Marvel Films: Why the AI Ranking Isn't to Everyone's Taste

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Marvel Films: Why the AI Ranking Isn't to Everyone's Taste.

You know the feeling: an AI throws a top-10 list at you, you scroll through it – and at three or four titles you think: no, I see it differently. That's exactly how many MCU fans are feeling right now, after MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes asked an AI for the best Marvel films and put his own ranking next to it. The result: two lists, one and the same film pool, completely different weighting. The piece first appeared on Mein-MMO.

What's striking about the comparison: the AI sorts by data it has analyzed – reviews, audience numbers, list placements. A human sorts by gut feeling, favorite scenes, and what blew them away the first time they watched it. Both are legitimate, but both almost never lead to the same order.

For you, that means: when you read the AI ranking, it's a suggestion – not a truth. And Hernes' counter-list is just as subjective, just in a different way. Both have the same problem: they have to impose an order on something that, for fans, often doesn't fit into an order.

Why an AI ranking gets debated so quickly when it comes to the MCU

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a special case in the film world: 30+ films, multiple phases, very different genres under one roof. An AI looking for "the best MCU films" has to decide whether to weight all films equally, whether to favor phase favorites, whether to disadvantage the later films because they were received in a polarizing way. Each of these preliminary decisions ultimately shows up in the ranking.

Hernes' observation in the article: an AI can recognize patterns, but it doesn't know which film first gave you that cinema feeling as a child. That's exactly where the argument starts.

What the AI does well – and where it stumbles with the MCU

What an AI can deliver in film rankings is a data-driven sort. If you want to know which MCU films perform best in the most reviews, the model provides a solid answer – provided you ask the right way. That's the one real added value of such a list.

What the AI can't do: it doesn't know that for you, the first Iron Man film means more than Avengers: Endgame because you saw it with your dad in the cinema. It doesn't know that Thor: Ragnarok matters more to you than Black Panther because you just like to laugh. These weightings only happen when a human writes their list – and that's exactly why the two rankings end up looking different.

Your taste is non-negotiable

The interesting question isn't which list is "right." There is no right list when it comes to something as personal as favorite films. What's interesting is where human and machine part ways – and what that reveals about your own taste when you compare both rankings.

Practical tip: read the AI ranking first, then Hernes', then write down your own top 5. The films that appear in all three lists are probably the undisputed all-time favorites. The films that only appear in your list are your real favorites.

How to use AI lists without frustration

Ask with context. A list of "Best MCU Films" delivers platitudes. "Best MCU films for someone who loves Iron Man and views the later phases critically" – actually delivers something useful.

Compare multiple models. ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude often deliver surprisingly different rankings for the same question. Three different answers are worth more than one.

Set time limits. "Only films before 2020" or "only Phase 3" – such constraints prevent the AI from slapping you with a list of 30 films you can't do anything with.

Treat the list like a friend. A buddy also tells you: "Hey, check this one out, it's good." You watch it, but you decide for yourself. It's exactly the same with the AI list.

Save the prompt wording. When you get a good answer, copy the prompt. At the next movie night, you keep asking with the same wording – the answers become more consistent.

Dare to disagree with the AI. If it puts a film at number 7 that you'd put at number 2 – that's not a failure of the AI, that's simply your taste.

What remains

The AI is a good sorter, but a poor curator. It finds the consensus films, it overlooks the favorite films. Hernes' counter-list is what complements an AI list: the honest, subjective view of a fan.

Added value for you: the complete comparison – AI ranking and Hernes' own list – can be found in the original article on Mein-MMO. Check it out, form your own opinion, and write your own top 5 in the comments – if you dare.