Captain Marvel's 10 Biggest Moments, Ranked By Badassery

Brie Larson as Captain Marvel in 2019 standalone film
(Image credit: (Marvel))

Where do you think Captain Marvel is these days? The Avenger is always talking about all the planets elsewhere she is assisting, but we might have to wait until the 2022 release of the sequel to catch up with her. In between, let’s bring her back to Earth for a moment and talk about the pure badassery Brie Larson’s character has brought to screen between her 2019 standalone blockbuster and sequences in the record-breaking Avengers: Endgame. Here’s the scenes that standout so far:

Captain Marvel in Avengers: Endgame saving Tony Stark and Nebula

(Image credit: (Marvel))

10. Captain Marvel Brings Iron Man And Nebula Home

At the bleak beginning of Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark is starved for oxygen and cooped up playing paper football with Nebula on the Benatar until a beam of light brings hope to what could've been the end to Tony Stark. Captain Marvel finds them and carries their ship back to the Avengers base just in time for Tony to get the help he needs to stay alive and later save the universe with the rest of the superhero squad. It’s a big moment for Carol Danvers because she becomes the positive force the team needs at a time when they feel defeated and she’ll do it again.

Brie Larson as Captain Marvel with Thor in Avengers: Endgame

(Image credit: (Marvel))

9. Carol Danvers Doesn’t Flinch At Thor’s Hammer Call

When Carol Danvers meets the Avengers in Endgame, it’s clear she has a different approach to things than they do. She is all about action – ready to go and kill Thanos on her own without their help. The team that is left convinces her to be part of a larger mission with the Avengers to take down Thanos. An especially big moment that was a standout leading up to the release of Endgame is her exchange with Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. He calls his hammer just shy of her face and she doesn’t even blink. The scene ends with the God of Thunder saying “I like this one.” She’s Thor approved!

Brie Larson as Captain Marvel on bus in 2019 movie

(Image credit: (Marvel))

8. Carol Takes On Disguised Skrulls On A Moving Bus

In Captain Marvel, before the hero recollects her actual identity she is known as Vers. After falling straight into a Blockbuster and catching the attention of a young Nick Fury and Phil Coulson, she chases after a group of shapeshifting Skrulls on a moving Los Angeles bus. To onlookers, she looks savage and fearsome as she slaps a Skrull disguised as an old woman. She gets knocked down on top of the bus (bringing down her badassery score a nudge here), but the scene memorably has her giving a sweet look to the late, great Stan Lee during his last in-person Marvel cameo.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Elizabeth Olsen, Brie Larson, Pom Klementieff and Letitia Wright in Avengers: Endg

(Image credit: (Marvel))

7. Captain Marvel Greets Peter Parker During The Endgame Battle

In Marvel Studios’ most ambitious sequence yet in Avengers: Endgame, there’s too many awesome moments to count. One notable sequence for Captain Marvel comes right after Tom Holland’s Spider-Man swings and flies across the battlefield to keep the Infinity Gauntlet safe from Thanos’ reach. A fun moment is when Captain Marvel approaches the scared webslinger and calmly says “Hey, Peter Parker” before assembling with all the female Avengers in an epic team-up moment.

Brie Larson as Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel

(Image credit: (Marvel))

6. Carol Gets Her Powers From The Kree Engine

A key moment in Captain Marvel is when the audience finally finds out how she gets her powers and loses her memory. As it turns out, she is bravely flying Mar-Vell’s jet when Yon-Rogg starts shooting at them. She valiantly tries to avoid danger but cannot save Annette Bening’s character. Yon-Rogg then confronts her and tries to take the Kree energy core he seeks. Carol is brave enough to risk her life and shoots the core, which in turn gives her incredible powers.

Captain Marvel yelling at Skrull in 2019 movie

(Image credit: (Marvel))

5. Carol Breaks Out Of Skrull Prison

The first time we really appreciate the fiery personality of Captain Marvel is toward the beginning of her film when she escapes her capture from the Skrulls who are looking for information inside her brain. It’s an awesome and fun battle sequence that shows the hero’s particular energy when fighting and really shows off her powers as she takes down just about the whole crew and flies off to Earth.

Yon-Rogg and Carol Danvers in desert in Captain Marvel

(Image credit: (Marvel))

4. Captain Marvel Blasts Yon-Rogg In The Desert

Coming down to the all-time best Captain Marvel moments is one in the third act of her standalone film when Yon-Rogg shows up to challenge Carol. He tries to intimidate her by implying her emotions always get the best of her and challenging her to a combat fight. She swiftly blasts him into a far-away rock and approaches him to say “I have nothing to prove to you.” It’s a particularly great moment because it shows Carol coming into her own confidence as a hero and rising above needing to “win”.

Captain Marvel in mohawk helmet in 2019 movie

(Image credit: (Marvel))

3. Captain Marvel Forces Ronan And His Army To Retreat

Right before her confrontation with Yon-Rogg, Captain Marvel flies into space and debuts her mohawk helmet, all while giving off a glow throughout her body and defeats a fleet of Kree ships Ronan Accuser was about to set off next to Earth. The scene is almost something out of Star Wars, except the resistance is a singular Avenger as she blasts their ships into dust in just minutes. This scene really shows off the scope of Captain Marvel’s powers and proves to fans how valuable of an asset she is to the Avengers’ fight against Thanos.

Captain Marvel with the Supreme Intelligence in 2019 movie

(Image credit: (Marvel))

2. Captain Marvel Confronts The Supreme Intelligence And Finally Gets Set Free

The biggest moment for Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel is the part when she must confront the Supreme Intelligence while she is tied up on the Skrull ship. She gets knocked down but then she realizes the power she has as a human woman as an empowering montage of sequences throughout her past shows her getting up and prevailing. Carol removes the implant in her neck and unleashes the full scope of her powers on the Supreme Intelligence and entire Kree army to the tune of No Doubt’s “Just a Girl”.

Captain Marvel and Thanos in Avengers: Endgame

(Image credit: (Marvel))

1. Captain Marvel Takes On Thanos In Avengers: Endgame

Coming in at No. 1 for the biggest and badass moment for Captain Marvel is when she swoops in during the final battle in Avengers: Endgame and takes on Thanos herself. Right as he grabs the Infinity Gauntlet again for a moment, she tries to rip it out of his hands and punches him over and over. There’s a particularly perfect moment when Thanos tries to head butt her and she doesn’t even bat an eye. She’s extremely close to taking the Avengers’ worst threat down until he grabs the Space Stone and blasts her back. It was fated for Iron Man to be the MVP in Endgame, but wow can she pack a punch in a fight and against the Mad Titan no less.

Captain Marvel is expected to hit theaters on July 8, 2022. Until then, stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more updates and fun rankings for the MCU.

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.