It’s an old joke that for superheroes, death is a revolving door. And while that is true in the sense that the dead usually don’t stay that way forever, that doesn’t mean the unfortunate character’s demise won’t still pack an emotional punch.
Let’s look at a few examples from comic book movies. Yes, Batman might have somehow escaped to Paris after apparently sacrificing himself to save Gotham, for instance, but you can’t say your bottom lip wasn’t quivering when you watched that scene in The Dark Knight Rises for the first time. Then again, sometimes a character’s death really does mean it’s curtains for them and it comes as a shock when the hero can’t save the day. Like, say, Thor’s mother Frigga’s death in Thor: The Dark World.
Those are just a couple of the examples that didn’t make our list, as at the end of the day, while definitely sad, they can’t quite compare to how we felt when we witnessed these 20 superhero movie deaths…
20. “Bruce, it’s okay, don’t be afraid.” – Batman Begins
Across the many movie incarnations of the Dark Knight, one common thread has been a scene showing the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne. All three iterations are deployed with a lot of skill by their respective directors to bring home the drama; namely Tim Burton’s stylized, silent scene in 1989’s Batman and Zack Snyder’s opening credits version in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
The most impactful, though, has to be the Batman Begins take as we spend the most time with young Bruce and his parents in that movie. An extra layer is added to the tragedy in that it’s technically Bruce’s fault, as his fear causes them to leave the theatre and inadvertently head to their doom.
19. “This is the only way.” – X2: X-Men United
When Jean Grey died in order to save the rest of the team from perishing at Alkali Lake at the end of X2, no X-Men fan truly believed that she would stay dead. After all, being resurrected is pretty much her MO. Still, the scene was brilliantly done, culminating in the moving image of Logan and Scott reacting to her loss in different ways — Logan is struck dumb, Scott is an emotional wreck.
Of course, this moment was completely ruined by X-Men: The Last Stand, which resurrected Jean in such a way that it butchered the classic Dark Phoenix saga. But hey ho, at least her death in X2 was still a memorable one.
18. “I am satisfied with my care.” – Big Hero 6
Disney made the most of their acquisition of Marvel in 2014 with their first animated movie based on an (obscure) Marvel comic, Big Hero 6. The star of the show was easily Baymax, the cuddly inflatable robot. Just like The Iron Giant before it, the film got a lot of emotion from the friendship between a boy and his potentially dangerous robot pal — right up to the climax where Baymax sacrifices himself to save the day.
Luckily, protagonist Hiro is able to build a new Baymax thanks to rescuing his personality chip, but that doesn’t take away from the heartbreaking moment when the original Baymax floats away through space. Tragically, Hiro must choose to say, “I’m satisfied with my care,” in order for him to sacrifice himself and save his friends. A worthy successor to Iron Giant‘s “Superman” moment.
17. “Never compromise, not even in the face of Armageddon.” – Watchmen
You wouldn’t think that the death of an ultra-violent madman would give you a lump in your throat, but that’s exactly what happened when Doctor Manhattan murdered Rorschach in Watchmen. For all his faults, Rorschach was the bravest of this messed-up bunch of superheroes and he never compromised on his principles. Even when being threatened by a naked blue god.
The visual of his death — his incinerated innards forming a Rorschach-like image in the snow — is just as striking as it was in Dave Gibbon’s illustrations in the original graphic novel. Zack Snyder also gave it his own directorial flourishes, though, such as the addition of Nite Owl screaming out in anguish, which gave the scene some extra emotional oomph.
16. “You’re the best of all of us, Miles.” – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
It’s a testament to how good Into the Spider-Verse is that the death of Miles’ uncle Aaron hits so hard. In comparison to many characters on this list, we barely know the guy, but in his brief scenes, we like him and can see why Miles looks up to him. But from the moment it’s revealed he’s the Prowler, we know that he and Miles are on a collision course that’s going to end badly.
Miles’ grief immediately after his death only gets worse when his father arrives on the scene to find his brother dead and understandably suspects Miles of the crime. It’s a pivotal moment in Miles’ life, but the events of the sequels underline that if Aaron remained alive, this Spidey could have traveled down a far darker path.
15. “I will not die a monster!” – Spider-Man 2
The death of a comic book villain is usually a moment of relief rather than sadness, though you’d have to be particularly hard-hearted not to get hit in the feels by Doctor Octopus’ fate in Spider-Man 2. Octavius was a very sympathetic villain, driven by a desire to provide a form of free energy (“the power of the sun, in the palm of my hand”) and only turned to evil by his malfunctioning robot arms.
But when faced with his final experiment running out of control and with Peter Parker at his mercy, Octopus is brought back to the light when he’s told “sometimes to do what’s right, we need to give up the thing we love the most, even our dreams.” He regains control of his arms and sacrifices himself to save New York. It’s a great performance by Alfred Molina, and we were very happy to see him make a comeback in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
14. “If you seek his monument, look around you.” – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Ultimate Edition)
The criticism that Henry Cavill’s Superman is the embodiment of objectivism always felt a little silly given that the character selflessly sacrifices his own life to save a world that’s treated him so poorly. Superman’s death in Batman v Superman hits home not just because it’s shocking to see the Man of Steel die, but Snyder’s choice to contrast two funerals to remember him.
One is a military funeral for Superman full of pomp and circumstance, with him being remembered with a 21-gun salute and a glossy black coffin (which was empty). Meanwhile, the funeral of Clark Kent takes place in Smallville, attended by those who knew him best. It’s a humble service, and Amy Adams’ Lois looks believably distraught.
Of course, Supes wouldn’t stay dead for long, and his return is quickly teased by some swirling dirt over his grave. But, whatever your opinion of Snyder elsewhere, he nails this moving and elegiac tone.
13. “Harvey, it’s okay. It’s alright. Listen. Some–” – The Dark Knight
Even after so many superhero movies, The Dark Knight still stands alone in many regards. Christopher Nolan refuses to pull his punches, but the biggest blow is the brutal death of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Rachel Dawes.
Nolan twists the knife over and over again. First by the Joker’s Sophie’s Choice of which person Batman must save, then by him discovering he’s saved Harvey over Rachel, Harvey frantically screaming her name, Rachel realizing she’s about to die, and then — perhaps most brutally — being cut off mid-sentence by the explosion.
Her death at the hands of the Joker’s fiendish scheme not only leads to Harvey Dent’s descent into villainy and transformation into Two-Face, but also puts Bruce Wayne at his lowest ebb, which culminates with him retiring from the Batman mantle until many years later (as depicted in The Dark Knight Rises).
12. “I’m damn lucky you’re my boy.” – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Sure, the grizzled, murderous space pirate Yondu wasn’t the greatest dad of all time, but at least he wasn’t a homicidal planet. Much of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is about fatherhood, with Ego literally promising Star-Lord the world and dazzling him with celestial powers contrasted with Yondu’s gruff but sincere love for Peter Quill.
Yondu also gets a moving death scene, rocketing Peter out of danger and giving him the apparatus to breathe in space while knowing this will mean his death. Michael Rooker, we salute you and (despite Yondu very much being dead) it was nice to see you briefly reappear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
11. “I think I finally understand you, Logan.” – Logan
Logan wasn’t the first time Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier had died on screen, though it’s safe to say it was done a lot better here than in X-Men: The Last Stand.
This aged Professor X is barely in control of his powers, with his loss of control resulting in an ambiguous but clearly disastrous incident at his school. He’s riddled with guilt, losing his marbles to dementia, struggling with dangerous seizures, and leading a miserable and isolated life in the desert with Logan and Caliban.
Xavier gets one last moment of normalcy when he, Logan, and Laura end up spending the night with a friendly farming family. We briefly see the old Xavier back as they have dinner, though when night falls, things go wrong. Xavier finally remembers what happened in Westchester, just in time to get impaled by the mindless Logan clone.
If that wasn’t enough, we get to see Logan frantically explaining, “It wasn’t me, Charles!” as his old friend dies, followed by a funeral in which he’s too distraught to even give a eulogy.
10. “We Are Groot.” – Guardians of the Galaxy
Though it’s mostly a film that emphasizes laughs, Guardians of the Galaxy has two big emotional moments as well — one at the beginning of the movie and one at its climax. The first is the tragic death of Peter Quill’s mother, which is a surprisingly dark way to open an outer-space action-comedy. The second is Groot’s brave sacrifice in the climax.
As the Guardians crash to the surface of Xandar in Ronan’s ship, the Dark Aster, Groot uses his branches to engulf his friends and save them — though at the cost of his own life. The kindly tree-thing had already won our hearts, so by the moment he surrounds his friends in lights, and changes his catchphrase to “We are Groot,” there surely isn’t a dry eye in the house.
It’s worth underlining that — as per James Gunn — this is the actual death of Groot, and the subsequent Baby Groot grown from a twig is his son.
9. “I can save today. You can save the world.” – Wonder Woman
Chris Pine does a lot with what could potentially be a thankless role in Wonder Woman. Though the movie’s focus is squarely on Diana, Pine deftly and charismatically fleshes out Steve and manages to make it plausible that a demigod might fall in love with him.
He ultimately proves his heroism in the final battle, hijacking a bomber containing lethal poison, flying to a safe altitude, and selflessly sacrificing himself for the greater good. Pine’s performance underlines that he very much doesn’t want to die, but he knows what he must do.
Let’s just scrub our memories clean of the terrible sequel Wonder Woman 1984 and his unlikely parachute pants-wearing comeback.
8. “… Gwen?” – The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a box-office failure and saw Sony slam the brakes on their Spider-Man Cinematic Universe, but it did produce at least one great superhero movie moment: the death of Peter’s beloved Gwen Stacy. Every single comic book fan knew it was coming, but the scene was so effectively executed that it didn’t hurt its impact in the slightest.
The switch of location, from the comic’s Brooklyn Bridge to the interior of a clock tower, is a canny one — as is the moving visual of Peter’s web reaching to catch her resembling his own outstretched hand. To top it all off, Andrew Garfield is terrific as he holds Gwen’s body in his arms and realizes he’s lost her.
Looking back on things, it’s probably best that the series stopped here, as it would have been tough to follow up Garfield and Emma Stone’s great chemistry. We were also overjoyed (and tearful) when Andrew’s Spidey got some long-overdue redemption in No Way Home after successfully saving a falling MJ.
7. “All these powers, and I couldn’t even save her…” – Superman: The Movie
Lois Lane has died many times in Superman stories and, understandably, the Man of Steel doesn’t take it very well. In Injustice, her death at the hands of the Joker sends him spiraling into fascism, and in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, this was what began the “Knightmare” future with a corrupted Superman as Darkseid’s lieutenant.
But it’s 1978’s Superman that does this best. Superman failing to save Lois feels impossible, though he simply cannot get there in time to prevent her grisly death as she’s suffocated by falling dirt. If you’re ever wondering why Christopher Reeve gets so much love as Superman, watch his performance as he discovered Lois’ body and his underplayed yet palpable grief.
Then, of course, he does the impossible and turns back time to fix things. Superman’s triumphant time-traveling is a big moment for the character as he’s finally able to save someone dear to him (after losing his home planet and adoptive father earlier in the movie). But Lois’ death itself is a surprisingly dark moment, complete with Supes’ howl of pain as he races up into the atmosphere.
6. “With great power…” – Spider-Man: No Way Home
Poor old Spidey is showing up a lot on this list, though as Across the Spider-Verse showed, every multiversal version of the character goes through a major loss. Even so, May Parker’s death in No Way Home hit harder than most.
Right alongside Peter Parker, we go from relief that May isn’t badly injured to rapidly realizing the opposite is true. During this, Marisa Tomei delivers the foundational line of the Spider-Man mythos in a way that somehow feels like it’s being said for the first time. If that wasn’t hard enough, seeing Tom Holland’s usually upbeat Peter in the depths of grief is a gut punch.
5. “…comes great responsibility.” – Spider-Man
Uncle Ben’s death in Spider-Man has launched a million memes but still remains deeply moving thanks to the senseless tragedy of it. And much like Bruce’s parents’ death in Batman Begins, it’s made all the worse for partly being Peter’s fault.
Sam Raimi and Cliff Robertson’s Uncle Ben underplay this key moment in Peter’s life, with the dying Ben managing to gasp “Peter…” twice before bleeding out. From then, it’s Spidey’s first real time in action as he furiously pursues the criminal who shot him.
It gets complicated come Spider-Man 3 when it’s revealed that Sandman was Ben’s real killer, but the power of the scene itself remains intact.
4. “It’s okay.” – Avengers: Endgame
Poor Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff was arguably overlooked in favor of more powerful heroes in the Avengers movies, her belated solo movie was a disappointment, and even her big death scene in Avengers: Endgame is substantially overshadowed by another huge loss (more on that shortly!).
But her sacrifice in Endgame hit us hard, and we think it deserves more attention. By the time Clint and Nat arrive on Vormir, the audience already knows what the rules for getting the Soul Stone are. One of them is going to die, and Natasha instantly decides that as Clint is fighting for his family, it must be her.
Her death is the culmination of her character arc and her relationship with Clint, and the sight of her broken body cements that she’s gone for good. That said, we’re still a little sore that one particular character got a huge funeral and she didn’t, as Thanos would never have been beaten without Black Widow’s sacrifice.
3. “So this is what it feels like.” – Logan
Somewhat poetically, the only person capable of actually killing Wolverine was Wolverine himself. Hugh Jackman’s iconic mutant wasn’t doing so well when the movie began, with his healing factor not what it used to be, his adamantium skeleton poisoning his body, and mutantkind as a whole in dire straits.
But he finds a new purpose in protecting Dafne Keen’s Laura, saving her and other young mutants with his final burst of berserker rage. Jackman absolutely nails Logan realizing he is actually no kidding for reals going to die.
But his last words “So, this is what it feels like” can be read two ways: one is that after so many years alive (and killing so many people), he’s finally experiencing his own death and the other is that he’s going out holding his daughter’s hand and feeling her love for him as a father for the first time. Either way you interpret it, it’s an amazing scene.
2. “And I am… Iron Man.” – Avengers: Endgame
For more than a decade, Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark was the MCU’s backbone. His performance in Iron Man elevated a C-tier character to the A-list, provided a solid foundation to build other movies on, and got butts on seats for the rest of Phase 1.
After all that, Marvel Studios owed Downey Jr a strong finale to Stark’s story, and boy did they deliver. By the time of Endgame‘s finale, we’d waited a year to see Thanos get his comeuppance and, even knowing that the heroes would inevitably come out on top, the tension in that final battle was unbelievable. That it’s Stark that selflessly saves the universe perfectly completes an arc that began with him as an egotistical weapons dealer so long ago.
And then there are his final words to Pepper and that funeral. Excuse us, this room just got a little dusty.
1. “Your brother is with the ancestors.” – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
T’Challa’s death in the opening minutes of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has to top this list as, while all the other entries are purely fictional, this one is very much a reflection of Chadwick Boseman’s actual tragic death.
Disney, Marvel Studios, and director Ryan Coogler faced an incredibly sensitive task in dealing with this in Wakanda Forever. Mercifully, they quickly ruled out recreating Boseman with CGI, instead shifting focus to Letitia Wright’s Shuri. It’s also clear that the grief we see on screen isn’t simply acted — it’s the cast’s very real sadness at moving on without Boseman.
That’s why it has to come in at number one and, honestly, we doubt anything is likely to unseat it anytime soon.