People Are Sharing The MCU Moments Where People Literally Lost It In Theaters, And I Decided To Rank Them From Least To Most Iconic

    "I'm something of a scientist myself."

    Hannah Marder
    by Hannah Marder

    BuzzFeed Staff

    A while back, I rounded up some of the most cheer-worthy movie moments, and y'all had a LOT of Marvel submissions — enough to make its own list!

    Marvel

    I also added a bunch of my own moments. Oh, and thank you to banana22oats for the suggestion to make this list!

    Below are 50 Marvel moments people remember audience members cheering at, ranked from "moderately exciting" to "literally changed my life." The submissions are (mostly) from y'all, but the ranking? That's all me.

    OH, and before we go on, spoilers ahead! This list includes MCU movies up to Spider-Man: No Way Home.

    50. The female Avengers team-up in Avengers: Endgame:

    Peter says he doesn't know how they're going to get through everything, and Wanda says "don't worry" and Okoye says "she's got help"
    Marvel

    Suggested by shieldmaiden1975

    Yes, this got a big cheer in theaters. But it felt so forced and unrealistic that I could not take it seriously. In what world is every single female Marvel character in that one place? Did they plan it? Was Steve like yo, if you're a female Avenger, go help Carol? Mantis and Valkyrie don't even know any of them. I am ALL for an awesome feminist movie moment, but this felt like it was written by a man — which, of course, it was — with only a vague idea of what might be empowering to women.

    49. When the old man stood up to Loki in The Avengers:

    Loki says "there are no men like me" and the man says "there are always men like you"
    Marvel

    Suggested by altheab

    "This scene is wonderful. People don't cheer because it's cool, they cheer because it's important."

    —banana22oats

    48. When Yondu got a Ravager funeral in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2:

    Marvel

    Not a giant cheering moment, but seeing all the ships come together for Yondu was really sweet.

    47. When the tech refused to launch the ships because Cap told him not to in Captain America: The Winter Soldier:

    the tech says "I'm not gonna launch those ships, captain's orders"
    Marvel

    "I loved the scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier when the tech with the gun to his head refused to activate the helicarriers for Hydra because of 'Captain's orders.'"

    —animus000

    46. When Steven defeated Dormammu in Doctor Strange:

    Dormammu tells Strange he can't win, and Strange says "but I can lose, again and again...that makes you my prisoner" then tells dormammu to take his zealots from the earth and leave and never come back
    Marvel

    Suggested by Lou Corbett

    The moment people realized Strange's plan, he got a big cheer. This is such a great character moment for him — I love also when Dormammu says, "You will die," and he says, "Yes, but everyone else will live." The growth!! 

    45. When Tony showed up in the end credits of The Incredible Hulk:

    Tony enters the bar where Ross is and says that the super-soldier program was put on ice for a reason, and that he thinks hardware is more reliable
    Universal Pictures

    "When Tony appeared at the end of The Incredible Hulk. The MCU wasn't really a thing. No one expected the film to be connected to Iron Man any more than they expected those films to be connected to the latest Spider-Man films. When people realized it was not just Robert Downey Jr., but RDJ as Tony Stark, they cheered."

    —akja90901517

    44. When Fury revealed his damaged eye and used it for the retinal scan in Captain America: The Winter Soldier:

    Fury tells the secretary of state that if he wanted to stay ahead of him, he needs to keep both eyes open - he pulls off his eye patch and steps forward to scan his eye, which works
    Marvel

    Suggested by buzzy21

    Such a badass Fury moment. Also, I can't get over that his eye looks that bad all because of Goose.

    43. When Druig knocked Sprite out in The Eternals:

    Sprite says "it's all over now. we get to start over somewhere new" then druig knocks sprite out
    Marvel

    Sprite was annoying me, and I think everyone else, by this point. So when she got knocked out just as she looked like she had beaten Sersi, it was pretty darn satisfying.

    42. When Venom recognized Peter in the post-credits scene for Venom: Let There Be Carnage (This is Sony, but I’m counting it as the scene takes place in the MCU):

    Eddie sees a news report about Peter being Spider-Man and changes into Venom, who licks the screen and says "that guy..."
    Sony Pictures Releasing

    Suggested by coldleafjuice

    This moment ultimately had no payoff, but the idea that Venom could be in No Way Home was definitely cheer-worthy. (Okay, he is in No Way Home, but only for two seconds in a post-credits scene.)

    41. When Norman said, 'I'm something of a scientist myself' in Spider-Man: No Way Home (a reference, of course, to his oft-memed line from Spider-Man):

    Sony Pictures Releasing / Marvel

    I just love this tiny moment of fan service. 

    40. When Hulk said 'Hulk smash' and beat Abomination in The Incredible Hulk:

    Abomination says "any last words" and hulk says "hulk smash" and hits the ground
    Universal Pictures

    Suggested by jamaarbarkley

    Hulk doesn't get a lot of great glory moments (and has unfortunately become more of the butt of the joke as the films have gone on), so of course we had to include this one. It's such a great satisfying moment, especially for comics fans.

    39. When the Guardians held hands and withstood the Power Stone in Guardians of the Galaxy:

    Marvel

    While overall Guardians feels more comedic in its action, this moment was still really badass and cool and got a few cheers.

    38. When Loki arrived with the ship in Thor: Ragnarok:

    Thor smiles as Loki arrives with the ship and says "your savior is here"
    Marvel

    Suggested by Hannatude

    An iconic Loki moment.

    37. When Peter pushed his way out of the rubble without his suit in Spider-Man: Homecoming:

    Marvel

    I love a good "heroes friends come in at the last minute to save them" scene, but what happens here, where no one comes to help Peter and he has to get himself out, is almost more powerful.

    36. When Hulk slammed Loki in The Avengers:

    Marvel

    Suggested by steveinva

    I don't know about y'all, but I found this scene pretty damn satisfying.

    35. When Daredevil showed up in Spider-Man: No Way Home:

    Matt's cane comes into view then he says "that's great, thank you" on the phone
    Marvel

    The first crossover cameo in a movie full of them. Honorable mention to Matt's "I'm a really good lawyer."

    34. When Steve first came out of the machine in Captain America: The First Avenger:

    Marvel

    This definitely got a huge cheer in theaters, because hello bulked-up Steve. But as a moment that exists purely for eye candy, I don't want to rank it any higher.

    33. When Wanda fought Thanos in Avengers: Endgame:

    Wanda says "you took everything from me" and thanos says "I don't even know who you are." her eyes glowing, wanda says "you will"
    Marvel

    Suggested by johnnyv1776

    Wanda is by far the most powerful Avenger, so having her confront and fight Thanos one-on-one was pretty awesome, even in a climax filmed with awesome badass moments.

    32. When Thor summoned BOTH the Mjolnir and Stormbreaker in Avengers: Endgame:

    Marvel

    Suggested by glitterway

    A truly badass moment.

    31. When Okoye said she would kill W'Kabi for Wakanda "without question" in Black Panther:

    W'Kabi: "Would you kill me my love?" Okoye: "for Wakanda? without question"
    Marvel

    YES, OKOYE!!!! W'Kabi standing by Killmonger's regime was such a betrayal, and I'm so glad they showed Okoye as a strong independent character who knew exactly where her loyalties lay, and wasn't swayed by W'Kabi's choice. Wanda may be the most powerful Avenger, but Okoye is the most badass, IMO.

    30. When Cap gave Sam his shield in Avengers: Endgame:

    Cap asks Sam how holding the shield feels, and Sam says it feels like it's someone else's, and Cap says "it isn't"
    Marvel

    "I hated Endgame, but that moment when Steve handed Sam the shield, I literally yelled 'THAT'S MY CAP!' at our midnight screening."

    —constanvee

    Old Steve is pretty divisive, and people have a lot of thoughts, but it seems like everyone loved him giving the shield to Sam. It was SUCH a good choice of a successor — the only reason this isn't ranked higher is that it also meant we were seeing the last of Steve.

    29. When T'Challa revealed himself to be alive to Wakanda/Killmonger in Black Panther:

    Marvel

    Suggested by tink1953

    If this was the first moment we saw T'Challa alive, it would be higher up, but we already knew he'd survived. Still a badass moment.

    28. When Peter saw through Mysterio's illusion and stopped him from shooting him in the head in Spider-Man: Far from Home:

    Peter grabs the gun and says "you can't trick me anymore"
    Marvel

    This felt like such a growing-up moment for Peter. Mysterio has been manipulating Peter and his desire to be a kid — as well as his lack of a mentor/father figure now that Tony's gone — all movie. Here, we see Peter show that he's a lot smarter — and more jaded — after all Mysterio has done to him. 

    27. When Tony got control of the Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers: Endgame:

    Marvel

    Suggested by banana22oats

    The reason this isn't ranked higher is because, as badass and amazing as it was, it was still Tony sacrificing himself. There were some shouts, but mostly a hush fell over the audience as they realized what was happening.

    26. When Carol flew through Thanos's ship in Avengers: Endgame:

    Marvel

    Suggested by banana22oats

    The arrival of Carol definitely came with a lot of cheers. As the newest MCU lead at that moment (who had been gone for most of the film), it was fun to see her return and kick some major ass.

    25. When Carol got up again in Captain Marvel and it flashed back to all the times she got back up again after falling in her life:

    Carol says "you're right, I'm only human," then it flashes back to her getting up each time she falls, then she stands
    Marvel

    Literal chills every single time.

    24. When Natasha broke her nose to sever Dreykov's control over her in Black Widow:

    Marvel

    Another super badass moment that proves that Natasha has always been willing to do whatever it takes. It was so powerful to see her overcome Dreykov's control, and was one of my favorite moments in Black Widow.

    23. When Natasha utterly dominated in this Iron Man 2 scene:

    Marvel

    Iron Man 2 is one of the worst MCU films, and it's pretty much only saved by introducing Natasha. She CLEANS UP in this scene, and it's a great taste of what she can do.

    22. When Yon-Rogg tried to bait Carol into fighting him without her powers and Carol said she had nothing to prove to him in Captain Marvel:

    Yon-Rogg tells Carol to prove to him that she can beat him without her powers, and Carol blasts him back and says she has nothing to prove to him
    Marvel

    This was one of my favorite moments of Captain Marvel. Yon-Rogg's proposal that they fight without powers felt like bait a male hero would take, and I was SO happy when Carol just blasted him away and was like, "screw that." Her "I have nothing to prove to you" was a great empowering moment of her character arc, too.

    21. When Natasha and Okoye came to Wanda's rescue in Avengers: Infinity War:

    Proxima Midnight says "she'll die alone, as will you" and natasha says "she's not alone" as okoye also approaches with her spear
    Marvel

    Suggested by asifak17sp

    They tried to repeat this with the female Avengers team-up (see #50) and it did not work at all. It was SO much better and more natural here. It wasn't a literal Taylor Swift-esque #squad of heroes that felt cartoonish, but rather Okoye and Natasha happening to be nearby and helping Wanda fight. It's even more powerful because Okoye and Natasha don't have any powers. This moment just feels so effortlessly empowering.

    20. When Shang-Chi got control of half the rings in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings:

    Marvel

    We all knew it was coming, but that didn't take away from this being an awesome moment. There's really nothing like a superhero finally becoming the superhero in an origin story.

    19. When Bruce revealed his "secret" in The Avengers and turned into the Hulk:

    Marvel

    Our first time seeing Mark Ruffalo's Bruce as the Hulk did NOT disappoint. This is honestly just an iconic MCU moment. 

    18. When T'Challa yelled "WAKANDA FOREVER!" and fought with the Wakandans and Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War:

    Marvel

    "In Infinity War, people were cheering throughout the Wakanda scene....[for example] when Black Panther said 'Wakanda Forever' and they charged."

    —banana22oats

    17. When Harry Styles/Starfox showed up in the post-credits scene for The Eternals:

    Harry in the film
    Marvel

    As a Harry lover, I am biased in placing this so high up, but I will say it got the biggest cheer during Eternals, more so than any other moment.

    16. When Doc Oc showed up in Spider-Man: No Way Home:

    Doc Oc's leg shoots out and latches onto the ground, then Doc Oc says "hello peter"
    Marvel

    Yes, this moment was in trailers, but that didn't stop it from being (and excuse my 2008 slang) EPIC. I mean, this was really our first confirmation of the multiverse!!!

    15. And when Goblin's laugh started and he showed up in No Way Home:

    Marvel

    Kind of a let-down, as Peter's immediately transported away, but Goblin's laugh always gives me chills.

    14. When the Jabari showed up to help T'Challa's supporters in Black Panther:

    Marvel

    "When the border tribe (aka traitors) had the remaining guard trapped and the mountain tribe showed up and kicked ass, omg. That was my favorite moment in Black Panther."

    —Marijo

    13. When Tony finally saw Peter again and hugged him in Avengers: Endgame:

    Steve and Tony hugging
    Marvel

    This literally HEALED MY HEART.

    12. When Steve, Nat and Sam made their entrances in Avengers: Infinity War:

    Steve, Sam, and Natasha show up to fight
    Marvel

    Suggested by buzzy21

    Our heroes were sorely missed post Civil War, so seeing our faves pop back in to help Vision and Wanda was an extremely satisfying moment. Also, hello bearded Sam and blonde Nat!!!

    11. When Thor showed up in Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War with his axe:

    Marvel

    "In Avengers: Infinity War, when the Avengers are getting beaten badly and Thor's axe suddenly comes skipping through the field, everyone in the theater I was in cheered! It always gives me chills."

    —meeks34

    "'BRING ME THANOS!!'"

    —banana22oats

    10. When Thor summoned lightning with no hammer in Thor: Ragnarok:

    Hela asks Thor what he was the god of again, and Thor summons lightning
    Marvel

    "I literally watched this scene again yesterday, and I got so many chills repeatedly. Holy crap, that scene was incredible."

    —lapoozle28

    Just want to add that the choice of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" directly afterwards elevates this scene from great to spectacular.

    9. When the original six Avengers all assembled for the first time:

    Marvel

    Suggested by glitterway

    Chills. I have nothing else to say.

    8. When Hulk showed up in Thor: Ragnarok:

    The Hulk comes out and Thor yells "YESSS!"
    Marvel

    Thor: Ragnarok is the best MCU movie and it's not even a contest. It was elevated by Hulk's inclusion (he was sorely missed in Civil War!) and led to so many great moments between Thor and Bruce/Hulk, which helped in developing and bonding two original Avengers who felt like fringe characters of the group at times (Thor never really bonded with any of them, and Natasha and Bruce felt really forced). So when Hulk revealed himself, it was just such an incredible moment — as was Thor's reaction, then him immediately getting his butt kicked.

    7. When all three Spider-Men swung together in Spider-Man: No Way Home:

    all three spider-men swinging and landing together in one shot
    Marvel

    WHAT A MOMENT. I don't have much else to say here. Just iconic.

    6. When Cap said, "Avengers, assemble," in Avengers: Endgame:

    Marvel

    "The entire place erupted when I saw this at the movie theater."

    —swingzig13

    An iconic moment, but as only a small part of the whole portals scene, I don't think it should place in the top five.

    5. When Steve recognized Bucky in Captain America: The Winter Soldier:

    Bucky turns with his mask off and Steve says "Bucky?"
    Marvel

    The Winter Soldier really is a top tier MCU film and superhero film in general, and I think the whole best-friend-turned-evil trope is a huge reason of why it works. Bucky is a fan favorite (for good reason), so having him show up here was incredible.

    4. When Cap got control of Mjölnir in Avengers: Endgame:

    Marvel

    In Endgame, this moment probably got the second-loudest cheers. For some people, it was a long time coming, but for me it was super unexpected and yet made perfect sense, which made it that much more enjoyable.

    3. When Tony revealed himself to be Iron Man at the very end of Iron Man:

    Marvel

    Y'all, this is how one superhero film spawned an entire UNIVERSE of movies. Iron Man was already a great movie, but it completely did away with the tired superhero trope of hiding your identity in this one scene, and it's still, IMO, the smartest thing the MCU ever did, and one of my all-time favorite moments. Such a great reversal of expectations!

    2. When Andrew's Peter Parker (and, to a lesser extent, Tobey's) showed up in Spider-Man: No Way Home:

    spider-man jumps through a portal and pulls off his mask - it's andrew garfield's spider-man. He says he's spider-man in his world. Tobey's spider-man then comes in and waves hello
    Marvel

    I gotta hand it to Marvel for not spoiling this. It would've been so easy to market the movie with Tobey and Andrew, and instead they pretended they weren't in it for the entire publicity tour. When people finally realized the Spider-Man jumping through the portal Ned created was not Tom Holland's Spider-Man, they lost it. And again when he pulled off his mask. And AGAIN when Tobey showed up (though of course Andrew's entrance was bigger, just because his entrance was first and basically confirmed that Tobey would be coming). 

    1. When everyone came through the portals in Avengers: Endgame:

    Cap hears Sam say "on your left" and the portals all open
    Marvel

    I mean, obviously this has to be #1. People LOST IT. I lost it. This was truly incredible to witness in theaters on opening night, and I will forever be chasing the collective high of this moment.

    What Marvel scenes did I miss? Let me know in the comments!