Marvel Studio’s President is unquestionably passionate about telling good Marvel stories. He is at the helm of every project finalized by the studio. He has a clear vision of the overall arc that the movies together have to cover. That is why saying ‘Yes’ to a Marvel project is a big challenge. An MCU Director clearly feels this burden.

But, Feige trusts his guts, instincts, and his team. He clarifies the vastness and extent of the bubble within which a director can unfold his movie’s story, in whatever way they want. He welcomes all the visions or styles that the directors bring with them, and appreciates them. That is why each MCU film feels fresh and also a bit different.

Here is our list of the best 6 directors in the MCU, so far.

6. Jon Favreau –  Iron Man, Iron Man 2

The man who started it all. With Iron Man, Jon Favreau introduced the audience to the mammoth Marvel was about to become. To the studio’s hesitation, he chose the long-troubled Robert Downey Jr. to play the titular character. This later proved to be one of the best casting decisions the studio ever took. Iron Man earned terrific reviews — particularly for Downey’s performance — and made $586 million around the globe, silencing the naysayers and beginning the triumphant ongoing run of the MCU. Iron Man 2 followed two years later, adding $624 million to the Marvel coffers for a total of $1.2 billion under Favreau’s direction.

5. Joss Whedon – Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron

When it came to taking the gigantic task of weaving together one huge crossover adventure among the superheroes of the previous five films, Joss Whedon took the challenge. He delivered an unmatched experience for Marvel fans all over the globe with Avengers. A well-directed spectacular movie, allowing all of its characters to breathe. He handled them all with plenty of wit, action, humanity, and exhilaration. Following that, he brought Avengers: Age of Ultron which was also a huge success. But the nostalgia of watching Avengers, for the first time in theatre, is still adored by all Marvel fans.

4. James Gunn – Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

2014 was the time when Marvel took one of its greatest risks – to introduce a bunch of Marvel’s most eccentric and not-so-well-known bands of heroes. The Guardians of the Galaxy featured: Groot, Rocket, Drax, Gamora, and Star-Lord, who nobody knew at the time except the comic-rich fans. With his quirky, imaginative style and colorful palette, he directed both the sequels of Guardians of the Galaxy with tremendous success. Today the first movie is still one of the best movies on MCU’s list. His stamp on the material was so  important that he was consulted for all the Guardians’ scenes in “Avengers: Infinity War.” The fans are eager to see what he might have in store for us in the third installment of the franchise.

3. Ryan Coogler – Black Panther

Black Panther was a major moment in history, due to its primarily all-black cast. It even bagged an Academy win. Ryan Coogler took the MCU to its roots by giving an origin story that was grounded in reality and felt more focused. he highlighted the African culture and marketed it in a way that it appealed to the black community all over the globe. He introduced one of the most compelling antagonists – Killmonger. Even his evil deeds sometimes felt like ‘the right way’. The film went on to become a cultural classic and garnered a tremendous cult following. With the unfortunate demise of the lead Chadwick Boseman and Marvel’s stubbornness to not recast the character, he has a behemoth task of directing the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Let us hope he emerges victorious, again.

2. Taika Waititi – Thor: Ragnarok, Thor: Love & Thunder

The first Thor movie took a Shakespearean take in telling the character’s story. It felt right and vivid. However, the sequel Thor: The Dark World was a major disappointment for the studio. Hemsworth’s Thor felt orphaned, reduced to a secondary character. Then came Taika Waititi with the third movie Thor: Ragnarok. He blended humor, action, high stakes, and family drama in a neat and near-perfect manner. It resurrected the franchise and Chris Hemsworth’s character and took it to a whole new level. Let’s see if he continues that with Thor: Love & Thunder.

1. Anthony Russo & Joe Russo – Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame 

The brothers who made the impossible, possible – The Russo Brothers. After perfectly passing their ‘floor-test’ by directing amazing two Captain America sequels, they turned their heads to the final Avenger movies of the 10-year-long ‘Infinity Saga’. Featuring one of the biggest star cast ever to appear in the movie, both the Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were truly huge. The brother duo even gave the best MCU villain – Thanos, to the fans. In their movies, they even handled complex story themes like grief, losses, and death as well as something as complex as time travel with sheer perfection. Today, Avengers: Endgame ranks second among the top-grossing movies worldwide.