Top 5 MCU Teams

In the God of Thunder’s third standalone movie, our hero loses his hammer, this hair, and two of the Warriors Three. Trapped on Sakaar while the villainous Hela threatens Asgard, Thor must recruit several allies, including a friend from work. In addition to the Incredible Hulk, Thor also turns to Valkyrie, an Asgardian warrior woman seeking redemption, and his mischievous brother Loki, who’s still up to his old tricks. The interplay between these four amounts to some of the funniest dialog in the entire MCU, particularly when Thor half-heartedly dubs them the Revengers on the spot. Their down-to-earth chemistry perfectly sets the tone of the movie, which is grad and epic while being silly and self-aware.

We were all heartbroken when Agent Phil Coulson seemingly met his end in the first “Avengers” movie. Fortunately, Coulson would literally get a second life as a leading man in this television series. Shifting focus away from costumed vigilantes, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” explores the adventures of the MCU’s unsung heroes. While we don’t get to see much of Nick Fury or Maria Hill, the show does shine the spotlight on several memorable supporting characters, such as pilot Melinda May, engineering expert Leo Fitz, and Inhuman Daisy “Skye” Johnson. Together, this team plays an integral role throughout some of the most significant events in the MCU, most notably the second coming of HYDRA.

Where the original Defenders in the comics were more on the fantastical side, this team blends the supernatural with gritty realism. Similar to Marvel’s silver screen outings, Netflix introduced Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist through four standalone shows before bringing them all together to challenge the Hand. While the results were somewhat mixed, the chemistry between the team was spot-on. This reluctant group strikes just the right balance of being dark and brooding while also being charismatic and badass. Even Danny Rand, whose individual series wasn’t very well received, is a lot more fun when working off Luke Cage. These two Heroes for Hire really need to hang out more often.

A tree, a raccoon, a couple aliens, and Andy from “Parks and Recreation.” Yeah… on paper, “Guardians of the Galaxy” sounds more like a superhero satire than a legitimate Marvel movie. Granted, the witty dialog between Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot does make leeway for countless hilarious moments. At the same time, however, this intergalactic band of misfits becomes something much more. Of all the MCU teams, the Guardians feel the most like a family unit, which makes them emotionally involving and surprisingly relatable. The sequel introduces new members like Mantis and expands upon characters like Yondu and Nebula. Even when they’re not saving the galaxy, these guys are always a blast to watch.

This anticipated team-up not only changed the MCU forever but also raised the bar for crossovers and cinematic universes. Following a series of solo outings, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye all assembled to defend New York from a Chitauri invasion. By the end of the second “Avengers” movie, the team had picked up a few new recruits, including War Machine, Falcon, Vision, and Scarlet Witch. When Civil War broke out, our heroes were forced to take sides with Ant-Man joining Team Cap while Black Panther and Spider-Man signed up for Team Iron Man. Once Thanos shows up with his Infinity Gauntlet, though, every Avenger must lend a helping hand.