10 Most Shocking Superhero Deaths In The MCU

Warning! Spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Episodes 1 through 3
Daredevil: Born Again has just killed off a lovable character in a painfully unexpected way, calling to mind some of the most shocking deaths of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn"t the type of series to have the good guys lose or die all that often, with many of the MCU"s villains perishing at a much faster rate compared to the heroes. That being said, when a beloved character does finally meet their demise in the series, it can be a bitter shock to the senses.
The latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again has proven that, despite its differences to Netflix"s Daredevil, it still isn"t afraid to indulge in tragic murder and the sudden loss of heroic characters. This goes against the grain of many famous MCU deaths, such as Black Widow"s or Iron Man"s, which were a long time coming and somewhat expected going in. For as long as the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going on, it can still find ways to surprise fans with which characters end up getting the axe before credits roll.
10 Quicksilver Avengers: Age of Ultron

The MCU is famous for killing off villains in the same project they"re introduced in, often not giving them a chance to shine before they can truly come into their own as interesting threats. However, very rarely will the franchise also do this with a hero, bringing them on board just to see them wasted in the grander scheme of the overarching story. Avengers: Age of Ultron did both, and while the titular villain may be returning in the upcoming Vision solo series, Pietro Maximoff will remain six feet under.
Thanks to experimentation via Infinity Stone, the male Maximoff twin briefly became the hero Quicksilver, first battling the other Avengers alongside his sister before aiding them against Ultron"s armies. While Quicksilver is a staple of the comics, Avengers: Age of Ultron surprisingly opted to kill him off in an attempt to save the life of Hawkeye and a random innocent Sokovian bystander. Even more shocking, Quicksilver was killed via gunfire, usually something that wouldn"t register as a threat to a man of his reflexes.
9 Aunt May Spider-Man: No Way Home

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had an interesting take on the mythos of Spider-Man. Knowing that many elements of the character"s origins and status quo have already been done to death in the previous two live-action movie continuities by Sony, not to mention their continued withholding of the rights to some characters, the franchise has been creative with how it"s subverted the typical beats of Spider-Man"s history. This has included the tragic death of Aunt May, which was an emotionally brutal way for Spider-Man: No Way Home to enter its third act.
After the Green Goblin unexpectedly takes control over Norman Osborn, he goads the rest of the villains into an all-out brawl in Happy"s apartment. This leads to Spider-Man and Goblin plunging through several floors in a tear-down battle that results in the heartbreaking death of Aunt May. It"s here that she finally gives Peter the classic line "With great power comes great responsibility", a quote the MCU held off on repeating for two solo Spider-Man movies.
8 Maria Hill Secret Invasion

Daredevil: Born Again isn"t the only MCU show to indulge in some sudden and tragic killing of mainstay characters. Cobie Smulders" Maria Hill was quietly one of the most important figures in the Avengers movies for a long time, Nick Fury"s right-hand woman at the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and practically an Avenger herself. Despite somehow making it through four dedicated Avengers movies, Agent Hill eventually meets her demise thanks to the Skrull invasion described in Secret Invasion.
During a tense hunt for one of the alien shapeshifters, Maria is suddenly shot to death by a Skrull impersonating Nick Fury himself. To make matters even more bitterly tragic, Maria dies believing that her old mentor and friend was the one to do her in, questioning why Nick would ever do such a thing. This death was seen as a disrespectful and anticlimactic end to the character by many, cementing Secret Invasion as one of the worst-received MCU shows, but it can"t be said it wasn"t a surprising turn of events.
7 The Snap Avengers: Infinity War

Leading up to the end of the Infinity Saga, it was rare for the MCU to kill off a hero at all, only having done so a couple of times at that point. Few could have expected that the film Avengers: Infinity War could have ended on such a dour note, killing off not just one or two, but over half of the active heroes in the MCU at the time. To this day, the Snap remains one of the most bleak and shocking losses the heroes of the franchise have ever endured, still leaving lasting consequences even if it was technically undone.
Admittedly, those familiar with the comics might have been more steeled for the possibility of the Snap, which does indeed occur in the original story Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were largely based off of. Still, the quiet image of the franchise"s most famous characters crying while fading into dust or watching their compatriots do so was a haunting finale to the crossover movie event of the decade. It"s no wonder that the Snap is still such a heavily-debated topic even today.
6 White Tiger Daredevil: Born Again

Image via Disney+
By the end of episode 3 of Daredevil: Born Again, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had more than made good on its promise to uphold the grittiness of the original Netflix series. White Tiger sets a new record for the MCU hero with the fastest turnaround time, killed off after he"s hardly been established as a hero. White Tiger barely gets any time to be shown in action using the mystical amulet that provides him superhuman strength before he"s arrested, accidentally getting involved in the death of a crooked cop.
In a very short time, White Tiger somehow managed to become a fan favorite, with many resonating with his commitment to heroism, firm belief in right and wrong, and clear love for his family and community. It speaks volumes to the quality of Daredevil: Born Again that the death of such a briefly-introduced character managed to hit so hard. Hopefully, the Punisher-logo-wearing murderer behind his assassination will find justice one way or another.
5 Foggy Nelson Daredevil: Born Again

White Tiger isn"t the only beloved character that Daredevil: Born Again had done away with in a shocking manner in only three episodes. The series opens with Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock"s best friend and professional partner, being cruelly gunned down in front of the eyes and ears of both him and Karen Page. This callous murder orchestrated by Benjamin Poindexter from Daredevil season 3, now the villain Bullseye, had a profound impact on both of the remaining two major trio.
Admittedly, Foggy"s death might have been seen coming a mile away from those who saw the initial trailers for Daredevil: Born Again, which featured Matt murmuring that "A line was crossed" while having very little footage of Foggy himself. It could even be disingenuous for the show to promote the return of Foggy and Karen only to write them out within the first episode so quickly. Whatever the case, it can"t be said that the sudden loss of such a core character to the Daredevil cast wasn"t a heartbreaking shock.
4 Queen Ramonda Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

More than any other MCU project, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a story about loss. This is a fitting theme for a film that is essentially a memorial to the real-life loss of the Black Panther himself, Chadwick Boseman, but also ensures that the off-screen death of T"Challa wouldn"t be the only tragedy to happen in the film. That being said, few could have expected the film to also feature Queen Ramonda"s demise at the hands of the villainous Namor.
This particular death is so unexpected because of how totally alone it left Shuri. Having lost her father, brother, and mother in such quick succession, it"s no wonder her anger is enough to summon the vengeful Killmonger from beyond the grave during her trip to the Ancestral Plane. Queen Ramonda"s death in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has the added tragic effect of making Angela Bassett"s Oscar snub for the film sting that much more.
3 Vision Avengers: Infinity War

Vision"s destruction in Avengers: Infinity War is an interesting case for one of the most gobsmacking deaths in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In truth, his demise is foreshadowed from the very beginning, with Thanos" quest for the Infinity Stone embedded within Vision"s synthetic skull boding quite ominously for the polite android. The Avengers even do everything they can to avoid killing him in order to safely extract the Stone, essentially hinging the entire final act of the film on Vision"s life.
When Scarlet Witch is eventually forced to tearfully kill her lover in order to prevent the deaths of untold trillions at the hands of Thanos, it isn"t ultimately a surprise. What is astonishing, however, is Thanos bringing him back to life with the Time Stone only to kill him again, cruelly wrenching the Mind Stone from his head. This second death was a totally unpredictable development for the climax of the film, as the Time Stone"s ability to even affect other Infinity Stones was far from a surefire thing.
2 Phil Coulson The Avengers

The original shocking death in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Phil Coulson was the series" first chance to prove that it wasn"t afraid to kill off unambiguous good guys. Coulson quickly became a beloved presence in the first phase of the franchise despite being an original creation with no basis in the comics, making his way through every Phase One movie except for the period piece Captain America: The First Avenger. Though he fights valiantly against Loki, Coulson is hopelessly outmatched, falling prey to the trickster god"s illusions.
In the spin-off series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Coulson is resurrected to fight another day, but the source book Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline has since clarified that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is not MCU canon, at least whereas the central timeline is concerned. Coulson"s death was the first time the MCU truly demonstrated that it was willing to take the lives of one of its heroes, even if civilians like Ho Yinsen had been killed off before. So many years later, it"s worth remembering just how heartbreakign Coulson"s death was at the time.
1 Loki Avengers: Infinity War

Vision isn"t the only character to suddenly perish in an unexpected way before the Snap in Avengers: Infinity War. As the God of Mischief and a relentless schemer for power, Loki has faked his death already multiple times in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, once at the end of Thor and another time in Thor: The Dark World, which allowed him to rule Asgard disguised as Odin for a time. Knowing this history, his brutal murder by Thanos seemed to be another clever trick of his illusory magic.
However, while watching his body slowly drift through the void of space, it slowly sinks in that the MCU just killed off Loki for real, not a moment after his official reconciliation with Thor and turn to good, either. Granted, Loki technically comes back in the series, but it"s worth remembering that the 2012 Loki who stars in the Loki series is very much not the same character as the original. As with Gamora"s 2014 variant, the MCU makes it clear that time-traveling variants do not always follow in the footsteps of their predecessors.
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