The Avengers Phase 1: Ranked by a First-Time Watcher
- NAF
- Feb 23, 2021
- 5 min read
The question people ask me when I tell them I haven’t watched the Avengers is usually “Why the fuck not?”, to which I usually respond “I’m not much of a superhero guy”. Holy fuck was I wrong. This first phase is so much better than I ever could have expected just 7 days ago. Hell, I didn’t even really understand why there were phases until I watched Avengers today and everything made sense. I have decided to keep a ranking of each movie throughout the phases based solely on my enjoyment of said movies. As you read the first movie on this list, you’ll come to realize that I thoroughly enjoyed all the movies, and absolutely cannot wait til I continue the series tomorrow. That being said, I rated their overalls a little low on a scale of 1-10 to ensure I don’t run out of room as I know there are more great movies coming.
SIXTH: Iron Man 2
For starters, I didn’t love the replacement of Don Cheadle for Terrence Howard. That really didn’t affect the movie but I became kind of invested in Howard during the first movie for whatever reason. Anyway…
We were given a pretty badass villain in Vanko for Iron Man’s sequel and I enjoyed how he used that electricity shit that Tony uses (i think) in a different way with them fuckin whips. However, I felt that Justin Hammer developed too predictably through the film. Arguably Tony’s most important trait is his arrogance, but as his health deteriorates, his arrogance becomes a bit much for me. After figuring all that “I’m going to die” shit out, we get good old Tony back. Now for the ending battle; eh. It was kinda cool I guess. Obviously exciting at points, but they’re fighting drones for the first 9/10 of it until we finally see the battle with Vanko, which lasts all of 3 minutes.
Overall: 6.9
Superlative: Most Menacing Villain
FIFTH: The Incredible Hulk
This one really surprised me. Beforehand, I thought this was a guaranteed lock for the last place of Phase 1. I realize that it only moved up one spot, but there were so many good movies. I thought I had everything about this movie figured out before I watched it but I was obviously wrong. The story was awesome, and I loved Ed Norton playing the perfect Bruce Banner even though I knew he would be replaced by Ruffalo later on. The plot was great and the final battle between the Abomination and the Hulk was exciting. I wasn’t too keen on our villain Blonsky and his progression throughout the film but it wasn’t the worst.
Overall: 7.1
Superlative: Best Performance over Expectations
FOURTH: Iron Man
Iron Man is the only movie that I had already seen before this expedition. I still rewatched it because it had been a little while and I figured I would refresh some memories. I’ve always loved this movie, and that didn’t change after this time around. Building the suit in the cave and quickly learning and engineering the actual Iron Man suit after Tony’s is so sick to watch. But just like Hulk, the villain lacked for me a bit. Maybe it's because I’ve seen the “most trusted friend/ally becomes the villain” so many times before. We finally get to see what Tony can do when he’s put up against the larger suit created by Stane, and the final battle is enjoyable. I also loved our ending post credits when Nick Fury introduces the Avenger’s Initiative.
Overall: 7.4
Superlative: Favorite Main Character
THIRD: Captain America: The First Avenger
For those of you who saw my tweet, this was the Phase 1 favorite last night, but I’ve done some thinking. This was an absolutely electric movie, but it has a couple flaws. To be completely honest, I didn’t understand the “love” story between Rogers and Carter at first. That obviously changes once Rogers becomes Captain America, but the beginning seemed a bit weird. I did however, love the plot set during WWII. Chris Evans becomes a complete badass before our eyes and frees all those soldiers from Zola’s army base. I also loved that we are able to see more of Howard Stark outside of the Iron Man movies, and they really began to circle the avengers wagons before we reached the last movie in phase 1. And before I forget, Zola was completely insane, which made this movie that much better. I already gave out the most menacing villain award to Vanko, but Zola was something completely different. Lastly, how could I not mention the ending battle as well as the final scene of the movie. The battle was epic, and the “hero saves the day” story might have been the best one yet. I’d assume that quite a bit of people we’re tearing up in theaters when Rogers has his last conversation with Betty Carter.
Overall: 7.7
Superlative: Best Love Story
SECOND: Thor
Thor threw me for a loop similar to Hulk, given that I hadn’t even considered that Loki would be a villain until 30 minutes into the movie. I debated putting this at third, but moved it up a spot after how much I realized I hated Loki throughout it. This movie did the best job making me hate the villain, and I respect the film for it. This is probably because Loki is Thor’s brother, but nonetheless. I’ve never been a mythology guy and I figured Thor would be the same. Once again I was wrong. I loved the humbling story of Thor. A god who had to re earn his place among the immortals. The romance between Jane Foster and Thor was intriguing, but I felt that it took a little long to develop. The whole plot is based around Loki’s betrayal and I think it played really well. The end battle was another great one, but had somewhat of an unsatisfying ending when Loki falls off into space. Lastly, I enjoyed the presence S.H.I.E.L.D, although that could be said for most of these movies.
Overall: 7.8
Superlative: Best Hero/Villain Storyline
First: The Avengers
Did anyone really expect any different? Phase 1 culminates into the first squad of Avengers, tasked with finally finishing off Loki after his return. The biggest development for me is our final realization of S.H.I.E.L.D as we are shown a bit more of what they do. I think my favorite part of this one is the interactions between each of the Avengers. Tony Stark is obviously going to provide the sarcasm between them, Captain America is still oblivious to modern day technology and sayings, Banner has learned to control his emotions to a degree, Thor just kind of makes me laugh, and we’re exposed to more of what Hawkeye and Black Widow can do. With Loki as our villain, I was filled with an already-developed anger towards him which flowed easily from Thor. Of course, we had to conclude phase 1 with the most electric battle yet, and I was on the edge of my seat for most of it. The Avengers actually coming together to prove what they can do is an awesome way to close out this phase, and to cap it all off, we get yet another “is Tony Stark dead?” scene.
Overall: 8.1
Superlative: Best Movie Yet
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