Summary
- Both reversible and permanent deaths are important aspects of the superhero mythos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Permanent superhero deaths hold more weight for audiences and shape the direction of the MCU timeline.
- The deaths of characters like Black Widow and Iron Man remain relevant in discussions about heroism and the nature of sacrifice.
Although the the MCU timeline.
For instance, the respective deaths of Black Widow/Natasha Romanov (Scarlett Johansson) and Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in Avengers: Endgame not only laid the foundations for the MCU's future, but also remain consistently relevant in discussion about the nature of heroism. Apart from the dead of the original Avengers roster, the demise of characters like Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and Heimdall (Idris Elba) are important for showing audiences that no one in the MCU is safe from permanent death, not even gods or immortals. Though the fickle nature of death in the MCU means anyone can return, it's crucial to take note of every Marvel superhero the MCU has killed and hasn't somehow resurrected.
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Iron Man Has The MCU's Most Iconic Death
Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame saw the death of Iron Man, bringing an end to his time as the founding stone of the franchise. After the remaining heroes found a way to bring back those who were affected by Thanos' (Josh Brolin) snap in Avengers: Infinity War, the villain from another timeline found his way to the primary MCU universe. This compelled the Avengers and all their allies to take down the Mad Titan once and for all.
Instead of risking prolonging the intense battle, Iron Man decided then and there to wield the power of all six Infinity Stones to eradicate the villain and his army, despite knowing that the move would also claim his life. It was a total 180-degree turn for Tony Stark, who started as a self-absorbed industrialist. As tragic as his final fate is in the MCU, at least he had five years of quiet family life before his death.
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The MCU Killed Black Widow Off Before Her Solo Movie
Avengers: Endgame
Like Iron Man, Black Widow died in Avengers: Endgame. While Tony Stark was able to still participate in the final battle, Natasha Romanoff, unfortunately, died before the time heist was done. Tasked with retrieving the Soul Stone from Vormir, Black Widow and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) moved forward with their mission, not knowing that one of them had to die to acquire the Infinity Stone.
There was an intense battle between the pair, wanting to sacrifice themselves for the cause; in the end, Natasha bested Clint Barton and died in exchange for the Soul Stone. The character may be dead in the present MCU timeline, but Marvel Studios temporarily brought her back on the big screen via her long-delayed solo film, Black Widow, set in the two years between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War.
The Nova Corps Proved How Big A Threat Thanos Was Early On
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Avengers: Infinity War picked up with Thanos already in possession of the Power Stone, which was last seen on Xandar at the end of the first Guardians of the Galaxy. It was belatedly revealed that the Mad Titan and his crew had ransacked the planet to acquire the first of the six powerful crystals, with the filmmakers opting to not show the battle on-screen because the movie is already jam-packed.
Nova Corps, the intergalactic military and police force of the Nova Empire headed by Nova Prime (Glenn Close) fought gallantly against the villain to protect the Power Stone, as well as its people. Unfortunately, Thanos proved to be too powerful for them, with the Mad Titan effortlessly killing the of the team, and then wiping out half of all life on Xandar.
Heimdall Died To Return Hulk To Earth
Avengers: Infinity War
At the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos hijacked the Asgardian refugee ship on its way to Earth and demanded that Loki hand him the Space Stone. The heroes tried their hand against the villain by unleashing the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) on him to no avail. Once the green-rage monster was defeated, Thor and Heimdall devised a plan to send him back to Earth so the Avengers could prepare for battle. Summoning all his energy to tap into dark magic, Heimdall was able to transport Hulk out of the ship and into the Sanctum Sanctorum.
This drew Thanos' ire, with the villain ruthlessly killing him not long after. However, although Heimdall is technically dead, Heimdall's potential return was set up in MCU Phase 4, as he was last seen welcoming Jane Foster into Valhalla during the Thor: Love and Thunder post-credits scene.
Loki Set Up Just How Brutal Infinity War & Endgame Would Be
Avenger: Infinity War
Marvel Studios needed to make sure that they efficiently established Thanos as the MCU's biggest threat thus far, and there were few better ways to do that than having him kill one of the most beloved characters in the franchise early on in Avengers: Infinity War. While this version of Loki was initially an MCU villain, after Thor: Ragnarok, Loki was on the path to full redemption. Sadly for him, before he could make total amends, his past caught up with him.
After acquiring the Power Stone from the God of Mischief, the Mad Titan mercilessly killed Loki by choking him with his bare hands. In the Disney+ series Loki, a different version of the quasi-villain continues his story in the MCU - but the original Loki's brutal fate appears even more set in stone as a result of this.
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Gamora Was Killed Because Of Thanos' Love For Her
Avengers: Infinity War
The adopted daughter of Thanos, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) spent the last couple of years of her life making sure that her father didn't get his hands on the Soul Stone on planet Vormir. However, with Nebula's (Karen Gillan) life on the line, she eventually heeded and revealed the location of the mysterious Infinity Stone. There's only one caveat - for Thanos to acquire the gem in Avengers: Infinity War, he had to sacrifice something he loved, which was Gamora.
Fully committed to his cause, the Mad Titan painstakingly threw his child over the cliff, effectively killing Gamora. Thanks to the concept of time travel, however, Marvel brought back Gamora - albeit from a different time period - in Avengers: Endgame, resulting in a new figure with none of the memories she'd made over the course of her MCU appearances. While her prime MCU counterpart remains dead, the alternate Gamora returned in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, though her complicated feelings about her original self makes the character's death feel all the more potent.
Vision Sacrificed Himself To Try And Stop Thanos
Avengers: Infinity War
With the Mind Stone as Vision's (Paul Bettany) source of power, Tony Stark's old A.I. was an automatic target for Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. In the end, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) was forced to destroy the Mind Stone and in the process kill her lover, but, Thanos simply used the Time Stone to go back in time and pluck the magical gem from Vision's head, killing him twice. The android wasn't among those who were resurrected by the MCU Blip in Avengers: Endgame, and the version of Vision in WandaVision was a fake construct of Wanda's Chaos Magic.
However, while the original Vision remains dead, Wanda's memory of Vision and whatever remained of the android's consciousness in his dead body have merged into White Vision. Vision's death and lingering memory underscore how the Infinity Stones, which Avengers died to protect and acquire, remain relevant in the MCU's future.
Odin Died Of Natural Causes (& Unleashed Hela)
Thor: Ragnarok
As king of Asgard and the Allfather, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) was already one of the most powerful heroes in the MCU long before the Avengers came to be. But, just like every other character in the franchise, he's not without flaws. Thor: Ragnarok exposed his ruthless war-mongering with Hela (Cate Blanchett) and there's a case to be made about how he inadvertently pitted Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) against each other. In the end, Odin died of natural causes at the beginning of the Taika Waititi film. While he's able to say his proper goodbyes to his sons, he left them on their own to deal with the return of their evil sister.
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Thor was the expected successor to Odin following his death, but Loki Season 2 confirmed it was a different character who took Odin's place.
The Warriors Three Died To Show How Dangerous Hela Was
Thor: Ragnarok
In the MCU, the deaths of notable Asgardians bear almost as much weight as the question of which Avengers died. Before Thor found his new friends on Earth, he already had three best ones in Asgard with the Warriors Three, composed of Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Zachary Levi/Josh Dallas), and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano). The elite team of Asgardian warriors was tasked to protect the people of Asgard from any harm that came their way.
Often assisting Thor and Lady Sif (Jamie Alexander) in their adventures, all three met their end at the hands of Hela in Thor: Ragnarok while the God of Thunder was banished to Sakaar leaving the Asgardians vulnerable to the Goddess of Death. Hela first killed Volstagg and Fandral after traveling through the Bifrost Bridge, and then slew Hogun who led the Asgardian army in an attempt to contain the villain.
The Ancient One Was Killed By Kaecillius
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange's mentor, The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) was the original MCU Sorcerer Supreme. She wasn't perfect, however, as it was revealed that she also drew magic from the Dark Dimension. The Sorcerer Supreme met her end after Kaecillius (Mads Mikkelsen) fatally stabbed her during their final encounter. Strange was able to rush her to the hospital, but she explained to him that it was her time to go. After The Ancient One's death, she made a final appearance in Avengers: Endgame during the heroes' visit to the Battle of New York, where she explained to Smart Hulk how tampering with time would result in branched realities.
