We Ranked All 4 Russo Brothers MCU Movies From Awesome to Even More Awesome

We know directors like Guillermo del Toro, James Gunn, Zack Snyder, and Tim Burton have all found success with their blockbuster comic book adaptations several times, but when it comes to filmmaking duos, few have created a legacy as glorious as the Russo Brothers have within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They rose to prominence through the independent film scene in the early 2000s and Anthony and Joe Russo continued growing until they were seen as two ambitious storytellers with a keen eye for balancing action, comedy and drama.

It was one of their early projects that caught the attention of Marvel Studios and led to their first collaboration, which, surprisingly enough, kicked off a highly acclaimed series of movies that redefined the superhero genre.

Taking over the reins of Marvel’s two most popular franchises, the Russos began their journey with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which went on to become the first superhero movie to gross over $2 billion at the box office. Following that, they had the monumental task of bringing multiple superheroes together for three emotional and spectacular ensemble adventures.

Their outstanding vision, creative use of action set pieces, and nuanced character work helped them succeed with every outing. Beyond delivering record-breaking movies, the Russos also understood how important it is to respect the source material but also reinvent it for new or casual audiences. And with each movie, they sparked anticipation in audiences by hinting that the best is yet to come.

After their last project in 2019, the Russos have applied their skills to various realms and showcased their ambition to create immersive stories outside of the shared universe that catapulted them to fame. But with the news that the Russo Brothers are returning to the MCU to direct and produce Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, we think it’s fitting to rank all four of their Marvel movies so far.

4 Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Captain America: Civil War begins with mounting political pressure as superheroes are expected to hold themselves accountable for causing collateral damage while undertaking heroic actions. The New York City incident leads the U.S. government to pass the Sokovia Accords, which will establish a UN panel to oversee and control the Avengers.

Iron Man and Captain America disagree – the former feels responsible for his own actions and the latter is reluctant to give up his freedom and is distrustful of political organizations. The debate heats up when King T’Chaka of Wakanda is killed. One thing leads to another and each of them choose their allies and the mysterious Helmut Zemo emerges as the antagonist trying to pit the Avengers against each other. The result is an epic superhero clash that changes the team forever.

An Intense Conflict Drives the Narrative

Not the worst MCU movie per se, Captain America: Civil War is the weakest Russo Brothers’ installment. And it’s not even because the movie has any negatives; just fewer positives compared to the other three movies.

Civil War takes the MCU to dramatic heights with its intricately layered story where even the heroes we root for find themselves on divergent paths. The slick action and the breathtaking spectacle are ever-present, but the movie also takes time to focus on the characters’ personal struggles. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are superb as usual, where newcomers like Tom Holland’s Spider-Man help lighten the mood.

The movie also received positive reviews from audiences and critics, who were deeply impressed with its creative ambition to transform Captain America’s narrative into an emotionally mature sequel that explores accountability and freedom. The only stumbling block was, with its multi-character setup, Captain America: Civil War looked less like a Cap movie and more like an Avengers movie. Regardless, it showed how the MCU continues to reinvent itself to tell artful stories.

3 Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame is a movie that connects 11 years worth of world-building together and leaves viewers wrecked with all the gut-punching, emotional moments. Which makes it truly difficult to rank. Set five years after Thanos’ genocidal snap, it follows the remaining Avengers as they assemble and try to figure out how to undo the Mad Titan’s actions. They discover time travel as their solution and go back to 2012 New York (during the events of the first Avengers movie) and try to retrieve a couple of Infinity Stones.

Split into teams, the Avengers find themselves in different timelines as they look for the Power Stone, Space Stone, and Time and Mind Stones. Elsewhere, Rocket and Thor travel to Asgard in 2013 to extract the Reality Stone from Jane Foster. However, Thanos learns of their plans and follows them to the present, which leads to another final showdown as the Avengers try to stop him.

A Grand Clash Pits the Avengers Against Thanos

The Russo Brothers took the reins once again to craft the greatest Avengers storyline yet. It rewarded over a decade of MCU viewing with the most hyped battle yet. Carefully balancing over a dozen characters across varying set pieces, pulling together their tight screen with slick direction, and delivering constant surprises and non-stop entertainment throughout, the movie broke boundaries for event movies. Josh Brolin, particularly, turned Thanos into a complex villain audiences loved to hate.

While it surpassed Infinity War’s theatrical run in less than two weeks and became one of the highest-grossing movies in superhero history, Avengers: Endgame still suffered from being too long and leisurely paced.

Fans who genuinely admire its storytelling, blockbuster scale, and sentimental reveals, remember the movie for those scenes more than for the measured first and second acts. But that does not change the fact that Endgame is an accomplished, funny, self-aware, and truly remarkable movie with a visually satisfying climax.

2 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

The plot of the first MCU movie made by Anthony and Joe Russo centers around Steve Rogers struggling to adapt to modern times. He works as an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D., which is operated by Nick Fury. On one of his routine missions, Rogers and Black Widow discover a secret database within the organization that details plans for a sinister weapon, but before they can learn more, the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters is attacked by an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.

He has a robotic arm and superhuman abilities, but is an unknown force. After investigating further, Rogers and Widow realize that HYDRA has secretly infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. for decades and used its gear to control global events. Fury is attacked by the Winter Soldier, which leaves Cap as the only person who can launch ships carrying Project Insight and thwart HYDRA’s totalitarian goals.

Combines High-Stakes Politics and Comic-Book Action

Unlike the other three Russo Brothers movies, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a smaller affair. It delivers a sharp espionage thriller-like story while also sending complex nods to government surveillance and radical ideologies. The refreshing balance between its comic influences and real-world struggles is what makes The Winter Soldier stand out. Moreover, as true villains emerge left and right the tightly paced story keeps us constantly guessing.

As usual, Chris Evans shines as the virtuous hero paced with an unprecedented test of loyalty. Scarlett Johansson and Sebastian Stan offer great supporting turns, proving the heroes are just as exceptional in grounded combat as in grand set pieces. At the time of its release, The Winter Soldier stunned audiences by being extremely intense, thought-provoking, and sophisticated.

The movie has a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it won Chris Evans a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Action Movie Actor. In a way, the Russos raised the stakes for the entire Marvel universe by recontextualizing everything fans had seen before in the most brilliant and shocking ways.

1 Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the first one is a better outing any day because it updates every hero’s mythology without making it look forced or unnatural. The plot picks up after Captain America: Civil War and Thor: Ragnarok.

Thanos, an intergalactic warlord, has already obtained two Infinity Stones and is looking for the third one. He sends his children to seize the Time Stone from Doctor Strange on Earth. At the same time, they also intercept Gamora and intend to retrieve the location of the Soul Stone from her.

Thanos obtains the Space Stone from Loki after attacking the Asgardian refugee ship. He uses it to travel to Knowhere to get the Reality Stone from the Collector. On Earth, forces like Spider-Man, Iron Man and Doctor Strange group together to form a plan, but it’s too late. The Avengers then confront Thanos but their efforts fail. He gets the Mind Stone from Vision, completes the Infinity Gauntlet, snaps his fingers and wipes out half the universe.

A Spectacular Culmination of 10 Years Worth of Storytelling

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo needed to stick the landing on the most anticipated film of all time, and Avengers: Infinity War truly soars. It juggles dozens of beloved characters across multiple realms and parallel situations, and while it could have been messy, the Russos’ handling skills made the movie an emotionally cathartic (and somewhat scarring) experience. It is also visually stunning and matches the heartfelt moments with dramatic heights by giving each character just enough to do.

Infinity War ended up shattering box office records internationally with $678 million domestic and a worldwide total of $2.052 billion earned. But the critical acclaim was its biggest victory.

Reviewers showered praise for the movie’s Brolin’s sympathetic performance as the manipulative supervillain, the unexpectedly jarring and emotional goodbyes, and the truly mesmerizing showdown between good and evil. Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans led the biggest ensemble cast yet; they not only continue a saga that finally begins to make sense but also allow the Russo Brothers to cement their status as the most ambitious filmmakers within the genre.