Every MCU Hero Who Retired (And The Ones Who Came Back)

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Daredevil: Born Again season 1, episode 1.Throughout the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there have been many heroes who have chosen to retire, with some later opting to return. With every new movie in the MCU, the franchise’s timeline grows and expands, introducing new characters and new narrative ideas. However, the franchise also sees heroes step down from their responsibilities, opting to move away from the often dangerous task of protecting the Earth from villainous forces.

In the course of the MCU’s movie timeline, many of the franchise’s heroes have chosen to retire in their respective storylines. Some of them remain retired, seemingly never to return to active heroism, although others still find themselves drawn back in, either by other heroes or by sheer necessity. Regardless of whether they were successful in staying retired or whether they returned to duty after a period of time, here is every MCU hero that chose to retire.

9

Daredevil

Daredevil: Born Again (2025)

The first episode of Daredevil: Born Again kicks off the show with a bang, formally introducing the Man Without Fear to the MCU with a devastating opening scene. It sees Bullseye target Matt Murdock’s closest friends, shooting and killing Foggy Nelson. Matt’s reaction to this – immediately after throwing Bullseye from the roof of a building in an attempt to kill him – is to remove his mask and discard his Daredevil idenтιтy.

Matt Murdock choosing to retire as Daredevil coming at the very beginning of the series’ first episode is particularly telling. Wilson Fisk’s opposition of vigilantes seems poised to draw Matt into reᴀssuming his hero idenтιтy, making it seem incredibly unlikely that Daredevil will remain retired for long in the MCU. However, Born Again’s time jump of a full year does indicate that Daredevil’s retirement is a substantial part of the show’s story, even if it isn’t destined to last.

8

Iron Man

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Though Iron Man’s MCU story ended with the Infinity Saga, it featured many defining moments and decisions for the hero. One such choice came at the end of Iron Man 3, in which Stark was faced with a difficult decision after battling against an Extremis-enhanced Aldrich Killian. After rescuing Pepper Potts and surviving the encounter, Stark opted to destroy all of his Iron Man suits and retire from being a hero.

Iron Man 3’s closing scene outlines Stark’s retirement, though it wasn’t ever destined to last very long. In his very next appearance in the MCU, 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Stark is shown once again stepping into the Iron Man armor and fighting alongside his fellow Avengers. He then stepped back from heroism once more, only to return in Avengers: Infinity War, and then retired and returned again to fight Thanos one more time in Avengers: Endgame.

7

Hank Pym

Before Ant-Man (2015)

Of all the heroes introduced in the MCU, few have retired as definitively as Ant-Man. First introduced in 2015’s Ant-Man, Hank Pym – the first and best-known iteration of the eponymous hero – was already retired upon his introduction to the franchise. The MCU’s older Pym appeared in order to mentor Scott Lang, his chosen successor, rather than attempting to come out of retirement himself.

The MCU’s Hank Pym was explained to have spent a considerable period of time as Ant-Man before retiring. His reason for stepping down as a hero was the disappearance of his wife, Janet Van Dyne, into the Quantum Realm, where he ᴀssumed she had died. Though the plot point was later resolved with her return, Pym’s retirement as Ant-Man endured, as the former hero had already pᴀssed the mantle and his suit on to Lang. Despite continuing to appear in a supporting capacity, Pym respected his choice and remained retired.

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

As one of the franchise’s founding Avengers, Hulk’s MCU story has been one of the longest-running in the entire continuity. First appearing in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, the hero has since appeared alongside many of the franchise’s other Avengers. However, his idenтιтy issues stemming from the clashing of his two personas ultimately led to his decision to retire at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, taking the Quinjet with the intention of piloting it to Fiji.

Hulk’s retirement from his hero duties was cut short in Thor: Ragnarok, where Thor found himself stranded on Sakaar and happened across the Hulk fighting in the Grandmaster’s arena. After some convincing from his Avengers teammate, Hulk and Banner returned to active hero life, playing a major role in Infinity War and Endgame’s stories. Hulk has since appeared in the MCU as a mentor and support figure to new heroes, making his retirement on Sakaar seem especially short-lived.

5

Nick Fury

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

There are few figures in the MCU that have proven to be as influential as Nick Fury. First appearing in the first ever MCU post-credits scene, Fury has gone on to play a major role in several stories, as well as being instrumental in the founding of the Avengers. Additionally, the former SHIELD director is another character who has seemingly retired numerous times within the MCU.

The first time that Fury retired, it was to step down from his position in Hydra-controlled SHIELD and encourage Captain America to dismantle the organization. He also stepped away from the Avengers, allowing them to manage themselves rather than offering them the guidance and oversight he did initially. Finally, Fury chose to retire from Earth entirely at the end of Secret Invasion, heading into space to man the SABER space station where he was seen in The Marvels.

4

Hawkeye

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

Despite being a founding Avenger and a former SHIELD operative, Hawkeye is often overlooked as an MCU hero. First introduced in 2011’s Thor, Hawkeye played a prominent role in both The Avengers in 2012 and its 2015 sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron. That movie’s ending saw Hawkeye choose to retire from heroics in order to remain at home with his family, clearly announcing his decision to Black Widow.

However, Captain America: Civil War saw a retired Hawkeye drawn back into the orbit of the Avengers upon learning that Wanda Maximoff was being effectively imprisoned in the Avengers compound. Barton rejoined the fight by ᴀssisting Captain America, retiring once again at the end of the movie. The events of Infinity War saw Hawkeye lose his family to Thanos’ snap, yet again drawing him out of retirement to act as the vigilante Ronin before rejoining the remaining Avengers in Endgame.

3

Star-Lord

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Though he was relatively unknown ahead of his MCU debut, Star-Lord has since become one of the franchise’s best-loved heroes. Chris Pratt’s turn as the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy lent a great comedic energy to the MCU, with Star-Lord appearing in multiple movies in the franchise. However, 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 saw Star-Lord retire, as Peter Quill chose to return to Earth to reconnect with his grandfather.

As Star-Lord is still alive and well in the MCU, it’s entirely possible that he’ll return as a hero in the franchise’s future. In fact, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s ending practically confirmed it, with a post-credits message promising that “the Legendary Star-Lord will return”. Though in what capacity he will come back is unclear, it would seem that the MCU immediately established that the hero’s retirement will not last too long.

2

Drax & Nebula

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Star-Lord was not the only member of the Guardians of the Galaxy to retire at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. While Rocket and Groot both opted to continue the team with new members, Drax and Nebula chose instead to retire from their previous roles. Each of them expressed their desire to remain on Knowhere, where they could help rebuild after the damage done by the High Evolutionary and his forces.

Interestingly, Drax and Nebula’s decision to retire to Knowhere doesn’t rule out their potential return in future MCU projects. In fact, their seemingly prominent roles in the mobile city’s community could facilitate them appearing again, albeit most probably in a supporting capacity. Though it would seem that their retirement from the Guardians is likely to remain permanent, it’s still possible for them to play a role in future MCU stories.

1

Captain America

Cap Retired More Than Once In The MCU

Despite being one of the most iconic Marvel heroes in the entire MCU, the franchise’s first Captain America retired on more than one occasion. After finding himself stranded in the present after spending decades frozen in the Arctic, Steve Rogers served as one of the leaders of the MCU’s Avengers. Captain America: Civil War saw him officially retire from that role, however, and he also chose to stop using his heroic moniker and instead operated simply as Steve Rogers.

After returning to battle Thanos and his forces, Avengers: Endgame saw Steve Rogers retire for good. While returning the Infinity Stones to the past, Rogers chose to stay there with Peggy Carter, with all indications being that he retired from being a hero to pursue his peaceful happy ending. It was one of the most touching and satisfying conclusions to a hero arc in the franchise, and it makes Steve Rogers one of the few heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to actually honor his decision to retire.

Upcoming MCU Movies

Thunderbolts*

Release Date

May 2, 2025

Powered by

Expand
Collapse
The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Release Date

July 25, 2025

Powered by

Expand
Collapse
Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

Powered by

Expand
Collapse
Spider-Man Homecoming 4

Release Date

July 24, 2026

Powered by

Expand
Collapse
Avengers: Secret Wars

Release Date

May 7, 2027

Powered by

Expand
Collapse