So many of the original Avengers’ contracts expired with the conclusion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Infinity Saga," and new stars made their way into the fold. The changing of the Avengers guard has left many fans wondering if some of their favorite heroes will be leaving the doors open for some of their most notable names to return somewhere down the road, or if legacy characters will continue to pass on their mantles in the way Captain America, Black Widow, Black Panther, and more have.
Starting with Iron Man in 2008, there are now a lot more Avengers members in the MCU than when they first banded together. While not every member of Earth's Mightiest Heroes has been lucky enough to get their very own solo adventure on the silver screen, each has had their standout moment where they showed up and showed out in typical heroic fashion. So before the next notable name bites the big one, each one of them can be honored with a recap of their very best scenes in the movies of the MCU so far.
Updated December 7th, 2022 by Amanda Bruce: Iron Man might have kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Captain America might have been the first Avenger in the MCU’s timeline, but there have been a lot more heroes added to the roster over the years. Some of them are super soldiers, some use magic, and some just have special skills. After the events of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the roster will likely be changing again, but the audience will never forget these movie moments with the characters.
Okoye - “For Wakanda? Without Question.” (Black Panther)
Some might argue that Okoye isn’t an Avenger, but she’s clearly the representative for Wakanda in Avengers: Endgame while Black Widow is still trying to hold the group together. Like Carol Danvers and Rocket, Okoye maintains contact with Natasha Romanoff, trying to help maintain order and rebuild in the five years people are missing. She also takes part in the major battles in Infinity War and Endgame.
She has plenty of impressive fights and quippy moments in her MCU appearances, but her best might be her demonstration of loyalty in Black Panther. When Wakanda is on the brink of civil war, Okoye is loyal first and foremost to the throne and protecting order in the country. As a result, she is forced to stand against her own husband on the battlefield, and when he questions if she would fight him, she doesn’t hesitate to tell him she would for Wakanda. It’s a powerful moment that shows the audience how serious Okoye is about her calling as a member of the Dora Milaje.
Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel - Standing Up To Yon-Rogg (Captain Marvel)
When the audience meets Carol Danvers, she’s a bit impulsive, but she’s always ready for a fight. She also looks up to the Kree she works with, not knowing that her teammates look down on her because she’s actually human. When she discovers that Yon-Rogg has been lying to her and manipulating her into thinking she’s not as good of a soldier or fighter as he is, she gains the courage and confidence to stand up to him.
Yon-Rogg tries to goad Carol into behaving recklessly in the fight, into fighting him without the power set that she hasn’t been able to use for years. Captain Marvel unceremoniously uses her power to knock him off his feet and declares that she no longer has anything to prove to him. Carol doesn’t give in to the manipulation and is finally able to truly be herself. It’s a hugely cathartic moment for the audience who understands Carol’s history long before she does.
Hope Van Dyne/Wasp - Controlling The Ants (Ant-Man)
Hope isn’t initially a costumed superhero in Ant-Man. Instead, she’s trying to distance herself from her father’s costumed past to keep up appearances at work. Despite that, she has a better command of every skill she and her father attempt to teach Scott Lang. While her teaching Scott to punch is a fun example of that, her best scene is arguably her taking over when Scott is trying to tell ants to put a sugar cube in his teacup.
Scott struggles with getting the ants to listen, but Hope is able to have an entire army of ants do what she asks. So many ants in fact that they block out the light in the kitchen and startle her father. That scene makes her path to heroism clear. She is so much more skilled than most of the heroes when they first stumble into their superpowers in the MCU.
Wong - Climbing A Mountain To Stop Wanda (Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness)
Like so many of the MCU’s supporting characters, Wong has a ton of great scenes that put him in the role of comedic relief. He also, however, has a handful of scenes that demonstrate just why he deserves the title of Sorcerer Supreme and membership into the Avengers.
One of those is the sequence that highlights his pursuit of Wanda Maximoff in Multiverse of Madness. Though Doctor Strange is pursuing Wanda across universes, Wong is trying to stop her in the main universe. He knows that his magic might not be strong enough against her head-on, so he goes after her while she’s distracted, climbing up the side of a mountain that he can’t simply teleport to. He’s truly committed to saving the universe from her destructive force and almost loses his life because of it.
Bruce Banner/The Hulk - “I’m Always Angry” (The Avengers)
As the hands-down star of the first Avengers movie, there were several “Hulk smash” moments to take into consideration, from Bruce’s freefall from a helicopter in The Incredible Hulk to his duel with Tony Stark’s Hulkbuster in Age of Ultron. As the big guy of the group, there’s nothing more satisfying than watching Banner bulldoze his way through enemies. Still, out of all his moments, nothing remains more iconic in the MCU than Banner’s epiphany revealed during the Battle of New York.
In the midst of a hostile takeover by the Chitauri in downtown Manhattan, Banner returns to the Avengers after a long absence. As Captain America goes over everyone’s plans, Iron Man leads a Leviathan warship straight towards the group. When Captain America suggests that Banner should start getting angry, he reveals that he’s always angry and proceeds to transform into his alter-ego before taking out the Leviathan with a single smash. Not only is Bruce’s line a badass moment, but it’s also a revealing truth that speaks to Bruce’s control over the Hulk, as the Avenger shows how he has learned to harness his anger, making the Hulk a weapon that can be unleashed when necessary.
James “Bucky” Barnes - Highway Fight (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
A former soldier of the 107th Infantry Regiment and the childhood best friend of Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes is the ultimate foil to Captain America. When operating without the memories of his past, he’s able to reach Rogers on an emotional level by appealing to his days before he became a super soldier.
In the most thrilling action sequence of The Winter Soldier, Bucky intercepts Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon as they attempt to kidnap HYDRA agent Jasper Sitwell. After launching a grenade in the trio’s direction, Bucky looks to finish them off with a machine gun. Failing to kill his opponents, he chases Black Widow through the streets of Washington D.C. before finding himself in a one-on-one tussle with Rogers. In a brilliantly choreographed scene, the two counteract each other’s every move before Bucky retreats. As expert martial artists go, the Winter Soldier shares the talents of his best friend, and is easily one of the most capable antagonists at that point in the MCU.
Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Pep Talk (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
After a disappointing debut in The Avengers where he appeared as a brainwashed minion of Loki’s army, Hawkeye finally made a strong impression in Age of Ultron with a performance that many called the highlight of the movie. Doubling as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and part-time family man, his character is redeemed with a scene which Jeremy Renner would call Barton’s “f-ck you moment,” becoming the only member during a pivotal sequence to not be seduced by Scarlet Witch’s hallucinatory charms. But his greatest surprise came when he gave one of the best pep talks in superhero movie history.
After having a change of heart, Scarlet Witch finds herself cowering in a ramshackle building as Ultron’s army decimates the country of Sokovia. As she debates returning to the fray, Barton coaches her by addressing the ridiculousness of the situation and questioning his own usefulness fighting an army of robots with nothing more than a bow and arrows. It’s a bit of light-hearted humor that blends well with the heat of the moment -- and solidifies Hawkeye as not only an equal among his peers, but the most logical Avenger of the group. It's also a precursor to an emotional moment he would have with Yelena Belova in the Disney+ Hawkeye series years later, proving that he understands the value of speaking with emotionally vulnerable opponents and not just attacking them outright.
Scott Lang/Ant-Man - Getting Big (Captain America: Civil War)
For a hero whose powers allow him to shrink to a microscopic size, Scott Lang’s first solo feature felt appropriately small compared to the grandiose scale of other MCU flicks. Except for a few key fight sequences, Ant-Man’s biggest criticism was that it was a heist movie at heart, arguably detracting from the MCU’s more epic superhero feel. With fans wondering how Lang would fit in with the other Avengers, Ant-Man finally got to make a name for himself by going big for Civil War.
After being recruited by Captain America and Falcon, Lang found himself rallying against the likes of Iron Man, War Machine, Spider-Man, and the Vision. Despite some high quality comedy moments such as tearing up Stark’s body armored suit from the inside, Ant-Man’s best moment came when he blew up to the size of a skyscraper, giving viewers their first look as his alter-ego Giant-Man. Although he was ultimately tripped up by Spidey in a fit of web-slinging heroics, he made an impact, becoming the central focus of the battle as the entirety of team Iron Man worked to bring him down.
Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver - Stopping the Train (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
Gone just as fast as he came, the MCU’s version of Quicksilver was a hero that was born to die. Written as yet another character who sought revenge on Tony Stark for the destruction brought on by Stark Industries, the fleet-footed speedster was given only a handful of heroic moments after spending a majority of Age of Ultron as an antagonist.
Whereas the Quicksilver of the X-Men films takes out a kitchen full of guards in mere seconds, the Quicksilver of the MCU can't outrun a few bullets in time to prevent Hawkeye from getting shot, leading to a meaningless sacrifice. What makes the death scene more infuriating is that the hero saved a street full of pedestrians from a derailed train minutes before his death. In his best moment, Pietro teams up with his sister as he whips across the busy road saving one innocent bystander after another as Wanda slows the oncoming train. It's a moment of teamwork for the twins, but it’s all thrown out the window with the newest Avenger’s sudden departure.
Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch - Defeats The Illuminati (Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness)
Although Scarlet Witch’s time in the MCU has lasted longer than her brother’s, things still haven't gone swimmingly for the psionic heroine. Wanda’s grief has been explored in different settings in the MCU, and while WandaVision does it more thoroughly, Doctor Strange’s sequel sees her do it more violently. When Wanda decides to seek out the sons she’s lost in the multiverse, she becomes the villain of the story, and is thoroughly corrupted by a magical book.
While embracing her darker instincts and using motherhood as an excuse for her actions, Wanda travels to a new universe through the body of her double, and eliminates anyone who gets in her way. That includes her quickly and systematically taking out the Illuminati - Black Bolt, Reed Richards, Professor Charles Xavier, Maria Rambeau, and Peggy Carter. Just how Wanda takes them all out proves how powerful she truly is. Wanda had clearly been holding back her own power instead of embracing it up until that point. It's one moment that made it hard for the audience to continue seeing Scarlet Witch as a hero.
Thor - Enters The Battle In Wakanda (Avengers: Infinity War)
There are a lot of moments that remind the audience that Thor isn’t just comic relief in the MCU. Those moments usually involve his impressive control of thunder with the help of his hammer. That is very much the case when Thor joins the Avengers and Wakandas in battle after getting Stormbreaker in Infinity War.
Thor always knows how to make an entrance, but gliding into battle with a raised weapon and the crackling lightning and thunder behind him, only for him to cut down a whole field of Thanos’ soldiers is impressive. It’s especially impressive because Thor has been absent for most of the group interactions at that point, and for a moment, his entrance makes it seem like the tide of the battle has turned in the favor of the Avengers. Of course, the Avengers end up losing that particular battle, but they made a huge showing in trying to defeat Thanos.
Peter Parker/Spider-Man - The Lift (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Although he’s technically still not an Avenger following the events of Homecoming, Tony Stark is willing to welcome him into the group. Tom Holland’s version of Spider-Man finds himself eagerly waiting to become the next big superhero while learning some tough life lessons along the way. For Parker, those lessons come in the form of the blue collar family man Adrian Toomes, a former construction worker with a knack for creating high-tech weaponry.
In a final act which pits the web-slinger against his newfound nemesis, Peter tracks Toomes to a nearby warehouse, where the villain uses his winged suit to collapse the building onto Spidey’s head. Battered and bruised, Peter finds himself trapped underneath the rubble calling for help. With no one to answer his call, he finds his inner strength and deadlifts the remains off his back in a tribute to one of Spider-Man’s greatest comic book moments from the “Master Planner” story arc. For fans, it's an ode to a well-known issue, but for Peter, it's the moment that he recognizes his inner hero beyond just a person in a cool suit.
James “Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine - Hammer Drone Battle (Iron Man 2)
Much like his friend and fellow Avenger Tony Stark, Colonel James Rhodes has been a part of the MCU since the beginning, initially acting as a liaison between Stark Industries and the U.S. military. First played by Terrence Howard, Rhodey was depicted as a man of high character, adhering to the chain of command as a member of the United States Armed Forces. Since Iron Man, Rhodes has undergone significant changes, including a change in appearance with Don Cheadle taking over the role and a change in personality as he begins to ever so slightly loosen his grip on Tony’s methods.
For a character who has been around for the entirety of the MCU, Rhodes’ on-screen heroics have sadly always played second fiddle to Tony's. Because Rhodey’s best action scenes are often shared with Iron Man, War Machine’s greatest standout moment comes at the end of Iron Man 2, when the two team up against Justin Hammer’s drones in a joint effort to share the spotlight. To date, it’s the best example of the duo working together to take down the enemy, and it's evidence that War Machine is a hero worth developing as more than just a secondary character.
Steve Rogers/Captain America - Taking the Elevator (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
Steve Rogers has a lot of fantastic scenes in the MCU, like wielding Mjolnir for the first time. His best scene, however, speaks to just who he is as a hero. He's a man with a moral code, and someone who knows what it's like to be the "little guy." He’s the kind of hero who avoids confrontation when he can, even going so far as to warn you not to tempt him. In the favorite Captain America scene, he does just that. After being labeled a fugitive by S.H.I.E.L.D., Rogers has a run-in with a number of agents inside the elevator at the Triskelion. Led by Brock Rumlow (a.k.a. future-Crossbones), Rogers proceeds to beat the daylights out everyone inside, shortly after giving everybody one last chance to exit while they still can.
According to Chris Evans and Frank Grillo, the four-minute scene was among the hardest to complete, leaving both actors severely bruised. Because Rogers had no room to operate with his usual amount of strength, he’s forced to resort to his training, landing a series of well-placed punches and elbows. By the time he leaves, the glass box is piled with unconscious bodies and the audience has been treated to one of the most unique action scene locations in the MCU.
Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - “Thank You.” (The Avengers/Black Widow)
Black Widow might have made a big impression on fans with her disabling of Hammer Security in Iron Man 2, but it’s her constantly being underestimated by those around her that truly stands out. That means she has two great moments that tie together.
In The Avengers, it’s Black Widow who gets Loki to open up to her about his plan when he thinks she’s at her most vulnerable. She plays him for the information and takes it back to the team, even thanking him for his cooperation. In Black Widow, she uses the same play against General Dreykov, the man who raised her in the Red Room. She allows him to think he has the advantage, then Black Widow even thanks him when she has all the information she needs from him. The two scenes almost act as bookends to her time in the MCU.
Tony Stark/Iron man - “I Am Iron Man.” (Iron Man/Avengers: Endgame)
Tony Stark does actually bookend his journey in the MCU with the same statement. He started the MCU by proclaiming himself Iron Man during a press conference after he made his debut as the hero in the 2008 movie. He gets to make the same proclamation just before his death in Avengers: Endgame.
There, the statement is made to contrast Thanos’ own belief that he’s inevitable. Tony’s remark is a commentary on Thanos’ arrogance, and even a slight acknowledgment of his own previous arrogance. Tony Stark provides the initial backbone to the MCU with his knowledge, his willingness to fly into hostile skies, and the leadership skills he possesses. He might not always play well with others, but him creating his own version of the Infinity Gauntlet to snap his fingers and save the world from Thanos proves that he’s always willing to try. His death at his own hand hit the audience hard, but Tony never truly asks any hero to complete a mission he isn’t willing to do himself, and his final act proves that.
Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange - Dormammu’s Time Loop (Doctor Strange)
Easing his way onto the big screen with his signature cynicism, Doctor Strange already possessed the larger than life persona to launch him to superhero status. All he needed was a tragic backstory to help him reach that next step, but once he arrived at the sacred location of Kamar-Taj, that's when things really started looking up for the magical hero. He studies quickly and efficiently and gets a face-off against a being from another dimension at the end of his first movie.
In a final epic showdown, Strange thinks outside the box to take down Dormammu, the Lord of the Realm of Darkness. Stealing the Eye of Agamotto, Strange creates a time loop which prevents Dormammu from raining down on the innocent civilians of Hong Kong. Caught in a Groundhog Day scenario, the Sorcerer Supreme pesters his way to victory, being killed an innumerable variety of ways before Dormammu submits. Not only is the scene a crucial introduction to the powers of another Infinity Stone, but it's an example of how intellect can be just as resourceful as any superpower.
T’Challa/Black Panther - Leading The Battle Cry (Avengers: Endgame)
T’Challa’s time in the MCU is far too short as the result of the passing of Chadwick Boseman. He only appears in a handful of projects, and it’s hard to pick his standout moment as a result. One that brought a lot of hope to the audience, and one that teased the potential for what could come from new MCU characters like Black Panther is his return to battle in Avengers: Endgame.
The heroes had spent the entire movie trying to find a way to bring back half of the universe Thanos “snapped” away, and they didn’t truly know if their plans would work. When Wong and other sorcerers start opening doorways from all over the world to bring fighters to the battle against Thanos, it is T’Challa who leads nearly every fighter from Wakanda, and a good deal of others, through the magical portal with the battle cry of “Yibambe!” In most theaters, that moment led to cheers.
Sam Wilson/Falcon - Ant-Man vs. Falcon (Ant-Man)
As a former test pilot for the EXO-7 Falcon wing pack jet, Sam Wilson has perfected his craft of maneuvering through the air. Most of his biggest on-screen movie moments have consisted of him fighting alongside Captain America. Enhancing his suit with a wrist-mounted miniature rocket launcher, magnification goggles and a Redwing surveillance drone, Falcon has proven to be an elite tactician capable of fighting alongside even the most superpowered personalities.
Given Falcon’s many accomplishments in the MCU so far, it feels almost dishonorable to call his best movie scene a defeat at the hands of Marvel’s smallest Avenger, but it’s the unconventional match-up that makes the brawl so memorable. To be fair, Wilson's character is more thoroughly explored in the Disney+ series The Falcon And The Winter Soldier where he has some truly memorable speeches. The movies haven't entirely given him his due yet.
The Vision - Lifting Mjolnir (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
Created from a synthetic Vibranium body brought to life by the power of the Mind Stone (complete with the remnants of Tony Stark’s personal artificial intelligence system J.A.R.V.I.S. uploaded into it), Vision is a sentient being with the same thought patterns of Ultron minus the megalomaniacal tendencies. Although he struggles to understand the reasoning behind many human interactions, he develops compassion and eventually, a relationship with Wanda Maximoff.
Powered by the Infinity Stone in his head, Vision’s powers are otherworldly, given such abilities as density manipulation, superhuman strength, and flight. Although the limitations of his powers aren’t known, he does possess enough strength to lift Thor’s hammer despite not being the chosen suitor. The scene comes shortly after the Vision’s creation. After examining his reflection in a window, he addresses the Avengers before expressing a concern to them about the actions of Ultron. As a sign of good faith, the Vision lifts Mjolnir, returning the hammer to Thor, much to everyone’s astonishment. The moment immediately illustrates the Vision’s unprecedented power and establishes the sapient being’s ability to express kindness despite not being human.