If you are a fan of comic book movies, then the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a big part of your life for the last eleven years and with its culmination almost upon us, I thought it would be fun to do a post ranking my top ten favourite MCU superheroes in preparation for the upcoming release of Avengers: Endgame.

Note: If you haven’t seen all the films, there may be spoilers ahead. Also, where have you been?!?!?

Honourable Mention #1 – Agent Coulson

Although he had a brief spell as Ghost Rider in Agents of Shield, I didn’t think I could actually argue that Agent Coulson is a bonafide superhero within the main body of the MCU so, instead of being in the top spot where he truly belongs, he has, unfortunately, been relegated to my number one honourable mention.

Honourable Mention #2 – Loki

Depending on what side of the fence you sit on, Loki will either be a mischievous hero or a misunderstood villain. Regardless of where you stand though, you have to agree that he is a fantastic character, and Tom Hiddlestone was made for that role. However, for the sake of this post, I will sit somewhat on the fence and just give him an honourable mention.1

10. Drax the Destroyer

Let’s be honest, he may be called  ‘The Destroyer’ but in reality he is just a giant softie with some cracking one liners that genuinely make me laugh out loud.

Favourite Moment: Without a doubt it has to be his line “Nothing goes over my head. My reflexes are too fast, I would catch it”. Fun fact: I was even giggling out loud just typing that line.

9. Wanda Maximoff – Scarlet Witch

Super badass woman alert! Scarlet Witch portrays a naivety and innocence that is at odds with the massive destructive scope of her powers, which is brilliantly portrayed in Age of Ultron when her brother dies.

Favourite Moment: There is the scene above that is heart-breaking and somewhat terrifying at the same time but for me, my favourite moment follows her pep talk from Hawkeye. There is something so satisfying about a good entrance scene and her busting through those doors into battle was epic.

8. Natasha Romanov – Black Widow

Super badass woman alert #2! What’s not to love about Black Widow? Kick ass fighter, master manipulator and super spy. Although her character has some of the  typical tropes used for female characters, they are all done on her own terms. She cries to manipulate Loki, flirts with Cap to blend in and pushes her feelings for Bruce aside for the sake of the mission at hand. I’m looking forward to the standalone Black Widow film as there is an intriguing back story that is touched upon at various points in the MCU but deserves more attention.

Favourite Moment: Whilst I do not have the same zeal as some feminists out there, I do appreciate a strong female moment when it is done right, and Avengers: Infinity War have a proper gem of a scene with not one, not two but four kick ass women and that excellent line, “She’s not alone”. Goosebumps anyone?

7. Groot

When they first announced Guardians of the Galaxy, I had no idea who or what it would be about and when I found out that it included a talking racoon and a tree, A TREE, I’ll admit I did get a bit angry. For the life of me, I could not see that working. By the end of the film, I was in love! Although I really liked both original and teenage Groot, my absolute favourite has to be Baby Groot. I mean, look at that face!!

Favourite Moment: It’s a toss up between dancing flower-pot Groot and dancing Baby Groot but I think the opening to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 just pips it to the post. Fun Fact: the motion capture for that scene was performed by director James Gunn himself.

6. Yondu

Let’s be honest, Yondu is f**king cool.          Sparkly crystal frog on your dashboard = Cool.            Arrow controlled by a whistle = Super Cool.                           Mary Poppins = Crazy Cool.         Need I say more?

Favourite Moment: Whilst the Mary Poppins moment is up there, my favourite moment is also one of the saddest in the whole MCU, and that is the Ravenger funeral. Honestly, it makes me cry every time.

5. Rocket

I think it is a testament to the genius of James Gunn that four Guardians characters ended up in my top ten, which is why I can’t stress enough how glad I am that he was reinstated for #GotG3.         Any ways…. Rocket.

Rocket is a jail break expert with a hilarious obsession for prosthetics, angry at the world but with a heart of gold, there is a lot more than meets the eye with him. Beneath that tough nut exterior is a guy that just wants to be loved. Motion captured by Gunn’s brother, Sean, and voiced by Bradley Cooper.

I think it’s also important to note that not only is Rocket great on his own but he is also our “I am Groot” translator and his relationship with Groot is what really sets the two characters apart.

Favourite Moment: Whilst Rocket can challenge Drax and Tony Stark in the one liner category, my favourite moment as got to be in the first Guardians when Drax throws him the gun during the prison riot scene.   Catch… Click….. “Oh, Yeah”. Unfortunately, when written down it doesn’t have quite the same attitude or impact.

4. Thor – Daniel Blake

As much as I enjoyed his fish-out-of-water performance in Thor, for me, he really develops when they start to introduce, and build on, the comedic edge to his character. Being the God of Thunder and absolutely ripped also helps a little (sorry, Mark!).

Favourite Moment: Whilst I do have a particular fondness for his “he’s adopted” line, by favourite Thor moment has to be his rather impressive entrance into the battle at Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War,

3. Vision

I’ll be honest I think a lot of my love for the Vision stems from Jarvis but I don’t care, I’m still counting it. I am also intrigued by his relationship with Wanda (Scarlet Witch) which, thanks to Mark, I know disastrous consequences in the comics.

Favourite Moment: Obviously there is that moment with Mjolnir but my favourite is the fantastic shot when he flies out of the cradle, sees his reflection and stops dead.

2. Clint Barton – Hawkeye

Before Spider-Man came along, Hawkeye was the puppy of the team, and who doesn’t love puppies. Hawkeye is arguably the most ‘normal’ one of the MCU superheroes; sweet, goofy and at times a little out-of-place but deadly with a bow.

Favourite Moment: He has quite a few great moments in Avengers: Age of Ultron but my favourite is the speech he gives Wanda about being an Avenger. “The city is flying, we’re fighting an army of robots and I have a bow and arrow.”

1. Tony Stark – Iron Man

I will happily admit that Tony Stark is a deeply flawed character, he is cocky and arrogant but he does have a heart of gold and a redemptive arc, and that is why he has always been my favourite (except for Agent Coulson, that is). I also love the fact that he has no definable superpowers, he’s just a smart dude. Yes he is a billionaire but everything he makes/designs/does comes from his mind.

Now I think about it, I think I have a bit of a thing for billionaire superheroes as I also love DC’s Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) and Bruce Wayne (Batman, obvs!).

Favourite Moment: Further proof that Tony Stark and Robert Downey Jr. are the same person. RDJ would hide food all round the set and the below scene is RDJ offering Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo a blueberry from his secret stash. Rather brilliantly everyone stayed in character and the candid moment made it into the final cut.

So there you have it, my favourite MCU superheroes.  I am sure there are many who would disagree with me so I would love to hear your thoughts.