Which movies and characters are Marvel fans’ favorites?

(L-R) Actors Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson attendthe Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” cast place their hand prints in cement at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX Forecourt on April 23, 2019, in Hollywood, California. Image: AFP/Valerie Macon

Which is your favorite superhero? From “Spider-Man” and “Iron Man” to “Captain America” and many others, the Marvel universe is full of characters that have become cult figures. With the new “Spider-Man: No Way Home” breaking box office records, a study reveals the favorite movie and character among fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, what’s the verdict?

Marvel fans can’t get enough of the “Iron Man” movie, it seems. According to a study conducted by Morning Consult, reported earlier this month, it is this feature film, starring Robert Downey Jr., that wins over audiences, both among aficionados of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and among general viewers. “Iron Man” has 61% of the votes among American adults and 78% among MCU fans. The movie’s sequel even takes second place in the general ranking, with 57% of votes, but comes third among fans with 74%. The MCU’s first crossover, “The Avengers” takes second place for superhero fans.

Among the 26 films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the most recent movies are the least popular. Released last September, and under less favorable conditions than its predecessors, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is at the bottom of the ranking with “Eternals.” According to the study, these results can in some way be explained by the fact that these films are less well-known than the blockbusters released more than 10 years ago.

It is worth noting that the Marvel top fan favorites — “Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger” — are not necessarily the most successful films at the global box office.

Favorite characters

If “Iron Man” is undoubtedly the favorite movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the character played by Robert Downey Jr. is also the most popular. With 62% of votes, he comes ahead of Spider-Man with 66% and Captain America with 61%.

When it comes to MCU fans, three iconic characters share first place with 78% of votes: Spider-Man, Iron Man and Thor. The Hulk and Captain America follow.

Note that the characters “Black Panther,” played by the late Chadwick Boseman, and “Captain Marvel,” played by Brie Larson, come joint fourth, while Scarlett Johansson’s “Black Widow” completes the top five for fans.

New TV series set in the Marvel universe and launched on Disney+ have brought to the forefront some of the MCU’s secondary characters, with varying degrees of popularity among fans. The characters “Loki,” “Hawkeye,” “Scarlet Witch,” “Vision” and even “Agatha Harkness” seen in “WandaVision” are found at the bottom of the ranking.

Favorite movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (all United States adults surveyed):

Iron Man – 61%
Iron Man 2 – 57%
The Avengers – 57%
Thor – 56%
The Incredible Hulk – 55%
Guardians of the Galaxy – 55%
Captain America: The First Avenger – 52%
Iron Man 3 – 52%
Black Panther – 52%
Spider-Man: Far From Home – 52%
Spider-Man: Homecoming – 51%
Captain America: Civil War – 50%
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – 50%
Avengers: Infinity War – 50%
Captain Marvel – 50%
Avengers: Endgame – 50%
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – 49%
Ant-Man – 46%
Doctor Strange – 45%
Black Widow – 45%
Thor: The Dark World – 44%
Avengers: Age of Ultron – 44%
Thor: Ragnarok – 44%
Ant-Man and The Wasp – 38%
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – 26%
Eternals – 25%

Favorite movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Marvel fans):

Iron Man – 78%
The Avengers – 77%
Iron Man 2 – 74%
Thor – 73%
Captain America: The First Avenger – 73%
Guardians of the Galaxy – 72%
Avengers: Endgame – 71%
The Incredible Hulk – 70%
Captain America: Civil War – 70%
Captain Marvel – 70%
Iron Man 3 – 68%
Black Panther – 68%
Avengers: Infinity War – 68%
Spider-Man: Homecoming – 67%
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – 67%
Spider-Man: Far From Home – 66%
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – 65%
Thor: Ragnarok – 65%
Avengers: Age of Ultron – 62%
Ant-Man – 62%
Doctor Strange – 62%
Thor: The Dark World – 61%
Black Widow – 59%
Ant-Man and The Wasp – 58%
Eternals – 38%
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – 37%

Favorite characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (all U.S. adults surveyed):

Spider-Man – 66%
Iron Man – 62%
Captain America – 61%
Thor – 61%
the Incredible Hulk – 60%
Black Panther – 53%
Captain Marvel – 52%
Black Widow – 45%
Ant-Man – 42%
Doctor Strange – 41%
Falcon – 38%
Blade – 35%
Hawkeye – 33%
Loki – 33%
Bucky Barnes – 32%
Nick Fury – 32%
Star-Lord – 28%
Vision – 27%
Scarlet Witch – 26%
Shang-Chi – 26%
Ultron – 18%
Agatha Harkness – 18%
Thanos – 15%

Favorite characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Marvel fans):

Spider-Man – 78%
Iron Man – 78%
Thor – 78%
The Incredible Hulk – 75%
Captain America – 74%
Black Panther – 68%
Captain Marvel – 68%
Black Widow – 62%
Doctor Strange – 59%
Ant-Man – 56%
Falcon – 53%
Blade – 50%
Hawkeye – 49%
Loki – 49%
Bucky Barnes – 46%
Nick Fury – 46%
Star-Lord – 40%
Scarlet Witch- 39%
Vision – 38%
Shang-Chi – 36%
Ultron – 28%
Agatha Harkness – 24%
Thanos – 23%

*Survey of 2,200 U.S. adults, including 1,526 Marvel fans, conducted Nov. 19 to 22, 2021, with margins of error of +/-2% and +/-3%, respectively. JB

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