TV Shows

10 Most Brutal Deaths in Marvel TV Shows

It’s hard to watch these moments more than once.

Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.

Being a superhero comes with a long list of risks. There is always some superpowered lunatic running around who would love nothing more than to watch the world burn, which means they have nothing to lose. Heroes, since they care about the innocent, don’t have the luxury of letting loose, always fighting with their proverbial hands tied behind their backs. Unfortunately, despite all the work, it’s hard to save everyone, especially in the Marvel Universe, where it’s impossible to walk ten feet without being in the middle of some skirmish that has the fate of the world on its shoulders.

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While Marvel movies feature their fair share of cold-blooded killing, such as Thanos snapping Loki’s neck in Avengers: Infinity War and Scarlet Witch taking away Black Bolt’s mouth in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the television division kicks things up a notch. Here are the 10 most brutal deaths in Marvel TV shows.

1) Gambit’s Sacrifice (X-Men ’97)

Sentinels attack the island nation of Genosha in X-Men ’97 Episode 5, sending the titular team scrambling. The robots prove too much for the mutants to handle, with them killing countless people. When Magento appears to be the latest one to fall, Rogue goes after the head Sentinel, but she fails to make it because she’s hit by Gambit’s motorcycle. The card-dealing mutant charges the massive machine with his powers and blows it up to save the remaining mutants, leaving his body mangled.

2) Wilson Fisk Gets Rid of Commissioner Gallo (Daredevil: Born Again)

As Wilson Fisk starts to gain power in Daredevil: Born Again, New York City’s bravest civil servants push back. Police Commissioner Gallo takes great exception to the way the new mayor is acting, so he starts to plot a hostile takeover of his office. Unfortunately, Fisk catches wind of Gallo’s plan and lures him to a building full of disloyal cops, who watch as the villain crushes their former boss’ skull.

3) Frank Castle Get His Final Revenge (The Punisher)

Throughout most of his time on Netflix, Frank Castle’s sole mission is to find out who’s responsible for the death of his family. His mission leads him to William Rawlins, the former Director of Covert Operations for the CIA. Rawlins gets the upper hand in The Punisher, but he underestimates his captive, allowing Frank to break loose, stab him with a knife, and gouge out his eyes.

4) John Walker Loses Control (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier)

John Walker gets the go-ahead to be the next Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, he’s in over his head and starts losing fights to the Flag Smashers, which pushes him to take the Super-Solider Serum. The next time the new Cap has a run-in with them, he loses his best friend, Battlestar, sending him over the edge. One of the Flag Smashers, Nico, gets the worst of it when Captain America uses his shield to smash his face in with a crowd watching on.

5) Fisk Closes the Car Door (Daredevil)

The only thing Kingpin cares more about than his criminal empire is Vanessa. In Season 1 of Daredevil, while Fisk and Vanessa are on a date, a Russian mobster, Anatoly Ranskahov, walks in to discuss business. Fisk doesn’t appreciate the intrusion, so he takes Anatoly outside and closes a car door on his head until the man doesn’t have a face anymore.

6) Hulk Grows Too Big for His Britches (What If…?)

The animated series What If…? follows alternate scenarios in the MCU, but not all of them are full of sunshine and rainbows. An early episode sees a deranged Hank Pym start hunting down the Avengers. One of his first targets is Bruce Banner, whom he tampers with, forcing his green alter ego, the Hulk, to grow so large that he explodes.

7) Maria Hill Falls for the Trap (Secret Invasion)

While Maria Hill taking a bullet to the stomach isn’t the most gruesome way to go out, her death in Secret Invasion is brutal because of the mental aspect. The Skrull Gravik poses as Nick Fury and gets Hill’s attention before turning the gun on her. For a split second, it’s clear the spy thinks that her mentor is the one putting her in the ground, which is a tough pill to swallow.

8) White Tiger Barks Up the Wrong Tree (Daredevil: Born Again)

Matt Murdock isn’t Daredevil anymore after the first few minutes of Born Again, but he still tries to help his community. When Hector Ayala is charged with the murder of a cop, Matt takes his case and gets the jury to render a non-guilty verdict. After earning his freedom, Hector returns to the streets as the vigilante White Tiger. The cops take the court’s decision personally, though, shooting White Tiger in the head after faking a crime.

9) Ben Urich Follows Fisk Too Closely (Daredevil)

As the other Kingpin moments on this list prove, he doesn’t like to be threatened. Well, Ben Urich is investigating Fisk and his business, which tosses him into the lion’s den. Fisk shows up at Ben’s office, and the two talk it out for a while before the villain chokes the life out of the reporter in a fit of rage.

10) Najma Opens the Wrong Door (Ms. Marvel)

Kamala Khan meets the Clandestines, a group of beings from another reality that want to find a way home, in Ms. Marvel. Their leader, Najma, isn’t the nicest person, pushing Kamala to use her bangles to open a portal. When the portal finally reveals itself, it starts vaporizing people, including Najma, turning them into skeletons in the blink of an eye.

Which of these Marvel TV show deaths do you think is the most brutal? Is there another one that deserves to be on this list? Let us know in the comments below!