2023 was set to be a big year for theMarvel Cinematic Universe.Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniakicked off Phase 5, and the fifteen-year anniversary of the franchise. It was set to be followed by highly anticipated sequels and television series. Yet 2023 was far from a good year for Marvel. They faced major problems behind the scenes and at the box office, and due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strike, many of their 2024 films were delayed. The 2024 schedule for the MCU is rather light, withEchohaving kicked off the year. Theonly film set for release isDeadpool 3, with the live-action series Agatha: Coven of Chaos and animated series likeX-Men ‘97andYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manset for Disney+. It will be a lighter year than the MCU is typically known for, but maybe that is a good thing.
Yet, not all years are created equal. The MCU had some high-profile misses some years, while other years made them look unstoppable. Looking back at each year since the franchise launched, it is interesting to see the ebb and flow of the series. Just when it seemed like they might be losing their grip, they came back stronger. What was the best year for the MCU, though? Take a look back at every single year of the MCU ranking.
Update July 28, 2025: This article has been updated to include 2024 but also to include information about the Marvel Netflix series which were recently confirmed to be part of the MCU timeline on Disney+.
152009 and 2020
Releases: Nothing
While the MCU has been running for 16 years, it is worth noting that two of those years had no releases. Although Marvel Studios released two films in 2008, with their new slate, they announced that the quickest they could get a new film out was 2010, leaving 2009 MCU-less. For years, it was the only time without an MCU release, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple MCU projects that wereset for release in 2020 were delayed, includingBlack Widow,Eternals,WandaVision, andThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Related:MCU: Why the Early Paramount Movies May Be the Best
This made 2020 the year without Marvel, which raised the anticipation for the 2021 releases. The closest thing to Marvel products were the final seasons ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.(which fans are still waiting to find out if it is canon) and Helstrom, a Hulu series that removed the Marvel branding from its title before.
Releases:Iron Man 2
Following a year with no releases, fans went into 2010 excited aboutIron Man 2. The firstIron Manwas a breakout hit and made the hero a household name. Obviously, fans were excited to see the building blocks forThe Avengers. While a box office hit,Iron Man 2was a disappointment to many fans.
Marvel rushed into production on a sequel after the first film was a hit, and while the first movie was able to pull off not having a finished script for filming, lightning did not strike twice for the sequel. The film did introduce audiences to Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, but much of the potentialAvengerssetup dragged the movie down. While the future was still exciting,Iron Man 2certainly did cast some doubt on the studio.
Releases:Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Secret Invasion,Lokiseason two,The Marvels,What If…?season two.
There is no doubt that2023 was the most difficult year for Marvel Studios. Despite the warm critical and box office reaction toGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3and the warm reaction to the second seasons of bothWhat If…?andLoki, it was not enough to drown out the hits Marvel Studios took. WhileAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniastarted out with a big opening weekend, it dropped off quickly in the following weeks thanks to negative word of mouth and ended up grossing less than the previous two entries.Secret Invasionhas become one of the worst-reviewed entries in the entire MCU. ThenThe Marvels, despite receiving some positive reviews from fans and critics, became the first box office flop in the MCU’s history.
Having both the worst-reviewed entry and the first flop would be bad enough, but behind the scenes, Marvel was also in trouble. Marvel bet big on star Jonathan Majors as the new villain Kang the Conqueror and made him a pivotal point of the marketing for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Then, one month after that film opened, Jonathan Major was arrested on domestic abuse charges, which would see a year-long trial unfold. Marvel invested heavily in Majors, and he was a major focus of season two ofLoki, meaning they had to pivot the marketing away from him. By the end of the year, Majors was found guilty of one count of reckless assault in the 3rd degree and a charge of harassment as a violation, andMarvel cut ties with him on June 11, 2025.
Releases:Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World
The MCU changed Hollywood with the release ofThe Avengers, and all eyes were on the studio in 2013 to see how they would follow up on one of the biggest movies of all time. They released two films,Iron Man 3andThor: The Dark World, which needed to be sequels to their own respective franchises as well asThe Avengers. While the studio previously stuck solely to summer, they spread out their releases, withIron Man 3kicking off in the summer of 2013 andThor: The Dark Worldtaking a November release date.
At the time, both films were seen as a disappointment by fans. Part of this could be due to the high expectations set byThe Avengers, but from many being upset with The Mandarin twist inIron Man 3orThor: The Dark World’slackluster villain, it made some wonder ifIron ManandThe Avengerswere just flukes. It is worth noting thatthe Christmas-themedIron Man3did have its fair share of defenders at the time and has grown in estimation, although the same cannot be said forThor: The Dark World.
2013 was also the first year Marvel dipped their toes into television. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiered on ABC and is actually one of the biggest hits in the franchise and the longest-running live-action Marvel series, airing for seven seasons. Though it is suspiciously not been made part of the main MCU canon unlike theDefendersseries.
Releases:Agent Carterseason one,Daredevilseason one,Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Jessica Jonesseason one.
2015 was by no definition a bad year for the MCU.Avengers: Age of Ultronwas a box office hit by every definition, but because it didn’t make as much as the previous film, some still considered it a disappointment. It was also not helped that the movie was beaten at the box office byJurassic World.Plus, critically speaking, all the attention that summer was onMad Max: Fury Road, and thenStar Wars: The Force Awakensbecame the biggest movie of the year. WhileAnt-Manwas a modest hit, it was one of the franchise’s lowest-grossing films at that point, and that and the general reaction toAvengers: Age of Ultronseemed to indicate that in 2015, audiences were more interested in legacy sequels than superheroes.
It is worth noting that 2015 was a great year for Marvel on television, as that marked the release of bothDaredevilseason one andJessica Jonesseason one, which began tobuild the Defenders saga.Agent Carterofficially kicked off the year, While the 2015 MCU films were seen as fine, the television series received praise for being so different from what audiences expected from Marvel and became a new gold standard.
Releases:Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger
Marvel Studios launched two new franchises in 2011,ThorandCaptain America, and it certainly was a good time to be a Marvel fan. Both were different in tone and style, showcasing how vast the franchise could be. They featured enough world-building to connect the two while also not being so necessary to put off audiences who might have skipped one, and it appeared that Marvel Studios was finding its footing.
The two films looked even better when compared to DC’sGreen Lantern,which was released that summer and showed how disastrous either film could have turned out. All four major Avengers had been introduced, and the anticipation was high for the following summer.
Releases:Moon Knight, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Ms. Marvel, Thor: Love and Thunder, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, Werewolf by Night, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Guardians of the GalaxyHoliday Special
Much has been said about howMarvel Studios might have oversaturated the marketin Phase 4. While some audiences were disappointed by some films likeDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessandThor: Love and Thunder, it certainly cannot be understated how well 2022 was for introducing new heroes to the MCU.
Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Namor, Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing, America Chavez, and Ironheart, just to name a few. Within just one year, the franchise grew with a bevy of immediate fan favorites. The Marvel Special Presentation banner for a Halloween and Christmas Special showcased how, even so far into its run, the MCU can still try new things. Additionally, the2022 Marvel filmspushed the heroes into deeper emotional stories, focusing more on character development than massive team-ups and unstoppable ‘big bads.’
Releases:Agent Carterseason two,Daredevilseason two,Captain America: Civil War,Luke Cageseason one,Doctor Strange
After what might be considered a rocky 2015, Marvel Studios came into 2016 strong with the release ofCaptain America: Civil War,which was a massive hit at the box office and with fans and critics. It introduced a new Spider-Man into the MCU and gave audiences an introduction to Black Panther.
Following that film wasDoctor Strange, which grossed $677 million worldwide, showing that the franchise really had the potential to make any hero a star. While created by Marvel Television, 2016 also saw the premiere ofLuke Cage,which had such high demand the Netflix servers crashed. Fans were certainly disappointed thatAgent Carterwas canceled, andDaredevilseason two might have left something to be desired, but 2016 felt like the year Marvel Studios was truly the biggest brand in the world, conquering both film and television.
Releases:WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Lokiseason 1,Black Widow,What If…?season one,Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,Eternals,Hawkeye,Spider-Man: No Way Home
After COVID-19 forced Marvel Studios to take 2020 off, the return of the franchise in 2021 was a highly anticipated event for fans, and to make up for the year-long absence 2021, seemed to be a whole year of Marvel.WandaVisionkicked off the year and is regarded as one of the best entries in the franchise, and the year closed out with thebox office shatteringSpider-Man: No Way Home.
With nine entries released that year, there was bound to be some disappointment, and it did see Marvel Studios suffer their first film to get a rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes withEternals. Yet the introduction of a new hero like Shang-Chi and the massive success of their television series on Disney+ showed that Marvel was back, and they still had it.
Releases:Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk
Marvel released two films in the summer of 2008, the year that kicked off the MCU:Iron ManandThe Incredible Hulk. WhileThe Incredible Hulkwas a black sheepof sorts and has mainly been ignored until recently,Iron Manperformed beyond anyone’s expectations.
Iron Manwas one of the highest-grossing films of 2008 and kicked off the entire franchise. It set the tone for what a Marvel movie could be and showed that the right story, paired with a great actor and filmmaker with a vision, could make even a B-list hero into a household name. Following these two movie releases, there was a whole world of possibilities, and it’s safe to say nobody walking out ofIron Manin 2008 could imagine how big the franchise would become.
