Now, 24 movies and a TV show later, the series has featured 27 characters saving the world.

It is amazing to think that 10 years ago, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) had yet to assemble an “Avenger”.

Now, 24 movies and a TV show later, the series has featured 27 characters saving the world.

After the introduction of the originals, including “Iron Man,” “Captain America,” and “Black Widow,” it seemed unlikely that characters featured in future films would sit alongside them.

Turns out the assumption was wildly wrong: Thanks to “Guardians of the Galaxy, ” “Black Panther,” and the MCU’s first female-directed movie, “ Captain Marvel,” starring Brie Larson, those originals have had a run for their money. .

With “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” the second of many planned Marvel shows is here, so we’ve ranked each and every “Avengers” (NB: we’ve omitted the “SHIELD” agents, “ Nick Fury “,” Phil Coulson “and” Maria Hill “).

27. Mantis

Played by: Pom Klementieff

The forgettable “Mantis” is purely there to offset the numbers. It doesn’t help that she was featured in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, ” one of the MCU’s weakest films to date, as the servant to the tedious “Kurt Russell” villain. In a crowded set, “Mantis” is drowned out by the greatest personalities.

26. War Machine

Played By: Don Cheadle

Imagine “Iron Man” but without background or humor. That is “War Machine”. Terrence Howard saw that the character would be hidden and abandoned him after filming the first installment of “Iron Man.” Still, it’s hard not to like Don Cheadle on something, even when he’s not used to his potential.

25. Hawkeye

Played By: Jeremy Renner

“Oh no! He’s a man without superpowers and with a bow and arrow! I, an alien with futuristic technology who has traveled the galaxy to invade Earth, am terrified!” – The army of “Outriders” from “Thanos”, probably.

24. Nebula

Played By: Karen Gillan

Nebula has all the ingredients to be a classic Marvel character, but the feeling that her appearances have let her down a bit to date cannot be escaped. In the future, he will undoubtedly have a lofty role in the MCU, so we hope the deadpan creation gets the justice it deserves.

23. Drax the Destroyer

Played by: Dave Bautista

“Drax” is proof that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. His burly appearance suggests that he should be fighting for the bad guys, but the opposite couldn’t be more true: Thanks to Dave Bautista, the character receives a cute glow that hides his full name (“Drax the Destroyer”). However, below that, he is purely there to make up the numbers.

22. Peter Quill AKA Star-Lord

Played By: Chris Pratt

Half-man, half-heavenly “Star-Lord” is one of Marvel’s cheesiest characters to date. However, the “Avengers” would have saved the universe the first time if it weren’t for their (understandably enough) tantrum over “Gamora’s” death in “Infinity War . ” Therefore, the leader of “Guardian of the Galaxy” falls in many places.

21. Valkyrie

Played By: Tessa Thompson

Introduced in “Thor: Ragnarok ,” Tessa Thompson’s “Valkyrie” has the swagger of “Han Solo” and the powers of “Wonder Woman.” The result is probably the coolest, smoothest “Vegadora” yet, and someone we look forward to seeing again in “Thor: Love and Thunder . 

20. Bucky Barnes AKA The Winter Soldier

Played By: Sebastian Stan

Sebastian Stan’s “Bucky” was not an entity in the otherwise underrated “Captain America: The First Avenger,” so his reinterpretation as brainwashed “The Winter Soldier” in the sequel three years later, He injected the character with a much-needed intrigue. However, his change back to being a good guy, which will be further explored in “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” isn’t the most exciting thing going on in the MCU, let’s be honest.

19. Captain Marvel

Played By: Brie Larson

There is no doubt that “Captain Marvel” could become one of the best characters in the MCU. Fresh from her billion-dollar grossing debut, the series’ first female-led superhero movie, the character returned to save the day (well, help the team) in “Avengers: Endgame.” Now her origin story is out of the way, the sky is the limit for her. It will be exciting to see which planets your story scales to next.

18. The Wasp

Played By: Evangeline Lilly

Offside during the first “Ant-Man ,” “The Wasp” eventually became a headline name in “Ant-Man and the Wasp . ” Not only is she smarter, faster and a better fighter than “Ant-Man” , but she can also fly thanks to a pair of wings. Fingers crossed, we’ll get more of “Wasps” after “Endgame.”

17. Black Widow

Played By: Scarlett Johansson

“Black Widow” has had a rough ride. Introduced during “Iron Man 2,” Scarlett Johansson’s agent was a fierce fighter with an intriguing backstory. However, this has rarely been explored since then, as the “Avengers” movies focus on the boys rather than the female character on the team. Nearly 20 Marvel movies and the character is finally getting a solo movie, but it’s a prequel movie that comes after his death in “Endgame” and was delayed over a year due to the pandemic.

16. The Falcon

Played By: Anthony Mackie

There are no two ways to do it: if “Falcon” weren’t played by Anthony Mackie, it would be much lower on the list. His character remains memorable solely because of the vitality that the entertaining actor brings to the role. “Falcon” might be a minor “Avenger,” but that’s (hopefully) set to change thanks to “Falcon and The Winter Soldier . 

15. Gamora

Portrayed by Zoë Saldana

Although the father-daughter relationship between “Gamora” and “Thanos” is interesting, it is completely overshadowed by the dynamic between his half-sister “Nebula” and the “Mad Titan.” And now it is without permission. Maybe. Nobody really knows.

14. Groot

Played By: Vin Diesel

To be honest, it’s hard to screw up a character who is literally a tree that is capable of uttering just one word (his name). There’s no denying that Vin Diesel’s “Groot” was one of the best things about the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie, and his camaraderie with “Rocket Raccoon” was the highlight. Sadly, becoming a baby for the entirety of the sequel made his character extremely annoying, bringing his position to 14th.

13. Vision

Played By: Paul Bettany

“Vision” is the purple incarnation of “Tony Stark’s” artificial intelligence butler, “JARVIS,” brought to life by the Mind Stone. For many, he is dominated to the point of being boring (despite not knowing the paprika of his cayenne), but the ambitious and emotional conclusion of “WandaVision” has undoubtedly won him legions of fans.

12. Okoye

Played By: Danai Gurira

“Black Panther” was a historic moment for cinema , and much more for Marvel. It was a movie full of sales pitches: the brilliant images of “Wakanda”; a villain that you really cared about, but sitting at the top of the heap was “Okoye.” The star of “The Walking Dead” , Danai Gurira changed the katana spear Vibranium and showed the audience that was not only more than a television character “Michonne” but who could translate a character secondary comic in an addendum so memorable to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

11. Bruce Banner AKA Hulk

Played By: Mark Ruffalo

Edward Norton originally played “Hulk,” but Mark Ruffalo took over the “Avengers” movies. The actor showed the character a manic unpredictability, which remains a scary presence in all films. However, since the “Avengers” first outing, “Bruce Banner” / “Hulk” has been less integral to the team. Nonetheless, Ruffalo is always a welcome presence.

10. Shuri

Played By: Letitia Wright

One of the biggest revelations of “Black Panther” was “Shuri”, the little sister of “T’Challa” , who could be the most intelligent character in the entire MCU, comes to life thanks to the British actress Letitia Wright, who took advantage of the various opportunities he had to steal the film from the noses of his co-stars. “Great, another off-white boy for us to fix,” he says as Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross is brought into his workshop, and a star was born.

9. Doctor Strange

Played By: Benedict Cumberbatch

It was shaky for “Doctor Strange” at first. While there were clearly good characters there, it seemed like Benedict Cumberbatch might not have been the man chosen to play him. Then onto “Infinity War” and “Endgame,” and he was the one who shone despite being surrounded by a packed group. His appearances drove him to the brink so much, that he is in the top 10. What is this sorcery?

8. Rocket Raccoon

Played By: Bradley Cooper

In many ways, the success of “Guardians of the Galacy,” Marvel’s first real step away from the cleaner-cut “Avengers” (see: “Captain America , ” “Thor” ), rested on the shoulders of “Rocket. Raccoon”. Many wondered if it would work, but thanks to the impressive effects, excellent voice work by Bradley Cooper, and not to mention James Gunn’s graceful script, “Rocket” found itself with more rank than most of the characters on this list. .

7. Ant-Man

Played By: Paul Rudd

A man who presses a button and takes on the powers of an ant isn’t exactly an exciting premise for a superhero. Fortunately, Marvel accepted that the power of “Ant-Man” is a joke and cast the always charming comic actor Paul Rudd as the mini-hero. And despite his stature, “Ant-Man” stole the show in ” Captain America: Civil War” when he reversed his powers and became “Giant-Man.”

6. Black Panther

Played By: Chadwick Boseman

Few characters have had the cultural impact of the late Boseman’s “Black Panther.” Appearing for the first time in ” Captain America: Civil War,” “T’Challa’s” measured demeanor was contrary to the norm of teasing the other “Avengers.” When the character’s solo movie arrived, the noble leader finally accepted his role as “King of Wakanda” and, in the process, unleashed the “Panther” within. It’s no wonder the movie has become a box office sensation, even surpassing “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) in the United States.

5. The Scarlet Witch

Played By: Elizabeth Olsen

“Wanda Maximoff” never did much except to move her hands as she seemed concerned for the well-being of her love, “Vision” (Paul Bettany) to “WandaVision . ” By putting the focus on his character for nine episodes, the first “Marvel” television show; revealed what can be done when you take the time to really get to know these characters. Olsen is extraordinary as the character, who has now completely transformed into “Scarlet Witch.” Wanda is officially one of the MCU elites.

4. Spider-Man

Played By: Tom Holland

The back of “Spider-Man”. Again. Where Tobey Maguire’s cobweb-thrower was an absolute jerk, and Andrew Garfield’s version was possibly too slick to really be “Peter Parker,” Tom Holland has found the perfect middle ground: still obsessed with making references to “Star Wars.” but also able to speak coherently with members of the opposite sex. It’s a miracle that Marvel Studios has managed to bring “Spider-Man” into their cinematic universe, and a miracle that they have managed to make him feel so fresh for the third time.

3. Captain America

Played By: Chris Evans

On paper, “Captain America” ​​should be the most boring “Avenger.” Yet with Chris Evans at the wheel, the super strong OAP patriot who fought in WWII has been pleasant company in every movie he’s been in, his righteous values ​​have never been too overbearing. Captain America, with his pure heart, is truly one of the ultimate superheroes.

2. Iron Man

Played By: Robert Downey Jr

The MCU leader used to be his biggest character. But with the influx of new recruits, “Tony Stark” has been pushed down that list, which isn’t to say it’s still not a reason the series has been so successful. No Marvel actor has jumped into a role other than Robert Downey Jr, whose larger-than-life personality made him the only candidate who brought the billionaire industrialist and ex-playboy to the screen. Between big-budget blasts, it’s a breath of fresh air and without it, the MCU would have run out of steam long ago.

1. Thor

Played By: Chris Hemsworth

“Thor” was a good movie. “Thor: The Dark World” was not. However, against all odds, the “God of Thunder” has established himself as the best “Avenger”. How? It’s mainly thanks to Taika Waititi’s review of the character in “Thor: Ragnarok . ” Rather than having Hemsworth deliver sub-par Shakespearean prose, the filmmaker gave “Thor” a sense of humor, something that played on Hemsworth’s strength as an actor. The result was a charismatic, short-haired, fiery superhero who was finally able to charm Marvel fans. If only it had been like this all along.

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“The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” is available to stream now alongside every other MCU title, except “Spider-Man Homecoming ” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” on Disney +.

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