Marvel movies are famous for their jaw-dropping final battles. Every Avengers installment has one, Civil War gave us the airport showdown, and No Way Home brought three generations of Spider-Men together. Those climactic moments are what fans talk about for years. But the openings? They often get overshadowed, even though Marvel has delivered some of the most iconic first scenes in superhero cinema. Let's shine a spotlight on the Marvel movies that nailed their opening shots.
7. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
The film plunges us into a bleak, dystopian future where mutants and their human allies are hunted to near extinction by the Sentinels. Years of war have honed every mutant into a master of their abilities, leading to the most inventive power usage in the franchise. Blink (Fan Bingbing) steals the show, linking her portals with other X-Men's powers to chain attacks in mind-bending ways. It's top-tier X-Men action.
The scene also establishes the Sentinels as truly terrifying villains. It's a harrowing bloodbath, watching beloved characters get massacred by giant robots that use the mutants' own powers against them. The impact was so strong that the Russo Brothers had no choice but to bring the Sentinels back for Avengers: Doomsday.
6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
This opening is pure James Gunn. A massive battle rages against a multi-dimensional, eight-limbed space monster, set to Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky." But the camera isn't on the fight. It stays on Baby Groot, panning around him as he dances to the song while the rest of the team fights in the background, just out of focus. The most dangerous thing in the galaxy is trying to eat them, but the movie couldn't care less—and neither could the audience. All eyes are on a tiny tree bopping along, having the time of his life.
Mid-fight, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) yells, "Groot, get out of the way, you're going to get hurt!" and he turns around and just waves at her, with absolutely nothing going on in that little head of his except vibes. Then he fixates on a space bug and tries to eat it. Rocket Raccoon rushes over, yells at him, and makes him spit it out in disgust. This sequence was pure, unadulterated joy and perfectly reintroduced the family dynamic of this team.
5. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Infinity War opens inside the decimated Asgardian refugee ship, holding whatever was left of the Asgardians. Ebony Maw (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) walks among the dead and delivers a speech about salvation. Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the strongest Avenger, lies defeated. Thanos (Josh Brolin) asks Loki (Tom Hiddleston) for the Tesseract in exchange for Thor's life. Loki tries an illusion to stab Thanos in one last heroic act, but Thanos sees right through it and snaps his neck.
Then the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), the wildcard we all expected to be the best match for Thanos, bursts out and gets a few hits in. But Thanos easily overpowers him in hand-to-hand combat and beats him so badly that Hulk is scared to come out for the rest of the movie. Thanos takes the Space Stone, kills Heimdall (Idris Elba), and teleports away while the ship is obliterated. Those first few minutes paid off years of build-up and established Thanos as the strongest villain the MCU had ever seen. It also set the grim tone for the rest of the movie, where for the first time it felt like anyone could die.
4. Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man opens on a desolate desert landscape, followed by a US military Humvee convoy kicking up dust while AC/DC's "Back in Black" plays. Tony (Robert Downey Jr.) sits in the back seat with a drink, cracking jokes with the soldiers escorting him. He brags about his lifestyle, takes pictures with them, and is completely unfazed by the war zone around him.
Then the convoy is ambushed. The vehicles around them begin exploding, and their Humvee gets riddled with bullets and taken down. Tony tries to hide behind a rock, only for a Stark Industries missile to land right next to him and detonate. In mere minutes, Iron Man introduces the brash genius billionaire playboy fans knew from the comics and sets up the origin story.
3. X2: X-Men United (2003)
Over two decades later, the opening of X2 remains one of the best action sequences in superhero movies. It starts with a recitation of Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address from 1861: "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies." From there, we see a mysterious man stalking his way through the halls of the White House, walking past portraits of former Presidents who all survived or fell to assassination attempts. The camera follows him through the POVs of security guards and security cameras.
Then a guard asks what he's doing, and a forked tail rises... The tension is palpable, and the sequence is a masterclass in building suspense before the action erupts. It's a testament to how a great opening can set the tone for an entire film.
These openings are more than just preludes—they're cinematic events in their own right. Whether it's the emotional gut-punch of Infinity War or the pure joy of Baby Groot dancing, they prove that Marvel knows how to start a story with a bang. For more on the best in superhero cinema, check out our ranking of 2019's top superhero movies or dive into the greatest action movies ever made.
