With Phase Four’s sitcom worlds and multiversal Spider-Men, it can be easy to forget about the more grounded earlier phases of the MCU. Before Thanos took on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Phase Two introduced fan-favorites like Ant-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy in their own thrilling solo adventures.
These movies turned the MCU from a regular blockbuster franchise into a new kind of cultural phenomenon altogether, and turned Marvel Studios from a successful company into a hit factory. From the Guardians’ prison break to Captain America’s elevator brawl, Phase Two has some of the franchise’s most thrilling action set-pieces.
Skydiving Without A Parachute (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
The opening action sequence in Captain America: The Winter Soldier sets the tone for the rest of the movie’s action and establishes the Russo brothers’ revamped ass-kicking Cap who boots henchmen off the side of boats.
The camera follows Steve out of a plane as he freefalls into the ocean, then launches himself aboard a Hydra warship and swiftly takes down all the goons patrolling the deck.
Hulk Vs. Hulkbuster (Avengers: Age Of Ultron)
Compared to its game-changing predecessor, Avengers: Age of Ultron was a let-down in the summer of 2015. But the movie has a few saving graces, like the subversively action-free jaunt to Hawkeye’s farm – and, of course, the Hulkbuster sequence.
When the Hulk is under the Scarlet Witch’s spell, Tony dons the Hulkbuster armor (a great example of plant-and-payoff screenwriting) to take him down.
Ant-Man Fights Yellowjacket Across The City (Ant-Man)
The heist sequence in Ant-Man culminates in a traditional fight between the hero and villain. This is a conventional punch-up with delightfully unconventional dynamics. Ant-Man and Yellowjacket’s shrinking powers create unique opportunities for action as their battle takes them from the Pym offices to a helicopter to a swimming pool – at one point, they fight inside a briefcase. Yellowjacket accidentally activates Siri on an iPhone as he says, “I’m gonna disintegrate you,” and Siri says, “Playing ‘Disintegration’ by The Cure,” and cues the song. (This feels like a flourish left behind by original director Edgar Wright.)
The fight culminates in Cassie’s bedroom, where Scott ends up journeying to the Quantum Realm to save his daughter. There’s a great sight gag with a seemingly giant Thomas the Tank Engine toy juxtaposed with a hilariously undramatic wide shot of the toy train falling off its tracks.
The Highway Ambush (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
On their way back to the Triskelion in The Winter Soldier’s middle act, Cap, Black Widow, and the Falcon are ambushed on a highway by the titular Hydra assassin. A brutal fight ensues in which his mask comes off and Steve realizes it’s Bucky, his childhood best friend who he thought he saw die decades earlier.
This sequence has everything an audience could hope for: visceral fight choreography, unpredictable twists and turns, and an emotionally engaging internal conflict alongside the obvious external one.
The Orb Heist (Guardians Of The Galaxy)
James Gunn sets the tone for Guardians of the Galaxy perfectly. After the opening flashback, Gunn jumps forward to an adult Peter Quill years later, who demonstrates within seconds that he didn’t mature from the day he was abducted.
He dances around an ancient temple to the sounds of “Come and Get Your Love,” then clumsily uses an arsenal of gadgets to escape when he’s ambushed by Ronan’s forces.
Air Force One Barrel Of Monkeys (Iron Man 3)
Thanks to the Mandarin fake-out and the disappointment of Aldrich Killian as a replacement villain, Iron Man 3 is one of the MCU’s most controversial entries. But writer-director Shane Black is a legend of action cinema and, love the threequel or hate it, it has some spectacular set-pieces.
The messy final battle pales in comparison to an earlier sequence in which a bunch of passengers tumble out of Air Force One and Tony catches them all in a Barrel of Monkeys formation with a remotely controlled Iron Man suit.
The Opening Hydra Raid (Avengers: Age Of Ultron)
While Age of Ultron was a disappointment as a whole, it gets off to a fantastic start with an opening action sequence that both perfectly reintroduces the heroes and gets the audience on the edge of their seat nice and early.
All six Avengers jump into action in one glorious wide shot before launching an explosive raid on a Hydra base in Sokovia. This set-piece has a nice mix of action beats and character moments (“Language!”).
Escaping From The Kyln (Guardians Of The Galaxy)
Before the Guardians team up to defend Xandar, they’re captured by its police force – the Nova Corps – and locked in their intergalactic prison, the Kyln. The first time the Guardians work together is when they break out of this prison after reluctantly teaming up to sell the Orb and split the proceeds evenly.
After Groot accidentally kickstarts the jailbreak before he’s supposed to, most of the escape is unplanned. The Guardians’ ability to fly by the seat of their pants would ultimately become one of their strongest qualities as a team.
The Elevator Fight (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
Most of the MCU’s fight scenes are a flurry of cuts between actors and their stunt doubles. The thrill of the action ends up getting lost because it’s incoherent. The Winter Soldier has one of the series’ most mind-blowing fight scenes as Steve Rogers boards an elevator with a bunch of Hydra operatives.
Before taking on every single one of the operatives (and winning), Steve casually asks them, “Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?”
Star-Lord Saves The World With A Dance-Off (Guardians Of The Galaxy)
The final battle in Guardians of the Galaxy comes to a head when Ronan’s ship crashes into Xandar and Groot sacrifices himself to protect the other Guardians. Just as Ronan is about to use the Power Stone to destroy the planet, Quill distracts him with a dance-off long enough for the Guardians to extract the Stone. Not only does this sequence have dazzling, colorful visuals; it’s emotionally resonant.
When Gamora reaches out to take Quill’s hand, he’s reminded of his dying mother. This time, he accepts the love being offered to him and his arc comes full circle.