If there's anything that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has, it's some incredible spectacle and action sequences. With countless heroes with varying powers and abilities, someone is always bringing a new type of fight to the table. For the most part, the final battles of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are some of the best in superhero cinema, give or take a few dodgy CGI details.
Whether it be the biggest final battle of all time featuring almost every Marvel movie hero or a fight that brought three Spider-Man franchises together via the multiverse, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has it all. It's tough to compare these final battles when each one brings something new and unique to the table of superhero cinema, but thanks to Marvel Studios having some of the biggest franchises on the planet, some are far more memorable and enjoyable. These are the most rewatchable final battles in the MCU, ranked by how much they stand out in the franchise and how compelling they are for audiences to revisit them.
10 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014)
The Guardians vs. Ronan the Accuser
Image via Marvel Studios
Being one of the most likable and highly acclaimed Marvel Cinematic Universe films means it's going to have an awesome final action sequence, right? In 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy did what they do best and brought a lot of spectacle, heart, and humor to their stand against Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) on Xandar. In an all-out war against Ronan's troops and the Guardians (with the help of the Nova Corps), the Guardians make their way onto his ship and crash it into the planet, sacrificing their beloved Groot (Vin Diesel) in the process.
It was a heartbreaking scene that had audiences in tears as Groot sacrificed himself to save his family. To lighten the mood, though, and to keep Ronan from destroying the planet with the Power Stone, Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) distracted the villain with a silly dance. He eventually got his hands on the Power Stone, and through the Guardians coming together to literally and thematically share their pain, Star-Lord gave one of the coolest lines in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: "You said it yourself, b***. We're the Guardians of the Galaxy."
Guardians of the Galaxy
Release Date August 1, 2014
Runtime 121 minutes
WritersJames Gunn , Nicole Perlman , Dan Abnett , Andy Lanning
9 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' (2017)
Spider-Man vs. The Vulture
Image via Marvel Studios
It was clear that when Marvel Studios brought Spider-Man: Homecoming to the big screen, they wanted to really set themselves apart from previous renditions of the character. There are many examples of this throughout the film, but one of the biggest is when they take the final battle against Michael Keaton's Vulture. In the words of Peter (Tom Holland) himself: "Just a typical Homecoming, on the outside of an invisible jet, fighting my girlfriend's dad!"
Vulture sneaks aboard Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) invisible jet carrying countless items belonging to the Avengers. Spider-Man, of course, follows and faces the Vulture outside the plane, at heights that he had never gone to before. The plane then spectacularly crashes on the beach, and the fight is brought to the sand. The whole sequence is astounding and entertaining, a dynamic fight unlike anything from any Spider-Man film.
Release Date July 7, 2017
Runtime 133 minutes
8 'Iron Man 3' (2013)
Iron Man, Rhodey and Pepper Potts vs. Aldrich Killian
Image via Marvel Studios
The ending battle of Iron Man 3 is every Iron Man fan's dream. At first, it looks like Tony and Rhodey may not be able to sneak into Aldrich Killian's (Guy Pearce) base and save Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and the President (William Sadler). Tony then decides to activate the "House Warming Protocol," a command that brings dozens and dozens of armors to his aid, manned by Jarvis (Paul Bettany) himself. Tony hops around the battlefield, jumping into his various armor to make his way around and fight Killian.
What's great is that each of Stark's armors each has a different, unique purpose, letting the action be diverse throughout the large battlefield. The powers of Extremis are also extremely powerful and make for a great antagonist and conflict for the iron-clad hero to face. There's so much at stake here, too, with the love of Tony's life on the line, making it one of the most rewatchable Iron Man scenes and a third-act battle Marvel fans can't get enough of.
Release Date May 3, 2013
Director Shane Black
Runtime 130 minutes
Writers Drew Pearce , Shane Black , Stan Lee , Don Heck , Larry Lieber , Jack Kirby
7 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' (2021)
Shang-Chi vs. The Mandarin
Image via Marvel Studios
The conflict at the heart of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is incredibly compelling. The themes and messages regarding family at its core are super relatable, so when Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) face-off, the emotions and relationships at stake are high and very relatable. Having a family can be hard, and it can be cathartic to see Shang-Chi and his father work things out in the coolest way possible.
But not only does the film have emotional stakes, it's got some high-flying action, as well. Bringing out a badass dragon from the depths qualifies the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings final battle as one of the best and most original in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even better, the battle has absolutely astonishing fight choreography, making it the highlight of the film as a whole.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Release Date September 1, 2021
Director Destin Daniel Cretton
Runtime 132 minutes
Writers Dave Callaham
6 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016)
Captain America & Bucky Barnes vs. Iron Man
Image via Marvel Studios
The final battle of Captain America: Civil War always had to pin Iron Man and Captain America (Chris Evans) against each other. But it over-delivered when it brought Iron Man to blows with both Cap and his best friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). The 2-vs-1 match-up may seem as if it'd be an open-and-shut battle, but the fight is incredibly engaging as Iron Man more than holds his own. There are many times in which Tony would have taken down Cap or Bucky if the other had not been there.
The fight is intense and hard-hitting, both physically and emotionally. Seeing the two leaders of the Avengers facing off, with betrayal lingering over the entire fight, is heartbreaking. Audiences feel for both Rogers and Stark, as the boy in blue is trying to defend his beloved friend and the armored Avenger is stricken with pain after seeing his mother killed by Barnes. It's among the most epic but bittersweet moments in the MCU as a whole and a gut punch from which fans took years to recover.
After Thor: The Dark World, it's safe to say that the god's third outing, Thor: Ragnarok, brought his solo franchise back into good standings with general audiences. It was an incredibly beloved film that some claim saved the character after two underwhelming outings. While Ragnarok is more lighthearted and comedic than the previous two Thor movies, the final battle brings all tensions to a tee while still maintaining that lighthearted tone.
From the very first act, Hela (Cate Blanchett), Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) long-lost sister, came onto the scene and asserted her dominance and power like no other. Breaking Thor's hammer displayed how much of a threat she truly was. So, when it was also revealed that she is immortal so long as Asgard exists, things got real. The God of Thunder lost his eye, Hulk faced off against a gigantic beast, and Asgard was destroyed by Surtur (Clancy Brown). It's big, bombastic and epic, while still feeling lighthearted.
Release Date November 3, 2017
Runtime 130 minutes
Writers Eric Pearson , Craig Kyle , Christopher L. Yost
4 'The Avengers' (2012)
The Avengers vs. Loki & The Chirauri
Image via Marvel Studios
The final battles that came before The Avengers were all good, but the third act of this iconic 2012 movie is the one that really set the standard for future confrontations. With the entirety of New York City taken over by Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his alien army, the Chitauri, it's up to the Avengers to finally come together and save the city, no matter the cost.
It's thefirst time in the film that the team had truly come togetherand audiences had been waiting for it. The battle truly felt borderline unwinnable, especially as the Avengers grew tired and/or injured, and the aliens only kept coming. Things were somehow made both better and worse when the World Security Council decided to send a nuclear missile to the city with the intention of wiping it all out. In the end, Tony Stark used it to take down the home ship of the aliens altogether, winning the day for the team.
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3 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021)
Peters 1, 2 and 3 vs. the Multiversal Villains
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Spider-Man: No Way Home has one of the best final battle payoffs in superhero cinema. There were dozens of expectations from everyone walking into theaters in 2021. With the appearance of the multiple Spider-Man villains from across the multiverse, people were hoping to see them team up. Tom Holland facing villains he's never met before would open the door for the other two Spider-Men to make appearances.
Audiences get to see many things here: the villains teaming up, Holland facing them, the previous two Spideys meeting their villains again, and the three Spider-Men coming together on screen for the very first time. So much was paid off in this battle, not just for the Spider-Man: No Way Home plot but also in the plots where Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were last seen. The movie delivered in every way, meeting the fans' expectations and then some. It was pretty much everything people wanted and needed it to be to cap off this movie.
While there may be two battles happening in the bottom half of Avengers: Infinity War, the one that runs the longest and ends the conflict is the all-out war in Wakanda. The rest of the Black Order and their army invade Wakanda to get the stone in Vision's (Paul Bettany) head, and every Avenger in the film, aside from the ones on Titan, stands with the army of Wakanda to face them.
The battle is a host to a plethora of cheer-worthy moments of payoff. One of the most iconic entrances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe happens here, when Thor, Rocket Raccoon and Groot arrive at Wakanda after Thor crafts Stormbreaker. The war in Wakanda is the definition of an exciting and thrilling Marvel battle, and when Thanos (Josh Brolin) joins to finish things off, it goes from exciting to terrifying.
Avengers: Infinity War
Release Date April 27, 2018
Runtime 149 minutes
Writers Stephen McFeely , Christopher Markus
1 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019)
The MCU vs. Thanos, the Black Order and Chitauri
Image via Marvel Studios
As if the best final battle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be anything else? Arguably the best final battle in superhero cinema is at the end of Avengers: Endgame. If this film was going to end the ever-popular Infinity Saga, it was going to need an incredible final battle.On paper, executing this battle seems borderline impossible to do, but somehow, Joe Russo and Anthony Russo managed to do it absolutely wonderfully.
The directing duo balanced using every single active hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at once while giving pretty much all of them a full-circle moment at some point. The action is impeccable, thrilling yet easy to follow, and not only did the Russos deliver an entertaining action sequence, but they also wrapped up the long-running Infinity Saga almost perfectly. Revisiting this battle never gets old.
Release Date April 26, 2019
Runtime 181 Minutes
Writers Keith Giffen , Stan Lee , Larry Lieber , Don Heck , Jim Starlin , Joe Simon , Steve Englehart , Jack Kirby , Steve Gan , Bill Mantlo , Stephen McFeely , Christopher Markus
Custom Image by Zanda Rice
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