The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a rollercoaster of emotions, but over time, the way some moments land has changed, making several significantly more sad than when they first debuted. Most great movies connect with the audience on an emotional level, and the MCU has certainly achieved that over its lifetime.

From redeeming fallen characters and turning them into heroes, like Tony Stark, or Bucky Barnes, to exploring connections that are formed between unlikely allies, the MCU has done a lot in the last 17 years. However, many scenes and characters have also evolved over time.

As the stories expand, and the connections change shape, the way these moments affect the audience changes as well. With that in mind, there are plenty of scenes that were either already sad, and are now even sadder, or others that initially elicited totally different emotions, and now spark pangs of sadness.

7

Bucky & Sam’s Therapy

Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson had a messy relationship from the start. Of course, when Sam met Bucky, Bucky was still a brainwashed ᴀssᴀssin, so that caused some distrust to form. But once Bucky broke free of HYDRAs grasp on his mind, they were able to grow closer.

It was still a rocky road, as they both acted compeтιтively due to their friendship with Steve Rogers, but after working through all of these challenges, their relationship became one of the most inspiring and endearing in the entire MCU.

So, when the pair sit down for a therapy session in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the scene delivers a mix of emotions, such as humor, sadness, and sympathy. However, now that the two are at odds once again following both characters forming a team of Avengers, this scene loses some of its luster.

6

Spider-Man’s Avengers: Infinity War “Death”

For Peter Parker and Tony Stark, the bond they forged was considerably stronger from the beginning. Tony recruited Peter to work with him during the events of Captain America: Civil War, but it was clear that Peter idolized Tony.

Tony giving Peter an internship at Stark Industries was already an incredible opportunity for the young man, but the truth being that Tony wanted to personally work with Peter and develop him as the next generation of hero was significantly more impressive.

But, when Tony holds Peter in his arms after Thanos snaps half of all living beings out of existence, and Peter fades away, this is one of the most tragic moments in the MCU. And yet, it gets worse, when remembering the fact that upon reuniting, it will be Tony who dies while Peter watches on helplessly.

They never get a chance to reconnect after this moment, because Peter arrives in the middle of the battle with Thanos, and as much as they briefly make eye contact, there is no reunion. Ultimately, the scene when Peter disappears becomes even more heartbreaking with this fact in place.

5

Black Widow’s Death

Black Widow may not have had powers, but she was an undeniably pivotal part of the Avengers. Natasha Romanoff helped to recruit Tony when the team was just beginning, and it was Nat who could calm Bruce Banner out of his Hulk state. On top of this, she also had an incredibly close bond with Clint Barton.

So it’s evidently a tragedy when Nat sacrifices herself on Vormir to help Clint get the Soul Stone. However, since her death in Avengers: Endgame, Nat’s story was further explored in Black Widow. This movie helped to clarify Nat’s origin story, and introduce her sister, Yelena Belova.

Upon Nat’s death, the fallout for her family, friends, and everyone connected to her is so much greater. Yelena goes on a vendetta to avenge her sister, Clint retires from hero duty, and the entire team dissolves. The end of The Avengers begins with Nat’s death, and that makes her final moments so much harder to watch.

4

Scarlet Witch & Vision Forming A Romantic Connection

Many superheroes begin their journeys alone, or as outcasts. They struggle to fit in, and despite becoming a rock for others, they often lose sight of their own needs, becoming buried under expectations. This was certainly the case for Wanda Maximoff after losing her brother, Pietro.

However, in the depths of her sadness, Wanda was able to form a connection with Vision, another superhero whose life was isolated and lonely. Vision began life as an AI named JARVIS, before the power of the Mind Stone was able to bring him to life, and connect him to a material body intended for Ultron.

This sweet connection may be odd, but it was also exactly what both characters needed. However, Wanda’s run of misfortune was not over, and she would go on to lose Vision, and the life she created in Westview, which ultimately led to her becoming a villain.

With Wanda’s future so bleak, it’s hard to look back on the early moments of her relationship without at least a twinge of sadness about what is to come.

3

Taskmaster Is Revealed To Be Antonia Dreykov

Black Widow also introduced one of the most intriguing villains from Marvel Comics, Taskmaster. However, the version to appear in the MCU was distinctly different to the comics that inspired their story.

Antonia Dreykov, the daughter of Ivan Dreykov, the director of the Red Room Operation, was once an ordinary girl. Despite her father’s work in turning young women into elite ᴀssᴀssins, Antonia was spared this grueling fate.

Until, of course, Antonia was caught in an explosion intended to kill her father. Ivan believed transforming his daughter to become his greatest weapon would save her. But it was also a selfish act on his part, prolonging her suffering and turning her into a mindless killer.

Antonia was controlled by her father for years, living only to be a killer for her father. But Natasha and Yelena eventually find a way to break her free from her father’s control, which was clearly a wonderful moment.

But, almost at the very start of Thunderbolts*, Antonia is rapidly killed off, which sours the reality of her being saved quite considerably.

2

Spider-Man Reveals His Secret Idenтιтy To Michelle Jones

In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter tries to find the perfect moment to reveal his secret to MJ, but he struggles to get the words out. Fortunately, MJ is smart, and she already had theories about Peter’s extracurricular activities.

This leads to the pair growing closer, and their relationship flourishing ahead of some of the toughest challenges Peter will ever face, like losing his Aunt May, and having his idenтιтy publicly revealed.

However, at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter’s secret idenтιтy is erased from everyone’s minds, including MJ’s, which means for her, their relationship never existed. In fact, Peter Parker never existed to anyone left alive.

This is a devastating moment for the hero, and one that sets him on a new course, but it’s hard to watch everything he loses and feel OK.

1

The Avengers ᴀssemble For The First Time

Throughout the first decade of the MCU, most of the stories all revolved around the heroes collectively known as The Avengers. This team struggled to work together initially, with strong personalities ʙuттing heads, but when push came to shove, they answered the call.

However, by the end of the Infinity Saga, Tony and Steve are both gone, with Tony sacrificing himself to stop Thanos, and Steve retiring to live out a life with his beloved Peggy Carter. Natasha gave her life to get Clint the Soul Stone, and Clint has left his hero days in the past.

The only members still standing of the original lineup are Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder, and Bruce Banner, who has combined his brilliant mind with his Hulk form. However, neither Thor nor Bruce are in a position to lead a new team of heroes.

With that in mind, it’s tough to look back at the moment the heroes first came together in the Battle of New York during The Avengers, and not think about everything that has been lost since then. However, this does prove just how powerful and efficient the MCU has been at inspiring emotions in the fanbase.