The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
has come a long way since 2008, but there have been tragic losses that still hit home nearly 20 years after the franchise was born. The MCU started out as an underdog project, after years of Marvel’s screen adaptations being complete hit or miss projects created by several studios. However, Marvel wanted to take some ownership, and take these characters with limitless potential from the comic books to the big screens.
At first, acquiring finance was a struggle, and the studio operated as a small independent venture for the first couple of releases, but the bet paid off in a big way. In no time at all, the relatively lesser known Iron Man became one of the most recognizable heroes on a global stage. And then, when the Avengers ᴀssembled, there was no turning back. But from the beginning, the MCU has also featured some tragic losses that helped shape and alter the course of the story.
8
Dr. Ho Yinsen
Returning to that first outing, Iron Man premiered in 2008, and it made Tony Stark into a household name. Robert Downey Jr.’s captivating and enigmatic performance took this iron-clad hero out of the dark cave of obscurity, and boldly put heroes at the front and center of the world. But Tony was no innocent hero in the beginning, as a billionaire playboy whose fortune came through selling weapons of mᴀss destruction.
And in a twist of fate, this was what led to Tony being captured by a terrorist organization and trapped in a cave with Dr. Ho Yinsen. Yinsen’s influence, kindness, and honesty with Tony helped the immature socialite to see the true impact of his work. And despite trying to free himself and Yinsen from their captivity, Yinsen laid down his life to ensure Tony was able to escape. This death was one of the primary inciting incidents in the MCU, and led to Tony embracing the responsibility and accountability required to become the hero that would save the world time and time again.
7
Dr. Abraham Erskine
Likewise, in Captain America’s origin story, Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers finds himself learning from a wise doctor from a foreign land. Dr. Abraham Erskine is the inspired genius who perfected the Super Soldier Serum, turning Rogers into a spectacular superhero. However, moments after Steve’s transformation, a HYDRA spy manages to shoot Erskine, destroy the other Super Soldier Serums, and make his escape.
Since Erskine’s death, countless scientists have put their minds to the task of recreating this magic elixir, with varying results. Without Erskine, the results have led to semi-succesful outcomes, such as Bucky Barnes becoming the Winter Soldier, while others, like Emil Blonsky, had terrible side effects that transformed them into the Abomination. Along with dying with the secrets of how to make Super Soldiers like Steve, Erskine’s death helped to cement Steve’s dedication to fighting for what is right, no matter what the cost.
6
Vision
Many years later, the landscape of superheros shifted entirely. Iron Man and Captain America joined forces, before some differences in opinions saw Tony choose to create a new technology which he hoped could help to protect the planet from danger. This program, Ultron, advanced at an alarming rate, and concluded that the best way to protect the planet was by eliminating the heroes, which led to Ultron creating the Vision body. However, when the Mind Stone was placed in this synthetic body, and combined with the JARVIS program, it formed a new life, known as Vision.
Vision became a hero in his own right, and equipped with an Infinity Stone, he was one of the more powerful heroes on the team. However, when division tore the team apart, Vision eventually chose to run away with one of the other most powerful heroes, his beloved Wanda Maximoff. Unfortunately, his synthetic life was cut short thanks to the Mad тιтan Thanos’ quest to collect all six Infinity Stones, when he tore the Mind Stone from Vision’s head. Vision’s death then pushes Wanda over the edge, causing her to do some truly terrible things in the MCU.
5
Phil Coulson
Speaking of another character whose death helped to define stories for years after their death, Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD is a prime example. In 2012s The Avengers, Coulson is instrumental in bringing the heroes together, but the thing that bonds them as a team is sealed in his blood. Coulson is murdered brutally by the mischievous god, Loki. While Coulson’s story continues in the Marvel series, Agents of SHIELD, the heroes of the Avengers team never see their friend again.
In many ways, this single death is the moment that takes these individual powered people, and sees them come together as a team. They even honor Coulson’s sacrifice in their team name, as they promise to avenge their fallen friend. Coulson’s death may be more than a decade in the past, and many of his original friends are now ᴅᴇᴀᴅ or otherwise occupied. However, Coulson’s death is no less important, as the age of heroes may never have begun without Coulson’s sacrifice in the MCU.
4
Gamora
Speaking of sacrifice, Gamora became the unfortunate victim of her adoptive father, Thanos, while he was seeking the Soul Stone on the mysterious planet, Vormir. In order to acquire the stone, the planet requires a sacrifice of the thing that the enquirer truly loves. While Gamora felt Thanos’ feelings for her were a farce, with the тιтan simply wanting a disciple, Thanos proves her wrong in a despicable act of betrayal and cruelty.
Gamora is cast to the bottom of a deep abyss, where she pᴀsses away, never to be seen again by her friends, and her beloved Peter Quill. However, when a Gamora from an alternate timeline arrives, Quill is confused, and his heart breaks further. This alternate Gamora did ally herself with the Guardians of the Galaxy briefly, but within the Sacred Timeline, there exists a Gamora from another reality making waves, and forging new paths that her predecessor likely never would have chosen for herself.
3
Black Widow
However, Gamora was not the only victim to fall on Vormir. When the Avengers gather five years after Thanos successfully enacted his plan to wipe out half of all life in the universe, they come up with a complex plan to gather the stones from the past, and undo the damage that Thanos did by bringing everyone back. Splitting up, the lethal ᴀssᴀssin, Black Widow, pairs up with sharpshooter Hawkeye to recover the Soul Stone, unaware that the planet requires a sacrifice.
Upon learning that one of the two would need to lay down their life to get the Soul Stone, and thus help to restore all life in the Universe, both Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton rush to give their lives and send their dear friend back with the Stone in hand. Evidently, Nat wins, and her sacrifice remains an essential part of the successful act of bringing everyone else back to life. And in her place, her younger sister, Yelena Belova, now stands as the new Black Widow, though Yelena is still clearly haunted by the death of her sister, as is Barton and other surviving heroes.
2
Aunt May Parker
Many of the entries on this list are people whose death helped to push the heroes to embrace their idenтιтy as a hero. However, Peter Parker was already operating as Spider-Man for several years before losing his only remaining family member, Aunt May Parker. In a twist on the usual origin story, Peter losing his Aunt is a pivotal moment in his timeline that teaches him the important and interconnected relationship between power and responsibility.
However, while this moment helps to set Peter on a course towards becoming the greatest hero he can ever be, after spending several movies getting to know Aunt May, her death is a crushing blow. May was always in Peter’s corner, and as the only surviving member of his family, she was all Peter had. Now, having pᴀssed away in tragic circumstances, Peter is all alone, and entering into a period of life that is completely new territory for the young hero. However, she was not the only mentor and friend Peter lost in the MCU.
1
Tony Stark
In Avengers: Endgame, the Hulk is the hero who volunteers to don the Infinity Gauntlet, and brings everyone who disappeared back. This act may appear simple, but the physical strain of wielding all six Infinity Stones is enough to severely injure the incredible Green Giant. And in the moments after this selfless act is completed, a variant of Thanos from earlier in the characters’ history arrives with an army, hoping to claim the Infinity Stones for himself once again.
All the heroes of Earth and several from the depths of Space gather to battle against Thanos, led by the original Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. The battle is epic and tense, but eventually, Tony Stark manages to take the Stones and snap his fingers, causing Thanos and his army to disappear. Tony Stark’s death is easily the most impactful in the entire MCU to date, marking the end of an era that began with Iron Man. The MCU has continued to grow in the years since Tony’s sacrifice, but it’s hard to imagine anything that could top the emotional intensity of this sacrifice.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Captain America: Brave New World
- Release Date
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February 14, 2025
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027
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