Who doesn’t love a good fight in our superhero films? It’s basically why we go to the movies every time a new Marvel or DC film comes along. We want to see these heroes beat the tar out of the villains or check how the evildoers outsmart the heroes in a scuffle. With a string of superhero films being released since the late 1980s, there must be some memorable fights that we all remember.
Today, we have taken it upon ourselves to rank the best fights we have seen in superhero movies. While many significant battles could make the cut, we sought to focus on specific confrontations that left us speechless, mostly involving two or more characters at once. Many of these sequences last only a few minutes, but they leave a lasting impression, and they are remembered for their craftsmanship and ability to amaze audiences.
Now, on we go with our ranking!
20 Batman vs. The Joker Goons – Batman (1989)
Before CGI made every fight in superhero films a visual spectacle that is nearly impossible to replicate using practical effects, actors had to make do with what they had. This fight from Batman deserves to be ranked on merit alone, as Michael Keaton performed his moves in a very restricted version of the Batsuit after being cornered at a dead end in his rescue of Vicky Vale.
Batman confronts the Joker’s goons by faking his death after being shot. He surprises them all by quickly getting up and beating the living tar out of them with simple yet effective moves. The highlight of the fight is the Shaolin warrior wielding katanas, as Batman takes a fighting stance and deflects every hit to finish the bout with a well-placed kick. It’s short, sweet, and intense like all Batman fights should be.
19 The Turtles vs. Shredder – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
The first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film deserves all the props it gets for being done using practical effects. The movie is an incredible technical achievement of its era, as making a costume that allowed the type of movement expected from fighting turtles was no easy feat. While the turtles have multiple fight scenes in the film, the one that stands out is their final fight against Shredder.
Since the film is more of an adaptation of the indie comics of the 1990s instead of the cartoon version that made the property so famous, the visuals are grim and gritty. The four turtles take on Shredder on the rooftop of a building, fighting him one at a time and getting beaten at every turn until their master, Splinter, returns to face their nemesis by outmaneuvering him with a single move.
18 Frank Castle vs. The Russian – The Punisher (2004)
The second Punisher film came and went without much fanfare despite being a faithful adaptation of one of the comic’s most popular arcs tied to his origin story. In the movie, Frank Castle has it out for the Saint family, the people who killed all his family after a weapons bust went wrong. Howard Saint is losing money by the minute as Frank tracks down all suppliers and destroys their merchandise and money reserves, so Saint decides to take him out by hiring the Russian.
The Russian tracks Frank down to his home and proceeds to mop the floor with him. Keep in mind this “Russian” is played by Kevin Nash, who’s towering 6ft 9 against Thomas Jane’s, 5ft 10—Frank stabs, punches, and attempts to beat the Russian without any results. The Russian nearly demolishes the building where Frank lives until he gets a second wind, pours a boiling pot of water in The Russian’s face, and uses the momentum to dump him from a set of stairs and break his neck.
17 Daredevil vs. Kingpin – Daredevil (2003)
For all its faults, 2003’s Daredevil wasn’t such a terrible film. The story was a pastiche of multiple comic storylines, but the cast was solid, and the fight choreographies were great. Although the final fight between Matt and Bullseye was great, it was not the best, as Matt’s victory came after a well-placed shot by a police sniper. The final fight between Kingpin and Matt, on the other hand, is in a different league.
After getting word that Bullseye has been beaten, Wilson Fisk asks Westley to vacate the building and leave the door open for Daredevil. The underlying complies after his boss tells him he wouldn’t understand. Matt comes face to face against Wilson in hand-to-hand combat, and although Matt is more agile, Wilson has him on the ropes due to his enormous size and strength. Matt only wins after pulling a fast one, breaking both of Kingpin’s knees and walking away, leaving Wilson in the dark, beaten with his demons.
16 Nightcrawler vs. The Secret Service – X2: X-Men United (2003)
X2, the second X-Men film, begins with an absolute bang, as a guided visit to the White House is infiltrated by a mutant with the power to transport himself from one place to another. Kurt Wagner has been mind-controlled and forced to attack the Security Service at the White House to make a statement in the name of mutantdom.
The sequence begins when a trenchcoated “guest” is asked if he’s lost his way from the tour. Nightcrawler quickly reveals he’s a mutant and makes short work of every agent on the floor by kicking their sorry asses before they even have the time to realize what’s hitting them. The fast-paced sequence establishes the character’s power and why humanity fears mutants in the Foxverse.
15 Spider-Man vs. Dr. Octopus – Spider-Man 2 (2004)
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One of the most significant visual feats in any Spider-Man film is achieving an excellent fighting choreography. Spider-Man is not a martial arts expert, but he’s developed his own fighting style that heavily relies on his powers. In Spider-Man 2, after Dr. Octopus kidnaps MJ, he asks Peter to pass the message to Spider-Man to come and get her. Peter, who’s been on the end with his powers coming and going on account of stress, toughens up and goes after the villain.
They meet at the top of a building, where they begin to scuffle; their fight takes them to the top of a New York City Subway train, where they beat each other senselessly. As Spider-Man wins the upper hand, Otto cheats by breaking the train’s controls, making it increase its speed, and forcing Spider-Man to stop it using his webs and super-strength. Exhausted by the effort, Peter can’t keep fighting Otto, who knocks him out with a single blow after being defended by the passengers. It’s hard to think this all takes place in only four minutes.
14 Yondu vs. The Ravagers – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Nothing says sweet revenge like watching a bunch of unlikeable characters get what they deserve, and that’s exactly what happens in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The Ravagers are Yondu’s group, hired by Ayesha to capture the Guardians. They manage to capture Rocket and Peter, but Yondu is hesitant to give up Starlord since he’s the one who raised him. Yondu’s lieutenant, Kraglin Obfonteri, questions his leadership and commitment to fulfill the task, followed by Taserface, which leads to a revolt among The Ravagers where all Yondu loyalists are killed, and Yondu himself is imprisoned.
With the help of Groot, Kraglin gets back to his former boss, asking for forgiveness and retrieving his secondary headset so he can control his arrow needle again. Yondu proceeds to walk by his ship using the arrow needle to kill every member of the Ravagers at the tune of Come A Little Bit Closer by Jay and The Americans. The scene should be disturbing, but it’s pretty funny and a great showcase of Yondu’s power and badassery.
13 Ant-Man vs. Yellowjacket – Ant-Man (2015)
While the final battle between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket seems intense in Ant-Man, it’s hard to overlook that it’s taking place in Cassie’s room while both men are ant-sized. Something that is emphasized by constant cutbacks of the scene to see how regular-sized people are watching the events unfold. Darren Cross was taking over Pym Industries to sell their secrets for military applications; Scott Lang wouldn’t let that fly.
The show begins when Darren is escaping Pym Industries after Scott uses a heist to cover the destruction of the facilities. Darren kills Anthony, Scott’s main ant ride for most of the film, but the gauntlet goes down after Darren, fully costumed in his Yellowjacket armor, tries to kidnap Cassie. Scott finally manages to beat him by reducing his size to subatomic particles.
12 The Hulk vs. The US Army – Hulk (2003)
Let’s cut some flak to the much-maligned Hulk film from 2003. The film may have taken itself too seriously, but it still managed to tell a compelling story, and we finally got to see Hulk smash everything in savage mode in a major motion picture. After gaining the ability to become a fully enraged monster, Bruce Banner has something the army wants to weaponize by all means.
After being captured with the help of Betty Ross, Bruce is sent to an underground base in New Mexico. Glen Talbot needs a sample of the Hulk while in beast mode so he can replicate its properties. There’s only one problem: Banner won’t transform, as he’s been able to get a hold of the monster. Their big solution? Induce the mother of all nightmares to Earth’s most powerful child-like monster. Hulk frees himself in seconds and wipes the floor with the US Army, who throws him everything they have, from Tomahawk missiles to M1 Abrams tanks.
11 Wolverine vs. Lady Deathstrike – X2: X-Men United (2003)
After William Striker draws first blood by invading the X-Men’s compound, the team goes after Striker in the Alkali base. While the rest of the team is hunting down the captured students and missing comrades, Logan wanders off tracking Striker since he wants answers about his past self. After reaching Weapon X’s chambers, Logan faces his maker, who only tells him he was already an animal before they met, and leaves her enforcer, Lady Deathstrike, to deal with the mutant.
The fight does go easy on Logan. Deathstroke is another mutant with similar powers to his. She can regenerate any cut he makes and can heal any wound almost instantly. They trade blows to a stalemate, but Deathstrike is younger and more agile than Logan. He barely manages to win after injecting her bloodstream with a second dose of Adamantium, which overloads her nervous system, killing her.
10 Thanos vs. Iron Man – Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
While a ragtag team of Avengers fights the mad Titan on his home planet, Iron Man is the only hero who can hold his own against the tyrant to the end in Avengers: Infinity War. After Starlord loses control and botches the attempt of the team to get the stones, Iron Man uses the total capabilities of the Mark-L, a suit of armor powered by nanotechnology, which allows him to create any weapon he needs at the speed of thought.
Iron Man dukes it out against Thanos for a full three minutes, and it’s the only hero to draw blood, which doesn’t go unnoticed by the mad Titan who praises him for his bravery. The match ends when Thanos overloads the nanoparticles within the suit or armor and breaks one of Stark’s weapons to stab him with it.
9 Superman vs. General Zod – Man of Steel (2013)
During the Black Zero Event in Man of Steel, Superman teams up with the US Army to take down the incoming forces of the Kryptonians’ escapees from the Phantom Zone. After destroying the terraforming machines, Superman brings down the ship containing the DNA matrix of multiple Kryptonians, which General Zod is piloting. After realizing he’s lost the war, Zod vows to destroy humanity and dukes it out against Superman.
The type of action displayed in this film is what Warner had been waiting for after developing the technology for The Matrix films. Superman and Zod fight like Gods without a care for their surroundings. They smash through buildings and tear apart Metropolis in a battle for the ages where the military tactician is overpowered by a man who has a total grasp on his powers. Ultimately, Zod cheats by threatening to kill a few humans, only for Kal-El to snap his neck.
8 The X-Men vs. The Hellfire Club – X-Men: First Class (2011)
Although never referred to as such, Charles and Erik are fighting against The Hellfire Club led by Sebastian Shaw in X-Men: First Class, the newly assumed name of former Nazi scientist Klaus Schmidt, who also has Emma Frost, Azazel, Riptide, and Angel Salvadore in his crew. These mutant supremacists seek the ascendance of mutant-dom as the predominant race on the planet by looking to start World War 3 using their gifts to manipulate political players in Russia and the USA.
Erik and Charles form the first class of the X-Men with Mystique, Beast, Havok, and Banshee to fight Shaw after he kills every agent in Division X. When Shaw makes his move, the team must intercept his submarine as The US Navy and the Russian Navy are getting ready to deploy nukes in the coast of Cuba. While the X-Men manage to fend off Shaw’s threat, they must focus on dealing with Erik in the aftermath, as he’s more than willing to kill every soldier by returning their own fire.
7 Batman vs. Anatoli Knyazev’s Enforcer Team – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Batman is the character with the most entries in this ranking, and there’s a good reason for it. As the most popular superhero without superpowers, every fight he’s in must look great. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is loved by many and hated by some, but we can’t deny it has some of the sickest fights we’ve seen in any major motion picture. While the Batman vs. Supes feud is great, we can’t deny Batman’s rescue of Martha is pretty terrific as it is.
After the underwhelming Martha reveal, both heroes spring into action, with Bats tracking down Knyazev and his crew to an abandoned warehouse. After a quick assessment with the help of Alfred, Batman enters the building and kicks everyone’s ass on the floor. Not everyone here is getting a simple beating, as Batman is killing some of these guys with his whole arsenal, and while this breaks the no-killing rule the character’s known for, we can’t deny this sequence is an absolute show of awesomeness.
6 Spider-Man vs. Electro – The Amazing Spider-Man 2
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We dunked hard on Amazing Spider-Man 2 when this movie gave us one of the best-choreographed fights ever made for a Spider-Man film, even though some may disagree vehemently. In Round Two of Spidey vs. Electro, they duke it out in the power grid designed by Max Dillon, who’s using the power overload to his advantage. Electro beats Peter senselessly and is ready to kill him when Gwen Stacey arrives to save the day.
After knocking him out briefly, Peter and Gwen devise a plan to get rid of Max for good, but to make that happen, Spider-Man must fix the grid first, which he manages to do thanks to the insulated webbing created by Gwen. After he signals his girlfriend, Spidey delivers the final blow to Max by overcharging his power levels and making him dissipate into a cloud of energy.
5 Captain America vs. The Winter Soldier – Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014)
Quite frankly, every single fight scene in the second entry in the Captain America trilogy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, deserves to be here, but then the ranking would be a boring read. Every staged fight looks incredible. From the moment Steve realizes SHIELD’s been compromised to the first time he meets with The Winter Soldier. Steve is trying his hardest to go unnoticed, but the Winter Soldier knows his target all too well. He first incapacitates Black Widow, but when he’s about to finish her off, Steve arrives and joins the fray.
Bucky and Steve’s first encounter is the shortest one in the film; their fight in the Hellcarrier would last longer, yet it’s the first encounter that is more intense, better choreographed, and fast-paced. Bucky switches gears between three different martial arts mixed with knife fighting skills that look perfect in every frame, and it turns out more enjoyable when you learn Chris Evans actually had to avoid those knife moves for real to perform the scene.
4 Spider-Man vs. Sandman – Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Peter would fight Flint Marko three times in Spider-Man 3. Their first encounter didn’t go well for the wall-crawler, as Marko got the upper hand on him thanks to his sand powers. The second time they meet, Peter already has the symbiote with him and knows about Flint’s actual involvement in the murder of his uncle Ben Parker, which, of course, makes him go ballistic against the small-time hood.
They fight in New York’s sewer system after Flint manages to rob a stash of cash. Peter chases him relentlessly, and the combination of grief and the symbiote’s influence makes him lash out at Marko with everything he has until he realizes water is his main weakness. After trading blows, Peter destroys a pipe system to flood the place, believing he’s killed Marko after seeing him dissolve in water.
3 The Justice League vs. Steppenwolf – Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
After resurrecting Superman in Justice League, Kal-El goes MIA with Lois Lane and a scrambled mind. The League still has to hold off Steppenwolf after he finds out Earth guards the anti life equation Darkseid has been looking for eons. Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg are battle-ready to deal with the Fourth World invader and make quick work of hordes of Parademons in spectacular fashion.
When they engage Steppenwolf, they realize only Wonder Woman and Aquaman have any hope of facing Darkseid’s underling, as Cyborg must crack the code of the mother boxes and reverse the process that will bring doom to Earth. It’s a tight battle, nearly lost to the heroes until Superman arrives. After withstanding a single blow from Steppenwolf, Kal-El declares himself unimpressed and proceeds to beat the living tar out of the invader, with Wonder Woman striking the final blow by cutting Steppenwolf’s head before sending it back to the Apokolips.
2 Cap and The Winter Soldier vs. Iron Man – Captain America: Civil War (2016)
This final bout we got in Captain America: Civil War was on no one’s list. After Cap teamed up with Bucky to go after Zemo, we all thought it would be an all-out war between the three heroes, alongside Black Panther and five other guys with the powers of Bucky. Well, the Russos made sure our expectations were subverted spectacularly, as the Civil War was fought in a long-forgotten Siberian Hydra facility.
After the three heroes barge into the complex, they find out Zemo has already killed the remaining Super soldiers and open a feed to showcase old footage. In the old tape, Bucky kills Tony’s parents, which drives Tony off to the deep end. The three men begin to trade blows, with Iron Man having the technological advantage of countering the hits of Bucky and Cap combined. When Bucky is about to remove his power core, Stark blows Bucky’s arm off, leaving Cap to end the bout by breaking his armor with his shield. The heroes were, as of that moment, disassembled.
1 Batman vs. Bane – The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The top-ranking fighting scene in this countdown features Batman, just to come full circle. While not the most elaborate or spectacular fight on the list, this battle between Batman and Bane in The Dark Knight Rises has everything a great fight should have. It’s somber and solemn and gets down to business fast and hard without missing a beat. The first thing you’ll notice is that there’s no music at this moment. Christopher Nolan lets the action do the talking without needing a score.
Bane greets Batman by his given name; he knows exactly who he is and knows Bruce is in a sorry state after being denied by the city he swore to save eight years ago. Bane takes a few shots, only to catch one midair and declare Batman lacks the power to beat him. “Victory has defeated you,” he would say before Bruce attempted to use theatricality and deception. Even the darkness betrays Batman, as Bane stomps on him for a final time by breaking his back and dumping him into a far-off prison in the Middle East.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
