10 Best Action Scenes From The Marvel Cinematic Universe

While the third-act exchange between the Avengers and Ultron's robotic army is the biggest and most spectacular of the sequel's multitude of set-pieces, it remains a little too similar to the first movie's climax as Earth's Mightiest Heroes face off against a vast number of expendable enemies in a decimated city. The opening assault on Baron Von Stucker's Sokovian outpost both reintroduces the team and gives them plenty of ass to kick in the process.

Whereas the first Avengers suffered from a first act that bordered on the tedious, Joss Whedon launches us headfirst into the action this time around, as the superhero ensemble look to recover Loki's scepter from Hydra. The sequence begins with a familiar tracking shot that follows our heroes on the battlefield, and the shot finishes on a crowd-pleasing note thanks to the slow-motion group shot that featured so prominently in the marketing.

While it may sound familiar, the snowbound setting sets the sequence apart visually from the usual city-bound shenanigans, with the continuous shot showing the improved teamwork of The Avengers. In amongst Whedon's humorous dialogue and character beats, each Avenger gets their moment to shine, with Hawkeye in particular providing more useful in the opening few minutes than he did in pretty much the entire first movie.