Both Marvel and DC have deployed wholly unnecessary or downright preposterous heroic sacrifices. Heroic sacrifices are a staple of comic book movies and TV shows, often used to create emotional moments that leave audiences in shock. However, some of these sacrifices haven’t received enough justification in the narrative to hit home. Worst still, some are so redundant they become distracting, taking the audience out of the action rather than accentuating it.

Superhero media thrives on the trope of self-sacrifice. It’s a way to highlight the nobility of characters, raise stakes, and elicit emotional reactions from audiences. Both the DCU timeline and the MCU continuity boast numerous examples. Iron Man’s iconic death in Avengers: Endgame might be the most notable heroic sacrifice in contemporary superhero media. However, in other instances when a heroic death or major sacrifice lacks necessity, it can feel contrived rather than impactful.

10

Jean Grey Lifts The Blackbird From The Outside

X2: X-Men United

One of the most famous heroic sacrifices in comic book movie history happens in X2: X-Men United when Jean Grey steps outside of the Blackbird to telekinetically lift it above the incoming waters of Alkali Lake. Jean holds back the rushing water while simultaneously raising the jet, ultimately sacrificing herself in the process. The moment is heartbreaking, with each of the X-Men grieving her as they escape.

However, this sacrifice didn’t need to happen at all. Jean Grey is an incredibly powerful telepath and telekinetic who had previously demonstrated precise control over her abilities. There was no reason she couldn’t have lifted the Blackbird while staying safely inside. Instead, the scene forces her into an unnecessary death simply to set up her resurrection as the Phoenix in X-Men: The Last Stand, making her demise feel more like a plot device than a necessary consequence.

9

Quicksilver Runs In Front Of Bullets

Avengers: Age Of Ultron

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Quicksilver meets his untimely end when he runs in front of a hail of gunfire to save Hawkeye and a child. His last words, “You didn’t see that coming?” make for a poignant farewell, but his sacrifice feels completely unnecessary given his super-speed abilities. Quicksilver’s powers allow him to move at an incredible velocity, which means he could have easily moved both Hawkeye and the child out of harm’s way instead of putting himself in the line of fire.

Throughout the film, he’s shown effortlessly dodging bullets and moving faster than the eye can see. The decision to have him sacrifice himself in this way feels more like a forced attempt at emotional weight rather than a logical conclusion to his character’s arc. Given his abilities, he should have had multiple ways to avoid his own demise while still saving others.

8

Superman Uses A Kryptonite Spear To Kill Doomsday

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice

Superman’s battle against Doomsday in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice culminates in a tragic moment where he wields a Kryptonite spear to deliver the killing blow. Superman determines that Kryptonite will weaken Doomsday. However, since Kryptonite is also lethal to him, Superman is weakened as well, allowing Doomsday to deliver a killing blow in its final moments.

Superman’s sacrifice in Dawn of Justice didn’t need to happen at all and largely served to set up his resurrection in Justice League. Wonder Woman, who was actively fighting Doomsday alongside Superman and Batman, was more than capable of delivering the final blow herself. She had already proven her combat superiority against the monster, and unlike Superman, she isn’t weakened by Kryptonite. The scene feels engineered to force Superman’s death rather than allowing the fight to conclude in a way that makes strategic sense.

7

Batman Takes The Blame For Harvey Dent’s Crimes

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight ends with Batman deciding to take the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimes to preserve the former district attorney’s legacy. Batman and Commissioner Gordon agree that if Gotham knew Dent had become Two-Face and gone on a killing spree, the city would lose hope. To prevent that, Batman allows himself to be framed and becomes a fugitive. While noble, this sacrifice could have been avoided.

Gotham had just endured absolute chaos at the hands of the Joker, and Dent’s descent into madness was largely overshadowed. The public could have easily been misled in a way that didn’t involve blaming Batman – his crimes could have been pinned on the Joker, who had already caused immense devastation. By choosing to take the blame, Batman unnecessarily exiles himself and burdens Gotham with a lie, setting up problems for the future that were wholly unnecessary.

6

Yondu Gives Up His Spacesuit For Quill

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 culminated in Yondu’s ultimate act of heroism – sacrificing his life by giving Peter Quill his spacesuit. However, this seems questionable when viewed through the lens of the established universe. In the first film, it’s made clear that humans can survive in space for a brief period, and Peter Quill, having unlocked his Celestial powers, would likely have been able to survive the vacuum of space.

This notion is further supported in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, where Quill, once again faces space unprotected, is rescued by Adam Warlock and survives. Given that Yondu and Quill were just moments away from reaching a ship, Quill likely would have survived, rendering Yondu’s death somewhat redundant. The scene feels more like an excuse for an emotional climax than a narratively justified plot point.

5

Groot Makes A Wooden Shield To Protect His Team From A Crashing Spaceship

Guardians Of The Galaxy

In the first Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot famously formed a wooden shield around his teammates to protect them from the fiery crash of a spaceship. While the scene is heroic and emotional, it’s hard to ignore the physical impossibility of the act. A wooden structure, no matter how large or durable, would be ill-equipped to withstand the intense heat and explosion of a spaceship crash.

There’s no insulation or suspension to shield against such forces, making Groot’s actions scientifically implausible. Moreover, if Groot’s shield was strong enough to protect his team from the crashing ship, it’s odd that he himself perished in the process. If the shield could save the team, then it should have been more than enough to protect Groot, raising the question of why he didn’t survive. His sacrifice, while noble, ends up feeling inconsistent.

4

Jonathan Kent Refuses To Let Clark Save Him

Man Of Steel

In Man of Steel, Jonathan Kent’s decision to refuse Clark’s help during the tornado scene stands out as a highly controversial and seemingly unnecessary sacrifice. Jonathan, aware that his son possesses superhuman abilities, fears that saving him would reveal Clark’s powers to the world, exposing his idenтιтy. However, Clark’s incredible speed and reflexes could have easily allowed him to save his father without anyone noticing.

Superman can outrun bullets, so there’s no reason he couldn’t have moved faster than the eye could see, using the tornado as cover to preserve his secret. Jonathan’s insistence on dying, then, feels illogical and out of character. Ultimately, this sacrifice in Man of Steel serves more as an emotional turning point to spur Clark Kent on than a well-reasoned decision, undermining both Jonathan’s character and the logic of the scene.

3

Lilia Calderu Sacrifices Herself On The Witches’ Road

Agatha All Along

In Agatha All Along, Lilia Calderu’s self-sacrifice on the Witches’ Road is presented as an act of ultimate bravery to protect the coven from the Salem Seven. However, the circumstances surrounding her death raise significant questions. The entire premise behind her sacrifice is based on the belief that the Witches’ Road is real, but this is proven incorrect by the end of the series. If the Road is not real, Lilia’s death becomes a tragic and unnecessary loss.

Additionally, with a fully-powered Wiccan and a slightly-powered Agatha Harkness, both of whom are capable of powerful magic, the coven had the means to fend off the Salem Seven without needing Lilia to make the ultimate sacrifice. Lilia’s death is emblematic of a pointless sacrifice, as her power and the coven’s capabilities would have sufficed, but was ultimately pointless.

2

Wanda Destroys Vision’s Mind Stone Too Late

Avengers: Infinity War

In Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda Maximoff’s delay in destroying the Mind Stone stands out as a major missed opportunity that leads to Thanos’s victory. Wanda had the power to destroy the stone earlier in the film. This could have potentially prevented Thanos from completing his gauntlet and ultimately altering the course of the battle. However, she hesitates, and by the time she finally destroys the stone, Thanos simply needs to use the Time Stone to reverse her efforts.

Thereupon Vision was killed anyway. This delay is arguably futile because Wanda, despite her love and desperation, should have recognized the urgency of destroying the stone before Thanos could arrive and intervene. Had Wanda acted sooner, the outcome of Avengers: Infinity War could have been significantly different, and the destruction of the Mind Stone might have saved countless lives.

1

Captain America’s Plane Crash

Captain America: The First Avenger

At the conclusion of Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers decides to crash a plane carrying Red Skull’s advanced weaponry into the Arctic, sacrificing himself to prevent the potential destruction of major cities. While the heroism of this act is clear, it raises questions about the necessity of such a drastic measure. Notably, the film doesn’t set any strict time constraints on the danger posed by the plane,

As such, there’s no clear reason why Steve couldn’t have circled the area, buying time for SHIELD to intervene or even come up with an alternative plan. Additionally, given Steve’s military training, it seems plausible that he could have attempted to land the plane or guide it to a safer destination. His premature crash serves more as a way to establish his character arc and set up his later return in The Avengers, but it feels like a rushed decision without sufficient rationale. It is one of the more perplexing heroic sacrifices made in both Marvel or DC adaptations.