2012’s The Avengers is the movie that proved the MCU could work. The finale of “Phase One” pulled together six superheroes from their own disparate worlds – the cosmic home of Norse deities, the cushiest neighborhood in Malibu, the battlefields of World War II, etc. – and birthed the most lucrative franchise in Hollywood.

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Those six heroes have since been joined by dozens of others, with whom they managed to break the record for the highest-grossing movie ever made. But it all started with that 2012 original. Joss Whedon’s The Avengers won over audiences with sharp plotting, strong chemistry between the cast, and a bunch of memorable action sequences.

Loki Steals The Tesseract

Loki holding the Scepter in the opening scene of The Avengers

While the movie as a whole is an action-packed spectacle, The Avengers has a relatively low-key opening. It has a decidedly boring setting – a research facility – and the only superhero present for the all-too-brief action is Hawkeye, who just stands and watches as Loki infiltrates S.H.I.E.L.D. via a wormhole and effortlessly steals the Tesseract.

This opening sequence is primarily focused on setting up the MacGuffin. It ends with an awesome title reveal, as Nick Fury decides to reopen the Avengers Initiative and the title The Avengers finishes his sentence, but the sequence itself isn’t very thrilling. Whedon would later deliver a much more spectacular opening with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ attack on the snowy Hydra compound in Age of Ultron.

The Avengers Bring In Loki

A man stands up to Loki in The Avengers

Arresting Loki in Stuttgart is the first time the Avengers assemble, although only half of them have been fully recruited at this point. Hawkeye is under Loki’s spell, the Hulk sits it out, and Thor hasn’t shown up yet. Still, Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow each get some memorable moments in this set-piece.

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Steve’s Hitler line is clunky (“You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing”), but Tony’s “Shoot to Thrill” entrance makes up for it. Ultimately, Loki surrenders and S.H.I.E.L.D. brings him in, ushering in the second act.

Black Widow’s Opening Fight Scene

Black Widow on the phone in The Avengers

When Fury decides to reinstate the Avengers Initiative, naturally, the first person he calls is Natasha Romanoff. She’s in the middle of an undercover mission gone sour, having been abducted by some bad guys and tied to a chair. She’s in the middle of being interrogated when the phone rings and Agent Coulson calls her back to base.

This sequence reintroduces the character perfectly. As soon as she receives the call from Coulson, she reveals that escape has always been an option. She puts Coulson on hold, effortlessly breaks out of the chair, and quickly beats every goon in the room to a pulp. This is the kind of super-spy action that had Marvel fans crying out for a Black Widow solo movie a decade before she actually got one.

Loki Escapes From The Helicarrier

Loki inside his cage in The Avengers

While the Avengers are arguing amongst themselves, Loki’s brainwashed agents infiltrate the Helicarrier to free him from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s jurisdiction. The bad guys damage the engine, Thor gets trapped in Loki’s cell, and the ensuing panic causes Bruce Banner to turn into the Hulk.

This is a great sequence, because everybody has something to do. Tony and Steve form an unlikely partnership to repair the engine, both Thor and Black Widow’s efforts are required to subdue the Hulk, and Whedon employs sharp cross-cutting as the sequence bounces around the heroes’ perspectives.

However, this whole set-piece is let down by the overused trope of a villain getting themselves caught just so they can break out (also seen in The Dark Knight, Skyfall, and Star Trek Into Darkness). It’s a classic example of Hitchcock’s notion of “fridge logic.”

Iron Man & Cap Versus Thor

Iron Man, Thor and Captain America fighting in The Avengers.

When Thor intercepts the Avengers bringing in Loki, Iron Man and Cap get the God of Thunder down on the ground and fight him in the woods. Hero-on-hero combat is rare in the MCU, but it’s always a treat when a director indulges in this trope and shows all the interesting ways that their powers bounce off each other.

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In one of the most memorable moments from this sequence, Mjolnir clashes against the vibranium of Cap’s shield. Plus, Thor’s thunder unwittingly powers up Iron Man’s tech. The Avengers was touted as a big, ambitious Phase One crossover pulling all the established Marvel heroes together under the same banner, and this scene proved that the marketing wasn’t just blowing smoke to get butts in seats.

The Battle Of New York

The Avengers standing together for the first time during the battle of New York

The Battle of New York at the climax of the first Avengers movie is still one of the MCU’s greatest battle sequences. It’s so iconic that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes literally return to it in Endgame. Whedon’s swooping tracking shot moving from Avenger to Avenger is the closest cinematic equivalent of a splash page.

This set-piece has ample memorable moments: veteran warriors Cap and Thor fighting side-by-side, Hawkeye shooting an arrow while leaping from the roof of a skyscraper, Iron Man asking about shawarma. The sequence reaches a thrilling finale when the government sends in a nuke and Tony proves Steve wrong by making the ultimate sacrifice to take out the Chitauri fleet and save the city.

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