Films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have always been ones that everyone in the family can enjoy, but that doesn’t mean the studio hasn’t included some genuinely scary moments. Though the early MCU wasn’t entirely light hearted, the stakes of the universe got much more serious as the Infinity Saga progressed. Thanks to Thanos’ devastating and lasting effects on the franchise, the studio has since embraced its heroes’ darker stories. It’s a trend that has been seen in the more recent MCU films, and it looks to be one that will continue into the MCU’s future phases.

It would be a stretch for the MCU to ever produce a straight-up horror film, but there are definitely plenty of moments in the MCU’s extensive film catalog that teeter on the line of terrifying. Some moments utilize classic horror film elements like jumpscares, while other moments are scary because of the psychological implications. It is always refreshing to have a variety of tones within the MCU, and sprinkling these genuinely scary moments into the universe keeps Marvel fans on the edge of their seats.

10 The Snap Gets Rid Of Half The Universe

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

The Snap is a pivotal event in the MCU and the turning point for many heroes’ stories. It was the event that Marvel Studios spent a decade building up to, and there isn’t one character in the franchise that wasn’t affected by it. The whole five years of the Blip can be seen as horrific in itself. As seen in the beginning of Avengers: Endgame, cities were in a terrible state because of the sudden disappearance of half the population. Despite the terrors of a post-apocalyptic setting, nothing can be scarier than the actual moment half the universe dusts away.

Thor landing a shot on Thanos gave audiences a bit of false hope, but that only made the following Avengers: Infinity War sequence that much more terrifying. With an eerie silence as a backdrop, the Avengers watched helplessly as their fellow heroes literally dusted into the air. What makes the sequence so genuinely scary is that no character was safe from the Snap, nor did anyone have any idea of which of their allies would suddenly disappear from their grasp. The wave of uncertainty that washed over the universe, plus the looming doom of the future, made this moment unforgettable.

9 Zombie Strange Emerges

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)

When Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was first in development, there were many reports that the film would lean into a creepier tone. Though Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson allegedly left the sequel because the studio wouldn’t let him do the horror-like film he wanted to, the sequel’s eventual director, Sam Raimi, definitely still included plenty of horror film elements. Multiverse of Madness is generally regarded as the scariest film of the MCU so far, appropriately capturing the mind-bending nature of the multiverse.

One of the most outright scary moments in Doctor Strange 2 is when Stephen Strange dream walks in the film’s final act. Previously finding out that one of his multiversal counterparts was killed, the MCU’s Doctor Strange used the Darkhold to dream walk using the corpse. The scene plays out like any classic zombie movie, with his decayed corpse rising from the dead and a multitude of evil spirits surrounding him. Zombie Strange is genuinely scary to look at, and it was unsettling for audiences to see one of their heroes in such a state.

8 Gorr Captures The Thors And Valkyrie In The Shadow Realm

Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)

Thor: Love & Thunder came with its criticism, but Gorr the God Butcher is undoubtedly one of the Thor franchise’s most powerful villains despite only having one MCU appearance. His name alone is menacing enough, and his arsenal of abilities backs up his actions. One of his abilities includes being able to teleport to the Shadow Realm, which is where he traps Thor, Jane, and Valkyrie as they arrive to rescue the Asgardian children.

Appropriate to the location’s name, the film showed the Shadow Realm in entirely black and white. With even the main trio shown in black and white, it radiated a creepy tone which is what made the MCU’s Werewolf by Night so effective. The lack of colors in the sequence accentuated the shadows on the planet, making the scene where Gorr captures the Thors and Valkyrie so much more scary as no one knew what Gorr was going to pull out from the shadows.

7 Ultron Crashes The Avengers’ Party

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

Avengers: Age Of Ultron featured one of the MCU’s earliest moments of genuine terror. The artificial intelligence Ultron was originally created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner as a security precaution, but their creation quickly got out of hand. Ultron escapes from his lab and makes a surprise appearance at a party the Avengers are having, quickly causing chaos and destruction.

The concept of an invention becoming sentient is scary enough, and it is even more terrifying when it’s programmed to eradicate humanity, and there is seemingly no way to stop it. What made this scene especially creepy was Ultron’s chilling speech as he entered the room, the Avengers frozen in place with baffled expressions on their faces. Perhaps what makes the voice that actor James Spader does for Ultron so menacing is how calm Ultron remains while discussing such terrifying threats.

6 Scarlet Witch Kills The Illuminati

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)

As Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness leaned into many classic horror movie elements, it’s no surprise that the film generated multiple of the MCU’s genuinely scariest moments. WandaVision already had plenty of eerie and scary moments, and the version of Wanda Maximoff portrayed in Doctor Strange 2 carried on the sinister energy. The Illuminati’s appearance in the film was highly anticipated, and the fact that they’re portrayed as a strong group is what made the Illuminati’s quick demise so much more terrifying.

Confronted by Mr. Fantastic, Captain Peggy Carter, Black Bolt, and Captain Maria Rambeau, a dream-walking Wanda is able to tear through the group pretty efficiently. The deaths showed off plenty of body horror, from the shredding of Reed Richards to Peggy getting cleanly sliced in half by her own shield. Though there isn’t much blood, it is undoubtedly one of the MCU’s goriest scenes. The finishing blow is when an almost zombified-looking Wanda snaps Professor X’s neck in a jumpscare moment, certainly leaving many Marvel fans in shock at what they just saw.

5 Black Widow’s Childhood Is Revealed

Black Widow (2021)

The long-awaited Black Widow solo film actually features some of the MCU’s most light-hearted moments. The natural family dynamic that comes across when Natasha Romanoff is with her parental figures Melina and Alexei and sister Yelena provides plenty of comedy as well as some more emotional, touching moments. However, although it is overlooked, the film actually opens with one of the MCU’s most terrifying sequences.

Black Widow’s opening credits feature a montage of a young Natasha getting recruited to the Red Room along with Yelena and plenty of other young girls. It’s one of the darkest things the MCU has done, with the scream of children being ripped from their homes serving as a reminder of just how tragic Black Widow’s origins are. Especially with the sequence using real footage from real-world events, the most psychologically terrifying aspect of all is how many parallels the opening credits draw to real life.

4 Peter Parker Sees Zombie Iron Man

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

The character of Spider-Man lends itself naturally to light-hearted, comedic moments. His MCU sequel film Spider-Man: Far From Home is definitely filled with those, but the film is also a turning point in Peter Parker’s emotional arc. Tony Stark was a mentor to Peter in the MCU and Far From Home deals with Peter’s grief while he also tries to fight off one of Tony’s enemies, Quentin Beck. Mysterio is one of the MCU’s more interesting villains, as his powers come solely from the illusions he projects with his drones, making the possibilities of what one can see endless.

When Mysterio attempts to capture Spider-Man, he sends Peter into a dimension of some of his greatest fears. A well-timed jumpscare is always a genuinely scary moment, but it is especially terrifying when it is the zombified corpse of a loved one. Peter is confronted with a zombie Iron Man and though any corpse suddenly popping out of the ground is indeed scary, it is especially hard to see a zombified Iron Man so soon after Tony’s death.

3 Wanda Escapes Doctor Strange’s Mirror Dimension

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)

Some might say that Wanda’s descent into villainy in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is scary enough in itself, but the film utilizes plenty of horror aspects to get the point across. A memorable moment is the bloodied Wanda jumpscare during the chase in the sewers later in the film, but one of the film’s most genuinely terrifying Scarlet Witch moments comes during the Siege of Kamar-Taj.

Scarlet Witch shows off her arsenal of abilities against the Masters of the Mystic Arts, controlling the minds of several. However, the biggest scare comes after Doctor Strange traps Wanda in a mirror dimension. A curious America Chavez looks at her reflection in a puddle only to be scared with Wanda looking back at her, who then crawls through a nearby mirror to escape. Complete with bone-crunching sound effects to get the point across, it’s genuinely scary to see how Wanda’s body contorts and then pieces itself back together.

2 Loki’s Death At The Hands Of Thanos

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War sets the dark tone of the film in just its opening scene. Picking up from the cliffhanger of Thor: Ragnarok, Thanos successfully invaded the ship of fleeing Asgardians and killed off most of them. An eerie battleground of corpses is not something anyone wants to see, especially when a familiar face like Heimdall is among them. In a desperate attempt to stop Thanos, Loki tries to smooth talk his way onto the Mad Titan’s good side, secretly wielding a blade behind his back. Unfortunately for Loki, Thanos picked up on his trick pretty quickly.

Infinity War is far from the first time that Loki has died in the MCU, but this death was especially gruesome as Thor could only watch helplessly as his brother had the life choked out of him by Thanos. Something about such a major character’s death in the film’s opening moments showed that the Infinity Saga was not messing around, and it made Loki’s death feel a lot more final than his previous ones. Though he has since returned to the MCU in typical Loki fashion, the version of Loki that died in Infinity War is indeed long gone. Such a quick and shocking moment to open the film establishes Thanos’ power and definitely puts the audience on edge.

1 The Avengers See Their Greatest Fears

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

In another scary moment that comes in a film’s opening sequence, it’s fitting that a scary moment in Avengers: Age of Ultron comes courtesy of Wanda. As the Avengers raid a HYDRA facility, Wanda uses her mind-control powers on Tony to show him his greatest fear. Tony sees the corpses of his friends, inferring a scenario where he is unable to save those closest to him. An eerie and dark sequence, it is genuinely terrifying to see the MCU’s reliable heroes lay lifelessly on the ground.

The MCU features a variety of genres in its catalog of films, and the franchise seems to be embracing its darker side in recent years. From classic jumpscares to more psychologically terrifying situations, there are plenty of genuinely scary moments in the MCU for audiences who crave more intensity. With how the Multiverse Saga is playing out so far, it definitely seems like the Marvel Cinematic Universe will continue the trend of unsettling moments in phases to come.