10 Movie Moments We Waited Years For (That Lived Up To Expectations)

2. Thanos Does It Himself - Avengers: Infinity War

He might not have been played by the same actor and his motives might have been a little less obviously set, but Thanos obviously originally appeared way back in 2012 in the first stinger for The Avengers. That brief moment mapped out exactly where the MCU was headed - even with some diversions thrown in along the way - and who was coming.

It actually took Marvel longer to set exactly where they were headed - in terms of the specifics - but we could bank on the fact that Thanos would stop hiding behind the plans of minions and subordinates eventually and come and do it himself. He even said it himself at the end of Avengers: Age Of Ultron.

After so long, he could have crumpled under the weight of hype, but instead Thanos blossomed, making an instant mark by killing both Heimdall and Loki after decimating Xandar off-screen. He arrived as a fully-formed bad-ass, whose instant mythology was added to by the complexity of his ideas on morality and his tragic backstory. Putting aside all of what came next, those first scenes where he bats Hulk away, incapacitates Thor as if he's not an actual superman God and kills off two supremely powerful characters really delivered.