4. Airport Fight (Captain America: Civil War)
Before the release of Captain America: Civil War in 2016, star Anthony Mackie described the film as “Avengers 3.8”. He later retracted his statement, but when you watch the film’s central action scene you can’t help but see exactly where he was coming from.
Loosely adapting the Mark Millar comic of the same name, Civil War sees the growing contention between Iron Man and Captain America reach a boiling point. Heroes are forced to pick sides, and the two teams finally come to blows on the tarmac of a German airport.
The stakes never feel too high, but it’s hard to care when a scene is this good. The sheer adrenaline of watching your favorite characters fight it out before your eyes is unparalleled.
This sequence is what comic book movies were made for. Each frame is a beautifully constructed love letter to Marvel’s voluminous bibliography. Certain moments feel like a splash page come to life.
As set-pieces go, you’ll be hard pressed to find one as joyous to watch as this one.
