10. Groot
“…and Groot, a sentient tree” went the punchline to the description of The Guardians prior to the release of James Gunn‘s film and Marvel’s then-riskiest proposition. What a difference a year makes —Groot, voiced by a Vin Diesel tasked with delivering various inflections of the line “I am Groot,” is the most lovable of the Guardians, not an easy task for a CGI character. He also comes across as a creature without malice, a cross between an Ent from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films and Hodor from “Game Of Thrones,” and yields a highly desirable merchandising opportunity in his dancing-in-a-plant-pot incarnation.
9. Thor
After four Marvel movie appearances, including two of his own solo movies, Thor is gradually coming into focus, even if, aside from some nice humor evinced in ‘Ultron,’ he feels more marginalized this time out. Marvel haven’t quite nailed their quasi-fantasy universe yet, flipping between the, sci-fi ‘Lord Of The Rings’ vibe of the first film, while the second went for “Games Of Thrones”-esque intrigue. But Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor anchors the films like a really heavy hammer: a reluctant king, a god among men and a giant beefcake to boot. Arrogant and brash, it’s his family issues that are the most interesting thing about him: his treacherous devil of a brother and a father constantly disappointed in him. We can’t say we’re agog for ‘Thor 3,’ but Hemsworth is genuinely charismatic in the role.
8. Clint Barton/Hawkeye
If Hawkeye seems high on this list, it’s very possible you haven’t seen ‘Age Of Ultron’ yet. While even Jeremy Renner complained about Hawkeye’s non-character in the original ‘Avengers,’ more of a plot pawn than anything else, he gets his due in ‘Ultron.’ Without spoiling too much, Hawkeye is revealed to be in many ways the heart and soul of the Avengers team; the most physically vulnerable of them all, but also the most human. His back story and motivations are revealed, he shows off strong leadership skills, and he’s a big part of the examination of heroism theme in the movie —even non-super-gods are vital to this team. Hawkeye also gets some great lines, good comebacks and definitely comes out the other end a bit more three dimensional.
7. Rocket
“The tree and raccoon movie” was the brief shorthand for “Guardians Of The Galaxy” in advance. It was also the shorthand as such afterwards, but only because the tree and raccoon were so completely loveable. Brought to life by some phenomenal FX and a vocal performance by Bradley Cooper that never quite gets the credit it deserves, Rocket was a pint-sized, wisecracking badass, but also, as we see when he gets drunk, a scared animal with an inferiority complex who doesn’t quite understand why he is the way he is. He might have been a raccoon, but he’s also one of the most complex heroes in the MCU, as well as one of the most iconic.
6. Peter Quill/Star-Lord
After a lengthy casting search that included everyone from Eddie Redmayne to Jim Sturgess (*shudder*), “Guardians Of The Galaxy” ended up being led by the somewhat unlikely figure of Chris Pratt, best known for playing essentially a Golden Retriever trapped in a pudgy human being’s body in “Parks & Recreation.” It turned out to be something of a stroke of genius: Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, is Han Solo by way of John Belushi, a charming rogue walking a very fine line between being hyper-competent and sort of bumbling, and Pratt was heroic, funny, deeply likeable and even brought in a little pathos. The film needed a very human centre amidst the trees and raccoons to work, and found it with Pratt, and a star (lord) was very much born.
Captain American "isn\’t remotely cool"? Clearly you\’re paying too much attention to Avengers-Cap (goody-two-shoes) and not enough to Solo-Movie-Cap (a punk). Stark is an ego-maniacal menace.
I love the ranks but Nick Furry should definitely be in the top 20.
This list could be interesting, but could you point out why the characters are interesting instead of what they did wrong? I understand some of the opinions, but you\’re also missing things like how The Winter Soldier\’s appeal is his connection with Steve and how his nuanced scenes actually do show a lot about him once he starts remembering. Plus how his flashback and first movie shows how much the two cared about each other.
Little disappointing that Daredevil and Wilson Fisk were omitted. Not technically "cinematic" universe character, but still part of that shared universe.
If credits-teasers count, then Howard ought to be up here somewhere, no?
I have seen "Age of Ultron," and I still think Hawkeye is at least twenty spots too high on this list.
Interesting list, but I would have put Alexander Pierce (as played by Robert Redford) much higher up the list. One of the reasons CA:TWS was so successful as a film was Redford\’s portrayal of a villain that was not really that villainous. In fact, unlike so many villains in the MCU, Pierce/Redford had a very clear, logical and compelling reason for pursuing the goals he did. He convincingly believed in those goals as righteous in a way that comes close to convincing the audience that he is correct in his thinking. That\’s no easy feat and what makes The Winter Soldier such a compelling and thoughtful drama to boot.
More lists please. How about ranking the top 25 domestic all time grossers. It\’s a fascinating collections of films that totally deserve to be there and totally don\’t
I knew Iron Man would be number 1. But I\’m stoked Chris Evans is #2 I totally agree. He had the hardest job turning a square into a totally badass funny and charismatic dude. It\’s the same dilemma DC faces with Superman but they haven\’t been able to pull off. Props to Chris, great list
Love your ranking lists guys!!!!
The mid-credit scene to Age of Ultron will bump the purple baddie up a few spaces.
I like how you guys used the credits picture of Thanos from the first Avengers, where he was portrayed by a completely different actor (Damion Poitier – no relation to esteemed actor Sidney Poitier) while talking up Josh Brolin and not using a shot of his appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy. As one of many lifetime Thanos fans, the "underwhelming" nature of his appearances and the setup involving the infinity stones makes a lot of sense. To just have him run roughshod from the first film onward wouldn\’t have done any good – they needed to establish the Avengers as a team and having a presence like Thanos undermining that would\’ve made the film suffer. Presumably once we get to the Infinity War film(s) we won\’t have to worry about any more team building developments and we\’ll be treated to a story that showcases the kind of cosmic threat someone like an Infinity Gauntlet wielding Thanos poses to the Marvel cinematic universe at large (this is the guy who stood nose-to-nose with Captain America and told him straight that in spite of his noble efforts he was still going to die – a moment I desperately hope to see translated to the film because it\’s one of those great sequences in the comics that defines both characters).
Thanos by far is the shittiest character in Marvel universal. Looks like a joke.
Don\’t forget to watch the trailer for the REAL Superhero movie, Batman Versus Superman : Dawn of Justice. Thanks for reading.
and oh spoiler warning.
Seriously? NO NICK FURY in the top twenty? What.. the… frack!?