TheMCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe)prides itself on telling the stories of the superheroes and villains from Marvel Comics. Within those comics, people sometimes die, and Marvel Studios has done a great job of translating those stories onto the screen, big and small. There has been a shocking amount of bloodshed in the MCU thus far, especially for a Disney-produced brand that has beenconflicted in its family-friendly stance.
In the name of excellent storytelling, heroes, villains, and innocent people have all been murdered, yet it still appears to be widely believed that the actual good guys wouldn’t ever go so far as to murder anybody. Some Avengers have killed people on-screen, while others have done it off-screen, leaving terrible tragedies in their midst. The most impactful moments when MCU superheroes have killed another person, on purpose or by accident, are listed below.
Yondu(Michael Rooker) was perhaps the best anti-hero in the MCU in the end, which is impressive given that he originally appeared inGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise as an adversary. Although he was never nearly as evil as Ronan (Lee Pace) and clearly cared for Peter, he would nonetheless have killed the man if he had the opportunity. InGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Yondu then had an enormous character development arc, asserting his rightful role as both Peter Quill’s father and an honorary Guardian. And he accomplished this by escaping from his Ravager jail and utilizing his Yaka Arrow to transform Taserface’s (Chris Sullivan) team into Swiss cheese in one of the most epic combat and musical mash-ups in the whole series.
14Pepper Potts
Pepper Potts(Gwenyth Paltrow) is responsible for one of this list’s most unexpected killings in the MCU. InIron Man 3, Pepper receives a surprise visit from Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), an old friend who is trying to convince her and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) to support and invest in his business, A.I.M. His business created a potent serum called Extremis that improves the physical prowess of the human body, including strength, speed, and healing capacities. Pepper refused his offer, certain that Tony would do the same since her biggest worry was that the serum would be turned into a weapon. Later, in a plot against Tony, Killian kidnaps Pepper and injects her with Extremis, where she goes through severe torment and agony, not knowing if the serum will accept or kill her. Pepper is the individual who ultimately, together with Tony and his Iron Legion, takes down Killian.
13Bucky Barnes
We can all agree that the tragedy involving James “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is devastating. Barnes is on the road to redemption even if he wasn’t a hero at first, thanks toThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier’sstoryline. Although counting Bucky’s exploits as The Winter Soldier may seem unfair,Captain America: Civil Warand Bucky’s eventual reconditioning in Wakanda should have taught us all that there was always a bit of the old Bucky remaining.
Given what The Winter Soldier accomplished for Hydra’s benefit, that is heartbreaking at best and indescribably terrifying at worst. Although unaware at the time ofThe Winter Soldier’s murders, Bucky recalls and is disturbed by them, as we eventually learn. Though he does yank Jasper Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernandez) from a moving automobile and dump him under a truck — arguably the most gruesome death in the entire MCU- we don’t really witness too many of The Winter Soldier’s killings on-screen.
Related:The Winter Soldier: What Could Be Next for Sebastian Stan in the MCU
In the shocking and sorrowful footage, Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) shared at the conclusion ofCivil War, we also witness him murder Tony Stark’s parents. Being a trained sniper, it is fair to presume that Bucky Barnes killed enemy soldiers before his tragic fall from the train in addition to the killings he made as The Winter Soldier.
12Scarlet Witch
Despite the fact that she began as a misled, brainwashed Hydra experiment, Wanda Maximoff a.k.a.Scarlet Witch(Elizabeth Olsen) didn’t murder anybody until she switched allegiance to the Avengers, which was regrettably not done in the name of morality. She contributed significantly to the Sokovia Accords by accidentally murdering enough people to fill a whole building in Nigeria inCaptain America: Civil Warwhile attempting to save Steve from Crossbones' suicide bombing. Even if it wasn’t planned, there aren’t many MCU deaths that have had such an impact and been so closely related to one hero’s deeds. And then, inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wandabecame the villainand went on a murderous rampage in search of a way to be with her children.
The fact that theHulk(Mark Ruffalo) we are introduced to inThor: Ragnarokis no longer a hero is simply skimmed over. Even though he may be more charming and brilliant, The Grandmaster’s (Jeff Goldblum) cruel games cost innocent opponents their lives to further his popularity. Although we only get to witness one of those victims die on-screen — poor Doug — being a hero deserving of being depicted on Sakaar’s enormous totem requires murdering a significant number of people. And when Bruce Banner ultimately realizes what he’s contributed to, how much will it weigh on his moral compass? Hulk also kills Hela’s (Cate Blanchett) hound dog Fenris at the climax ofRagnarok, which is the biggest kill (in terms of sheer size) in the MCU.
10The Guardians
TheGuardiansall have criminal records that contain some rather severe offenses by virtue of being criminals at first, albeit not all of them are killers when they band together. While Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) have minor infractions on their records, Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Drax (Dave Bautista) both have murder in their criminal histories. And the worst offense committed by Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) was having sex with a royal.
Only one of the squad members, Groot, can say they haven’t murdered anyone at the end ofGuardians of the Galaxybecause he’s dead at that time. The remaining Guardians stand up to Ronan at the end of the movie after his plan to destroy Xandar is thwarted, and they utilize the strength of their friendship to channel the Power Stone and kill the Kree terrorist. It’s difficult in terms ofthe Infinity Stones' comic book mythology, yet it makes a lasting impression in the film.
9Baby Groot
InGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the second Groot incarnation, lovingly dubbedBaby Groot, was obviously more in sync with his bloodlust after missing out on becoming a genuine murderer in the firstGuardiansfilm due to the fact that he was already dead. Baby Groot defies all predictions of him as a danger by successfully implanting Rocket’s bomb into Ego’s (Kurt Russell) head, while Peter Quill works through his father’s problems in the most overt way possible by fighting his own biological father as the one who nurtured him goes to his rescue. And even as Ego begs Peter to save him and spare him the loss of his godlike abilities, the small tree man activates the gadget, destroying his brain. As far as kills go, the junior hero taking down an authentic Celestial is a fairly remarkable accomplishment.
8Doctor Strange (with Christine Palmer)
In the MCU, onlyDoctor Strangeestablished that, if you kill an astral projection of anyone, their body likewise perishes. This is similar to how murdering someone in theMatrixkills them in real life.Dr. Stephen Strange(Benedict Cumberbatch) and one of Kaecilius' fanatics (Scott Adkins) battle throughChristine Palmer’s (Rachel McAdams) hospital in an incredibly amazing action sequence that involves them leaving their physical bodies. The knockout blow occurs when Palmer uses a defibrillator on Strange’s supine body, and he directs the energy into the projection of his attacker, effectively roasting him. The combat is quite intense given it is just two ghosts performing in reduced gravity. It is among the franchise’s most intimately felt murders without a doubt.
Related:Anthony Mackie Discusses Playing a ‘Humane’ Hero in Captain America: New World Order
WhenVision(Paul Bettany) initially emerged inAvengers: Age of Ultron, he was shown as a type of Human 2.0, Ultron’s supremely superior version of humanity created in defiance of the flaws in his own creation. He is instantly deserving of lifting Mjolnir because of his perfection, and the Mind Stone’s ability to provide him with god-like abilities greatly aids his messianic condition. His growing awareness of mankind across the movies alters both Vision himself and his abilities. Because of his love for Wanda Maximoff, the character has undergone a full transformation by the time we reachAvengers: Infinity War. Vision’s acceptance of his own need to die solidified his descent, which was a reflection of his growing humanity. He did, however, succeed in obtaining one significant victory by raising Corvus Glaive (Michael James Shaw) up on his own weapon, killing him.
InAnt-Man, Scott Lang a.k.a.Ant-Man(Paul Rudd) is really just a father who has been forced into difficult situations as a result of a poor choice made with good intentions. Although it is hard to imagine Darren Cross a.k.a. Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll) as a cold-blooded killer, he is one of the MCU’s most fanatical and passionate antagonists. Yellowjacket wouldn’t be likely to stop because he himself is motivated by revenge and the perceived unfairness in his treatment by father figure Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). As soon as he brings the battle to Lang’s house and threatens his daughter, there can be only one result. Scott responds by becoming subatomic in order to enter Yellowjacket’s suit and essentially cause him to implode before demonstrating that it is possible to escape the Quantum Realm simultaneously.
