Marvel’s tagline for the Avengers is that they are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but that does not mean they can’t fall, as villains have killed some of the strongest members over the years. The original Avengers was Marvel’s second-ever superhero team, following the Fantastic Four. Unlike that earlier team, this comic brought together Marvel’s best heroes at the time. Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Wasp battled the massive threat of a rampaging Hulk secretly controlled by Loki. Soon, Hulk was gone, Captain America joined the group, and the rest is history. However, over the years, some of these heroes have died.
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While no one in comics stays dead, it is always a shock when a significant hero dies, and even more shocking when a Marvel villain kills them. Here are seven villains who killed Avengers members over the years.
7) The World Serpent Killed Thor
Thor’s death should come as no surprise to anyone who knows Norse mythology. Ragnarok would always come once Thor died, and the world would then be born anew. That isn’t exactly what happened here, but Thor’s death did lead to the death of all the Norse gods, and their eventual rebirth did happen. This happened during the Fear Itself storyline.
Odin planned on having Asgard raid and raze Earth to defeat the Serpent that was to bring about Ragnarok, but Thor stood against his father and fought to defend Earth. It took all Thor had to beat the Serpent’s worthy, Nul and Angrir, and then Thor needed Odinsword to finally strike out at the Serpent. He killed the beast, but then Thor died as well, fulfilling the Ragnarok prophecy. Thor ended up reincarnated and brought Asgard back to life on Earth..
6) The Skrulls Killed The Wasp in Secret Invasion
The Skrulls attacked Earth in Secret Invasion, a scheme hatched after the Illuminati went to their throne world to threaten the alien race. The Skrulls infiltrated several groups on Earth, including the Avengers and several world governments. They then attacked, and no one knew whom to trust. They also did severe damage to several heroes along the way.
This included when they killed Janet Van Dyne, The Wasp. Hank Pym had been defeated earlier and replaced with a Skrull named Criti Noll, and he had infected Janet with a contingency plan, which caused her to grow into a giant and then turn into a bio-weapon bomb. Thor mercy-killed Janet to keep her from exploding, but it was the Skrulls who were responsible for the death of the winsome Wasp.
5) Secret Empire Captain America Killed Black Widow
While it looked like Captain America killed Black Widow during the Secret Empire storyline, it was a little more complicated than that. This was the controversial series that made it look like Captain America had always been part of Hydra. He finally came out as a sleeper agent and helped Hydra take over the United States government. He outlawed several heroes and even had others killed.
Cap had Deadpool murder Agent Phil Coulson, which led to more problems down the line. However, the most significant death was when Captain America tossed his shield and snapped Black Widow’s neck, killing Natasha instantly. However, it wasn’t the Captain America who killed the Avengers member. This was Steve Rogers from Earth-61311, who replaced the Earth-616 Cap thanks to the sentient Cosmic Cube, Kobik.
4) Onslaught Killed The Avengers
Onslaught killed the entire Avengers team that was together when he attacked Earth. He also killed the Fantastic Four and didn’t stop until an uncontrolled Hulk launched an attack on him, and he seemingly died as well. Onslaught was a being created after Professor X shut down Magneto’s mind. The trauma in Xavier’s head and the anger in Magneto’s combined to form the new third being. Onslaught was more powerful than all Earth’s heroes combined.
There was some good news for the Avengers. While Onslaught seemingly killed the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and Hulk, the heroes were actually saved at the last minute. The following month, new Marvel Comics titles were released, featuring rebooted and reimagined heroes who were now fighting without any mention of Onslaught. It could have been a new Earth in the multiverse, but it turned out to be an Earth Franklin Richards created to hide them and keep them safe.
3) Terraxia Killed Iron Man
The Infinity Gauntlet storyline was one of Marvel Comics’ best stories, and it actually killed several Avengers and other heroes along with them. This was where Thanos got the Infinity Stones and then snapped half of all living beings out of existence. In the comics, it wasn’t for the greater good, as Thanos said in the movies, it was to impress Death, whom he had an unrequited crush on.
However, while the snapped Deaths were significant, one other villain killed an Avengers member in the event series before the snap. Thanos created a being named Terraxia to make Death jealous, and Terraxia battled the Avengers. It was Terraxia who actually beheaded Iron Man and brought his head to Thanos as a gift. This was all undone after the series ended.
2) Scarlet Witch Killed Ant-Man, Hawkeye, & Jack of Hearts
Scarlet Witch is mostly a hero in Marvel Comics, but there have been moments where she turned into one of the world’s deadliest villains. After Wanda’s memories of her “stolen” children returned, she lost control and lashed out at the world. She killed her mentor, Agatha Harkness, for hiding their existence from her, and then she launched an all-out attack on the Avengers.
She killed three Avengers members in this battle. She blew up Jack of Hearts at Avengers Mansion, which also killed Scott Lang’s Ant-Man, who was there when it happened. She then faked a Kree attack on Earth, and Hawkeye died in this battle before Wanda was eventually stopped. Scott Lang was brought back via time travel, and Hawkeye was brought back when House of M ended.
1) Crossbones Killed Captain America
After Civil War ended, Captain America surrendered to the authorities and allowed himself to be taken into custody. When he was escorted to the court, however, someone shot and killed the Avengers hero. There were three things at play here. First, it was the villain Crossbones who shot and killed the Avengers hero. However, Sharon Carter was also hypnotized and took a shot of her own to ensure that Cap was dead.
The third thing is that Captain America didn’t really die. His soul was sent back through time, where he relived his past and had to navigate the timeline to return to the present day. He was eventually resurrected in a very different form, bringing Steve Rogers back to life. While several villains killed Avengers heroes, they seldom remain dead.
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