There’s no denying that Marvel Studios is very good at what it does, or at least that was largely the case before the Multiverse Saga led to an ongoing outpouring of apathy that’s left even the most dedicated of supporters underwhelmed more often than they’d like, but outright nail-biting intensity isn’t something you get from the franchise all that often.
Kevin Feige’s outfit has cornered the market in spectacular superpowered showdowns, pithy put-downs, witty banter, and CGI-laden third act finales that swamp the screen in pixels, but it’s not often you’ll find yourself watching anything hailing from the company that’s capable of causing genuine heart palpitations and sweaty palms.
There are a handful of scenes and moments worthy of such praise, though, and a Reddit thread has narrowed it down to a pair of top-tier contenders. On one hand, you’ve got the unsettlingly intense police station sequence from Jessica Jones‘ first season episode “AKA Top Shelf Perverts” where Kilgrave commandeers an entire precinct and threatens to have them all kill themselves so Krysten Ritter’s hero goes along with his plan to move into her childhood home, creating his idyllic and twisted family dynamic of his desires.
On the other, there’s the jaw-dropping Spider-Man: Homecoming revelation where Tom Holland’s Peter Parker finds his heart plummeting through the floor upon discovering that his date’s father is none other than Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes, which leads to their nail-biting exchange in the back of a car.
Of course, we’re not saying that these are the only two worthy of consideration, but it can’t be argued that each ranks among the very best of the entire Marvel Studios era when it comes to sheer unbearable dread.