Top 10 Biggest Superhero Movie Deaths
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Top 10 Biggest Superheroes Movie Deaths
Top 10 Biggest Superhero Deaths
We expected action and adventure, but not so much emotion! Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Biggest Deaths in Superhero Movies. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most important or momentous deaths in superhero films. It doesn’t matter if they stay dead or not, just that the death is important to the plot or to pop culture in general. Because character death is the point of the list, there will be spoilers ahead.
#10: Groot
Superhero Origins: Groot
“Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014) Our first film,“Guardians of the Galaxy”, is incredibly funny, but it’s not without its weightier moments. While there are several big deaths in the film, we went with the death of the large, fan favorite living tree creature, Groot. Despite only being capable of saying “I am Groot” for most of the movie, Groot’s physical comedy and numerous charms make him very endearing. So it’s rather touching when the big lug decides to sacrifice himself by protecting his friends in a cocoon of his own branches. If you’d have told us a few years ago that we’d get choked up at the death of a talking tree, we would not have believed you.
#9: Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus
“Spider-Man 2” (2004) Villain deaths are an important part of the plots to many superhero movies, as they often act as the climax of their respective films. However, few such deaths in the history of the genre have been as well executed as that of Dr. Otto Octavius, a.k.a. Dr. Octopus. Doc Ock’s tragic journey, from losing his wife and letting his artificial limbs influence his actions, to trying to recreate the experiment that claimed his lost love’s life, paints him rather sympathetically. So when Peter manages to open his eyes to the danger he’s putting the city in with his device and the villain responds by sacrificing himself, it makes for quite the impact.
#8: Walter Kovacs / Rorschach
“Watchmen” (2009) This grim superhero story is an ensemble film, but if we had to pick a protagonist, it’d probably be Rorschach. Born Walter Kovacs, Rorschach is an uncompromising, murderous vigilante whose investigations into the death of a retired vigilante leads him and his former comrades into a vast conspiracy. Despite learning that the goal of the plan is to create world peace, Rorschach refuses to keep quiet, as the plot goes against his principles; leading the tormented man to demand that Dr. Manhattan kill him. That the nuclear superhuman complies represents his complete departure from humanity, while the stinger at the film’s end shows that Rorschach managed to expose the truth nonetheless.
#7: Phil Coulson
“The Avengers” (2012) A high ranking member of S.H.I.E.L.D., Phil Coulson is a prominent part of the first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, helping to acclimate several major heroes, as well as the audience, into the broader world they’re a part of. However, the first major team-up film sees Agent Coulson murdered by Loki. Witnessing this fan favorite character die was heartbreaking, but without this tragedy, the Avengers would have never come together. Thankfully, that wasn’t the end of Coulson’s story, and we would go on to learn the story of his resurrection in the series “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”.
#6: Jonathan Kent
“Superman” (1978) Clark Kent may have been born on Krypton, and the deaths of his Kryptonian parents are indeed moving and well depicted, particularly in “Man of Steel,” but his human parents helped make him the hero he becomes. One of the more pivotal moments for young Kal-El occurs when Jonathan Kent has a heart attack at their farm and dies. Clark’s realization that, for all the power he has, he still can’t save everyone, is an important one for his development as Superman; motivating him to work harder to save the people he can.
#5: Ben Parker
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“Spider-Man” (2002) Peter Parker has experienced numerous tragedies over the course of his various on-screen appearances. While the loss of Gwen Stacy in the second “Amazing Spider-Man” film is tragic and pivotal, his most defining moment is easily the loss of his uncle Ben - best exemplified in the first Sam Raimi movie. After Ben gives Peter his famed speech on great power and great responsibility, Peter recklessly allows a robber to get away from a man who stiffed him. However, when the bandit apparently ends up killing Ben in his getaway attempt, Peter’s uncle’s words hit home even harder; serving to define Spider-Man’s outlook and approach to his calling as a superhero.
#4: Thomas & Martha Wayne
Various As we’ve already seen, many of the most famous heroes have been shaped by tragic loss. But arguably the most well-known of these is the death of Batman’s parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne. Usually depicted as happening outside a cinema, their death is the result of a simple mugging gone wrong, the only survivor of which is their young son. While there have been various culprits across the different retellings, and the Tim Burton “Batman” version lends an extra level of conflict to his relationship with the Joker, their deaths always spur the young Bruce to become the crime fighting vigilante that Gotham needs.
#3: Logan / Wolverine
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“Logan” (2017) The final solo film for the most popular member of the X-Men also sees the death of Professor Charles Xavier, but we couldn’t not give this entry to the title character. Logan, better known as Wolverine, has lived a long life, both within the films and in the real world, as Hugh Jackman’s portrayal lasted nearly two decades. Logan’s life was a storied one, but his final act is to save his cloned daughter Laura and her friends at the expense of his own; redeeming himself for his earlier apathy while passing on what he’s learned to her. “Don’t be what they made you.”
#2: Everyone
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“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) Yeah, okay, maybe “everyone” is a bit hyperbolic, but given that literally half the universe is killed, we think we’re entitled to a bit of exaggeration. “Avengers: Infinity War” is a buffet of major and traumatic character deaths. From Loki and Heimdall, to Vision and Gamora, Marvel’s biggest crossover movie to that point didn’t pull any punches. Then, of course, comes Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet snap, which disintegrates half of the intelligent beings in the universe, including many superheroes. There’s just so much death in this film that it was impossible to choose just one - and the quantity and quality of them all together more than earned this spot. Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions. Rachel Dawes “The Dark Knight” (2008) Jor-El & Lara Lor-Van “Man of Steel” (2013) Gwen Stacy “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014) Charles Xavier “Logan” (2017) Steve Trevor “Wonder Woman” (2017)
#1: Tony Stark / Iron Man
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“Avengers: Endgame” (2019) While Black Widow’s fall to her death deserves a mention considering how long Scarlett Johansson has been playing Natasha Romanoff in the MCU, iit’s not like she could have topped the demise of the “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” that kicked off the massive superhero franchise. Having followed Tony Stark’s evolution over the course of 11 movies, it was downright devastating to witness Iron Man’s final moments in this Phase 3 film. At least we can all find some comfort in the fact that Stark had been allowed to live a relatively happy family life before he gave it up to save the universe, which made for a fitting and unforgettable end to both his character’s arc and “Endgame” itself.
