Ranking All 31 Marvel Comic Book Movies - From Worst To Best

9. The Wolverine (2013)

After Wolverine's first solo movie proved to be a huge disappointment, expectations were dampened for the inevitable follow-up. Hopes were raised greatly when it was announced that the sequel would follow Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's iconic Japan-set limited series. Originally announced with Darren Aronofsky behind the camera, eventual director James Mangold delivers a refreshingly introspective superhero movie, more focused on Wolverine saving himself than saving the world. The first two-thirds of The Wolverine are nothing short of excellent. In a world where superhero sequels must always go bigger, The Wolverine discards that notion entirely to focus on a smaller set of characters in a single location. This results in more developed relationships, fully fleshed-out characters and an increased sense of Wolverine's isolation. Hugh Jackman arguably gives his best performance yet as the character, and certainly the most emotionally-charged. The action scenes are among the most visceral in the entire X-Men franchise, but unfortunately the movie loses its footing when the third act descends into a generic CGI showdown between hero and villain. After the negative reception to X-Men Origins, many people wondered if The Wolverine would be able to reclaim audience goodwill for the character. It didn't look like it when domestic grosses came in at $132m, the lowest total for any X-Men movie yet despite years of ticket price inflation and a 3D premium. Internationally, the movie was received much better and its worldwide total of $415m is actually the second-highest in the entire X-Men franchise.