The Top 11 Most Brutal Marvel Cinematic Universe Deaths

Paul Bettany as Vision in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Marvel Studios

The Marvel Cinematic Universe prides itself on being family friendly, yet it has a surprising number of brutal and heartbreaking deaths. Here is a list of our top ten:

11. Loki

Source: Infinity War, Disney

Loki met his end a few times, but there was something definitive about watching him die in Infinity War. He’s been a trickster and a villain for most of the MCU, but when it counted, he took his shot to end Thanos for good.

Of course, he failed and met a sad death. And the fact it happened in the film’s opening moments made it even worse. It told the audience that they should get ready for heartache. And watching Loki turn into his frost giant self as a corpse was certainly heartbreaking.

10. Thanos

Source: Avengers: Endgame, Disney

Thanos’s death was brutal in a very reserved way. It’s not that it was particularly gruesome or sad. But as he put it, it was merely destiny fulfilled. It was how he was calm and relaxed, perfectly at ease as Thor removed his head from his body.

Of course, fans all know that wouldn’t be the end of the Mad Titan. But for the moment, it meant that Thanos had won and the Avengers had lost.

9. Lucian Aster

Source: Doctor Strange, Disney

It feels weird putting a character with such an unknown name on this list, but that’s just how awesome his death was. After brutally fighting Doctor Strange at the Sanctum Santorum, Aster managed to pursue Strange in his astral form and continue the fight on the astral plane.

Using some quick thinking and ingenuity, not to mention mixing magic with science, Strange was able to electrocute Aster by electrocuting himself. It was pretty clever and a brutal way to go.

8. Ronan

Source: Guardians of the Galaxy, Disney

Infinity Stones are a scary bunch, the Power Stone especially. Those that blipped had it easy turning to dust. Ronan was pretty much obliterated by the Stone.

Under normal circumstances, one might feel sympathy for Ronan, but he was a particularly ruthless character. So to see him so utterly destroyed actually felt pretty good. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a rough death.

7. Proxima Midnight

Source: Avengers: Infinity War, Disney

All of the Black Order’s deaths were pretty gnarly, but Proxima Midnight probably had it the worst. The shame is she was actually winning this fight.

That is until Wanda threw her in the path of a Thresher. It was so disgusting that Black Widow even had to point it out afterwards, while covered in the alien’s blood and guts no less.

6. Captain Carter

Source: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Disney

 The Scarlet Witch is an incredibly powerful being, much more so than a super soldier. Yet Carter held her own in battle for a considerable amount of time.

It was a very good fight, so it’s a shame to see this courageous warrior meet a particularly brutal end, and by her own shield adds insult to injury.

5. Professor X

Source: X-Men, Disney

It’s impossible to include just one Illuminati death, especially when Multiverse of Madness is touted as the MCU’s first horror movie. Fans were no doubt excited to see Patrick Stewart’s return to the character. Not just that, he was also in the animated series wheelchair and had the theme playing too.

But Wanda had his number, attacking him psychically to kill the powerful mutant from the inside out.

4. Nico

Source: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Disney

It’s hard to imagine the scope of what John Walker would do to Captain America’s legacy when he picked up the shield. In the show’s fourth episode Walker went and ruthlessly killed a terrorist in the middle of a street.

It was a pretty big deal and one that shocked both the MCU and fans. But it was perfect storytelling that highlighted Walker’s descent.

3. Aunt May 

Source: Spider-Man: No Way Home, Disney

Aunt May was killed by the very person she was trying to help, Green Goblin. It’s no surprise Peter was utterly traumatized by her demise.

It was a heartbreaking moment in a franchise that’s been filled with heartbreak and will no doubt last in fans’ memories for a long time to come.

2. Black Bolt

Source: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

This is when fans knew that the Illuminati was in trouble. If the Scarlet Witch had the ability to completely remove Black Bolt’s mouth, then the others never stood a chance.

And comic fans know just how powerful Black Bolt’s voice can be. The fact that he had it contained within his own head meant he never stood a chance.

1. Vision

Source: Avengers: Infinity War, Disney

It’s hard to think of a death more heartbreaking than Vision’s. That’s probably why Wanda went insane after it happened. He had to be killed by the love of his life only to be brought back and then killed again by essentially having the thing that gave him life ripped from his head.

If that wasn’t bad enough, it was also the last thing required for Thanos to complete his gauntlet. Not only a crushing blow to Vision but the Avengers as a whole.

What do you think are the most brutal Marvel Cinematic Universe kills?

NEXT: The 10 Worst MCU Movies To Date

Share: 
Mentioned This Article:

More About: