10 Best Marvel Movie Character Introduction Scenes, Ranked

Movies of the Marvel Cinematic UniverseAs well as previous adaptations of Marvel comic books, have mastered the art of character introductions. It’s no secret that Superhero movies live and die by the strength of their heroes and villainsWith the personalities and backstories of the characters driving a huge margin of interest in comic book films. From Marvel’s first movie adaptations to the expansive success of the MCU films, Marvel in particular has become extremely good at quickly selling audiences on a character.

Often, but not always, the starring lead will be heavy in the opening scene of a superhero movie, immediately establishing their personality and heroic journey from the beginning of the plot. Other times, packed crossover movies will introduce highly-anticipated new characters halfway through in a manner that is threatening, exciting, or ominous, depending on the specific needs of the story. While Every superhero series needs snappy, engaging introductory scenes for its charactersMarvel in particular has gotten quite proficient at them.

10

Star-Lord jams out to Redbone

Guardians of the Galaxy

In their first film, the Guardians of the Galaxy were quite a dark bunch of comic book characters to stake a Marvel release. With so little audience familiarity to rely on, the MCU had to be especially careful to nail the introductory moments of all five original GuardiansEspecially their leader, Star Master. Fortunately, James Gunn’s first entry in the Guardians of the Galaxy Franchise was able to effortlessly do this with (adult) Peter Quill’s first scene.

Star-Lord summarizes both his own personality and the general tone of the Guardians of the Galaxy Films with his debut, in which he happily stumbles onto an alien planet while singing Redbone’s come and get your love, The first of the series’ many iconic needle drops. The scene is even better when it shows up in the MCU again during the time travel adventures of Avengers: Endgame, Making for one of the best scenes of the Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy in general.

9

Spider-Man meets Tony Stark

Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War has the difficult task of introducing two important new characters to the MCU while also balancing an expansive crossover story with many familiar faces. Because of this, it was even more Important for the film to nail both Spider-Man and Black Panther’s first scenesWith the first, they stand a particularly good job. In one impressive tracking shot, the film goes just over Peter Parker’s shoulder as he makes his way back to his apartment, only to find Tony Stark waiting for him.

This short, easily overlooked introduction works so well for a variety of reasons. It instantly conveys Parker’s values, world, and personality without directly explaining them, like He moves into a cramped apartment in Queens, while carrying old electronics with him to fiddle in his spare time. There is an immediate chemistry in the first conversation between Holland’s Peter Parker and Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark, setting up a phenomenal mentor relationship that the films would later pay off.

8

Don Cheadle’s war machine takes over

Iron Man 2

It’s hard enough to introduce a new character, though Re-introducing them with a new actor behind the wheel can be just as challenging. The MCU is no stranger to recasts, and one of their earliest and most prolific was the decision to replace Terrence Howard’s Colonel James Rhodes in Iron Man With Don Cheadle’s version in Iron Man 2. The new version of Rhodes, who ultimately becomes War Machine in the sequel, is first introduced during a courtroom hearing surrounding Tony Stark’s use of Iron Man armor.

Cheadle sells quick return audiences on the recast by addressing his presence with a line that all but breaks the fourth wall to acknowledge the change, saying “Look, it’s me, I’m here, deal with it. Let’s go on.“In the following scene that plays out in the high-strung courtroom, Cheadle quickly proves that he has more chemistry with Robert Downey Jr. As Howard ever didMaking for a more than worthy war machine replacement. To this day, War Machine is one of the most active heroes in the MCU.

7

Ultron comes online

Avengers: Age of Ultron

It’s not just heroes who need great introductory scenes in comic book movies. While the MCU has historically struggled to create engaging villains, Avengers: Age of Ultron Saw One of the best villain entrances of the series with the activation of the titular robotic antagonist. When Ultron is activated, the movie shifts into a strange, meta-physical digital space to play out Ultron’s conversation with JARVIS, the near-sentient AI who later becomes the hero Vision.

There’s something inherently comedic about Ultron immediately bent on the extinction of humanity after spending five minutes on the Internet, but James Spader’s buttery smooth voice work keeps him threatening even as a disembodied program. The abstract way he “cools” and absorbs JARVIS, who has been with Tony Stark for several movies now, quickly sells the threat of ​​​​​​​​​​​​Even if the rest of the film doesn’t live up to the hype of Ultron’s introduction, There is no denying that it was a powerful way to debut him.

6

Killmonger’s Museum Heist

Black Panther

One of the most beloved villains ever in the MCU, Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger has a fittingly hype-worthy introduction in his first appearance. in black panther, Killmonger first appears as a simple museum visitor, admiring the artifacts of an African tribe in a stuffy museum. When his presence attracts the attention of a curator, he quickly reveals his true intentions, taking off his social mask to don a literal one while stealing a valuable vibranium weapon.

Killmonger’s speech about the theft of his cultural history hits pretty close to home in this scene, and easily establishes him as a Marvel villain who is technically in the right. Never mind Jordan’s amazing performance as the bloodthirsty Wakandan usurper, who only gets stronger as the film progresses. Deep, chaotic and make a good point, Killmonger’s Museum Heist is hard to beat in terms of strong first scenes for Marvel villains Throughout the MCU.

5

Spider-Man 2099 takes on the Vulture

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Miguel O’Hara serves as Anne Antagonist, mentor, tragic hero and deuteragonist in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. His first real appearance in the film somehow manages to embrace all these fronts at once, being threatening, sad and brave all at the same time. A powerful variant of Spider-Man from a futuristic dimension, Miguel O’Hara became the first Spider-Man to reach other dimensions and establish a multiversal network of web-slinging heroes.

When a Renaissance-era version of the Vulture wreaks havoc on Gwen Stacy’s world, Spider-Man 2099 shows up to take down the dimension-hopping bug, revealed in a dramatic burst through one of his signature web-portals. As his eerie techno theme plays, Spider-Man 2099 makes for an ominous figure as the rain pours down around himUnfazed by Gwen’s quips about his appearance. His subsequent beatdown on the Leonardo DaVinci-esque Vulture says more than enough.

4

Tony Stark goes on a drive in Afghanistan

Iron Man

The film that started it all, Iron Man Has the very first hero introduction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and to this day, manages to be one of its strongest. While on his way to a demonstration of his latest weapon in war-torn Afghanistan, Tony Stark is crammed into a tiny Humvee along with some US soldiers. Before the attack that changes his life forever occurs, Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark quickly conveys exactly who he is with just a few short lines.

The scene reveals the extent of Tony’s fame by one of the soldiers asking for a picture with him, which he agrees to on the condition that it will not appear on a “misplaced” page. It also demonstrates its vices, such as alcoholism and misogyny, all to the tune of AC/DC Back in black, Setting the tone for Iron Man’s hard rock soundtrack ahead. This scene alone could make the MCU debut film the strongest of the bunch Iron Man Movies.

3

Nick Fury opens the Marvel Universe

Iron Man

Speaking of the first iron man The titular superhero isn’t the only major Marvel Cinematic Universe character to be introduced for the first time in the film. In a post-credits scene, Iron Man Also teased the formation of the Avengers, as well as the MCU as a whole, with the introduction of Nick Fury. When he returned home to his penthouse, Tony Stark finds a mysterious new guest waiting for him, none other than Nick Fury.

Here, Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury tells Tony that he is “Become part of a larger universe“, hint at the years of cinema to come with Iron Man as a foundation. The scene not only shows the expertise that Nick Fury can do, disabling JARVIS and sneaking into the home of someone as high-profile as Tony Stark, but it also chillingly predicts the series that would define a generation of pop culture for years to come. 16 years later, Samuel L. Jackson is just as convincing as Nick Fury now as he was Back in 2008.

2

Wolverine’s Cage Match

X-Men

It’s important to pay respect to the efforts of Marvel movies before the MCU. On the subject of superhero introductions, few of the earlier superhero films featured their flagship characters quite like the original X-Men. Kickstarting the Fox X-Men movie universe, The film introduced audiences to a whole host of mutants, including Hugh Jackman’s iconic Wolverine. The first glimpses the film reveals of Wolverine are in the throes of a brutal underground cage match.

A fight scene is A fitting way to debut the wild character, even if he refrains from using his claws. That’s not to say his powers don’t give him an advantage here, with Logan’s adamantium skeleton making his fists sound like an aluminum baseball bat against his opponent’s skull. Perfectly encapsulating his powers, toughness and fearsome attitude, this opening cage match tells viewers almost everything they need to know about the one and only Wolverine.

1

Blade shoots down a vampire rave

Blade

Both the first scene of the film and the first scene with its title character, Wesley Snipes’ first moments on screen in Blade are a true visual wonder. initially, The scene follows a clueless partygoer who joins several women on the dance floorOnly to be horrified when the sprinkler system drenches the vampiric crowd in blood. Just before he can become a snack, the daywalker blade appears without a word, instantly terrifying the entire crowd of undead bloodsuckers.

Blade goes to kill every last one of the club-going vampires, all to the sound of a driving techno beat. Wesley Snipes’ impressive martial arts skills and hilarious touches of physical comedy send what would otherwise be a visually-interesting introductory action scene into one of the most iconic opening acts of all time. Blade’s first moments on the screen easily Make for one of the best Marvel films to advance the MCU.