2014 was quite a big year for Marvel, possibly even moreso than any other year. Join us as we count down our favorite 2014 Marvel moments!
From on-screen surprises and twists to incredibly exciting upcoming movie announcements to new directions in trade comics, Marvel has made quite a splash this year. They’ve made their ever-expanding universe even more interesting and exciting, giving us some pretty amazing moments this year and truly solidifying their position as one of the best in the entertainment business today.
Below are our top 10 favorite Marvel moments from this past year. These are in no way the only Marvel moments that we loved, but they are the ones that excited, surprised, and pleased us the most.
Note: This list covers everything that happened this year, so if you’re not up to date on your Marvel moments, (including the season finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) be warned that you may find spoilers.
#10: Thor is a woman!
This was, quite possibly, the coolest Marvel moment of the year. We remember being so surprised and taken off-guard by this announcement just because it was something we didn’t even have on our radar. We remember when the news first broke how we were all unsure how, if at all, this would affect the Marvel Cinematic Universe and joked about Chris Hemsworth’s hair being pretty enough for him to pull it off. But most of all, we were excited. Gender-bending like this is only something we’ve seen on Tumblr, so to have it be canon is really intriguing. It’s just a really awesome concept and we can’t wait to see where it goes.
(One of the best parts about this new development, though, is how Chris Hemsworth has reacted to it. Not only is he all for it, but he’s made some self-deprecating jokes during interviews that make him even more charming in our eyes.)
#9: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ was actually FANTASTIC
Not that we’d ever actually doubt Marvel, but we were slightly unsure going into Guardians of the Galaxy. Sure, the trailers looked fun and hilarious (and we couldn’t get “Hooked on a Feeling” out of our heads for months). But Guardians was such an obscure property and it featured a gun-toting raccoon. And a talking tree. We didn’t know how it would fit into the Marvel cinematic universe that we knew and loved, and we certainly didn’t know if or how the S.H.I.E.L.D. meltdown would affect things.
But we never expected to love the movie as much as we do. Not in a million years. We also never expected the whole world to love it as well, non-Marvel fanatics included! It was one of the biggest movies of the year and Rocket and Groot are so popular now. Guardians‘ success was definitely a notable Marvel moment in 2014.
#8: The reveal that Grant Ward was a traitor all along
We should have seen this coming. After a re-watch, it’s easy to see that there were a ton of subtle hints and clues sprinkled throughout the season that hinted towards Ward’s dark side. But the way in which his allegiance was revealed was expertly done. Most of the time, we’re not ones to verbalize our feelings to our TVs, but the episode where he was outed made us gasp and yell at the screen. Multiple times.
Like the HYDRA reveal was significant to the entire universe, Ward’s HYDRA ties have greatly impacted the microcosm of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. And people used to say that Ward’s character was boring and unnecessary. Woo, boy. He definitely made the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1 finale an interesting and emotional one.
#7: Marvel’s Phase 3 reveal
We knew that Marvel’s special event in October would be special and exciting, but we had no idea to what degree. This one event made us so excited that we could barely breathe. Where to begin? First there was the announcement that Infinity War is not only coming in Phase 3, but it’s going to be two movies. Two! We’re always down for more Avengers!
However, the most exciting part of the event had to have been the announcement of the Captain Marvel and Black Panther movies that they’ve slated for Phase 3. We’ve been hoping for these characters (especially Captain Marvel) to get their own movies and now it’s finally happening! While we would’ve loved to have seen a movie starring Black Widow on the Phase 3 slate, we’re more than jazzed about all of these movies. Bring on Phase 3!
#6: The ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ trailer premieres
Avengers: Age of Ultron is, undoubtedly, one of the biggest events happening in 2015, so of course the release of its highly-anticipated trailer is one of our favorite Marvel moments of the year! While a select few incredibly lucky Marvel fans got to see the trailer in the presence of the Avengers themselves, the rest of us had to suffer for months until the trailer’s wide release.
But, we have to say: It was definitely worth the wait. It looks INCREDIBLE. Our favorite part has to be the creepy, slowed-down version of “I’ve Got No Strings.” Seriously though, we get chills every time we hear Ultron say “I’ve got no strings on me…” (which is frequent because we pretty much have the trailer on replay).
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