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BrieLarson’sThe Marvelsdid not stand a chance after it heavily tanked at the box office, not to mention the early criticisms it received even before its premiere. After receiving harsh reviews from fans and critics, it hasbeen hailedas the worst MCU filmto date.
But, this is nothing new in the Marvel realm. Back in 2010, it released one of the most critically panned installments, and that’sIron Man 2. Despite Tony Stark opening the gates for the MCU, his last two solo films were severely slammed.
Fans React ToIron Man 2Becoming The ‘Worst MCU Film’
Robert Downey Jr.’sIron Man 2was a commercial success, earning$623 millionagainst a budget of $200 million, but it had a lot of issues behind the scenes. Cinematographer Matthew Libatique toldCollider:
It was almost more important to establish the future characters than it was to tell this narrative. So, that film, ultimately, if you look back on it, there’s some entertaining things about it, and I really enjoyed making it, but it was serving more than one master.
Apparently, the second installment had a lot of subplots, and viewers found it difficult to focus on one coherent subject. Libatique said it wasn’t necessarily wrong because everyone wants to seeSamuel L. Jacksonas Nick Fury andScarlett Johanssonas Black Widow.
Infamous Iron Man 2 BTS Stories That Almost Made it a Cosmic Trainwreck
Explaining the fiasco involvingMickey Rourke’s Ivan Vanko, the main villain of the film, Libatique revealed they had a lot of debate about the character. The actor had a specific request for his part, while the cinematographer fought for his suggestion. Apparently, the studio remained firm with their decision.
I explained to Justin Theroux, to the writer, and to [Jon] Favreau, that I wanted to bring some other layers and colors [to the character], not just make this Russian a complete murderous revenging bad guy. And they allowed me to do that. Unfortunately, the [people] at Marvel just wanted a one-dimensional bad guy.
However, fans gave their two cents after industry insiderMyTimeToShineHelloposted a hot take on Twitter. Check out their tweets below:
There is absolutely worse than this in the MCU cmon now
— FINTO (@finto182)June 24, 2025
This film was sub-par, but there’s more phase 4 films that are worse than Iron man 2!
— Vtuber 4Life (@Vtuber94077)July 11, 2025
That’s not even the worst Iron Man movie
— Brookowski (@dando48197)July 26, 2025
I remember the good ol days when this WAS the worst. But things have been so bad lately I would rewatch Iron Man 2 with a smile on my face
— Hip-Hop Jeff Van Gundy (@JeffVanGundysB1)June 16, 2025
Remember a time when this was the worst MCU film?
— DredMore1 (@DredMorre1)June 11, 2025
Ironman 2 was definitely not the worst marvel movie, it was decent enough to get my hyped up 💯, if we’re sticking with him for the moment, ironman 3 was the shittest, only because of how insanely stupid he’s suits got smashed to smithereens
— IamTheRealOriginalOne (@MBNZO6)August 20, 2025
MCU started to experience a shakeup after Phase 3 as evident in the reactions of fans towards the succeeding installments.
The MarvelsWas A Nightmare For Disney
IfJon Favreau’sIron Man 2was labeled the worst film in MCU, it can certainly compete withBrie Larson’sThe Marvels. Not only did the latter bomb at the box office, but even Disney CEO Bob Iger threw the franchise under the bus (viaCNBC):
The Marvels’ was shot during Covid. There wasn’t as much supervision on the set, so to speak, where we have executives [that are] really looking over what’s being done day after day after day.
There was really nothing that the studio could do to saveThe Marvels. The decline in quality has become the dilemma of the superhero enterprise due to the onslaught of content they released during Phase 4.
Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man Armor Comics vs Movie Comparison Reveal 7 Times MCU Strayed Away from Source Material
Hopefully, the upcoming MCU films will combat the epidemic of superhero fatigue, and there’ll be no more titles that would compete withIron Man 2andThe Marvelsas the ‘worst MCU film.’
Iron Man 2andThe Marvelsare streaming on Disney+.
Ariane Cruz
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3532
Ariane Cruz is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 3,000 articles published. Her love for pop culture and the creative arts fuels her passion to deliver engaging and informative stories. Her daily consumption of films, shows, and books keeps her energized for the day, along with her mission to serve as the bridge between fans and their favorite franchises.
