This week, “Dr. Strange” grows an ever-growing universe of onscreen Marvel heroes. Here’s how we rank all the major heroes, from interstellar warriors like Thor and Rocket Raccoon to streetfighters like Daredevil and Luke Cage.
32.) Quicksilver — Say what you will about the inconsistency of the “X-Men” films, but at least they’re doing something interesting with Evan Peters’ version of Quicksilver. The Marvel Cinematic Universe version was just annoying… and now he’s dead.
29-31.) The Warriors Three — One of Thor’s buddies from Asgard is a Gimli rip-off. The other two are faceless.
28.) Heimdall — Now that Idris Elba is an internationally beloved star, can we give Heimdall something fun to do in “Ragnarok”?
27.) Lady Sif — Character-wise, she’s barely better sketched out than the Warriors Three, but she did get some time in the spotlight on “Agents of SHIELD.”
26.) Gamora — While Gamora had great action scenes and the best-tuned moral compass of all the Guardians of the Galaxy, she wasn’t nearly as fleshed out as the others. Hopefully this will change as “Vol. 2” examines her relationship with her sister, Nebula.
25.) The Winter Soldier — Is Bucky even really a hero? An anti-hero, maybe? Hopefully at some point Steve’s buddy will use that arm of his to do more than create problems.
24.) Daredevil — His battle with The Kingpin was cool, but his endless speeches to The Punisher (and everyone else) got old really fast.
23.) Hulk — The famous “Loki Smash” scene doesn’t change the fact that Hulk had the dullest of the Phase One Marvel films and is the least developed of the core Avengers. Maybe some one-on-one time with Thor in “Ragnarok” will change things.
22.) Vision — Yes, he’s charming, enjoyable to watch, and completely unique in the MCU. But there’s nothing else to him yet. That said, he’s bound to play a major role in “Infinity War,” considering he’s got the Mind Stone lodged in his head.
21.) Nick Fury — The MCU has now largely moved on from him, but that doesn’t diminish his importance to the series. His debut in the post-credits scene in “Iron Man” is what started this leviathan of a franchise.
20.) Falcon — Sam Wilson has an awesome suit and great chemistry with Steve Rogers. He hasn’t had enough to do yet, but he becomes the new Captain American in the comics, so there’s room to soar.
19.) Hawkeye — Matt Fraction’s spectacular run in the “Hawkeye” comics proves there’s drama and laughter to be had in a story about a guy whose only power is great aim. But Marvel movies haven’t figured out how to make the most of Hawkeye yet.
18.) Ant-Man — Ant-Man’s story arc about trying to live up to his daughter’s view of him as a hero is fantastic. But he needs better integration into the wider universe. In “Civil War” he provided comic relief — and of course a giant twist.
17.) Scarlet Witch — Scarlet Witch’s “Civil War” arc added dimension to the thorny issues surrounding the Sokovia Accords.
16.) Black Panther — T’Challa entered the MCU in “Civil War” nearly fully formed. He had the suit, the powers, and the wisdom to use them. It will be interesting to see what direction he takes in Ryan Coogler’s solo film.
15.) War Machine — Rhodey’s main purpose in the MCU is to be a foil and motivator for Iron Man. But after “Civil War,” he has a long way to go before he can even walk unassisted, let along get back in the War Machine armor. Maybe it’s time for him to have a story of his own.
14.) Phil Coulson — Everyone has a different opinion of “Agents of SHIELD,” but we we can all agree Coulson is great. Dealing with superhero egos, cosmic threats and meddling bureaucrats, the Son of Coul does it all.
13.) Doctor Strange — After experiencing the same ego-shrinking previously experienced by Iron Man and Thor, Strange mastered his magic to become the link between Earth and other worlds. He’s taken a Hippocratic oath to do no harm to the MCU.
12.) Groot — This is Groot. He has the best fanfiction of all-time.
11.) Star-Lord — His wisecracking and womanizing could have gotten obnoxious, but thanks to James Gunn’s deft storytelling, we see that Peter Quill is hiding the pain he still feels over losing his mother.
10.) Thor — His solo movies haven’t been particularly strong, but Thor’s culture clashes with mortals provide some of Marvel’s funniest moments — like the ones with the coffee cup and Asgardian liquor.
9.) Agent Carter — When Marvel finally makes a movie about a female hero, it should follow the “Agent Carter” model. On the tragically cancelled ABC show, Peggy quickly dropped the title “Cap’s girlfriend” and replaced it with “co-founder of SHIELD.”
8.) Black Widow — Black Widow is by far the most interesting Avenger with no superpowers. She’s had meaningful moments with more members of the team than anyone else, and her friendship with Hawkeye has enhanced both characters. Natasha badly needs a solo film after “Infinity War.”
7.) Drax — Dave Bautista has been the biggest surprise of any actor ever signed by Marvel. Not just a big bruiser, Drax is a blend of anger, grief, eloquence, and comedic social blunders all rolled into one. Judging by his “hug it out” scene in the “Vol. 2” trailer, Drax is only getting more wonderfully complex.
6.) Luke Cage — Though his spin-off series has been uneven so far, Luke is a hero unlike any other in the Marvel world. He’s bulletproof but emotionally vulnerable, and a brawler who wants peace. Luke Cage is as down-to-earth as heroes get.
5.) Spider-Man — This might be a little premature considering how little we saw him in “Civil War,” but Tom Holland made a great first impression. Here’s hoping “Spider-Man Homecoming” will give him the chance to recreate the emotional depth that Tobey Maguire reached over a decade ago. Our only regret is that we won’t see Holland duke it out with J.K. Simmons.
4.) Rocket Raccoon — You know Marvel is firing on all cylinders when it takes a goofy Silver Age character and turns him into a riveting CGI star with a character arc about overcoming trauma and rejection and finding a new home.
3.) Jessica Jones — The MCU has never had a hero with a story as sobering as Jessica’s. She survived the car crash that killed her family and gave her powers, only to become a puppet of the mind-controlling Kilgrave.
2.) Iron Man — The hero that started this whole deal. It’s hard to imagine anyone but Robert Downey, Jr. giving life to the sarcastic inventor tortured by questions about whether he’s doing the right thing.
1.) Captain America — It was a toss-up picking between Tony and Steve, but we went with Cap simply because of how the Marvel films have transformed a dated character into a hero for our time. He’s a super soldier, but superhuman in his basic decency and desperation to do right. Oh, and his theme song doesn’t get nearly as much praise as it should.
