Mashable’s Ranked series crowns the best and sorts the rest. The Marvel Cinematic Universe may have begun in 2008 with Iron Man, a billionaire playboy genius and philanthropist who fights injustice. But over the course of 16 years and 30-plus movies,

It began with 2008's "Iron Man," a film that introduced the world to Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark with the hint that he could be part of something greater. Over 30 films later, the story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still being told,

T he Marvel Cinematic Universe is no longer one of Hollywood's biggest franchises - it is it's biggest franchise of all time, grossing over $31 billion and counting at the box off