Welcome back to yet another rundown of what I believe are the best scenes in every MCU movie, this time looking at the Phase Three slate of films. Phase Three saw the conclusion of the Infinity Saga and is arguably the best of the three Phases, as new iconic heroes and terrifying villains were introduced. As there were so many films in Phase Three, I will be splitting this article in to two parts, so make sure to check back for part two when you’re done here.
Captain America: Civil War (2016) – Airport Battle
2016’s Captain America: Civil War continued Steve Rogers’ journey, as well as serving as a sort of Avengers 2.5 with the amount of superheroes on display here. With MCU debuts for Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) as well as returns for the likes of Ant-Man, Vision, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and serving as an adaption of one of the most iconic Marvel Comics stories of recent years, there was a lot of expectation on this film. Thankfully, the directorial talents of the Russo brothers were able to pull it off, with a film full of spectacle and drama. There are numerous moments that stand out in Civil War, but the airport battle between Team Cap and Team Iron Man cannot be overlooked. Watching our favourite heroes battle one another on-screen is equal parts heartbreaking and thrilling, but each character gets their own chance to shine. It’s amazing that in just one sequence their are so many memorable moments, like Spidey taking on Cap and realising their New York connection, Clint battling his bestie Natasha (Scarlett Johansson), and of course Ant-Man’s giant transformation. This is a definite top 5 MCU scene!
Doctor Strange (2016) – “Open Your Eye”
Doctor Strange was a character myself and many other comic book fans had been excited to see enter the MCU for the longest time, and when it finally happened, what we received was a solid and visually spectacular origin story, with yet another brilliant central performance from Benedict Cumberbatch. Although not my first choice for the role, he really encapsulated the character of Stephen Strange. Doctor Strange has a number of wonderfully inventive, visually mind blowing scenes, but the one which stands out most of all is when Strange is told to “open his eye” and is taken on the craziest trip imaginable. The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) introduces Strange to concepts he never thought to believe, and the crazy visuals along the way are clearly influenced by Steve Ditko’s Doctor Strange artwork from the 1960s. I can’t wait to see what unique imagery we will get in the sequel, The Multiverse of Madness, in a year or so!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) – Yondu’s Funeral
The first Guardians of the Galaxy film was such a surprise success, with its unique characters, otherworldly settings and departure from the slightly more grounded Marvel movies we had seen so far. I personally prefer Volume 2, as I find it more relatable on a personal level, but for many people the first film remains their favourite in the series. What I love about this film is the amount of heart it has, and nothing pulls on the heartstrings more than Yondu’s (Michael Rooker) sacrifice in the film’s closing moments. His line to Peter of “He may have been your father, but he wasn’t your daddy” never fails to bring a tear to my eye, and we finally see Yondu for the hero he always was. If that moment of selflessness didn’t break you, then what follows surely will, with Cat Stevens’ ‘Father & Son’ playing over the stunning visuals of the funeral and each Guardian having a small moment to show how far they’ve come over the course of the film.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) – The Dad Talk
I’ve loved all three of the live action Spider-Men we have seen over the years, but for me Tom Holland’s performance captures the essence of the character more than any previous actor, and that may be one of the main reasons I rate his films so highly. When the Vulture/Adrian Toomes was announced as the main villain for this film I was highly skeptical, as I’ve never been a particularly big fan of the character, but with Michael Keaton in the role I knew there was always a chance this could be special. Keaton ended up stealing the show, and he’s no better than in his scene in the car with Peter, where he’s deduced his true identity as the Web Slinger. The tension of the scene has been building for a while, from the moment Peter knocked on the door to pick up Liz (Laura Harrier) for their Homecoming dance, and came face to face with his foe, who at this point had no suspicions he was Spider-Man. The car journey to the school is extremely uncomfortable as we see Toomes slowly piece together the truth about Peter, leading to the incredibly intense conclusion with Vulture threatening to kill him and everyone he loves. The quality of villains really grew with Phase Three, and Michael Keaton’s performance as the Vulture is a true highlight of the series, here’s hoping he makes a reappearance in Spider-Man 3!
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – “What Were You the God of Again?”
The first two ‘Thors’ are solid, if unspectacular films, but there’s never been too much love for them, and I feel the character of Thor struggled to be embraced the same way Captain America and Iron Man were by audiences. That was until the great, Taika Waititi stepped in to direct the third film of the series, Ragnarok. Waititi has a strong comedy background with his films What We Do In the Shadows (2014), and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), and he brought some of that unique comedy style to the MCU with this latest Thor tale. Rewriting Thor and essentially turning him in to a comedy character wasn’t to everyone’s taste but with Chris Hemsworth’s natural comic talent I feel it really helped reinvent the character in a positive way. The film isn’t all comedy however, as we also lean more into the God of Thunder’s incredible power set, especially during this scene in the film’s final act. Thor,seemingly overpowered by his evil sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett), sees his father, Odin, in a vision and tells him he does not have the strength to beat her without his hammer. Odin gives his son an almighty pep talk and Thor returns with Palpatine levels of unlimited power, to take his sister and her undead army down, accompanied by Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’ playing over the action. It’s an epic sequence and it’s the God of Thunder at his best!
Thanks for reading Part One of my Best Scenes from the MCU Phase Three, I’d love to know what you think of my choices and if you’d pick any other moments. Keep an eye out for Part Two where I’ll be covering the finest scenes from Black Panther, Ant-Man & The Wasp and several other Marvel films!
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