It was difficult to nail it down to three but I gave it considerable thought. Not-so-coincidentally, the three scenes that I selected happen to be in three of the greatest and most impactful superhero movies ever made.
#1 The Dark Knight 🦇
What makes this scene so crazy is that it takes place in plain daylight, doesn’t include Batman, and never reveals the Joker’s face until the end of the scene. It plays like a whodunnit over the course of 10-15 minutes. It’s my favorite opening scene.
#2 Blade
Can you introduce a relatively obscure comic book character to the masses any better? The scene is kinetic and suspenseful. An unwitting guy is lured into what looks like a butchery/warehouse-turned dance club by his date. He soon finds out that his “date” is no ordinary date. He’s being served up to her fellow club goers, ahem, vampires to dine on!
But little do they know that the Daywalker is also on the prowl, to serve his own brand of justice.
#3 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Subtle. Understated. But great. The scene starts with Sam Wilson (Falcon) jogging at dawn, to be joined by a sprinting Steve Rogers (Captain America). The scene yields the seminal quote, “on your left,” and ends with a not-so-subtle shoutout to some of the greatest moments in sci-fi, music and television history in Steve’s notepad.
