Marvel Studios Reveals First-Ever MCU Villain Montage Scene In Upcoming Movie

The MCU will give fans its first-ever villain montage scene in one of the franchise's next theatrical releases. While montages have come into play a few times in the MCU's past, it is a filmmaking technique that has not come up regularly in Marvel Studios' 17 years of filmmaking history. Looking at how the studio is hoping to get back on track after a few years of underperforming critically and financially, a few changes are coming in this new era.

Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps is confirmed to bring the MCU's first-ever villain montage scene. As confirmed by CinePop, who watched the first 30 minutes of footage, the movie is said to feature a montage of the titular team going up against classic villains from the comics and recreating iconic moments seen on the pages.

While Galactus and the Silver Surfer are confirmed to be this movie's main villains, other antagonists like Mole Man and Giganto are expected to be featured, which could come in the aforementioned montage. As of writing, it is unclear when in the film's runtime this will take place (outside of it being within the first 30 minutes).

The MCU has had its fair share of montages in its movies, including Captain America's pursuit of the Red Skull through Europe (Captain America: The First Avenger) and Deadpool's search for a new Wolverine that went through comic-accurate Variants (Deadpool & Wolverine). The Deadpool one also included a horde of Easter eggs, which is expected to be the case for the montage in The Fantastic Four as well.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will kick off the MCU's Phase 6 slate behind Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon-Moss Bachrach as the titular four heroes. Together, in an alternate universe, they will work to take down Galactus and the Silver Surfer, who threaten the very existence of their world and everything they love. The Fantastic Four: First Steps will debut in theaters on Friday, July 25.

Other Villainous "Montages" in the MCU

Vulture, Tinkerer & Shocker(s) - Spider-Man: Homecoming

While 2017's  Spider-Man: Homecoming did not have a full-blown villain montage, there were a few scenes featuring some epic action shots for the film's core group of villains. Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes/the Vulture led the way, and his crew included Michael Chernus' Tinkerer and two different Shockers (played by Logan Marshall-Green and Bokeem Woodbine). 

Largely, these scenes featured the team of villains prepping their gear and enhancing their tech for their next heist or upcoming duel with Tom Holland's titular web-slinger. However, the only montage Holland got was one in which he stopped New York's usual round of petty crime after getting out of school.

Kree Starforce - Captain Marvel

Along with Lee Pace's Ronan the Accuser, 2019's Captain Marvel featured a handful of villains from the Kree army, led by Jude Law's Yon-Rogg. Unfortunately, their villainous intentions were not revealed until the tail end of the film's third act, not leaving much time for Carol Danvers to get her own montage of fighting antagonists.

The closest this movie came to that moment was in the final battle in Mar-Vell's lab, when Carol removes her inhibitor chip and takes on Yon-Rogg and her ex-Kree teammates single-handedly. Although this was a fun fight scene, full of montage-esque moments, it does not fit the same criteria as The Fantastic Four's rumored scene.

Thanos & The Black Order - Avengers: Endgame

2019's Avengers: Endgame delivered the most epic final battle, arguably, in the history of comic book movies, pitting the Mad Titan Thanos against nearly every major hero in the MCU's history to that point. Complete with smaller moments (including Spider-Man's "Instant Kill" scene and the team-up between nearly a dozen female heroes), this film's final act delivered almost everything fans could ask for.

One thing missing, however, was a villain montage. The closest thing to this specific idea coming in Endgame was through a few moments with Thanos and the Black Order, as they were seen wreaking havoc on the Avengers and company during the fight for the completed Infinity Gauntlet. This was much more focused on the villains, though, rather than fans seeing Endgame's horde of heroes go through their own round of fights with various antagonists.

The Sinister Five - Spider-Man: No Way Home

2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home held nothing back on the villain front, bringing back five legacy antagonists from past Spider-Man films to go up against Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire's web-slingers. While this was a monumental moment in MCU history, it still lacked the classic "montage" moment that fans will see soon.

Here, the film's closest attempt at a montage came in the climactic final battle, which jumped back and forth between the three Spideys taking on Electro, Sandman, and the Lizard at the Statue of Liberty. This still does not quite qualify as a montage, as it all took place at the same time and in the same place

Deadpool Corps - Deadpool & Wolverine

Another film pitting its heroes against a huge group of antagonists was 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman's leading X-Men antiheroes. Upon getting back to their universe from The Void, they were met by the Deadpool Corps, which included Variants like Ladypool, Headpool, Kidpool, Cowboypool, Welshpool, and even Babypool.

This group gave the movie its closest thing to a montage moment, although it was largely displayed as a one-shot, in which Wade Wilson and Logan slashed their way through the Deadpool Variants in the middle of the street. While fans saw a fun series of shots earlier in the movie featuring Deadpool's search for a new Anchor Being, even Wade himself would not designate this as a full villain montage.