The Marvel movies have given us some tragic death scenes that remain etched on our hearts forever. But not every time did they manage to hit the mark. Sometimes the deaths according to fans of Marvel movies, were unnecessary and totally avoidable.
Darwin – X-Men: First Class
The movie was one of the rare occasions where 20th century Fox gave us an enjoyable flick. But it did have some of its own downsides. For example, there were many characters who were mishandled in First Class. Case in point – Darwin aka Armando Muñoz. Darwin’s mutant powers allowed him to adapt his body based on the situation. He could develop anything from gills to energy absorption based on the circumstances. The movie just killed him off when Sebastian Shaw filled his body with pure energy. Fans are still angry at Fox Studios for doing the character dirty.
Mystique – X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Dark Phoenix was certainly not the best movie in the X-Men series. In fact, it may be one of the worst superhero movies ever made. But the new age X-Men movies had at least a few saving graces – like Jennifer Lawrence‘s Mystique. Lawrence wanted out of the X-Men movies and so the studio decided to give her a death similar to Professor X’s in The Last Stand. She was killed when Jean’s outburst pushed her into a wooden splinter. Pretty lackluster way to go!!
Quicksilver – Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Perhaps the stupidest death ever in superhero history was that of Pietro Maximoff’s in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Quicksilver spent a lot of time throughout the movie establishing a good name for himself as a villain turned hero. And then he dies abruptly from a hail of bullets while trying to save Hawkeye and a child. His death served absolutely no purpose. It was almost like the writers did not know what to do with his character so they chose the safest of all options – kill him off.
Alex Summers – X-Men: Days Of Future Past
The mutant Alex Summers is better known as the superhero Havok. In First Class, he was one of the first mutants recruited into Charles and Magneto‘s X-Men team. Havok was older than Scott Summers in the movies. In the comics,. Havok and Scott aka Cyclops are brothers. Alex lost his life when he lost control of his energy manipulation powers, courtesy of En Sabah Nur. Quicksilver managed to save everyone from the explosion except Alex, who perished in the blast.
Loki – Avengers: Infinity War
Now hear us out before you join the village mob. Loki had an incredible character development arc throughout the Thor and the Avengers movies. He went from being the problem child to embracing his legacy as an Odinson. Ragnarok really did a number on him, turning him into a likeable anti-hero. And then in the very beginning of Infinity War, Thanos enters the scene and kills Loki in a matter of minutes. What’s even more perplexing is that casual attitude with which the MCU handled Loki’s sacrifice. He was just killed off only to be resurrected again for the Loki TV series. There had to another way to respect Loki’s death without tarnishing his legacy.
Black Widow – Avengers: Endgame
Another hero who did not deserve to go the way she did, Black Widow was in many ways the glue that kept the Avengers from falling apart after Infinity War. She sacrificed so much for the greater good. And then Marvel casually killed off the character because of the simple reason that the actor’s contract was coming to an end. The Vormir sub-plot looked like it was tailor-made to give Black Widow a proper send-off. The only problem was, that farewell was anything but proper. It was sudden and abrupt.
Warriors Three – Thor: Ragnarok
What maddens us even more is that the Warriors Three did not just get enough screen time when they were alive, the MCU didn’t even care enough to let us see how they died. Only Hogun’s death was shown in the movie. Volstagg and Fandral were killed off offscreen. Granted there was not enough time to show each and every death in the MCU but they could have at least done the warriors Three some justice. It was not okay the way MCU bid farewell to this iconic Asgardian trio.
Cyclops – X-Men: The Last Stand
If there was a penny for every time Hollywood misjudged Cyclops, we would be a billionaire by now. He is so much more than just a pretty boy who can shoot laser beams from his eyes. Scott Summers is one of the greatest mutant leaders in Marvel history, having led multiple iterations of the X-Men. In The Last Stand, he was reduced to the role of a scorned, depressed lover who dies at the very beginning of the movie. Cyclops dies offscreen and fans are left screaming at the top of their lungs.
Angel & Banshee – X-Men: Days Of Future Past
Both Banshee and Angel were some of the most fan-favorite characters from First Class. The movie really jumped the shark on the franchise when they killed both the characters offscreen. In the Day of Future Past’s dark future timeline, we see autopsy photos of the dead X-Men members. The pictures looked brutal, as if the characters were tortured relentlessly before being killed. Even Emma Frost, Azazel, and Riptide were tortured and killed the same way.
