10. Thor vs. Hulk in Ragnorak
Everyone always wants to know if their favorite heroes fought each other who would win the fight. In this iconic scene we finally get to see who is the strongest avenger… somewhat anyway. There is of course third party interference as is the case most times when we get to see two heroes face off. I guess you can’t just have your heroes killing each other at every opportunity, but nonetheless we still get to see a great fight. Thor vs. Hulk will surely hold onto its prestige as the MCU ages and moves on to bigger and better things.
9. Hela Destroying Thor’s Hammer
When we first see Hela show up in Thor: Ragnarok nobody is sure what to expect. Clearly she must be an incredible threat if Odin himself was forced to imprison her in the underworld, and it doesn’t take long for a proper introduction. Just moments after meeting her we discover how truly powerful she is when she not only stops Thor’s hammer in mid air, a feat we have yet to see up to this point, but just to top it off she crumbles it with ease into many pieces. From this point on we know that Hela is a different kind of powerful, a level not yet seen before in the MCU.
8. Sharon Carter’s Eulogy in Civil War
For some this moment may seem insignificant when measured up against the entirety of the MCU, but it is this moment that pushed Captain America over the edge in Civil War. Sharon Carter gives one of my favorite quotes of all time, “Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say, ‘No, you move’.” It is this quote that pushed Captain America to make his stand against the Sokovia Accords, and ultimately against Tony and the united governments of the world.
7. Sam Wilson’s First Public Moment as the New Captain America
Throughout Falcon and the Winter Soldier Sam is trying to figure out why Steve left him his shield. From the moment it was given to him he feels that it doesn’t belong to him. Finally, it is during this moment when Sam is making his speech to the government officials he has just saved that he truly steps into the large shoes Steve has left behind to fill. This is the first time we feel the MCU is going to be drastically different than it was before. At the same time though, it gives us confidence that thanks to the founding members, like Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, the Avengers will be in good hands moving forward.
6. Portals Appearing Behind Captain America in Endgame
For me this moment is one of the greatest spectacles in cinematic history. A single scene shows the culmination of heroes that have been brought together throughout the entire Infinity Saga. A saga that spans 23 movies across 11 years. For those who lived through the Infinity Saga, patiently waiting for the next marvel movie to drop, this mass of star power and story building is enough to bring a tear to your eye. Never before have we seen such a feat of interconnectivity between such a mass amount of movies, and I don’t believe we ever will again, especially on such a truly awesome scale.
5. Iron Man’s Snap
Losing a beloved hero is never easy. We’ve been fortunate to make it this far, but all good things have to come to an end eventually. Just a single outcome out of 14,000,605 possibilities where the avengers were able to come out on top and defeat Thanos, and sadly it had to end this way. Iron Man’s snap is a fit ending to the story arc of Tony Stark’s life. From self absorbed billionaire, playboy, philanthropist to performing the single most heroic and selfless act anyone has ever seen in order to save trillions of lives is a remarkable turnaround and a fitting end to the character Tony Stark. We love you 3000.
4. Captain America Fighting Iron Man in Civil War
The unforgettable battle for the soul of the avengers between Iron Man and Captain America will forever be one of my favorite MCU moments. Throughout the Civil War movie we see pulled punches when our heroes are fighting. Nobody really wants to hurt their friends and do any real, lasting damage. That however is not the case when we get to this particular face off. Iron Man is out for blood, and he will stop at nothing to get vengeance for the deaths of his parents. Steve is pushed to the edge, not wanting to hurt Tony, but very nearly does in the end as he tears off Tony’s helmet and plunges his shield into Tony’s chest damaging the arc reactor powering his suit ultimately putting an end to the fight. This is probably the best fight in the MCU not only because of the fight itself, but because of the stakes that were present during it.
3. Captain America Standing Alone Against Thanos and His Army
This is one of my favorite visuals, because without words it perfectly captures the character of Captain America. Iron Man and Thor are out of it for the time being, and Captain America is beaten down, probably has a broken arm, his shield is mangled, but he finds it in himself to get up. He tightens the strap on his shield, pulls himself up and begins to approach Thanos and his massive army knowing full well he’s the only one there to make a stand. Without hesitation Captain America is willing to give his last full measure of service standing up against the evils of the universe for what is right.
2. Thanos’ Snap
The weight of Thanos’ snap was huge at the time. It’s really the first time we see our heroes lose. Not only that, but the fact that we had to sit through two other movies, and wait just over a year before we had a resolution to half of the world getting dusted out of existence really helped to amplify the loss and magnitude of the situation overall. There was no mistaking that the avengers were in a rough place trying to find a way to deal with their first loss. Of course, it didn’t help that it happened to be on a scale hitherto undreamt of, if I may quote the Master of the Mystic Arts.
1. Captain America Picking Up Thor’s Hammer
I don’t see a way in which Captain America picking up Thor’s hammer doesn’t fall into the number one moment in the MCU. It is, and forever will be the biggest WTF moment in cinematic history. Not a single person saw this epic moment coming. Not to mention he just casually and single handedly man handles Thanos with it for a time. Captain America wielding Mjölnir for the first time will forever be ingrained in my mind.
