Marvelisn’t afraid to get dark with their movies and TV shows, as proven by these incredible tense and unsettling scenes. While theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)was built on a generally family-friendly model, Marvel as a whole has tapped into the dark side when the story calls for it.
Whether that means creating a horror-styleDoctor Strangemovie with Sam Raimidirecting, or the pre-MCU movies like Blade simply leaning into a more mature audience. Either way, Marvel has featured some intensely unsettling scenes throughout the decades.
10Jigsaw’s The Punisher Season 1 Ending Aftermath
The Punisher (2017-2019)
The Punisher is one of the most intense Marvel superheroes both in comics and in his appearances on screen. And Jon Bernthal’s performance as a grieving and enraged Frank Castle is undeniably spectacular, but the show did more than just dance around Frank’s brand of vigilante justice.
Frank mercilessly annihilates his targets, and this can be seen in several fight scenes. However, one of the most unsettling moments of the series comes in the aftermath of his season 1 confrontation with Billy Russo.
The Punisher
Cast
The Punisher stars Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher, who first appeared on Netflix’sDaredevil. Frank is a United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper veteran who is highly skilled in martial arts, stealth tactics, guerrilla warfare, and knows how to use a variety of weapons. The death of his wife and two children led him to take matters into his own hands, and he has been killing criminals indiscriminately ever since. Despite being beloved by fans,The Punisherwas canceled in early 2019. Thankfully for fans of Bernthal’s character, it was announced in 2023 that he would be joining the MCU by appearing inDaredevil: Born Again, starring Charlie Cox.
Formerly a dear friend, and now a rival. The fight between the two is immersive and gritty, butseeing Billy’s whole face in bandages at the end of the season was something else. It’s jarring, and it sets the stage for season 2 to bring the character back as Jigsaw.
9Daredevil Discovers The Hand’s Victims
Daredevil (2015-2018)
Daredevilexists in the same universe asThe Punisher, withCharlie Cox leading the Netflix Marvel superheroes. And in keeping with the more grounded and gritty tone, Daredevil does not hold back when it comes to telling challenging and dark stories.
Daredevil
Daredevil is a Netflix original series starring Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock. The TV show ran for three seasons before being canceled by Netflix, despite being critically praised. Kingpin was the main antagonist in seasons 1 and 3 and also introduced Jon Benrthal’s Punisher in season 2. Daredevil was followed by Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again.
Take, for instance,the reveal in season 2 that The Hand was kidnapping childrenin order to drain them of their blood. They referred to the place where these kids were kept as the Farm, and it’s one of the most horrifying reveals for any show, not just by Marvel standards.
8The High Evolutionary’s Face Falls Off
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
James Gunn is a director who is best known for his superhero movies. But Gunn is also a big horror guy, with several credits to his name in that genre. And when Gunn approached his third and final film for the MCU,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he decided to incorporate a little horror.
The plot is incredibly emotional, and the villain, as played by Chukwudi Iwuji, is absolutely spectacular. However,the way The High Evolutionary’s face is clipped on is haunting. And when he gets into a final conflict with the Guardians team, being mercilessly beaten, his face begins to come loose.
Gamora then decides to peel the face away entirely, leaving the now-faceless High Evolutionary lying on the ground, seething in pain and anger. It’s genuinely something straight out of a horror film.
7Black Bolt Has His Mouth Sealed
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness(2022)
Wanda Maximoff had a wild journey through the MCU. Initially recruited by Ultron to help take down the Avengers, but then joining with the heroes against Ultron. She went on to be an asset to the team, before it was clear her powers also presented risks. However, Wanda’s path led to her losing her beloved Vision, and a pair of children she was able to conjure thanks to her incredible powers, which sent her spiraling to become a villain inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
While the emboldened Scarlet Witch, enhanced by the power of the Darkhold, was able to cause havoc, one of the most terrifying scenes in the film comes when she confronts the Illuminati. And more specifically, the way she manages tokill the incredibly powerful Black Bolt, sealing his mouth, andcausing him to implode his own skull.
6The Blood Bath In Blade Is Overwhelming
Blade (1998)
Bladedelivered a new kind of superhero story when it came out in 1998.The movie was the first ever R-Rated superhero film, and as such, it had to set the tone for what this label could mean for the superhero genre.
With that, it did lean heavily into the adult themes, with sex, blood, and violence galore. And one of the scenes that really captured that in a fascinating way was the blood bath scene.As vampires dance and get close, they revel in blood raining down on them, covering their bodies, as the crowd laps it up and indulges. It’s haunting and jarring, and one of the most memorable scenes in any Marvel movie.
5Doc Ock Is Possessed By His Metal Tentacles
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Sam Raimi rose to popularity as a filmmaker because of his incredible horror films likeEvil Dead. However, Raimi is a huge superhero fan, and he set his sights on directing superhero stories. And in the 2000s, Raimi got his wish when he was handed over the control of a newSpider-Mantrilogy that Sony wanted to create. While all the films contain parts of Raimi’s signature style, Spider-Man 2 is perhaps the clearest example of his horror roots.
WithAlfred Molina playing the role of Doc Ock, there is one intense scene after his wife dies, whereOtto is communicating with his metal tentacles. And in this scene, the tentacles take control, becoming incredibly violent, and establishing their own agendas.
4Logan’s Nightmare
The Wolverine (2013)
The FoxX-Menmovies also got in on the action with a range of intense and unsettling scenes. However, one of the most memorable has to be found inThe Wolverine. With Logan running away from his past, there is one thing that haunts him nightly: his dreams.
The Wolverine
The Wolverine: This film follows Logan, portrayed by Hugh Jackman, as he undertakes a transformative journey in Japan. Confronted by his most formidable adversaries, Wolverine is pushed to his physical, emotional, and mortal limits while navigating challenges that alter his life and identity forever.
Logan continues to dream of his beloved Jean Grey, in a seemingly peaceful setting as they talk and laugh together. However, the dream quickly devolves into a nightmare, withLogan brutally shoving his claws into Jean’s stomach, not unlike what he had to do to save the world inX-Men: The Last Stand.
3The Red Room Training Is Brutal
Thunderbolts* (2025)
Back when Natasha Romanoff was the Black Widow of the MCU, it was clear that she had a troubled past. However, it wasn’t until she got a solo movie in 2021 that this past began to become clear. But even still, the actual details ofwhat happened in the Red Room, and the tests that the young woman living there had to endure, are unclear.
However,Thunderbolts*finally made it abundantly clear, and now we can never go back to not knowing about those terrible injustices. Yelena Belova was a highly gifted student of the Red Room, and as such, she was tested often. Butthe most horrifying test she had to complete came in the form of luring her friend into the forest, and setting her up to be executed.
2Wade Wilson Is Tortured In An Oxygen Chamber
Deadpool (2016)
Deadpoolis another R-Rated superhero feature, but it has a much greater focus on comedy. With Ryan Reynolds in the titular role, the actor leans into the comedic nature of his performance, and brings Wade Wilson to life. However, the path to becoming Deadpool was not nearly so humorous.
Instead, a dying Wade seeks help from experimental trials, only to become a guinea pig in other peoples' experiments. Wade makes an enemy of the primary caretaker, Ajax, and finds himself imprisoned in an Oxygen Deprivation tank, withthe air repeatedly being removed to induce suffocation in Wade. Over, and over again. It’s brutal, and genuinely chilling to watch.
1Smiley Faced Demons Attack Children
The New Mutants (2020)
The New Mutantswas the lastfilm from the Fox X-Men universeof stories to be released without any real involvement from Marvel Studios. Having already acquired the rights from Fox, Disney and Marvel simply let the movie go out with minimal marketing.
And honestly, with the lack of quality and consistency in the movie, that was probably a good thing. However, the movie did introduce some truly harrowing moments for a group of misfit mutant kids in a psychiatric hospital.
But one of the most intense moments in the movie comes inthe form of tall, slender smiley-faced demons attacking these children. It’s a literal waking nightmare brought to life. This, and all of these haunting moments in Marvel movies and TV shows, constitute some of the most unsettling superhero movie moments of all time.
