Every Rotten MCU Project, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes

As one of the most successful franchises in film history, the MCU’s track record for both critical praise and consistent box office earnings is unparalleled. However, the franchise isn’t above the occasional creative fumble that fans try to forget, and critics ultimately deem “rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes. Especially in recent years, Marvel has produced increasingly divisive efforts that have pretty much erased any notion that the franchise is too big to fail.

The fact that all four “rotten” MCU projects came out within the last four years would indicate verified proof of superhero fatigue if not for the creative shuffling of what is considered Marvel canon. Missteps like the spin-off television series Marvel’s Inhumans scored an 11% critical score in 2017, but it has since been removed from the MCU canon. But since Marvel couldn’t wish all of their failures away, this list will rank all four MCU projects graded Rotten by Rotten Tomatoes based on how low their critical score is.

4

‘Secret Invasion’ (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 53%

Of all the Marvel projects, none represent as much wasted potential as the alien invasion thriller Secret Invasion. The Disney+ series follows Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as he returns to Earth to halt an orchestrated takeover of the planet from rebellious shapeshifting Skrulls who have splintered off from the group Fury had originally befriended. Unable to determine who to trust, Fury relies on old friend Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) to uncover a conspiracy that sees many world leaders and influencers actually Skrulls operating in disguise. Added to the mix is Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman), a key figure in MI6 and an old associate of Fury’s who could be helpful to the cause if they can guarantee she is not a Skrull herself. Who they can safely identify as a threat is Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), the leader of the Skrull’s stealthy takeover of Earth, who has close ties to Fury’s past and the promises he’s made.

For a franchise that enthusiastically finds ways to introduce crossovers within its movies and series, the storyline for Secret Invasion was tailor-made to be the next big event that could be slowly introduced over multiple movies. Much like how the complicated war of ideologies of the Marvel comic book miniseries Civil War was condensed into Captain America: Civil War, so too was the eight-issue limited series of Secret Invasion. While Captain America: Civil War more or less delivers a satisfactory summary of its source material, Secret Invasion struggles to do the same because the Disney+ series removes the involvement of characters that gave the storyline exciting stakes. The comic series Secret Invasion revealed major characters to be Skrulls, demonstrating how deep the infiltration was into the Marvel family of heroes, but that’s absent in the television adaptation because it wouldn’t work within the MCU continuity. The MCU’s Secret Invasion looks rushed and uneven, and although reshoots inflated the budget, the series ultimately looks stripped down and lacks the polish of other MCU projects. Outside of Olivia Colman’s jubilant performance, the saving grace of Secret Invasion is the presence of Jackson and Mendelsohn, even if Jackson’s lines are too wooden to sound natural and Mendelsohn is woefully underused.

3

‘Captain America: Brave New World’ (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 49%

Picking up after the events of the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Captain America: Brave New World marks the first adventure of Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in the role of Captain America. Unlike Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Sam doesn’t have the super soldier serum pumping through his veins to enhance his strength and speed, but he does have a suit bolstered by Wakanda vibranium to keep him safe during dangerous missions. One such mission finds him interrupting the sale of a valuable new metal, Adamantium, brokered by the cunning and lethal Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito). A job well done secures an invitation to the White House to meet with the newly elected President of the United States, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford), but festivities are cut short when an attempt on Ross’s life threatens international treaty discussions. With Ross mistrusting Sam’s competence as the new Captain America, Sam will have to launch an unsanctioned investigation into who stands to gain from Ross’s failure.

For a movie with the name Captain America in the title, it does often feel like Sam is fighting to be the main character of his solo movie. Compared to how Robert Redford was used sparingly as S.H.I.E.L.D. official Alexander Pierce in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Ford manages to virtually co-lead the movie as a President hiding a secret. The marketing ruins the surprise that the film builds to, with enough Red Hulk imagery on billboards, posters, and souvenir cups to lead viewers to think he would be the primary antagonist for the new Captain America. While the animation for President Hulk looks impressive, many of the scenes before and after do not look like they belong in a big-budget movie. Although these assorted aspects hold Captain America: Brave New World back, it doesn’t make it the worst movie of the year, either. The film’s worst crime is feeling like an elevated episode of a Disney+ original, and for a series as respected as the Captain America trilogy, maybe that’s worth a court-martial.

2

‘Eternals’ (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 47%

Eternals follows ten immortal super-powered beings, each with unique abilities, who come to Earth when humanity is in its infancy. Their mission is to eradicate any traces of dangerous creatures known as Deviants, pledging not to interfere with the evolution of humanity while they do so. A disagreement separates the beings to different corners of the world, but the death of their leader Ajak (Salma Hayek) brings them back together to mourn and discover who or what is responsible. When Sersi (Gemma Chan), a member of the group who can manipulate matter, discovers the true nature of their existence, she’ll have to decide if she should resign herself to the fate she was intended for or begin to write her destiny.

Eternals will most likely remain the most divisive entry in the MCU catalog; it’s a film either loved or hated with no space in between. Before its release, Guardians of the Galaxy was considered a wild and risky departure from the proven success of the winning Marvel formula, but at its core, the film is an action-adventure origin story. Eternals is the biggest risk so far in the entire MCU, not for trying to add a glossy coat of paint to an obscure character, but rather to move at a slower, more deliberate pace than its splashier counterparts. While that risk didn’t land with all the fans, or even half the fans, it’s important to have that willingness to take creative leaps of faith. Without those attempts, each MCU entry would be exactly what its detractors say they are: cookie-cutter movies that follow the same plot, swapping different outfits and powers. In a fair world, Eternals would come back for a sequel, but we don’t live in that world.

1

‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 43%

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) aspires to live a normal life, free of conflict, but his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) has other ideas in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Unbeknownst to Scott, Cassie has been working on a device that can communicate with the Quantum Realm, and without warning, Scott, Cassie, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lily), and her parents Hank and Janet (Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer) are sucked into the mysterious realm. While the five heroes search for a way home, they encounter the evil and powerful Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), who will stop at nothing to also escape the realm. With the help of the colorful but downtrodden natives of the Quantum Realm, Scott will use everything he’s learned as an Avenger to defeat Kang and return home.

The Ant-Man movies never broke box office records, but they were solid adventures telling smaller stories (no pun intended) that could be a welcome break from the world-ending stakes in other Marvel fare. Unfortunately, Marvel tried to go big with the hero’s last standalone movie, making Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania feel more like a Star Wars spin-off rather than a final chapter of Scott Lang’s story. Possibly, a new direction could have worked, like a tonal shift did for Thor: Ragnarok, but the special effects were substandard compared to recent blockbusters. Rudd has proven to be reliable comedic relief and a constant audience surrogate for the increasingly fantastic battles the heroes of the MCU rushed into, but his charm is unable to smooth out the rough edges of the third Ant-Man movie. Special effects aside, the pairing of Ant-Man with Kang as a villain felt odd and never quite worked, creating a narrative curiosity. Kang was being positioned as the major villain who was so powerful and so imposing that the entire Avengers would need to clock in to defeat him. Alas, how powerful could Kang be if Ant-Man and his daughter managed to send him packing?

NEXT: 10 Essential Marvel Movies, Ranked