Superhero

movies often revolve around stories of good overcoming evil, and hopeful heroes stepping up to save the day, but some superhero movies are considerably sadder. Superhero movies have been around for decades. Alongside the rise in the popularity of superheroes in comics that took place steadily throughout the twentieth century, adaptations of heroes in film began to boom from roughly the 1970s onwards, with the introduction of iconic heroes like Superman.

Generally, these movies leaned on the same core principles and values that the heroes espoused, and for the biggest and best among them, this meant truth, justice, hope, and courage. But in the 1990s, superhero stories started to become more complex, with anti-heroes, dark avengers, and cursed souls that replaced the usual stream of upbeat, goofy, and hope-fuelled heroes. This shift towards more complex heroes also resulted in some of the saddest and best superhero stories of all time.

10

The Crow

The Crow, first released in 1994, is a film that was steeped in tragedy and misfortune. The movie stars Brandon Lee, the son of iconic action star Bruce Lee, who died during the making of the film. But the plot of the film follows a young man who finds himself becoming the victim of a brutal attack that led to both his death and the death of his girlfriend.

However, driven by his intense emotions, and a need to enact revenge on the monsters who hurt his beloved, Eric Draven, aka the Crow, is brought back to life as an unᴅᴇᴀᴅ supernatural being. Driven by his despair, and his hatred, the Crow hunts down his attackers, in one of the darkest and most angsty superhero films ever made.

9

The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy changed the game when it came to superhero stories. Prior to its release, Batman had frequently been played as a comedy hero, but Nolan dug deeper into the darkness and isolation of The Dark Knight. With Christian Bale tackling the role of Bruce Wayne, and donning a superhero persona, the pair took the familiar story back to its dark and tense origins, and expanded on the story. The first entry established the familiar hero in Batman Begins, but The Dark Knight sees Batman reach new lows.

As Batman works tirelessly to clean the streets of Gotham, and make sure that criminals are held responsible for their actions, new players enter the game, such as Harvey Dent, aka Gotham’s White Knight, and the Joker, a menacing murderer with a thirst for chaos. In this film, Bruce’s beloved Rachel is murdered; Dent descends into madness to become a villain, and the Joker may not get his way, but he shines enough light on the remaining darkness in Gotham to prove that Batman’s actions were in some ways futile.

8

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians of the Galaxy is a series of films about misfit heroes who find each other. For the most part, the series is fun, energetic, and thrilling, but the third outing of these heroes is particularly tragic. While the first two films put more of a focus on Peter Quill, his tragic childhood and his father, the third movie takes a closer look at the life and times of Rocket Raccoon.

Rocket is a genetically enhanced animal who has the capacity to think, talk, and create spectacular devices. However, to get to that point, he was experimented upon in cruel and torturous ways by a mad scientist called The High Evolutionary. Along the way, Rocket loses near and dear friends, and suddenly, the reason for his defensiveness, and his rough exterior, becomes crystal clear.

7

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

When Chadwick Boseman pᴀssed away in 2020, it was a shock to fans of the actor due to his challenging diagnosis having been kept private. However, he left enough of a mark on the MCU that it would have been wrong to simply replace him in Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever. So, instead, the film takes a reflective approach that pays tribute to the actor, and the incredible character that he helped to bring to life.

However, the real tragedy that occurred combined with the story that paid tribute to Boseman was deeply moving. The film does establish a new order, and bring in new heroes, but the mark left by Boseman and the in-universe character of T’Challa is enormous. The result is a heart-breaking journey for the people of Wakanda as they try to move on without their hero, king, and protector.

6

Constantine

Constantine is one of the more unique superhero films ever made. Starring Keanu Reeves, this dark tale of angels and demons revolves around the occult expert, John Constantine. However, Constantine is suffering from an incurable illness that is guaranteed to kill him in time. Due to the fact that he is already dying, Constantine puts his life on the line in order to help others, before the film ultimately sees him die to save others and summon the devil.

However, while the entire film is drenched in sadness, the conclusion, which sees Constantine brought back to life and cured of disease, is also heartbreaking for a number of reasons. The devil only performed this resurrection in order to stop John from ascending to heaven, and finally achieving rest from his earthly labors. John just couldn’t catch a break.

5

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man is one of the most hopeful and bright heroes in history, though his story often begins with the tragic death of his Uncle Ben, after having already lost his parents at a young age. Despite this, Spider-Man is driven, determined, and devoted to helping others, and he becomes an icon and a hero. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker reaches a breaking point after yet another tragedy strikes.

The Amazing Spider-Man series starring Andrew Garfield started out as one of the most engaging and enthusiastic, but the tonal shift in the sequel is enormous. With Spider-Man facing greater threats than ever before, losing dear friends who turn into literal monsters, and trying tirelessly to protect the woman he loves, Parker is stretched beyond breaking point. And when his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, is put into harms way to hurt Peter, he tragically fails to save her in time. It’s one of the most devastating deaths ever in the superhero genre.

4

Big Hero 6

While The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ends with a tragic death, Big Hero 6 opens up with one. Despite the colorful animated style, and the exciting technology the film explores, there is no denying that watching young Hiro Hamada lose his brother Tadashi is devastating. A significant portion of the runtime is dedicated to exploring his grief in the wake of these events.

And even when things start to get more hopeful as Hiro connects with his brother’s robot, Baymax, it’s underlined by the terrible loss. The film does a great job of balancing this emotion and ensuring the sadness moves the story forward, but it remains a deeply emotional film.

3

Logan

Hugh Jackman embodies the character of Wolverine with extraordinary skill. However, all stories must come to an end, and after nearly two decades of playing this character, Jackman says goodbye to the familiar hero in Logan. But even more than that, this dark dystopian superhero film sees the world in a state of despair and conflict.

The divide between humans and mutants has only increased. Professor X’s hopes to bring these communities together have dissolved, along with his mental capacity, and Logan’s healing factor is wearing thin. The movie features multiple deaths of iconic heroes and one of the darkest timelines ever explored in a superhero movie.

2

Avengers: Infinity War

The MCU’s Infinity Saga was always building towards an intense and explosive ending, but no one was fully prepared for what was to come in Avengers: Infinity War. From the outset, Thanos establishes his incredible power, as he brutally kills Loki and lays a beat-down on the Hulk. However, hope remains that the heroes can stop the Mad тιтan before he collects all the Infinity Stones.

The heroes come together, and on multiple fronts, they oppose Thanos in his plans to collect the incredibly powerful artifacts. And yet, when all is said and done, the heroes fail. Thanos collects the stones, and he brings to pᴀss his ultimate plan. And in the film’s final moments, people begin to fade to dust, as the heroes sit with their failure.

1

Avengers: Endgame

The sequel, which offers the second half of the concluding chapter in the Infinity Saga, starts out in a much darker place. Not only did the heroes lose in the fight against Thanos, but in the five years since he snapped half of all life in the universe into oblivion, they have been unable to do anything to fix it. For five years, people have been without loved ones, and life has begun to move on in some ways, while staying permanently stuck in others.

Fortunately, the heroes find ways to finally put things right, but it comes at an enormous cost. The world is put right, and the missing people return, but Black Widow, Iron Man, and Captain America, three of the World’s Mightiest Heroes, are lost forever, having given their lives to save the world. And while Captain America technically survives into old age due to his time travel, the MCU is never the same again.