If there’s one thing a superhero movie or TV show needs to get right, it’s the action. Comic books set a high bar for fight scenes, and with the invasive presence of CGI in media based on Marvel Comics, it can be difficult for live-action projects to deliver truly innovative and gripping combat sequences. That’s especially true for Marvel TV shows, which often prioritize character development over constant displays of flashy superpowers and cosmic crises.
There are plenty of superhero TV shows that define their genre by tackling social issues, creating definitive portrayals of their characters, or expanding on the worlds introduced by comics. However, when Marvel combines standout action with great fight choreography, the result is more than exciting spectacle. The best scenes also reveal who these characters are through not just how they fight, but why they fight.
These fight scenes, drawn from across Marvel television, feature direction and choreography that are just as memorable as the emotional stakes behind every punch. Simply put, the times when a Marvel show goes wild with action sequences make for some of the most memorable parts of their respective series.
10. Loki vs. Sylvie
Compared to other shows set in the MCU, “Loki” is a lot more thoughtful and existential, with fewer fight scenes than battles of wit. The finale of the first season is no exception, with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his female variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) successfully making their way to the Citadel at the End of Time, where they confront He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), a variant of Kang the Conqueror who has streamlined the multiverse into one Sacred Timeline that he controls.
He Who Remains offers the Lokis a choice: kill him and risk multiversal war, or peacefully take his place as the ruler of the status quo. Naturally, Loki and Sylvie have very different takes on which path they should choose, resulting in a one-on-one fight as Loki tries to dissuade her from killing He Who Remains. It’s not just a tense sword fight between two characters we don’t want to see fight; it’s incredibly emotional, too, thanks to Tom Hiddleston’s performance.
9. Sam and Bucky vs. John Walker
In episode 4 of the series, Walker publicly executes a Flag Smasher as revenge for the death of his partner, Battlestar (Clé Bennett). After demanding he hand over the shield, the 2-vs-1 brawl commences, becoming not just a fight over a weapon, but a battle for the right to be Captain America. Seeing Sam and Bucky fight as a team, after almost the entire series spent them at odds with one another, is a highlight of the whole show. Furthermore, Walker’s uncontrollable power is on full display as he damages Sam’s Falcon wings.
This fight is the climax of the entire series, which focuses more on Sam’s emotional journey than on telling a traditional superhero origin story. After being given Steve Rogers’ shield at the end of “Avengers: Endgame,” Falcon was one of many Marvel superheroes who needed a live-action project of his own, and fight scenes like this prove Sam deserved the shield.
8. Colleen Wing vs. Bakuto
“Iron Fist” is definitely not the worst superhero TV show in the Marvel oeuvre, but it’s not the best, either. One of its few strengths, however, is Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing, the martial artist who becomes a devoted ally of Danny Rand (Finn Jones) in his conflict against the Hand. Wing, a former member of the Hand trained by leader Bakuto (Ramón Rodríguez), has a personal vendetta against her former mentor, resulting in some of the series’ best fight scenes.
Taking place during episode 12 of “Iron Fist,” Wing and Rand chase Bakuto to the Bethesda Terrace in Central Park, where Wing and Bakuto engage in a sword fight in the pouring rain. Sure, it might be a bit heavy-handed visually, but the contrast between Wing’s furious rage and Bakuto’s intimidating presence makes for a highlight of the entire Netflix series.
It’s an even more devastating fight knowing that Wing chooses to spare Bakuto’s life, even after landing a near-fatal killing blow, allowing the Hand to steal away with his body. The next time they fight, Wing isn’t so quick to play the hero, but seeing her first opportunity to exact some much-needed vengeance on her former master is satisfying nonetheless.
7. Maya Lopez vs. Daredevil
Charlie Cox’s Daredevil appears several times on this list, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that even a fight scene in which he cameos in another character’s miniseries made the cut. “Echo” picks up after the events of Disney+’s “Hawkeye,” following Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez, the former Tracksuit Mafia leader who was raised as a surrogate niece by Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), a.k.a. Kingpin. Though the series mainly follows her avoiding the Black Knife Cartel in her Oklahoma hometown, one flashback scene sees Maya encounter Daredevil amidst his own conflicts with Kingpin’s crime syndicate.
Appearing in the very first episode of “Echo,” the red-suited vigilante interrupts a warehouse confrontation between the Tracksuit Mafia and another gang, resulting in a visually stunning one-shot sequence in which Maya and Daredevil square off. From the first appearance of Daredevil, silhouetted by sunlight, to Maya nearly getting the best of Murdock before he subdues her with a falling shelf, it’s easily the most cinematic and thrilling moment in the entire show.
Though the scene takes place before Maya’s different powers fully emerge, getting to see this incredibly intricate fight is simply fan service for those who wanted good action from “Echo.” If only Daredevil played a larger role in the series instead of appearing in this brief two-minute sequence.
6. Jessica Jones vs. Luke Cage
Fans of the MCU’s street-level Netflix series might be conflicted about whether they want to see Jessica Jones and Luke Cage fight or hook up. Thankfully, in the “Jessica Jones” series, they get both. The first season of “Jessica Jones” focuses on Jones’ (Krysten Ritter) rivalry with Kilgrave (David Tennant), a super-powered figure from her past with the ability to control people’s minds. In the twelfth episode, Cage (Mike Colter) is revealed to be under the influence of Kilgrave, who forces the two lovers to fight.
Shot mostly in silhouettes from the purple lighting in Kilgrave’s nightclub (a reference to the character’s comic book origins as Purple Man), Jones’ raw super-strength versus Cage’s impenetrability makes for a tense exchange between two of the Marvel street-level world’s biggest powerhouses. It’s even more tense knowing that Jones doesn’t really want to hurt Cage at all, forcing her to outsmart him rather than overpower him.
Not only is it incredibly satisfying to see these two characters go at each other, smashing walls and ripping doors off of cars in the process, but it also ends on an incredibly emotional moment for Jones. With a shotgun aimed at Cage’s head, Jones begs him to stop before shooting him point-blank in the head. Although it’s far from enough to kill someone like Luke Cage, it’s enough to bring the climactic fight to an end.
5. The Punisher vs. prisoners
Jon Bernthal’s portrayal of Frank Castle, a.k.a. the Punisher, wasn’t always the gruff vigilante who has funny banter with Spider-Man. The Netflix Marvel shows presented the comic book character at his most violent, arguably most effectively not even in his own series. Among the most memorable of the Punisher’s brutal beatdowns is the sequence in Episode 9 of “Daredevil” Season 2, where he single-handedly maims an entire hallway of prisoners.
After being offered a chance by Wilson Fisk to get revenge on the crime lord responsible for the death of his family, Castle walks right into a trap set by Fisk. Though Fisk planned to have the Punisher do his bidding before having him killed, Castle defies the Kingpin’s expectations, unleashing an absolute bloodbath on his opponents until he’s covered in blood and his prison jumpsuit bears an iconic skull-shaped bloodstain across the front.
Given this sequence predates The Punisher’s return in “Daredevil: Born Again,” it’s unlikely we’ll ever see this level of violence from Frank Castle again, given how absolutely gruesome and gory it is. It’s nevertheless a worthy depiction of the infamous Punisher, and one that sold many viewers on Bernthal’s portrayal, which has since become a defining interpretation of the character.
4. Scarlet Witch vs. Agatha Harkness
Of all the Marvel Disney+ shows, it’s an easy argument to say that the very first, “WandaVision,” is still the best. In the series, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff comes into her full form as the Scarlet Witch, complete with a comic book-inspired costume and powers of Chaos Magic the likes of which the MCU had yet to see. Wanda engages in an aerial fight with Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), the powerful sorceress determined to seize Wanda’s powers for herself.
While most of “WandaVision” adopts the format of classic sitcoms, the finale leans into more traditional Marvel third-act fare, especially in this CGI-heavy sequence involving colorful purple and red magic blasts. Visual effects aside, it’s satisfying to see Agatha’s own strategy used against her, as Wanda summons runes around the Hex to rob Agatha of her magic and claim it for herself.
Of course, the real magic in this scene is coming from neither Agatha’s nor Wanda’s fingers, nor the VFX department, but from the performances of Hahn and Olsen. Ahead of the more intimate and emotional final scenes in the “WandaVision” finale, this unique and beautifully shot fight scene is exactly what a character as complex and beloved as the Scarlet Witch deserved.
3. Daredevil vs. Bullseye rematch
“Daredevil: Born Again” had a lot of expectations to fulfill, given the Netflix series’ creative overhaul for Disney+ was notoriously rife with behind-the-scenes drama. Given fans’ strong attachment to the Netflix seasons, “Born Again” needed to quickly prove itself as a worthy successor, and it does so by kicking off the first episode with one of Charlie Cox’s best Daredevil fight sequences.
The brutality of the fight isn’t unearned, either. Matt Murdock’s night out with Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) is disrupted when his former adversary, Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), kills Foggy. Suiting up in his iconic red Daredevil suit, Matt confronts Bullseye in Josie’s Bar, with the fight unfolding in a continuous one-shot sequence that follows the two brawling through several rooms, up the stairs, and finally onto the roof.
Of course, the scene also has some serious dramatic consequences as Murdock’s enhanced hearing allows him to hear Foggy’s heart stop beating from the streets below. Taking out his rage and sudden grief on Bullseye, Matt throws his opponent off the roof, a brutal and violent ending to a fight scene that, in the span of a single shot, won fans of the original “Daredevil” series over to the reboot.
2. Clint and Kate vs. Tracksuit Mafia
As an underrated superhero TV show that deserved way more love, “Hawkeye” strikes a great balance between an emotional, character-driven story and a slick crime thriller. t does all this alongside a finale that rivals the best Christmas movies, with an action sequence set at the iconic ice rink at 30 Rockefeller Center on Christmas Eve, as Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) are swarmed by goons and dispatch them with trick arrows that feel straight out of the comics.
The “Hawkeye” series mainly follows Kate, who inadvertently gets herself involved in Clint Barton’s score-settling with the Tracksuit Mafia following the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” Much of the six-episode miniseries plays like a buddy comedy, watching this odd couple learn to work together, which makes its climactic fight scene all the more satisfying. Faceless Tracksuit Mafia members get taken out by arrows that freeze their legs, dispatch needle projectiles, project flash bangs, and disperse pepper spray, which is as comical as it is epic.
Not to mention, there’s a particularly hilarious moment in which one trick arrow shrinks a van of Tracksuit Mafia goons to toy size, before being carried away by an owl. Though later moments in this 30 Rockefeller Center-set sequence feature Clint having an emotional confrontation with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Kate facing off with Wilson Fisk, this portion easily takes the cake as the most visually fun action scene in the series.
1. Daredevil vs. hallway goons
When discussing the best fight scenes in Marvel television, it’s impossible not to give credit to the scene that kickstarted an entire era of Marvel television. As the first of the Marvel Netflix TV shows, “Daredevil” took its sweet time getting Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock into the iconic red suit, but didn’t waste any time showcasing the character’s brutal style of fighting. If the MCU version of “Daredevil” has found success among fans, it’s because of the unrelenting TV-MA violence and action that defined the original series’ tone, especially when the character found himself in a hallway.
Taking place in the second episode of “Daredevil” Season 1, Murdock hunts down a kidnapped boy with the help of Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), the Night Nurse. After torturing a Russian mobster for information, Murdock enters a building with only a mask covering his face to dish out some high-octane vigilante justice. It’s now become a defining on-screen trope for Daredevil: watching him kick butt in a narrow hallway full of foes.
It goes without saying that scenes involving Matt Murdock tend to be some of the best choreographed and most invigorating of the entire Marvel franchise. Nevertheless, this first hallway brawl from the Netflix “Daredevil” series earns its #1 spot not just for being a well-directed sequence, but for changing the expectations for practical action in superhero projects altogether.
