10 Marvel Movies With The Best Action Scenes

The movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe regularly feature impressive action, with some boasting truly exceptional action scenes throughout. Since the very beginning of the MCU’s movie timeline, the franchise has boasted many groundbreaking aspects, including in its action sequences. Bringing the Marvel Universe to life on the big screen has required a blend of CGI, practical effects, and traditional fight choreography, leading to many action-packed spectacles in the shared universe.
The movies of the MCU and other Marvel-based cinematic outings regularly boast breathtaking action. Though bringing comic book action to life isn’t always simple, the MCU and other Marvel franchises have been able to do so remarkably. Marvel’s wealth of street-level and Earth-based heroes often engage in high-level hand-to-hand combat, with CGI sometimes employed to enhance the more fantastical elements of the scenes in question. With all that in mind, here are 10 Marvel movies with the best action scenes.
10 Black Panther (2018) Director: Ryan Coogler Close Black Panther is regularly considered one of the best solo movies in the history of the MCU, with its depth and presentation earning specific praise. Even for all of the movie’s many strengths, nothing quite stands out as clearly as its exceptional action scenes, however. From practically the movie’s first moments, it sets an incredibly high bar with some exciting and brilliantly crafted action.
There are multiple action scenes in Black Panther that continue to stand out as some of the MCU’s most exciting. T’Challa’s coronation scene, involving a bout of ritual combat with M’Baku, remains a perfect introduction to Wakandan customs. The subsequent challenge from Killmonger and fight between the cousins is a brutal and memorable moment in MCU history, too. Though Black Panther’s CGI-heavy climactic battle against the backdrop of Wakanda’s vibranium mines left much to be desired, the rest of the movie’s action was utterly outstanding.
9 Captain America: Civil War (2016) Directors: Joe & Anthony Russo Close As one of the most important chapters in Captain America’s MCU story, Captain America: Civil War plays a major role in the MCU’s greater narrative. It features not just Steve Rogers but a whole host of the MCU’s heroes, pitting them against one another as they stand on opposing sides of the debate surrounding the Sokovia Accords. Having two teams of Avengers fighting one another lends itself well to exciting MCU action, and Civil War certainly delivers.
Throughout Captain America: Civil War, the action scenes are as excellent as they are relentless. From Bucky Barnes evading capture and fighting off the newly introduced Black Panther to the iconic Avengers airport battle, Civil War is packed with incredible scenes that put the MCU’s heroes at odds with one another. The climactic battle between Captain America and Tony Stark is both emotional and brutal, and continues to stand out as one of the MCU’s best ever fight scenes.
8 Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Director: Taika Waititi Close Thor: Ragnarok is often considered one of the MCU’s funniest movies, as it saw Thor undergo something of a personality shift in order for the franchise to approach the character from a more light-hearted perspective. However, Ragnarok’s comedic reputation actually distracts in some ways from its many other strengths. In fact, Thor: Ragnarok boasts some of Thor’s best battle scenes in his entire MCU story.
Thor: Ragnarok’s battle between Thor and Hulk on Sakaar is a grand-scale rematch of their much-loved fight in The Avengers. Subsequent action scenes feature Thor mastering the use of his lightning abilities, and the destruction of Asgard as the backdrop to Hela’s near-defeat of the movie’s eponymous hero. Though its many memorable comedic scenes might be more prominent, Thor: Ragnarok’s action scenes deserve to be considered equally noteworthy in terms of the movie’s place in the MCU.
7 The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) Director: Marc Webb Close Sitting centrally in Spider-Man"s movie timeline is Andrew Garfield’s tenure in the iconic role. His debut, 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, has often been compared unfavorably to the Sam Raimi movies that preceded it, and it also lacked the shared universe connectivity of his MCU successor in the role. However, The Amazing Spider-Man boasts some of the best Spider-Man fight scenes in the character’s live-action history.
The Amazing Spider-Man took a slightly different approach to adapting Spider-Man to the big screen. The movie’s action sequences feature several stylized moments, such as Spider-Man crawling around like an actual spider to evade the Lizard. Additionally, moments from Spider-Man"s own point of view and mid-fight quips help to add even more depth to The Amazing Spider-Man"s action sequences, making them feel innovative and exciting in a way that other adaptations have not quite been able to replicate.
6 The Wolverine (2013) Director: James Mangold Close Although Fox’s X-Men movie franchise isn’t primarily known for its consistent quality, it did feature a number of memorable movies. 2013’s The Wolverine gave one of the franchise’s most popular characters his second solo outing, following on from the disappointing X-Men Origins: Wolverine. However, the 2013 movie proved to be far better, delivering an enjoyable experience featuring the titular mutant complete with many memorable action sequences.
The Wolverine contained multiple excellent action scenes, including an eye-catching battle on top of a moving bullet train and a climactic fight between Wolverine and the Silver Samurai. Wolverine’s healing factor and use of his claws added a level of brutality to the movie’s action, and the fast-paced nature of the film combined with the variety of its set pieces helped make its fight scenes great. The Wolverine boasted some visually unique and appropriately violent action that helped cement it as one of the best of the X-Men franchise.
5 Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021) Director: Destin Daniel Cretton Close 2021 saw the MCU thoroughly embracing one of Marvel’s most prominent Asian superheroes, with Shang-Chi making his live-action debut as part of Phase 4 of the cinematic universe. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings did more than just introduce the hero, however, as it righted the MCU’s previous misstep regarding the villain known as the Mandarin. In its depiction of the hero and villain, it also featured a number of incredible action scenes.
Shang-Chi"s action ranks highly among the MCU’s fight scenes, with several memorably impressive sequences featured in the movie. Its action incorporated fantastical elements involving the Ten Rings with more traditional martial arts, giving it a unique feel even within the wider context of the MCU. From more grounded action like that in its famous bus fight to its more epic magical finale, Shang-Chi boasts some of the MCU’s most exciting action scenes.
4 The Avengers (2012) Director: Joss Whedon Close Upon its release in 2012, The Avengers forever changed the face of not just the MCU, but of the superhero genre as a whole. The franchise’s first true foray into embracing its shared universe format, The Avengers brought the MCU’s heroes together on-screen for the first time in live-action. Bringing the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Loki to life in a single movie presented something of a stylistic challenge.
Crucially, The Avengers’ fight scenes more than rose to the task. Blending the more grounded fighting styles of Captain America and Black Widow with the immense strength of Hulk, the god-like abilities of Thor, and Iron Man’s sci-fi weaponry, The Avengers was the first true adaptation of the full scope of the Marvel Universe’s action. Combining all of those elements into a single movie made The Avengers’ action scenes truly groundbreaking, and the movie still holds up brilliantly as a result.
3 Logan (2017) Director: James Mangold Close Widely hailed as one of the greatest Marvel movies ever made, 2017’s Logan brought Wolverine’s story to an unforgettable conclusion. Adapting the Old Man Logan story from Marvel Comics, Logan introduced an aging Wolverine whose abilities were faltering, bringing him back a final time to protect the daughter he didn’t know he had. As befitting a movie intended as the last cinematic hurrah of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine – his later return notwithstanding – Logan’s action was exceptional.
From beginning to end, Logan’s fight scenes are relentlessly brutal and appropriately violent. Starting with an abrupt and vicious action scene and concluding with the unforgettably emotional ending of Logan, the movie boasts some of the most impactful action in Marvel movie history. The appeal lies not just in the quality of its execution, but also in the exploration of deeper themes by the subtext of Logan’s action, making it one of the greatest Marvel movies of all time.
2 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Directors: Joe & Anthony Russo Close When it comes to traditional action, no Marvel movie has ever quite delivered on the same level as Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In general tone, the movie is more a spy thriller than a superhero movie, with Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff uncovering a large-scale conspiracy that cuts right to the very core of the MCU’s internal power structure. Regardless of the presentation of The Winter Soldier’s story, it undeniably contains some of the best Marvel movie action of all time.
The movie pits one super soldier against another, but also reveals that its central characters are childhood friends. The emotional connection between them adds another layer to its intricately crafted fight scenes, but what makes The Winter Soldier so exceptional is its breakneck pace. The movie takes Captain America from one conflict to another, showcasing some of the most exciting big-screen action that the superhero genre has to offer.
1 Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Directors: Joe & Anthony Russo Close While its place in the wider MCU often sees it sit squarely in the shadow of its sequel, Avengers: Endgame, 2018’s Infinity War is oftentimes arguably superior in terms of its action scenes. The beginning of the Infinity Saga’s two-part conclusion, Avengers: Infinity War sees conflict break out across the MCU, bringing all its heroes together to combat the threat of Thanos. To that end, Infinity War features the franchise’s most impressive action scenes to date.
What makes Infinity War’s action so remarkable is its unprecedented scale. The number of heroes and villains appearing and the variety of their abilities makes for some of the most breathtaking action spectacles of all time, which is only compounded by the groundbreaking nature of the movie. Its story is truly epic, and its action scenes are crucial to bringing that scale to life, making them the most impressive in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Upcoming MCU Movies