Every Marvel Comic Book Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

7. Iron Man 3

After Iron Man 2 disappointed, Marvel's decision to bring in Shane Black for the post-Avengers threequel was an inspired move. Every trope he'd built his writing and directing successes on were perfectly suited to Tony Stark's story, and his team-up with Drew Pearce on writing duties delivered a nostalgic action spectacle that is far more than the Mandarin controversy it's unfortunately remembered for.

The film soars when it explores Stark's struggles with heroism and personal demons, and the addition of a PTSD subplot added even more complexity - introducing the idea of the true cost of heroism that would play such a big part in Civil War's narrative.

The bromantic relationship between Tony and Rhodey is pushed far better than in Iron Man 2, and it's those personal elements that make the impressive action sequences and the humour all the more successful. Aldrich Killian also deserves credit as a great villain, even if the spectre of the Mandarin twist is a little distracting from it.