Saleem's Top Favorite TV Scenes (Comic Book Shows | Marvel)

On this glorious list of awesome TV moments, we venture through the world of comic book television series that centers exclusively around Marvel Comics. Expect to see the majority of this list centering around crazy costumed characters and superpower spectacles amongst other things of that nature.

[Recently Updated]

Echo

 

Honorable Mentions

 

Season 1

1. Daredevil Vs. Echo

"Though we have technically seen Matt Murdock in the MCU prior, it's his appearance in the Echo series premiere that I felt perfectly introduced him to the wider franchise. The timing of him showing up during Maya's first mission for Fisk as this dangerously efficient and acrobatic vigilante had me grinning from ear to ear. The action and choreography was spot on and had me wishing for more."

She-Hulk

 

Honorable Mentions

 

Season 1

1. Jen’s Ultimate Fourth Wall Break

"Words cannot describe my utter shock and delight once that MCU menu page on Disney+ abruptly popped up and She-Hulk literally smashed through her show's thumbnail to enter into another. The series took the character’s fourth wall breaking capabilities from the comics whenever she’d skip across panels interacting with the readers and writers and translated it into a three dimensional streaming platform medium. Her entire venture here is next level fourth wall breaking at its finest."

Moon Knight

 

Honorable Mentions

 

Season 1

1. Moon Knight Vs. Harrow

"One of my favorite things about this entire fight scene is the way in which it successfully connects to the character writing just as much as it visually entertains. The newfound partnership between Marc and Steven gets solidified with fun body swapping scenarios taking place alongside great fight choreography and camera work."

Hawkeye

 

Honorable Mentions

 

Season 1

1. Kingpin’s First MCU Appearance

"Words cannot describe how excited I was at this brief little moment showcasing our first cameo by Vincent D’onofrio’s Kingpin. Why the crazy amount of hype for something so quick? Well, considering that this is indeed Kingpin from the Netflix Daredevil series (or at least a variant), this ended up being a dream come true MCU canon crossover moment for me."

2. Hawkeye Uses A Pym Tech Arrowhead

"This was by far one of the coolest action related surprises to come out of an MCU series. Hawkeye's Pym tech arrow gets introduced in a gloriously absurd and badass fashion by massively enlarging Kate's arrow into a giant building sized one crashing down on the track suit mafia. The visuals are great but it's also a nice tie-in to Clint's Civil War Ant-Man team up scene."

 

Loki

 

Honorable Mentions

 

Season 1

1. Loki & Sylvie Attempt To Reach The Ark

"A visual delight of extensive chaotic action, artistically stunning environmental elements, and a thrilling sense of stakes all in one well executed package."

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

 

Season 1

1. Falcon Rescues Military Asset From Terrorist Group

"The MCU shows off its high production values in its official canon TV division with a fantastic action scene highlighting the Falcon's capabilities as an aerial combat specialist maneuvering around and taking out military choppers while fighting wing suited terrorists."

2. Sam, Bucky, & Walker vs. Flag Smashers

"What's especially great about this particular fight scene is how it perfectly displays the fighting prowess of everyone from Bucky's badass close combat skills, Sam's improvisational capabilities with his wing suit tech at close quarters, and even John Walker's validation for using Cap's shield."

Honorable Mentions

 

Season 1

1.Bucky's Winter Soldier De-Programming

"In what is quite possibly my favorite non-action scene in the MCU, we get to finally see Bucky's de-programming in Wakanda. With Ayo testing the trigger words as Bucky mentally tries to fight back the urge coupled with Winter Soldier flashbacks inserted in, I was teary eyed by the end of it all. Sebastian Stan's Emmy worthy performance masterfully shows Bucky go from pessimistic about the therapy, to deeply intensifying anguish, then sheer joy of mental emancipation all in one glorious scene.

WandaVision

Honorable Mentions

 

Season 1

1. X-Men's Version of Quicksilver Shows Up?

"Much like the Arrowverse's Crisis crossover having Ezra Miller's Flash meeting the CW's Grant Gustin Flash for a quick multiverse cameo, I found myself here yelling out in equal amounts of hype and shock at what was questionably Fox's X-Men's Quicksilver showing up on WandaVision as Pietro. Words currently do not exist to describe my levels of geeking out at this casting decision."

Legion

Season 1

1. Syd Encounters The Shadow King

"Arguably the most genuinely terrifying villain scene in the entire comic book TV genre. Syd's horrified reaction to the Shadow King's creepy introduction as well as the overall artistic direction of the scene is absolutely breathtaking to say the least.

Season 3

2. David & Switch Navigates Through Division 3's Assault

"Legion delivers its greatest and best directed action scene yet as Division 3 explodes on the scene in a chaotic frenzy with characters like Farouk and Kerry having brief tension filled encounters with David as he powers through numerous soldiers."

Honorable Mentions

Season 2

1. The Trial of David

"One of my favorite scenes from any TV series or movie involving a character's self awareness and morale compass being put into question. The use of audio here is utterly brilliant from the score subtly going in and out ramping up the tension with the sudden inserts of silence to the disembodied whispers surrounding David as he struggles to make sense of his trial. This accompanied by his other personalities invading the environment to influence him was simply panic inducing.”

Season 3

2. David & Gabrielle Covers Pink Floyd's "Mother"

"Legion is no stranger to inserting musical numbers, but the scene where David begins to sing 'Mother' as a duet with Gabrielle brought me to near tears from its layered implications and emotional weight. This may go down as being the first and only musical number in a series or film that made me nearly cry"

3. Charles Promises To Be The Father That David Needs

"An outstanding scene that not only fantastically subverts the expectations of the anticipated final hero-villain battle of the series, but also beautifully highlights the impact of the affects that parental decisions have on children. This is one of the rare cases of a comic book TV series nearly bringing me to tears from the incredible performances and dramatic elements in one single scene."

The Punisher

Season 1

1.The Punisher Takes Out Russo's Men

"Following an incredible season of genuinely impactful character drama with a satisfying helping of necessary brutality, it was great finally getting to see Frank sport the iconic skull emblem before viciously taking out a squad of highly trained soldiers. It's a fantastic action scene and a reminder of why Frank earns his legendary reputation."

2. The Punisher Punishes Billy Russo

"Out of all of the comic book TV series that I've seen in my lifetime, this has got to be the most brutal hero (or anti-hero) revenge moment that I've ever witnessed. Watching Frank slide Russo's face down a wall of shattered glass followed by repeatedly bashing his face into said glass literally gave me chills up my spine. Guess we know how Jigsaw gets his name."

Season 2

3. Frank Vs. Unknown Assailants

"Kicking off the new season with an absolutely brutal fight scene, we see Frank taking on a group of strangers in a bathroom in an attempt to protect a girl in distress. Not only is the fight choreography superb, but the merciless nature of the Punisher is perfectly put on display here."

Honorable Mentions

Season 2

1. Frank Fights Assailants At A Bar

"Much like the bathroom fight scene of the same episode, there's something utterly badass about seeing Frank take on complete strangers who, to their surprise, were not expecting someone of his skill and willpower to show up and completely dominate".

Daredevil

Season 1

1. Daredevil Vs. Henchmen (Hallway Fight)

"The now iconic hallway fight scene will forever be considered one of the most jaw dropping fight scenes in the history of television as it truly set the bar high for comic book TV shows regarding action and choreography."

2. Daredevil Vs Nobu

"An incredible fight scene showing Daredevil facing off against an enemy who turned out to be a much more significant physical threat than expected. This was also another great example of the phenomenal fight choreography of the series setting new standards for the genre." 

3. Daredevil Vs. Kingpin (Final Fight)

"Not only do we get to see Daredevil in action with his new suit, but we also get to see take down Fisk in a one on one battle of pure physical brutality."

Season 2

Trailers: Season 2 (Part 1) Trailer

4. Daredevil & The Punisher's Entire Rooftop Discussion

"What this scene did better than arguably any other live action comic book property out there is show how compelling a conflict between heroes can be without the need for much action. You truly get a deeper understanding of the ideals between these two in just a display of powerful dialogue and incredible performances alone."

5. Daredevil Vs. The Dogs of Hell

"Just when I thought that the iconic hallway fight scene from Season 1 would be the biggest highlight battle of the entire series...we get this"

6. The Punisher Vs. The Irish Mob

"This season has done an incredible job at showing just how badass the Punisher character truly is. I absolutely loved the scene where Frank fearlessly confronts and takes on an entire mob by himself.”

7. Frank's Nursery Rhyme Story

"This was by far one of the most heartfelt moments that I've ever seen in a live action comic book property. You can both see and feel the layers of the merciless Punisher image peeling back to reveal a tragically broken up man behind it all. Frank's nursery rhyme story was a powerful and compelling new element introduced to his anti-hero motive."

8. Daredevil Vs. Nobu (2nd Fight)

"A pretty solid fight scene overall and an equally cool villain return"

9. The Punisher Vs Prison Inmates

"This is by far the most brutal action scene that I have ever experienced in a comic book TV series. This hyper violent prison fight scene solidifies Daredevil’s Punisher incarnation as the one that I've always wanted to see onscreen.”

10. Wilson Fisk Threatens Matt

"Season 2 of Daredevil may not deliver a lot for Kingpin fans, but he does have his powerful moments including a truly intense physical confrontation with Matt outside of his Daredevil suit"

11. The Punisher Vs. Gangsters At Diner

"Ah yes, another badass Punisher action scene that immediately placed a smile of satisfaction on my face. It's crazy how horrific violence just follows this guy around wherever he goes."

12. Daredevil, Elektra, & Stick Vs. The Hand

"The way Season 2 of Daredevil portrays the formidability of ninja enemies is noteworthy considering how other properties in the genre has shown them to be easily defeated by any common hero.”

13. Daredevil & Elektra Vs The Hand

"Such an awesome season finale battle scene as we see both Daredevil and Elektra take on The Hand with a brief appearance by the Punisher as icing on the cake"

Season 3

14. Daredevil Vs. Benjamin

"Seeing Matt struggling to keep up with Benjamin's insane accuracy with objects around the Bulletin was one of the most entertaining fight scenes that I've seen in quite some time. Also, it’s pretty interesting both visually and dramatically seeing our hero face off against someone donning his very own superhero attire."

Honorable Mentions

Season 2

1. Daredevil & Elektra Battle The Hand Over The Pit

"Although the scene is a bit too dark for my taste visually speaking, I did really enjoy the overall direction of the Hand being properly displayed as a legitimately formidable new threat for Daredevil to take on stretching his senses."

2. Daredevil Vs. The Hand (Hospital Invasion)

"Ninjas!!"

Season 3

3. Matt Barely Escapes A Prison Riot

"Netflix's Daredevil series is famous for its gripping one take action sequences and Season 3's prison riot moment is no exception. The fight scene preceding the riot was a nice appetizer that lead into a fantastically directed visual spread of prison anarchy surrounding a physically exhausted Matt."

Luke Cage

Season 2

1. Luke Cage & Iron Fist Vs. Bushmaster's Gang

"Watching Luke Cage and Iron Fist team up after The Defenders was a dream come true. Seeing them fight Bushmaster's crew was fun, but the real highlight comes when Danny uses Luke's fist to reflect the iron fist's power sending the entire gang flying in a wave of energy. One of the more grander spectacles of the MCU Netflix franchise.

Honorable Mentions

1. Bushmaster Ambushes & Defeats Luke

"One of my favorite ways to see a villain get introduced in a story is to have them completely dominate the hero in their first major confrontation. Bushmaster is given this exact treatment in a great scene where he pops up out of nowhere, catches Luke by surprise, and almost effortlessly takes him down with a screen stealing sense of charisma."

Runaways

Honorable Mentions

Season 1

1. The Team Uses Their Powers For The First Time

"Runaways just reminded me how fun it can be to see superhero origin stories unfold. The set up of watching these characters slowly discover their hidden talents was indeed interesting. However, the pay off of seeing them each reveal, utilize, and react to one another's powers while fending off an armed man placed a giant geeky smile of satisfaction on my face."

The Defenders

Season 1

1. The Defenders Vs. The Hand's Henchmen

"Epic hallway fight scene...check. The Defenders delivers its first badass action scene with the team and it's every bit as awesome as one would hope for. Danny uses Luke as a shield, Daredevil fights a terrifyingly powerful Elektra, and we even get to see Iron Fist punch through Elektra's sword. Every hero gets to shine here and it's absolutely glorious."

2. The Defenders Vs. Iron Fist

"Something that I wasn't expecting to see was the Defenders all attempting to subdue Danny. It's cool to see Daredevil get the spotlight here being able to go toe to toe with Danny which leads up to the epic moment where Iron Fist punches Luke creating an energy wave that tosses everyone back. It's an equally entertaining and intense fight scene."

3. The Defenders Vs. The Hand's Leaders

"An amazing fight scene where we get to see the Defenders taking on the Hand's leaders showing off each hero's capabilities as well as the central villains'. One of the highlights is finally getting to see Madame Gao's power fully displayed as she blasts back Luke and Jessica with her chi. It's by far one of the best fight scenes of the franchise given the powers on display.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Season 1

1. Ward's Hydra Reveal Leads To Hydra Logo

"The Hydra Logo transition after Ward's betrayal was the first and only time that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. perfectly referenced the MCU (via The Winter Soldier) in a mind blowing fashion."

Season 2

2. Skye's Powers Publicly Unleash

"After much anticipation, finally seeing Skye's powers release in some form was pretty intense and exciting"

3. Skye's Powers Unleash At The Retreat

"As far as spectacular character moments go, the scene to where Skye's abilities are fully unleashed at the retreat is one of the most epic moments on the show."

Season 3

4. The Secret Warriors Infiltrates A Police Station

"Season 3 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has done a great job at presenting us with super powered characters. However, the police station infiltration scene kick things up to the next level with its amazingly directed display of Inhuman abilities"

Honorable Mentions

Season 3

1. A Spy's Goodbye To Hunter & Bobbi

"Although not entirely in my top favorite scenes, I definitely have to give an honorable mention to the Hunter and Bobbi farewell scene due to the emotional impact that it had on me"

2. Hive Reveals His True Form To Coulson

"Despite my issues with the show deciding to only show Hive's true form in a brief discussion scene, I still have to give major props to the stunning visual FX and fantastic design displayed during that time. Hive quickly became one of the greatest looking villains in the MCU while also pushing the CGI barrier for television."

Season 4

3. Ghost Rider's First Transformation Scene

"The visual FX on Agents of Shield have always been of noteworthy quality in the market of comic book TV adaptations, but one of the highlight scenes of the series is without a doubt Ghost Rider's first onscreen transformation. Seeing that character design come to life in live action during his fight with Daisy was an absolute marvel (no pun intended)."

[More To Come...]