15 Best Performances In MCU Movies (So Far)

The Marvel Cinematic universe is known above all else for its spectacle. Groundbreaking special effects, movies of epic scope routinely busting box office records, the sheer scale of the project itself. For the past decade, the MCU has been pushing the marquee blockbuster movie to bigger and bigger places.

Fans will know that there’s a lot more to these films than just the flashy stuff, though. With a wide cast, most of whom pop up in one another’s movies, the MCU has proved a paradise for actors. Far from the underwritten costumed characters of old, there’s a great deal of depth to most of Marvel’s finest.

The MCU has brought us a boatload of memorable characters and performances, from one offs to series regulars, flashy, exciting villains to stoic heroes whose personalities have unfurled over a decade of careful building.

Yes, a lot of the box office success comes from the sheer thrill and pomp of these films, but it’s the beloved characters which keep us coming back year after year - and much of this is down to the fantastic actors who portray them.

With a less substantial comic book basis to go off, Haley Atwell is given the chance to make Peggy Carter her own, and the directions in which the MCU have taken the agent show that she has done a superb job.

First appearing in the initial Captain America movie, Atwell quickly depicts Carter as an example of appearances being deceiving. While decked out like a World War 2 era pin up, Carter is a formidable fighter, and Atwell portrays her with steel as well as zest. She’s stylish in everything she does, whether that’s taking down enemies or developing a relationship with Steve Rogers.

Her chemistry with Chris Evans is another major plus for the character, and the winding timelines of the later MCU films mean we get to see them at various points of history. Atwell measures the ever expanding backstory of her character brilliantly in order to tweak her performance.

The Agent Carter spin off show, sadly, was not long for this world, but it gave a superb platform for Atwell to play the character as the main event, rather than a sideshow. Hopefully she’ll get the opportunity to do so again.