The Best Scene in Every MCU Movie – Phase Three, Part One

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!

Casting The MCU X-Men

The history of the X-Men onscreen is a muddled series of wonderful highs and depressing lows. For every X2 or First Class there was a Last Stand or Dark Phoenix just around the corner, and it was this inconsistency, and failure to successfully adapt world class comic book stories to the screen in a satisfying manner which alienated audiences and led to the eventual end of the Fox owned X-Men saga. Fans worldwide rejoiced when it was announced that Marvel Studios had regained the rights for their wonderful cast of characters, as they hoped that finally there would be consistent and accurate versions of the X-Men joining the hugely successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced that mutants would be coming soon to the MCU but with no cast officially announced yet I thought I’d try fan-casting a few of the characters I hope to see introduced. My view is that the MCU will try to give us a younger cast, so as to ensure we can enjoy these characters for a number of years in a variety of different stories, so my casting choices reflect that. As always, let me know if you agree or disagree with my picks and let me know who you’d like to see too!

Cyclops – Dylan O’Brien

Brave and headstrong leader of the X-Men, Cyclops is a character who has never received the respect he deserves in a number of onscreen appearances. If written well there is a lot of potential with a young Scott Summers battling with responsibility and the pressures of leadership as well as his relationship with Jean Grey. Although he has a strong background in comedic acting, his performances in the Maze runner series gave O’Brien the chance to show off his acting chops in a strong leadership role, a perfect audition for playing Cyclops if you ask me!

Wolverine – Taron Egerton

Anyone following in the footsteps of Hugh Jackman has a massive task ahead of them in playing Wolverine, but if there’s one actor I feel is up to it, then it’s definitely Taron Egerton. Not only does Egerton possess the short, stocky frame of the comic book Logan, but he is a versatile actor who showed in 2019’s Rocketman he can pull off the anger and rage we associate with the character. People may have concerns Egerton is too young for the role but at the time of writing this he’s 30 and Hugh Jackman was only 31 when he first put on the claws.

Professor X – Gary Oldman

Patrick Stewart was so perfectly cast in the role of Professor Charles Xavier it’s almost impossible to see anyone else in the role. Of course, James McAvoy was superb as a younger version of the character in a number of films, but I believe there is only a small number of actors who could portray Xavier at an older age, and Gary Oldman is one of them. Oldman’s career has seen him play a number of iconic characters and his ability to play both hero and villain is an amazing trait. Xavier must be a character which the X-Men look up to, admire and respect, and view as a father figure. Think back to Oldman as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series and that gives me confidence he is the right man to play the role.

Jean Grey – Saoirse Ronan

Jean Grey is such a complex and brilliant character who is at the centre of one of the most iconic X-Men stories of all time, The Dark Phoenix Saga. Twice this story has failed to be told properly onscreen, I’m not saying it needs to be rushed into but surely somewhere down the line Marvel Studios would love to tell this story properly. For telling the story you need an extremely talented young actor in the role of Jean and I don’t think there’s many better out there than Saoirse Ronan, someone who has impressed in a number of roles over the years. Although huge blockbuster movies are not usually the types of film Ronan has appeared in over the years, the MCU seems to have an amazing ability in recent times to acquire any star they want, and this could be a wonderful opportunity for the young actor to branch out into these kinds of film.

Nightcrawler – Bill Skarsgard

Skarsgard is obviously most famous for his iconic performance as the terrifying Pennywise the Clown in the It series of films, but he must surely be wanting the public to change their view on him as he branches out into more heroic roles. Skarsgard is no stranger to playing ‘weirdos’ and that’s part of the charm of Nightcrawler, who is a charismatic and confident character but also someone who is in conflict with their Catholicism, giving his character many layers. If he were to get the role, then this would actually be the actor’s second appearance in an X-Men film having had a minor cameo in Deadpool 2 as a mutant called Zeitgeist in that film’s amazing X-Force sequence.

Angel – Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Again I look to the Maze Runner cast for inspiration, Thomas Brodie-Sangster is an actor who despite his youth, has been appearing on our screens for almost 20 years. Angel is one of the original X-Men from the comics and is yet another mutant who deserves better treatment onscreen after a number of poor iterations previously. Brodie-Sangster could definitely pull off the privileged and slightly self-absorbed personality of the character but it would be a test to see if he could also play the darker, brooding side of Angel too, I’m confident he could be a good outside choice though.

Beast – Jeffrey Wright

For the role of Hank McCoy/Beast I think Jeffrey Wright would be a perfect choice, as he has the ability to play strong, intelligent characters, plus wouldn’t he look great covered in blue fur? In all seriousness though, Wright has stood out in roles in a number of films and TV series and his addition to the MCU seems a formality at this point. Wright does actually have an upcoming Marvel project where he will be playing The Watcher in Marvel’s What If? series but it would not be the first time they’ve had actors play multiple roles in the MCU.

Magneto – Giancarlo Esposito

Giancarlo Esposito is an actor who has been exceptional in a variety of villainous roles in recent years and having the opportunity to play Magneto, one of the greatest comic book villains of all time, is surely one he would not pass up. Esposito as a calm intensity about him which is perfect for the role as Magneto is such a complicated and intelligent villain, and seeing Oldman and Esposito up against one another as leaders of both the X-Men and the Brotherhood would be a thrill to watch.

Mystique – Charlize Theron

For some bizarre reason, the X-Men prequels decided to portray Mystique as a hero and leader of the super-group, which truly wasted her potential as a cunning, manipulative supervillain. Charlize Theron is such an amazing actor who is proven in action films and can basically do whatever she wants at this point, but for her to join the MCU and play this iconic villain would be such an incredible piece of business by Marvel Studios and would get fans incredibly excited at the potential of the franchise.

Sabretooth – Armie Hammer

Sabretooth is a feral mutant and mass murderer. His hatred of Wolverine and their rivalry is one of the most fascinating parts of his character and having him play a major part in the franchise is something I feel the MCU should really work towards. Armie Hammer is a slightly unconventional choice for the role of Victor Creed as he perhaps seems a bit too clean cut and charming for the character, but I feel with his physical presence and onscreen intensity he could surprise a lot of people and make the role his own.

Iceman – Jack Quaid

Jack Quaid has found success recently through his starring role on the Amazon Prime series The Boys, where he plays the role of an average guy who ends up becoming a vigilante in a world of corrupt superheroes. The role of Iceman requires someone with a great sense of humour but someone who can also handle the emotional pressure of being a mutant in a world which fears them. In recent times Iceman came out as homosexual and this is something which the MCU surely needs to cover with their version of the character. This is where my fan-casting does run into some trouble though, as I’m sure there would be some backlash to a straight actor playing a gay character when representation is so important. Colton Haynes would be another contender for the role, especially as he’s already put his name into the hat to play Iceman.

Storm – Kiki Layne

Kiki Layne was an absolute revelation in the Netflix film The Old Guard and she’s destined for great things as her career grows. Storm is such an iconic and powerful character and Layne definitely has the confidence and grace to play the role. In interviews she has put herself forward to play Storm, and although that rarely works out in the actor’s favour, surely Feige must be tempted to cast her. Hopefully Storm is given a bit more to do in these films and time is dedicated to focussing on her African background.

Rogue – Maya Hawke

Rogue was given a lot of focus in the original X-Men trilogy, especially the first film, and although she is a great character, I do not think she should be the main protagonist of the series (I’ll touch on who I think should play that role a bit further down). Maya Hawke really impressed when she was introduced in series 3 of Stranger Things and I think with her confidence she would be perfect for the role of Rogue. Her comic book backstory involves Captain Marvel so there is opportunity there for a crossover which would be very exciting to see.

Juggernaut – John Cena

I was half tempted to put Vinnie Jones, after hearing of how he was left feeling a bit betrayed by how his character was treated in The Last Stand, but it’s best to look forwards rather than back so I’ve put John Cena up for consideration. Although obviously most famous for his wrestling career, Cena has really impressed with his performances in films like Blockers and Bumblebee in recent years. Cena will be entering the world of superheroes in 2021 in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, but seeing him take up the mantle of Juggernaut and taking on the X-Men would be incredibly exciting. Hopefully these films would also show us the relationship between Juggernaut and his step-brother, Professor X, as everyone loves a bit of family drama.

Kitty Pryde – Millie Bobby Brown

Millie Bobby Brown has proved herself as a brilliant young actor during her time on Stranger Things and an appearance in the MCU is seemingly only round the corner. I feel Kitty Pryde would be the perfect role for her and that she could be a key protagonist in the series for a number of years. Being one of the youngest students and members of the team, the audience could follow her as a new recruit meeting the other students and heroes. Hopefully the series could follow her for a number of films and she could grow as a character becoming Shadowcat and introducing her alien dragon Lockheed.

Obviously I don’t expect all of these characters to appear in the first X-Men film Marvel Studios makes, but the potential for a long running series is there and it would be exciting to see these characters enter the MCU at some point down the line. Let me know what you think of my choices and if you disagree with mine, let me know who you’d cast too!

My 10 Favourite Movie Villains of My Lifetime (Superhero Edition) 10-6

Welcome back folks to another one of my unmissable countdown lists! In my previous post, we looked at my favourite villains which exist outside the world of superheroes so this time I thought it would be best we check out my favourite super villains which have been translated from page to screen.

10. Vulture – Spider-Man: Homecoming

Marvel Studios has an incredible ability these days to attract some of the world’s top acting talent, and in securing Michael Keaton, it really was a masterstroke on the studio’s behalf. For me, Spider-Man has the best rogues gallery in comic books after Batman, but onscreen it has been a bit of a mixed bag in terms of quality. From the awful, (Jamie Foxx’s Electro) to the brilliant, (Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus – more on him later), it was about time we got another excellent foe for Spidey. Keaton’s performance is what elevates this above the average villain, he’s terrifying both in and out of his amazingly designed Vulture costume and a real match for our hero on both a physical and psychological level. The scene in the car is one of the all time great hero versus villain confrontations.

9. Doctor Octopus – Spider-Man 2

As promised, here we look at the brilliant Doctor Octopus who was brought to life by acclaimed British actor Alfred Molina. In many other similar lists I have seen him ranked much higher and perhaps it is because I have not re-watched Spider-Man 2 recently that he only comes in at number 9 on this list, but he is definitely still one of the best super villains of modern times. Otto Octavius is someone who begins as an ally to our hero and through tragedy becomes Spider-Man’s enemy, it is sad to watch his downfall but Doc Ock’s redemption at the film’s climax is just as fascinating to watch. Sam Raimi’s horror roots as a director come in to full effect in the terrifying hospital scene where Octavius first regains consciousness after his accident and his metal arms come to life for the first time. Doctor Octopus is one of the main reasons why this film is regarded as one of the finest of the genre.

8. Ozymandias – Watchmen

Clearly a talented visual filmmaker yet often lacking when it comes to making anything with a bit more substance, Zack Snyder has become a bit of a joke in Hollywood these days, Watchmen however still holds up as one of the finest superhero films of modern times. In the Watchmen universe, Adrian Veidt (Ozymandias) is known as the smartest man on the planet, and he believes in himself as the person responsible for uniting the world by whatever means necessary and (SPOILER ALERT) he is one of those rare villains who actually succeeds with their plan and ends the lives of millions. It’s always a lot more interesting to me when a villain isn’t just evil for evil’s sake, Ozymandias truly believes that what he is doing is for the greater good and you could argue that he was actually right.

7. General Zod – Man of Steel

Man of Steel is a highly divisive film with many people finding issue with the over the top action and crazy levels of destruction. One thing many people agree on however, is the performance of Michael Shannon as General Zod. Zod is determined to save his people and rebuild Krypton but this can only happen if Earth and it’s people are destroyed. With Superman being so incredibly overpowered it’s always been tricky to create a believable and worthy villain for him, but when Zod battles Superman we learn that he has the exact same power set and level of strength. Although their fight scenes are epic and as visually exciting as you can imagine from a director like Zack Snyder, it is Shannon’s performance as the increasingly unstable Zod which sticks with you after the film ends. Being one of the few villains who has made Superman break his ‘no killing’ rule is also a pretty big deal!

6. Erik Killmonger – Black Panther

Michael B. Jordan might be one of the most talented men working in Hollywood right now, so when he was announced as the villain in Marvel’s Black Panther, I couldn’t contain my excitement. Erik Killmonger is an intriguing character with a surprising personal connection to the film’s hero. Another villain who we can sympathise with based on a tragic backstory, he wants what he believes was stolen from him as well as wanting to make life better for black people across the globe. If it weren’t for his methods and his twisted mindset Killmonger could easily be the hero he sees himself as. The final fight between him in his gold tinted Panther suit and the actual Black Panther is great but it is their first battle atop a waterfall which is most exciting to watch as we quickly learn how he acquired the name ‘Killmonger’. This is an emotionally driven villain and the performance from Michael B. Jordan is some of his finest work, his final line is one which still sticks with me”bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from ships, because they knew death was better than bondage”.

End of Part 1.

 

My top 5 hopes for this year’s SDCC

 

It’s that time of year again where the nerds of the world gather to San Diego for their annual celebration of all things superhero, sci-fi and more. Each year the event gets bigger and this year promises to be something special, the rumour mill has been buzzing the past few months about who will be there, what reveals will be made and which trailers are going to be watched again and again by those of us sat at home. Here’s a look at the 5 things i’m most hoping to see at this year’s event, if I am treated to just one of these things i’ll be a happy man. If i’m treated to none of them well i’m sure it’s just because the SDCC folk have surprised me with something else I wasn’t even expecting.

5. Wonder Woman/Justice League

So far DC haven’t exactly blown us away with their attempts at replicating the MCU’s success, both Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice have split audiences and you feel Wonder Woman has to be a hit to keep people’s hopes in the franchise alive. Anyone who knows me will be aware that I am definitely team Marvel if I had to take a side but i’m still such a huge fan of DC’s characters that I want their films to succeed.One thing BvS successfully did was make Wonder Woman an exciting character who audiences will want to see again so hopefully we are treated to a first trailer to her solo film at this year’s SDCC. With the war time setting it will be hard not to compare it to Captain America: The First Avenger but surely with added mythical beasts. I’m also really hoping we get our first look at footage from the highly anticipated Justice League movie and maybe even an appearance from the cast assembled onstage, that would surely drive those lucky folks in Hall H crazy!

4. Marvel Studios Netflix shows

Everyone knows by this point that Marvel and Netflix is a match made in heaven, Jessica Jones and both Daredevil series have blown audiences away and given fans a look in to the grittier side of the Marvel Universe. With Luke Cage arriving this September and the future releases of Iron Fist, Punisher, a second series of Jessica Jones and the long awaited Defenders series on the way one can only hope that we get plenty of juicy news from these shows this weekend. We were introduced to Luke Cage in the first series of Jessica Jones and fans immediately were drawn to Mike Colter’s performance as the original Power Man. A first trailer is surely on the cards at this weekend’s event. I’m not so sure we will get any footage from Iron Fist but i’m hoping to be proven wrong, and if we can get the Defenders all together on stage then it would be another unforgettable SDCC moment.

3. Guardians of the Galaxy 2

The first GOTG movie was something of an unexpected success when it came out in 2014 but it managed to bring an obscure group of characters from the comics back in to the mainstream whilst also gaining a huge fanbase. Director James Gunn loves to keep fans up to date with what’s happening on set through various social media such as Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram but he’s managed to keep plenty of secrets and as yet we are all none the wiser about the film’s plot. We’ve already been promised a look at the film’s cast together on stage so we will finally be introduced to newcomer Pom Klementieff who will hopefully have plenty to say about her character Mantis, the newest member of the Guardians. Fingers crossed Kurt Russell is there too to chat about his character, surely he’s playing Peter Quill’s dad right?! Again I feel it may be too soon to be shown any footage from the film but a look at some of the costumes/sets/props would be cool and a basic plot synopsis would be great too so we know what to expect next summer.

2. Doctor Strange

We’ve already been treated to a teaser trailer for Doctor Strange but with it’s November release fast approaching surely it’s time for another look at the Sorcerer Supreme. A Benedict Cumberbatch appearance hasn’t been announced but expect this film to be the main event from the Marvel Studios’ panel, so surely the ‘Batch has to be there at some point! A second trailer will hopefully elaborate on the film’s plot and show us more of the amazing visuals the previous trailer teased, director Scott Derrickson clearly has put together something special with this movie and it’s currently one of my most highly anticipated films of the next 12 months. I expect to see the cast together onstage and look forward to hearing from some of the cast members like Mads Mikkelsen, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tilda Swinton about their characters who we so far know very little about.

1. Spider-Man: Homecoming

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was the star of this summer’s Captain America: Civil War, even in his brief appearance, and he left myself and many Spidey fans like me eagerly awaiting his next onscreen appearance. As the end credits of Civil War promised though, Spider-Man will return, and he returns next year in Spider-Man: Homecoming, a film which takes our wall crawler back to high-school and rather than skimming over his time in school like previous films have done this time he’s there for the long run. A lot has been made of this film trying too hard to have a diverse cast and throwing in a load of unknown kids too, but for a film set in an American high school what do you expect? I very much doubt every new cast member has a leading role, they’re most likely just Peter’s classmates. We haven’t actually been promised a Spidey appearance but surely Marvel would be silly not to bring him along to Hall H this year. I’m hoping Tom Holland shows up in a similar way to how Andrew Garfield did several years ago, (still one of my favourite SDCC moments ever) surely that would blow the roof off the building! Any glimpse of footage or reveal of who the main villain is or a whole cast appearance would be golden but I’m well aware we are unlikely to get any of this so i’m not going to raise my hopes just yet.

Well those are my hopes for this year’s event! Whatever happens i’m sure we’re going to be treated to some extra special reveals and announcements. Let me know what you’re excited for this weekend in the comments below.