creatures), this series is still a fantastic pick just for the battles. If you’re a fan of the fights of Vikings: Valhalla, oh boy, are you going to love Geralt. Whether he’s on his own, in a group, or simply training someone, dude always has a sword and is ready to fight, making him an amazingly badass character. And, with The Witcher Season 3 on the way, you might as well watch the first two seasons now.

Stream The Witcher on Netflix.

Black Sails (Starz)

Last but not least, we have Black Sails. This Starz series is set in the 18th century and acts as a prequel to Treasure Island, following Captain Flint and his escapades in the age of piracy and how he and those around him became the legends we know them as today. 

I sort of consider Black Sails the pirate version of Vikings: Valhalla. While it is a drama, it’s one of those series that I feel educates you on a culture that you might not know much about, i.e. what life was like as a pirate back then. With plenty of awesome fight scenes as well as intriguing characters (several who are based on real people), Black Sails is a fun time and will have you wanting to say, “Arrrr” soon enough.

Stream Black Sails on Starz.

Vikings: Valhalla has, luckily for it many fans, already received the go-ahead for a Season 2, but I doubt it will be out for some time. Until then, be sure to check out any or all of these awesome shows for something that might take the pain away from binging Vikings: Valhalla so quickly.   

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a massive world, with a number of beloved franchises in the mix. Phase Four has been wild so far, and there are some highly anticipated projects coming down the line. Chief among them is Thor: Love and Thunder, which will mark Taika Waititi’s sophomore effort in the MCU. And now the Oscar-winning filmmaker is joking about lying to Marvel ahead of landing his first gig directing Ragnarok.

Taika Waititi has had a long career as a filmmaker and actor, but his acclaimed work in Thor: Ragnarok helped to make him a household name. Moviegoers were thrilled that he’d be back for Love and Thunder, which sounds like it’s going to be truly wild. Waititi was recently asked what it was like interviewing for a job in the MCU, offering some funny advice to the public. As he put it,

Well, there you go. Much like careers outside of the entertainment industry, sometimes you’ve got to simply fake it until you make it during a job interview. That’s what Taika Waititi did for Thor: Ragnarok, and that gamble definitely paid off. To date, the threequel is the most beloved installment in Chris Hemsworth’s franchise.

Taika Waititi shared this funny tidbit about interviewing at Marvel during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Eventually the conversation turned to his ongoing role in the MCU, which includes being both a filmmaker and playing the role of Korg. Although his filmmaking gig wasn’t always a sure thing, and it took some bending of the truth in order to secure the director’s chair of Thor: Ragnarok.

Obviously we all know how things ultimately worked out for Taika Waititi. Thor: Ragnarok brought new life to the franchise, which had a bumpy road with the previous installment The Dark World. Now Chris Hemsworth will be the first Avenger to get a fourth solo movie, and there’s no telling what Waititi and company have up their sleeves for Love and Thunder.

You can see Taika Waititi tell the story about his interview with Marvel Studios and Disney in the video below. As always, the multihyphenate’s personality shines through, and he had the audience in stitches. Check it out,

Anticipation for Thor: Love and Thunder is super high, despite not much actually being confirmed about the mysterious blockbuster. This is partly due to the cast, which includes the Guardians of the Galaxy. What’s more, fans are eager to see the return of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, who will be transforming into Mighty Thor throughout the movie’s runtime.

Thor: Love and Thunder is currently expected to arrive in theaters on July 8th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Everyone knows that Taika Waititi’s first entry in the Marvel canon, Thor: Ragnarok, is one of the best Marvel movies out there (and if you don’t, now you do). The film soared thanks to Taika Waititi’s signature sense of humor and zany sensibilities, but he almost missed out on the chance to helm the film. What saved him? A script for Moana and balls of absolute steel. 

In an interview on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Taikia Waititi shared a hilarious story about the time he almost missed a meeting with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, and how he was saved by an errant Moana script. How did it go down? Apparently Waititi and his friends had celebrated his birthday in Hawaii, and his buds had taken some of his luggage back to New Zealand. Unfortunately, the filmmaker's passport was in one of those ill-fated suitcases. What’s a Kiwi stranded in Hawaii to do? Waititi recalled: 

As someone who just Googled an image of a New Zealand driver’s license, I can confirm that they do indeed resemble a free voucher from a box of Fruit Loops. With his official-yet-useless New Zealand identification failing to make an impact, Taika Waititi dug through his things for a Hail Mary - and found it in the form of an old script he’d drafted for Disney’s Moana that the House of Mouse had passed on. He explained what happened next:

Score one for Taika Waititi, who was able to make it to his rendezvous with Kevin Feige and subsequently snagged the chance to direct Thor: Ragnarok. It may not have been entirely legal, but when a movie like Ragnarok is the result, no one seems too inclined to snitch on those customs agents. 

We may also have those customs workers to thank for Thor: Love and Thunder, which will also be directed by Taika Waititi. The film, which Taika has described as ‘"crazy," is expected to up the ante from the previous installment while also maintaining the same sense of fun that permeated its predecessor. So, customs workers at that specific airport, if you’re reading this, we owe you one. 

Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder will arrive in theaters on July 8. Until then, you can catch up with the native New Zealander by streaming Thor: Ragnarok with your Disney+ subscription. Already rewatched it fifty million times? You’re not alone. Check out these upcoming Marvel movies to keep you occupied. 

In my opinion, Cate Blanchett is one of the greatest actresses of modern times. If you watch a movie with Blanchett, you can expect a riveting performance that will capture your heart and mind. She effortlessly makes you believe she’s an eloquent elf, a neglected older sibling out for revenge, an iconic screen actress, or even a very influential queen. Blanchett has so many gripping roles, that you’ll constantly find something new and exciting to watch starring or featuring her. Luckily, for those who want to stream or rent her movies, some of Cate Blanchett’s best movies are currently available on streaming services, such as Netflix and Hulu.

For this list, I picked a variety of her movies that showcase her in various roles and emphasize her talents. Many are well known Blanchett films, but there may be a few that are new to you. Let’s look at some of Cate Blanchett’s best movies to stream or rent. 

The Lord Of The Rings Films (2001-2003)

Peter Jackson's acclaimed adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien’s beloved books brings Middle-earth to the big screen as Frodo (Elijah Wood), Sam (Sean Astin) and others set off on a quest to destroy the One Ring. We encounter a host of different creatures, from hobbits to elves and wizards. Jackson’s trilogy includes Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. 

Cate Blanchett plays Galadriel in all three Lord of the Rings films. This role made Blanchett an even bigger global name, at least among Lord of the Rings film fans, which represents a pretty large fan base. 

Stream Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring on HBO Max.
Stream Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers on HBO Max.
Stream Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on HBO Max.

Rent/buy Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring on Amazon.
Rent/buy Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers on Amazon.
Rent/buy  Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on Amazon.

Get The Lord of The Rings trilogy on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Notes On A Scandal (2006)

Notes on a Scandal stars Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett in two of their most toxic but gripping roles. Blanchett plays Sheba Hart, a teacher who begins an affair with a teenage student. Dench plays Barbara Covett, a veteran teacher who discovers the affair. She becomes obsessed with Hart and becomes increasingly volatile.  

Notes on a Scandal offers a master class from both Dench and Blanchett as they pour everything into these roles and this film. The film earned them both Academy Award nominations at the 79th event.

Rent/buy Notes on a Scandal on Amazon.
Get Notes on a Scandal on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Carol (2015)

Carol is a romantic drama set in the 1950s. It follows the affair of a woman going through a divorce and an aspiring photographer working at a department store. The two women seem like opposites, and they know the danger of their romance, but they have an unbreakable bond and love for one another. Carol stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

Carol is a quiet love story, but that’s what makes it compelling. It feels authentic and you can’t help but go through the same emotions with the two leads as you watch. Blanchett also received an Academy Award nomination for her role here.

Stream Carol on Tubi.
Rent/buy Carol on Amazon.
Get Carol on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button follows a man as he ages in reverse. Brad Pitt plays Benjamin Button as an adult, and Cate Blanchett plays his love interest, Daisy Fuller. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’s cast also includes Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Tilda Swinton, and Mahershala Ali.

Daisy was one of the standout characters in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Blanchett gave a layered performance as a complex character whose struggles and personality went beyond her relationship to Benjamin.

Rent/buy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on Amazon.
Get The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Aviator (2004)

Martin Scorsese directed The Aviator, a movie based on the billionaire Howard Hughes' life. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as the complex lead, while the film also stars Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn, Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner, and Alec Baldwin as Juan Trippe.

Katharine Hepburn is one of the most well-known actresses of all-time, so Blanchett had huge shoes to fill with her portrayal of the mesmerizing screen actress. Blanchett manages to give her own interpretation of Hepburn while making sure to pay tribute to this influential and respected film icon. Cate Blanchett won her first Academy Award for her role in The Aviator. 

Stream The Aviator on HBO Max.
Buy The Aviator on Amazon.
Get The Aviator on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Thor: Ragnarok takes Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to a new planet as they must find a way to return to and save Asgard from  Thor’s sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett).

The film is without a doubt (in my opinion) the best Thor movie, and one of the best Marvel movies. It manages to be fun, while also upping the stakes, as Thor and Loki really could lose it all this time. Blanchett’s Hela is a great addition to the Marvel franchise. She manages to be a terrifying villain and different from many that we’ve seen before, especially because her agenda seems more personal than global. Hela is one of the best Marvel Cinematic Universe villains thus far. 

Stream Thor: Ragnarok on Disney+.
Rent/buy Thor: Ragnarok on Amazon.
Get Thor: Ragnarok on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Blue Jasmine (2013)

Blue Jasmine tells the story of a socialite who has her life disrupted and must move in with her sister. Jasmine's (Cate Blanchett) personality often collides with her sister’s boyfriend Chili (Bobby Cannavale). Woody Allen directed the Blue Jasmine cast, which also includes Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard, Louis C.K, and Sally Hawkins.

The film clearly takes some influence from A Streetcar Named Desire, which means many will draw comparisons to Blanchett’s Jasmine and Vivien Leigh’s Blanche. Both women give breathtaking performances while giving each character their own unique style and personality. Blanchett won her second Academy Award for Blue Jasmine. 

Stream Blue Jasmine on HBO Max.
Rent/buy Blue Jasmine on Amazon.
Get Blue Jasmine on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Queen Elizabeth I Films (1998, 2007)

Cate Blanchett portrayed Elizabeth I in two films, Elizabeth and its sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age. She received an Academy Award nomination for both films, which were directed by Shekhar Kapur. 

No matter how you feel about the films, there is no denying that Blanchett gives great performances in both. They also have lush costumes and set designs that may appeal to fans of historical fiction. 

Rent/buy Elizabeth on Amazon.
Rent/buy Elizabeth: The Golden Age on Amazon.

Get Elizabeth on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.
Get Elizabeth: The Golden Age on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

I'm Not There (2007)

Todd Haynes directed and co-wrote the screenplay for this unconventional biopic, inspired by the life and art of Bob Dylan. It features six different actors taking on various personas of the singer/songwriter. I’m Not There stars Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, and Ben Whishaw. 

I’m Not There earned Blanchett numerous award nominations, including an Academy Award nomination, a British Academy Films Award nomination, a Golden Globe nomination and win, and a Chicago Film Critics nomination and win. 

Stream I’m Not There on Roku Channel.
Rent/buy I’m Not There on Amazon.
Get I’m Not There on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Gift (2000)

Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson co-wrote the script for The Gift. Sam Raimi directed the film. Cate Blanchett plays Annie Wilson, a woman who has psychic visions. She tries to use her abilities to assist the police in solving a murder mystery. The Gift’s cast includes Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear, and Hilary Swank.

The Gift is a very exciting thriller that takes you along with every new twist and turn, until you finally reach the end. There's an impressive cast, but Blanchett stands out as the lead. The Gift is as much about Annie as it is about solving this murder.

Stream The Gift on Starz.
Rent/buy The Gift on Amazon.
Get The Gift on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)

Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou follows oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) as he sets out to get revenge on a jaguar shark who ate his partner. While on this journey, he meets Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson), a man who believes Zissou maybe his father. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’s cast includes Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, and Willem Dafoe.

Blanchett plays Jane Winslett-Richardson, a pregnant reporter who comes along to chronicle Zissou’s journey. She ends up creating a bit of tension between the potential father and son, as both develop feelings for her. With Blanchett in the role, it’s easy to understand how Zissou and Ned could both fall for Jane. 

Stream The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou on Amazon Prime.
Rent/buy The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou on Amazon.
Get The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Don’t Look Up (2021)

Don’t Look Up is Adam McKay’s black comedy about an impending comet that could end the world. The Don’t Look Up cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Meryl Streep, Rob Morgan, Mark Rylance, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, and Timothee Chalamet.

Blanchett plays Brie, a morning show host who's the right amount of self-absorbed and shallow without going into a cartoonish realm with the character.

Stream Don’t Look Up on Netflix.

These are just a few of Cate Blanchett’s best movies available to stream or rent. If you want a few more suggestions, Veronica Guerin, Little Fish, Babel, Hanna, The Turning, Cinderella, Ocean’s 8, and Where’d You Go, Bernadette are all also available to stream or rent. 

You can next see Blanchett in TAR and Borderlands. You can also hear Blanchett in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio cast. Blanchett fans can also watch her in another del Toro movie, Nightmare Alley, which is playing in theaters now.  

It makes perfect sense to me that Zachary Levi was cast as the lead in the sports biopic American Underdog (in theaters December 25, 2021), and not just because he is nearly a dead ringer for former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner. 

Most of the 41-year-old Louisiana native’s most notable roles could easily be described as underdogs, from the title role of the hit NBC action-comedy series Chuck, to the super-sized version of young Billy Batson in one of most delightfully funny and best superhero movies as of late, Shazam! In fact, let’s start with those titles as we explore our picks for the best Zachary Levi movies and TV shows available to watch now on streaming or as a digital rental.

Chuck (Amazon Prime)

An average, unassuming tech consultant in his mid-20s (Zachary Levi) discovers that the beautiful woman who surprisingly showed interest in him (The Handmaid's Tale star Yvonne Strahovski) is really a secret agent assigned to protect him when the United States government’s most costly secrets are downloaded into his brain by accident.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Zachary Levi: The titular super geek turned super spy on Chuck - the Emmy-winning cult hit from co-creators Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz which ran from 2005 to 2012 - was the first-ever lead role for Zachary Levi and the one that made him a star, leading to even more roles that perfectly balanced his talent for both comedy and action.

Stream Chuck on Amazon Prime.
Buy Chuck on Amazon.

Shazam! (HBO Max)

A good-natured teen who was abandoned at a younger age (Asher Angel) becomes an adult-sized superhero (Zachary Levi) with a wondrous variety of abilities after he becomes specially chosen by a wizard (Djimon Honsou) to defeat a power-hungry scientist who has become endowed with the power of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Zachary Levi: One of the best roles to encompass Zachary Levi’s talent for both comedy and action is the title character of 2019’s Shazam! - the refreshingly light and hilarious comic book movie debut of horror movie director David F. Sandberg, whose sequel (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) is one of the most highly anticipated upcoming DC movies at the moment.

Stream Shazam! on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Shazam! on Amazon.

Thor: The Dark World And Thor: Ragnarok (Disney+)

Years after saving his estranged human lover (Academy Award winner Natalie Portman) and the universe from an evil race of Dark Elves, the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) returns to Asgard and reunites with his corrupt, adoptive brother (Tom Hiddleston), whom he must team-up with (among others they meet on a barbaric planet) to save their kingdom again from their recently awakened sister (Cate Blanchett).

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Zachary Levi: While Shazam! may have been his first lead role in a comic book movie, a nearly unrecognizable Zachary Levi actually made his comic book movie debut in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World as fellow Asgardian (and blonde) warrior Fandral, whom he would also briefly reprise in Thor: Ragnarok four years later.

Stream Thor: The Dark World on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Thor: The Dark World on Amazon.

Stream Thor: Ragnarok on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Thor: Ragnarok on Amazon.

Tangled (Disney+)

A woman with extremely long, enchanted blonde hair (musician and Emmy-nominated This is Us cast member Mandy Moore) who has spent her entire life locked away at the top of a tower accepts an offer from a thief on the run (Zachary Levi) to be her guide through the outside world.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Zachary Levi: The Marvel movies were not Zachary Levi’s first experience working with Disney, which was the studio behind the 2010 hit Tangled - a fun, adventurous reimagining of the classic Grimm Brothers story of Rapunzel, that would later inspire a few short spin-offs and a Disney Channel original series on which Levi reprised his role as the chivalrous Flynn Ryder (or so he likes to call himself).

Stream Tangled on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Tangled on Amazon.

Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (Peacock)

Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler), and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) take a break from their careers as pop stars and decide to focus on their education, where they strike up a romantic rivalry of sorts with a fellow, female trio of chipmunks whom they square off against at the school’s annual musical talent competition.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Zachary Levi: A year before lending his voice to Tangled, Zachary Levi starred in one of his earliest contributions to family-friendly entertainment, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel - the second installment in the franchise of live-action/animated hybrid musicals, in which Levi plays Toby (the cousin of Jason Lee’s character, Dave), who looks after the titular trio as Dave recovers from a painful accident.

Stream Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel on Peacock.
Rent/Buy Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel on Amazon.

The Star (Amazon Rental)

A courageous, little donkey (former The Walking Dead cast member Steven Yeun) calls upon the help of his fellow animal friends in order to help guide a pregnant woman and her husband to safety before she gives birth to a child of great importance.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Zachary Levi: In 2017, Zachary Levi returned to play another animated character when he joined the “star-studded” cast of The Star - a retelling of the birth of Jesus Christ (or, in other words, the very first Christmas) told mainly from the point of view of the animals involved, in which Levi voiced the infant messiah’s Earthly foster father, Joseph.
Rent/Buy The Star on Amazon.

Alias Grace (Netflix)

An alienist (Kingsman: The Secret Service star Edward Holcroft) questions whether or not a young woman (former Letterkenny cast member Sarah Gadon) who has no recollection of committing a murder she was convicted of is truly guilty of the crime, or just insane, in 19th century Canada. 

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Zachary Levi: Inspired by the historical fiction novel of the same name by The Handmaid’s Tale scribe Margaret Atwood, Alias Grace is a captivating and thought-provoking miniseries that premiered exclusively on Netflix in 2017 and also starred Zachary Levi as one of its purely fictional characters - a peddler named Jeremiah Pontelli, who becomes great friends with Grace Marks while she works as a servant for the couple she was later convicted of murdering.

Stream Alias Grace on Netflix.

Psych: The Movie (Peacock)

Three years after relocating their office to San Francisco, a faux police psychic (James Roday Rodriguez) and his best friend and business partner (Dulé Hill) investigate the near fatal shooting of his detective fiancée’s (Maggie Lawson) new partner, while also trying to locate the ring he proposed to her with three years earlier.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Zachary Levi: It is actually quite difficult to imagine Zachary Levi playing an antagonistic character, but he does a pretty good job at it in 2017’s Psych: The Movie - the first feature-length continuation of the hit USA dramedy series - as William McGoldrick, whom Shawn Spencer and Burton “Gus” Guser decide to nickname “The Thin White Duke” due to his striking resemblance to David Bowie.

Stream Psych: The Movie on Peacock.

Office Uprising (Crackle)

A young slacker (Titans star Brenton Thwaites), his best friend (Deadpool movies actor Karan Soni), and his crush (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist cast lead Jane Levy) must work together to defend themselves when a bad batch of an experimental energy drink turns almost everyone else from their weapons manufacturing company into zombie-like killers.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Zachary Levi: Less than a year after Psych: The Movie first premiered on USA Network in December 2017, Zachary Levi broke bad once again (and still to impressive effect) as a top corporate executive who becomes a murderous psychopath in 2018’s Office Uprising, which might make you curious to check out Blood Fest - another crazy horror-comedy movie released in 2018, in which Levi makes an appearance as himself.

Stream Office Uprising on Crackle.

Also try streaming Blood Fest On Amazon Prime.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime)

A Jewish-American woman (Rachel Brosnahan) who has earned everything that she has ever asked for (a husband, kids, and a lovely home) suffers a life upended when her husband leaves her for his secretary, until an impromptu performance at a cafe inspires her to redefine herself as a stand-up comedian in the late 1950s.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Zachary Levi: In the second season of creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s Emmy-winning, Amazon Prime original period dramedy, Zachary Levi joined The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel cast as Benjamin Ettenberg - a successful New York City surgeon who becomes absolutely smitten with our title character, “Midge,” after her mother (Marin Hinkle) and father (Tony Shalhoub) encourage her to meet him.

Stream The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime Season 2.

Outside of the aforementioned American Underdog and Shazam 2, there are plenty of other upcoming Zachary Levi movies to look forward to - including The Unbreakable Boy, and Richard Linklater’s Netflix original animated coming-of-age comedy Apollo 10-1/2, which both come out in 2022. Sony’s live-action adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon is set to come out in 2023, and the comedy, Undercover (also starring Cole Sprouse), is now in pre-production.

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe now encompasses TV, the movie side alone remains massive. Since the franchise began in 2008, 37 total feature films have been developed for the canon, and that’s very impressive, considering that this franchise began as nothing more than a pipe dream of Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige and co.. Those who’ve watched the Marvel movies in order can surely tell you that the reception to each film varies. A number of MCU installments are excellent, while others leave much to be desired.

So how does a fan stack up the cream up of the crop against the bottom of the barrel? With a ranking, of course! Two of CinemaBlend’s resident MCU fans have put together this ranking of every MCU movie to date. Our ranking ranges from Jon Favreau’s Iron Man to Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps and, in time, the titles in our upcoming Marvel movies guide will join this list. So read on, true believers, and see how these various superhero flicks compare to each other!

37. Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania

Peyton Reed's Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania is a significant swing-and-miss. As the first film of Phase Five, the blockbuster was released in a position to get audiences excited and amped for the terror of Kang The Conqueror in the coming years as the new Thanos-level big bad, but the movie itself is terribly underwhelming. And, while this isn’t the most important element to consider, it also stands as a prime box office bomb for Marvel. With poor stakes, zero character development, a lot of telling instead of showing, and muddy visual effects, it's the worst MCU movie to date.

36. Thor: The Dark World

If Marvel Studios has had any one consistent issue with their films, it's that the villains for the most part have been small-time and forgettable. Perhaps the best example of this is featured in Alan Taylor's Thor: The Dark World, as Christopher Eccleston's Malekith never manages to get interesting, and it's a shame because the entire plot is dictated by his actions. The movie definitely has a solid, spectacle-driven third act, which helps elevate it out of last place, but the movie still can't really be called one of Marvel's best.

35. Captain America: Brave New World

Captain America: Brave New World dominated conversations ahead of its release due to reports of massive reshoots and other BTS changes. While Julius Onah’s film isn’t the worst installment in the MCU, it’s definitely disappointing. The movie, which is the first to be headlined by Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, is hampered by a lackluster story that’s heavily concerned with resolving plot threads from The Incredible Hulk. Some of the performances are strong, including Mackie’s and Harrison Ford’s turn as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. There are also some cool action sequences and sweet character moments. Unfortunately, none of the positive elements can save this flick from its Red Hulk-sized issues.

34. The Incredible Hulk

While it didn't hit the bottom of our rankings, there definitely is a degree to which The Incredible Hulk is the forgotten sibling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe family. For years, the only actor from the movie to actually reprise their role in a second film was Robert Downey Jr. That’s changed now, though, as a number of Hulk characters return in 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World (with the results being mixed). Beyond that, though, the 2008 movie is really the only title in the catalogue that doesn't have the trademark tongue-in-cheek humor and sense of fun that has made Marvel so popular. It's not a bad movie, but the franchise would go on to do much better work.

33. Black Widow

Cate Shortland's Black Widow is a film hurt by multiple factors. Being released in the wake of Avengers: Endgame and the in-canon death of Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff, and featuring events that take place a good half decade before it, the film not only feels late to the punch, but has a difficult time establishing stakes. It's also hurt by the fact that it doesn't possess much of its own style, as it instead seems fine with echoing what worked in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. At the very least, it does provide some excitement for the future with the introduction of a number of key characters, including Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova.

32. Iron Man 2

When looked at from the macro perspective, Jon Favreau's Iron Man 2 serves as a key piece of the puzzle in building the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it has some great things going for it (the Monaco Historic Grand Prix sequence in particular is memorable and cool). All by its lonesome, however, it is a mess. Its plot is jumbled as a result of the movie trying to do way too much, it has a poor villain in Mickey Rourke's Whiplash and all of the different elements never properly fit together.

31. Thor

Given its origins in Norse mythology and a fantasy-esque element not really seen before in comic book movies, Kenneth Branagh's Thor was one of the first big risks that Marvel Studios took. That being said, it wound up paying off in a great way and established both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston as bona fide stars. It strikes the perfect Marvel tone and introduces some great new ideas to the canon. It has flaws (the pacing is too fast and there's not enough exploration of Asgard), but it ultimately holds up.