10 Worst Ways Marvel Superheroes have Died

The job of a superhero, especially one in Marvel Comics, is never easy because there’s danger lurking around every corner. While most of the time these heroes arise triumphant after their long and hard battles against the forces of evil, sometimes they aren’t so lucky. There have been several instances when supervillains have been able to overpower these heroes and deliver the killing blow. While death is considered meaningless by many comic book fans because the heroes are back up so quickly, the deaths themselves can sometimes be quite gruesome. In their fight to protect humanity, superheroes have been impaled, shot, torn apart, blown up, and worse.

Although most of these heroes came back to life, the deaths that they suffered were, in the moment, horrifying and excruciating. These are the most brutal and disturbing ways Marvel’s heroes have been killed in the line of duty.

10) Black Widow’s Neck is Broken

During the highly controversial Secret Empire storyline, a Hydra Agent replaced the mainline star-spangled hero, Captain America, as part of a plot to take over the United States. Leading the charge against the Nazi doppelgänger is Black Widow, who forms an underground resistance movement of heroes known as the Champions. During the big confrontation in Washington, D.C., Miles Morales was trading blows with the Hydra villain. This battle seemed to align with a prophecy by the clairvoyant Inhuman Ulysses foretelling the young hero murdering Captain America. To prevent Miles from becoming a killer, Black Widow tried to intervene in the fight. Sadly, though, her interference caused the Hydra Captain America to strike her in the neck with his shield, killing her instantly.

9) Nitro Incinerates the New Warriors

Civil War is one of the most critical events in recent Marvel Comics history, and it all started with one tragedy. A lesser-known team of teenage superheroes, the New Warriors, sought to make a name for themselves by filming their heroic escapades for reality TV. The New Warriors confronted several villains, including Nitro, who can generate massive explosions. When cornered, Nitro detonated and obliterated the surrounding neighborhood, killing everyone nearby. Not only did the explosion incinerate the New Warriors — Namorita, Microbe, and Night Thrasher — but also a school full of children. It was this disaster that motivated the creation of the Superhero Registration Act, which would have forced all heroes to work for the U.S. Government.

8) Bullseye Impales Elektra

One of the most heartbreaking deaths in Marvel Comics was that of Daredevil’s former love interest, the ninja anti-hero Elektra. She worked for Kingpin as an assassin until she refused to kill Daredevil’s friend Foggy Nelson. Enraged by Elektra’s betrayal, Kingpin hires another assassin, Bullseye, to hunt her down and kill her. After a brutal fight, Bullseye manages to get the upper hand and stabs Elektra in the chest with her own sais-daggers. Elektra then could only weakly crawl away to Daredevil’s house, where she dies in his arms. While she eventually came back to life, her initial death is one of the most graphic moments of the 1980s for Marvel.

7) Nightcrawler is Skewered by a Fist Through his Chest

Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler, is one of the most selfless and kind-hearted members of the X-Men, making his act of self-sacrifice even more tragic. After Scarlet Witch caused most of mutantkind to lose their powers, their only chance to regain their abilities was a mutant named Hope, who could manipulate powers. Many anti-mutant organizations tried to kill Hope to ensure that mutantkind could never resurface, and the few X-Men who retained their powers did everything they could to protect her. When the mutant-hating cyborg Bastion tried to kill Hope, Nightcrawler teleported in front of her, causing Bastion’s fist to loge in the X-Man’s chest. Nightcrawler used his last strength to teleport Hope away to safety, saving her at the expense of his life.

6) Wolverine Becomes Encased in Adamantium

Thanks to his healing factor and stubbornness, Wolverine is one of the hardest heroes to kill in Marvel Comics. Unfortunately, during the Death of Wolverine storyline, Wolverine lost his healing factor because of a virus. When Dr. Cornelius from the Weapon X program sought to steal Wolverine’s regenerative powers, he was enraged to discover that it was gone. In a fit of anger, the mad doctor covered Wolverine in molten adamantium. As the liquid metal encased Wolverine’s body, he managed to kill Dr. Cornelius but was unable to save himself. As the adamantium began to harden, Wolverine was left trapped and unable to move before slowly suffocating to death in his metallic prison.

5) Daken Cuts Punisher into Pieces

When Norman Osborn became the head of America’s Superhuman Defense Initiative, he made a list of heroes who could potentially rebel against him. One of those heroes was Frank Castle, aka Punisher. Osborn sent Daken, Wolverine’s villainous son, to eliminate the violent anti-hero. Daken and Punisher engage in a brutal fight in the rain. Eventually, Daken’s healing factor and razor-sharp claws prove to be too much for Punisher. Daken slices Punisher apart piece by piece before finishing him off via decapitation. Punisher’s body parts are then collected by a group of monsters who resurrect him as Franken-Castle (yes, really).

4) Valkyrie is Butchered by Malekith the Accursed

Aside from Thor, Brunnhilde, aka Valkyrie, is one of the most popular Asgardian heroes in Marvel Comics. During the War of the Realms, the dreaded Malekith the Accursed and the Dark Council sought to conquer the Ten Realms. In a heroic self-sacrifice, Brunnhilde and her fellow Valkyries stayed behind to face the villains to give the Avengers and the armies of Asgard a chance to escape. Sadly, though, the female warriors don’t last long and are quickly slaughtered. Impaled and looking over the bodies of her fallen sisters, Brunnhilde is helpless as Malekith takes a sword and cuts her down. While the final blow is off-panel, the implication is enough to make readers’ skin crawl.

3) Ares Gets Torn in Half by Sentry

The Greek God of War, Ares, is one of the strongest anti-heroes to have joined the Avengers. Unfortunately, even his godly strength couldn’t save him during the events of Siege. When Ares became a member of Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers, the hero was manipulated into helping Osborn invade Asgard under the pretense that Loki had taken it over. When Ares learned that Loki wasn’t in control of Asgard and that Osborn lied to him, Ares tried to kill the deceiver. The all-powerful hero Sentry, who was being controlled by his dark personality known as the Void, swooped in and saved Osborn. In a vicious act of violence, Sentry tore Ares apart, sending the god’s blood and guts flying everywhere.

2) The Blob Eats Wasp

In one of the worst Marvel stories of all time, the storyline Ultimatum, set in the alternate Ultimate Universe, has many recognizable heroes suffer gruesome deaths. The most infamous of these deaths is that of Wasp. When Magneto throws the world into chaos by using his powers to shake the continents, the winged hero goes missing. Wasp’s husband, Yellowjacket, eventually finds her, but is horrified by what he learns. The mutant supervillain, the Blob, killed Wasp and began devouring her corpse in a nauseating act of cannibalism. Yellowjacket becomes gigantic and avenges his deceased wife by chomping off Blob’s head. Disgusting deaths like the consumption of Wasp are part of what made Ultimatum such a hated storyline.

1) Alternate Universe Spider-Man is Torn from the Inside Out

Across the multiverse, Spider-Man has suffered many horrific ends. Still, the death of Earth-91126’s version of the Web-Slinger is the worst. In Marvel Zombies Return, an undead Spider-Man was transported to Earth-91126, where he immediately began slaughtering and devouring the Sinister Six. The only survivor, Sandman, fled in terror from this nightmarish version of Spider-Man from another universe. When Sandman encountered his universe’s Spider-Man, he mistook him for the undead version of the Wall-Crawler. In a homicidal rage and panic, Sandman force-fed himself into the innocent Spider-Man. While Spider-Man begged for his life, Sandman burst out of the hero’s stomach, sending Spider-Man’s jaw and organs flying everywhere. It was a disturbing and cruel death over a case of mistaken identity.

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