The heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other Marvel movies sometimes don’t survive the events of their own movies. The long history of Marvel movies predates the MCU’s movie timeline, with many characters from the comics adapted to the big screen over the years. With so many different storylines to adapt and different movie continuities, there have been many occasions on which heroes die as a result of their heroic duty.

Throughout the movies of the MCU, the ongoing potential of a shared universe has seen death become less frequent and often impermanent. However, that isn’t to say that no MCU heroes die, as some meet their end during the climax of a movie only to return in a sequel. In fact, many heroes have been killed on the big screen across multiple franchises, and here are 10 examples of times that Marvel movies killed off the hero at the end.

10 Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Quicksilver Didn’t Survive The Battle Of Sokovia

Avengers: Age of Ultron saw the full debut of the Maximoff twins in the MCU, first acting as villains before a third-act hero turn. Wanda and Pietro – or the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver – joined the Avengers to help stop Ultron from wiping out humanity, with the speedster in particular proving an important hero throughout the Battle of Sokovia. In one of the MCU’s most surprising moments, Quicksilver died saving Hawkeye’s life in the latter stages of the movie.

Quicksilver’s death was a shocking turn of events, particularly as it came so soon after his introduction. However, his heroic sacrifice redeemed his earlier villainous actions, and proved to be an important part of Wanda’s character arc. He’s also one of the few MCU heroes whose death appears to have been permanent, coming at the end of Age of Ultron and not having reappeared since.

9 Black Widow (2021)

Black Widow’s Death Occurred After The Events Of Her Solo Movie

Black Widow’s death sits in a bizarre place in her MCU timeline, as it actually came before her final franchise appearance. After being introduced in 2010 in Iron Man 2, Natasha Romanov’s Black Widow became a founding Avenger and one of the franchise’s most prominent heroes, leading to her eventual death in Avengers: Endgame in order to obtain the Soul Stone. However, she reappeared on the big screen two years later in a solo movie set before the events of Endgame.

Naturally, Black Widow was alive throughout her own film. Though she survived the events of the movie, Black Widow’s post-credits scene jumped back ahead in the timeline to show Natasha’s grave, meaning that she was indeed dead at the end of the film. It was an interesting way to explore the future of the MCU and Black Widow’s legacy, quietly confirming that the movie was Romanov’s final franchise appearance.

8 Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Jane Foster’s Illness Claimed Her Life In The End

After almost a decade of absence from the MCU, Jane Foster made her return as part of the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder. Not only did Foster return, but she did so as Mighty Thor, her heroic alter-ego armed with Mjolnir and able to harness the power of Thor. The movie saw her fight alongside her former Asgardian love interest, while also battling a terminal illness.

After chasing Gorr the God Butcher all the way to Eternity, Jane and Thor were unable to stop the villain. Thor: Love and Thunder’s ending sees Jane succumb to her illness, passing away in Thor’s arms and awakening in Valhalla in the movie’s post-credits scene. Though her time as a hero in the MCU was relatively short-lived, Love and Thunder ultimately saw Jane Foster die at the end of her first outing as Mighty Thor.

7 X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Professor X Was Killed By The Phoenix

X-Men: The Last Stand is often considered one of the worst movies in Fox’s X-Men franchise. The film’s mishandling of multiple X-Men storylines from the comics earned it the ire of many, and it also saw the unceremonious deaths of two of the most prominent mutant characters in the Marvel Universe. The first comes early in the film, when Cyclops is killed off-screen by the Phoenix. The other comes later, as the film’s third act begins with the death of Professor X.

Professor X’s death is what prompts the final battle, in which the mutants attack Alcatraz Island and the source of the mutant cure. The Last Stand’s unimpressive handling of Xavier’s death was short-lived, as the movie’s final moments tease his survival via telepathic means. However, as his physical body was entirely disintegrated by the Phoenix, it’s fair to say that The Last Stand certainly killed him off.

6 Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Groot Died Protecting His Friends

Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the MCU’s most surprising hits, as the 2014 movie adapted one of Marvel Comics’ lesser-known teams to the big screen. James Gunn’s first MCU movie was able to capture the imaginations of a massive audience, and was praised for its comedy as well as its surprising emotional draw. Leading into the film’s climactic battle, Groot sacrifices himself in order to protect his friends.

The supposed death of Groot doesn’t render him absent from future movies, though. A Groot sapling was rescued from the rubble, eventually growing into a new Groot who takes a place on the team. Even so, Groot as he originally existed in Guardians of the Galaxy didn’t make it out of his debut movie alive, thanks to the heroic sacrifice he made in order to save his teammates.

5 X2: X-Men United

Jean Grey Sacrificed Herself For Her Fellow Mutants

X2: X-Men United helped establish the superhero genre as a force to be reckoned with at the box office, but it also ended with a heroic death. After their assault on William Stryker’s base, the X-Men’s attempts to flee the flooding dam are stalled by the X-Jet’s loss of power. Rushing outside, Jean Grey uses her telepathy to lift the jet into the air and hold off the water long enough to save her friends, though the water then claims her life.

Jean Grey’s death is a tragic but heroic sacrifice that comes right at the end of X2’s story. Though her physical form returned in X-Men: The Last Stand possessed by the Phoenix Force, the ending of X2 marked the death of Jean Grey as a mutant hero in the initial X-Men trilogy. The movie’s depiction of her demise was incredibly heroic, setting a template for future films in the genre.

4 Venom: The Last Dance (2024)

Venom Didn’t Survive His Movie Trilogy

The third and final film of Sony’s Venom trilogy, Venom: The Last Dance, gave the titular symbiote a memorable send-off. The movie saw the introduction of the powerful villain Knull, whose Xenophages invaded Earth and threatened all of humanity. After the previous two movies established Eddie Brock and Venom’s symbiotic relationship and then introduced other symbiotes, Venom: The Last Dance promised an enticing conclusion to the trilogy.

As it turned out, Venom 3’s ending did not just mark the end of the movie trilogy, but also the end of Venom. The symbiote opted to sacrifice himself in order to stop the Xenophages, bidding his human host an emotional farewell before dying in the most heroic manner possible. Though there is still potential for more symbiote-focused movies in Sony’s franchise, Venom’s death at the end of Venom: The Last Dance rules out his own chances at a cinematic future.

3 Logan (2017)

Wolverine’s Healing Factor Failed Him Eventually

Hugh Jackman’s role as Wolverine has widely been cited as one of the best castings in comic book movie history. After multiple appearances in the role, Jackman returned for what was billed to be his final outing in 2017’s Logan. Though the death was later undone with the MCU’s Multiverse facilitating Jackman’s return, Logan gave the hero an unforgettable final chapter and a suitably heroic and poetic death.

With his healing factor failing him, Logan fights one last time to protect a group of young mutants fleeing persecution. Logan is forced to fight his own evil clone, with the fight eventually claiming both of their lives. Logan’s ending sees Wolverine die with dignity, saving his own daughter as well as several other young mutants in a final act of heroism before making what was originally intended to be his final bow.

2 Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Iron Man Died Defeating Thanos

As the franchise’s first ever hero, Iron Man played a huge part in the MCU’s Infinity Saga. A founding Avenger and one of the main leaders of the team, Tony Stark and his inventions helped establish many heroes in the MCU. His narrative arc over his multiple movie appearances saw him gradually grow from a self-centered billionaire genius to a self-sacrificing and genuinely inspirational hero.

In order to stop Thanos for good, Iron Man gathers the Infinity Stones during the Battle of Earth and snaps the Mad Titan out of existence. Doing so claims Stark’s life, meaning that his final act was to save an immeasurable number of lives from Thanos’s wrath. His death comes in the final scenes of Avengers: Endgame, marking one of the few occasions on which the MCU killed off a major hero permanently.

1 Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Thanos’ Snap Killed Half Of The Avengers

In what may have been one of the most shocking twists in the history of comic book movies, Avengers: Infinity War ended on a devastating note. After spending the movie fighting to stop Thanos from gathering and using the Infinity Stones, the Avengers are unable to defeat the Mad Titan. Thanos is able to achieve his goal, wiping out half of all life in the universe, including the Avengers.

Infinity War ends with half of the Avengers turning to dust before the eyes of their teammates. The film’s final moments show the MCU’s surviving heroes in utter shock as Thanos’s plan comes good, and multiple heroes meet their end in mere seconds. Though it was later undone, the ending of Infinity War saw multiple heroes die, making it one of the darkest moments in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the wider world of Marvel movies.

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