Fourteen years, countless films and many television shows into the MCU, and it’s fair to say the tone of the MCU is mostly light-hearted and avoids the dark sensibilities some corners of Marvel Comics have ventured into.
Whether it’s because of the tone of the MCU, or the fact that some characters haven’t yet been introduced, or have been introduced but left, there are some storylines and more specifically some deaths we’ll never see on the big screen.
Thanos Crushes Sam Wilson’s Head
Happening during the end of Jeff Lemire’s Thanos run, Thanos ventures into a false reality where he’s a hero and a part of the Avengers to boot. All in an attempt to pass the challenge set upon him in his quest to get a grand reward from the God Quarry, he spends some time in this false reality, saving people and fighting the usual Avengers-level threats, before realizing it’s all fake. In coming to his senses, he turns on his former compatriots, the worst of his victims being Sam Wilson’s Captain America, whose head is completely squashed between Thanos’ huge hands.
Spider-Man Eats His Family
One of the most shocking parts of Marvel Zombies – which in itself is an impressive feat -, Spider-Man is bitten and overtaken by ‘the hunger’ that all the zombies suffer from. In an attempt to say goodbye to both Mary Jane and Aunt May he returns to his apartment, finding the two there, trying to stay safe from the madness outside. The Hunger takes hold, and readers get to see every visceral detail as Peter Parker consumes the two closest people to himself.
The Punisher Steamrolls Logan
Garth Ennis wrote The Punisher Max series, which took an already graphic, no-holds-barred character and turned it up to eleven. Most fans enjoy this incarnation of the character, finding it mostly true to the character, if needlessly over the top at times. One such time was in Punisher#17 when Logan turns up to aid The Punisher in his attempt to go after the mob. Frank prefers to work alone, and to drive this point home, he shoots Logan in his testicles before running over him with a steamroller. Of course, this doesn’t kill Logan, but it doesn’t put Frank at the top of his Christmas card list.
Dormammu Strangles Dr. Strange
One of Dr. Strange’s main foes, Dormammu and Strange have fought many times over the years. In our first entry from the poor ‘Ultimatum’ event set in a supposedly more grounded and realistic universe, Dormammu uses Strange’s cape to wrap tightly around his body, with enough pressure and tightness that his head popped.
Related: Doctor Strange 3: Will Dormammu Return
The Blob Eats The Wasp, Giant-Man Bites The Blob’s Head Off
Another entry, another ‘Ultimatum’ death scene that’s gruesome and disgusting in equal measure. The Blob encounters Wasp during the event and proceeds to eat Janet. With her guts still hanging out of his mouth in a visceral and gross scene, Hank turns up looking for Janet. Understandably dismayed and furious by the sight in front of him, he transforms into Giant-Man, grabs The Blob, and unceremoniously bites his head clean off in revenge.
The Hulk Beats Herr Kleiser To A Pulp, Eats The Remains, Then Poops It All Out
Herr Kleiser is the main villain in ‘The Ultimates 2’, the second team-up in the grounded and realistic reality Marvel started in the early 2000s. Having beaten the likes of Iron Man, Nick Fury, and even bettering Captain America in hand-to-hand combat, the team threw their nuclear weapon of The Hulk at the villain. The Hulk took no time in pulverizing Herr Kleiser, scooping the now dead remains of the man off the floor and eating them, before later on having to pass them so they could be analyzed by some S.H.I.E.L.D techs.
The Thing Used His Strength To Crush Doctor Doom’s Head
Last of the entries from ‘Ultimatum’, and is probably the most surprising and out of character. After Doom had killed Scarlet Witch, starting a series of events that resulted in the deaths of millions of people, including the rest of the Fantastic Four, Ben Grimm takes it upon himself to be a judge, jury, and executioner on Doom. Grabbing his head in his massive rock-like hands and simply squeezing, he kills Doom and stops any future schemes from ever happening. Not usually a killer, even in the dark and graphic universe the story is set in, it was a shocking turn for fans to swallow in a book that was largely hated anyway.
God Emperor Doom Shows Thanos His True Power
Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars in 2015 is considered one of the best modern crossover events in Marvel comics, and for good reason. Taking inspiration from the comic of the same name in the 80s, Hickman brought his own ideas to the table and ramped up the consequences and stakes to a point where fans were genuinely worried for their favorite characters going forward.
Having been instrumental in destroying The Beyonders, Doom absorbs their powers and creates a jigsaw-like world from the leftovers of all the universes destroyed during the event, called Battleworld. Now with powers far above any other individual being left, the story turns from saving the multiverse to bringing down the now omnipotent God Emperor Doom. Thanos is one of the many characters involved in this fight, albeit not for very long, at least not face-to-face. Not many have bested Thanos over the years, and none so easily, but in a flash, Thanos goes from defying Doom, to being a skeleton in his hands.
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