The 5 Best Marvel Movies & TV Shows from 2025, Ranked

by

Despite a few box office misses, 2025 proved to be a strong year for Marvel Studios, delivering three hit movies, two live-action Disney+ series, and three new animated shows. These five releases particularly stood out and were a welcome boost as the Multiverse Saga progresses toward the 2026 Avengers: Doomsday event.

Marvel Studios is gearing up for a huge year! With production on Avengers 5 finished, the film is set to release in under a year. Plus, Spider-Man: Brand New Day will swing into theaters this July. And fans can look forward to several new Disney+ series, including Wonder Man, VisionQuest, and the second season of Daredevil: Born Again.

Marvel’s 5 Must-Watch Movies & Shows from 2025

5.) Captain America: Brave New World

Anthony Mackie steps into the role of Sam Wilson and successfully carries the legacy of Steve Rogers in Brave New World. The film, the MCU’s first big release of 2025, is strongest thanks to Mackie’s performance and the fun partnership between his character and Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres (Falcon). Fans will be excited to see what happens with Torres next year in Avengers: Doomsday.

Replacing William Hurt as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross after his death was a challenge, but Harrison Ford does a great job in the role. The character’s development in Captain America 4 finally leads to the moment fans have anticipated for years: his transformation from the President of the United States into the powerful Red Hulk.

While the visual effects weren’t great – a common issue with recent Marvel movies – the biggest problem with Captain America 4 is its messy and complicated plot. After nearly twenty years of waiting for a resolution to the cliffhanger from The Incredible Hulk, Tim Blake Nelson’s return as the Leader didn’t quite live up to expectations.

4.) Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

The animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a great new take on the classic hero. It successfully combines down-to-earth, large-scale, and magical storylines, creating a Spider-Man adventure that feels fresh while still respecting the character’s rich history in comics and other media.

The series includes a wide range of Marvel characters, like Iron Man, Daredevil, and Doctor Strange, and even features six hidden superheroes. However, Spider-Man remains the central focus. A particularly strong storyline involves Lonnie Lincoln’s transformation into the villain Tombstone.

While the new take on Spider-Man’s story is often a welcome change, it occasionally deviates too much from established Spider-Man traditions, particularly when it comes to the characters who help him. Also, the animation, though inspired by classic comics, sometimes looks a little low-budget.

3.) The Fantastic Four: First Steps

One of the biggest strengths of The Fantastic Four: First Steps is director Matt Shakman’s vision. He created a completely new world – Earth-828 – with a distinct and visually striking style. The result is arguably one of the most beautiful Marvel movies made, especially when it comes to its stunning space sequences.

Even though some fans have differing opinions about the actors chosen for certain roles, the on-screen family between the characters is fantastic, especially when they confront the impressive villain, Galactus. Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Julia Garner as Silver Surfer, and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm are particularly memorable and leave audiences wanting to see more of their stories.

The newest Marvel movie, while exciting, felt a bit rushed. It could have been stronger with more development, particularly for characters like Ben Grimm. Unfortunately, the final battle with Galactus wasn’t very memorable.

2.) Daredevil: Born Again

Many worried that Disney+ would soften the gritty tone of the original Daredevil series, but Daredevil: Born Again lives up to expectations. Thankfully, it maintains the intense violence and mature themes of the Netflix show and feels like a natural continuation of the story.

I was completely blown away by Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio in Born Again! They’re both giving some of the best performances of their careers, and it’s amazing to see their characters’ rivalry explored in a whole new way, especially with Fisk now running for mayor of New York. Season one really builds the tension perfectly, and I’m already on the edge of my seat waiting for Season 2 next March – it’s going to be epic!

The show Born Again went through significant changes during the 2023 Hollywood strikes, after some episodes were already filmed. Unfortunately, the newly added episodes 1, 8, and 9 don’t quite fit with the rest of the series, creating an uneven feel. Hopefully, this will be addressed and improved in Season 2.

1.) Thunderbolts*

As a Marvel fan, I have to say Thunderbolts really stood out for me – it’s easily one of the best things Marvel’s put out since Avengers: Endgame. Director Jake Schreier did an amazing job bringing together a bunch of characters we’ve seen in other MCU movies, and the story felt surprisingly complex and meaningful. Plus, it just looked fantastic – they really leaned into practical effects, which made a huge difference!

The movie features outstanding performances, particularly from Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the clever and controlling Valentina, Lewis Pullman as the emotionally troubled Sentry, and Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, who quickly establishes herself as a standout character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The movie Thunderbolts could have been stronger. Initially, the character Taskmaster wasn’t intended to die and was supposed to develop a friendship with Ghost throughout the film. Ultimately, bringing Taskmaster back just to kill her off felt like a missed opportunity and didn’t do justice to the character originally introduced in Black Widow.

Read More

2025-12-26 08:36