5. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
From John Walker’s first wink to the camera, I was eager to see his mug meet a fist. The satisfaction felt in episode four when the Dora Milaje appear and educate him — and Bucky Barnes — in the ways of Vibranium combat is deep. Wakanda’s warriors are always the biggest guns in the room. Those that think otherwise will find themselves sitting on the floor with trembling lips. Ayo is not here to play. She and her team have a mission, and Walker is but a pest standing in their way. Their total lack of concern regarding this wannabe Captain puts the fool in his place and fans his impotent rage. This sequence kickstarts a tragedy, and it still irks me how easily John Walker walked away from his deeds. I would love to see a rematch, only to see a suped-up U.S. Agent be shown the floor once more.
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Confused as a result of Wanda’s mental meddling, the big green guy rampages through Johannesburg. Tony Stark, of course, has the perfect suit for such an occasion. As far as CGI cage matches go, they don’t get better than this Hulk vs. Hulk-Buster sequence. Stark’s anti-hulk suit is a staple from the comics. Something built to keep the big guy in check. The manner in which the first Avengers and Iron Man 3‘s post-credits scene solidified the friendship between Bruce and Tony adds an extra bit of dramatic juice to their Age of Ultron rumble. They’re buds. Stark doesn’t want to pulverize his pal even when he’s in full-rage monster mode. Hulk, on the other hand, has no friends. He smashes. Tony gets a good shot in, knocks a tooth out with an elevator, and Hulk replies with the hardest glare pixels ever conveyed. All the billionaire can give is a “Sorry.” It’s not enough.
3. Captain America: Civil War
While this film’s big selling point is the airport clash between the two factions, and the brutal bout between Steve and Tony ultimately climaxes the experience, it’s the stairway scuffle near the start that excites me the most. Steve loves Bucky. Knowing the mental anguish his friend suffered while he was on ice weighs heavily on Rogers. Whether Bucky is responsible for the U.N. terrorist attack or not doesn’t matter. Steve must get to his friend before others do. He doesn’t want further harm to befall him. Bucky’s his responsibility, but Bucky wants out. He’s scrabbling. Steve wants to take him in and stop the cops from completing their mission while also protecting the cops from Bucky. It’s complicated. The pain built into this confrontation informs the action. And the gymnastics are rip-roaring. There’s hopping! Limb entanglements! Swinging banister vines! All of it leading up to Black Panther’s introduction and another glorious fracas between supposed heroes.
2. Iron Man
Iron Man’s first appearance still delivers. The Mark I armor remains in the spirit of Jack Kirby and Don Heck’s original comic book designs. It’s a physical creation, supervised by Shane Mahan and Stan Winston Studios. It lumbers. It clangs. It has weight and substance and looks rad as hell. The steampunk suit operates like an updated Ned Kelly get-up, slowly plodding through the Ten Rings’ cave network, taking on a lot of damage, and returning it ten-fold (pun intended). The scene acts as the MCU’s coming-out party. Fire surrounds Tony Stark, and there is no putting it out. Could anyone have imagined where this franchise would go in thirteen years? Maybe Kevin Feige. Yeah, definitely Kevin Feige.
1. The Avengers
The gif above is a slice of a much longer digitally constructed long-take that features every Avenger bringing it to the Chitauri horde. It’s a comic book splash page come to life, showcasing every hero’s talent and finally fulfilling the promise offered by Jon Favreau‘s first film. When Nick Fury stepped forth from Iron Man‘s shadowy end credits, this is the battle every fan imagined but dared not dream. We had been burned too many times before. We sat through a lot of Howard the Ducks and Captain Americas. Those days are now behind us. Superhero fatigue is constantly brandished about online, and while it certainly strikes some folks’ hearts, it hasn’t poisoned mine and a lot of others. Twenty-three films and two television series later, I’m aching for the next wave. Black Widow, Loki, Shang–Chi, Eternals, we await your arrival on this list.
Related Topics: Action, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios
