Top 20 Saddest Death Scenes in Superhero Movies

“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)

For years, fans have only known Loki as the MCU’s resident trickster. But through years of carefully crafted character development, Loki became somewhat of a hero in the eyes of many. His status as a redeemed character makes his eventual death at the hands of Thanos that much more heartbreaking. The Mad Titan strangling the life out of the Norse god as a helpless Thor is forced to watch is next-level savagery. Considering this all happened within the very first moments of “Infinity War,” it quickly let us know that this movie wasn’t playing around. Though Loki would inevitably return as a timeline-traveling variant, the death of the main Loki remains a devastating loss in the MCU.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (2023)

Despite this movie’s strong themes of finding family and acceptance, “Guardians 3” is arguably the darkest MCU movie to have come in recent years. You don’t need to look any further than the death of Lylla for proof. Rocket’s childhood friend and fellow test experiment for the High Evolutionary never knew a life beyond her cage. While she and her other friends finally got released thanks to Rocket’s ingenuity, the heartfelt moment quickly turned into a bittersweet one. As she’s shot down by the High Evolutionary, Rocket’s horror mirrors our own at the soul-shattering scene. Fans hoped to see Lylla and the rest of Batch 89 one day reunite with Rocket, but as this moment tragically proved: it just wasn’t meant to be.

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021)

Struck down by a fatal attack from the Green Goblin, Aunt May’s death proves to be an incredibly heartbreaking moment in Peter Parker’s life. But while it’s defined by being gut-wrenching, it’s also defined by the lines of wisdom May imparts to Peter with her dying breath. Losing her isn’t just the death of a loved one that shocks the fans. It’s something that pushes Peter to his absolute brink as he seeks nothing but revenge against the multiversal Green Goblin. Consequently, the death is one of “No Way Home’s” first dominoes to fall which push Peter into some of the loneliest territories the character has ever reached in the MCU.

“X2: X-Men United” (2003)

Though Cyclops and Wolverine are often quite different, one thing they morbidly have in common is their shared grief over the death of Jean Grey in “X2.” To prevent the water that spilled from a broken dam from wiping the X-Men out, Jean decides to sacrifice herself. She holds the water back just long enough to let their jet leave and eventually drowns in the flood. The haunting sacrifice understandably leaves the X-Men in shambles. The gravity of the situation is really felt when we see Cyclops sobbing into Wolverine of all people's shoulders. Even though Jean returned in “Last Stand,” her death at Alkali Lake would send ripples across the team.

“The Avengers” (2012)

When S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson was brutally killed by Loki in “The Avengers,” it was a pretty bleak moment. Created solely for the MCU, his appearances as a side character in various of the franchise’s early movies made him someone that eagle-eyed fans enjoyed spotting. Despite only being a supporting character, the weight of his inevitable demise was felt. In fact, his death was a consequence that every Avenger grappled with. The moment even helped the team earn their name as they’d avenge Coulson by thwarting Loki and the Chitauri invasion. Though even death wasn’t quite the end for Coulson, it proved to be an impactful one nonetheless.

“Captain America: Civil War” (2016)

Tony Stark knew that his parents passed away in a fatal car accident, and that’s a very disturbing way to die on its own. However, the whole truth makes their deaths even more sinister. Footage given by Baron Zemo reveals that the accident was hardly an accident. The Winter Soldier would engineer their crash, and later ensure that they’re killed. Seeing Tony’s visible anger bubble up to the surface is heartbreaking. What makes it even worse is that Captain America knew what Bucky did. So much for their friendship! Even if you were Team Cap, you couldn’t help but feel bad for Iron Man here.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018)

Aaron Davis’ death is one that hits his nephew Miles Morales hard in “Into the Spider-Verse.” The villain, otherwise known as the Prowler, gets into an altercation with Spider-Man, not knowing he’s actually Miles. When he does, Aaron stops their fight. While he comes to his senses, it’s his decision to stop fighting which sadly costs him his life. Kingpin’s merciless execution of Aaron rattles Miles and furthers his hatred of the Kingpin. In a twisted way, the loss of his uncle and the burden associated with it makes Miles that much more similar to Peter.

“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)

Lots of sacrifices were made in “Infinity War.” But one choice fans didn’t expect Thanos to make would be killing his own adoptive daughter, Gamora. The decision was one that the Mad Titan had to make to acquire the Soul Stone. While it was a tough choice, he ultimately went through with it. By tossing her off of a cliff, the Guardian of the Galaxy meets her end. Even though Thanos took many individuals under his wing, it’s clear that Gamora was the only one he actually cared about. He even shed a few tears when he realized what had to be done. But despite that, spilling Gamora’s blood shows that Thanos is hardly Father of the Year.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017)

While he may have only been a supporting character in the first film, Yondu gets a much more fleshed out role in this sequel to the beloved Marvel series. Initially a grumpy ne’er do well who kidnaps a young Peter Quill from his home planet, we learn that the reason behind it is much more touching than you would think. The film reveals that Yondu actually grew to care for the boy and raised him as his own once he learned that Peter’s actual father was not to be trusted. It’s this new bond that makes it all the more touching when he sacrifices his life for Peter’s.

“X-Men: Apocalypse” (2016)

During the beginning of the 9th installment of the X-Men film series, we see Erik Lehnsherr living a quiet and normal life in Poland with his wife and daughter. But when local officers find out who he really is and accidentally kill his family, they cause him to reawaken as Magneto. Believing he has no good left in him, Magneto joins Apocalypse in his quest to destroy the world. It’s this tragic event that causes Magneto to fully believe again that humans and mutants can never coexist, a staple of the character. And Michael Fassbender’s grief as the conflicted mutant is absolutely gut-wrenching.

“Man of Steel” (2013)

In the first film of the DC extended universe, we got a much darker origin story for Clark Kent. While in the original 1978 film Jonathan Kent died of a heart attack, this version went the more climactic route, providing a heavier emotional wallop. While helping people escape from a tornado, Jonathan is injured and unable to escape. Growing up, Clark was always taught by his father to hide his abilities from others, afraid of how they might react. It’s these lessons that stop Clark from saving his father even though he easily could have. With one final lesson, Clark is left to watch his father be swept away.

“The Dark Knight” (2008)

Originally played by Katie Holmes in 2005’s Batman Begins, Maggie Gyllenhaal took over the role for this revered superhero sequel. Playing the love interest of both Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent, it would have been easy for this character to be two-dimensional. However, Gyllenhaal brought a fearless ferocity to Rachel that made you truly care about her. She serves as one of the only links Bruce has left to his childhood, and her death by the hands of The Joker nearly mentally breaks Batman. Had Batman not been misdirected by the villain, he may have been able to save her. It’s this “what if” scenario that makes her demise even sadder.

“Spider-Man 2” (2004)

Say what you will about Marvel’s villains, but back in 2004 Alfred Molina gave us an authentic and touching performance as one of Spider-Man’s most notorious baddies. It’s the nature of this villain’s creation that makes him so heart-breaking. Starting off as a kind mentor to young Peter, Otto Octavius loses his mind in an experiment gone wrong when four mechanical arms are bonded to his nervous system. The same experiment takes the life of his wife, all in the pursuit of science. It’s only when he tries to recreate the experiment that he sees the error of his ways and gives his own life to save many.

“Wonder Woman” (2017)

Audiences flocked to 2017’s Wonder Woman to watch Gal Gadot kick butt. But they were also surprised to discover Chris Pine’s charismatic and compassionate Steve Trevor. While the two may be from completely different worlds, it’s their shared concern for humanity that makes them such a compelling pair. Steve proves time and time again that he will do anything it takes to stop this Great War, including giving his own life, which he eventually does as he stops a plane full of deadly toxins from killing innocent people. Only moments before does Steve tell Diana that he loves her, making it truly tragic.

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014)

While fans of the comics may have seen this one coming, there’s no denying that Gwen’s death dealt a massive emotional blow to audiences. Emma Stone is completely charming as Peter Parker’s love interest and actually has pretty great chemistry with co-star Andrew Garfield that was built upon over two movies. So when she perishes during the fight with Green Goblin, with Spidey’s web reaching her only just too late, you’re genuinely sad to see her go. While The Amazing Spider-Man 2 may have had its fair share of criticism, this is one thing that it definitely got right.

“Batman Begins” (2005)

Quite possibly the most famous death on this list, the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents shapes him into the man that he will become. While we may have seen their death before, it’s in Christopher Nolan’s darker reimagining that we get them as more fleshed out characters. Through flashbacks, we see Thomas give Bruce advice on how to deal with fear. It’s this advice paired with the nature of their death that set Bruce on the path of becoming Batman. Not only is it an incredibly important death scene, it is also deeply moving as Thomas’ last words to his son are to not be afraid, setting the tone for the rest of the trilogy.

“Spider-Man” (2002)

Where Bruce Wayne had the death of his parents, Peter Parker had the death of his Uncle. After getting ripped off at an underground wrestling tournament and refusing to stop a robber as a way of revenge, Peter stumbles upon a crime scene where his Uncle has been shot by the very same robber. Taking his advice about power and responsibility to heart, Peter learns from the traumatizing event of his Uncle dying in his arms and decides to use his abilities for good. A warm and caring presence in his nephew’s life, Peter becomes the Spider-Man as a way to honor all of the qualities that his Uncle stood for.

“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)

Nothing in superhero movies has quite come close to the devastating amount of mass death portrayed in the final stretch of “Infinity War.” With Thanos managing to achieve his goals, half of the universe is successfully wiped out of existence. Amid that major culling are several major heroes. The likes of Star-Lord, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and even Spider-Man get struck down. These deaths are thankfully reversed in “Endgame,” but the impact of the situation can never be forgotten. The vanishing of half of all life in what’s known as the Blip remains easily the darkest era in MCU history.

“Avengers: Endgame” (2019)

You couldn’t get a more perfect sendoff than the one Iron Man got in “Endgame.” Using his last bits of strength to wield the Infinity Gauntlet, he successfully stops Thanos’ plans for good. On one hand, Tony Stark’s full-circle sacrifice cements him as one of Marvel’s mightiest heroes. On the other hand, the loss of Iron Man is one that we as fans still have yet to fully recover from. Heck, “Endgame” was so traumatizing that one audience member in China had to trade their time in the theater for time in the hospital. It’s simply undeniable that Iron Man’s death marked an end to an era, and his absence is one we’re still desperately trying to come to terms with.

“Logan” (2017)

Although Hugh Jackman had said that he wanted 2017’s Logan to be his final portrayal of Wolverine, that didn’t stop the character’s death from being shocking. During a fight with his own clone, Logan sacrifices himself so that Laura and the new mutants can escape to safety. What makes this death scene so poignant is the relationship that he and Laura begrudgingly build upon over the course of the film. The two grow to care immensely for one another, bonding over one tragic event after another. While the loss of Professor X is devastating in its own right, it’s the death of the nearly indestructible Wolverine that left audiences sobbing.

Which death hit YOU the hardest? Make sure to grieve in the comments section!