The Marvel Cinematic Universe has innumerable scenes that are iconic and evoke a wide range of emotions among audiences, from laughter to anger to tears. The ongoing Phase 4 containing movies and television shows have only added scenes to that list.

  • The MCU has developed a reputation of delivering crowd-pleasing scenes. The three Spider-Men from different universes teaming up was a huge crowd-pleasing moment. The Illuminati coming out in the latest Doctor Strange movie was another. However, these are massive moments expected to get a reaction from crowds in the theater. There are other scenes, ones that might not seem as big at first, but end up sticking in the viewers’ mind and becoming favorites. This has even carried over to the TV shows, where She-Hulk introducing herself as “Jennifer Walters, Attorney at Law” or the townspeople surrounding Ms. Marvel to protect her has a chance to stand the test of time.

There are certain scenes in the MCU that were not necessarily fan-favorites when first released, but have grown in viewers’ hearts over time. However, their impact and relevance have incremented over time as well. These scenes may have foreshadowed a major event in the MCU or played a huge role in pushing the storyline of a character. Now, they are key to understanding the MCU as a whole and the development of the characters within it.

Doctor Strange And His Musical Battle

While it had nothing to do with Doctor Strange’s fate or his future in the MCU, there was one scene in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness that has gone down as one of the best in the Marvel movies. This is the musical notes’ scene between Doctor Strange and one of his evil variants.

The scene was special because of the complexity and brilliance of the idea. First, Doctor Strange levitates notes from sheet music of Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony” and shoots them at Sinister Strange, who counterattacks with notes from Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.” The scene is infinitely rewatchable, as Danny Elfman then composed the score with the exact notes flying across the screen, making it one of Sam Raimi’s most memorable scenes in his career.

Groot Sacrifices Himself To Save His Family

Guardians of the Galaxy saw a group of misfits meet up and become a team and family. They fought, argued, and ended up saving the world from the evil Ronan the Accuser. However, before they could save the world, one of them made the ultimate sacrifice.

After an explosion, Groot expanded his body and surrounded the others, sacrificing his own life to keep them alive. During Groot’s most iconic moment in Guardians of the Galaxy, he said “We are Groot,” the only time he changed his dialogue in the entire movie, and it was a special moment that showed when they finally became one genuine family.

Killmonger Watches The Sun Go Down

Killmonger became one of the greatest villains in MCU history in Black Panther, and he received a fate that was well-deserved. While he did some terrible things while fighting Black Panther and attempting a coup in Wakanda, Killmonger had a tragic past. Black Panther’s father murdered his father and left him orphaned as a child, with only his dad’s old stories of the Wakandan sunset to tell him anything about his home.

As he was dying, Black Panther took Killmonger to the mountaintop, so he could see the sunset his father always told him about. It was a great moment. However, Killmonger’s speech about never letting man put chains on him, asking to die where his ancestors did years before, jumping overboard their ships to avoid servitude, was unforgettable.

Thanos Kills Loki

The opening of Avengers: Infinity War took viewers by surprise and proved no one was safe from Thanos. The Mad Titan arrived onboard the Asgardian ship that saved the survivors of Hela and Surtur’s attack on Asgard. He killed several Asgardians, and that included the mighty Heimdall, who proved in Thor: Ragnarök to be one of the strongest gods.

However, it was Loki’s death that stung the most. Loki proved in Thor: Ragnarök that he was honorable and helped save his fellow Asgardians. He then tried to kill Thanos on the ship and died while his brother watched on. This moment only gets better with age because Loki faked his death more than once, and this time he genuinely sacrificed himself trying to save his people, proving himself in his brother’s eyes one last time.

Wanda And Vision Have Dinner With The Boss

One of Phase Four’s MVPs has been Wanda Maximoff. She started off the Disney+ era of shows with WandaVision before moving on to become the villain in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Her progression from a tragic victim in Avengers: Age of Ultron to the deadliest villain in the MCU in Multiverse of Madness was shown strongly in WandaVision, which played out as a puzzle.

The joy in re-watching WandaVision is seeing the clues laid out. The best scene showing the true power of Wanda came in the dinner scene with Vision’s boss. He began to choke on his dinner, and it continued until his wife began to tear up, begging it to stop. This was clearly Wanda showing her dominance, something that played out later in the show and then in her turn as a villain to Doctor Strange. This scene showed the extent of her powers in a low-key yet horrifying way.

Loki Getting Hulk-Smashed

The scene in The Avengers when Loki was Hulk-smashed was always one of the most amusing moments of the movie, from Loki’s blustering arrogance to the almost cartoonish reaction from the Hulk. However, it has only become funnier over the years thanks to Loki’s transformation.

Loki also fights alongside Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok, letting go of their differences in the past. In addition to this, he uses the famous Tony Stark quote at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, “We have a Hulk” against Thanos. So, knowing their relationship in the future, the Hulk-smash is definitely fascinating in retrospect, showcasing the growth of both characters over time.

Peter Parker Introduces Himself To Stephen Strange

Doctor Strange meeting Spider-Man in Avengers: Infinity War is one of the funniest scenes of the movie because Peter replied to Strange’s introduction as, “Oh, we’re using our made-up names. Then, I am Spider-Man.”

However, the scene now is likely to be more enjoyable since the duo forms a much deeper relationship in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Names are tossed back and forth between the pair, with Peter calling Strange “Stephen” and “Sir” as a sign that he’s in and out of favor with the sorcerer, up until Peter Parker is forgotten by the world. While their relationship was a key to success in the movie, it will be interesting to see if their re-introduction to each other would go better.

Ant-Man Getting Stuck In The Quantum Realm

During the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and The Wasp, Scott AKA Ant-Man gets stuck in the Quantum Realm, and he stays in there for five years. Hardly anyone in the fandom could have imagined that this would lead to the reverse of Thanos’ snap in Avengers: Endgame.

The culmination of Infinity Saga rested on the shoulders of this scene. The Quantum Realm ended up becoming the only way to save half the population of the planet, making the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and The Wasp extremely consequential.

Captain America Not Lifting Mjolnir

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Avengers took turns in lifting Thor’s hammer and none succeeded, but Captain America was able to move it just an inch. After seeing him wield it and use it against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, that scene has become a point of discussion in the fandom.

It is safe to say that Steve was worthy of wielding Mjolnir all along if he was able to use it in Endgame. This means that he could have easily lifted it in the party scene but pretended not to be able to move it. Steve knew that Thor’s reputation was on the line, and as a result, he didn’t want to make his friend look bad. However, when the lives of so many people were on the line, he didn’t hesitate at all to use it as a weapon against Thanos.

Doctor Strange Giving Up The Time Stone To Save Tony’s Life

Doctor Strange gave up the Time Stone to Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War to save Tony’s life. At that time, many wondered why Stephen did that, because the Sorcerer Supreme is not expected to give up such a valuable commodity to save someone he only met a couple of days ago.

Fortunately, his decision was explained in Endgame. Doctor Strange saw all the alternate timelines in Infinity War. He knew that the one time they will win against Thanos, it will be because of Iron Man. He didn’t share that information with anyone at that time, not even Tony, but Endgame made it clear why he gave up the time stone and eventually let Thanos win.

Press Conference At The End of Iron Man 1

Iron Man has one of the greatest legacies in the MCU. His technology is still a huge part of the universe, and he is an inspiration to many future heroes. This is why his statement during the press conference at the end of Iron Man, “I am Iron Man” has become an iconic scene.

Not to mention, it directly foreshadowed his death scene in Endgame, thus increasing the effect and value of the scene. It was the start of not only the journey of Iron Man but also the MCU as a whole.

Captain America Giving Up The Shield

Captain America: Civil War had many intense scenes, but the most gut-wrenching scene was when Steve gives up his shield when Tony says that it was made by his father. This was the scene that made fans realize the extent of their conflict, and it marks a rift between the Avengers. The rift continued until Infinity War.

The impact of the scene hits much harder after the events of Endgame when audiences see Tony and Steve reconciling and reuniting for their final battle together. Now that both Tony and Steve will probably never reappear, the emotional weight of this scene is only going to increase.

Black Widow Death Scene

Black Widow dying in Avengers: Endgame is one of the most tear-jerking moments in the MCU. However, the scene now seems even more distressing and tragic after knowing more about Natasha’s past and her family.

Viewers know that she had a life outside of Avengers and SHIELD, and when she died, she left behind an unconventional but loving family. So, watching her death scene with this knowledge is all the more heartbreaking, especially seeing how her sister and Clint Barton react to her death in Hawkeye.

Thor Defeating Hela Without His Hammer

Thor’s fight with Hela ranks among the most epic fight scenes in the MCU. It is the first time fans see Thor embrace his power of thunder without the use of Mjolnir. The juxtaposition of the action scene with Thor’s vision of Odin is incredible and emotive.

The excitement in the scene escalates tenfold with Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” playing in the background. This is not only a stunning spectacle, but it is also such an important scene in God of Thunder’s journey. It also sets up a completely different Thor for future movies, one who has lost his home, Asgard but also realizes his true potential.

Avengers Assembling For The First Time

The first time the original six Avengers assembled was in The Avengers during the war against the Chitauri army. It has become a classic scene among the fans now after watching Endgame, in which they assembled for the last time. Many of those Avengers have lost their lives or retired, so the first time they assembled will always be a huge deal.

The Avengers theme playing in the background and the original Avengers coming together on the streets of New York is likely to exhilarate any die-hard fan.

Next: The 20 Best MCU Quotes