In the last two decades, superhero movies have taken the world by storm. Aside from taking audiences on thrilling and emotional theatrical experiences, this fun and entertaining movie genre is also well known for bloopers - scenes that are unscripted or improvised. While often unintended, the additions of these bloopers in these movies have certainly made the final cuts all the better. In memory of the golden age of superhero movies that spanned the last two decades, here are some of the best movie bloopers from the most popular superhero movies.
And The King Of Clutz Award Goes To…..
If anyone deserves the title of the ‘King of Clutz’ in the MCU, it would undoubtedly be Peter Quill. While he definitely has had his share of clumsiness in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avenger movies, nothing beats the moment when he almost dropped the orb containing an infinity stone while trying to look suave and confident in the first Guardians movie.
Though this might seem perfectly natural for Star Lord to do, it was Chris Pratt’s real-life clumsiness that led to one of the most memorable LOL moments in the MCU universe. James Gunn decided to keep the scene, which went on to become one of the funniest scenes in the MCU.
When Did Prisons Start Providing Salon Stylists?
Now we all know that most girls would rather jump off a cliff than be seen without some makeup, but that still doesn’t explain how Harley had perfectly done hair while sitting in a prison cell in the opening scenes of 2016’s Suicide Squad. It’s hard to imagine that the warden would be nice enough to allow a maximum-security prisoner to visit her personal beautician for coloring her hair.
Fans were quick to notice the discrepancy as well, and it’s quite understandable when they did not buy the director’s explanation of Harley’s hair generating colors due to an accident. Nonetheless, no one is unhappy about it as this scene was the pivotal moment that made Harley Quinn the feminist style icon she would go on to become in Birds of Prey and the upcoming Suicide Squad reboot.
Brother Where Art Thou
Family bonds are a common theme in many superhero movies, but none of them come close to being as hilarious as the sons of Odin, Thor, and Loki. The God of Mischief has often triumphed over his older sibling with his outlandish pranks, but the God of Thunder had his moments as well. The ‘get help’ scene between the two brothers in Thor Ragnarok is one such moment that was completely improvised.
When the director told both actors to wing it in this scene, Chris Hemsworth made sure to make his on-screen sibling cringe and moan for once. The audience loved seeing the simple Thor getting the upper hand over his mischievous younger sibling for once, as it’s become an MCU fan-favorite moment.
The Ultimate Spiritual Dance-Off!
The only character in the MCU who’s an even match for Iron Man in terms of dry wit and sarcasm is Dr. Strange. While his hero’s journey might have been a spiritual one, Dr. Strange is responsible for some of the most hilarious one-liners in the MCU.
In this witty interaction with Wong, Benedict Cumberbatch decided to kick things up a notch by turning his script into a Beyonce reference. The producers loved it so much that it was ultimately included in the final film.
Let’s Put A Smile On That Face
Few scenes are as hauntingly beautiful as the moment Arthur Fleck realizes that no matter how hard he tries, he simply cannot smile, resulting in a single tear dripping down his cheeks. The whole moment was unscripted, which is what happens when a director and the actor synchronize perfectly in their vision.
Director Todd Phillips had full confidence in Joaquin Phoenix’s acting capabilities and allowed him to improvise in a large number of scenes in 2019’s Joker. This led to a significant number of additions in the final cut of the film which helped turn it into the masterpiece it is.
The Simple Joys Of Discovery
Sure, finding a secret door is fun if you’re an adventurer or a kid. But who would’ve thought Tony Stark would let his inner child out after finding a secret door in his moment of need. This is exactly the kind of thing that makes Tony Stark the most endearing and enduring superhero character of all time.
The sardonic “Yay!” by RDJ in this scene where he stumbles upon a secret door was totally unscripted. It was included in the final cut as it showed a side of Tony that he rarely shows to the world. Somebody needs to give this man an award for improvised acting!
Talk About Electrifying Chemistry
It’s very rare to see actors and actresses have great on-screen chemistry these days, much less in a superhero movie. Wonder Woman is an exception to this norm by pairing up Gal Galdot and Chris Pine in the roles of Diana and Steve Rogers as star-crossed lovers, which immediately became a fan favorite in the DCEU.
Director Patty Jenkins was quick to notice the onscreen chemistry between her film’s co-stars and decided to let them loose with a bit of improvised acting. The end result was this amazing scene between Diana and Steve lying down in the moonlight talking about their life. This is definitely one of the most iconic romantic scenes in modern cinema and we’re happy it exists.
Even Geniuses Feel Like Binging At Times
Aside from the memorable villains and action, MCU fans also noticed something unusual about Tony in the titular Iron Man 2 - he was constantly eating junk food in a lot of the scenes. While we initially thought it was part of Tony’s character arc which saw him severely depressed over his impending death, turns out it was RDJ binge eating on set at full swing, even with his Iron Man costume on.
An exasperated John Favreau tried his best to discourage RDJ from hiding food all around the set and ended up using those instances to make Tony’s constant eating a running gag throughout the second movie. While future films didn’t show Iron Man constantly gorging on food, Tony’s love for food became a highlight of his character in the later Avenger movies.
We Shall Use The Old Ways
Thor has shown a profound love for all things human, especially food, during his extensive screen time in the MCU saga. But the God of Thunder wasn’t so accustomed to the human world in his first foray on Earth after being cast out from Asgard. One of the first earthly delights Thor came across was coffee, which he enjoyed so much that he fell back to his Asgardian ways, forgetting he wasn’t home.
This scene of Thor smashing his coffee cup and bellowing for a second serving was an ad-lib from Chris Hemsworth who added the ”Another!” yell after smashing the cup. The decision to keep it in the final cut was a great one as it added much to Thor’s lovable and jubilant personality.
What A Good Little Boy You Are
Even after a decade since the release of The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger’s chilling performance as the Joker still puts us in awe. The iconic scene where the Joker slowly claps congratulating Jim Gordon in his false sense of accomplishment is definitely one of the most electrifying scenes in all of cinema, not just superhero films.
Christopher Nolan recognized the overwhelming effort Heath Ledger put in his character by allowing him to improvise many of Joker’s scenes, most of which made their way into the final cut. Heath Ledger’s swan song performance as the Joker remains an unmatched performance that even Joaquin Phoenix’s phenomenal take on the character (iconic as it is) couldn’t measure up to.
When Gods Try To Follow Mortal Customs
Thor often tries his best in the earlier MCU movies to get used to human culture and ends up looking silly but all the more endearing for it. Thor hanging his hammer on the coat rack was something Hemsworth did whimsically but the director decided to include it in the final cut anyway.
If nothing else, this scene proves that even gods want to hang up their work tools for the day, kick back and relax. Though subtle, this scene adds a lot to Thor’s character.
That’s One Good-Looking Nephew
Despite no one expecting it, Michael B. Jordan ended up improvising one of the most hilarious scenes in the MCU with his debut as Killmonger in Black Panther. The up-and-coming actor was quick on his feet to take advantage of Shuri’s surprise at having such a young nephew by jabbing at her with his witty sarcasm.
The improvisation was a resounding success as apparent from Shuri’s irritated expression in the following scene. Talk about breaking the ice with wit, charm, and humor!
Wait, Who Are You Again?
It’s a shame that while everyone is so concerned with Gamorra, not even the lowest MCU baddies care about 'Star-Lord’ to Peter Quill’s constant irritation which went on to become a running gag. It all started in the opening scenes of Guardians of the Galaxy when Korath acted as the medium for the audience and looked bewildered when Quill expected him to recognize his non-existent fame.
This part wasn’t in the original script, but Pratt insisted that they make a joke out of who Star-Lord is which ultimately made its way in the final script. Another fantastic example of an MCU character benefitting from improvisation. Star-Lord getting upset like a little kid after seeing Korath’s reaction was another unintended but endearing moment resulting from this scene.
The Performance Of A Maestro
You know you’re in presence of a legend when the sheer performance of an actor can drive his co-star’s to tears. Thor and Loki tearing up as their upset father Odin banishes Thor from Asgard were purely unscripted and the result of Anthony Hopkin’s phenomenal acting.
This is what happens when everyone working on a film ends up working in perfect tandem with each other. Despite being ad-lib, the cinematography of the scene was so well done that it’s impossible to tell that wasn’t part of the original script in the final cut.
I’m Iron Man, Deal With It
The one key characteristic that makes the live-action version of Tony Stark stand out from his comic-book counterpart is his sheer overconfidence, which is mesmerizing. The final scene in 2008’s Iron Man was a pivotal moment not only for superhero movies but for comics as well where Tony Stark openly declares in a press conference that he is, in fact, Iron Man.
This scene defied superhero conventions by making the identity of one of the most prolific superheroes of Marvel comics an open secret. It was RDJ himself who suggested this scene and we’re all glad John Favreau went along with it, because this is undoubtedly the most iconic line among all superhero movies, marking the beginning of a far-reaching legacy.
When Batman Loses His S**t
While Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice might not be the most well-received DCEU movie, it undoubtedly has its moments. One of the most surprising moments was the one where Batman had his first “Oh s**t!” moment on the silver screen, which was a significant moment for the character given how stoic and poised he is most of the time.
Ben Affleck’s Batman in the Snyderverse is a grizzled veteran crime fighter, but even he loses his cool when he realizes the magnitude of threat Doomsday posed to his personal safety as Lex Luthor’s bioengineered monstrosity started to approach him. This improvised scene was discussed by Snyder and Affleck before being included in the final script as they found it funny.
Everyone Loves Gamorra, But Drax Has Bigger Concerns
One of the few characters we wish had more screen time in the MCU is the crowd favorite Drax, who provided a surprising level of comic relief in Marvel movies. Despite being primarily known as an action star before taking on the iconic role of Drax, Dave Bautista has since demonstrated his hidden talent for deadpan comedy.
In one of the most meme-worthy scenes in the Avengers, Drax’s mind goes haywire when he loses track of the conversation between a very hostile Peter Quill and a bewildered Iron Man, blurting out the now-famous “Why is Gamorra” line. This was an original improvisation by Bautista, and the screenwriters loved it so much that they requested the scene to be kept in the final cut.
A Man Falling Apart From Within
One of the most amazing achievements of Todd Philips’s 2019 super hit The Joker is the film’s realistic portrayal of Arthur Fleck’s descent into madness. We couldn’t help but be enthralled by Joaquin Phoenix’s mesmerizing performance as Fleck becomes increasingly unstable and violent when alone.
One of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the movie is Arthur destroying his refrigerator in a rage then curling up inside it like a vulnerable little child. Like many of the scenes in the film, this scene was also the result of the amazing improvisational acting of Joaquin Phoenix, for which he rightfully won the Oscar last year.
Too Many Comedians, Too Little Screen Time
When you’ve got a superhero movie set full of comedians, you better expect there were some improvisational shenanigans involved during filming. Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool is no exception to this rule and has a lot of hilarious banter between the main characters that were improvised.
The scene where Wade Wilson’s best friend Weasel (played by T.J Miller) sees his face after Wilson’s mutation could easily have been a somber moment in the film. But T.J Miller refused to let that happen and let out an over-the-top analogy to which Ryan Reynolds replies with a flabbergasted “Thank You.” With friends like these, who needs enemies?
When Joker Decides To Become Philosophical
While Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film isn’t as iconic as that of his successors, Nicholson nevertheless adds some gravitas to the character with one of the most chilling lines delivered on the silver screen by the Clown Prince of Crime.
The scene where Nicholson asks Bruce Wayne if he ever danced with the devil has been debated by fans and critics over the years as the line can be interpreted in many ways. Thanks to Jack Nicholson’s eclectic improvisation, his version of the Joker demonstrates a certain level of maturity that the other portrayals of the character don’t usually demonstrate.
Praise Before Carnage, The Calm Before The Storm
The one thing that has made Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy so memorable are the superb and well-written villains that cast a shadow over the titular hero himself. When Bane was introduced to the audience, few expected the character to reach the same heights as Heath Ledger’s Joker or Liam Neeson’s Ra’s Al Ghul.
One of the most chilling lines Bane delivers in the film is during his speech in the stadium which he begins with “What a lovely, lovely voice”. Despite being a gentle statement, Bane’s ominous distorted voice permeates a sense of dread that silences the entire stadium effortlessly without even making a threat. The scene was improvised by Tom Hardy, which impressed Nolan so much he included it in the final cut.
Brother Where Art Thou II
When you have a lovable but simpleton older brother like Thor, it’s understandable why a mischievous younger sibling like Loki would never get tired of playing pranks on him. But sometimes those pranks left deep scars, as evident by Thor’s childish complaints to a visibly confused Valkyrie about how his younger sibling’s prank scarred him for life.
While it might seem like a scripted scene, Tessa Tompson’s confusion was genuine as this entire childhood anecdote from Thor was an ad-lib. Tom Hiddlestone’s bemused smirk (which was also ad lib) at Valkyrie’s confusion only adds to the scene comedic value and lovable sibling dynamic between the sons of Odin.
You Listen To Me Boy
When Nick Fury ain’t happy, nobody’s happy. So you better make sure Nick Fury is happy. Spiderman learned this lesson in a hilarious way when he tried to worm his way out of the next SHIELD mission as Nick Fury attempts to recruit him for it in Spiderman: Far From Home.
When Peter innocently tries to use the excuse that he’s "just a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man", Nick Fury loses his cool and shuts down the young Avenger with his famous ‘b***h please’ attitude. Samuel L Jackson forgot his line for the scene and decided to wing it for the take. But the directors and producers loved it so much they replaced the original scene with the improvised one.
When You’re A Superhero But Still Love Batman
Shazam was a refreshing breath of fresh air in the DCEU lineup after a slew of dark and gritty superhero films. The lighthearted tone and the superb comedy of the film won Zachary Levi, who plays the titular character, international fame. Levi showed off his comedy chops in this film by improvising a lot.
The childish nature of Shazam was played perfectly by Levi in the scene where he fights Dr. Sivana by letting his inner child out. It was hilarious to see a muscle-bound god with the personality of a child throwing plushies of his favorite superhero at the villain expecting to do damage. Zachary Levi knew it as well, which is why he ad-libbed this scene with full gusto. Kudos to the director for including this hilarious scene in the final cut of the movie.
When Too Much Curiosity Leads to Unexpected Scars
A young Nick Fury probably didn’t fully understand the meaning of the phrase ‘curiosity killed the cat’ until he took a look at a Skrull’s genitals in Captain Marvel. The hilarious expression Samuel L Jackson makes after taking a peek told us this is something the badass future leader of SHIELD won’t be forgetting in a hurry.
Jackson’s co-star Ben Mendelson looks a bit confused at first but decided to play along with it which made the scene even funnier.
When The Camera Keeps Rolling
Despite being a box office disappointment, DCUs Birds of Prey was actually a pretty good film. The best parts of the film weren’t the plot or the action, but the camaraderie between the heroines which really showed the bond between the characters.
Funnily enough, one of the most prominent scenes that show these badass female characters chilling and relaxing was entirely unscripted. The scene where the girls kick back and watch TV while eating cereal was a behind-the-scenes moment that David Ayer decided to include in the final cut as it showed the heartfelt bonding between the two characters.
Three Simple Words, One Badass Delivery
One of the most iconic moment’s in X-Men First Class was the scene where Charles Xavier and Magneto try to recruit a visibly irritated Wolverine. Logan wasn’t very pleased with their presence and let out his irritation bluntly with three simple words- “Go f***k yourself.” The budding young mutants didn’t press much and took off immediately.
Wolverine’s reaction to Magneto trying to introduce himself was completely unscripted. Jackman felt that it would be true to his character and decided to go with it. The result was one of the funniest moments in the X-Men films.
When Your Friend Is In A Bad Mood
Ask any MCU fan to name their top five favorite funny moments in the MCU saga and they’re sure to mention the ‘friend from work’ moment from Thor: Ragnarok. Breaking the tradition of actor improvised scenes on this list, this particular scene was the suggestion from a Make-A-Wish kid who happened to be on set at the time.
The director and the cast loved the idea and decided to give it a shot, resulting in one of the funniest scenes in the Thunder God’s career as an angry Hulk proceeded to throw him around the arena.
East Or West, Redheads Are the Best
Jason Momoa has unmatched charisma and vibe making him not only one of the coolest actors in Hollywood, but also one of the coolest superheroes as well. Aside from delivering his smoldering looks and well-chiseled body to the audience, Momoa is also known for his delivery of cool one-liners in his portrayal as Aquaman in his own solo movie as well as Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Aquaman’s love interest Meera is quite a handful, and when she jumps off a plane without wearing a parachute, Momoa decided to improvise and deliver one of the coolest one-liners in the movie before following the script and jumping off after Meera without wearing a parachute himself.
When You Get Too Comfortable With Binge Eating
Iron Man 2 wasn’t the only movie during which RDJ’s binge eating habits made their way to the set; with Favreau finally out of his hair, he even started offering to share his food with co-stars on the set of The Avengers. In the iconic scene in the 2012 movie where suddenly Tony decides to switch the conversation from saving the world to offering blueberries to Rogers and Banner, both his co-stars look super-confused.
Even Cap forgot to be angry for a second as he and Banner try to figure out why the conversation turned to food all of a sudden. Joss Whedon decided to follow Favreau’s example and include this improvised scene in the final cut of the movie.
A Symbol Of Refined Taste
Thor has been never been prone to jealousy in most of the MCU saga, which makes the one time he had beard envy over Captain America’s stylish new beard in Age Of Ultron that much funnier. Despite fighting a frantic battle to save the world from Vision, the God of Thunder still manages to make time in trying to establish his dominance in the beard department.
The scene was a brilliant improvisation by Hemsworth, which was complemented by the equally brilliant response of Chris Evans.
When Superhero Movies Get Families Right
When the first Ant-Man trailer came out, no one was sure how it was going to turn. But thanks to Paul Rudd’s stellar performance, the movie immediately won the hearts of MCU fans across the globe. Like many of his Avengers co-stars, Rudd also added a lot to what made the movie special with his improvised acting skills.
In one of the flashbacks into Ant-man’s past, we see him and his wife in a domestic dispute which plays a key role in defining Ant-Man’s relationship with his wife and daughter. Both Judy Greer and Paul Rudd worked together to deliver a serious scene which is a stark difference from the usual comedic improvisations in the MCU movies.
When The Villain Goes Full Bonkers
One of the few saving graces of 2020’s Birds of Prey movie was its villain Black Mask played by the charismatic Ewan McGreggor. Apparently, McGregor didn’t think that the script captured the essence of his character properly, so he decided to throw in a couple of improvised lines in many of the scenes to add to the villain’s maniacal personality.
Cathy Yen made the right choice by letting one of the most talented acting talents in Hollywood work his magic in the film, which sadly, couldn’t save the movie’s unfortunate box office performance. Nevertheless, McGregor’s improvisational performance as Black Skull remains unmatched in the DCEU for the time being.
When Superheroes Get Hungry, Changing Isn’t A Priority
One of the most beloved scenes of camaraderie in the MCU is probably the one where the entire team decides to drop in at a shwarma joint without even bothering to change after saving the world. The scene wasn’t originally planned in the movie but was shot and included later on after Tony Stark declares he’ll only fight next time if the others joined him for shwarma, which was one of RDJ’s many improvisations in the MCU films.
The Russo brother’s decided that they wanted to follow up with this improvised line and ended up shooting the iconic scene where we can see the Avengers gorging down on the delicious shwarmas in unison.
When Spiderman Breaks The Fourth Wall
Superhero movies existed long before the MCU started, and one of the most successful superhero movie trilogies of all time that paved the way for the MCU is Sam Raimi’s Spiderman trilogy. A lot of scenes in these movies were originally improvised by Toby Maguire and made it to the final cut after Raimi decided to keep them.
One of the funniest moments in the first movie that ended up being pure comedy gold was Peter Parker trying different hand poses try to shoot webs from his hands. Maguire decided to add his own touch and throw shade at DC by trying to emulate the poses of Shazam and Captain Marvel during the scene. This fourth-wall breaking scene ended up being one of the earliest examples of modern superhero movie bloopers.
How Badly Do You Want To Get Punched?
Every time Ryan Reynolds opens his mouth in Deadpool, we all start counting the seconds until he gets physically or verbally punched by someone. In this hilarious scene in the first Deadpool movie where Gina Carano’s character Angel punches Ryan Reynolds’s face while he’s tied up, she was really angry and slugged him for real.
Reynolds decided that the script wasn’t 'real' enough and started taunting Gina Carano with different names before finally getting the reaction he wanted out of her after calling her a "less-angry Rosie O'Donnell." The director and cast loved Reynolds’s dedication to the role so much that the scene ended up in the final cut shown in theatres.
When Improvised Acting Becomes A Cinematic Milestone
When you have an epic multi-movie saga like the MCU’s Avengers, you would expect that the final scene of the saga would be a well-crafted but scripted scene. But that’s not actually the case- the final scene in Avenger’s Endgame in which Tony dies in Pepper’s arms was completely unscripted, which is why the impact on the audience was so gut-wrenching.
The Russo brothers wanted raw emotion in the scene, and to accommodate for it, Gwyneth Paltrow, RDJ, Tom Holland, and Don Cheadle were only given a vague outline of what the scene should look like and were left to their own devices to act it out. The result was a resounding success and a rare achievement in cinema history.
My Eyes Are Up Here!
Few women can resist the temptation of touching a body chiseled like an ancient Greek sculpture, and Haylee Atwell (who plays Peggy Carter, Steve Roger’s love interest) is definitely not one of them. The scene where she touched Chris Evans's pecs after his supersoldier serum transformation is definitely one of the few moments in MCU films meant for adults.
To be fair, most women in the theatres were probably a little green with envy at Peggy Carter getting to touch a hunk like Chris Evans on-screen. As far we can tell, no one’s complaining, especially the ladies.