With the Third Phase of Marvel's Cinematic Universe about to begin with "Captain America: Civil War," it's as good a time as any to look back at the twelve films that got us here. It's hard to believe that the mad experiment of interconnected films that began with Robert Downey Jr and Samuel L Jackson has not only worked, but become the dominant pop culture force of the current pop culture landscape. What "Star Wars" is to some, and "Harry Potter: is to others, is what the MCU is for me. And while I have a feeling my Top 5 might be adjusted by the end of the week, I love any opportunity to talk about some of my favorite films.

1. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

For me, "The Winter Soldier" is everything "The Dark Knight" wanted to be but better. We have a tight-knit thriller with high stakes and a lot to say about the current state of America. We have some of the best action in the entire Marvel Universe, where every punch, shot and kick has an impact. But most importantly, this is still a Captain America film; this is still the Star Spangled Man, just adapting to a world outside his element. "Winter Soldier" proved that you don’t have to choose between being true to the comics and making something thoughtful or meaningful.

2. "Guardians of the Galaxy:

If there were ever a key to explaining how the Marvel Cinematic Universe works, it would be "Guardians." Even with a collection of D-list heroes wholly separated from the rest of the Universe, Marvel was able to make a hit, and they did it by doing what they do best: having fun. They didn’t try to change who the characters were; they embraced them. They celebrated how weird this world was. They let an under-the-radar director flex his very niche skill set. And for celebrating what these characters were, the reward was the kind of vibrant, enjoyable, weird, revelatory sci-fi adventure, the likes of which we haven’t seen in years.

3. "Captain America: The First Avenger"

This might tip my hand as being a bit Cap-biased, but "The First Avenger" is a perfect film. Of every film here, it most perfectly distills who the hero is and captures it. The result is a pulpy, earnest, and campy romp centered around a hero that just wants to do some good. If "The Winter Soldier" is a better "Dark Knight," then "First Avenger" is the kind of Superman film we need but won’t see for a very long time.

4. "Ironman 3"

The ‘Mandarin' twist was ingenious, and nothing is more disappointing than seeing fans turn on this film because they decided not to use “Asian Sorcerer Stereotype #24601.” The film finally brought all the promise of the Ironman series together, creating the perfect sendoff for Marvel’s first series. "Ironman 3" is borderline ingenious in how it takes on the question of “what now” following "The Avengers," creating a world in which superheroes and aliens are public knowledge is wholly believable. And everything, from Ironman’s paranoia to the manufactured super villain that is the Mandarin, makes this world feel rich and realized.

5. "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

While it lacks the signature fist pumping moments of the first "Avengers" and was clearly too bloated and familiar for its own good, I feel like there is a lot of compelling conversations in "Age of Ultron: that go under-appreciated. It serves as a brilliant crossroads for each character, forcing setting them up for massive paradigm shifts that can only exist in huge continuity drive universes like this. It embraced the weirdness of its world by throwing characters like Scarlet Witch and Vision at us and assuming we could just roll with it. And I wish there was more time to cover Ultron’s fascination with religion, because a tighter film could do wonders with that. But despite its flaws, "Age of Ultron: is still a mammoth film, capturing everything that made the first special.

6. "The Avengers"

The big one. At some point, it becomes hard to think of new compliments for the culmination of almost half a decade of films. It’s instantly quotable. It captures the best in each one of its characters. It has a hope and energy and optimism that was sorely lacking in other blockbusters. It’s final battle is glorious, setting a new high mark for all superhero films to follow. "The Avengers" well earns its place in the modern film pantheon, changing the entire industry in one confident swoop and creating a classic in its own right.

7. "Ant-Man"

I really want to put this one higher, because the more I think about "Ant-Man," the more I love it. If Phase Two was about raising the stakes and scope from "The Avengers," "Ant-Man" was the earnestly simple and quirky. Taking the smaller scale conflict of Ironman but replacing the snark with sincerity, "Ant-Man" took a somewhat failed production and made a fun, inventive, hilarious and shocking endearing heist movie. "Ant-Man" was simple and old-school in the best of ways.

8. "Ironman"

It might seem a little low, but I only saw "Ironman" after the whole Cinematic Universe kicked off, putting into perspective how far the films have come and revealed a lot of the flaws that weren’t so obvious in 2008. It set the template for what a Marvel movie is and was our first great glimpse into what Robert Downey Jr. had in store, and that’s to say nothing of the humor, the character, and the action. But it also runs out of steam a little past the halfway mark and never recovers, setting up a trend of Marvel struggling to find compelling villains.

9. "Thor"

While it lacks the visual splendor of its sequel, "Thor" ends up being a slightly better package by executing its modest visions to their fullest. Making a fable-like tale fitting of the character and world, "Thor" was a confident, boisterous fantasy adventure, given Shakespearian grandeur from director Kenneth Branagh. And yes, Loki really was as good as you remember.

10. "Thor: The Dark World"

Though it fell the same fate of "Ultron" by trying to do too much in its run time, "The Dark World" is possibly my favorite Marvel movie from a visual stand point. Finding a beautiful hybrid of Flash Gordon and Dungeons and Dragons, the film fully embraced the world’s colorful, Jack Kirby origins and creating something utterly unique. And while the story might not be the most iconic or compelling, it was big and epic enough to fit the Mighty Thor. And yes, Loki was still really good.

11. "Ironman 2"

While it is normally at the bottom of any "Avengers"-based list, I’ll give "Ironman 2" a slight boost off the merits of another great Robert Downey performance and about one act of great action. Unfortunately, that’s not much more to write about other than that. Wanting to set up more pieces for "Avengers" and being blindsided by "Ironman’s" popularity, a sequel was rushed into production. And the result was something perfectly serviceable but nothing special.

12. "The Incredible Hulk:

By no definition is "Hulk" bad film. In fact, one of Marvel’s biggest successes thus far has been its shocking consistency. But there is a reason they didn’t rush to bring Edward Norton. A fun but forgettable monster mash, "Hulk" was a good example of how the Marvel formula could be twisted to fit a number of genres before we even knew there was a formula and a pretty good realization of the Incredible Hulk TV show. But in an attempt to avoid the slow, methodical pace of Ang Lee’s Hulk, some of the thoughtfulness was forgotten.