5 Marvel Heroes With the Most Blood on Their Hands (Including an MCU Icon)

Marvel Comics started out much like their distinguished competition in the Golden Age, following the tropes of the new idea called superheroes. All of that would change with the Silver Age. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby took the ideas behind these characters and modified them, giving their heroes feet of clay, which allowed readers to empathize with them more. Marvel heroes were taken in more realistic directions. Their heroes were more human than the ones who came before and they didn’t always follow the rules of the superhero community. This came to a head with the introduction of the anti-hero in the ’70s. Suddenly, the old no-kill rule was being broken and as time went on, more and more heroes would get some red in their ledger, as it were.

Heroes that kill became a hallmark of Marvel in a way that they didn’t at DC. While some heroes only kill when it’s absolutely necessary, there are some who aren’t so precious about the whole thing. They’ve never had a problem with killing and some of them have been doing it longer than you can imagine. These five Marvel heroes have the most blood on their hands, and one of them is an MCU icon that everyone loves.

5) Black Widow

Numerous villains have become Avengers, including Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff was trained in the Red Room by the Soviets, got personal pointers from the Winter Soldier, and dosed with the Infinity Formula to keep her hale and hearty for decades. She became the foremost Soviet spy, going on missions against the forces of NATO. Eventually, she was chosen to go after Iron Man, which would lead to her joining the superhero community. Black Widow spent decades assassinating targets and running through armies of enemies. She slowed down on the killing when she became a hero, but that was mostly when she was missions with the Avengers. However, when it comes to her missions with SHIELD, she has no problem killing anyone in her way. It’s hard to figure how many she killed over the decades; as a spy, her whole job was sneaking around and getting her targets, so she didn’t exactly kill everyone she came across; that’s how you get caught. However, it’s safe to say that over the decades of her life she’s killed thousands of people.

4) The Winter Soldier

Bucky Barnes was chosen to be the partner of Steve Rogers after he became Captain America. Bucky may have seemed like he was the stereotypical kid sidekick, but that was far from the truth. Bucky was trained in black ops and was given an important mission. At night, he would sneak into Cap’s targets and soften them up, killing guards and making the next day’s attack easier. He killed countless Nazis, Italians, and Japanese soldiers throughout the war and his final mission with Cap saw him “sacrifice” himself to stop Baron Zemo’s drone bomb. However, he survived the explosion and was taken by the Soviets, who made him into the Winter Soldier. Over the years, he would go on the most dangerous missions imaginable, killing everyone from single targets to entire squads of enemies. He was a legend of the black ops world, but Cap was able to reach the man inside the killer. Since then, Bucky hasn’t killed nearly as much as he used to, but that doesn’t mean he’s stopped. Between World War II, the Cold War, and beyond, he’s killed more enemies than you can shake a stick at, becoming one of the most prolific killers in the hero community.

3) The Punisher

Frank Castle was a Marine and fought in the Vietnam War (or the Siancong War, Marvel’s weird sliding timescale version of Vietnam). He came home and lost his family when they got caught in a crossfire between mobsters. Frank swore vengeance, deciding to use his skills to destroy crime. He became the Punisher, starting a lonely one man war against the most dangerous criminals imaginable. Castle speaks the language of the M-60, the clacking of empty cartridges the only music he needs, and he’s been the last thing that many of the worst crooks have ever seen. He’s been known to walk into situations that should have meant certain death and came out the other side, with a pile of bodies behind him. Calling him a superhero is wrong, even calling him a killer is incorrect. He’s a mass murderer, and he’s good for thousands of death a year. The Punisher’s blood-soaked adventures have proved that he’s the most dangerous man on the streets.

2) Wolverine

Wolverine is constantly telling people that he’s the best there is at what he does and he’s got a point there. Logan’s mutation made him into the perfect killing machine, giving him a healing factor, bone claws, and super senses. His first kill came the night his powers manifested, and he’s been killing ever since. He began traveling the world, getting into violent situations and killing everyone in his way. He fought in World War I and II, and ended up fighting against the Soviets in the Cold War before joining Weapon X and being given his adamantium skeleton, making him basically unkillable. He was more dangerous than ever, and waded through rivers of blood before becoming a superhero. He slowed down on the killing for his adventures with the X-Men, but on his own, he killed indiscriminately. He’s worked with SHIELD and led X-Force, the X-Men’s black ops squad, several times. Wolverine can’t walk more than a mile without killing a bunch of ninjas, and the amount of bodies he’s put in the ground is incalculable at this point.

1) Thor

Thor is Marvel’s most storied warrior, a position that he rode right to the MCU. He became an icon because of the Marvel films, with legions of new fans learning to love the God of Thunder. The Odinson was one of the greatest warriors of Asgard, battling their foes in endless wars. He became the most feared force on the battlefields of the Golden Realm. Frost giants, fire demons, dark elves, and dwarves all learned to fear him, with the blood of thousands of their fellows on his hands. His killing slowed down when he became a superhero, honoring the wishes of the people he worked with. Thor usually won’t kill anyone while he’s on missions with the Avengers, unless there’s no other way to win, but when he’s on his own, all bets are off. Thor has been around for thousands of years and he spent most of those fighting in the wars of Asgard. It’s not that far-fetched to say that he probably killed millions over the years, making him one of Marvel’s most blood-stained heroes.

What’s your favorite killer Marvel hero? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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