Warning! Spoilers for all MCU content released in 2024
TheMarvel Cinematic Universehas seen some dramatic death scenes throughout 2024, with a few particularly shocking ends being met by various characters. Compared to previous years,2024 has been quite light on Marvel releases, with only a single feature film,Deadpool & Wolverine,gracing theaters under the red banner thanks to a variety of delays. Other than that, spin-off series likeAgatha All Along, Echo,andX-Men ‘97have been the only source of Marvel deaths for the year.
Despite how few projects the MCU released in 2024, the year was still plenty bloody, witha higher-than-average fatality rate across what releases did premiere. While not too many long-running characters from previous phases met their demise in 2024, that’s not to say that the deaths of newly-introduced players weren’t significant in the grand scheme of the series. Be they genuinely tragic or played for laughs, the killing off of certain MCU characters in 2024 made big waves.
10Agatha Harkness Dies In Agatha All Along
The Only MCU Project To See Its Titular Character Perish
Agatha All Alongis inherently a macabre series made with the supernatural in mind, so it’s no surprise that the Disney+ show was surrounded with deaths. Easily the most significant and well-crafted death inAgatha All Alongwas that of Agatha Harkness herself. This marksthe first time a Marvel Cinematic Universe character dies in their own self-titled solo project, a grave milestone for the series to reach in 2024.
Agatha All Along
Cast
Agatha Harkness, after the events of “WandaVision,” seeks to regain her magical powers. Joining forces with unexpected allies, including the son of an old adversary, she battles new mystical threats while uncovering hidden secrets in the magical realm.
Sacrificing herself for Billy Maximoff, Agatha offers her own life to the literal personification of Death in the MCU, breaking another boundary with the first same-sexkiss scene between two women in the MCU.This literal kiss of death leaves Agatha drained of life, instantly decaying into a decrepit husk before melting into a beautiful bed of flowers. Though she dies, her MCU journey is far from over as she presumes a spectral form more similar to her comic incarnation, vowing to help Billy find his missing brother.
9Cassandra Nova Dies In Deadpool & Wolverine
Charles Xavier’s Sister Kicks The Bucket The Film She’s Introduced In
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a peculiar habit of killing off powerful villains that could easily work as multiple-movie-long threats in the same entry they’re introduced. Sadly,Deadpool & Wolverinecontinued this trend with Cassandra Nova, the evil twin sister of Professor X who rules over the TVA’s Void with an iron fist.
Just as she is about to succeed in tearing apart Deadpool’s reality with the Time Ripper,Deadpool and Wolverine’s intervention causes the machine to backfire on Cassandra, exploding her to pieces from the strain. In truth, Cassandra Nova’s death is almost the least significant aspect to the scene in which it happens.
Deadpool & Wolverine
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
From Wolverine’s tear-jerking flashback to the epic choir version of Madonna’sLike A Prayer, the bond forged between two mutants that overcomes Cassandra’s machinations literally outshines her own death. Still, it would be inaccurate to say that one of the most significant threats introduced to the MCU in recent years dying isn’t a noteworthy event.
8Chris Evans’ Human Torch Dies In Deadpool & Wolverine
The Old Fox Character Is Brutally Killed
Of all thecameos inDeadpool & Wolverine,Chris Evans' Human Torch was easily one of the most jaw-dropping. At first, Evans' appearance in the film seems to be suggesting a Captain America cameo, with Deadpool excitedly waiting for him to say Cap’s catchphrase only for Johnny Storm to belt out “Flame On!”, activating his pyrokinetic powers.
The Human Torch’s cameo is cut hilariously short when his character is violently killed by Cassandra Nova. After Deadpool snitches on Johnny Storm’s foul language regarding Cassandra (which a post-credits scene actually reveals to be shockingly true), Cassandra responds in turn by instantly ripping all of the skin off his body.
Johnny stands unsteadily for a moment as a living anatomy textbook illustration before collapsing into a pile of gore, making for one of the most graphic deaths ever featured in the MCU. This hilariously over-the-top death was a memorable way for Cassandra to demonstrate just how evil and powerful she truly is.
7Gambit Dies In X-Men ‘97
Audiences Will Surely Remember It Well
Though technically not a part of the main MCU timeline,X-Men ‘97releasing as a product of the MCU made for one of the franchise’s most shocking deaths this year. Between his ownDeadpool & Wolverinecameo courtesy of Channing Tatum and his appearance inX-Men ‘97, 2024 was a huge year for the mutant card-slinger Gambit.
The words behind Gambit’s death and Rogue’s heartbreaking reaction make for perhaps the single most gut-wrenching MCU moment of 2024.
Remy LeBeau went out with a literal bang in the wake of an attack on the peaceful mutant island nation of Genosha orchestrated by a colossal three-headed Sentinel robot. In a last-ditch effort to stop the rampaging machine,Gambit attacks, only to be skewered by the Sentinel’s automated defenses.
X-Men ‘97
X-Men ‘97 is the direct continuation of the popular 1990s animated series X-Men: The Animated Series. Taking up where the third season left off, Marvel’s revival brings back famous mutants such as Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Cyclops, Beast, Magneto, and Nightcrawler, who fight villains like Mr. Sinister, the Sentinels, and the Hellfire Club.
Impaled, Gambit uses one last trick up his sleeve to supercharge the entire chassis of the robot with his signature pink energy, detonating the entire machine in a massive explosion. The words behind Gambit’s death and Rogue’s heartbreaking reaction make for perhapsthesingle most gut-wrenching MCU moment of 2024.
6Lilia Sacrifices Herself In Agatha All Along
A Stunning Display Of Divination Magic’s Power
Gambit wasn’t the only Marvel character to take out his enemies with a spectacular self-sacrifice in 2024. Enter Lilia Calderu, the designated divination witch of Agatha’s coven inAgatha All Along.The trail of her relevant school of magic on the dangerous Witch’s Road sees the mysterious masked coven, The Salem Seven, finally catch up to Agatha’s group, threatening dire consequences should they be allowed to catch up to the gang.
Agatha All Alonghas an 84% rating onRotten Tomatoes.
Surrounded by the shapeshifting witches, Lilia makes a bold sacrificeplay by flipping the major arcana tarot card “The Tower”, which symbolizes disaster and calamity. To illustrate this, Lilia reverses gravity of the room she’s in, causing herself along with the Salem Seven to be impaled by the various swords lodged in the ceiling. Ofall the deaths inAgatha All Along,Lilia’s is at once one of the most visually impressive and emotionally devastating.
5Nicepool Gets Used As A Human Shield In Deadpool & Wolverine
Tragic And Funny At Rhe Same Time
As previously demonstrated by The Human Torch,Deadpool & Wolverinecertainly wasn’t afraid to play off certain deaths as comedic shock value, hilarious for their tragedy in a roundabout way. The best example of this in action is Nicepool, one of many versions of himself Deadpool meets (and kills) across his multiversal adventures.
During a firefight with other Deadpool variants,the Merc with a Mouth uses Nicepool as a human shield, assuming he would be able to regenerate. While Nicepool may have been blessed with an ugly dog, good hair, an unscarred face and dual gold-plated Desert Eagles, he apparently lacked the one thing all other Deadpools have - A healing factor.
Thusly, after being riddled with holes by the other Deadpool’s bullets, his face is turned into a fine red mist mid-motivational speech, totally deflating original recipe Deadpool’s attempt at an inspirational pep talk.So sad that it goes back around and becomes funny again, Nicepool’s death was one that shook the MCU’s 2024 run.
4Echo’s Mom Dies In A Car Crash In Echo
The Tragic Origins Of Echo’s Criminal Career
A forgotten MCU release that took place early in the year,Echowas a criminally overlooked MCU show that told the redemption of Maya Lopez as the titular hero. Taloa Lopez was a member of the Choctaw tribe young Maya belonged to, possessing an extraordinary gift for healing that she hoped to one day pass along to her daughter.
Sadly,Taloa’s life was cut short thanks to the machinations of Kingpin, as revealed in Echo’s first appearance inHawkeye.It’s only in Echo’s self-titled series that the details of Taloa’s death are explored, with the brakes to her car being cut by one of Kingpin’s goons.
Echo
Echo is a film that follows Maya as she returns home to confront her family and legacy while being pursued by Wilson Fisk’s criminal empire. The narrative delves into themes of identity and familial ties, set against a backdrop of crime and personal discovery.
Inthe same accident that cost Maya her leg, Taloa tragically dies, putting Maya’s rage and frustration into clearer context. Taloa is at least able to return in spirit form atthe end ofEcho,helping her newly-empowered daughter in an attempt to heal the shattered mind of Wilson Fisk.
3Death Takes Nicholas Scratch In Agatha All Along
A Huge Chunk Of Agatha’s Motivations
Taloa Lopez isn’t the only motivational death shown off via flashback in a 2024 MCU series.Agatha All Alongpulls a similar trick with Nicholas Scratch, Agatha’s son, who is revealed to have died under mysterious circumstances long ago. Rumors in the witch community suggest that Agatha may have intentionally sacrificed her son for some boon of magical power, though her apparent mourning of his death even in the modern day seems to contradict this.
The heart-wrenching truth behind Nicholas Scratch’s death is one of the most brutal reveals of any 2024 MCU project, and explains a lot about Agatha’s personality and goals.
The truth is eventually revealed whenAgatha All Alongshows Agatha’s bargaining with Death to keep Nicholas alive long after he should’ve succumbed to disease, desperately keeping him alive with profane magic. Eventually,Death comes to collect, and gently leads Nicholas by the hand into the gravewhile his mother remains sleeping. The heart-wrenching truth behind Nicholas Scratch’s death is one of the most brutal reveals of any 2024 MCU project, and explains a lot about Agatha’s personality and goals.
2Sharon Is Poisoned In Agatha All Along
One Of The Few Returning MCU Characters To Die In 2024
For the most part, Marvel Cinematic Universe deaths in 2024 have been either revelations of deaths that were already known in the present day or brand-new characters, with no legacy roles meeting their demise. The sole exception is the death of Sharon Davis, whoreprises her role fromWandaVisioninAgatha All Along.A normal Westview citizen, Sharon is recruited to Agatha’s covenunder the weak premise of filling in for the “Green Earth Witch” thanks to her green thumb, despite having no actual supernatural powers.
This lack of magical know-how proves to be her undoing in one of the trials of the Witch’s Road, which sees Sharon imbibing a poisonous glass of wine along with everyone else. Because Jennifer Hale misses a key ingredient in crafting an antidotal potion for the poison, Sharon perishes just moments away from a cure.Her death is a cruel and needless sacrifice in Agatha’s selfish journey.
1Madelyne Pryor Is Vaporized In X-Men ‘97
A Tragic End To A Tragic Character
X-Men ‘97proved itself as the master of superhero soap opera drama when it’s revealed that Mr. Sinister swapped out Jean Grey for a clone at an unknown point in time, resulting in Cyclops having a baby with an unwitting copy of his beloved. Knowing that her life was little more than a supervillain’s ruse, the new being, calling herself Madelyne Pryor, tries to enjoy a new life on Genosha. Of course,this ends in ruin with the Sentinel’s deadly attack, resulting in Pryor being vaporized by the initial blitzkrieg.
X-Men ‘97 Perfectly Proved Why 1 Marvel Villain Needs To Be In The MCU 8 Months Ago
One of Marvel Comics weirdest villains reared his ugly head in 2024’s X-Men ‘97, proving he’d be a great villain for the MCU’s upcoming X-Men team.
What makes Madelyne’s death so particularly tragic is the fact that she’s finally able to reunite with her son, Cable, for just a brief moment prior. Cable can only tearfully say goodbye to his mother before time traveling away, knowing of the imminent destruction about to kill her. Though it put an end to a confusing sub-plot, Madelyne Pryor’s death is one of the most quietly devastatingMCUmoments of 2024.
