What are the Best Marvel TV Moments of 2023?

A number of moving and unforgettable scenes from Loki and Secret Invasion made it into our list of the best TV moments from Marvel in 2023.

Marvel dropped several TV shows to treat fans this year and among them are Secret Invasion, I Am Groot Season 2, and Loki Season 2. Samuel L. Jackson’s six-episode miniseries, Secret Invasion, premiered on Disney Plus on June 21. Vin Diesel’s I Am Groot Season 2 was dropped on September 6, 2023, with five new episodes. Additionally, the second season of Tom Hiddleton’s Loki premiered on October 5 with six episodes and it ended with a bang. Here are the best TV moments from Marvel Studio in 2023.

RELATED: How Loki’s Sylvie Proves Jonathan Majors Isn’t Necessary For Avengers: The Kang Dynasty

Loki Sacrifices Himself To Save Every Universe (Loki Season 2)

Loki has been trying to fix the Time Variance Authority (TVA) in season 2. He works with his pals Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), Mobius (Owen Wilson), and TVA’s chief engineer O.B. (Ke Huy Quan) to fix the TVA’s temporal loom and stop a meltdown. However, his repeated attempts didn’t work.

In the finale episode, “Glorious Purpose,” the titular character admits defeat and sacrifices himself to save every universe from collapsing after learning to control his “time-slipping.” He claims his throne in the most unexpected way. Loki walks toward the temporal loom, grabs the fabric of space-time and puts the thread together. He builds a throne and crowns himself the God of Stories, who holds the timelines together. The dramatic scene is one of the most unforgettable moments from Marvel’s TV shows. It transforms the God of Mischief, who is known as a cunning trickster, into someone fans don’t expect — a selfless creature.

It was moving and poignant because Loki had been known as a villain in the MCU franchise. However, that scene transformed him into a protector in the eyes of the audience, putting him among the ranks of the other superheroes like Iron Man, who also died to save the universe from Thanos, The Mad Titan. Loki’s decision leaves him alone for the rest of the time. While he is left in solitude, he can oversee his family and friends forever. While the ending was heartbreaking, fans fell in love with the new Loki.

Nick Fury Has Ties With The Skrulls (Secret Invasion)

Samson’s MCU character, Nick Fury, has been around the franchise for quite some time. However, only little is known about him. Fortunately, Secret Invasion gave fans significant information about the former Director of SHIELD. The episode begins with a recap of Fury’s first encounter with the Skrulls. He meets Talos (Ben Mendelson) and promises them their own home and it cuts into him building his first network of Skrulls agents in Brixton, London, in 1997.

It also revealed that Fury was married to a woman named Priscilla (Charlayne Woodard), who turned out to be a Skrull. In Captain Marvel, Skrulls are the shapeshifting extraterrestrial beings in conflict with Kree. The Skrulls are initially portrayed as antagonists. However, it is later revealed that they are only seeking a new home.

Fury’s tie with the Skrulls is a huge revelation. That’s not all, it turns out that the alliance between him and the Skrulls has helped him rise to power and gain the highest position in SHIELD.

Groot Parenting a Baby Bird (I Am Groot Season 2)

I Am Groot Season 2 debuted with a funny and moving episode titled “Are You My Groot?” Groot finds an egg in the jungle and brings it home. He takes care of it until it hatches and treats it like his own, making him a parent.

The short feature seemingly reflects the challenges parents go through. The bird poops everywhere and makes noises when Groot wants to rest. At one point, he puts the bird inside a bag to have a peaceful time all by himself. While Groot seemingly enjoys and loves the alien bird, he also gets annoyed and tired of it.

Director, writer and executive producer Kristen Lepore admitted to Marvel.com that she used the episode to talk about the challenges of being a mom and she believed they accomplished it as the episode successfully portrayed all the facets of parenting — the good, the bad, the fun and the exhausting parts.

The episode ends with the bird and many of its siblings running toward their mother. Groot is emotional as he bids goodbye to it. The scene seemingly reflects the empty nest syndrome — the grief parents feel when their children leave home.

G’iah Beats Gravik in Super-Skrull Battle (Secret Invasion)

One of the best scenes in Secret Invasion is the intense battle between G’iah (Emilia Clarke) and Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir). In the finale episode, “Home,” Fury gives the Harvest to Gravik and asks him to spare Earth and conquer other planets instead. However, he refuses and uses the Harvest to empower himself and become a Super Skrull to attack Fury. Surprisingly, Fury is G’iah in disguise, as she also uses the Harvest, making her a Super Skrull with the same powers as Gravik. A powerful battle ensues between the two and one subdues the other.

G’iah’s super-strength and superpower overpower Gravik’s. Her Super-Skrull form makes her unbeatable because she possesses Asgardian genetics, which has the power to heal and provide her with super-strength variations. Also, she has the powers of the Avengers and other characters who died at the Battle of Earth in Endgame.

The episode shows how incredibly strong, fast, and intelligent Super Skrulls are. It also highlighted how potent the Harvest is, which contains DNA samples from the strongest superheroes and villains, including Thanos, Captain Marvel, Ghost, Hulk, Black Panther, Captain America, the Winter Soldier, the Black Order, Drax, Gamora, Groot, Mantis, Korg, Thor, Valkyrie, Abomination, Frost Beast, Extremis and the Chitauri. With the combination of DNA samples from the said individuals, there is no doubt that G’iah is unstoppable.

Mobius and Loki’s Bittersweet Goodbye (Loki Season 2)

Hiddleston and Wilson have impressive chemistry as pals Loki and Mobius. Though their characters made an odd couple, they forged a friendship that helped each other become better individuals. Another poignant scene in Loki Season 2 is Loki and Mobius’ goodbye. Loki has finally discovered a way to control time slipping and he returns in time to ask Mobius for advice about making hard decisions and the latter tells him:

Most purpose is more burden than glory, trust me you never want to be the guy who avoids it because you can’t live with the burden.

Loki is emotional as he shakes Mobious’ hand and thanks him before he slips away because the latter tells him what he needs to hear, reinforcing his decision to make the huge sacrifice. Mobius isn’t aware of the depth of their conversation. In Mobius’ timeline, he’s just meeting Loki, but it’s already goodbye for the latter.

What makes the scene even more effective is the chemistry between the two actors. Head writer Eric Martin told Marvel.com there was a “special thing” between Hiddleston and Wilson, who have a “real connection on screen.” He admitted that even the people on set felt it.

That chemistry is there. It’s there in person. They work so well together. I think it’s touching for everybody on set because you’re just feeling a little bit of magic. It’s the last magic that everybody will see.

Hiddleston also acknowledged his chemistry with Winston and how their connection elevated Mobius and Loki’s relationship onscreen. He also praised Winston for his intelligence, imagination and wittiness.