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MCU Favorite Moments Countdown #3- Peter Digs Himself Out of Rubble, Spider-Man: Homecoming

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has proven that they can make movies about superheroes other than Spider-Man and get people to want to watch them. Even so, the MCU didn’t feel complete without Marvel’s poster-boy, so everyone was elated when the web-head made his debut in Captain America: Civil War. Then that elation doubled with his stand-alone film, tSpider-Man: Homecoming.

Near the film’s climax, Spider-Man confronts the movie’s villain, Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture. Despite his best efforts, Spidey fails to catch the bad guy and ends up trapped under several tons of rubble as Vulture escapes. Just when he’s ready to give up, he remembers what Tony Stark told him earlier and realizes that he’s still a hero even without a fancy suit. In an impressive display of strength and will, Spider-Man then manages to lift the rubble off of him and freeing himself.

There’s a reason why Spider-Man is considered to be Marvel’s greatest creation. He may not be the smartest or the most powerful of all the heroes, and he has to do with a lot of problems most heroes don’t, yet he’s Marvel’s greatest hero. Because few other heroes in fiction have his strength of heart.

The best part to this scene, though, is that it’s actually a callback to what many consider to be Spider-Man’s greatest moment. All the way back in the 60s, Spider-Man battled the evil Dr. Octopus in order to retrieve a medicine needed to save the life of his Aunt May, only to be trapped underneath rubble in the same manner. Despite the overwhelming pain from lifting the debris, Spider-Man’s desire to save his Aunt May let him do the impossible and free himself.

The best part is that this moment in film is a tribute to the man who came up with this legendary scene: Spider-Man Co-Creator Steve Dikto. This is one of my all time favorite moments in the MCU, and a worthy addition to my top five.

In 2008, few could have imagined what would come out of the film Iron Man. That one movie about a superhero that a lot of people might not even know of became the seed for one of the most ambitious undertakings in film history. Eleven years and more than twenty-one films later, that one film has blossomed into a franchise that has changed the way we see superhero movies. Bit by bit, the films build upon each other, creating a shared universe of interconnected stories that rivaled the comics. DC had done something similar in the 1990s and 2000s with the DC Animated Universe, but this was the first time it was ever done in film.

Now, Marvel has become more popular that it has ever been, and every film seems to get better than the last. Then came Avengers: Infinity War, and for the first time on the big screen, our heroes tasted defeat. I’ve heard stories of children and adults crying at the end. Shoot, I quietly howled in grief when I saw Spider-Man turn to dust. We’ve waited a year to see the second part, and now Avengers: Endgame is upon us.

The ending is a part of every story, and oftentimes, it leaves us with a bittersweet feeling. We know that the MCU will be continuing for years to come, but Endgame is going to bring an end to the story arc that’s been building since the beginning, so it’s going to be an emotional ride.

I have tickets to see Avengers: Endgame on opening day, but I thought that I would do something special for the films that mean so much to me. So, from now until Friday, I will be counting down my five favorite moments from the MCU so far. And since there’s no time like the present, here’s my pick for number five!

#5- Iron Man’s Grand Entrance, Iron Man 2

I’m ashamed to say it, but I never saw the first two Iron Man films in theaters, but I so wish I did. I’ve seen them in the time since then, and some of my favorite moments in the MCU have been from the Iron Man trilogy. It was a tough choice between this, Tony using the Mark I armor for the first time, or the Iron Legion scene from Iron Man 3, but I had to go with this one.

Six months after the events of the original film, the whole world knows that Tony Stark’s Iron Man. With the decision to restart his late father’s Stark Expo, what better way for Tony to make an entrance than with his signature suit. Jumping out of a plane in his armor, Tony lands in the Expo amidst a cheering crowd, dancing girls, and Shoot to Thrill playing in the background.

I like this scene so much because it sums up Tony Stark’s entire personality in one amazing moment. He’s flamboyant, arrogant as hell, and loves being in the spotlight as much as possible. Luckily, he has the charisma needed to keep the spotlight, and underneath that exterior, we know he’s a good person. Plus, the fact he enters to the music of AC/DC shows us that he has good taste in music.

When I look back on the year 2018, there are a couple of things that I want to remember it for (and I will be covering some of them in my Review of 2018 here). Looking back, though, I think I can sum up my memory of 2018 in four words: the Year of Superheroes.

Year of Superheroes

Superhero movies dominated the film industry in 2018, churning out movie after movie up to the final weeks of the year. In hindsight, aside from a few exceptions, the majority of the movies that I went to see in theaters were superhero movies. I didn’t get to see every last one of them, but I saw a good deal of them, sometimes more than once. With the year wrapping up, I thought it would be fun to go back and give my thoughts about what I did see.

So, without further delay, here it is, true believers! My thoughts on this Year of Superheroes.

Black Panther

Dear god, where do I even begin? As someone who has read Marvel Comics for years and scoured the internet for lore, I knew the basics about the Black Panther: the first African superhero. Created in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, he was a game-changer then, and he is now. This was the first time in living memory (that I know of) that an African or African-American superhero had the spotlight to themselves, and the people who made the film knew how important that was.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that this movie would be as big as it got. I thought Infinity War was going to be the big superhero movie of the year, but this one seems to have made the bigger cultural splash. I loved it, and I would watch it again in a heartbeat.

Avengers: Infinity War

From the moment I saw Thanos in the mid-credits to Avengers, I KNEW that this moment was coming. I watched nearly every Marvel film for the last six years, watching the pieces fall into place and the Infinity Stones be revealed. When it finally came, I was one of millions of people who went to the movies to see it. What I saw exceeded my expectations.

I felt I had a lot of reasons to worry about this film not being a success. I was worried that, with so many characters, there wouldn’t be enough screen-time for everyone. Or that, after repeatedly topping themselves so many times in terms of scope, that this would be the moment when the MCU stumbled. Thank GOD that it didn’t.

I was enthralled by the film from start to finish. I gasped out loud at some of the moments, I laughed, squealed in delight, and at one point, I quietly screamed in sorrow.

By the time the credits rolled around, I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. I don’t know if it actually happened, but I swear people started applauding it. This was one of the best movies I have ever seen, and it was a night I will never forget. Big highlight for year of superheroes.

Deadpool 2

I’ll be the first to admit it: once upon a time, I hated Deadpool.

I’m serious. I thought he was annoying as hell. But then Ryan Reynolds somehow made me fall in love with the Merc with a Mouth. Actually, I think it’s more like I’m in love with Ryan Reynold’s performance as Deadpool. I don’t know how, but the way plays DP is just hilarious, and you can tell that he has fun with it. Shoot, I think he only agreed to play Pikachu in Detective Pikachu just to make fun of it as Deadpool.

What were my favorite scenes: just this.

I laughed my butt off with my friends in the theater when I saw what happened to most of the team. It was a big spit in the face of the concept of superhero teams. But then the film manages to top it in the mid-credits by correcting some…mistakes.

And Ryan Reynolds got to stop himself from making the biggest mistake of his career.

Thank you, Marvel.

Incredibles 2

I didn’t particularly like the original film, but I think that when I saw it, I wasn’t in a good mood that day, so that may have affected my viewing. Nonetheless, Pixar and Disney times Incredibles 2 perfectly. With superheroes dominating the box office, this was the best time to release the long awaited sequel. I don’t really know what else there is to say, other than when’s the next one coming out?

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Initially, I wasn’t going to see this movie. Because after the events of Avengers: Infinity War, I thought that there would be no point. There was no way this movie could top it. Overall, I was right. There were no universally-high stakes in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Maybe that’s what moviegoers needed to see, though. It wasn’t as big or as epic as Infinity War, and it knew it couldn’t compete with it. So, it didn’t bother trying. It was a light-hearted film that helped take the edge off of having to wait another year for the next MCU film, and the ending does help set up for Avengers: Endgame.

Teen Titans Go! to the Movies

I was a fan of the original Teen Titans show, so when I saw this show for the first time, I wanted to puke. But then, for reasons I fully don’t comprehend, I decided to go see this movie. And you know what? It wasn’t that bad. Actually it was, pretty good.

Put the torches and pitchforks down. And drop the shotguns.

I still don’t like the show! But the movie made me realize that Teen Titans GO! was never meant to be like the original cartoon. It’s trying to be its own thing and entertain a different audience, and so far it seems to be working. What I’m getting at is that this movie is basically the show telling the haters that it’s proud to be silly, and that doesn’t stop it from being cool when it needs to be. Just look at this!

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes

Considering how much I love superheroes and anime, I wonder how I did not get into My Hero Academia sooner than this year? Well, better late than never. I love this show, and I loved the movie, and I don’t know what I can say clearly to express my admiration for the author or the people who work on the show. I just wish I could find an actual clip of the final battle. The moment you hear “You Say Run”, your hair will start to stand on end in excitement.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Anything that I say here will have already been said in my review of this movie, so I will keep it brief. I thought Infinity War was the best superhero movie of the year, but compared to this, I don’t think it even treads water. This film is a love letter to one of the greatest heroes of modern culture and a tribute to the recently deceased creators of Spider-Man, Steve Dikto and Stan Lee. If you haven’t seen it yet, then you need to drop what you’re doing and buy some tickets. You will not regret it. Just look at this scene!

My hair stood up in excitement. This captures what makes Spider-Man great, in a way that words alone cannot capture.

Year of Superheroes in Conclusion

So, in conclusion, this year was an amazing year for superhero movies, and it’s going to be one of the things I will remember it for. For the other things I want to remember about 2018, check out my year in review, out soon! Peace out!