All 4 Brie Larson Marvel Movies, Ranked

The MCU has acted as a major catalyst for the blockbuster careers of many highly acclaimed actors and actresses during its tenure, with easily being one of the most prominent being Brie Larson with her prominent role as Carol Danvers during the end of the Infinity Saga. While Larson had certainly found great success in her time before the MCU, even earning an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Room, her blockbuster appearances in the MCU continue to be some of her most prominent and recognizable roles.

It has reached a point where she is easily one of the definitive female protagonists of the MCU, leading the way for a multitude of other female-centric solo-films and female-led teamups in future MCU installments, as well as the superhero genre as a whole. While the overall number of movies that she's appeared in throughout her tenure in the MCU is relatively small compared to other MCU juggernaut actors, largely because of her later inclusion in the saga, each of her appearances proves to have a major impact and weight on the MCU and its worldbuilding.

4 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' (2021)

While one could argue that every one of the other appearances that Larson has had in the MCU were positioned with a larger gravitas and centralizing aspect in the marketing, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings acts as the clear opposite, being her one true cameo appearance in an MCU film. Larson has technically appeared in other cameo appearances in the MCU, most notably in the final episode of the Ms. Marvel miniseries, yet her appearance at the end of Shang-Chi, accompanied by Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, helps massively with the worldbuilding of the post-Infinity Saga MCU. Her character appears in the mid-credits scene of the film, examining the history of the rings alongside Bruce and Wong and uncovering that they are broadcasting a beacon, hinting at a cosmic connection to the mythical weapons.

This post-credits scene itself is in a strange place in the larger importance in the MCU, still having not been followed up on nearly 5 years after it was hinted at, much like the status of Shang-Chi as an actual character. However, the inclusion of Larson alongside fellow MCU stars helps immediately establish Shang-Chi as a part of the larger prospects of the MCU and its heroes, easily allowing him to transition into a team-up with Simu Liu's appearance in Avengers: Doomsday. However, it's easily the most forgettable of the relatively small number of appearances that Larson has in the MCU's cinematic outings, especially when every other film that she's a part of has either had her as a main character or front-and-center during the marketing of the film.

3 'The Marvels' (2023)

Larson's current most recent appearance in the MCU, The Marvels has a legacy largely plagued by its status as a massive Box Office flop and one of the biggest disappointments in the entire MCU. However, especially compared to the myriad of other middling entries during this era where Marvel was still trying to find its footing during Phase 4 and Phase 5, The Marvels really idn't that much worse quality wise than its contemporaries, but was just an easy scapegoat and the end result of various other disappointments. Now over 2 years removed from the release of the film, it's easy to see that the film has considerably more strengths than the likes of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania or Thor: Love and Thunder. A lot of these inherent strengths can be attributed to the star-power of Larson as well as her effective chemistry with her two primary co-stars, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan. Their dynamic as a trio acts as the heart and soul of the film, further amplified by the stylish action directing of Nia DaCosta (whose talents as a blockbuster director have since been proven with the massively acclaimed 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple).

This doesn't mean that the film doesn't have inherent flaws, however, as it still features a relatively uninteresting villain and a sense of humor that is certainly a little stale as far as MCU standards are concerned. Still, when the film is effective in its filmmaking, it's certainly a blast to watch, as there are still a dedicated number of fans who are quick to defend the film as one of the better outings from the modern era of the MCU. As a sequel to Larson's only other prominent leading role in the MCU, the film as a whole helps further establish Larson as a true force within the MCU and able to provide distinctly varied energy and appeal compared to the other offerings within the extended universe. It overall takes the character of Captain Marvel in a good direction, staying true to her difficulties and tendencies to fly solo, but also allowing her to open up and understand the weight and importance of a team dynamic and staying there for one another. One hopes that this isn't the end of Carol Danvers in the MCU, as there is still a lot of potential with the character that is clear while watching this film.

2 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019)

Following the massive losses that The Avengers team faced in Avengers: Infinity War, an iconic end-credits scene positioned Larson's Captain Marvel as the definitive lynchpin that would help the team defeat Thanos once and for all in the climactic Infinity Saga finale, Avengers: Endgame. While the character wasn't nearly as front-and-center as the build-up had led many to believe, Larson's presence within the film is still undeniable, adding a lot of impact and weight to both the beginning and the finale of the film. The film does an overall great job of amplifying the weight and aura of Danvers as a character, showing her overwhelming strength in full-force as she takes down the fleets of Thanos's army. Most interestingly, despite this film releasing months after her solo film that released months prior, Larson actually filmed her scenes for Avengers: Endgame first, making her performance here her first experience portraying the iconic Carol Danvers.

Much as is the case with many of the characters present within Avengers: Endgame, Larson herself doesn't get an overwhelming amount of focus and isn't the major selling point for the film. Instead, all of these smaller characters built up throughout Marvel's history come together in a glorious display of fan-service and exemplary passion. Larson's moments in the film, more than any other hero, are an overwhelming power fantasy of sheer strength and destruction, as she easily stands out as one of the most powerful heroes in the film, accomplishing feats of strength higher than many other heroes combined. She also notably acts as the leading force for the iconic all-female group shot, bringing together all of Marvel's iconic female heroes and acting as the beacon for female strength. Maybe this all-time iconic cinematic experience of the MCU could have topped this list if Larson herself were in the film for much longer, possibly even if she was in the actual main time-travel portion of the film.

1 'Captain Marvel' (2019)

A little anti-climactic, but when every other one of Larson's offerings either had limited screen-time or was perceived as a box-office disappointment, there really is no other choice for Larson's best MCU film than her exceptional, billion-dollar grossing debut outing as a superhero star. It may not be a superhero movie masterpiece, but Captain Marvel is an exceptional MCU blockbuster distilled down to its pure essence, seeing them pull off an original and compelling superhero origin story at the height of their popularity and expectations. The blast-to-the-past 90s aesthetic of the film also massively adds to its endearing qualities and staying power, as the film does a great job of establishing Carol Danvers as one of the first true superheroes in the MCU and her stature as the true titan of power within their universe.

Larson herself, building upon her experience portraying Danvers in Endgame, feels much more fluid and comfortable in her understanding of the character across the entire feature film. Her slow transformation from the aggressive, confused Vers into the headstrong, hero figure that she would become famous for makes for a largely compelling character arc, amplified by some great storytelling and a rather effective twist. The film is the undeniable choice when it comes to experiencing Larson's distinct strengths in the MCU, as the film massively soars thanks to her inherent star-power and ability to bring the character of Captain Marvel to life. Even if Larson and the character of Captain Marvel are entirely relegated to team-up films from now on following the disappointing box-office of The Marvels, fans can at the very least be happy that Larson was able to go all out and star in an exceptional superhero film.