Marvel Fans Are Debating the Best MCU Fight Scene (And There’s a Clear Favorite)

Since Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008, there have been 17 years worth of Marvel films filled with action, suspense, and drama. Iconic moments that are now part of pop culture history, from Thanos’ snap to the original Avengers assembling in 2012 (and then again in Endgame in 2019). Though each film has a different tone, one element of action remains the same, with Marvel giving fans some of the best fight scenes in movies today. With 35 films in the MCU (37 by the end of 2025 with Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps), 14 MCU series on Disney+ with four more to come in 2025, and the five Marvel Netflix series, the from which to pull the best fight scene is massive. 

A majority of fans (myself included) agree that there is a definitive favorite fight scene in MCU history.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Elevated All Action Sequences in the MCU

Marvel fans on Reddit are debating the best MCU fight scene, with Captain America: The Winter Soldier taking the top spot among them all by a significant margin. The Winter Soldier was jam packed with high stakes and even higher tension, and some of the best hand-to-hand fight sequences that were grounded in reality, oftentimes making the viewer forget they were watching a superhero movie. There are many scenes that stand out in the film, such as the famous “elevator scene,” where Steve Rogers single handedly takes down an entire heavily armed and trained HYDRA strike team. 

But the one that takes the top spot for fans is the fight between Steve and his long-lost presumed dead best friend-turned-brainwashed-Hydra-assassin, Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier. The fight comes about halfway through the film, and up until that point, the identity of the Winter Soldier is still unknown, but his deadliness is not to be underestimated. The fight between Steve and the Winter Soldier happens on a freeway in the middle of Washington, DC, with both men holding nothing back. 

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It is one of the few times audiences see Steve Rogers have to fight defensively, as the Winter Soldier is unrelenting and somehow equally as strong as the supersoldier. The pair engaged in physical close quarters combat, with punches, kicks, and swipes of the Winter Soldier’s knife. In a twist, Steve’s own iconic shield is used as a weapon against him at one point. The fight choreography is nothing short of stunning, and the culmination of the fight changes the course of both characters’ lives, as the Winter Soldier’s mask falls off and Steve recognizes he has been fighting against his best and most trusted friend this whole time; the friend he thought he watched die during WWII. 

What Sets Steve and Bucky’s Fight Apart

The raw physicality of the encounter between Steve and Bucky is what truly elevates it beyond a standard superhero brawl. There are no energy blasts or mystical powers at play, just the brutal impact of flesh against metal and the desperate struggle for dominance. Each punch thrown carries the weight of their shared history, even unbeknownst to them, now twisted into a violent confrontation. Steve’s movements, while skilled, are tinged with a reluctance, forcing him into a reactive stance against Bucky’s relentless and almost robotic aggression.

Bucky, lacking any will of his own, fights with a terrifying efficiency, his every strike calculated to incapacitate or kill. The use of Steve’s own shield against him is a particularly poignant moment, a symbol of their fractured bond and the darkening of everything Steve holds dear. The choreography emphasizes this contrast, with Steve’s more traditional martial arts style clashing against the Winter Soldier’s more savage and direct attacks. 

The setting, a public freeway, adds a layer of realism and danger, the roaring traffic a backdrop to their intensely personal battle. This fight isn’t just about stopping a threat; it’s a tragic collision of past and present, a striking representation of the consequences created at HYDRA’s hand.

It’s not only the flurry of onslaughts that Steve has to dodge, or the warring elements of Steve’s almost elegant way of fighting against Bucky’s bullish and unyielding tactics. The emotionality in the scene runs as high as the tension from the action, all beautifully building up to the Bucky reveal, leaving audiences as breathless and stunned as Steve. All of these elements set The Winter Soldier apart from any other installments in the MCU, making it a hard fight scene to outdo.