Ranking the Marvel Cinematic Universe Releases of 2021

           Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, it's the end of the year, and I've already done my countdown of my Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2021. Today, I'd like to do something extra special. I would like to do a ranking of all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe projects released in the year 2021. Now, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed all of Marvel's releases this year, including the movies and the Disney+ streaming shows. This is just how I personally rank them compared to each other in terms of my personal enjoyment. So, here we go. 

        9. Eternals: Now, I will admit that I enjoyed it a bit more upon a second viewing compared to my initial viewing, but it's still not among the best that Marvel had to offer this year. I think that they but off a bit more than they could chew with this one, but I will give them credit for including the first deaf superhero in a feature film. 

       8. What If...?: This animated series explores the multiverse in a series of scenarios that are really neat to see. However, things started to fall apart for me when they tried to unite heroes from across the multiverse to fight a villain who has made himself extremely overpowered. I did really enjoy Jeffrey Wright as Uatu the Watcher in this series, and I hope we get more of him on future Marvel titles. 

       7. Black Widow: the first solo movie for Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff was highly anticipated. However, I feel that the stakes were lowered because of the producers setting it after the events of Captain America: Civil War and before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. Plus, having it be released after Avengers: Endgame means that they're clearly not going to put Natasha in mortal danger, as we know that her death happens in Endgame. Everything else about the movie, however, I did enjoy quite a bit, especially the Jason Bourne style spy thriller that this movie goes for. And easily, Florence Pugh as Yelena is my favorite character. 

           6. Loki: Tom Hiddleston returns as the Asgardian God of mischief, and he's been tasked by the Time Variance Authority, or TVA, to apprehend a variant of himself, only to discover that there's more going on than meets the eye. Okay, so there's quite a bit to enjoy here, especially Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Sophia di Martino as Sylvie, but it really takes a lot of focus to really keep up. However, seeing several dozen variants of Loki, including Richard E. Grant as the classic version of Loki from the comics, was really neat. Definitely one I'll have to rewatch soon. 

        5. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: the second live-action Disney+ series from Marvel Studios focuses on Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, both of whom are struggling to come to terms with the fact that Steve Rogers is now gone. Sam, unwilling to accept the mantle of Captain America, hands the shield over to the Smithsonian, only for the government to create a new Captain America with John Walker. Meanwhile, a group of terrorists called the Flag Smashers are trying to restore the world to how it was after Thanos blipped half of the population out of existence. So, this series is literally Sam and Bucky coping with Steve being gone, stopping the bad guys, and Sam finally accepting his role as Captain America. Now, what I really enjoyed was how Sam go his Captain America suit: it was made by the Wakandans. Dude, that's awesome. I love how they tied Wakanda into this series, especially since Bucky still has ties to them. That, and introducing Julia Louis Dreyfus into the MCU with this series was pretty cool, too. 

          4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: I have to admit, I didn't expect much with this movie, but what I got was a kickass martial arts movie with a fun-filled topping of Marvel Cinematic Universe goodness. Simu Liu, Awkwafina, and the rest of the cast are excellent here, and I definitely look forward to seeing how Shang-Chi interacts with the other heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially now that he's met Wong, Captain Marvel, and Bruce Banner. 

        3. Hawkeye: the most recent of the Disney+ series, Jeremy Renner is back as Clint Barton, who is working to bring closure to his past actions as the vigilante Ronin, all with help from Kate Bishop, who has idolized Clint since the events of The Avengers. Throw in the likes of Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova and Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, as well as the debut of Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo, and this series was a fun superhero show with festive Yuletide goodness. I definitely liked the fact that it was set at Christmastime, as it's not often we see superhero projects set during the Christmas holiday. 

        2. WandaVision: okay, this is one I had a ton of fun with both during initial viewing and on a recent rewatch. I thoroughly enjoyed the series exploring several eras of television sitcoms, and both Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda and Paul Bettany as Vision we're exceptionally great in this series. I also enjoyed Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness, Randall Park as Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy, and Evan Peters as Fake Pietro/Ralph Bohner. Also, finally getting to see Wanda become the Scarlet Witch was really cool during the shows finale. 

         1. Spider-Man: No Way Home: yep, this is number one once again. And how can it not be? This movie is everything a fan of both the MCU and the character of Spider-Man wants to see happen. Bringing back several characters from past Spider-Man film series was just fantastic. I went and saw it again yesterday, and let me tell ya, it's still awesome upon a repeat viewing. Best movie of the year. Best Marvel Cinematic Universe title of the year. Spider-Man: No Way Home is just that good. 

         And there you have it. Now remember, this is just my personal ranking, and isn't going to represent everyone else's opinions or rankings. Be sure to join me this Sunday for my Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2022. This is Chuck signing off, and I'm going to go and rewatch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+.