MRQE Ranks: Marvel's Best Movies

1

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, J. K. Simmons, Alfred Molina, James Franco, Daniel Gillies, Dylan Baker, Elizabeth Banks, Willem Dafoe, Ted Raimi

Director: Sam Raimi

Writer: Michael Chabon, Steve Ditko

Synopsis: Two years have passed since the mild-mannered Peter Parker walked away from his longtime love Mary Jane Watson and decided to take the road to resp... [MORE]

2

Iron Man (2008)

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson, Hilary Swank, Leslie Bibb, Stan Lee, Shaun Toub, Bill Smitrovich

Director: Jon Favreau

Writer: Arthur Marcum, Matthew Hollaway, Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, Don Heck

Synopsis: Billionaire industrialist and genius inventor Tony Stark is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and... [MORE]

3

Spider-Man (2002)

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, Cliff Robertson, J.K. Simmons, Joe Manganiello, Gerry Becker, Bill Nunn

Director: Sam Raimi

Writer: David Koepp

Synopsis: Spider-Man started off as shy high school student Peter Parker, until he was bitten by a radioactive spider, giving him amazing abilities. Over tim... [MORE]

4

X2 (2003)

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Anna Paquin, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry

Director: Bryan Singer

Writer: Zak Penn, Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris

Synopsis: Mutants continue their struggle against a society that fears and distrusts them. Their cause becomes even more desperate following an incredible at... [MORE]

5

Men in Black (1997)

Cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent D'Onofio, Linda Fiorentino, Rip Torn

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Writer: Ed Solomon, Lowell Cunningham

Synopsis: For his fifth effort as a feature-film director, one-time cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld brought his cartoonish visual style and darkly humorous ... [MORE]

6

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Writer: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz

Synopsis: "X-Men: First Class" follows the classic Marvel mythology, charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr to... [MORE]

7

Kick-Ass (2010)

Cast: Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Chloe Moretz, Nicolas Cage, Clark Duke, Evan Peters, Lyndsy Fonseca, Michael Rispoli, Garrett M. Brown

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Writer: Jane Goldman, Mark Millar

Synopsis: "How come nobody's ever tried to be a superhero?" When Dave Lizewski -- ordinary New York teenager and rabid comic-book geek-- dons a green-and-yel... [MORE]

8

X-Men (2000)

Cast: Ian McKellen, Ray Park, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry

Director: Bryan Singer

Writer: David Hayter

Synopsis: Adapted from the most popular Marvel comics of the 1990s, The X-Men are a group of genetic mutants with amazing abilities, brought together and tra... [MORE]

9

Thor (2011)

Cast: Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Chris Hemsworth, Idris Elba, Ray Stevenson, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgård, Rene Russo, Jaimie Alexander

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Writer: Ashley Miller

Synopsis: At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to... [MORE]

10

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Cast: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, William Hurt

Director: Louis Leterrier

Writer: Edward Norton, Zak Penn, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

Synopsis: "The Incredible Hulk" kicks off an all-new, explosive and action-packed epic of one of the most popular Super Heroes of all time. In this new begin... [MORE]

11

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Cast: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Hayley Atwell, Richard Armitage, Natalie Dormer, Sebastian Stan, Neal McDonough

Director: Joe Johnston

Writer: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Synopsis: "Captain America: The First Avenger" will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experime... [MORE]

12

Blade II (2002)

Cast: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Tcheky Karyo, Luke Goss, Leonora Varela

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Writer: David S Goyer

Synopsis: Blade is half man and half vampire and consumed by a desire to avenge the curse of his birth and save the human race from a blood-drenched Armagedd... [MORE]

13

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jon Favreau, Kate Mara, Leslie Bibb

Director: Jon Favreau

Writer: Justin Theroux, Stan Lee

Synopsis: In "Iron Man 2," the world is aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark is the armored Super Hero Iron Man. Under pressure from the government, th... [MORE]

14

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, Kelsey Grammer, Vinnie Jones

Director: Brett Ratner

Writer: Simon Kinberg, Zak Penn

Synopsis: A "cure" for mutancy threatens to alter the course of history. For the first time, mutants have a choice: retain their uniqueness, although it isol... [MORE]

15

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, James Cromwell, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Dylan Baker

Director: Sam Raimi

Writer: Steve Ditko, Stan Lee

Synopsis: Peter Parker has finally managed to strike a balance between his devotion to M.J. and his duties as a superhero. But there is a storm brewing on th... [MORE]

16

Blade (1998)

Cast: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, Kevin Patrick Walls, N'Bushe Wright

Director: Stephen Norrington

Writer: David S. Goyer

Synopsis: Blade is the unforgettable legend of an immortal warrior who battles a thriving underworld of vampires seeking to decimate the human race. Born wit... [MORE]

17

Hulk (2003)

Cast: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliot, Josh Lucas, Nick Nolte

Director: Ang Lee

Writer: David Hayter, Michael Tolkin, James Schamus

Synopsis: Scientist Bruce Banner has, to put it mildly, anger management issues. His quiet life as a brilliant researcher working with cutting edge genetic t... [MORE]

18

Daredevil (2003)

Cast: Ben Affleck, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jon Favreau

Director: Mark Steven Johnson

Writer: Brian Helgeland, Mark Steven Johnson, Carlo Carlei, Chris Columbus

Synopsis: Attorney Matt Murdock is blind, but his other four senses function with superhuman sharpness. By day, Murdock represents the downtrodden. By night,... [MORE]

19

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Dominic Monaghan, Ryan Reynolds

Director: Gavin Hood

Writer: David Benioff, Skip Woods

Synopsis: "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," the first chapter in the X-Men saga, unites Wolverine with several other legends of the X-Men universe, in an epic revo... [MORE]

20

4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Doug Jones, Julian McMahon, Kerry Washington, Beau Garrett, Andre Braugher, Moneca Delain

Director: Tim Story

Writer: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Synopsis: The enigmatic, intergalactic herald, The Silver Surfer, comes to Earth to prepare it for destruction. As the Silver Surfer races around the globe w... [MORE]

21

Men in Black II (2002)

Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Lara Flynn Boyle, Rip Torn, Rosario Dawson

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Writer: Barry Fanaro, Robert Gordon

Synopsis: A sequel to the 1997 hit, which was based on a Marvel Comics comic book about agents who protect Earth from the extra-terrestrial aliens who live h... [MORE]

22

The Punisher (2004)

Cast: Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Will Patton, Roy Scheider, Laura Elena Harring

Director: Jonathan Hensleigh

Writer: Gerry Conway, Michael France

Synopsis: Frank Castle is a man who has seen too much death in his life, first as a Delta Force Op and later as an FBI special agent. He has managed to beat ... [MORE]

23

Fantastic Four (2005)

Cast: Michael Chiklis, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Jessica Alba, Julian McMahon, Maria Menounos, Kerry Washington, Hamish Linklater, Laurie Holden, Lorena Gale

Director: Tim Story

Writer: Michael France, Mark Frost

Synopsis: Marvel's first family of comic superheroes takes the world by storm as the longest running comic book series in history comes to the big screen. R... [MORE]

24

Blade: Trinity (2004)

Cast: Wesley Snipes, Ryan Reynolds, Jessica Biel, Kris Kristofferson, Leonar Varela, Dominic Purcell, Michael 'Triple H' Paul Levesque, Steve Braun, Parker Posey, Natasha Lyonne

Director: David S. Goyer

Writer: David S. Goyer

Synopsis: Deep in a remote desert, vampire leaders are resurrecting Dracula, the horrific creature who spawned their race. Now known as Drake, this awesome v... [MORE]

25

Ghost Rider (2007)

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Wes Bentley, Eva Mendes, Matthew Long, Peter Fonda, Donal Logue

Director: Mark Steven Johnson

Writer: Mark Steven Johnson, Shane Salerno, David S Goyer, Jonathan Hensleigh

Synopsis: A motorcycle stuntman, Johnny Blaze, makes a pact with a dark force, selling his soul to save his girlfriend. When the bargain goes sour and the gi... [MORE]

26

Punisher: War Zone (2008)

Cast: Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Julie Benz, Colin Salmon, Doug Hutchison, Dash Mihok, Wayne Knight, T.J. Storm, Keram Malicki-Sánchez, Bjanka Murgel

Director: Lexi Alexander

Writer: Matt Holloway, Art Marcum, Nick Santora

Synopsis: Waging his one-man war on the world of organized crime, ruthless vigilante-hero Frank Castle sets his sights on overeager mob boss Billy Russoti. A... [MORE]

28

Howard the Duck (1986)

Cast: Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones, Tim Robbins, Ed Gale, Chip Zien

Director: Willard Huyck

Writer: Steve Gerber, Willard Huyck

Synopsis: In this sci-fi comedy from executive producer George Lucas, Howard the Duck is an extra-terrestrial fowl who is accidentally beamed to earth by phy... [MORE]