20 Most Epic Marvel Movie Action Scenes from Phase One And Two

The Marvel Cinematic Universe may have seemed like a risk at the beginning, but the release of Iron Man, and the many box office successes that followed soon made Marvel's pipe dream a reality. The comic book heroes and villains kept on marching to the big screen, but no matter how fantastic, how dark, or how grounded the stories got, audiences could trust that a Marvel movie would always deliver some memorable action scenes. Some movies through Marvel's Phase One and Two have raised the bar more than others, but even the less-successful films have turned in at least a handful of memorable scenes. Here is our look at the 20 Greatest Action Scenes From Marvel's Phase One & Two. Iron Man - The Cave Escape It's only fair that we start at the beginning, when Tony Stark first introduced the world to his alter ego: Iron Man. The Mark 1 armor may not be as polished as the ones that came after, but striking from the darkness, unleashing flamethrowers, and making his first aerial escape proved in a single scene that Marvel's second-rate hero could be box office gold. The Incredible Hulk - Big Man on Campus Fans of Marvel's big green monster were counting the minutes to see him in all his glory, and when Thunderbolt Ross cornered Bruce Banner to force the Hulk out of hiding, he got more than he bargained for - and fans got a fantastic sequence. Watching Hulk take down Humvees, sonic cannons, and even a gunship still never gets old. The Incredible Hulk - Harlem Shake The campus battle was just an appetizer, since the creation of the Hulk-sized Abomination gave the green hero the real villain of his first (and so far, only) solo MCU story. It was everything you want from a battle of monsters: cars used as boxing gloves, entire buildings as nothing but hurdles, and even Hulk's fire-quenching super-clap (near the end of the fight, putting out the fire of Betty's chopper crash). Recasting the role for The Avengers may lead some people to think Hulk's first movie was a wash, but these scenes and more stand the test of time. Captain America - Ride on The Valkyrie There were plenty of fights in the wartime setting of Captain America, but the film saved the biggest spectacle for its final act. Starting with the daring leap onto the bomber, the ensuing fight saw Cap battle onto, through, outside of, and then back into the plane, leading to a final showdown with Red Skull. It's the film's best action - the fact that it leads into Cap's so-called death only makes it more watchable. Thor - Frost Giant Frenzy No Marvel hero had a bigger hill to climb than the god of thunder, but his first solo film wasted no time in showing that he wasn't just deadly with his hammer - but the more intense the fight, the wider the grin on his face. Smashing skulls alongside the Warriors Three, Thor's mocking screams, and devastating lightning attacks showed what fans could expect - even if he needed his daddy to come to his rescue. The Avengers - Shakespeare in the Park When an Asgardian is taken into custody, some hiccups are to be expected. So when Thor first arrives to confiscate Loki from Iron Man, the billionaire takes exception. The fight that followed between Stark and Thor was actually storyboarded before director Joss Whedon even joined the film, which means Marvel knew from the start that the heavyweight rumble would be the perfect way to bring the Avengers' big three onto the same page - and they were right. The Avengers - Attack on the Helicarrier In Marvel's first team-up, the stakes couldn't have been higher. It was lucky, then, that Loki was just the kind of villain to hatch a plan sending every member of the team into battle on different fronts. The Helicarrier fight remains one of the most diverse in the MCU: Hulk first threatens Widow, before Thor takes on the monster himself. Cap trades bullets with enemy soldiers, Fury holds down the bridge, and Tony gets a close-up look at the inside of the Helicarrier's turbine. Pick your favorite scene: it's one homerun after another. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Fury's Ambush Since he doesn't have any superpowers, audiences were riveted to see Nick Fury cornered and ambushed by enemy forces in Washington, D.C.. The gadgets that allowed Fury to escape, and the slower-speed, but insanely tense chase scene that followed made The Winter Solider a hit almost by themselves, delivering an action scene to stand up against the best of any genre, let alone comic book movies. Iron Man 3 - Barrel of Monkeys One of Tony Stark's greatest action scenes didn't actually require any firepower at all: instead, he had to save the lives of over a dozen people freefalling from Air Force One. Using actual skydivers to get realistic footage, and incredible CG to polish it up, the scene was one of the most adrenaline-pumping in Stark's career - even more impressive, since he wasn't even IN the armor when he completed the mission. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Stealthy at Sea Shifting Steve Rogers from the old war to the new one could have been tricky, but when his sequel kicked off, he was already a master of covert ops and silent takedowns. Using his feet, fists and shield to put down an entire ship's crew himself, things only got better as he drew the leader out in the open. The directors made the most of UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, pitting him against Cap in one of the simplest, but most memorable fights in the MCU. Iron Man 3 - House Party Protocol Iron Man 3 might have taken Tony out of the suit for most of the movie, but the final act more than made up for it by calling in the cavalry to help the hero save the day. The cavalry, being every single specialized suit of armor Stark had made, piloted remotely by his A.I. co-pilot, JARVIS. Seeing Tony leap from one suit to another was a truly inspired idea, but watching as the suits take down their enemies in their own special way always offers something new on repeat viewings. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - The Elevator When Fury falls, Cap's not far behind. The elevator fight - which the directors compared to watching ten men try to fight a gorilla in a cage - was the first sequence to be shot, taking more than four days. The results spoke for themselves, with Cap's brutal up-close skills not just making the scene incredible in the film, but actually used to market the film as a first teaser. Thor: The Dark World - Prologue The opening prologue of a fantasy movie is supposed to be good - but maybe not THIS good. The sequence, following Asgardians of old defeating the Dark Elves, was created by director Tim Miller's own studio, years before he would helm Deadpool. The talent at work is obvious, since the CG-fueled battle scenes are massive, fluid, and above all, more entertaining and undeniably badass - in a Lord of the Rings sort of way - than any of the fights in the rest of the movie. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Bucky's Back It was only a matter of time until Steve and Bucky went head-to-head, and when they did, the bullets and smashed glass didn't disappoint. From Widow swinging from bridges to Cap being smashed through city buses, the scene - and Bucky's knife skills - kept fans on the edge of their seats. The reveal that Steve's new enemy was his former best friend only guaranteed the scene would never be forgotten - even though it was never really a risk. The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Hulk, Meet Veronica It's hard to choose one fight from the Avengers' second team-up, since the movie is really one battle after another. But considering how long comic book fans were hoping to see Tony Stark's Hulkbuster armor - a suit able to withstand, and defeat Hulk - the final reveal is hard to beat. Especially with the added on-call part replacement, making it even easier to beat Hulk by smashing him through a skyscraper - one floor at a time. Guardians of the Galaxy - The Kyln Everyone loves a prison break, but the one featured in James Gunn's space opera turned out so well, so funny, and so perfectly tailored to show each character's personality, Marvel actually ended up releasing the sequence as a free preview ahead of release. The response was even stronger in the finished movie, when Rocket, Quill, Gamora, Groot and Drax all showed that being a killing machine doesn't mean you can't be hilarious, too. Thor: The Dark World - Fun With Portals The battle between Thor and Malekith may not be as clear or satisfying as his fellow Avengers' biggest fights, but that doesn't mean it isn't just as much fun to watch. As the two men fight, the random, invisible portals between this realm and others send the pair tumbling from one planet to another, from dirt to sky and back again. For innovation alone, the scene deserves serious credit. Guardians of the Galaxy - Xandar's Defense Audiences didn't know what to expect when Star-Lord teamed up with the Ravagers, but what they got was a one-of-a-kind aerial attack, sending an entire fleet of scavenger ships to outsmart one massive cruiser. James Gunn turned to dogfighting references instead of space ships, and the benefits show. Plus, once the dogfighting ends, it's time for the Nova Corps' heroic arrival, and for Rocket and the Ravagers to play a little live-action Space Invaders to protect the civilians on the ground. forget Marvel - this is one of the best action sequences in years, period. Ant-Man - Small Scale Showdown From the very first trailers for Marvel's most unlikely hero, it was obvious the idea of a shrinking superhero would be played for laughs. The final fights between Ant-Man and Yellow Jacket didn't have to be fought on ant-scale, but the model trains and harmless kids' toys being turned into completely new weapons meant action and comedy - a perfect mix that made Ant-Man a welcome addition to a shared universe already filled with heroes. The Avengers - Battle of New York Is it cheating when a movie turns its entire third act into one massive fight sequence? Who cares: the battle of New York was everything a comic book fan could have dreamed of: Cap leaping over cars and rescuing hostages, Thor unleasing lightning from New York skyscrapers, Iron Man flying through urban valleys at breakneck speed, and Hulk... smashing. The cherry on top came in the sweeping shot flowing from one Avenger to another, not to mention the spinning look at the team that cemented them as Hollywood legends. Those are the fight scenes from Marvel's first two phases that most stick out in our memory, but which ones are your favorites? Some memorable ones had to be left off our list, but make sure to mention them in the comments, and remember to subscribe for more videos like this one!