While the Thor: The Dark World both disappointed fans as cookie-cutter re-treads of what worked before.
Fortunately, in 2014, the MCU’s sophomore phase was redeemed with the double whammy of Guardians of the Galaxy. Still, as always, this phase's large-scale climactic battles in these movies were a mixed bag.
The Battle Of Greenwich (Thor: The Dark World)
Spider-Man: Far From Home’s thrilling drone battle on Tower Bridge in Phase Three would later make up for this.)
Like the rest of the movie, this battle hits all the familiar beats without trying to go the extra mile. Thor pelts CGI magic energy at the Dark Elves and they pelt CGI magic energy back until the God of Thunder eventually wins.
The Iron Legion Vs. Killian’s Extremis Soldiers (Iron Man 3)
Shane Black’s controversial Marvel chief Ike Perlmutter nixed the idea of a female villain.
The Iron Legion shows up to save Pepper, contrary to movie’s message that having a house full of armored killer robots is bad, and the battle devolves into a chaotic frenzy of action with nothing to latch onto emotionally. Pepper gets Extremis superpowers for a second and then it’s promptly forgotten about.
The Battle Of Sokovia (Avengers: Age Of Ultron)
Lifting a whole city several miles up in the sky was a pretty bold way to end the Avengers’ final stand against Ultron, Tony and Bruce’s own nefarious creation – fell way short of its promise. A villain who was built up as an all-powerful A.I. who gained access to all the world’s computers within seconds of existing is defeated by being repeatedly pummeled.
Joss Whedon didn’t learn his lesson from the empty, perfunctory carnage of Earth’s mightiest heroes fighting the Chitauri in the Battle of New York in his previous Avengers movie. In the Battle of Sokovia, they simply punch their way through yet another faceless army (this time robots instead of aliens).
Scott Vs. Yellowjacket (Ant-Man)
Just like the rest of the movie, Edgar Wright’s original vision for the movie.
At the battle’s emotional climax, Scott goes into the Quantum Realm to save Cassie, knowing there’s a good chance he won’t make it out alive. However, the audience knows he’ll definitely make it out within seconds, because they’re watching the first movie of a franchise; still, the heroic gesture alone says a lot about his character.
The Battle Of Xandar (Guardians Of The Galaxy)
After uniting as a “bunch of jackasses standing in a circle,” the Guardians of the Galaxy unify the Nova Corps and the Ravagers as a makeshift army to fend off Ronan the Acc’s attack on Xandar. Initially, this is a regular space battle with a lot of mindless pew-pewing, but director James Gunn steps it up when Ronan’s command ship starts going down.
From Groot’s “We are Groot” sacrifice to Quill’s dance-off to save the world, Guardians’ final battle has the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heroics – and it’s also delightfully unconventional, a trait that made the movie itself such a resounding success.
Battle At The Triskelion (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
Upon revealing that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been secretly controlled by Hydra for years, Captain America: The Winter Soldier culminates in the first open battle between the two organizations. While Sam, Nat, Sharon, and Hill are all kicking ass in the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Cap himself is up on a Helicarrier fighting the Winter Soldier, desperate to remind him of who he really is.
This whole sequence is a huge comic book spectacle, but it ultimately boils down to Steve desperately trying to save his best friend from Nazi brainwashing. Bucky eventually recognizes Steve and spares his life, setting up the heartwarming “‘til the end of the line” arc that would carry Stucky through the rest of the Infinity Saga.
