The Strongest Superhero & Supervillain Moments Of 2022

If you survived 2022 without your jaw dropping at least once during a superhero movie or show,
you might actually be from another universe. Between caped crusaders, chaotic gods of chaos,
and sociopathic “heroes” with perfect jawlines, 2022 gave us some of the most powerful,
shocking, and meme-worthy superhero and supervillain moments in recent memory.

From the grimy alleys of Gotham to the colorful corners of the multiverse, these scenes weren’t
just flashy fight sequences. They were emotional gut-punches, character-defining turning points,
and in several cases, the kind of thing that made group chats explode with all-caps messages and
47 crying emojis. In this article, we’ll revisit the strongest superhero and supervillain moments
of 2022, breaking down why they hit so hard and what they say about the evolving world of
comic-book storytelling.

What Makes a “Strongest” Superhero or Supervillain Moment?

Before we dive into the list, let’s set some ground rules. A “strongest” moment isn’t just about
who punches the hardest or whose CGI budget looked the most expensive. In 2022, strength showed up
in many forms:

• Power and spectacle: scenes where abilities are pushed to a terrifying or awe-inspiring level.
• Emotional impact: moments that make the audience gasp, tear up, or sit in stunned silence.
• Narrative stakes: turning points that reshaped a story, a character arc, or even an entire franchise.
• Cultural reaction: scenes that dominated social media, inspired think pieces, or fueled endless fan debates.

With that in mind, let’s split our multiverse in two: the strongest superhero moments
and the strongest supervillain moments of 2022.

The Strongest Superhero Moments of 2022

1. The Batman’s Bullet-Lit Hallway Beatdown

In The Batman, one of the most unforgettable sequences sees Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight
striding through a pitch-black hallway as gunmen unload everything they’ve got. The only light comes
from muzzle flashes, each burst briefly illuminating Batman as he absorbs bullets, counters attacks,
and dismantles criminals like a one-man SWAT team.

This moment stands out because it feels real and brutally grounded. Instead of a glossy,
hyper-choreographed ballet, we get a heavy, methodical battering ram in a cape. It reinforces this
version of Batman as less of a ninja and more of an unstoppable urban myth. The scene also
visually communicates his core “superpower”: relentless determination and a terrifying tolerance
for pain.

2. Wanda Versus the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Wanda Maximoff’s rampage through the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
is arguably the single most overpowering display of raw magical force in any Marvel project of 2022.
Within minutes, she dismantles a roster of heavy hitters – heroes who, on paper, should be her equals –
turning fan-favorite cameos into emotional collateral damage.

What makes this moment so strong isn’t just the brutality; it’s the tragic clarity. Wanda is fully
committed to her goal, crossing every line in pursuit of her imagined version of motherhood. The
sequence doubles as a thesis statement for the movie: the multiverse isn’t just a playground for
cameos; it’s a battlefield where grief can become more dangerous than any superweapon.

3. Shuri’s Final Battle in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Shuri’s final showdown with Namor is the emotional anchor of
the film and one of the most powerful heroic moments of 2022. She’s not just fighting a powerful
enemy; she’s wrestling with grief, anger, and the temptation to embrace vengeance over justice.

When she ultimately chooses mercy instead of execution, the moment becomes bigger than a standard
“hero wins” beat. It’s a conscious rejection of the cycle that consumed Killmonger and nearly
consumes her. In a year filled with massive explosions and multiversal chaos, that silent,
deliberate choice for peace might be one of the strongest heroic acts of all.

4. Kamala Khan Learns She’s “Something More” in Ms. Marvel

The reveal that Kamala Khan carries a genetic “mutation” is a relatively quiet scene compared to
some of the year’s louder moments, but it shook the fandom. A small musical sting and a single
word were enough to signal something huge: the long-awaited integration of mutants into the
Marvel Cinematic Universe.

From a character perspective, the moment is about identity. Kamala already spent the season
juggling heritage, community expectations, and superhero responsibilities. Learning that she’s
fundamentally different at a genetic level could have been terrifying, but she handles it with
the resilient curiosity that makes her such a lovable hero. It’s a strong moment because it
turns a massive franchise-level reveal into a personal, relatable discovery.

5. Moon Knight’s Hidden Persona Finally Steps Out

Moon Knight spends most of its runtime exploring the complex dynamic between Marc Spector and
Steven Grant. But the strongest “oh no, things just got worse” superhero-adjacent moment comes
when the elusive third persona, Jake Lockley, finally emerges in the finale’s stinger.

It’s not a huge action sequence. Instead, it’s the chilling realization that the body these
characters share still has secrets, and those secrets are deadly. The reveal reframes the entire
season, suggesting that the violence we don’t see might be even more terrifying than what we do.
It’s a reminder that some of the strongest moments are the ones that make you rethink everything
you just watched.

6. Peacemaker and the Most Awkward Justice League Cameo Ever

At the end of Peacemaker’s first season, just when the team has done the hard work, the Justice
League shows up late to the party. Instead of treating them as untouchable icons, the show turns
them into the butt of a joke, with Peacemaker and his crew openly roasting them as they arrive.

It’s a strong superhero moment because it completely flips the power dynamic. The “little” TV
characters, who spent the season covered in blood, trauma, and bad decisions, end up feeling more
real and capable than the godlike icons who stroll in at the end. It’s also one of the funniest
superhero scenes of the year, reminding us that strength isn’t always about perfectionsometimes
it’s about surviving the chaos and still having the energy to talk trash.

7. The Justice Society’s First Clash with Black Adam

In Black Adam, the Justice Society’s arrival in Kahndaq leads to a series of set pieces that
showcase power on a mythic scale. Hawkman’s aerial brawls, Dr. Fate’s reality-bending sorcery,
and Black Adam’s sheer destructive output give the impression of gods colliding in a city that
feels far too small for them.

While opinions on the film itself were mixed, these sequences still stand out as some of the
most visually muscular superhero clashes of 2022. They highlight a classic superhero tension:
what happens when people with world-shaking abilities decide they know what’s best for a place
they don’t fully understand.

The Strongest Supervillain Moments of 2022

8. Homelander’s Public Execution in The Boys Season 3

In the finale of The Boys Season 3, Homelander casually lasers a protester’s head in front of
a crowdand instead of recoiling in horror, some people cheer. It’s one of the most disturbing
and memorable supervillain moments of the year, not because of the gore, but because of the
reaction.

The scene weaponizes the audience’s expectations. For three seasons, we’ve been waiting for
Homelander to finally cross a line so extreme that his public image collapses. Instead, the show
leans into a darker reality: sometimes power and celebrity are strong enough to survive even the
most obvious atrocities. It’s a villain moment that sticks with you because it feels uncomfortably
plausible.

9. Vecna’s Mind-Bending Terror in Stranger Things 4

2022 also belonged to one of TV’s creepiest villains: Vecna. His attacks in Stranger Things 4,
especially the way he invades victims’ minds, levitates them, and breaks their bodies, were
some of the most haunting images on any screen that year.

What makes Vecna such a strong villain is the emotional angle. He doesn’t just kill people; he
preys on their deepest traumas and guilt, turning their inner struggles into weapons. In a show
that has always mixed nostalgia with horror, Vecna’s presence feels like the grown-up version of
childhood fearsa reminder that the monsters in our heads can be worse than any Demogorgon.

10. The Riddler Floods Gotham in The Batman

In The Batman, the Riddler’s plan doesn’t end with cryptic riddles and creepy livestreams.
It culminates in a coordinated attack that floods Gotham and turns a crowded arena into a killing
ground. The twist isn’t just that he succeeds; it’s that he inspires followers who are eager to
carry out his violent ideology.

This moment is powerful because it shifts comic-book villainy into a modern context: radicalization
through social media, parasocial relationships with extremists, and violence framed as “justice.”
The Riddler isn’t strong in the traditional supervillain senseno lasers, no magicbut his ability
to manipulate fear and resentment makes him one of the most chilling antagonists of 2022.

11. Darth Vader’s Shattered Mask in Obi-Wan Kenobi

In Obi-Wan Kenobi, the duel where Obi-Wan cracks Darth Vader’s mask is both a heroic triumph
and a devastating villain moment. As the mask breaks, we see Anakin’s face and hear the chilling
blend of Hayden Christensen’s voice and James Earl Jones’ iconic Vader tone. It’s a rare moment
when the humanity of one of pop culture’s greatest villains slips through.

The strength of this scene lies in the emotional collision. Obi-Wan is forced to confront the
fact that he can’t “save” Anakin, while Vader embraces his identity as the monster he’s become.
It’s less about lightsabers and more about sorrow, regret, and the final sealing of a tragic fate.

12. Wanda’s Descent into Full Villainy

Wanda might technically be an Avenger, but in Multiverse of Madness, she functions as the
primary antagonistand some of her most intense scenes are pure supervillain energy. From
dreamwalking through alternate versions of herself to stalking the heroes like a horror-movie
slasher, Wanda proves that emotional pain plus cosmic-level power is a terrifying combination.

The strongest part of her villainy is its relatability. You don’t have to agree with anything
she does (please don’t!) to understand where it comes from. That blend of empathy and fear is
exactly what makes a villain unforgettable.

13. Black Adam’s Lethal “Heroics”

Black Adam spends much of his movie blurring the line between hero and villain. He hurls people,
smashes through armies, and treats “no killing” rules like a punchline. Some of his early
sequenceswhere he dismantles mercenaries with zero hesitationplay like a dark mirror of classic
Superman rescues.

These moments are strong because they force the audience to question what they really want from
a protector. Do we want a hero who always does the right thing, or someone who will do the
effective thing no matter the collateral damage? The movie doesn’t always answer that
cleanly, but it certainly makes the question louder.

What 2022’s Strongest Moments Tell Us About Heroes, Villains, and Us

Looking back, 2022 wasn’t just about who could lift the heaviest hammer or shoot the biggest
energy beam. The strongest superhero and supervillain moments were about choices.
Shuri choosing mercy, Kamala embracing her identity, Homelander crossing a line in public,
Wanda letting grief rewrite her moral codethese are the moments that stuck with us long after
the credits rolled.

Superhero stories are evolving. Villains are more layered, heroes are more flawed, and audiences
are more interested in the emotional and ethical fallout than just the punch-per-minute ratio.
The strongest moments of 2022 show a genre growing up without losing its sense of spectacle.
We still get the big fights and explosive set pieces, but we also get the quiet, painful,
complicated beats that make those fights matter.

And yes, we also got some delightful weirdnesstalking cows, dancing vigilantes, multiverse
burritos of chaos. But that’s part of the charm. In a world where capes and cowls are
everywhere, the scenes that truly stand out are the ones that reflect something real about
power, responsibility, and the messy business of being human.

Living Through the Strongest Moments of 2022: A Fan Experience

It’s one thing to summarize these scenes after the fact; it’s another to remember what it felt
like to experience them in real time. Part of what made 2022’s superhero and supervillain moments
so strong was how they rippled through fandom cultureTwitter threads, TikTok edits, YouTube
breakdowns, Reddit essays, and late-night arguments that started with “Okay, but hear me out…”.

Think back to the first time you watched the hallway fight in The Batman in a dark theater.
The sound design made every bullet feel like it was ricocheting inside your chest. People weren’t
cheering so much as holding their breath. When the scene ended, there was that collective exhale
the kind you only hear when an audience realizes they’ve just watched something instantly iconic.

Or remember Wanda’s attack on the Illuminati. For weeks before the film dropped, speculation ran
wild: which cameos would appear, how powerful would Wanda really be, were the rumors overblown?
Then the scene hit, and suddenly fans were split into campsthose who thought Marvel went too far,
those who thought they didn’t go far enough, and those who were just trying to process what they
had seen. Reaction videos captured genuine shock, nervous laughter, and people just staring at
the screen in silence.

The Boys might have delivered the most unsettling “live” fan experience of the year. Homelander’s
public kill wasn’t just shocking; it prompted an immediate wave of commentary about politics,
celebrity worship, and how easy it is for power to twist public perception. It was one of those
moments where social media didn’t just reactit dissected, analyzed, and memed it into cultural
shorthand. Even people who didn’t watch the show probably saw that screenshot.

Streaming culture also changed how we experienced these moments together. Weekly episode drops for
shows like Stranger Things, Ms. Marvel, and Moon Knight meant that the biggest scenes
became communal events. You either watched the episode as soon as it dropped or spent the next day
dodging spoilers like they were actual laser beams. Group chats filled up with “Have you seen it
yet?” messages, and spoiler tags turned into digital shields for the spoiler-sensitive.

Rewatching these moments at home brought a different kind of strength to the experience. On repeat
viewings, the details start to stand out: the way Pattinson’s Batman adjusts his stance before a
hit, the micro-expression on Shuri’s face before she chooses mercy, the flicker of satisfaction
when Homelander realizes the crowd is cheering, not booing. These tiny beats are what transform a
cool scene into a powerful onethey’re where the character work lives.

For many fans, 2022’s superhero and supervillain moments became emotional markers. Some people
connected deeply with Kamala’s journey as a young hero navigating family, culture, and power.
Others saw their own grief reflected in Wanda’s worst decisions, even while rejecting her actions.
Still others latched onto the complicated antihero energy of Black Adam or the Justice Society,
fascinated by a world where no one is completely right or wrong.

The strongest moments of 2022 didn’t just give us something to watchthey gave us something to
feel and something to talk about. They turned theaters and living rooms into shared spaces of
reaction, debate, and connection. Whether you were screaming at your TV, quietly wiping away a
tear in the dark, or pausing a scene to immediately text a friend, you weren’t just a viewer.
You were part of a global audience processing these stories together in real time.

And that might be the most powerful thing about all of it. Superheroes and supervillains may be
fictional, but the conversations they sparkand the ways they help us think about power, trauma,
hope, and responsibilityare very real. 2022 proved that as long as these stories keep evolving,
we’ll keep showing up, popcorn in hand, ready for the next moment that makes us say, “Okay, that
was insane… play it again.”