Cake’s Top Establishing Shots in the MCU, aka Show, Don’t Tell

Saw a post yesterday about how film can establish character without a single word through the use of imagery and cinematography. The post writer used the entrance scene of Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean as an example and it is perfect … riding that sinking boat into harbor then stepping off onto the dock tells so much about Jack’s character in just a few seconds.

That got me thinking about the MCU … of course … and scenes that create a backstory for our favorite heroes, flesh out details of who they are. Some are first appearances, some come much later, but they are visual shorthand for the characters who inhabit the universe. Here’s some of my favorites:

Black Widow picks up her shoes in The Avengers

The whole scene of Widow in the warehouse in The Avengers establishes her as a force to be reckoned with, but this little moment humanizes a character who could easily be written too dark or too sexual. The shoes fill the frame, the camera focused on them. We only see fingers and palm as she picks them up, then hose covered legs (in a black dress that is knee length modest) as she walks away. No sexy butt shot, no fishnets … in fact there’s a hole and a run in her legs and she strides away in bare feet. It’s such a natural thing to do, not forget a favorite pair of shoes; sure, she’s just wiped the floor with a bunch of goons and a half-hearted bad guy, but she stops long enough to pick them up.

Hawkeye jumps off a building in The Avengers

This whole sequence launched the headcanon that Clint always jumps off buildings, much to the consternation of the rest of the Avengers. Add to that the icon panel of Matt Fraction/David Aja’s “My Life as a Weapon”, Hawkeye issue #1 (which came out just a few months after the movie), and this is about as perfect an establishing shot as you can get. Framing it with the city street perspective below gives the audience both a sense of falling and of danger against which the determination on his face tells a whole story about Clint’s character. Renner talks about doing this stunt (Yep, he jumped, twisted and pretended to shoot) and how important he thought it was to get right.

Jericho missile test in Iron Man

The cinematography of this scene really sells it. Take the traditional shot of walking away from an explosion (yep, we get a great one later on in this flick), but instead have Tony Stark use it as a backdrop for his own enormous ego. No better way to show us that Tony is at a point in his life where he doesn’t give a fuck AND forecast the attack/explosion that happens next, both literally and metaphorically. He’s about to get blown to hell and back and the hubris on display here is going to burn away. It’s a masterful piece of film work.

Quill’s walkman and dancing in Guardians of the Galaxy

An introduction scene that ranks right up there with Jack Sparrow, from the moment Quill dons his earphones until he gets to the chamber with the infinity stone, we’re treated to a lovely sequence that operates on so many different levels. First, it tells us this isn’t going to be like any other MCU movie we’ve seen; the level of humor and self-awareness is off-the-charts. Second, don’t take Quill or the story or any of this too seriously. Third, music is going to be freaking important for this flick. What Gunn masterfully does is not just forecast music that’s coming later, but also the dance-off at the end when Quill is no longer alone but has the other guardians with him.

Clearly, enough of an iconic scene that they revisited it in Endgame.

King Killmonger in Black Panther

Coogler uses a long shot that starts upside down then spins, following Killmonger to the throne, visually showing us how the Wakanda is turned on its axis. Wrong is right and Erik is now in charge. Such a wonderful piece of storytelling using the camera, motion, and music. Plus, look at Michael B. Jordan’s face when he sits down on the throne, how he conveys his character’s moment of success, not gleeful or angry, but with a little sigh and closed eyes. This is how he sees the world, what he thinks is right; the audience is now seeing through his eyes.

Steve stops the helicopter in Captain America: Civil War

This moment is, on the surface, complete eye candy and fan servicing. Look at those biceps, right? But it’s more than that; this is about how far Steve is willing to go to do what he thinks is right. In CA:WS, he’s willing to sink the helicarriers and destroy SHIELD to stop HYDRA, but here, this is deeply personal. It’s about Bucky, not saving the world. Every ounce of his strength is on display; he’s not in uniform, dirty, sweaty, and fighting against something bigger, stronger, more powerful than even Captain America. He’s in physical danger, going against the law, not fighting for what’s morally best for all, but the life of one man. Stretched to his limits, this is the essence of Steve Rogers. We’ll see this echoed in Endgame when he straps the broken shield tighter on his wounded arm.

What were you the god of again, brother? from Thor: Ragnarok

We knew Thor was the God of Thunder, but Taika Waititi took that and raised it to the Nth degree. The composition of this shot alone … the growing pyramid of warriors, the raised spears pointing towards Thor’s descent, the movement of the warriors only on the left side of the screen (and nothing on the right) … this scene is worthy of serious study. Add in Led Zepplin’s “Immigrant Song” playing in the background, the slow motion and we feel as well as know Thor’s doubts have been burned away by the energy of the storm breaking inside of him. There are so many wonderful uses of images and techniques in this movie, and this one ranks right at the top …. just slightly under …

Valkryie’s fall in Thor: Ragnarok

Here’s why you show instead of tell. Valkryie does tell Thor and the others that she fought Hela before and lost, but the amazing work done in the whole flashback sequence of what happened to her both viscerally and emotionally reaches straight for the audience’s heart. From the camera angles over her shoulder to the slow-mo framing to the quick edits that make a cohesive narrative hard to piece together (much like Valkryie’s memory and pain), we understand exactly why she crawled into a bottle and has never come out. These scenes make her decision to go back to Asgard more satisfying but also heart-rending. This sequence is art, the kind you’d see in a Palm d’Or winner at Cannes.

The appearance of the Winter Soldier in Captain America: Winter Soldier

I mean, hells yeah, am I right? The writing … Fury’s just gotten away from his pursuers and we think he’s about to get out of this mess. The camera focus … from sharp on Fury’s face to fuzzy/blurry Bucky. The cuts … sharp boom and bounce of bomb up under Fury’s car then long shot of Bucky stepping out of the way. The speed … the frenetic pace of the chase giving way to a second to breathe then slowing down as the car flips and slides by. Perspective … first, the Winter Soldier’s face fills the scene then he’s small, juxtaposed against the bullet-ridden SUV. The fucking special effect … that ball of flame then the puff of smoke that perfectly encircles the Soldier as he calmly steps out of the way. Man, Myth, Mystery, in just a few seconds the Winter Soldier becomes one of the bad-asses of all bad-asses in the MCU.

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