Marvel Animated Movies: All 20 Ranked Worst to Best

Marvel’s animated movies get overlooked next to the MCU, and that is a shame, because a few of them beat the live-action films outright.

Animation lets Marvel do things no budget can, like a full Planet Hulk arena war or the reality-bending art of Spider-Verse. People love to argue that DC’s animated universe wins this fight, but Marvel takes the bigger creative swings.

Here is my ranking of the best Marvel animated movies, counting down to my number one at the very bottom.

Marvel Animated Movies, Ranked

These are the best Marvel animated movies I keep coming back to, ranked from the throwaway shorts up to the outright masterpieces.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Black Panther

This one is exactly what it says on the box. Black Panther has to marshal his Avengers comrades against Thanos and Killmonger, and the whole thing runs on the same brick-smashing slapstick as the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes games.

It is unapologetically goofy, and I am fine with that. If you have young kids, put this on and enjoy the chaos. Just do not expect it to change your life.

Marvel Rising: Battle of the Bands (2019)

This is a short one built around Ghost-Spider, the version of Gwen a lot of people fell for in the Spider-Verse films.

She and the Secret Warriors gear up for a band competition while still fighting crime on the side. It is fluffy and low-stakes, and the songs are catchier than they have any right to be. I would not send an adult here first, but as a treat for a Gwen fan, it does the job.

Marvel Rising: Operation Shuri (2019)

A simple mission turns into a full day of heroics when Shuri joins the Secret Warriors. What I liked is that it leans into her brain, not her last name.

The story keeps the focus on her tech skills, her independence, and her leadership. It is still aimed squarely at kids, but giving Shuri her own spotlight was the right move, and she carries it well.

Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United (2013)

HYDRA scientists try to harvest Hulk’s gamma energy to build Zzzax, a creature made of pure electricity, and it goes about as well as you would expect.

This is a straightforward buddy-cop movie with capes. There is not much depth here, but if your kid just wants to watch Hulk smash things while Iron Man flies around, it delivers exactly that with no fuss.

Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United (2014)

Iron Man and Captain America team up against Red Skull and Taskmaster.

I will be straight with you: the cel-shaded CGI style is a love-it-or-hate-it thing, and to me it looks like a video-game cutscene. What saves it is the banter. Tony and Steve bicker over tactics the whole way through, and that frenemy chemistry is the real reason to watch.

Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors (2018)

This one turns the spotlight on the next generation: Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, Patriot, and Quake.

It is clearly aimed younger than something like Planet Hulk, but it has real heart, and it finally gives Squirrel Girl the screen time she deserves. If you have kids just getting into Marvel, this is the perfect place to start them.

Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell (2016)

In this Halloween special, Hulk and Doctor Strange team up to fight a wave of teen monsters tearing through New York, then chase the villain Nightmare into the Dream Dimension.

This is my go-to October watch. I loved seeing the Howling Commandos get real screen time, that mismatched crew of Man-Thing, Warwolf, Vampire by Night, and a zombie Jasper Sitwell. It is a spooky, silly romp that never takes itself too seriously.

The Invincible Iron Man (2007)

Before Robert Downey Jr. owned the role, this feature told a slightly different origin.

Tony Stark uncovers a hidden Chinese city, accidentally unleashes an ancient evil, and has to become Iron Man to take on the Mandarin. The animation has that dated mid-2000s CGI look, so temper your expectations.

Still, the story is solid, and I liked how hard it leaned into the tech-versus-ancient-magic idea that the live-action films did not really dig into until years later.

Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013)

This is another Madhouse production, and it shows in the slick, anime-flavored action. After the loss of War Machine, Tony Stark is thrown into a corner, hunted by SHIELD while trying to clear his name.

Norman Reedus turns up voicing the Punisher, which is a fun bit of casting. The Technovore itself leans into creepy body-horror, and the whole thing looks a cut above the usual direct-to-video fare.

Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (2014)

Also from Madhouse, this one pairs Black Widow with the Punisher to tear down a shadowy organization called Leviathan. The anime art style sets it apart from the usual western-animated Marvel films. It is a real hidden gem for anime fans.

Pairing Widow and Frank works better than it should, mostly because they are both willing to cross lines Captain America never would, and the action is as fluid and stylish as you would expect from a top-tier Japanese studio.

Thor: Tales of Asgard (2011)

This follows a young Thor and Loki setting off for Jotunheim to claim the legendary Sword of Surtur.

The fun of it is seeing a Thor who has not yet earned Mjolnir, still raw and unproven. It is also just nice to watch the brothers working together before jealousy and betrayal poisoned everything. It plays more like a classic fantasy quest, Lord of the Rings lite, than a superhero film, and that is exactly why it stands out here.

Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther (2006)

The sequel brings Black Panther into the fold. The Avengers travel to Wakanda to help T’Challa defend his homeland from a Chitauri invasion, and the film spreads the screen time around, even giving usually-sidelined heroes like Hawkeye a moment.

Sequels are usually the weaker entry, but I liked the bigger, global scale here. Seeing Wakanda animated years before the live-action phenomenon was a treat, and the death of one major character gave it more weight than I expected.

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006)

Long before the 2012 blockbuster, this told the story of the team’s first assembly. It is based on the edgier Ultimates comic run, and the roster covers Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp, and Black Widow.

This one has a soft spot in my heart, since it was one of the first times we saw a real, cohesive Avengers team on screen. I loved that the heroes do not click instantly, and the final brawl against a rampaging Hulk shows exactly how dangerous Banner can be.

Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008)

This one takes place in a grim future where Ultron has won and killed most of the original Avengers, leaving their children to be raised in hiding by an aging Tony Stark. The team includes James Rogers, son of Cap, Torunn, daughter of Thor, and Azari, son of Black Panther.

I expected a cheesy kids’ movie and got something with real teeth. Ultron killing the Avengers is heavy stuff, and watching an elderly Hulk finally rise up to smash him is one of the most satisfying moments in Marvel animation.

Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme (2007)

One of the most underrated Marvel animated movies, and released years before the Benedict Cumberbatch version, this digs into the origin of Stephen Strange, tracing his path from arrogant neurosurgeon to Master of the Mystic Arts, including his training in Tibet and his showdown with Dormammu.

For me, the pacing here beats the live-action film. It spends real time on the training and the philosophy of magic, and the animation lets it get properly trippy in a way that suits Doctor Strange down to the ground.

Hulk Vs. (2009)

This is really two short films in one: Hulk Vs. Thor and Hulk Vs. Wolverine. In the Thor half, Loki splits Bruce Banner from the Hulk to weaponize the beast against Asgard. In the Wolverine half, Logan is sent to hunt the Hulk through the Canadian wilderness.

That Wolverine segment is legendary. On top of a brutal Hulk-versus-Logan fight, you get the Weapon X team, Deadpool, Omega Red, and Sabretooth included. The Deadpool and Wolverine banter alone has me rewatching that half on its own.

Planet Hulk (2010)

Planet Hulk is widely seen as the high point of Marvel’s direct-to-video era, and I agree. The Illuminati, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and company, banish the Hulk from Earth for being too dangerous. He crash-lands on the planet Sakaar, gets forced into gladiator slavery, and claws his way up to king.

If you watched Thor: Ragnarok and wished for more Hulk arena carnage, this is your movie. It is one of the best Marvel animated movies ever made, gritty and violent, and it treats the Hulk as a tragic, intelligent warrior rather than a dumb wrecking ball.

I prefer this take to the MCU version, because it gives him the respect he is owed.

Big Hero 6 (2014)

Big Hero 6 was a real surprise hit. Based on a very obscure Marvel comic, it follows robotics whiz Hiro Hamada and his squishy healthcare robot, Baymax, mixing big emotion with big laughs for all ages.

It went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and it was the first Walt Disney Animation film built on Marvel characters.

I will admit I cried at the end. In the comics Baymax is a shapeshifting battle-dragon, but turning him into a marshmallow nurse was a stroke of genius. It is easily the most heartwarming movie on this list.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Teenager Miles Morales is buckling under his father’s expectations when a radioactive spider changes everything. Into the Spider-Verse reinvented the genre by dropping the frame rate to mimic the step of a comic book and stamping literal text bubbles on screen, and it sold mainstream audiences on the Multiverse long before the live-action MCU did.

I still get chills at the Leap of Faith, the moment Miles finally accepts his powers.

The soundtrack, the visuals, and that “anyone can wear the mask” message land every single time. It is a perfect film.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

My number one, and it is not close. On Earth-65, Gwen Stacy is a fugitive, while in Brooklyn, Miles Morales runs into the Spot, a villain who can rip open portals. This is not just a movie, it is art. Blending a different animation style for each character, like Spider-Punk showing up as a literal paper cutout, blew my mind. I was terrified the sequel could not match the first one, and I was wrong. The emotional depth is staggering, and watching Gwen’s watercolor world shift color with her mood is one of the most beautiful things I have seen in any superhero film. If you watch a single movie off this list, make it this one.

Marvel Animated Series History (TV)

If the movies leave you wanting more, the shows that built the foundation are worth your time too. Here is the quick timeline of Marvel on the small screen.

 

That is my full ranking of the best Marvel animated movies, from throwaway LEGO fun all the way up to Across the Spider-Verse.

If you are working through them in order, start at the bottom of this list and treat yourself to the two Spider-Verse films first.

Everything else is gravy.