Ranking: Every MCU Final Battle From Worst To Best

Who is that Malekith guy again?

Captain America Civil War Thor The Dark World Avengers Age Of Ultron
Marvel Studios

Any Hollywood blockbuster worth its salt knows that audiences expect a thrilling, usually CGI-driven, final set-piece before the credits roll, and Marvel Studios have proven themselves masters of the art time and time again over the last decade.

While unfortunately not every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie can knock a thrill-a-second closing classic out of the park, at least the majority of the final battles are decent, and only a few dare to flirt with being dull or, dare one say, something you don't even look forward to on repeat viewings.

Still, in ranking the climactic set-piece from every one of the MCU's thirteen movies to date, we can get an idea of how the franchise has evolved, which characters are being most under-served on the action front, and who leads out in front as the a**-kicker supreme of the mammoth cinematic enterprise.

Here is every MCU final battle ranked from worst to best...

13. Thor Vs. Malekith (Thor: The Dark World)

Captain America Civil War Thor The Dark World Avengers Age Of Ultron
Marvel Studios

The Greenwich setting is certainly unique and the visual effects are rock solid, but this is largely just bog-standard alien invasion fare.

It really doesn't help that Malekith is by far the worst MCU villain so far, and he just doesn't have much screen presence at all, even during this finale. The real highlight here is the constant world-jumping, which at least makes the fight feel more diverse, even if the fighting is mostly unremarkable.

As hilarious as seeing Thor take the London Underground is, the Darcy stuff is pure cringe-fodder and really makes it harder to want to sit through this set-piece again.

Rating: It's got some nice visual diversity, but the villain sucks and it never really ignites. At least Malekith's death (getting crushed by his own ship) is hilarious, though. 4/10

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.