If there’s anything that pretty much every single Marvel Cinematic Universe film (good or bad) does right, it’s bringing someamazing fight scenes to screens that viewers will rememberfor years. Whether it be a final battle that brings a story to its climax or a mid-film fight that helps with the plot’s buildup, the MCU always steps up its game when it comes to action setpieces.
For a battle to be thrilling,it needs to be anxiety-inducing, exciting, and cheer-worthy,and the Marvel Cinematic Universe knows exactly how to deliver. With how many battles there have been in the last sixteen years, it’s nearly impossible to define what the definite best fights are, but there are some real contenders out there.These are the most thrilling battles in the MCU, exhilarating action sequences that rank among the franchise’s finest on-screen moments.
10Deadpool vs. The TVA
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ (2024)
The opening ofDeadpool & Wolverineneeded to do a very tough job: convince audiences that Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) could work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that he hasn’t lost his charm. The previous minute or so before the fight showed audiences that the humor still worked, but it wasn’t until the agents of the TVA showed up to arrest the Merc With a Mouth that viewers got to see the action was going to stay just as good.
Setto the tune of N’Sync’s hit song “Bye Bye Bye,“the fight scene that ensues between the anti-hero in red isexciting, hilarious, and gory. Seeing Deadpool take on the numerous agents coming at him, using Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) adamantium skeleton as a weapon, confirmed to audiences that the Deadpool they know and love wasn’t going anywhere; in fact, he was as thrilling and humorous as he’s always been.
Deadpool & Wolverine
9Thanos vs. The Titan Team
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
By the timeAvengers: Infinity Warcame out, audiences already desperately wanted to see the Guardians of the Galaxy team up with the Avengers in some way. The fight on Titan not only delivered on that front, but took it a step further by pinning them up against the Mad Titan himself, Thanos (Josh Brolin). When Thanos pulls up to his old home world, the team on Titan has already devised a plan, which means this fight features the group working together in almost-perfect synchronicity.
Seeing the unique powers and tech of both teams come together with the massive scale of Titan (they literally drop an entire multi-floor structure on top of him) is exciting and a sight to behold.Everyone gets a little moment to shine against Thanos, but it’s the final one-on-one between Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) that solidifies this fight asone of the most rewatchable scenesin the Infinity Saga.
Avengers: Infinity War
8Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)
Just when everything seems to be going right for Peter Parker (Tom Holland), and there’s hope that he might cure all the multiversal villains, the Goblin persona within Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) reappears and sends everything into chaos. The fight that ensues between Spider-Man and the multiversal villains, specifically the Green Goblin, isintense and hard-hitting.
Hectic and quite ruthless, the sequence is among the mostrewatchable in Holland’s Spider-Man career. Green Goblin and Spider-Manbust each other through the apartment building floors, ceilings, walls, and more. The shot in which the Wall-Crawler is punching the Goblin over and over, and all the opponent does is laugh, is chilling and quite dark. The cherry on top of this thrilling cake is that the fight finds itself ending with the heart-wrenching death of Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).
Spider-Man: No Way Home
7The Hallway One-Shot
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ (2023)
The hallway one-shot inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is one of the most visually appealing andrewatchable scenes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Everyone loves a good one-shot fight, andJames Gunnabsolutely blew audiences away with this fight that brought the Guardians back together after Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) was out cold for most of the film and boy, did it pay off.
The fact that this fight is one continuous shot is quite awesome, but it’s the wonderful camera work that makes it truly outstanding.Not only are the Guardians all over this hallway, but so is the camera. It flies around the battlefield like a bird and perfectly captures each of the epic kills that the Guardians pull off against these evil aliens.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
6Iron Man vs. Captain America & Bucky
‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016)
As if the plot ofCaptain America: Civil Warwasn’t already thrilling enough, the climax really upped the ante and took both the action and story to a whole new level. With the reveal that Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) (under the mind control of HYDRA) murdered Tony’s parents,Iron Man sets his sights on killing him for revenge. What ensues is a fight that follows Iron Man trying to kill Bucky, Bucky trying to get away, and Captain America trying to stop his close friend from killing his best friend.
If that wasn’t exciting enough,the metal-armed ex-assassin and the Star Spangled Man team up and fight Iron Man two-on-one. The two bouncing the shield back and forth off of the metal exterior and Iron Man’s repulsor blasting Bucky’s arm off make this fight not just intense but also enhance the emotions of the story.
Captain America: Civil War
5Team Cap vs. Team Iron Man
The most iconic part ofthe “Civil War” Marvel Comics storyline, and eventually of the movie, is audiences getting to see their favorite Avengers go toe-to-toe. More importantly, it wasn’t due to mind-control or some sort of miscommunication like usual, either. This time, it’s over a genuine moral disagreement that is complex and gray, which causes fans to take to the internet and choose sides.
For the Avengers, the tarmac of an airport in Germany turned out to be the best place for the team to face off. This sequence also served as the first time Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) teamed up with the Avengers and the first time audiences saw the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s iteration of Spider-Man in action.This fight has gone down in history as a fan favorite, and for very good reason.
4Escape from S.H.I.E.L.D.
‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ (2014)
Commonly known as one of the best Marvel films of all time,Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s entire runtime is astoundingly thrilling. Pretty much every fight is a wild ride, but one of the best happens inside a S.H.I.E.L.D. elevator. During this tense moment,Captain America clocks that his comrades are corruptwith the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D.
What makes this fight so thrilling is the fact that it’s justCaptain Rogers against ten other agents at once, all with the intention of killing him. With the fight taking place in such close quarters, it’s intense and hard-hitting beyond belief, but this is Captain America, so, of course, he brawls his way out of it,jumping from the elevator and falling multiple stories before painfully landing on his shield. The scene continues with him escaping the compound and taking out an entire quinjet alone. It’s one of Cap’s best accomplishments.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
3Ambushed On the Bridge
After securing Agent Jasper Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernández), the team thinks they are scot-free… until they’re ambushed by The Winter Soldier himself. The fight that follows is not only exciting but containsone of the best hand-to-hand combat scenes in the Marvel catalog. Not only do both Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) get to show off what they’re made of, but the use of the battle environment, like a nearby bus, makes the action all the more dynamic.
The absolute highlight of the scene is the hand-to-hand knife combat between Steve and The Winter Soldier: it’s fast-paced, intense, hard-hitting, and shot excellently, a stuntman’s fantasy brought to life. This battle is when Captain America finally discovers that the man he’s been facing is his old friend, Bucky Barnes. The moment is great and caps off the action scene perfectly.
2The War in Wakanda
While Iron Man and his makeshift team battle Thanos on Titan, there’s an all-out war in Wakanda for the Mind Stone in Vision’s head. When they realize they have no other choice, Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) opens the front barrier to the city. Captain America, Black Widow, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) in the Hulkbuster, and many more join the Wakandan army andface off against the Black Order and their minions.
There is so much happening in the fight, numerous moving pieces, and multiple action match-ups that there isn’t a second of time where something uninteresting is happening. Somehow, directorsJoe RussoandAnthony Russokeep all these pieces moving without it ever getting confusing. The result is a one-of-a-kind battle that gives everyone a chance to shine. It also featuresthe rewatchable moment where Thorlands with his new weapon, Stormbreaker.
1The War for Earth
‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
The final battle ofAvengers: Endgameisone of the greatest fight sequences in superhero cinema, bringing the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe together to face one of the greatest villains of all time.The overpowered villain Thanos, plus his Black Order and massive army, give quite the fight, providing the superheroes of the Marvel universe the greatest fight of their lives.
The fight is not only intense and thrilling because of the amazing action but also because of thecompelling and satisfying full-circle momentsthat complete character arcs that had been running for years beforehand. The spectacle on display is astounding and has resulted in one of the most memorable fight sequences in cinema. It’s also an extended sequence, meaning it has several cheer-worthy moments, from Wanda’s attack on Thanos to Captain Mavel’s (Brie Larson) climactic arrival.
