The Best MCU Moments of 2022

Unfortunately, there were not as many of them as the creators of MCU expected or assumed. However, we will find some really noteworthy moments that may not be remembered all our lives, such as Roy Batty’s monologue, but at least for a long time they will remind us of the wasted potential of some MCU productions. Even some of those that I will list below, but especially those from previous years, where it would be difficult to find so many good moments. 2022 is really lucky for Marvel in that regard. It seems that 2023 will not be so good, but we will see.

Steven/Marc's meeting with the doctor at the psychiatric hospital ("Moon Knight")

First, we should realize who is sitting across from the doctor, or who is pretending to be a doctor. The perversity of this scene lies in the knowledge we have gained in previous episodes. If we remember what happened to Steven/Marc, now – in the hospital reality – we will appreciate this plot twist, when Oscar Isaac, drugged, gets up from the wheelchair at the sight of his own face and suddenly falls down because one of his legs is tied to the wheelchair. The Moon Knight figurine falls out of his hand. He is Marc. So what is reality? What is inside his head or the experience of what he perceives as outside? The camera zooms in on his face, and instead of the orderly in front of our hero, the out-of-focus face of a concerned doctor, who is Arthur Harrow, appears. The excellent duo of Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke will continue to lead the viewer through this crazy, epistemological journey.

Thor without pants ("Thor: Love and Thunder")

No one expected Thor without pants, nor did the Spanish Inquisition. Such a divine meeting organized by Zeus himself could not lack attractions, but I did not expect it to be Thor’s genitals and his buttocks. A bit of a pity that the rating of the film did not show everything that is divine in Thor, and which caused the beautiful goddesses surrounding Zeus to suddenly faint. Either way, the scene is memorable for its slapstick and all that Thor will do next with Zeus. He doesn’t need pants to be really BIG.

First encounter with the jackal ("Moon Knight")

A typical action scene, which it would seem, we have encountered many in superhero cinema and will encounter. However, how we as viewers are prepared for it is of great importance for its later reception. With much greater emotions, we absorb the race on the roofs, jumps between buildings, and finally the literally pathetic impaling of a jackal on the spire. And we naively think that now we will always observe the undivided personality of the Moon Knight. Nothing more wrong. The creators of the series will still have fun with us, and the excellent Oscar Isaac will show his acting talent, sometimes even making us angry with his crazy character.

Breaking into Kevin Bacon's House ("Guardians of the Galaxy: The Holiday Special")

First, Mantis and Drax got a taste of alcohol, and since Kevin Bacon kind of gave himself up by publishing his address, it was easy to find him. Unfortunately, he was not the planet’s chieftain, but a celebrity, but that didn’t bother our two heroes anyway. For 40 bucks, they bought a map of celebrity houses and set off on a journey to Kevin Bacon. And this is where all the fun begins. Several attempts to call do nothing, so you have to force the gate, and even ram the entrance to the house itself, and basically such a large skylight or a glass wall. Then Kevin Bacon’s face changes dramatically and the fun begins. A priceless moment throughout the MCU.

Death of Love ("Thor: Love and Thunder")

Some may be surprised by the courage of this scene, because until the very end, probably each of us expects that Gorr’s daughter will survive, rescue will come, even if it literally comes from heaven. Anyway, that’s where Gorr saw him, in the supernatural forces in which he firmly believed. That faith, strong and blind, which had fueled his hope, turned into an equally unbridled hatred after his daughter’s death. Dispassionate and indifferent to human suffering, the gods became enemies, and Gorr successfully eliminated them, until they met Thor, his version proposed by Taika Waititi, having a lot of human cynicism and a tendency to make mistakes. So the moment of Love’s death stands dramatically high. It does not exceed the illicit, pathetic tones that Marvel loves to arouse until the ears crack and the head hurts.

Talking to the monster and its re-enter ("Werewolf by Night")

This is the pinch of humor that breaks the atmosphere of horror. Elsa makes a comedic exposition of the scariest monster known to monster hunters. He witnesses a spectacular murder that a monster performs on Jovan, an extremely disgusting type, so he doesn’t feel sorry for him. Then Elsa raises her hands and utters one word… I won’t reveal it here, but it’s funny because the monster goes from a terrifying monster to a surprised and even a little embarrassed monster. At the end of the film, however, a monster with a peculiar name appears at a crucial moment. Without him, nothing good would be left in this film story.

Werewolf's first appearance and on-screen black blood ("Werewolf by Night")

Considering the length of the production, we have to endure a lot of uncertainty before this coveted werewolf appears. I wonder what percentage of viewers actually guessed that Gael García Bernal would be the movie’s main monster, and not the one from the test hunt? What is artistically beautiful is his coming out of his body, in a cage, tormented like an animal, until he finally breaks free and brings justice to his tormentors. This procedure is actually simple and familiar, but in Marvel itself such a dramatic form has never actually happened. However, even if we were to evaluate this production objectively, apart from the MCU, it would be worth appreciating it for the brilliant building of the atmosphere using the means already so well known in cinema, especially in the horror classics. So I recommend black, symbolic blood flowing over the frame, along with the progress of murders by the werewolf. The more of her you see, the more and more closed the viewer feels, almost as trapped as a werewolf.

Dark Strange and Zombie Doctor Strange ("Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness")

Sam Raimi has an unquestionable talent for creating images that are half pretentious, half artistically valuable. It is no different with the meeting of Doctor Stranges – one from the rational, accepted world as the only possible one, and this rebellious, seeker who wants to reverse his fate at all costs. He’s brilliant in this scene until the otherworldly Strange opens his third eye. It’s the same with Zombie Strange. Equally excellent is his visualization as he defeats and interiorizes the souls of the way, thus growing in strength, and the tension subsides as he, as a zombie, starts a rather trivial conversation with America.

Mantis is Peter Quill's sister ("Guardians of the Galaxy: The Holiday Special)

The first time this information comes out casually in Mantis’s conversation with Drax. Drax actually knows all about it, but he keeps it a secret from Peter. This second time, however, is different. Less abstract, human and warm. Mantis gives this information as a gift to Peter, and he finally feels like he’s not alone.

Honoring Chadwick Boseman and the rest is cliché ("Black Panther: <a class="wpil_keyword_link" href="https://filmfolly.com/review/eyes-of-wakanda-marvels-shallows-tv-series-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="EYES OF WAKANDA. Marvel’s Shallows [TV SERIES REVIEW]" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="2263">Wakanda</a> Forever")

Wakanda seems to be attached to the entire MCU by force. You could feel it in the first Black Panther. Now that Chadwick is gone and Marvel has decided not to recast, it can be seen perfectly, and the presentation of Iron Man’s successor is a great nail in the futuristic coffin for Wakanda and the universe. It’s really hard to shake off that Iron Man is going to look like this now. An important moment, however, is the commemoration of Boseman, which I draw attention to at the end of this list.