Marvel Cinematic Universe 36: The Fantastic Four [First Steps]

MCU 36: The Fantastic Four [First Steps] (2025)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


I was careful to avoid spoilers before watching this, so other than family members informing me that they really enjoyed the movie, I didn't know what to expect going in. I had suspected more of a tie-in with the current MCU universe given the ending of Thunderbolts* with the rocket, but this has an old-time feel while still having advanced technology for the Fantastic Four, which is an interesting combination. Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer instead of Norrin Radd is also an interesting choice. Curious if we'll see both Silver Surfers at some point in the future or if this token will be the only nod to this part of the franchise given the previous Silver Surfer film, though it was not nearly as well done in terms of the world building overall. The adaptation of Ben's beard is also hilarious and not something that has been considered in previous film variations. On a whole, this was a lot more true to the same feel as the original comic books, and even kept the origin story much the same, while still moving things along. Johnny is even toned down a bit so while he's still more flighty and a charmer, he's much more focused on his family and doing something rather than just playing all the time, which is a drastically improved attitude for his character, though you'll still get plenty of banter between Johnny and Ben especially. The cameo for Doctor Doom at the ending was also iconic and a fun easter egg for those who look up the uncredited cast of the film. Hopefully it doesn't change for the next full length feature if we see Doom step onto the stage more fully as that would be a fun win for the entire MCU fandom.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 35: Thunderbolts*

MCU 35: Thunderbolts* (2025)

Rating: 3 of 5 stars


Yelena is a central character in this movie, though she doesn't have an alter ego like the rest of the Thunderbolts or the Avengers. It's clear that she's not satisfied with her current life and still misses her sister. Similar to Natasha, they may have been trained as assassins since childhood, but there's a gentleness and clear heart in these sisters that goes against their training. Similarly, Yelena finds herself in a rather unique family situation, though it's clear sometimes she's so embarrassed by them, she may wish she was back on her own. It sounds like there may be some conflict with their claiming the title as the new Avengers, even though they themselves were not the ones who initially made that declaration. It will be interesting to see how things evolve and if de Fonte will continue to be a concern or if her new public image will keep her inline with the team's own agenda, though that may be difficult to maintain. Most of the team seems to be fairly level headed, except Alexei, who seems unusually obsessed with his past as a super soldier and his new "team." Bob also claims that the power comes with a specific identity and point of view, so he may remain the odd civilian hanging out with the team, or maybe there is more than he knows to his abilities that might allow him to regain some control. It's also relatively easy to tell where we are in the series if you pay attention to the narrative as they discuss both Sam's  possession of "the shield" and the Red Hulk from the last movie.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 34: Captain America 4 [Brave New World]

MCU 34: Captain America 4 [Brave New World] (2025)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


For anyone only following the movies that has not seen The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, this is the first time we see Mackie pick up the shield on the big screen instead of Evans. There's a lot of action packed in and more than a few easter eggs, but if you haven't followed the series so far, watchers may be more than a little lost in the subtext. As an action film, it is engaging, but it doesn't seem to have as much of a story that it's telling. There are a few hints, especially at the end, for anyone paying attention, which makes sense especially following films like The Multiverse of Madness. It would seem the multiverse is here to stay with the popularity and ongoing references, which opens up a lot of possibilities for the series.

Daredevil: Born Again

Daredevil: Born Again (2025)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


While this is no longer with Netflix like the original TV series, the story picks up just after the end of the first story, with the same actors as well, though things quickly shift directions. Add as well that this is now considered officially part of the MCU lineup, and you have a lot of potential tie-ins to ongoing stories and other heroes. More than one Marvel character is referenced even in just the first 6 episodes that are currently available to watch. The story doesn't start out in the vein you may expect at all, but so far is building up the tension and puts Matt in one situation after another where he must reassess his choices, including if the world still needs vigilantes or not, and if he is still counted as one of them.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 33: Captain Marvel 2 [The Marvels]

MCU 33: Captain Marvel 2 [The Marvels] (2023)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Nick Fury is rather relaxed in his role with this new space research currently, a far cry from the all black, always armed, and ready for action Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D. Carol as usual means well, but doesn't always seem to hit the mark. She's especially a bit of a fish out of water when it comes to family ties and anything outside of her "work" as a superhero, largely due to her own guilt and mixed up emotions. She's forced to face more than a few things she actually can remember about her past when the Kree try to fix their homeland, resulting in literal tears in space. At the same time, Carol's powers are temporarily linked with both Monica's and Kamala's, resulting in more than a little bit of confusion and some forced family reunions. We see some tie ins to the X-Men universe a result of this installment as well, though it's very clear that this is a parallel universe and not the same one, so if more mutants will enter the Avengers current timeline remains to be seen. Monica, for her part, is still very hurt by her mother's death and Carol's disappearance, as this topic comes up frequently throughout the film. Kamala, meanwhile, hero worships Carol to an extreme, even going as far as to copy her alias as Ms. Marvel. They never do seem to come up with what Monica's name would be as a Marvel, especially as she insists she doesn't need one.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 31: Ant-Man & the Wasp 2 [Quantumania]

MCU 31: Ant-Man & the Wasp 2 [Quantumania]

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


Wow there's a lot of tie-ins in this movie while also still being a tad off the rails, like most Ant-Man films seem to end up being. Of course it wouldn't be an adventure without adding yet another Ant-Man suit to the group as well, though they never seem to come up with a name for Cassie. Scott's dialogue is, as usual, both on-point and slightly off at the same time, resulting in a unique sort of comedy in these stories. This addition to the series does not include his best friend with the rambling intros and end summaries however, leaving Scott to fill that gap in his own unique way. Teasers with both Kang and Loki towards the end would indicate the story isn't over either.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 32: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

MCU 32: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This one focuses more on Rocket than on Star Lord, though of course he and the rest of the Guardians are there. There's a lot of angst with Gamora and a lot of self discovery in this version. Adam Warlock is introduced and we learn more about all of the Guardians, but most especially, about Rocket. Rocket has always been a bit of an enigma with his lab experiment history and his insistence that he's not a racoon.... up until now. Even Gamora, who can't seem to stand the Guardians aside from her own sister, Nebula, seems to learn a few things in her unexpected adventure with the Guardians and reach some level of understanding with them. It's hard, especially for Quill, to recognize that even though she is Gamora, she is not the Gamora that changed with him in the past. 

Marvel Cinematic Universe 30: Black Panther 2 [Wakanda Forever]

MCU 30: Black Panther 2 [Wakanda Forever] (2022)

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


Not entirely loving how they set up the sister to take over as the mantle of the Black Panther or the sudden exile faced with loyal guards. Was somewhat hesitant coming into this knowing that T'Challa is no longer part of the MCU. It did set up well for adding in Namor and the underwater civilization, but much of the story feels forced, making it difficult to really enjoy it as much as some of the earlier MCU films.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 29: Thor 4 [Love & Thunder]

MCU 29: Thor 4 [Love & Thunder] (2022)

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


This has got to be one of the strangest MCU films I've seen to date. It feels like it could have had a lot of potentially, but so much was crammed into it for the sake of the storyline that it just feels haphazard and chaotic. The screaming goats and constant rainbows and flashing lights don't help with these impressions. It seems as if there will be a focus on the children possibly going forward in the movies as well, though time will tell if this holds true or is only the focus for this one film. 

Moon Knight

Moon Knight (2022)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Steven seems to be a very confused person who needs a whole lot of help. Marc seems more capable, but also seems to have his own issues, especially when it comes to his status as an avatar and his quest. Harrow doesn't seem to be much better with his own quest and the potential death toll he'd unleash. Not entirely sure yet how this is going to tie into the rest of the MCU, but it would not rank among the favorites or best series as of yet.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 28: Doctor Strange 2 [The Multiverse of Madness]

MCU 28: Doctor Strange 2 [The Multiverse of Madness] (2022)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


There is a lot going on in this movie, but it seems to indicate that most of the multiverse characters are the same at least as far as Doctor Strange and a few other characters are concerned. This has been proven to not be the case at least with Spider-Man and some other characters possibly being replaced (ex: Captain America is Captain Carter). It also opens the possibility for other characters like The Fantastic Four and the X-Men being added back into the MCU. It is unclear though, if the third eye is meant to be the Eye of Agamotto and would possibly be an indication of Strange's increasing power and abilities, or solely just a price of using the Darkhold as his more evil alternate version indicated. Perhaps something we may learn in the next Doctor Strange movie and/or if we see the actual correction of the incursion mentioned at the end of this film.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 26: Eternals

MCU 26: Eternals (2021)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


It feels like this one missed the mark a bit in what it could have been. Ikaris especially is a bit of a let down as the full story comes out. Also somewhat interesting that there is supposedly now this partially emerged frozen giant in the world for the current MCU universe, and yet it is not mentioned or even seen in passing through all of No Way Home. Seems like something easy to miss that may not be mentioned short of another Eternals film down the line. A future Eternals film may not even come back to Earth however, with half of the team now captured and the new eternal showing up to offer help. Not sure if we'll see Ikaris again as well given he left everyone originally or if he may have actually learned something from the experience and return down the row.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 27: Spider-Man 3 [No Way Home]

MCU 27: Spider-Man 3 [No Way Home] (2021)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


For a lot of chaos, this was handled remarkably well. It was a special treat to see old faces from the Spider-Man franchise as the multiverse came to life in the MCU. Our newest Spider-Man is making the usual sacrifice when it comes to those who should know his secrets and his own promises, and of course no one can call him on it since he's the only one who remembers. There's a lot of growing up and learning that takes place over the course of these newest Spider-Man movies, and this one is no exception. It will be interesting to see how future films play out and what will happen as Spider-Man possibly meets his past friends and allies in new battles along the way. 

Hawkeye

Hawkeye (2021)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


We get another tie-in to more common Spider-Man storylines here with the King Pin brought into the mix. There are a few other notable leads to other characters in the Marvel universe, and even some fun poked at the earlier comic costume designs (purple, big H for Hawkeye, flashy mask and all). Clint is his usual down to earth self who does not want attention drawn to himself. There's still an obvious internal struggle going on regarding Black Widow's death even before her sister arrives back on the scene, which may be expected from anyone who did see the more recent Black Widow film. The Roger's musical is.... interesting.... and also have to wonder why the name when it's obviously about all of the Avengers (even including Ant-Man who was not actually at the depicted battle of New York).... Sure are a lot of Ant-Man leads ins though. Because of the up-coming Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania release, or something else?

Marvel Cinematic Universe 25: Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings

MCU 25: Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


One of the better recent Marvel movie additions, the story and characters both have depth while still including a lot of action and some excellent special effects. The best friend/sidekick can be a little aggravating at times, but she also has an odd balancing effect with a touch of comic relief to all of the rest of the insanity going on in the story. Add in the tie in to Doctor Strange, and can't help but wonder when we'll next see at least one, if not both, of these stars back on the Marvel roster.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 24: Black Widow

MCU 24: Black Widow (2021)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


By far this is probably one of the worst Marvel movies completed to date. It had all the action, sure, and a lot of potential with Natasha's backstory, however, it seems like it was just jammed with as much action as possible and who cared if the filming actually met production standards. When actors are suddenly in entirely different locations from one clip to the next without supposedly moving in the camera span and/or the laws of gravity seem to be defied without use of any special tech or abilities, it leaves some questions as to how everything was signed off on at the end of the deal. It does seem like there is a lot of potential between Natasha and her sister, but it seems we won't see more of that given the end scenes [spoiler] jump to after her death.

WandaVision

WandaVision (2021)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This takes place after the events of Endgame when everyone is returned from the "blip". If you don't pay attention, you might not catch the references to Captain Marvel, especially as she's only really had one major film in the series so far and small cameos otherwise. Wanda has never really been very sure of herself, especially when it comes to her power. After everything she's survived, it's a small wonder she clings to her little bubble of peace as hard as she does, even though her denial is ultimately hurting a lot of other people around her. As usual, once faced with undeniable truth of her reality, her assessment and actions change. There are a lot of laughs in this series though for all that it stems from such emotional pain, as it's formatted like an old sitcom. Older fans may recognize the old spandex costumes for the Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Quicksilver in the Halloween episode. Ultimately though, Wanda has to come to some hard realizations and learn to own her power a bit more, finally earning her title as the Scarlet Witch (and a fairly fantastic modern rendition of her traditional costume to go with it).

The Falcon & the Winter Soldier

The Falcon & the Winter Soldier (2021)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This picks up just after Endgame when Captain America has chosen a different life and passed his shield onto Sam, aka The Falcon. He has some hard choices ahead of him, and ends up butting heads with Bucky (previously the Winter Soldier) about as often as they end up working together. They make an odd team, with the lingering ghost of Steve lingering between them. Takes awhile to sort things out, especially with a new Super Soldier serum in the mix and a "new Captain America" who does not live up to the name.... until the successor Steve meant to take up his mantel is ready to take on the world in his own way.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 22: Captain Marvel 1

MCU 22: Captain Marvel 1 (2019)

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


I can't say Carol Danvers has ever been my favorite character, and this isn't the most thrilling movie out of the series, but they do have some interesting scenes and it's a good story to build up her character introducing her to this reality. Perhaps my favorite character though is actually Goose, the cat, and Fury's interactions with it. Can't help but feel bad for some of the Skrulls this round, though that hasn't always been the case for any of the old comic followers. For now at least, they appear to be on the side of the "good guys" as Fury would put it.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 23: Spider-Man 2 [Far From Home]

MCU 23: Spider-Man 2 [Far From Home] (2019)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


They actually did an excellent job with how the designed Mysterio. The ending however, is either a set up for a lot of chaos as it triggers a man hunt for Peter Parker or is Fox pretty much handing Disney an impossible knot to unravel for their takeover. MJ is amusing, and the hand off from Iron Man to Spider-Man, including the same music playing as he designs his new suit, is a nice little added touch. The end credit scene with Nick Fury is also entertaining - where'd he put his shoes?