2021 is about to come to an end and the final Marvel Cinematic Universe also wrapped up this week. This year marks the one with the most number of projects from the franchise with both movies and tv shows. Marvel Studios came up with their TV projects on the Disney+ streaming platform and it surely gave us whole new narratives to be explored. While there were a lot of projects to be explored, there was quite an interesting balance of good and bad. We got our first MCU project with the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score with Eternals, even though the audience response for the movie was quite mixed. Here are all the MCU projects of 2021 ranked from worst to best, or perhaps good to great.
9# Black Widow
After a year-long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans finally got to see the project that they were waiting for for quite a long time. There had been plans for a solo venture for MCUs first female superhero but instead of Black Widow, we had got to see Captain Marvel. Most of the anticipation for the movie was because fans knew that this movie might help them bid farewell to the character after she sacrifices herself in Avengers: Endgame. The movie fails to deliver on this anticipation with a narrative that doesn’t even involve a good villain. It does manage to introduce some new characters to the MCU and that might actually be the only thing that might have helped it find some interest for the fans of the franchise.
8# The Falcon and The Winter Soldier
The second TV series from Marvel Studios saw a team-up between the titular characters who were closely associated with Captain America. We actually get to explore the impact of the events around the end of the Infinity Saga. There were a lot of things that the series was able to address but it failed to give us the ideal character to carry the legacy of Captain America. We saw Anthony Mackie’s Falcon is given the mantle of the First Avenger but there is hardly enough chance for the character itself to earn the title. Let’s hope we will actually get to see him earn this title in Captain America 3.
7# What If…?
Marvel did not hold much back in their first animated series with What If…?. This series took fans through every possible alternate narrative that we would have gotten from the world of MCU. One of the most interesting narratives was definitely the episode where we see a Zombie apocalypse unfold in the universe. We even got our first team of heroes that goes across the multiverse and fans loved this narrative. But after a certain number of episodes, it seems that it actually became a lot more about fanservice. It is rather interesting that we will get to see some of the narratives from the series being explored in the MCU live-action projects.
6# Eternals
There was a lot of hype for the project that will actually explore one of the most interesting narratives from the Marvel comics. With Academy Award-winning director Chloe Zhao at the helm, fans were sure Marvel will deliver something different with this project. The movie actually does deliver something different compared to the usual MCU projects, but that’s also responsible for the mixed response it has received. There was a lot of responsibility that the movie was carrying as it had to establish both the mythology of the MCU and at the same time present these characters in the modern world.Â
5# Hawkeye
Every one of the original Avengers has had their own MCU solo ventures by now except for Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye. This Disney+ series actually brought us a narrative that expanded on the things that we got to see from the character over the years. In what has to be one of the most grounded narratives from MCU we got to see Clint Barton team up with an avid fan in Kate Bishop. Inspired from the great source material with the Marvel comics, the series offers a great combination of visual treats and interesting characters. Â
4# WandaVision
MCU started with TV shows based on the characters from the movies, which would actually be canon to the MCU. WandaVision was the very first series to initiate this and it rightfully had every element to show how different MCU could be on the small screen. Fans were absolutely stupified with the way the first few episodes paid homage to past television shows. At the same time, the narrative deals with a grieving Wanda after losing Vision during the Infinity War. The series ended up showing the true potential of Wanda Maximoff with a brilliant performance from the entire cast. It gave us hope that MCU coming to the small screen is not gonna be something quite ordinary.
3# Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is the very first movie that actually initiated the venture into MCU post the Infinity Saga. The movie introduces a wholly different set of characters. This is also the first indication of the possible level of things that are going to unfold going ahead in the franchise. It also manages to correct a lot of the things that were wrong with the past projects in the MCU. Even though the movie sticks to the tropes of big CGI battles it is a rather interesting addition to the MCU.
2# Loki
The very first project that introduces us to the chaos of the Multiverse, Loki takes us through a narrative of the God of Mischief. Each episode gave us a chance to be excited about the future of the MCU. The series introduces a fresh villain who might actually end up being something much equivalent to the character of the Mad Titan, Thanos. There was a lot that the series actually promised and it delivered on it with the indication that we are going to explore a lot more in the next Season.
1# Spider-Man: No Way Home
The culmination of the Homecoming trilogy saw something that will definitely make sure the movie remains an essential part of Spider-Man history. There are a lot of themes in the movie that explore the maturity of the character. The true attraction of the movie is definitely the concept of the multiverse and how it brings together some of the most interesting parts of past Spider-Man movies. It promises that the partnership between Sony and Marvel Studios is definitely going to give us exciting projects in the upcoming years. Spider-Man: No Way Home was the perfect end to the MCU project that came out in 2021.
If you don’t agree, then you guys should present your rankings in the comments.
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