Summary

• Even MCU movies with low critical scores have exciting individual scenes worth revisiting.
• Some of the best scenes include Thor becoming worthy of Mjolnir, Ultron's menacing debut, and Doctor Strange's horrifying dream walking sequence.
• Some of the best scenes in poorly rated MCU scenes are pure visual spectacles, while others offer insightful character moments.

The MCU has been delivering hits for 15 years, but even some of the franchises' more poorly received projects have standout scenes worth revisiting. While Marvel Studios is responsible for several of the best superhero movies ever made, not every film has been a hit with critics. It's not a recent phenomenon, either, as projects going as far back as early Phase 1 have been met with mixed reviews.

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes presents a picture of which 10 MCU movies have the lowest critical scores. However, in a testament to the overall quality of Marvel's movie franchise, several of these projects have still scored respectably. For those not particularly inclined to rewatch Marvel's less unanimously beloved projects, their best scenes are still worth checking out again.

10 Thor Finally Becomes Worthy Of Mjolnir In Thor (2011)

77% On Rotten Tomatoes

Thor's time in the MCU has had him star in some unevenly-received projects, but there's a satisfying simpleness to the climax of the original Thor. It came as no surprise at all that Thor eventually overcomes his hubris and becomes worthy of wielding Mjolnir once again, but that doesn't make it any less satisfying when it finally happens. There are several great suit-up scenes in the MCU, but Thor's first is perhaps his most thrilling, and his preceding fight mixes solid action that signifies notable character growth.

9 Ultron Makes His Terrifying Debut In The Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

76% On Rotten Tomatoes

Overall, Avengers: Age of Ultron struggles with a bit of an identity crisis. For much of the film, Ultron's attempts at humor are awkward and detract from their scenes, but no such distraction is present in the villain's introduction. Crashing an Avengers Tower get-together, Ultron menacingly threatens the group, teasing that there are no strings holding him back. The partially-destroyed Stark bot gives Ultron a terrifying look to match, a feel that is, unfortunately, lost in much of the rest of the film.

8 Doctor Strange Finds A Horrific Solution Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)

73% On Rotten Tomatoes

It's no surprise that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has plenty of spooky moments given it's directed by horror icon Sam Raimi, but one scene in particular perfectly delivers on the movie's premise of a horror-infused superhero action. Doctor Strange sleepwalks into the corpse of his own variant and harnesses demonic entities to act as a cape and a weapon. It perfectly shows Strange's creativity and raw power, and it's a visually striking scene to boot.

7 Black Widow Reveals Her Skills In Iron Man 2 (2010)

72% On Rotten Tomatoes

While comic book readers already knew the extent of Natasha Romanoff's skill set before it was shown off in Iron Man 2, her first fight sequence is still thrilling for everyone, regardless of prior knowledge. Widow's fight scene against Hammer's security forces lacks huge explosions or wild special effects, and it's all the better for it. It's just Natasha, some slick choreography, and the proper introduction to someone who would go on to be a core Avenger for another decade.

6 Loki Grieves Frigga's Death In Thor: The Dark World (2013)

67% On Rotten Tomatoes

Loki has undergone one of the best character arcs in the MCU, and that journey really began to form back in Thor: The Dark World. Loki is presented fairly singularly as a villain in Thor and The Avengers, and the reveal of his true grief in Thor: The Dark World adds tangible depth to the God of Mischief. Moreover, how the scene unfolds ties perfectly to Loki's desire to put up a firm facade to mask his weakness. The scene starts off as a classic Loki confrontation, and the reveal that it's an illusion hiding his damaged emotional state makes the scene hit even harder.

5 Bruce Drops Into Harlem From A Helicopter In The Incredible Hulk (2008)

67% On Rotten Tomatoes

Bruce Banner dropping from an aircraft to turn into the Hulk was played for comedic effect in Thor: Ragnarok, but it was done much better when presented in earnest in The Incredible Hulk. The MCU's second movie receives justified criticism for failing to really innovate and relying on some messy CGI fights to tell its story, but there's little doubt that Hulk's entrance to his Abomination confrontation is a perfect moment for the character that shows how impossible to stop the Hulk really is.

4 Thor, Valkyrie, And Jane Follow Gorr To The Shadow Realm In Thor: Love And Thunder (2022)

63% On Rotten Tomatoes

Thor: Love and Thunder has received criticism for using Gorr, an inherently terrifying villain, in a movie over-reliant on silly humor, but the God Butcher did get one fantastically dark scene to show off why he's worth fearing. When Thor, Jane, and Valkyrie track Gorr to the Shadow Realm, the movie transitions to near-full grayscale with only subtle pops of color. Gorr is legitimately terrifying as he interrogates the bunch, and his shadow monsters never look better.

3 Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, And Monica Rambeau Have A Space-Swapping Fight In The Marvels (2023)

61% On Rotten Tomatoes

The Marvels sees Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau forced to switch places any time they use their powers at the same time. While this creates problems for the trio throughout the movie and forces them to learn to work together, the trio's first fight scene is arguably the movie's best. The three don't quite know what's happening yet, and seeing them unwittingly swap places across Earth and space makes for a fast-paced and well-choreographed fight scene that moves the plot forward and contrasts the heroes' personalities well. Moreover, the song "Ratata" by Skrillex, Missy Elliott, and Mr. Oizo perfectly augments the action.

2 The Eternals Fight Ikaris In Eternals (2021)

47% On Rotten Tomatoes

Multiple heroes teaming up to take down an enemy isn't rare in the MCU, but Eternals' final fight does an exceptional job of lending weight and focus to each of the titular characters' unique powers. Ikaris may be a generalist, but Makkari's super speed and Phastos' technological creations are brought to life exceptionally well. It can be hard to present super speed in a convincing way, but Eternals' Makkari may be the most visually striking speedster in superhero movies to date.

1 Scott Lang Enters The Quantum Engine In Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

46% On Rotten Tomatoes

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may have problems with its villain and an ending that feels a bit lacking in consequence, but a few Quantum Realm scenes stand above the rest of the film as particularly enjoyable. One such sequence sees Scott travel into Kang's Quantum Engine, where his body infinitely splits to represent every possible choice he can make. It's creative and shot well, and it's the swarm of Scotts accidentally forming a human bridge like ants are known to do represents the MCU's penchant for mixing drama with the right amount of comic book chessiness.