10 Incredible MCU Scenes Ripped Straight Out Of The Comics

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of unforgettable scenes, and many of them were directly inspired by panels from Marvel Comics. Although the movies and comics often tell different stories and portray characters in unique ways, certain moments have been recreated almost exactly as they appeared in the original comics. With nearly 90 years of comic book history, Marvel Studios has successfully brought some of the most iconic moments to life with remarkable accuracy.

Marvel fans love seeing iconic comic book panels recreated in the movies. Lately, Marvel Studios has been making a real effort to ensure costumes and characters look more like their comic book versions, and to bring classic scenes to life in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This trend is expected to continue, particularly with the Russo brothers’ commitment to accurately adapt storylines like *Avengers: Doomsday* and *Avengers: Secret Wars*, meaning we can look forward to even more memorable moments making the jump from page to screen.

10) Hawkeye Fires Ant-Man On His Arrow

In the 2016 film *Captain America: Civil War*, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) teamed up for the first time, recreating a memorable moment from Marvel Comics. During the airport battle in the film, Ant-Man used one of Hawkeye’s arrows as a projectile, directly referencing a scene from the 1982 comic *Avengers #223*. While the original comic featured this team-up fighting Taskmaster’s forces at a carnival, this moment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had broader significance.

9) Captain America Punches Adolf Hitler

Marvel’s history began with Timely Comics, and one of their earliest releases in 1941, *Captain America Comics #1*, famously showed Captain America punching Adolf Hitler on its cover. While Hitler hasn’t made a direct appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the villain Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving) served as Steve Rogers’ (Chris Evans) enemy in the 2011 film *Captain America: The First Avenger*. Interestingly, in a humorous scene, Rogers also punches an actor dressed as Hitler during a USO tour. It was a clever nod to the comic’s origins to see that iconic cover imagery brought to life in the MCU.

8) The Punisher Chains Up Daredevil On the Roof

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may not know that the first encounter between Daredevil and the Punisher, originally shown in the second season of the *Daredevil* series in 2016, was directly inspired by a Marvel comic book. In that scene, part of what’s now officially considered MCU canon (the Defenders Saga), Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) chained Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) to a rooftop while getting ready to kill a member of the Kitchen Irish, Grotto (McCaleb Burnett). This moment comes from the 2000 comic *Punisher (Vol. 5) #3*, which features a similar disagreement about justice, but involves a member of Ma Gnucci’s crew instead of Grotto. Ma Gnucci is anticipated to make an appearance in the upcoming *The Punisher* special presentation.

7) Spider-Man Fights Robbers Disguised As Avengers

Tom Holland’s debut as Spider-Man in 2017’s *Spider-Man: Homecoming* was a fantastic portrayal of a young hero finding his footing. A memorable scene featured him battling bank robbers wearing Avengers masks and using high-tech weapons supplied by the villain, the Vulture (Michael Keaton). This moment clearly drew inspiration from a 2003 comic panel in *Ultimate Spider-Man #42*, which showcased a different version of Spider-Man from an alternate universe. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has borrowed elements from the ‘Ultimate’ comic line before, we still haven’t seen other popular characters from that universe, like Miles Morales, appear in the films.

6) Thanos Retires to the Garden

The climax of the 1991 Marvel comic book series *The Infinity Gauntlet* – which served as the basis for the 2018 film *Avengers: Infinity War* and its 2019 sequel, *Avengers: Endgame* – featured a battle between Thanos, Adam Warlock, and Nebula, who briefly held the powerful Infinity Gauntlet. After Nebula’s defeat and Adam Warlock securing the Gauntlet, Thanos surprisingly chose to retire and live a peaceful life reflecting on his past. This unexpected ending, originally detailed in *The Infinity Gauntlet #6*, was mirrored in the films, showing Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) enjoying retirement in a tranquil garden at the beginning of *Endgame* and as part of the conclusion of *Infinity War*.

5) Thor Looks at Falligar the Behemoth

While 2022’s *Thor: Love and Thunder* received mixed reactions, it notably recreated a powerful scene from Marvel Comics with impressive accuracy. In the film, after parting ways with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Korg (Taika Waititi) discover the body of Falligar the Behemoth, a god killed by Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale). This emotional moment directly mirrors a scene from the 2012 comic *Thor: God of Thunder #3*, where Thor also finds Falligar slain by Gorr.

4) Killmonger Throws Black Panther Over the Waterfall

The fight between Black Panther (T’Challa) and Killmonger includes a dramatic moment where Killmonger throws T’Challa over a waterfall. Though Marvel Studios adapted the story for the 2018 film *Black Panther*, this key scene remains from the original comic books. In the movie, Killmonger’s victory leads to him briefly becoming King of Wakanda. In the 1973 comic *Jungle Action (Vol. 2) #6*, the waterfall throw happens during Killmonger’s attack on Wakanda, as part of a fight with Black Panther and Killmonger’s leopard, Preyy. This scene is considered one of Marvel’s most iconic moments in both versions of the story.

3) Wolverine is Crucified Over a Field of Skulls

In a famous Marvel Comics storyline, Wolverine was captured and severely beaten by Donald Pierce, then left hanging from a large ‘X’ outside the X-Men’s headquarters. The cover of the 1989 comic, *Uncanny X-Men #251*, depicting this scene became instantly recognizable. Fans were thrilled to see a very accurate recreation of this moment in the 2024 film *Deadpool & Wolverine*. The scene showed Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) traveling through different universes, searching for a Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to replace one from another reality. While the battered Wolverine hanging from the ‘X’ wasn’t suitable, it was a fantastic nod to the classic comic book cover.

2) Wolverine’s Claws Reflect the Hulk

The upcoming film *Deadpool & Wolverine* features a version of Wolverine inspired by his 1988 battle with the Hulk in *The Incredible Hulk #340*. While Wolverine and the Hulk have fought many times since Wolverine’s 1974 debut in *The Incredible Hulk #180*, this particular encounter showcased Wolverine in a unique yellow and brown costume and famously reflected the Hulk’s image in his claws. The movie cleverly recreates this moment, showing Deadpool stumbling upon Wolverine fighting the Hulk, with a brief but perfect view of the green giant reflected in Wolverine’s claws.

1) Captain America & Iron Man Go Head-to-Head

Just like the beginning of the film, the climax of 2016’s *Captain America: Civil War* mirrored a key moment from the 2007 Marvel Comics series *Civil War #7*, bringing together Hawkeye and Ant-Man. The movie’s ending featured a fight between Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Tony Stark (Iron Man) over Bucky Barnes, taking place in Siberia. True to the comics, Iron Man blasted Captain America’s shield with his repulsor beams, signaling the end of their friendship and splitting the Avengers – a division that thankfully didn’t last long.

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2025-09-21 01:11