When it came down to it, the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they could all come together for a greater cause during the likes of Avengers: Endgame - but there have also been moments when the heroes were forced or chose to fight one another. Since its creation, the MCU has grown exponentially, with new characters coming in almost every year. Given the sheer number of players, conflicts are inevitable, especially when some personalities clash against each other.
This potential for clashing is supported by the fact that Marvel's heroes have so many different factions, all of whom come in to conflict at some point in the various instalments of the franchise. Aside from the established superhero teams such as the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, there are also several independently-operating entities such as Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). Regardless of their affiliations or area of operations, however, one thing is common among them - each has their distinct personalities and sets of code. So, naturally, infighting tends to happen from time to time when some of those values clash.
Conflicts among the Marvel heroes range from brief arguments to full-blown personal rifts. Here's a list of all the hero versus hero moments in the MCU, what brought them up, and who won them.
Iron Man V War Machine In Iron Man 2
James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle) was one of Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) closest friends in the MCU. The pair have a long history, and had stuck by each other until Iron Man's heroic death in Avengers: Endgame. That said, they weren't immune to disagreements - in fact, Rhodey's ability to call out Tony when he crossed boundaries was arguably what made their dynamic so strong. Rhodey would do exactly this when Tony was out of control in Iron Man 2. Growing tired and fearful of Stark's increasingly self-destructive lifestyle, Rhodey would steal a suit of his advanced armor in order to try and stop his seeming breakdown by confronting him. They engage in a battle, arguably won by Rhodey, that ends with him flying off with the suit.
Iron Man V Thor In The Avengers
After securing Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in Germany at the start of The Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) were off to deliver the God of Mischief to Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) when Thor (Chris Hemsworth) came in, hijacked their plane, and grabbed his brother. Unaware who the Asgardian Prince was at that time, Tony Stark fought him, leaving the pair to duke it out in the middle of the woods. Each hero showcased their own set of skills, but before they can determine who's the strongest, Captain America intruded and stopped them from going at each other, leaving the result a tie.
Hulk V Thor In The Avengers
Iron Man wasn't the only hero who fought Thor in The Avengers, as the God of Thunder was tasked to go up against the rampaging Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in the Quinjet - exactly what Loki wanted him to do. During their intense battle, Thor held his ground pretty well against the green rage monster, creatively using Mjölnir in neutralizing him. Bruce Banner's alter-ego, however, got distracted by a S.H.I.E.L.D pilot who fired at him during the interaction, leaving Thor to go after the poor operative. While there's no clear winner during their initial encounter, this wouldn't be the last time the pair would be pitted against one another.
Black Widow Vs Hawkeye In The Avengers
Still in The Avengers, Black Widow went up against a mind-controlled Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), not just in the hopes of stopping him from causing further damage, but also to shake him out of Loki-induced hallucination. Despite not having any metahuman skills, their battle turned out to be just as entertaining as they engaged in complicated hand-to-hand combat, highlighting each other's respective fighting styles. In the end, Natasha Romanoff won the fight, as she's able to knock Clint Barton out, effectively taking him out of his haze.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vs Themselves In Guardians of the Galaxy
Like the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy's first proper meet-up among Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel) wasn't exactly amicable. Of course, it didn't help that all of them were going after the Orb, naturally resulting in their inital interactions being rife with conflict. Since this introductory action set piece in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy had three warring factions, it's a little more complex than previous hero vs hero battles in the MCU at that point. Each participant was able to showcase their respective skills, but before one could emerge victoriously, the Nova Corps. came in, broke out the fight, and put them all in jail.
Iron Man Vs Hulk In Avengers: Age of Ultron
The Hulk and Iron Man's fight in Avengers: Age of Ultron is unique in nature because Bruce Banner also has a hand in the matter. After officially joining the Earth's Mightiest Heroes following the Battle of New Y0rk in The Avengers, Bruce teamed up with Tony Stark to create a contingency plan in case his green-rage monster alter-ego once again lost control. They came up with the Hulkbuster Armor Program, which came in handy when Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) hexed Banner in Johannesburg, South Africa, causing the Hulk to make a rampage. Piloted by Tony himself, the Hulkbuster did a good job against the creature, although not without him landing some serious hits on his fellow Avenger. In the end, Tony in the Hulkbuster was able to knock out the Hulk.
Ant-Man Vs Falcon In Ant-Man
In 2015, Marvel Studios introduced a new hero who has the capability to shrink down in size in Ant-Man (Paul Rudd). While Ant-Man primarily had a contained story, it still made sure to establish its connection to the bigger MCU. Scott Lang was sent to an old Stark Industries facility by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to steal the Signal Decoy they needed to stop Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), who was able to reproduce the Pym Technology and create the Yellowjacket Suit. What they didn't know, however, was that the compound was already transformed to be the new Avengers HQ. This was where the Ant-Man encountered Falcon (Anthony Mackie) who was doing security rounds. While Scott was caught, his ability to change in size disoriented Falcon. He also got the Signal Decoy he was after, so he's the clear winner in this instance.
Scarlet Witch Vs Vision In Captain America: Civil War
While Wanda and Vision (Paul Bettany) were already cozying up with each other at this point in the MCU, the pair engaged in a one-on-one battle once the conflict between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark broke out in Captain America: Civil War. As per orders from Captain America, Hawkeye was tasked to sneak Wanda out of the Avengers HQ, where she was being kept. Taking the side of Iron Man in the argument about the Sokovia Accords, Vision believed it was best for Scarlet Witch to stay indoors, for her and others' protection. Unfortunately, she and the rest of Team Cap felt like it was more of imprisonment. Vision first easily neutralized Clint Barton by putting him to sleep, but Scarlet Witch didn't think twice about going after the Android. She used her powers against Vision, sending him several floors down the building.
Team Iron Man Vs Team Cap In Captain America: Civil War
The tension between Iron Man and Captain America over the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War culminated in the airport battle in Germany, where they and their respective allies go against each other in an epic battle. While there's a sense that the heroes are still holding back in going after each other, it's still one of the most memorable fight sequences in all of MCU. Despite being outpowered by Team Iron Man, Team Captain America emerged as the winner, but not because they defeated the other side. This is because Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers were able to flee the conflict thanks to Black Widow changing sides at the last minute, instead of being caught and brought back to Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt).
Iron Man V Captain America in Captain America: Civil War
Captain America: Civil War sold the idea that it's best action sequence was the airport fight in Germany, but the film's most important one was the final battle between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers in the Super Soldier chamber in Siberia. Admitting that Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) was indeed framed for the attack on the United Nations Assembly, Tony sought Steve in the hopes of working together to get to the bottom of the conspiracy. But after the genius, billionaire found out about Bucky killing his parents and Steve intentionally hiding it from him, all hell broke loose. Iron Man went after Bucky, but Captain America got in the way. The two Super Soldiers teamed up against Tony; Steve was ultimately able to keep his fellow Avenger down. Despite that, it didn't feel like a win since it drew a rift between them that would last for years.
Thor Vs Hulk In Thor: Ragnarok
Hulk and Thor's match-up in The Avengers did not have had a clear winner; unfortunately, their rematch years later in Thor: Ragnarok still didn't give a better sense as to who's really stronger between the heroes. Forced to participate in Sakaar's Contest of Champions, the God of Thunder was pleasantly surprised when he found Hulk across the arena from him. Despite their past, however, the green-rage monster didn't go easy on him. The pair engage in an intense battle, but while the Hulk seemed to be the winner, it's worth noting that the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) meddled as the fight neared its climax; he tased Thor, giving Bruce Banner's alter-ego an advantage.
Avengers Vs Guardians of the Galaxy In Avengers: Infinity War
The fight against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War brought together all pockets of the MCU resulting in the first-ever meeting of some of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy in Titan. Unaware of each other's motivations, Star-Lord and Iron Man's respective teams go up against each other. While they eventually resolved their differences and decided to work together after they realized that they're all going up against the Mad Titan, the Avengers may have had the advantage in the match-up, having both Iron Man and Doctor Strange on their side.
Captain America Vs Captain America In Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame's time heist allowed the heroes to revisit some of the most memorable moments in MCU's history, that includes the Battle of New York in The Avengers. Captain America was tasked with securing the Mind Stone, but an unexpected encounter with his old self resulted in a battle between the pair. 2012 Steve Rogers assumed that he was fighting a disguised Loki who slipped away after packing up at Stark's apartment, unaware he was in fact fighting a version of himself from the future. Thanks to 2023 Captain America's experience, he cleverly defeated his old self, after he distracted him by telling him that Bucky is still alive.
Black Widow Vs Hawkeye In Avengers: Endgame
Like Thor and the Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye got their own rematch, albeit because of a very different reason. In Avengers: Endgame, the pair was sent to retrieve the Soul Stone in Vormir, what they didn't know was that, as the Soul Stone requires a sacrifice to be acquired. Both heroes volunteered, eager to give their lives for the stone, while simultaneously stopping the other one in doing it. Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff engaged in a nerve-wracking tussle to determine who could jump off the cliff first, with Black Widow ultimately "winning" the fight by sacrificing herself for the sake of the mission.
Nebula Vs Nebula in Avengers: Endgame
The Avengers' time-traveling shenanigans in Avengers: Endgame may have long-term consequences in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it also had immediate repercussions. Aside from Captain America, Nebula also encountered her old self, who was still a loyal servant to Thanos. This resulted in a short face-off between the old and new Nebula, as the former threatened to shoot 2014 Gamora, as part of her continued loyalty to her adoptive father. They tried bringing evil Nebula to the other side, convincing her that she could still be redeemed, but to no avail. Ultimately, the 2023 Nebula decided to kill her younger alternate self in order to save her sister.
Key Release Dates
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Black Widow
Release Date:2021-07-09 -
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Release Date:2021-09-03 -
Eternals
Release Date:2021-11-05 -
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release Date:2022-07-08 -
Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness
Release Date:2022-05-06 -
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Release Date:2022-11-11 -
captain marvel 2
Release Date:2023-07-28
