In the grand scheme of things, even low-budget Marvel films aren’t that low. Ari Aster’s horror juggernaut Hereditary packed a gut-punch for audiences and only garnered $10 million to make the feature. Marvel is an entirely different animal altogether. No matter how many variations of shrinking, growing, or insect-themed superheroes there are, there is no doubt that people are going to go out and watch them.
And for good reason. Spider-Man: No Way Home all but saved the theater industry at the height of the pandemic when no one was going out in public spaces. Budget is no indicator of success, either. Some of the lowest-budgeted films have inspired the most adoration from fans – or the most vitriol.
10. Ant-Man — $130,000,000
If there was ever a dark horse, 2015’s Ant-Man had to be one of them. Though a long-standing character in the comics, a man whose only power is that of an insect doesn’t have the heroism of Captain America (Chris Evans) or Thor (Chris Hemsworth). But cast Paul Rudd in the role of Scott Lang and you have lightning in a bottle. Ant-Man knows exactly what it is, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Fresh out of prison for breaking and entering, Scott realizes it won’t be too easy to adapt to a society that looks down on ex-cons.
As what happens with most reformed criminals, he gets pulled back into the game, only this time, he steals a suit that shrinks you to the size of an ant. That can happen. Now, with a purpose, Scott leads a cast of wild characters in a Marvel installment that isn’t quite like previous ones. More comedy than not, Ant-Man joins the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy in a whackier era of Marvel.
9. Ant-Man and the Wasp — $130,000,000
The sequel to Ant-Man did not increase in budget, but that doesn’t stop it from increasing in quality. Ant-Man and the Wasp takes what was working with the first film and expands on it tenfold. In addition to the humor and the cast of supporting characters, the sequel thankfully makes Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) more significant to the plot.
The titular Wasp of the film, Hope is the driving force of the movie as she strives to find her mother, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) in the Quantum Realm. This plot turn gives the film more of a unified center instead of the chaotic villain of the first film with no emotional stakes. And for those who enjoy chaos, the inclusion of Walton Goggin’s villainous Billy only adds to the enjoyment of the stacked cast.
8. The Incredible Hulk — $137,500,000
Bruce Banner has had so many iterations that some are likely to get lost in the shuffle. But even though The Incredible Hulk casted Academy Award nominee, Edward Norton, the actor didn’t end up being the definitive version of the character. The film did several aspects of the character correctly, including the conclusion of love interesting Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), though she ceased to appear in any subsequent films.
Tim Roth’s Abomination and William Hurt’s Thunderbolt Ross, however, are a different story. Both went on to have significant and interesting careers in the Marvel universe, even if Norton didn’t. Bruce was ultimately rebooted into Mark Ruffalo, but that couldn’t have happened without the existence of this film that deserves more respect.
7. Captain America — The First Avenger: $140,000,000
Steve Rogers’ (Chris Evans) debut into the MCU wasn’t the best Captain America film by any stretch of the imagination, but it accomplished the large task of setting up an entire franchise with a minimal budget. True to his name, Steve fronted the first movie that set up a series of Avengers films and did it thanklessly.
A period piece and origin story all in one, fans had to quickly get on board with Captain America, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) enough to be sad when the titular character gets encased in ice. This film gave birth to an era of movies that wasn’t just a comic brand, but a film monopoly.
6. Thor — $150,000,000
If there was a Marvel film that probably benefited from a tidy sum, it was the Thor series of movies. Taking place in the fantastical world of Asgard, Marvel needed to show audiences that this was another dimension entirely. The first Thor film is yet another precursor to The Avengers which sets up Thor’s heroism, Loki’s (Tom Hiddleston) mischief, and even a brief appearance from Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).
Though much of the funds probably went to Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgård’s salaries, there is no doubt that the Bifrost got a cut of it as well. Telling a Shakespearean tragedy about the tale of two brothers over the backdrop of a godly dimension is no easy task, but Thor made its mark.
5. Thor: The Dark World — $150,000,000
After the sequel to Thor was greenlit, it did not receive a budget increase, but that is probably for the best. If there is a shadow on the reputation of Marvel, it is Thor: The Dark World. Featuring the easily forgotten villains of the Dark Elves, Thor reunites with Jane (Natalie Portman) long enough to find that she has been possessed by the red sludge known as The Aether.
This plot point is later covered in Avengers: Endgame, so if you had forgotten it, there is no need to go and rehash the film. Loki betrays Thor, Thor and Jane make eyes at each other, and at the end of the day, the Asgardians reign victorious.
4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings — $150,000,000
Marvel often makes the correct assumption of what a film is worth, but sometimes, they miss the mark. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings had the same budget as Thor: The Dark World but did so much more with it. The former was innovative, catapulting the MCU into a world that it never experienced before.
Years after escaping a domineering father, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) has no choice but to return home to accept his destiny. The film strays further away from the familiar territory of vigilantism and instead opts for a picturesque world close to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. True to the MCU reputation, films that try to do something different are given less attention.
3. Spider-Man: Far From Home — $160,000,000
Contrary to popular belief, a foray into a foreign country actually turns out to be the least expensive of a trilogy of films. After Peter Parker (Tom Holland) defeats the Vulture (Michael Keaton) during the Homecoming dance, he does what any Spider-person would do and takes a school trip to Italy.
Viewers were robbed of the chance to see Peter fall for MJ (Zendaya), but at least we get to see him attempt to woo her and eventually share his secret with her. The least expensive film in the trilogy, Spider-Man: Far From Home is the romantic jet-setting film we had all been waiting for.
2. Doctor Strange — $165,000,000
Finally, Marvel was able to get weird. Er, Strange. The film studio spent over a decade weaving realistic stories that canonically made sense put together. But in 2016, the MCU finally added magic to the mix in Doctor Strange. A hotshot doctor in New York, Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has it all until a classic tale of texting and driving ruins his hands forever.
Losing his livelihood, he has no option but to seek alternative medicines. With his arrogant attitude, Strange doesn’t seem like the prime choice for Sorcerer Supreme, but the world spinning into chaos realigns the doctor’s perspectives. With a mirror dimension and the primordial entity Dormammu to pay for, the budget of this film certainly explained itself.
1. Iron Man 2 — $170,000,000
The villains of the Iron Man sequels won’t stand out in viewers’ minds in the long run, but Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) stories were never about the big bads. Iron Man 2 didn’t need the big budgets of the other films because it was introducing concepts important to the franchise.
The Iron Man sequel was the first appearance of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), who became a long-standing character in the mythology of the franchise. The relationship between Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Tony deepens further in the film, as well as his father issues. Though not the most important of all the Iron Man films, it didn’t really need to be.
