The 7 Worst Marvel Movies, According to Critics

There have been a lot of great movies out of Marvel Studios over the years. But with over 30 films now existing in the MCU, there are bound to be a few that aren’t up to scratch with the rest. After digging into the best Marvel movies according to ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, we decided to look at which Marvel films are considered the worst.

Remember, of course, that movie taste is subjective, but these Marvel movies were ranked the lowest by critics.

What are the worst Marvel movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes?

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 74%

At 74% it’s hard to call Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness a ‘bad’ film, but it’s definitely lower on the list in the grand scheme of things.

The sequel starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen changed hands to director Sam Raimi and some of the critics argue (including us) that Raimi’s trademark horror style just didn’t translate into a Marvel film.

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

While it may be considered one of the lesser Marvel films, Iron Man 2 still earned itself a Certified Fresh badge on RT, so it’s definitely not the worst movie out there.

Many reviewers seemed to be disappointed that the sequel just couldn’t top the first film. Some also pointed out that the witty dialogue and character beats of the original were dropped in favour of bigger action sequences.

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

The very first film in the MCU wasn’t its best. The Incredible Hulk kicked things off with Bruce Banner’s origin story, but it’s often been forgotten since Edward Norton was recast with Mark Ruffalo in the following films.

Critics agreed that The Incredible Hulk was superior to the previous attempts at a Hulk film but weren’t so happy with its surface-level drama and mechanical action. If only they knew what the MCU would go on to become.

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 66%

Thor’s movies take a bit of a beating in this list, with the first sequel, Thor: The Dark World, considered one of Marvel’s worst.

The Dark World literally attempts to take Thor into darker territory as he fights the Dark Elf Malekith for control of the Aether, aka the Reality Stone. The main criticisms reviewers had were that Tom Hiddleston’s appearance as Loki was too brief and that The Dark World didn’t hold up to other Marvel movies at the time.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%

Taika Waititi’s Thor movies sit on two ends of the scale here, with Thor: Ragnarok considered one of the best in the franchise. Unfortunately, his sequel Thor: Love and Thunder didn’t receive the same love.

Thor: Love and Thunder leans even harder into Waititi’s sense of humour, which often undermines some of the more heartfelt plot-driven beats of the film. Critics agreed that sometimes the film’s silliness gets in its own way, but we found it to be an enjoyable ride nevertheless.

Eternals (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 47%

The only Marvel movie that has ever been considered “rotten” by critics is Eternals, which comes in at 47%. Was Chloe Zhao’s Marvel debut sunk by the weight of expectations after her Oscar win? Possibly.

Eternals is also an insanely big movie that tries to do a lot in a small amount of time. Covering thousands of years of history, introducing a dozen new characters and creating a threat big enough to match all that was never going to be an easy task.

Reviewers pointed out Eternals’ long runtime, its overstuffed plot and its repetitive nature as some of the film’s main flaws.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 47%

Tied in last place with Eternals is Marvel’s latest big movie release, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The third Ant-Man film was intended to kick off Phase 5 of the MCU with a bang, by introducing Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conquerer – who arguably is probably the biggest redeeming quality of the film.

Unfortunately, the movie didn’t land with critics with many claiming an overabundance of bland CGI and an overstuffed story with impossible stakes weighed it down.

Do you agree with the critic’s consensus here? If you’d like to watch a few Marvel movies for yourself and decide you can find them all streaming on Disney+ (The Incredible Hulk is on Stan or Binge).