Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top moments from superhero films that were not in the script.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00 I am Iron Man.
00:01 Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top moments from superhero
00:08 films that were not in the script.
00:14 Number 20.
00:15 Testing the Flying Web - Spider-Man With great power comes a lot of growing pains.
00:21 Soon after getting his spider abilities in this version of Spider-Man, Peter Parker goes
00:25 up onto a rooftop and tries to get his webbing to come out of his wrist on command.
00:32 He has a lot of trial and error to get through before he's successful.
00:36 And during his experimentation, he uses a variety of hand gestures and shouts several
00:41 catchphrases, some of which reference DC Comics properties.
00:50 A lot of this sequence is unscripted, with actor Tobey Maguire swinging with his own
00:54 lines.
00:55 Thankfully, they land a lot better than Peter himself does.
01:00 Number 19.
01:01 Nicknames - X-Men The first theatrical film in this franchise
01:05 enjoyed poking fun at some of its comic book conventions.
01:13 Along with the team's costumes, this includes their famous superhero names.
01:18 When Professor Charles Xavier introduced Logan aka Wolverine to Storm and Cyclops, he scoffs
01:24 and makes a joke about what the Professor's own nickname could be.
01:34 The line was improvised by Hugh Jackman.
01:37 And while "Wheels" can sound a bit ableist, calling a guy with a visual impairment "Cyclops"
01:42 isn't a great look either.
01:44 But Scott Summers seemed fine with it.
01:46 Number 18.
01:47 Godzilla Joke - The Amazing Spider-Man
01:53 Whether it's malicious, alliteratively named newspaper editors or the police, Spider-Man
01:58 has a hard time getting people to believe him.
02:01 Granted, Peter Parker's claims that a scientist has turned into a lizard man and is rampaging
02:06 through the city are a little incredible.
02:13 When told this, NYPD Captain George Stacy responds by asking Peter if he looks like
02:18 the mayor of Tokyo.
02:20 In "Fame" giant monster Godzilla's frequent attacks on the city, the line was
02:24 improvised by actor Dennis Leary and helped lighten up an otherwise grounded and serious
02:29 take on Spidey's origin story.
02:36 Number 17.
02:37 Colonel Stars and Stripes - Kick-Ass 2
02:39 Anytime Jim Carrey stars in anything, there's bound to be some improvisation.
02:44 The comedic actor appears in Kick-Ass 2 as Colonel Stars and Stripes, a patriotic vigilante.
02:50 He leads his team of fledging wannabe superheroes in busting up a sex trafficking ring.
02:55 During this scene, several of his lines were ad-libbed by Carrey himself.
02:59 The first of these is his surprisingly wholesome message to the team.
03:08 The second occurs after the colonel has his pooch Eisenhower attack one of the criminals.
03:13 His description of the goon situation is both obvious and hilarious.
03:21 Number 16.
03:22 Oh, S**t!
03:23 Batman Vs.
03:24 Superman - Dawn of Justice
03:29 Upon realizing that the demonic creature unleashed by Lex Luthor is Kryptonian, Batman decides
03:34 to lure Doomsday back to the port, where the kryptonite spirit he planned to use on Superman
03:38 still resides.
03:40 Despite his piloting skills, the Dark Knight is unable to evade Doomsday and his personal
03:45 aircraft for long, eventually getting shot down by energy beams the monster fires.
03:55 With Doomsday bearing down on him, and nowhere left to run, Batman mutters "Oh, S**t!"
04:02 which Ben Affleck improvised.
04:04 The reaction is a very relatable one and shows that for all his wealth and power, Batman
04:09 is still only human.
04:11 Number 15.
04:12 Spider-Man's Last Words - Avengers Infinity War
04:17 In the now famous or infamous conclusion of this massive production, Thanos snaps his
04:23 Infinity Gauntlet-tipped fingers and turns half of the main characters to dust.
04:27 For many, it happens instantly.
04:29 But when young Peter Parker dies, it's an absolute gut punch.
04:33 His heartbreaking final moments have him clinging to Tony Stark, distraught that he doesn't
04:38 want to go.
04:46 His emotional final moments brought many fans to tears.
04:49 And it's especially impressive considering that actor Tom Holland improvised the whole
04:53 thing according to director Joe Russo.
04:56 Thanos may have killed him, but Holland killed this scene.
05:00 Number 14.
05:01 How Lovely - The Dark Knight Rises
05:04 Tom Hardy is iconic as the imposing, masked madman Bane in Christopher Nolan's third
05:09 Batman film.
05:11 The beefy fanatic's plans for Gotham City are explosive.
05:15 During one of his biggest moves, Bane attacks a football stadium during a crowded game.
05:20 However, before he collapses the entire field, the villain pauses to listen to a young boy
05:25 sing the national anthem.
05:29 Bane's seemingly genuine compliment of the kid's voice was an improvisation by Hardy
05:34 according to the film's producer.
05:36 He may be an extremist, but at least Bane can appreciate a good performance when he
05:40 hears one.
05:47 Number 13.
05:48 Liar - Avengers Endgame
05:50 Robert Downey Jr. frequently injected his own personal touches into Tony Stark.
05:54 And it shows, as there seems to be considerable overlap between actor and character.
06:00 While this is often in comedic scenes, one of the most impactful examples is from his
06:04 dramatic scene.
06:06 After Tony's return from space and losing to Thanos, an embittered, broken Iron Man
06:10 rails against Captain America, despite barely being able to stand.
06:18 He throws many of Cap's words back at him.
06:21 According to the director Anthony Russo, Downey improvised Tony's quietly calling Steve
06:26 a liar.
06:27 It's a subtle, yet powerful choice that really speaks to Tony's deeper issues.
06:37 Number 12.
06:38 Hey Auntie - Black Panther
06:40 Erik Killmonger is among the most memorable Marvel villains, and a lot of credit should
06:45 be given to Michael B. Jordan's charismatic performance.
06:48 When Killmonger swaggers into the Wakandan throne room, he commands attention.
06:53 He delivers an impassioned speech about Wakanda using its advanced technology to help Africans
06:58 and those of their descent the world over.
07:07 He then drops a bombshell reveal that he's cousin to the king and wants the throne.
07:12 Killmonger's iconic, cheeky follow-up line to the Queen Mother was, at least according
07:17 to this interview with Angela Bassett, entirely Jordan's idea.
07:21 And it's a phenomenal line too.
07:25 Number 11.
07:26 A Dance with the Devil - Batman
07:28 From Marvel to yet another Batman movie, and this time it's the villain doing the improvising
07:33 again.
07:35 Arriving at Vicky Vale's apartment, the Joker and some thugs hold Bruce Wayne and Vicky
07:39 at gunpoint, leading to a confrontation between Wayne and the Clown Prince of Crime.
07:47 The Joker shoots the billionaire and tells Vicky sarcastically that he's sad on the
07:52 inside, doing a little dance as he leaves before blowing a raspberry.
08:00 Jack Nicholson made up the dance on the spot, which adds even more of the character's
08:05 manic glee to the scene.
08:12 Number 10.
08:13 Drax Axe Y - Avengers Infinity War
08:16 This alien member of the Guardians of the Galaxy ranks as one of the funniest characters
08:20 in the MCU, and one of his best lines was devised by actor Dave Bautista himself.
08:27 During the tense yet hilarious first meeting between the Guardians and the Avengers, the
08:31 former are looking for Gamora after she's been kidnapped by Thanos.
08:36 The only problem is, Tony has no idea what they're talking about.
08:40 Drax, on the other hand, decides to go for a more esoteric and hysterical question.
08:45 But who will ask how or what is Gamora?
08:52 Number 9.
08:53 Beyonce - Doctor Strange
08:57 While studying at Commertage, Stephen Strange meets the librarian Wong, whose single name
09:02 causes the Doctor to relate him to several famous people with mononyms, like Adele and
09:07 Aristotle.
09:15 In a later scene, he asks for advanced books that Wong says he isn't ready for.
09:20 Benedict Cumberbatch ad-libbed the line "Try me, Beyonce," going on to express his disbelief
09:26 that Wong hasn't heard of her.
09:37 This ad-lib clearly influenced additional parts of the film, too, as a later scene shows
09:42 Wong listening to the Beyonce song "Single Ladies" while Doctor Strange steals books
09:46 from behind him.
09:54 Number 8.
09:55 Bunch of Jackasses - Guardians of the Galaxy
10:01 You might think that a computer-generated character like Rocket Raccoon would not be
10:05 conducive to improv, but you'd be wrong.
10:09 Before the final battle, Peter Quill tries to convince his friends to take a stand and
10:13 fight Ronin, and when each affirms their desire to stand with him, they stand up.
10:18 Rocket is the last to do so, and is just as cranky about it as every other decision, saying
10:23 "Now I'm standing.
10:24 Y'all happy?
10:25 We're all standing up now.
10:28 Bunch of jackasses standing in a circle."
10:31 Rocket's on-set stand-in, director James Gunn's brother Sean, made up the line during
10:36 filming, which led to its inclusion in the final product.
10:40 Number 7.
10:42 Nobody Would Know - Avengers Age of Ultron
10:46 The antagonistic relationship between Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, and Pietro Maximoff,
10:51 or Quicksilver, is a fun through-line in Age of Ultron.
10:54 Quicksilver gets the better of Hawkeye several times due to his speed, though Hawkeye gets
10:59 some digs into by stopping the cocky speedster from running.
11:04 Even after joining forces against Ultron, the pair still manage to take shots at each
11:08 other, as Quicksilver picks up his sister and runs off at one point, telling Hawkeye
11:13 "Be careful, old man."
11:16 Actor Jeremy Renner improvises Hawkeye's grumbling response.
11:20 "Nobody.
11:21 The last I saw him in Ultron was sitting on him.
11:25 Yeah, he'll be missed, that quick little bastard.
11:28 I miss him already."
11:29 Number 6.
11:30 Touching the Pecs - Captain America The First Avenger
11:34 The transformation of Steve Rogers into a super soldier causes him to grow stronger,
11:39 faster, and develop tremendous muscles.
11:47 Agent Peggy Carter takes a physical interest in the latter aspect, going so far as to touch
11:51 his torso very briefly, which actress Hayley Atwell improvised.
11:55 It's a small character moment, but it goes a long way towards illustrating how miraculous
12:01 Rogers' transformation is, as well as showing that Agent Carter is more down to earth than
12:05 her professional demeanor would suggest.
12:08 And it's funny to boot.
12:11 Number 5.
12:12 The Joker's Clap - The Dark Knight Heath Ledger as the Joker in this film is
12:16 one of the most celebrated comic book villain performances ever.
12:19 Although a lot of his little mannerisms and tics were developed by Ledger himself, one
12:24 notable improvisation occurs during a scene where the Joker says nothing at all.
12:30 After the clown-faced criminal is arrested by Jim Gordon, the mayor congratulates the
12:34 police officer and announces promotion to commissioner.
12:37 Amid all the clapping, everyone turns to look at the Joker, who joins in with the rest of
12:43 them.
12:44 The guy makes even applause seem creepy.
12:52 Number 4.
12:53 He's a Friend from Work - Thor Ragnarok
12:58 Arguably the most memorable scene in the third Thor film seems the titular god of thunder
13:03 facing off against the Hulk in an arena.
13:05 However, far from being worried, Thor is happy to see his fellow Avenger, calling him a friend
13:11 from work and surprising the crowd.
13:16 The line was improvised, though not by actor Chris Hemsworth.
13:20 Rather, it was suggested to him by a child who was visiting the set as part of the Make
13:24 a Wish Foundation.
13:26 Reports say that as much as 80% of the dialogue in the film was improvised, but this line
13:30 stands out for its origin, delivery, and iconic place in the film and trailer.
13:39 Number 3.
13:40 Shwarma - The Avengers Robert Downey Jr. is no stranger to improv,
13:45 as most of his dialogue in the first Iron Man was ad-lib.
13:50 There is no doubt that this moment was the result of this skill.
13:54 After his near-death experience saving the city from a nuclear missile he sends through
13:57 a wormhole, Stark remembers that there's a nearby shwarma restaurant that he wants
14:02 to try.
14:03 A line that Robert Downey Jr. threw in after discussing some possible alternate takes with
14:07 director Joss Whedon.
14:13 This led to the infamous after-credits scene where the Avengers eat at a restaurant in
14:17 silence.
14:18 Number 2.
14:19 Weasel Insults Deadpool - Deadpool Becoming a superhero isn't always easy or
14:27 pain-free, and Wade Wilson definitely gets the short end of the ugly stick when he's
14:32 given healing abilities that also leave him disfigured.
14:35 Upon revealing his face to his friend Weasel, the bartender proceeds to come up with a variety
14:40 of colorful, creative ways to tell him how unpleasant he looks.
14:53 All of these imaginative invectives were invented by T.J. Miller and Ryan Reynolds themselves,
14:58 with even more of their insults appearing in deleted scenes, outtakes, and trailers.
15:06 Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
15:11 about our latest videos.
15:12 You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
15:16 If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
15:22 Number 1.
15:23 I Am Iron Man - Iron Man Since most of the script wasn't finished
15:27 before shooting, the actors had no choice but to improv a lot throughout this movie.
15:32 However, the ending tops all the others.
15:35 During his press conference, Tony Stark is instructed to deny that he's Iron Man.
15:42 He's told to give credit to a supposed bodyguard in his suit instead.
15:46 However, Robert Downey Jr. decided to improvise a change of plan.
15:50 In the scene, Tony instead reveals his identity.
15:58 Not only is the line one of the character's most famous now, but it also marked a shift
16:03 in how superhero secret identities were portrayed on screen and set the stage for more departures
16:08 from the source material in the MCU.
16:20 Is there an off-the-cup superhero scene you can't believe we forgot?
16:24 Remind us down, down, down in the comments below.
16:38 Thanks for watching.