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

4. X-Men 2 (2003)

After the first movie had established the universe and resulted in both critical and commercial success, Bryan Singer was now able to make the X-Men movie he had always wanted to. Armed with a bigger budget and several new characters, the sequel increases the personal stakes while also spectacularly upping the ante when it came to the action sequences. Opening with Nightcrawler's thrilling assault on the White House, the mixture of practical and CGI effects instantly establish that the scope of the movie has been expanded greatly. From there, the scale of the action keeps increasing; the attack on Charles Xavier's mansion sees Wolverine go on the rampage in impressive style, before the extended third-act at Alkali Lake mixes close-quarters combat with superpowered destruction. It's not all just mindless set-pieces, and much like the first movie the narrative carries undertones of love, loss, tragedy, and of course prejudice in Iceman's famous 'coming out' scene. As emotional as it is action-packed, X-Men 2 is unquestionably one of the best comic book sequels ever made. The popularity of the first installment and the rise of the superhero genre saw X-Men 2 open to $85.6m at the domestic box office, and the sequel would significantly out-gross its predecessor on its way to a worldwide total of $407.7m. The quality of the movie, as well as the closing shot, ensured that the inevitable third chapter had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, it couldn't deliver.

3. Iron Man (2008)

At the time, a $140m movie based on a second-tier character directed by Jon Favreau (whose last movie, Zathura, had flopped at the box office) and headlined by Robert Downey Jr (an actor with a history of well-publicised personal problems) was certainly a risky venture, especially when it was the first production from the fledgling Marvel Studios. However, by the time the prologue had even finished, audiences knew they were in for something special. Completely embodying the role, RDJ's Tony Stark instantly became the most popular and iconic blockbuster character since Jack Sparrow. The actor's rapid-fire delivery and sardonic one-liners meshed perfectly with the traits of the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, resulting in one of the best performances of his career. The Afghanistan-set portion of the movie offers a fresh alternative to the glut of superhero origin stories put to screen over the years, although the plot becomes rather perfunctory later on, with the third-act climax a especially disappointing. The lightness of touch from both director and star, visually impressive action scenes, a smart and witty script and strong supporting performances from Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard create one of the most purely enjoyable superhero movies ever made. Iron Man opened to a huge $98.6m domestically, and ultimately grossed over $585m worldwide and just like that, Marvel Studios had become a player in the movie business. The introduction of Agent Coulson in the movie and the post-credits appearance of Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury also laid the groundwork for the rest of Phase 1, and began Marvel's continuing run of box office dominance.

2. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

With the origin story firmly out of the way, Sam Raimi's sequel was free from the shackles of world-building and able to truly let rip. The result is a movie that hugely expands the action and dramatic stakes, increases the level of humor and yet still manages to maintain the emotional undercurrent that was so important to the first installment. Bigger, better, darker, funnier; Spider-Man 2 remains one of the best comic book movies ever made. Spider-Man 2 improves on the original in numerous ways, not least with the villain. Far removed from Willem Dafoe's scenery chewing, Alfred Molina gives a great performance as Doctor Octopus with a complex, layered turn. With the amount of subplots it would be easy for some of the narrative threads to get lost in the shuffle, but despite a couple of dramatic scenes falling flat Raimi generally handles the myriad of intertwined plotlines with aplomb. Aided by a talented ensemble cast, Spider-Man 2 often wears its heart on its sleeve but maintains the delicate balance between humour, heart and spectacle. Visually, the director really lets fly and offers several dazzling set-pieces enhanced by Academy Award-winning effects; the horror-influenced hospital scene, the expertly-staged train sequence and the emotionally-charged waterfront climax are all brilliant in their own way. The anticipated sequel took over $88m through its first three days of domestic release, which remained a record for the Independence Day weekend for seven years. Strangely, despite being the best movie in Sam Raimi's trilogy Spider-Man 2 posted the lowest worldwide gross, although a $783.8m total is nothing to be sniffed at.