The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to impress

The seemingly never-ending releases of Marvel series and films to jump-start phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been anything but disappointing.

The nostalgia from the original Marvel movies is irreplaceable, but the beauty of the old doesn’t take away from the brilliance of the new.

Endgame is the perfect finale to an iconic ten years of film releases. After its premiere, it was hard to think anything could top the first saga of Marvel.

But the release of Wandavision last year, the start of phase four, and the first Marvel series in the cinematic universe blew me away with its depth and narrative.

The introduction of magic and the multiverse, along with the major plot twist, personally made this a favourite.

Since Disney+ started streaming Wandavision, Marvel has produced another eight releases in a year.

The constant stream of media has done an incredible job of keeping fans engaged and has, yet again, raised high expectations for the new storyline that is just beginning.

Some releases were slightly underwhelming, in my opinion, including Falcon and the Winter Soldier and The Eternals.

For me, the Falcon series felt unrelated to the storyline that's unravelling.

The Eternals film felt a little far from the Marvel I grew up with, although I know plenty of people who prefer these two releases over anything other Marvel films they've watched.

There is some tough competition when naming the best releases of phase four.

Black Widow is up there as one of the best of the year. It was a thrilling tribute to one of the most loved characters of the MCU, but for me, it fell short of the Shang-Chi movie.

Shang-Chi: Legend of the Ten Rings introduced both a completely new character and storyline to the fandom.

The ethnic appreciation for the Asian and Chinese influences of the film made the cinematography incredible. Plus, the extremely likeable characters and familial juxtaposition made Shang-Chi one of the highlights of the year.

But even after all this, I still wouldn’t call it the best of the year.

Spider-man: No Way Home was undoubtedly the best release of the phase so far – and is arguably one of the best of all time. The final film of the Spiderman trilogy did not fail to amaze, and the solidification of the multiverse allowed it to top my leaderboard.

Andrew Garfield and Toby Maguire joining the film, along with the incredible acting of other previous Spiderman characters like William Dafoe, helped set this film as one the best.

It's no surprise the film broke box office records.

The multiverse storyline seems to be the strongest yet within phase four, with Dr Strange: The Multiverse of Madness showing promise of being one of the craziest and most thrilling films due to be released soon.

The next Guardians of Galaxy film is another I feel is highly anticipated by the franchise's fans due to the love for the established characters.

Overall, phase one to three films are undeniably some of the best ever released and created an untouchable foundation for Marvel films. Phase four has had a strong start and appears to be significant competition for the first saga of the MCU.

Edited by Jemma Snowdon