TheMarvel Cinematic Universeis sometimes described as a machine. A smooth, efficient, and risk-free franchise factory spearheaded by Kevin Feige churning out blockbuster movies at an unprecedented rate. And yet, the foundation of the MCU was laid out initially through a bunch of daring risks and unconventional choices, from hiring Robert Downey Jr. to play Iron Man to making the first big budget superhero ensemble film.
Despite critics often decrying the MCU for playing it safe and sticking too closely to the traditional superhero movie script, the franchise has given us a lot more unscripted moments than many people realize. Let us take a look at some of the best moments in the MCU when the makers of the films decided to toss out the script and allow actors to organically improvise in the moment.
20Wakandan War Chants
Avengers: Infinity Warsees all the major MCU players coming together for the first time to stop Thanos and his army from destroying half of all life in the universe. The Avengers gather together in the secret city of Wakanda, where they are joined by the military forces of the powerful city in repelling Thanos' army. As the heroes prepare for battle, the Wakandans start a battle cry that brings terror and elation to the scene.
That chant was not part of the script, but rather came organically from the actors' deep relationships to their Wakandan characters thanks to them having recently worked onBlack Panther. “We did not know — because we had not seenBlack Pantherbecause they were still makingBlack Panther— about their war chants,” The film’s co-directorJoe Russo explained. “And they just started doing it.”
19"I am Iron Man"
The firstIron Manmovie was considered a huge risk for the studio,for a number of reasons. To make matters worse, the movie was being made in a highly haphazard manner without a concrete script and the actors being forced to come up with new scenes and story elements on the fly. Fortunately, lead actor Robert Downey Jr. thrived in this uncertainty and made ample use of his improv skills on set.
One of the biggest gambles the actor took was something that forever changed the way superhero movies would get made. At the end of the film,Downey ad-libs the line"I am Iron Man" in front of the press. That daring scene made it into the final cut of the movie, and because of it, Marvel movies no longer had to remain a slave to the “superhero secret identity” trope that almost every other film in the genre was following at the time.
18Calling out Captain America
After the heady rush ofAvengers: Infinity War,Avengers: Endgameis all about dealing with the devastating loss of Thanos' victory, and the erasure of half of all life in the universe. Tony Stark is left exhausted and depleted thanks to his run-in with Thanos on another planet and the return trip to Earth. Afterwards, Steve Rogers tries to get Tony to help think up a way for the Avengers to find Thanos again.
That’s when an overwhelmed Tony viscously chews out Captain America in one of the franchise’s most shocking and painful moments. What makes the scene even more raw is thatlarge parts of it were improvisedby Robert Downey Jr., which made his anger and Steve’s reaction to it feel all the more genuine and gut-wrenching.
17Peter Tries to Hug Tony
Mentor-Mentee relationships have become par for the course for the MCU. But there was a time when the trope still felt brand new when Tony Stark decided to take Peter Parker aka Spider-Man under his wing. Tony was a huge influence in Peter’s life, and the older superhero was wise enough to understand the potential of his young protege after spending time together.
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This leads to a memorable scene inSpider-Man: Homecomingwhere Tony comes to drop Peter off at his home. The two had been chatting pleasantly, and Peter feels thrilled when Tony leans in for a farewell hug. But as Peter is returning the gesture, Tony explains that he’s just opening the car door on Peter’s side. Once again, we haveRobert Downey Jr.’s improv skillsto thank for that hilariously awkward scene.
16"Why is Gamora?"
When it comes to comedic moments, no MCU characters provide as much fodder for hilarity as the Guardians of the Galaxy. Drax, Star-Lord, Mantis, andRocket Raccoon are responsible for some of the funniest momentsin the entire cinematic universe, and the team was in top form for their big crossover moment with the Avengers inInfinity War.
As is the tradition, the two superhero teams met while fighting each other. While Drax is held down by Iron Man and Star-Lord is shouting at the Avengers to give him Gamora’s location, Drax takes the opportunity to shout “Why is Gamora?” The confusion that line adds to the scene is equaled only by the laughter it caused among theater audiences. This time, it was Dave Bautista whoimprovised the piece of dialog, and it was welcomed with open arms by the filmmakers.
15"He’s a Friend From Work"
After years of straight-laced action shenanigans,Thor: Ragnarokshowcased a new, more human side to everyone’s favorite God of Thunder. New director Taika Waititi allowed Chris Hemsworth to improvise to his heart’s content, and some of the best scenes in the movie occur because the makers decided to go off script upon hearing the voice of inspiration.
In the case of one particular scene, that voicebelonged to a young fanwho was visiting the set as part of a Make-a-Wish meeting. The fan suggested the line “He’s a friend from work!” while watching a scene getting filmed where Thor meets Hulk after a long time. Hemsworth and Waititi loved the suggestion so much it ended up in the final cut of the movie, and emerged a fan favorite moment upon the film’s release.
14"I Don’t Want to Go"
Avengers: Infinity Warfeatures one of the most shocking endings in the history of Hollywood blockbusters. After spending the whole movie trying to stop Thanos, the villain finally succeeds in his quest to end half of all life. The heroes can only watch in horror as many of their comrades turn to dust. The most gun-wrenching farewell belongs to Spider-Man, who whimpers “I don’t want to go” while holding on to Iron Man for dear life.
Once again, the makers of the movie trusted their actors to make that scene come alive with some organic improv. In this case, Tom Holland employed his acting technique to guide him through the process of turning to dust. The actorexplained in an interviewthat he likes to repeat a single line in his head to reach an emotional state for particular scenes, and in this case Holland decided to say that line out loud for Spider-Man’s death scene.
13"Move the Leg"
Tom Holland had quite the massive responsibility when he was brought in to play Spider-Man in the MCU, and the young actor was fully aware of the enormity of jumping into a massive franchise filled with industry veterans. Chief among them was Robert Downey Jr., who had the biggest role in bringing Holland’s Peter Parker into the MCU as Tony Stark.
One of the earliest MCU scenes Holland shot has him alone with Tony in his bedroom where they discuss Peter’s powers and desire to help people. Holland was naturally nervous to be sharing the scene with RDJ, so much so that he missed a cue to move his leg to allow the older actor to sit next to him. Without missing a beat, Downeyimprovised the line, “I’m gonna sit here, so you move the leg,” which ended up in the final cut of the film.
12"I’ll Be Seeing You Again"
The MCU made one of its boldest choices when it brought inveteran funny man and 90’s heartthrob Paul Ruddto play superhero Scott Lang aka Ant-Man in his own franchise. Rudd more than rises to the occasion, imbuing Scott with an Everyman appeal and providing an outsider’s perspective on the world of the Avengers and their superhero hi-jinks.
Rudd was also able to make ample use of his impeccable comic timing. Like the scene inAnt-Man and the Waspwhere he says goodbye to a baffled Agent Jimmy Woo, played by fellow comedy master Randall Park. Woo’s innocuous parting line “I’ll be seeing you again,” becomes the jumping off point forsome hilarious improvas Scott innocently questions, “Where?,” leading to an awkward exchange ending with Woo apparently asking Scott out for dinner.
11Get Help
While previousThormovies showed the tortured relationship between Thor and his step-brother Loki,Thor: Ragnarokwas the first time audiences got to see the shared happy memories and deep seated affection that the duo still retained even after all their fighting and arguments. This is best illustrated in a scene where Thor and Loki use an old diversionary tactic from their childhood called “Get Help!”
Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki,explained in an interviewhow the scene is a testament to director Taika Waititi’s skill with making up scenes on the fly in a way that feels natural and hilarious. “As we worked [the scene] out, it was something completely improvised,” Hiddleston explains. “It gives you such an insight into the way Taika works.”
