While the number one spot is filled by the new DC Universe’s Superman reboot, which achieved a rating of 7.1 based on 366k scores. Superman is followed by Weapons, Sinners, One Battle After Another, Jurassic World Rebirth, Frankenstein, and Happy Gilmore 2, while Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* hits the list at number eight. Scored 7.1 based on 249k ratings, Thunderbolts* has surprised some by making this list ahead of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which had a significantly higher box office draw and introduced Marvel’s First Family to the MCU for the first time ever.
Why Thunderbolts* Made IMDb’s List But The Fantastic Four: First Steps Didn’t
Given the disparate box office totals and legacy of the Fantastic Four, some could have assumed The Fantastic Four: First Steps would have been more highly-rated than Thunderbolts*. This is especially true as we’d never had a strong live-action adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four team before, but Matt Shakman had a unique and stylistic tone that gave Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach a great sandbox to play in. Conversely, few had hope for Thunderbolts*, but the crossover movie became one of Marvel Studios’ biggest surprises when it hit theaters in May 2025.
Thunderbolts* brought together antiheroes and reformed villains from the MCU’s past as a brand-new team tasked with stopping the Void—the dark alter ego of new super-soldier Robert Reynolds’ Sentry—and saving New York City. Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Alexei Shostakov’s Red Guardian (David Harbour), Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Ava Starr’s Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and John Walker’s US Agent (Wyatt Russell) worked fantastically on-screen, and it was brilliant to see them outed as the New Avengers at the end of the movie. These surprises made Thunderbolts* a surprise hit for the MCU.
While we loved seeing the Fantastic Four enter the MCU officially in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Thunderbolts* will arguably age better as the MCU progresses, and, by introducing the New Avengers, may have even had a bigger impact on the franchise. On IMDb, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is only close behind Thunderbolts*, ranked 6.9 based on 223k ratings, so it surely almost got a spot on the top ten list. While it just missed out, the popularity of both Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps spells good news for the MCU’s future, which has us very excited.
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