Top 10 Best MCU Moments of 2014

And now, as the year draws to a close, we must all reflect on the events that have passed. For Marvel, many great things are on the horizon. New TV shows, new movies and even a new animated series. But we mustn’t be so focused on the future that we forget the past. With that said, Marvel had a pretty good year. We saw familiar faces, as well as some new ones. We got thrills, suspense, intrigue and, best of all… cameos. Cameos galore! It would be hard to name all the awesome moments that Marvel’s Cinematic Universe gave us this year. But apparently, that’s my job.

So here’s a list of the top 10 greatest moments from the MCU this year. Note, I’d like to include X-Men: Days of Future Past in this list but they aren’t part of the MCU. And I’d also like to include Big Hero 6 but it hasn’t come out in the UK yet. Your loss Marvel. What’s that? You want to know if I’ll include Amazing Spider-Man 2? Well, has Sony relinquished the rights back to Marvel instead of holding onto them like the greedy wastes of breath that shouldn’t even be mentioned in polite conversation? No? THEN SHUT UP!

DISCLAIMER! This list is my own personal opinion. Really. Please don’t get angry if I left out your favourite moment. There… there were just so many! I couldn’t… *Starts to cry* I couldn’t pick them all! It was like Sophie’s choice! I’M SORRY!

10. YOU?

Marvel have had some pretty awesome after credits scenes in past Marvel films. And some great cameos. Did you know that Nathan Fillion was in Guardians of the Galaxy? How did I miss that? Anyway, in GotG both post credit scenes and cameos were combined in a delightful mutation of weirdness. And the result? HOWARD THE MOTHERF***ING, @$#&ING, ***********ING DUUUUUUUUCK!!! *Takes a deep breath*.

Yeah. And let’s face it, nobody saw it coming! None of us ever thought we’d see that feathery frigging fowl ever again. But we did! And man, it… was… cool! Yeah! No duck puns. No making out with the mum from Back to the Future. Just a funny little cameo. A funny little cameo voiced by Seth Green of all people! Although, to be honest, I’m sure everybody who doesn’t know who Howard the Duck is had NO clue as to what was going on in that scene.

 

9. It’s A City!

One of the most intriguing and frustrating secrets of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Just what the hell are those carvings anyway? Well, this year we got our answer. It’s a blueprint… of a city! Dun dun duuuuuun! For me at least, that was a pretty satisfying answer. We all knew it was alien of some sort. But I don’t think anyone thought it would be an ancient alien city.

It gave a bit more clarity to what was going on and meant that our heroes had a clear goal. Race to find the city before HYDRA does! Hoo boy! This is gonna be good!

 

8. The Great Escape

People think that Captain America is a big boy scout that’s all “America! F*** YEAH!”. But the truth is over the years he’s frequently clashed with authority. He’s always done what he knows is right, not what the people in charge have told him is right. So seeing him defy S.H.I.E.L.D. and flee from the Triskelion was really cool in of itself. But then he went and did it in such a bad ass way!

Fighting in a lift full of trained killers! Taking down a jet using just his shield! Escaping on a motorbike! OH THE SHEER EPIC-NESS! Needless to say, it showed us how Cap can kick all kinds of arse!

 

7. Drax and Rocket

This is a small moment. Just half a minute. But god… the feels. Oh, the feels. Rocket Racoon’s best friend Groot has been turned to kindling and he’s mourning his loss. Then Drax, the unstoppable killing machine who wants nothing but vengeance, sits down beside him as Rocket is crying… and strokes him on the head. Doesn’t say anything. Just comforts him.

People ask me why I love Marvel so much. This is one of the reasons why. And before you ask, no I couldn’t find a picture of it actually happening. The Internet failed me. You’ll have to make do with this picture of a raccoon biting James Gunn on the nose.

 

6. Turn, Turn, Turn

I think most people would agree with me when I say that this is the episode that made Agent’s of S.H.I.E.L.D. great. It had been getting better for the past few episodes, but this is the episode when everything changed. HYDRA is seemingly everywhere. The mysterious Clairvoyant might still be alive. Nobody knows who to trust. Suddenly, one of their most trusted allies, Agent Garret, is revealed to be a HYDRA agent and the Clairvoyant. Oh no!

You’d think that would be enough, right? Nope. Cause it turns out, oh… spoiler alert! *Clears throat* Ward was a member of HYDRA too! The guy who was training Skye, one of the teams most trusted members, has been a bad guy this whole time! Holy mother of BALLS!

 

5. What Captain America Lost

Damn it, Marvel! Why must you make me feel all these emotions! So one of the few complaints I have about Avengers is actually one of the deleted scenes. We see the lead up to Cap hitting the punching bag before Nick Fury comes to talk to him. It’s a series of quiet events as Cap looks over dossiers of the friends he lost after he got frozen and goes out into modern day New York, which confuses him. It’s a great deleted scene which adds a lot to Cap’s character. We needed a scene in Avengers that shows us what he’s lost.

But we got that in Winter Soldier. Damn, did we get it. It turns out Peggy Carter, Caps love interest, is still alive. Only she’s old, living in a home and has Alzheimer’s. In that moment, we see Steve face everything he’s lost personified in a person he loved but had to leave behind.

 

4. We Are Groot

OH GOD I CAN’T TAKE IT! I’m English for goodness sake! I’m forbidden by law from showing emotion! But… IT’S JUST SO SAD! Trapped in a crashing spaceship, it looks like the end for the Guardians of the Galaxy. But then, sentient tree creature Groot saves Quill, Rocket, Gamora and Drax by cocooning them, at the cost of his own life.

Throughout the movie, the only thing he has said is “I am Groot”. But as he saves his friends, he says: “We are Groot”. I have no idea what it means, but it still makes me cry.

3. The Return of Fury

After Fury goes dark and burns his eye patch at the end of Winter Soldier, we thought that would be the last we’d see of him for a while. Not so. He turns up at the eleventh hour to help Coulson and co defeat Garret. After saving Fitz and Simmons, he joins Coulson in his fight, giving him a massive lazer gun to help stop the super powered Garret

Afterwards he makes up for bringing Coulson painfully back from the dead by naming him the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., before going dark once again. That Nick Fury. So enigmatic.

 

2. HYDRA Takes Over

So, it turns out HYDRA has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. over the years since the Red Skull’s death and is planning on securing its position of world dominance by killing everyone who poses, or could ever pose, a threat to them. And as Captain America and team try to stop them, the imbedded HYDRA agents reveal themselves, turning on their S.H.I.E.L.D. co-workers. It’s the sudden and swiftness of their betrayal that gets me. You can tell they’ve been planning it for a long time.

In an instant, lines are drawn. And if you’re not with HYDRA, you’re gonna be disposed of. It’s a great beginning of a climax to a great film. Side note, do you think Danny Pudi was with HYDRA? I hope not.

 

1. ♫ Ooooh Child, Things Are Gonna Get Easier… ♫

What’s the best way to stop a villain out to destroy a planet? A dance off of course! As Ronan the Accuser is about to destroy Xandar with one of the infinity stones, Peter Quill steps up to the plate and challenges him to a dance off, singing the 1970 song O-o-h Child by Five Stairsteps. Why the hell not? Of course, he was only doing it to distract Ronan so that Rocket and Drax could take him out. Still… funny.

The thing I like about this is… it works! Making this the first time a super villain has been defeated by dancing. At least that I know of. I’ve got a feeling Adam West might have done it at some point. *Shudders*.