Why 24% Of MCU Fans Are Wrong About The Worst Phase 2 Movie

(Welcome to Survey Says, a feature where we conduct a movie-related survey for a random group of people and explain why they're completely right, completely wrong, or somewhere in-between.)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe proved its concept in 2012 when "The Avengers" hit theaters. Multiple standalone franchises were able to successfully crossover into one massive, blockbuster event movie. That paved the way for more than a decade of interconnected storytelling, though a lot of pressure was applied when Phase 2 of the MCU kicked off in 2013 with "Iron Man 3."

But where did Marvel Studios trip over itself the hardest in Phase 2? We decided to survey some fans to determine which was the worst MCU movie during the two-year span between 2013 and 2015. The answer, as it turns out, was pretty surprising, if not downright wrong. So, let's have a look at the numbers.

Just shy of 24% of those we surveyed felt that 2015's "Ant-Man," the Phase 2 finale movie, directed by Peyton Reed, was the worst of the bunch.

Coming in just behind that was "Thor: The Dark World" (which we'll talk about more in a minute," which earned 20% of the vote. The ever-divisive "Iron Man 3" took the number three spot with a little more than 18% of the vote.

The final two entries, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier (11.18%) and "Guardians of the Galaxy" (9.45%), unsurprisingly, did not earn too much of the vote. Generally speaking, these are considered some of the best MCU movies ever produced, so it's frankly surprising even that many people voted for them in this particular survey.

Look, I will be the first person to admit that I am not the biggest fan of "Ant-Man." I've loved comics for most of my life but the hero simply never did much for me. That said, I was far more interested in the movie when Edgar Wright was going to direct it. Even with that having been said, Paul Rudd is excellent as Scott Lang, with Michael Douglas doing an equally terrific job as Hank Pym. Plus, Evangeline Lilly serves as a great addition to the MCU as Hope Van Dyne, especially in what would come later.

The villain is a bit weak and it's perhaps not the best of what the MCU has to offer, but the worst of the bunch in Phase 2? That is saying an awful lot. It is downright shocking that so many people voted for this charming little movie, especially when there is a far more obvious, not-so-good movie waiting right there out in the open.

While I would argue the MCU has succeeded, in that, it hasn't produced an overtly terrible movie, it is tough to argue against "Thor: The Dark World" as a low point in the franchise. It's deeply uninspiring and as close to going through the motions as Marvel Studios gets. Perhaps the best thing to come of it was the need for radical reinvention after the fact, which paved the way for "Thor: Ragnarok" a few years later.

With that in mind, it is astonishing that so many people voted for "Ant-Man" over the wildly disappointing "Thor" sequel. Perhaps time has been kind to this one in the eyes of certain fans. Whatever the case, the results of this poll are undoubtedly worth a larger conversation, and I would personally be interested to see how others feel about it.