MCU Phase One Vs. Phase Two Vs. Phase Three
Round 1: Hero Origin Stories
Top 10 Iconic Hero/Villain Duets
Audiences likely wouldn’t have been that excited for “The Avengers” without proper buildup. In “Iron Man,” “Thor,” and “Captain America: The First Avenger,” three of Marvel’s most beloved heroes were done right on the big screen with actors who really managed to inhabit their respective roles. Even the black sheep of the family, “The Incredible Hulk”, shortcomings and all, was a solid introduction to Bruce Banner. With that groundwork established, by the time the four of them teamed up with Black Widow and Hawkeye, anticipation was at a then all-time high for this epic crossover. Although Phase Two is mostly comprised of sequels, it did introduce a few obscure Marvel heroes to the mainstream. “Guardians of the Galaxy” turned Star-Lord, Gamora, Groot, Rocket, and Drax the Destroyer into household names. “Ant-Man” might’ve been one of the smaller MCU movies, but Scott Lang’s wit and charisma nonetheless made the character feel capable of very big things. These unlikely heroes not only became prominent players in the MCU, but also arguably outshined some of the more iconic characters. Phase Three had an ideal balance of returning heroes and newcomers. Doctor Strange’s origin story, while similar to Tony Stark’s, still felt fresh thanks to its mystical twist. “Black Panther” and “Captain Marvel” made huge pushes for diversity in the MCU and Hollywood in general. Though many thought the day would never come, Marvel finally reached a deal with Sony to bring Spider-Man into the fold and – even more remarkably – managed to once again reboot Peter Parker’s story without treading on overly familiar territory. While each phase brought something new to the hero origin story formula, Phase One was the most integral. Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America are widely considered the three defining heroes of The Infinity Saga. If their origin stories hadn’t stuck the landing, there might not be an Avengers or an MCU. Point goes to Phase One. WINNER: Phase One 1 / Phase Two 0 / Phase Three 0
Round 2: Villains
Top 10 Exciting MCU Phase 5 And 6 Villains
As engaging as the heroes are, the MCU started off with a villain problem. While Obadiah Stane has an interesting connection to Tony Stark, it’s hard to take him seriously when he suits up as Iron Monger. Red Skull is a sinister foe, but we would’ve liked to have seen more interactions between him and Cap. By far the most entertaining villain is Loki, who’s calculating, humorous, and shares a powerful link to our hero. The MCU continued to struggle with its villains in Phase Two. The Winter Soldier is awesome, but he’s not really a villain in the traditional sense. With a daunting presence and complex motives, Ultron is the clear standout, even if his comic book counterpart was more fleshed out. As for everyone else, Malekith, Alexander Pierce, Ronan, and Yellowjacket all range from forgettable, to generic, to kind of dull. Oh, and don’t even get us started on that Mandarin twist. Phase Three is where the MCU finally started to do its villains justice. Ego won audiences over with charm and then pulled the rug out from under them. Vulture managed to be intimidating even without his suit, Hela relished in every devious act she committed, and Killmonger demonstrated just how many layers a film’s villain can have, regardless of genre. Then there’s Thanos, who after years of hype delivered on his promise to be the MCU’s dominant baddie. Thanos alone pretty much secured Phase Three’s victory here, and the addition of several other colorful villains only pushes it over the edge. WINNER: Phase One 1 / Phase Two 0 / Phase Three 1
Round 3: Genre Variety
Top 10 Rom-Coms That Are Reviving the Genre
Just because they’re all superhero movies doesn’t mean they’re all the same. “Iron Man” is a tech-based action flick that’s fairly grounded in reality. “Thor” is a fantasy epic, as well as a fish out of water story. “Captain America: The First Avenger” is a throwback to old-school adventure serials with modern innovations. Phase One proved just how many different genres the MCU could juggle without ever feeling stylistically inconsistent. Phase Two experimented with several genres you wouldn’t expect to mesh with superhero tropes, but this ultimately took the MCU to bold new territory. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” has elements of a conspiracy thriller with echoes of real-world terrorism and corruption in government. “Guardians of the Galaxy” can be considered a sci-fi comedy that’s as absurd as it is heartfelt. For anyone who loves shrinking movies, “Ant-Man” is the genre’s finest addition since “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” Phase Three continued to evolve the MCU with new characters, worlds, and ideas. While there’s plenty of variety to go around, this phase didn’t explore many new genres. That might be because six of this phase’s entries are sequels, but even the new heroes mostly operate within genres we’ve seen before. The most unique of the bunch is “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” which sticks out as a high school comedy with coming-of-age themes. Each phase brought something new to the table, but Phase Two took the most risks in terms of how many different genres a superhero movie can tackle. That’s a point for Phase Two. WINNER: Phase One 1 / Phase Two 1 / Phase Three 1
Round 4: Action
Top 30 Most Rewatched Action Movie Scenes Ever
Director Jon Favreau may’ve come from a comedic background, but he left audiences pleasantly surprised with “Iron Man’s” inventive and exhilarating action sequences, setting a standard for the MCU. The subsequent films continued to deliver on the action front with the Hulk’s showdown against Abomination and Thor’s attack on the Frost Giants. The Battle of New York proved to be the most ambitious set piece yet and for a while... appeared impossible to top. Phase Two didn’t skimp on the bombastic action, particularly during the climactic spaceship fight in “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the Battle of Sokovia in “Age of Ultron.” It’s the smaller, more intimate battles that really stay with us though. A key example is the elevator fight in “The Winter Soldier,” which makes impeccable use of a confined space. Meanwhile, Ant-Man’s fight against Yellowjacket aboard a Thomas the Tank Engine toy is tiny in scale and enormously fun. For a time, we thought the Battle of New York would forever serve as the MCU’s pinnacle action extravaganza, but then “Captain America: Civil War” blew it out of the water with the Avengers’ airport fight. From the mind-bending action in “Doctor Strange” to Thor’s smackdown with the Hulk in “Ragnarok,” Phase Three never lost momentum. And it just kept topping itself with the climactic battles of “Infinity War” and “Endgame,” which made everything that came before feel like a dress rehearsal. As far as action goes, the MCU just got better and better, and so, thanks in no small part to the groundbreaking Battle of Earth, Phase Three takes this one. WINNER: Phase One 1 / Phase Two 1 / Phase Three 2
Round 5: Best Movies Overall
Top 10 Movies We All Watched During Our Vampire Phase
Phase One got the MCU off to a strong start, laying the groundwork for several ongoing storylines and character arcs. That being said, the best was yet to come for Thor, Captain America, and the Hulk. Even the original “Avengers” would later be topped by “Infinity War” and “Endgame.” The only hero who peaked early on was Iron Man with the original classic largely outshining its sequels, especially “Iron Man 2.” Phase Two commenced on a rocky note with the divisive “Iron Man 3” and the disappointing “Thor: The Dark World.” Just when audiences were starting to feel Marveled out, however, this cinematic universe came roaring back with “The Winter Soldier” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.” “Age of Ultron” wound up being a worthy follow-up to the 2012 game changer, while “Ant-Man” closed the phase out in refreshingly lighthearted fashion. We have to point out that Phase Three has the most movies and therefore the most chance of succeeding here. With so many films, however, the MCU also could’ve bitten off more than it could chew. Marvel somehow outdid themselves with arguably the best “Captain America” movie and definitely the best “Thor” movie. “Black Panther” became the first comic book superhero movie to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination and the later two “Avengers” movies took crossovers to new heights. In an oversaturated superhero market, studios tend to favor quantity over quality. The MCU, on the other hand, balanced quantity and quality in Phase Three, delivering ten acclaimed blockbusters in a row. Phase One and Phase Two both earned a point a piece, but Marvel upped the ante in every respect with Phase Three, which inevitably wins this versus with three points. WINNER: Phase One 1 / Phase Two 1 / Phase Three 3
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