1. Hail H.Y.D.R.A. - Captain America: The Winter Soldier
One of the most common complaints against the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that it doesn't do enough to shake things up. The lazy trick of emotionally killing a character before having them reappear an hour later has been played so much that when someone is finally bumped off for real no one will actually believe it. Captain America: The Winter Soldier boasts one of the worsts examples of that, but it does succeed in completely shaking up the (Earth-bound elements of) the MCU. Halfway through the Winter Soldier, with Cap and Black Widow on the run, it's discovered that S.H.I.E.L.D. has in fact been under the control of extreme Nazis (probably the most evil phrase ever) H.Y.D.R.A. literally the entire time. On top of secretly worming their way into the highest echelons of power, they killed off key characters (it's heavily implied they orchestrated Howard Stark's death) and plan to wipe out the Avengers along with millions of potential threats. Remarkable because it comes out of nowhere to completely change the course of the film, it raises the stakes in a way we hadn't seen done convincingly since The Avengers. The implications of the twist are wide-reaching, completely rewriting the rulebook for TV's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and shifting the balance of power for Age Of Ultron. Infinity Stones aside, expect this to have the most far reaching impact on the MCU. Which moments from 2014 summer films shocked you the most? Did any of our picks underwhelm you? Go down to the comments and join the discussion.
