There’s something to be said about the dramatic entrance that just gets the blood pumping. A dramatic entrance so badass that the adrenaline starts coursing through the veins making you believe that you can run through a wall… don’t try this. You can’t. A dramatic entrance so spectacular that you start to consider trying to top it the next time you’re invited out to meet up with friends because everyone can appreciate a dramatic entrance. It steals the show. It gets people talking. It’s a power move that’ll surely make all your friends envious and at the end of the day isn’t that want we want? Our friends, who we love and appreciate, to be jealous of our ability to pull off the perfect dramatic entrance. Or am I just misunderstanding friendship goals?
If you’re looking for some truly spectacular dramatic entrances then I’d suggest you look no further than the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU has made a killing on delivering on dramatic entrances. Whether it’s a bearded Captain America lurking in the shadows catching the spear of a Black Order monster like the last out in a dodgeball tournament as the Avengers theme starts to cue up.
Or maybe it’s Tom Holland’s Spider-Man making his dramatic MCU debut stealing Cap’s shield and fulfilling a cinematic promise of delivering the perfect on-screen Spider-Man that started way back with Toby Maguire.
There is no question that the dramatic entrance in the MCU is a thing of beauty, but those are just two of the best MCU dramatic entrances. I purposely kept off Sam telling Cap, “on your left” because I didn’t want to get choked up and now here I am. Are you happy?! Tears aside, you’ve got to include Tony Stark in there, I suppose saving Cap from Loki in Avengers while cranking AC/DC is a good start for him. Fun fact, the closest thing we have to an AC/DC greatest hits album is the Iron Man 2 soundtrack. I don’t know how that makes me feel. I mean, I love listening to AC/DC but did anyone else feel that their involvement in the early MCU was a bit… out of place? Is it me? I don’t associate AC/DC songs with Iron Man… maybe “Shoot To Thrill” but they’ve been established for so long. I have very specific AC/DC associations like “Hell’s Bells” always makes me think of kickoff at a New York Giants game. I’ve never really heard the band and said “this makes me think of the scene in Iron Man 2.” I know this is a bit of a ramble but for me, the AC/DC involvement in Iron Man 2 had the exact opposite feeling that the Guardian of the Galaxy soundtracks had. Am I wrong here? I’m all ears.
That’s all besides the point, we’re talking dramatic entrances not bitchin’ soundtracks. I just want to make it clear that if we were then Guardians would win hands down. Not open for debate. Don’t at me… I’ve always wanted to say that. Sorry… dramatic entrances. As I was watching Thor Ragnarok this weekend with my lovely wife, who reminded me often just how beautiful Chris Hemsworth is (not that I would disagree with her. Dude is stunning), I started thinking. Who in the MCU has the best dramatic entrances? I’m talking all time. Best of the best. Dramatic entrances so good that you would get the YouTube barcode tattooed on your arm so you can bring it up whenever you needed to.
I found that there was just one answer to this… Thor. Hands down, Thor has the best dramatic entrances in alllllllllll the MCU. Let’s look at the videotape, shall we?
Starting with Age of Ultron, as Tony and Bruce are about to create yet another AI lifeform without really talking it over with the rest of the group a kerfuffle breaks out and things are getting tense. Tony and Cap are squaring off, Bruce is threatening to hug Wanda to death, and Hawkeye is doing some floor shooting. Then, crack of lightning and who should appear? Thor. Thor doesn’t need to talk to anyone about creating an AI lifeform, he’s got a hammer that calls down lightning. Game over folks. Is this the greatest Thor dramatic entrance? No. Is it still awesome and, mind the pun, bring the thunder? Yes, yes it does. Especially when you consider that Joss Whedon really never had a grasp of what to do with the Sparkle Fingers.
It doesn’t stop there for Thor though. How about Thor Ragnarok? Hela and her army are laying waste to Asgard. Banner has just gone “plop” on the Rainbow Bridge like a whoopie cushion that could never find any traction. Thor has lost an eye as his sister proclaims she’s the Goddess of Death. That’s some seriously scary shiz and also leads to one of my favorite Thor moments. He sees Odin in his mind’s eye, the only eye he has left I might add, learns that he’s not the God of Hammers, cue up the Zeppelin because someone is about to get all sparkly on your ass! That’s right, Thor becomes an electric current that runs through Hela’s army like scissors through paper. With “Immigrant Song” as the backdrop? Yeah, this scene shreds.
Then there’s the Coup de Grace. The crème of the crème. The entrance so dramatic and so incredibly awesome that as it was happening I let out a very loud and very emotional cry of victory in theater. Luckily for me, the theater was packed and everyone else was doing it too so I wasn’t the crazy person just joyously screaming in the middle of a movie. But come on! The Battle of Wakanda. Bucky, Cap, Hulk are all overrun. It seems like the Black Order and the army of Outriders might be able to overtake the battlefield when a flash of lightning hits the middle of the field, Storm Breaker starts doing its boomerang impression taking out everyone in its path, and there as the lighting fades there’s Rocket, Groot, and Thor himself. This isn’t only the greatest dramatic entrance in the MCU, it might just be one of the greatest scenes in all of the MCU. I’ve watched it countless times and it always delivers the goosebumps. It always brings me back to that moment where I was cheering in a theater with a bunch of nerd friends. This is superhero movie crack.
I wanted to include the scene in Endgame where Tony, Cap, and Thor get ready to take on Thanos in the closing battle, and Thor has the true grit line, “let’s kill him proper this time” as he changes into War Thor buuuuut I couldn’t pull the trigger on it. That’s not so much a dramatic entrance as it is a dramatic transformation. Still kicks, but not what we’re looking for here.
How about you Geeklings, who do you think has the best dramatic entrances in the MCU? Sound off in the comments below or if you’d like to discuss this further you can find me on Twitter @iamgeek32. I’m down for any MCU related conversations. I’ll be curious to see if you choose someone else because you best come with examples or I’m gonna crank the Zeppelin and call down the thunder!
