As fans of comics and superheroes prepare for another huge year in the movie business, both DC and Marvel look to continue their dominance on the silver screen. While superheroes have been around for nearly a century, the first successful movie was the 1978 hit Superman. That was followed by Tim Burton's 1989 Batman and continued into the 1990s with the Batman sequels and Marvel's first hit, Blade.
The 2000s introduced several important franchises to the movie industry, such as X-Men, Spider-Man, and The Dark Knight Trilogy. 2008's Iron Man brought the MCU to life and it never looked back, releasing several films each year and changing the landscape for shared movie universes. The best superhero movies have solid stories, great acting, and mind-blowing action, with the latter including some of the best fight scenes of all time.
10 Captain America Vs. The Winter Soldier - Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
The final fight scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a bloody and personal matter between Captain America and his old buddy, Bucky Barnes. Known as the Winter Soldier, Bucky was brainwashed by HYDRA and became their assassin after he was thought to be killed during World War 2. Cap tries to save the world once again but his old friend stands in his way.
It's a surprisingly violent fight for an MCU movie and Cap is shot multiple times by the Winter Soldier. Cap tells him to finish the job because "I'm with you until the end of the line," which stops Bucky in his tracks and leads him to save his old friend from drowning before disappearing once again.
9 Superman Vs. General Zod - Man of Steel (2013)
While Man Of Steel is often overlooked and is much darker than previous Superman films, the acting and soundtrack are undeniably epic. Henry Cavill and Michael Shannon were excellent as Superman and Zod respectively, with the two characters going toe-to-toe in the final minutes of Man Of Steel. Leaving a path of destruction throughout Metropolis, Zod and Superman fly around fighting each other.
Superman gets the upper hand toward the end of the fight but is conflicted when Zod uses his laser vision to threaten an innocent family. This leaves Superman with no choice but to snap Zod's neck, killing him instantly but saving the family from a painful death.
8 Hulk Vs. Thor - Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok is definitely one of Marvel's best films to date, thanks to its colorful characters, strong acting, and the perfect mix of comedy and action. Taika Waititi breathed new life into the God of Thunder - who ends up on Sakaar, where the Grandmaster puts on gladiator fights between all kinds of beings.
After getting his long hair cut, Thor is thrown into a battle against his former teammate and friend, the Hulk. Hulk has been the Grandmaster's champion for years and didn't let his friend off the hook. The two collide in an epic battle but are quick to make up and begin to work together again.
7 Team Cap Vs. Team Iron Man - Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Captain America: Civil War was a huge hit for the MCU and featured a lot of the Universe's best heroes, along with a captivating story about Iron Man and Captain America. Disagreeing on the new law, The Sokovia Accords, Cap and Iron Man recruit both new and old heroes alike that leads to a huge battle at a Berlin airport.
Team Cap is loaded with Bucky, Falcon, Ant-Man, Wanda, and Hawkeye. Team Iron Man is packed with War Machine, Vision, Black Panther, Black Widow, and Spider-Man. There are so many great moments in this fight, especially Giant-Man's debut and Spidey use of Star Wars knowledge. Cap and Bucky manage to escape Iron Man, thanks to the Black Widow's double-cross on her own team.
6 Wonder Woman World War 1 Scene - Wonder Woman (2017)
While the DCEU has been hit or miss since its inception, 2017's Wonder Woman was a huge success and served as a wonderful origin story for Diana Prince. Helping her new Earth friend, Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman goes into battle mode during WW1 and seeks to save innocent lives from the German army.
Wonder Woman braves the front of No Man's Land and dismantles the German army, freeing the innocent villagers and earning respect from her own team. The action in this scene is unbelievably well done, as is the amazing soundtrack when the Amazonian crosses the field to take down the German troops.
5 Justice League Vs. Steppenwolf & Parademons - Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
Thanks to the fans and Zack Snyder's constant hard work, his take on the Justice League hit HBO Max early in 2021. Zack Snyder's Justice League blew Joss Whedon's 2017 version out of the water, removing the forced comedy and adding more important plot points with intense action.
Justice League is loaded with action throughout the 4-hour runtime. The last hour features the final battle for the Justice League against Steppenwolf and his Parademons. Thanks to the returning black-suited Superman and Flash's superspeed, the united team kills Steppenwolf and stops the evil Darkseid from returning to Earth.
4 The Avengers Vs. Loki & The Chitauri - The Avengers (2012)
After the early success of the MCU, the original heroes were brought together to form Earth's Mightiest Heroes in 2012's The Avengers. Battling against Thor's evil brother, Loki, the heroes finally unite in New York City to put an end to the God of Mischief's evil plan.
In one of the most memorable moments in superhero movie history, Bruce Banner shows up on a motorcycle and 'Hulks out' to help destroy Loki and his Chitauri army. Iron Man flies a nuke to outer space, Cap and Thor destroy the aliens on the ground, and Hulk smashes Loki around.
3 Batman Vs. Superman - Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)
Often considered a failure due to Jesse Eisenberg's casting as Lex Luthor, the infamous "Martha" moment, and terrible CGI for Doomsday, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice has plenty of redeeming qualities. Before the 'Martha' debacle, Superman and Batman have an epic battle throughout an abandoned warehouse, with Superman shoving Batman around without breaking a sweat.
Although, Batman sets up plenty of traps and uses his brain, along with some kryptonite, to outsmart the Man of Steel and nearly kill him. Both heroes land some great shots and throw each other around like ragdolls, before realizing their moms shared the same name.
2 Bucky & Captain America Vs. Iron Man - Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Although the airport fight was an epic battle, the more personal story between Tony and Cap came to a head at the end of Captain America: Civil War. After Zemo reveals to Tony Stark that a brainwashed Bucky Barnes killed his parents, Iron Man realizes that Cap knew and withheld this information and the three of them engage in a brutal fight in a Siberian bunker.
Cap tries to explain that Bucky didn't know what he was doing, but Stark doesn't care and the fight continues. After blowing off Bucky's metal arm, Cap overpowers Tony and uses his shield to destroy Stark's arc reactor. Tony tells Cap that he doesn't deserve to hold the shield his father made, so Cap leaves the shield and the Avengers officially break up.
1 The Avengers Vs. Thanos & His Army - Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The culmination of 11 years and over 20 movies in the MCU, Avengers: Endgame was the huge conclusion to the Infinity Saga and brought every corner of the MCU together. After suffering a major defeat in Infinity War, the Avengers go back in time and recollect the Infinity Stones to bring back all the living things Thanos snapped away.
Although Thanos is killed in the opening minutes of Endgame, the 2014 version of the Mad Titan returns to the Avengers compound to destroy the team, but is ultimately defeated. Thanks to Cap wielding Mjolnir, every MCU hero returning to assemble against Thanos' army, and Iron Man's sacrifice, Thanos is finally snapped away himself.