Top 10 Marvel Moments in 2014

This year has been a good one for Marvel. We saw four movies, Agents of SHIELD, and plenty of announcements. These are the top ten moments of the whole year. WARNING: SPOILERS for, well… everything.

10. Ward Goes Rogue

Agents of SHIELD took a wonderful turn around the time of Cap 2. It quickly became a great show, but the true menace of the show so far has been Ward. My readers will know I’m a sucker for Ward. He went from a flat gun-man love interest to a cold, honest villain. He outlived the Clairvoyant and became his own brand of menace that exists to this day.

9. Spiderman in Flux

The only reason this is not higher on this list is because, technically, nothing has happened yet. We have heard from leaked sources inside Sony that Spider-Man may return to the MCU, abandoning the Spider-Verse already in motion. This could mean Spider-Man appearing as soon as Captain America 3, if negotiations go correctly.

For more on that: The initial announcement and the theories

8. Inhumans join the MCU

When we first heard about the Inhumans, my big concern was how to introduce them into the rest of the Universe without it coming in from left field. The answer came from Agents of SHIELD. When the Obelisk opened to reveal a terrigen crystal, I just about died. It was a brilliant and, frankly early, way to introduce the Inhumans into the MCU. Well done. The Universe will not be the same.

For more: What happened on SHIELD

7. Dealpool Movie Announced

Ever since Wolverine Origins, we were praying for a better version of Deadpool. This year, we finally know that we will get it. Next Valentine’s Day will hold the treasured Deadpool movie, complete with Ryan Reynolds. Booyah.

For more: The Announcement and The Rating Debate

6. The Defenders

Marvel announced this year that, in coordination with Netflix, they are producing 4 mini-series for Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones, ultimately moving towards The Defenders. All of this takes place in Hell’s Kitchen. We will see Daredevil first, this coming May. I may be more excited for this than anything else on the list, but I am trying to stay objective.

For more: Basically everything on that

5. Gwen Kicks the Bucket

Say what you will about the Spider-Man series, they had the guts to go out and kill the most beloved character in the series. Gwen Stacy was killed by the Green Goblin, basically by Spider-Man’s hand. The movie was the lowest grossing Spider-Man movie of all time, but the moment was almost exactly from the comics.

For more: The Discussion

4. Phase 3 Announced

Ant-Man. Captain America: Civil War. Doctor Strange. Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Thor: Ragnarok. Black Panther. Captain Marvel. The Inhumans. And Infinity Wars. All of this, announced in one day. Dude. Talk about one of the most shaping moments of the MCU. Of course, I have written articles on each of the movies, linked above.

For the announcement itself, check here.

3. The Guardians Kick Butt

I was one of many Marvel fans who heard the announcement of the Guardians years ago and went, “Really?” I never would have guessed that Guardians would be the third highest grossing Marvel movie of all time. The soundtrack, the casting, and the general fun of the movie made it a killer success, making Marvel one step closer to world domination.

2. X-men Changes History

Possibly the most impressive fixing of terrible canon in history, X-men: Days of Future Past changed their own history. They erased the terrible movies of X-men Origins: Wolverine and X3, and still made a great movie while they were at it. Also, they did the sentinels well, which is something long overdue.

1. SHIELD Dissolves

The most fundamental change to the MCU to this day. Sure, Age of Ultron may have more effect, but for the first time, the protection of SHIELD is withdrawn from the MCU. We won’t know the full impact of that until May, but Captain America: Winter Soldier was one of the greatest additions to the MCU. Talk about a bold move.

---

We never could have known any of these things a year ago. We had hints, but almost all of these were surprises to us as viewers. That leads me to wonder what this upcoming year will hold for us. For now, only time will tell.