Best Improvised Moments In The MCU

Marvel Studios is well known for thoughtfully planning every movie and television series well in advance. Many have credited the success of their cinematic universe to studio boss Kevin Feige's strong grasp of film, as well as his hard work preparing and working out every contingency. But from the beginning of the MCU, some of its best moments, most dramatic scenes and funniest lines were entirely unscripted, added on the day by talented actors ad-libbing on set.

Giving your cast the freedom to improvise their lines or come up with their own takes on key scenes can be risky business, but for Marvel, it's almost become part of their winning formula, and the results speak for themselves. Whether it's an actor using their comedic chops to toss in an unplanned joke or going off-script to deliver a game-changing scene, we've scoured the field of cast interviews and director commentaries and found the best MCU moments that weren't in the script.

Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers for "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

In what might just be the most crowd-pleasing moment in the MCU thus far — perhaps topping even the famous "portals" scene in "Avengers: Endgame," where Earth's heroes return from the snap to fight Thanos — two former Spider-Men joined Tom Holland in "Spider-Man: No Way Home." Coming to the aid of the young MCU Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's versions of the wallcrawler helped him not just do battle with villains from their universes, but cure them of their afflictions and save them from extinction in the process.

During one climactic moment when the three heroes are struggling to work as a team, they gather for a pause in a network of scaffolding to readjust their strategy. Once settled, Andrew Garfield's Peter stops them before exclaiming "I love you guys!" It's a strong moment of levity in the midst of a serious battle, and according to the actor himself, it was unscripted, and a true expression of how he felt taking part in the film. In an interview with "Variety," the actor talked about how he bonded on set with Maguire and Holland. The actor spoke of how it really was a brotherhood of people who had shared unique but similar life experiences playing Peter Parker, and how that came out in an off-the-cuff moment. "There's a line I improvised in the movie," Garfield said, "Looking at [Maguire and Holland] and I tell them I love them. That was just me loving them."

The third — and best reviewed — movie in the first trilogy of "Thor" films from Marvel, "Thor: Ragnarok" embraced comedy thanks to director Taika Waititi. The actor-director's expertise on such offbeat films as "What We Do In The Shadows" and "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" encouraged his performers to mix it up on set. Not one, but two moments from the film land on this list, and the first is a moment where Thor and Loki put aside their differences to take down the Grandmaster and leave the battle world of Sakaar. 

After escaping captivity, the brothers head out to steal one of the Grandmaster's many starships and find a way off the planet when they suddenly realize they need a plan of attack. About to come face to face with a group of angry armed guards, Thor suggests they "do Get Help," a clear nod to something they'd done in their youth as friendly brothers. Loki insists he won't do it, but when they enter the hangar bay, Thor is seen cradling Loki's limp form and screaming "Get help!" as a distraction. Waititi explained that, rather than it being a hysterical prepared gag for the two actors, it was Chris Hemsworth who improvised the bit. "That was his idea," said the New Zealand director in an interview with Empire. "There's a lot in things in the film which have come straight from his input. I'm very lucky to have someone around who's very invested in the emotionality of the scenes, but wants to have fun."

The epic two-part team-up "Avengers: Infinity War" and its sequel "Avengers: Endgame," which united all corners of the MCU, surely must have been intricately planned out well in advance by studio boss Kevin Feige, writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus, and directors Anthony and Joe Russo. There was also deep coordination with the writers and directors of other MCU films. But that doesn't mean that every detail was mapped out and there was no room for improvisation. 

At the close of "Infinity War," when Thanos snaps his fingers and eliminates half the life in the universe from existence, Tony Stark and Peter Parker are still on Titan recovering from their butt-whooping at the tyrant's big purple hand. In a scene echoing the last moments of David Tennant's 10th Doctor on "Doctor Who," Tom Holland's Peter Parker begins to disintegrate and grabs Stark in a desperate hug, tearfully crying, "I don't want to go." According to an interview with GQ, the scene was entirely crafted in the moment. "It is improvised, because basically we did a long improvise, and it wasn't great, but it sparked a great idea," Holland said. "And then we reworked the scene, and then this was born."

Recruited to join the Avengers on a mission to stop Captain America's rogue team of heroes in "Captain America: Civil War," Tony Stark gives Peter Parker a new advanced superhero suit and becomes a mentor of sorts to the young crimefighter. Moving over to his first solo movie, "Spider-Man: Homecoming," Stark plays a small role watching over Parker's early adventures as the webbed wallcrawler, and in their first scene together, tells him he still has a long way to go before he's crowned an official member of the Avengers. As Parker is about to exit the vehicle, Tony leans over and Peter gives him a brief hug goodbye. It's an awkward moment for Stark, who didn't intend on an embrace and who clearly doesn't feel close enough yet to Peter for such affection. 

According to Tom Holland, the moment was not part of the script, and came about as both actors riffed off each other during filming. In an interview with Fox 5, Holland spoke about how the pair used their gut to play the scene in question. "I think I just tried to hug him," said Holland. "I just thought it would be funny if I hugged him, and Robert's instincts are so good that he was like, 'Ah, I'm not trying to hug you, I'm just gonna get the door.'" It's a good laugh, but it was also the start of an ongoing friendship. The odd moment is even harkened back to years later in "Avengers: Endgame," when Tony embraces Peter on the battlefield upon seeing him return after five long years.

"Black Panther" was a trailblazing superhero film for many reasons, not the least of which was its billion-dollar box office. Beyond its critical and financial success however, the film became a cultural touchstone, capturing the hearts and minds of fans across races, genders and backgrounds. "Wakanda Forever" became a social war cry for an entire generation, and T'Challa's cross-armed salute became a popular greeting. But one fan-favorite line from the movie that also made it into "Avengers: Infinity War" almost wasn't part of the latter film, according to Mashable.

In the film's climax, the armies of Wakanda gather on a hillside, their troops lining up in formation. Their leader T'Challa, played by the iconic Chadwick Boseman, stands ready to lead them into battle. Before ordering their charge, however, the tribe leaders cry out as loud as they can, "Yibambe!" and their soldiers repeat the war cry. Loosely translated to "hold fast" in the South African dialect of isiXhosa, it was added while filming the scene. According to Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of "Avengers: Infinity War," they didn't even know it was in "Black Panther" until late in the process, and hurriedly added it into their own follow-up film.

The way it's been told by those involved, many of the best moments in "Thor: Ragnarok" were improvised. One — and perhaps the best — such moment comes when Thor is forced to do battle in a gladiatorial arena on the distant alien world of Sakaar, at the behest of the villainous Grandmaster. Preparing for a fight with an infamous brute who is said to be an undefeated and brutal opponent, Thor snaps his helmet down and watches the door of the arena swing open. As his foe comes barreling into view we discover it's none other than the Hulk — an unexpected sight for Thor, who last saw Bruce Banner on Earth. Seeing his old Avengers teammate, Thor looks up to the spectator's box where the Grandmaster sits, raises his weapon and exclaims jubilantly, "We know each other! He's a friend from work!" 

It's a great line and a perfect moment to hilariously snap the audience out of the drama. It's also improvised — but not by Hemsworth, or in fact anyone involved with the production. According to Hemsworth, the line came courtesy of a Make-A-Wish recipient who suggested it while visiting the "Ragnarok" set. "We had a young kid, a Make-A-Wish kid on set that day." said Hemsworth. "He goes, 'You know, you should say, 'He's a friend from work!'" Well, Hemsworth is clearly never one to let a good idea go unused, and the film was all the better for it.