Few movie genres offer up more opportunities for badass storytelling than comic book films. From feats of strength to moments of self-sacrifice, every comic book movie has at least one legitimately "badass" scene, and 2017 was a year defined by comic book movies that showed off those qualities that we value in our heroes.
These are the moments that we have our cross-hairs leveled at today. With that in mind, we're going to dive in and discuss the most badass superhero moments to grace the silver screen in 2017. Now, let's get started with the awesome opening scene to one of 2017's funniest and most family-friendly comic book movies.
The LEGO Batman Movie - Batman vs. The Rogues
Who would've ever thought that the best Batman scene in a year defined by superhero movies would be a scene from The LEGO Batman Movie? Alas, the opening sequence to Chris McKay's comedic Dark Knight film turned out to be one of the best introductions to a silver screen Caped Crusader that we have ever seen. The sequence follows Bats as he battles his way through all of his most iconic enemies (and some less-well-known rogues) to stop a bomb from destroying Gotham City. The scene is heavy on laughs, but it's also legitimately one of the most well-handled and utterly badass Batman movie introductions of all time. Using gadgets, brains, and brawn (he has a 9-pack, remember?), LEGO Batman proves that he's an instant icon in the realm of DC movies.
Power Rangers - The Morph
There's a strong case to be made that Dean Israelite's Power Rangers reboot was one of the more disappointing movies of 2017, but that doesn't necessarily change the fact that the film still delivers some genuinely badass sequences. Chief among these cool scenes is the moment in which the teenagers with attitude finally learn to come together and morph into their respective Rangers after the resurrection of Billy Cranston. The scene represents the culmination of an entire movie's worth of growing pains, hard lessons, and burgeoning friendship, and it delivers an endlessly cool money shot as the newly-formed team walks out in full armor to face off against Rita Repula and her army of Putties. Morphin' time may have taken a while in this 2017 reboot of a classic 1990s property, but it was so worth the wait when it finally happened.
Spider-Man: Homecoming - The Car Scene
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has dealt with a villain issue for years, but that changed in a significant way with the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming and the introduction of Adrian Toomes as one of the most relatable and intimidating baddies that we've seen in the franchise. This comes to a head towards the film's third act break when Peter Parker and Toomes finally face each other (fully-aware of each other's secret identities) in Toomes' car on the way to homecoming. It's little more than a simple dialogue scene, but Michael Keaton absolutely owns it as a blue-collar father who will stop at nothing to maintain the life that he has built for himself and his family -- even if that means killing a teenage, spider-powered superhero.
Thor: Ragnarok - Skurge's Sacrifice
Skurge may have made the decision to side with Hela upon her arrival in Asgard during the events of Thor: Ragnarok, but it had nothing to do with him being a legitimately villainous character. Quite the contrary. Skurge was merely a selfish opportunist who needed to re-learn the values of sacrifice and heroism in the face of certain death. Luckily for the people of Asgard, he learned that lesson just in time to leap into action and leave the safety of the refugee ship to help Loki, Hulk, Valkyrie, and Thor face off against Hela's army with his two assault rifles, Des and Troy. Although he did not make it out of Ragnarok alive, Skurge proved himself as a true badass and a hero that Asgard needed in its final days.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Rocket vs. The Ravagers
The Guardians of the Galaxy work best when they work as a team, but that doesn't change the fact that most of them can hold their own in a fight without backup. In that regard, arguably no member of the titular team epitomizes that idea more than Rocket -- who gets one of the coolest scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 when he takes on an entire army of Ravagers in a forest while protecting the Milano. Although Yondu eventually gets the best of Rocket with his arrow, Rocket takes down dozens of enemies using stealth, brains, brawn, and raw firepower when the situation calls for it, and he proves that he's one trash panda that you don't want to trifle with.
Justice League - The Sewer Fight
Every member of the Justice League ensemble gets at least one moment to act like a true badass, but that approach is never more prominent in Zack Snyder's team-up movie than the scene in which the team takes the fight to Steppenwolf in the sewers below Gotham Harbor. With the exception of Superman (who is still very dead), every hero gets a spotlight in which they can shine as a member of this newly-formed team, and everyone shows off why he or she is useful -- ranging from Batman's skill with his gadgets to Wonder Woman's fighting prowess to Barry Allen's superspeed. The final fight in Russia similarly capitalizes on these ideas, but the first battle as a cohesive unit is easily Justice League's most badass moment.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 - Yondu Kills The Ravagers
Arguably no single character experienced a more thorough arc in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 than Yondu. Michael Rooker imbued the character with a sense of empathy and pathos not seen in the first installment in the franchise, and he even got a chance to capitalize on some of the fascinating seeds that were planted back in 2014. As a result, we got one of the most badass scenes in 2017 (and in the history of the entire MCU) when Yondu used his Yaka Arrow to team up with Rocket and Baby Groot and retake control of his Ravager ship. The scene in which he uses the arrow to kill scores of his former comrade's borders on low-key genocide because of the insane body count that he racks up, but it also shows how formidable Yondu could be.
Logan - The First Fight
Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is one of the oldest silver screen superheroes, which means his final outing needed to make a statement when it finally debuted in theaters earlier this year. Luckily, that is exactly what Logan did. The film tells you that you are not in Kansas anymore within the first minute, as we watch Wolverine (despite his advanced age and deteriorating health) thoroughly dissect and generally rip apart a group of attackers looking to steal his limousine. What follows is a delightfully badass sequence that excels not just because of its excellent fight choreography and brutal kills, but also because it instantly tells audiences the type of movie that it wants to be. Logan is a serious and tough film, and the very first scene shows you that immediately.
Spider-Man: Homecoming - Peter Tries To Save The Boat
Sure, Spider-Man may be responsible for the near-destruction of a ferry off the coast of Manhattan in Spider-Man: Homecoming, but that doesn't change the fact that he very clearly does everything in his power to try and save every living soul on-board. Going all in on the Christ imagery as Peter uses his webbing and super strength to hold onto both sides of the boat for dear life, the sequence makes it abundantly clear that that Peter would never let go of those webs. He would hold onto that boat with every muscle fiber in his body until the act killed him. Thankfully that didn't happen because Iron Man showed up, but that's the type of hero that Spider-Man has always been, and this boat sequence captures it in stunning detail.
Thor: Ragnarok - The Gladiator Fight
From the moment the first trailer for Thor: Ragnarok dropped online, most Marvel fans were looking forward to seeing Hulk and Thor face off in a gladiator arena. The loose adaptation of Planet Hulk was one of the most talked-about aspects of the film, and part of that was the jaw-dropping action sequence in which two of Earth's mightiest heroes beat the living crap out of each other. Serving as a payoff for a rivalry started in 2012's The Avengers, Thor: Ragnarok embraced full-blown science-fiction comedy in ways that we have never seen from Thor movies before, and the result was a gladiator fight that may very well go down as one of the defining moments of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now we will just have to wait and see if Round 3 will ever happen.
Wonder Woman - Steve Trevor's Sacrifice
Sure, Diana Prince gets top billing as Wonder Woman's titular hero, but Steve Trevor is no slouch. In fact, he gets one of the film's most badass moments (and by extension, one of the most badass moments of the entire year) he sacrifices himself to prevent Doctor Poison's chemical compound from being used. Flying off into the night with the knowledge that he's going to die, Trevor laughs as he aims his gun at the chemical bombs, and the moment in which he tells Diana that he loves her is one of the most beautifully-handled comic book movie sequences in recent memory. He may have had no superhuman powers or abilities, but Steve Trevor was able to save the day so that Wonder Woman could go on to save the world time and time again over the course of the next century.
Spider-Man: Homecoming - Peter Lifts The Rubble
Peter Parker isn't like most other superheroes that we see in a given year. He's a child, and he has many of the fears and insecurities that define adolescence. Those shine through in Spider-Man: Homecoming when he finds himself trapped under a mountain of rubble after a fight with the Vulture, but we see him overcome those weaknesses when he digs deep to pull himself out. The result? We get a scene that's not quite a traditional action sequence, but something even better. Spider-Man: Homecoming offers up one of the most inspirational scenes ever witnessed in a Marvel movie, and it's going to be very difficult for Jon Watts, Tom Holland, and Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 to top this badass feat of strength when it finally debuts in 2019. Just remember, "Come on, Spider-Man!"
Wonder Woman - No Man's Land
Wonder Woman is full of iconic sequences, but nothing quite as badass as when Diana Prince ditches her disguise and crosses No Man's Land to liberate the town of Veld. Heavy on passion without resorting to melodrama, the sequence works as well as it does not just because of its thematic relevance and symbolic statement about gender in a state of war. It also works because it's merely one of the most well-handled action sequences in recent memory. The way Diana fights through the hail of machine gun fire is fantastic, and the way she inspires Steve Trevor and his team to get in on the action is near-perfect. More than any other DC sequence seen in 2017, the No Man's Land scene from Wonder Woman indeed is what we will talk about ten years from now.
Logan - Berserker Wolverine
Finally, we come to the most undeniably badass superhero moment of the entire year: Wolverine's berserker rage in the forest outside of Eden in Logan. Realizing that he will need to take all of his insanity-inducing medicine to catch up with the young mutants and lend a hand (and claw), Wolverine injects himself with a full syringe and goes full berserker as he sprints through the forest and takes down every soldier in his path in one of the coolest tracking shots that we have ever seen in a comic book movie. It's not just that the berserker scene embraced the hard-R atmosphere that made Logan such a good film in the first place; this scene also worked as well as it did because it was the culmination of 17 years of PG-13 X-Men movie fight scenes. We will miss you, Wolverine.
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