Disney is well known for providing family-friendly content on their platforms, but after acquiring the licensing to multiple Marvel properties, they began to see the potential in building a blockbuster action franchise. 15 years later, we have the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and we have been treated to a litmus test of violence, with Marvel becoming more comfortable depicting violence on a rising scale. Here, we will review some of the most graphic, surprising, and in some cases, disturbing scenes to be featured in an MCU film. We will be taking into account the shock factor of the scene as well as how aggressive the violence is featured on screen. We will also include succinct descriptions of the sequences involved, so be advised this list may not be for the faint of heart.

9 Thor Vs. Hulk - Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Thor Vs. Hulk (1)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

This scene is often lauded as one of the best scenes to come from Thor: Ragnarok (2017), although it often comes as a surprise given the history between the characters. After the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor and Hulk went their separate ways from the Avengers, and here they reconvene on a distant planet, where Thor is thrown into a gladiator-like arena set to face a champion.

It's revealed that the champion is none other than Thor's friend, Hulk. However, Hulk seems much less friendly and does not hesitate to attack his former comrade immediately. This scene has flashes of cartoon violence as well as brutal severe assaults. It is only when Thor accesses his lightning powers that it appears the fight may swing in his favor. The Grandmaster would interfere in the contest, leading to the Hulk taking the victory, unaware that it was tainted.

8 Loki's Death - Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Loki's Death (1)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

After discovering that his mother was killed during Malekith's assault on Asgard, Loki decides to work together with his brother to stop the dark elf from fully enacting his plan. During the brothers' front against Malekith and his army, the fight sequence grows more intense, with Loki leading the charge, using his blades to take his opponents down swiftly. Witnessing his brother in a struggle against Algrim, Loki would interfere, stabbing Algrim swiftly. Thinking the elf done for, Loki would be surprised when the monster impaled him, tossing him aside to bleed out. Loki would get the last laugh, attaching a device to Algrim, killing him in a fantastic display. Thor would cradle his brother in his arms, and though this would later prove to be another of Loki's tricks, it was still a shocking scene to watch.

7 Black Widow Vs. Taskmaster: Round One - Black Widow (2021)

Black Widow Vs. Taskmaster (1)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Natasha was on her way to a safe house, unaware that she was carrying special vials as cargo. The mercenary known as Taskmaster would attack her, aiming to both retrieve the vials and kill Natasha. The initial shock would come from the explosive destruction of Natasha's transport. Shaken but not incapacitated, Natasha would ride to the challenge, attempting to take down the merc, who appears to have some familiar fighting styles. Nat would discover that even her own techniques could be easily copied, and soon this fight would turn into a struggle for survival. Usually calm and collected, the duality of the fighters becoming mirror images of one another would lead to Natasha taking an escape route, electing to fight another day.

Related: MCU: All of Captain America's Opening Lines in a Movie, Ranked

6 The Elevator Scene - Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

The Elevator Scene (1)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Steve Rogers would participate in one of the most well-recognized fight scenes in the MCU. After witnessing Nick Fury die in an explosive hit job, Steve remains loyal to Fury's secrets leading to double agents exposing their cover and attacking him in the confines of an elevator. Steve's intuition of the danger he was in would lead him to brace himself before letting a witty remark slip, and all hell broke loose.

Trapped in the enclosed space with nine men, Steve has to rely on his brute strength and willpower, dealing with the numbers disadvantage, stun rods, and magnetic restraints. At one point, having an arm restrained, Rogers would still manage to fend off multiple foes, knocking them out by throwing them into the reinforced glass, cameras, and the light structure. This fight would prove to be so brutal that Cap preferred to feign an altered allegiance than go through it again.

5 Klaw is Disarmed - Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Ultron and Klaw (1)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

While not dragged out like standard fight sequences and seemingly not intentionally violent, this scene is surprisingly graphic for an MCU film and seems to happen out of nowhere. Comicbook fans are familiar with Ulysses Klaw and the fact that he has a cybernetic prosthetic hand, but when he is introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron, he has both hands intact. While conducting a business deal with the robotic villain Ultron, Klaw grows suspicious and insults Ultron, referencing his similarities to Tony Stark. This hits a nerve with Ultron, who grabs Klaw. While growing more agitated, Ultron swings his arm and severs Klaw's arm from his body. Noting that he didn't intend to do so, Ultron nonetheless seemed unaffected by the grotesque maiming he had just participated in.

4 The Bus Scene - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Shang-Chi Bus Scene
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Shang-Chi's life is turned upside down when the Ten Rings target him for his half of a pendant. Initially being restrained, his friend Katy tries to verbally intervene only to be pushed into the window, which sets Shang-Chi on the offensive, looking to incapacitate the attackers and defend his friend. After taking down the initial front, Shang-Chi is opposed by a larger individual carrying a sword inside his metal prosthetic arm. This scene's violence was featured in the style of martial arts films but on a grand scale, with this man cutting the bus into pieces, risking many citizens' lives, while Shang-Chi attempted to steer the bus while fending off his attacker. Eventually, Shang-Chi would be able to get the people to safety, but he would have much to explain to Katy.

Related: Counterpoint: The MCU Should End Before it Gets Worse

3 Tony Has His Arc Reactor Torn Out - Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man movie in the MCU
Paramount Pictures

After the events that spanned the opening of Iron Man (2008), Tony Stark needs an arc reactor inside his chest to live. Over the course of the film, Tony receives a rude awakening that his business partner, Obadiah Stane, had set him up, hoping for him to die. No longer trusting someone else to get the job done, Stane would elect to get his own hands dirty. When Tony arrives home, Stane is ready, using a sonic device to paralyze Stark temporarily. Using a device, Stane would then rip the arc reactor out of Tony's chest, sending him into a cardiac episode. This scene isn't overtly graphic, but with this film proving to be the staging ground for what is to follow, it was a strong symbol that all cards are on the table. Death can come, and it can come from cold-blooded individuals, whether they be ruthlessly brutal or eerily calm.

2 Hulk Chokes Out Abomination - The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Abombination
Universal Pictures

While this film doesn't fall under the Disney umbrella, it does still fall under the MCU umbrella and features one of the more graphic scenes in Phase One of the MCU. The final battle between Hulk and Abomination is already brutal, with the two of them tearing the city apart, ripping cars in half, and crashing through multiple buildings. The final blow would come when Hulk took one of Abomination's spikes and stabbed the monster, forcing the creature into a vulnerable position. From here, Hulk would take a heavy chain and wrap it around Abomination's throat, pulling back on it to strangle the creature to death. Scenes like this can often be found in the MCU, but a depiction like this was done to accentuate that the Hulk isn't quite a hero and would come across as surprisingly violent for someone unfamiliar with the source material.

1 The Illuminati - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

doctor-strange-the-illuminati
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Easily the most graphic and shocking scene featured in the MCU is Wanda's attack on the Illuminati. Sam Raimi was given the freedom to amplify the level of violence in this scene to help add to the horror feel he wished for this film to have. Wanda would begin the carnage by getting rid of Black Bolt's mouth, which would cause Black Bolt's head to explode due to his powers. She would then unravel Mr. Fantastic's body like it was nothing more than paper before severing Captain Carter's body in two with her shield. Captain Marvel would be Wanda's most significant physical challenge, though a statue would eventually crush her. Professor Xavier would try to connect with the alternate Wanda psychically, but Scarlet Witch would arrive in the mindscape, breaking Charles' neck before moving on to her objective, with no remorse in her body language.