7 Most Brutal Moments In MCU TV Shows

Some of the most brutal and shocking moments in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe haven’t even been on the big screen, they’ve been featured in the franchise’s TV shows on Disney+. Marvel Studios started to branch out into long-form TV after the conclusion of the Infinity Saga and the establishment of the Disney+ streaming platform. While the MCU’s TV shows haven’t always been positively-received, some, including WandaVision, Loki, and Moon Knight, have become some of the franchise’s most popular instalments, but they have also contained some of Marvel’s most violent moments.

Many of the MCU’s most brutal moments have taken place on the big-screen, including Thanos’ snap in Avengers: Infinity War, Pietro Maximoff’s death in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Johnny Storm being stripped of his skin in Deadpool & Wolverine. However, the MCU’s TV shows have also included some shocking scenes. Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, and Vision Quest are on the horizon, and they may continue this shocking MCU trend as Marvel Studios’ TV shows are becoming more and more brutal.

7) John Walker Kills with Captain America’s Shield in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Before he became US Agent, a member of the New Avengers in Thunderbolts*, John Walker (Wyatt Russell) was introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as the new Captain America. However, Walker didn’t have the temperament to be the Star-Spangled-Man, especially after taking the Flag Smashers’ super-soldier serum. His fury following Lemar Hoskins’ (Clé Bennett) death caused him to murder a Flag Smasher using Captain America’s shield in broad daylight. This harrowing moment led to Walker’s discharge, and guided him into the arms of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), perfectly setting up his return as an anti-hero.

6) Gravik Shoots Maria Hill Disguised as Nick Fury in Secret Invasion

2023’s Secret Invasion became one of the MCU’s lowest-rated projects yet, and this was due in part to some controversial decisions. This includes the killing of Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), who had been beside Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) for over a decade since 2012’s The Avengers. Hill’s death was a haunting moment in Secret Invasion’s premiere, made more shocking by the fact it was the Skrull Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) disguised as Fury who shot her. Hill would have died thinking her closest ally ended her life, and this was further soured by her death not being avenged.

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5) Wanda Maximoff Throws Monica Rambeau Out of Westview in WandaVision

As the MCU’s first TV show, WandaVision set a very high bar for subsequent series, providing a detailed character study of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and her relationship with Vision (Paul Bettany). The entire concept of the Scarlet Witch holding the town of Westview, New Jersey, hostage is brutal enough, but watching her throw Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) out of the town without any care of where she could end up was even more shocking. WandaVision marked the Scarlet Witch’s transformation into a bona fide villain in the MCU, though many are desperate to see her return as a hero.

4) Yelena Belova Questions Clint Barton During A Fight in Hawkeye

Kate Bishop’s (Hailee Steinfeld) battle against Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) in Hawkeye’s finale was exhilarating and intense, but it was the battle between Yelena Belova and Clint Barton that was even more brutal, emotionally, of course. Jeremy Renner and Florence Pugh had fantastic chemistry as Black Widow’s best friend and sister, respectively, which made Belova’s violent interrogation of Barton even more poignant. She wanted to know the truth about her sister’s death in Avengers: Endgame, and her eventual forgiveness of Clint Barton solidified Natasha Romanoff’s (Scarlett Johansson) legacy in the MCU.

3) Wendy Spector Abuses Young Marc in Moon Knight

2022’s Moon Knight series featured many brutal moments, but perhaps the most damaging and haunting saw Wendy Spector (Fernande Andrade) descend into darkness and abuse her son. This came in the wake of Randall Spector’s tragic death, but had a lasting impact on Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac), and even led to the emergence of Steven Grant as one of his alters. That shocking “This is all your fault” moment from Moon Knight Episode 5, “Asylum,” is very hard to forget, and leads to some of the MCU’s most heavily-implied brutal sequences.

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2) Ravonna Renslayer and Miss Minutes Murder General Dox in Loki

Nightmare fuel. Granted, General Dox (Kate Dickie) and her loyalists did massacre the branching timelines of the multiverse in Loki Season 2, but having Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Miss Minutes (Tara Strong) watch as Dox and her Minute Men are crushed by the Time Variance Authority’s Gizmo was truly harrowing. Miss Minutes’ glee at watching Dox and her allies turn to mulch, and the faint squelching sounds in the background, make this one of the MCU’s most brutal and dark moments, even though we didn’t actually see the devastation itself.

1) Kingpin Crushing Commissioner Gallo’s Head in Daredevil: Born Again

While Echo was the MCU’s first TV-MA project, and Deadpool & Wolverine made the most of its R-rating, Daredevil: Born Again continued the mature tone of Netflix’s original Daredevil series with its own TV-MA rating. And, boy, did it make it worth it. Daredevil: Born Again Season 1’s finale saw Wilson Fisk put his plans as Mayor of New York City into action, and marked the violent demise of Commissioner Gallo (Michael Gaston), as Kingpin crushed his skull with his bare hands.

Daredevil: Born Again is gearing up to be even more dark and gritty in Season 2, with Kingpin expanding his reach as the Mayor of New York during martial law. Additionally, Ironheart will pit a new hero against the dark magic-empowered Hood, while Wonder Man’s Grim Reaper, Vision Quest’s returning Ultron, and a zombified Scarlet Witch in Marvel Zombies all have the ability to deliver even more brutal moments as the MCU continues to grow.

Which brutal MCU moments stand out the most to you? Let us know in the comments!