We’ve been getting a steady stream of Marvel movies for nearly 30 years in a row now and, of course, some are better than others. Some have even been disasters, like Madame Web, Fantastic Four (2015), and the laughable Morbius. Those movies were hard to sit through once, much less multiple times. But there are plenty of Marvel movies out there that are cinematic comfort food. Even if you’ve seen them within the past year, you still don’t mind sitting with them and their characters for another two or two and a half hours. They were the results of a lot of people who knew what they were doing, who were in it to entertain audiences and succeeded in doing so.
What follows are 10 movies just like that. Even if you’ve seen them three times there’s a good chance you’ll go in for round four and so on. They’re pure entertainment, but a lot of them have something to say about our society, too. And, in the end, it’s a relatable or just generally engrossing narrative that really hooks people even more than action sequences.
10) X-Men: First Class
image courtesy of 20th century studios
Remember how in the opening we said it’s really the strength of a narrative that hooks and keeps the audience, not the action sequences? X-Men: First Class is the proof of this. It may not have the best set-pieces of the franchise, but it’s still the best of them all, and that’s because of the note-perfect performances by Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy as well as the movie’s devotion to fleshing out their characters and those around them.
It’s also a movie that has fun recreating the ’60s. It’s all one big spider’s web of Cold War history tweaked to incorporate mutant intervention. It’s compelling, big-stakes stuff but with its eye immovably held on delivering organic character development that is in line with the characters the IP’s fans know. Well, maybe not in the case of Emma Frost, but as far as the central protagonists go, definitely.
Stream X-Men: First Class on Disney+.
9) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
image courtesy of sony pictures releasing
Just because a film is animated doesn’t mean it’s just for kids. Case in point, Toy Story 3 or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, two visually alluring films that still have very incisive things to say about human nature.
Yes, Into the Spider-Verse is very much rewatchable because it’s so pretty to look at. But even more important is that it’s a very heartfelt coming-of-age story. That reaches an audience member regardless of their age. It’s also aided by a list of vocal performers who knew how to hit the comedic beats just as well as the serious beats. Then there are all the Easter Eggs for Marvel fans. For those who are already well-versed in the ways of comics this and perhaps even more so its sequel are genuine treasure troves.
Stream Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on Netflix.
8) Spider-Man: No Way Home
Image Courtesy of sony pictures releasing
Spider-Man: No Way Home is the most grandiose of the three (thus far) Tom Holland solo adventures, yet it still feels intimate. We still love spending time with this version of Peter Parker.
Then, of course, there’s the fact we get three Peter Parkers here. And while its focus on character is certainly a plus in the rewatch department, it’s hard to imagine anyone who grew up with Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man or Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man not coming back to this one repeatedly just to spend more time with those renditions of the character because, for a few years in one case and about 15 years in the other, it sure seemed like they had put on the tights for the final time.
Stream Spider-Man: No Way Home on Starz.
7) X2: X-Men United
image courtesy of 20th century studios
Both of the first two Bryan Singer helmed X-Men movies are quite rewatchable, especially for those who look at the early aughts with a level of nostalgia. But X2: X-Men United is undoubtedly the more thematically layered and well-acted one, so we’re giving it the spot on the list.
X2 works so well because it’s more focused on fleshing out the mutants with whom we spend most of our time, but also in delivering consistent set-pieces. And, without a doubt, the set-pieces here are the best of the original trilogy. Nightcrawler’s attack on the White House alone is pretty iconic stuff.
Stream X2 on Disney+.
6) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
In an age where the U.S. government is acting in a way that is…controversial…Captain America: The Winter Soldier has never been more relevant. It may now very well be the MCU’s most important film.
That said, even if one puts the real-world comparisons aside, it’s still one of the most important MCU films in terms of the overarching narrative’s trajectory. But its thematic heft is only one reason why it’s so easy to watch again and again. The true reason is that said heft is perfectly balanced with a sense of adventure, an air of tension, and some hard-hitting action sequences. It’s a cocktail where no one ingredient is outweighed by others.
Stream Captain America: The Winter Soldier on Disney+.
5) Spider-Man 2
image courtesy of sony pictures releasing
The definitive superhero sequel, Spider-Man 2 shows the audience just how character-focused a film of its subgenre can be. Anyone who thought of these movies as diversionary nonsense ended up dropping that particular opinion after walking out of a 2004 screening of this movie.
We get a hero who wants to make the world better but is finding that the drive to do so is physically and emotionally draining him to a breaking point. We also get a hero who is genuinely an altruist but has his own invention to bring good in the world turn on him. We love the complexity of both Peter Parker and Doctor Octopus, and their respective plights never fail to hold our attention, even 20 years later.
Stream Spider-Man 2 on fuboTV.
4) Guardians of the Galaxy
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
Like the next entry on our list, Guardians of the Galaxy is a product that could only have come out so perfectly because of the brain of a very specific artist. In this case, James Gunn, whose career has been almost entirely devoted to superhero IPs ever since for good reason.
Guardians of the Galaxy really shouldn’t have even worked. Save for Marvel Comics readers, no one knew who any of these folks were. And yet, in not much screentime, the film tells you exactly who they are, what they want, and why they’re about to be forever planted in your heart.
Stream Guardians of the Galaxy on Disney+.
3) Thor: Ragnarok
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
Thor: Ragnarok would coast towards the top of most rewatchable Marvel movies even if the solely based on its sense of humor. This was the movie that found the balance between the MCU template and director Taika Waititi’s sense of humor. The subsequent Thor: Love and Thunder then overdid the humor so much it’s hard to sit through even once.
Here, though, everything plays like a perfectly composed symphony by a very specific auteur. It also helps that it brought in some fantastic new players in Cate Blanchett, Karl Urban, and Tessa Thompson. Thor: Ragnarok is just a blast, and the best of the lead-ins into Avengers: Infinity War.
Stream Thor: Ragnarok on Disney+.
2) Captain America: The First Avenger
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
Joe Johnston’s Captain America: The First Avenger is certainly the most well-aged of the Phase One movies. The question is whether it’s the most well-aged of all the MCU movies. Even if it’s not, it sticks out in the best way possible. The MCU has proved itself to be something comfortable with embracing formula, and outside covering a hero’s journey The First Avenger doesn’t really feel like a typical movie of the Universe.
Everything just feels more personal here. We can’t help but fall in love with Steve Rogers just as we can’t help but feel devastated when he sacrifices himself and, in the process, a future with Peggy Carter. Perhaps even including the climax of Avengers: Infinity War, the emotional beats of The First Avenger hit the hardest, and they’re very easy to experience and feel repeatedly.
Stream Captain America: The First Avenger on Disney+.
1) Iron Man
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
Iron Man was a movie of the moment, but it’s also still incredibly entertaining today. It has a looseness that is compulsively watchable (And as is well known by now it shot without a completed script, so its looseness is there for a reason).
In fact, so much was working against Iron Man‘s favor that it’s a miracle it even turned out as coherent. But it’s not just coherent, it’s flat-out a movie without a dull note. It is the Jaws of the superhero subgenre. If the shark were working, Spielberg’s movie wouldn’t have been as good. If Iron Man had been crafted with the overly watchful studio eye that later MCU movies have been, it would have felt like product, not a spontaneous wonder.
Stream Iron Man on Disney+.
