USA Today Unveils Definitive Ranking of Every Marvel Cinematic Universe Film, Including Upcoming ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’
Entertainment publication USA Today has released an ambitious new feature attempting to rank every theatrical film produced by Marvel Studios, a list that spans more than three dozen titles and stretches from 2008’s Iron Man through the most recent Phase Five entries. Perhaps most intriguingly, the ranking also finds a place for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fourth solo Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland that remains in active development for a future release window.
A Monumental Undertaking for a Sprawling Franchise
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe now encompassing over 30 interconnected films across multiple phases and sagas, any attempt to definitively rank them represents a significant critical endeavor. USA Today’s feature arrives at a moment when the franchise is navigating its post-Avengers: Endgame identity, balancing the conclusion of the Infinity Saga with the ongoing Multiverse Saga that has introduced new characters, alternate timelines, and increasingly complex narrative threads.
The ranking methodology, as outlined by the publication’s film critics, weighs factors including narrative cohesion, character development, visual innovation, cultural impact, and rewatchability. Rather than simply listing films from worst to best, the feature reportedly groups entries into tiers that reflect their varying contributions to the larger tapestry of the MCU.
The Spider-Man: Brand New Day Inclusion Raises Eyebrows
The most talked-about aspect of USA Today’s ranking is undoubtedly the inclusion of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Announced during Marvel Studios’ Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, the film represents the next chapter for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) from a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, the project has been shrouded in typical Marvel secrecy regarding plot details.
Industry insiders suggest the film will explore a Peter Parker truly operating alone for the first time, with the world having forgotten his secret identity following Doctor Strange’s spell in No Way Home. The title Brand New Day references a celebrated comic book storyline by Dan Slott, Marc Guggenheim, Bob Gale, and others that reset Peter Parker’s status quo in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man in 2008.
Ranking an unreleased film alongside completed works is an unusual editorial choice, but USA Today’s critics apparently evaluated the project based on available information: the creative team’s track record, the narrative potential of the post-No Way Home setup, and the character’s consistent track record within the MCU. Where exactly Brand New Day lands in the ranking remains a point of discussion among readers.
Contextualizing the Rankings Within Marvel’s Evolving Phases
USA Today’s feature arrives as the MCU transitions through Phase Five and toward Phase Six, with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars looming as the next major crossover events. The ranking inevitably reflects the franchise’s evolving quality control, with the Infinity Saga films (Phases One through Three) generally benefiting from retrospective cohesion that the more recent Multiverse Saga entries have yet to fully achieve.
Critics have noted that rankings of this nature often reveal more about the current cultural moment than objective film quality. Films once dismissed—like Thor: The Dark World or The Incredible Hulk—have undergone critical reappraisal as their narrative seeds bore fruit in later installments. Conversely, some initially celebrated entries have dimmed in retrospect as the franchise’s formula became more apparent.
The Streaming Era Complicates Canon
One challenge any comprehensive Marvel ranking now faces is the blurring line between theatrical films and Disney+ series. USA Today’s list reportedly focuses exclusively on theatrical releases, excluding limited series like WandaVision, Loki, and Ms. Marvel that have become essential viewing for understanding subsequent films. This distinction grows increasingly arbitrary as Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has emphasized that the Disney+ shows are “100% canonical” and directly feed into theatrical narratives.
The ranking also necessarily excludes the Sony-produced Spider-Man adjacent films (Venom, Morbius, Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter) which exist in a complicated semi-canonical relationship with the MCU proper following the multiversal events of No Way Home.
Fan Reaction and the Subjectivity of Rankings
As with any definitive ranking of a beloved franchise, USA Today’s list has sparked vigorous debate across social media platforms and fan communities. The placement of polarizing entries like Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has proven particularly contentious, with defenders citing ambitious swings and detractors pointing to tonal inconsistency.
The inclusion of Spider-Man: Brand New Day has generated its own sub-discourse, with some fans arguing that ranking an unseen film undermines the list’s credibility, while others appreciate the forward-looking perspective that acknowledges the franchise’s continuing evolution.
What This Ranking Signals About Marvel’s Current Standing
Beyond the specific placements, USA Today’s decision to publish such a comprehensive ranking now—midway through the Multiverse Saga rather than at a clear endpoint—speaks to the MCU’s unusual position in entertainment history. Few franchises have sustained this level of continuous output and cultural dominance for 15+ years without a reboot or significant hiatus.
The ranking also serves as a barometer for how critics and audiences are processing the post-Endgame era. With box office returns becoming more variable and critical reception more mixed than during the Infinity Saga’s peak, publications are increasingly treating the MCU not as a monolith but as a body of work with distinct peaks, valleys, and experimental detours.
Looking Ahead: The Next Phase of Rankings
As Spider-Man: Brand New Day moves through production toward its eventual release—currently slated for July 2026 according to the most recent Disney schedule adjustments—its placeholder position in USA Today’s ranking will eventually be tested against the finished product. The film carries particular weight as both a continuation of Holland’s acclaimed portrayal and a test case for whether the MCU can successfully execute a “soft reset” for one of its flagship characters without losing narrative momentum.
Future installments like Fantastic Four (2025), Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) will similarly challenge any static ranking. USA Today’s feature, like all such rankings, captures a moment in time rather than a final verdict on a franchise that shows no signs of concluding.
For now, the ranking stands as both a useful reference for newcomers navigating the sprawling MCU and a conversation starter for longtime fans. Whether one agrees with the specific placements or not, the exercise underscores a remarkable cinematic achievement: a shared universe of over 30 films that, for all its inconsistencies, has maintained a coherent narrative throughline across more than a decade and a half of filmmaking.
