In 2008, Marvel began creating the Avengers' universe in cooperation with Disney and Paramount Pictures. The films have been known for their quality and terrific box office success. But which films continue to stand the test of time? In honor of the release of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," I will rank my three personal favorite Avenger films thus far.

3. "Captain America: The First Avenger"

The first Captain America film is rather straight forward in its aim and in many ways is the most predictable of the Avenger films. It is set in World War II and the Nazis are the main enemies; could there be a greater cliché in all of cinema history? However, the film endures because of the execution of the aim. The film does not shy away from the fact that it is a conventional superhero movie, but it still attempts to pull out all the corresponding stops. Chris Evans is a charismatic lead and his love story with Hayley Atwell is reserved in its portrayal and thus more effective; there is no cliché treatment. Hugo Weaving is a fantastic villain, but it is Toby Jones who really steals the show as the Nazi biochemist Arnim Zola. The action is fast-paced and the film manages to maintain a sense of nostalgia for the old days while being a solid superhero flick. The main drawback to the film is the ending, which ultimately makes the entire experience feel a bit gimmicky. If the only reason for making this film was to set up "The Avengers," then why bother?

2. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

Another Captain America movie on this list? Disney/Marvel have gotten it right when it comes to the good old captain. The complexities of the character as feeling out of time and stuck in time are well handled here, and the decision to explore other characters more intricately gives the film a depth that other Marvel movies don't even try to reach. The villain here might actually be the finest in the entire Marvel universe (after Loki, of course). The political angle also gives the film a bit more of a serious tone and makes it more accessible to a wider audience. Regardless, it's far from perfect.

1. "Iron Man"

This is the reason that the Marvel universe has been so successful. After years of mediocre superhero films, Marvel went out and made a film that knew how to have fun with the subject matter. Robert Downey Jr.'s performance rivaled Johnny Depp's original Captain Jack Sparrow, but unfortunately, Downey Jr.'s shtick has lost its luster in the more recent installments. This film was exciting, engaging and really made an unknown superhero into a cinematic icon. Years later, this is still the most engaging and well crafted of all the Marvel movies out there.

Bonus: So which Marvel film am I least fond of? "The Avengers." While the film soared at the box office, this film comes off as excruciatingly vapid when you look past the gimmick of cramming all the superheroes into one movie. The plot is senseless and boring. The villains are generic (except for Loki) and the action is chaotic and uninteresting for the most part. More importantly, the major superheroes lack the personality and individuality that they achieve in their solo outings; of course, that is a tough aim, but it still is disappointing that the heroes were not used to their full potential in the big event film.