Once again in the world of Marvel Comics, Steve Rogers has died in Captain America #700. Due to time travel, a Captain America still lives in the Marvel Universe, but his moment of sacrifice isn't without merit. In single-handedly stopping a nuke, Steve Rogers reminds fans of what it means to be Captain America.
As many Marvel fans know, this isn't Captain America's first death or heroic sacrifice. Without the near-immortality of heroes like Hulk, Thor, or Wolverine, Captain America is more vulnerable than most. But Steve Rogers is famous for never backing down in the face of adversity. On certain occasions, that's cost Captain America his life.
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With all the talk of heroes dying in Avengers: Infinity War as well as its sequel, Avengers 4, one character fans are concerned may soon meet his end is Steve Rogers. With Chris Evans done with Captain America after Avengers 4, it's possible that fans may soon see the Sentinel of Liberty die on the big screen.
If you're wondering how that might happen, there's a number of memorable moments the movie could draw from. Let's take a look at The Best Captain America Death Scenes in Comics:
8. Infinity Gauntlet
In Infinity Gauntlet #4, Adam Warlock assembled a team of heroes to take on Thanos, with Captain America predictably leading the charge. Thanos brutally killed or defeated everyone present, leaving the less dangerous Captain America as the last man standing. Thanos thought it was over until Cap reminded him, "it's not over until the fat lady sings." After an epic faceoff, Thanos struck down Cap with one punch.
A similar confrontation between Cap and Thanos could occur in Avengers: Infinity War (s brief scene in the trailer shows Cap struggling to hold Thanos back). Captain America fans will have to hope that his meeting with Thanos ends differently in the movie than it did in the comic.
7. Civil War
Civil War, the event that pitted Captain America against Iron Man over the Superhero Registration Act, was easily one of the most controversial crossover events Marvel Comics has ever done. Much of that controversy stemmed from the headline-making issue, Captain America #25, which saw Captain America gunned down after surrendering to Iron Man's forces.
The death of Cap was in many ways the death of hope for many Marvel heroes, as it drastically affected the tone of several titles. Even heroes who weren't around for Civil War, like Hawkeye and Hank Pym, were emotionally wrecked after learning of his demise. Of all of Cap's deaths, this one lasted the longest. Steve Rogers remained dead from 2005 to 2009, when it was revealed that his spirit was stuck in the timestream, causing him to relive various moments of his life over and over again.
The chances of the MCU Cap dying in a similar manner were dimmed after Marvel's own Civil War movie, as this would have been the most fitting time for this to happen.
6. Captain America #111
While Avengers #4 may be considered Cap's first "death," Captain America #111 is the first time that fans were to lead to believe that Steve Rogers had been killed. The comic came at a time where Cap's identity as Steve Rogers was publicly known. So in 1969, when Captain America and his partner, Rick Jones were trying to defeat HYDRA, Cap used a Life Model Decoy and a "Steve Rogers" mask to fake his death and make people believe that "Steve Rogers" was a false identity. The plan worked perfectly.
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The comic ended on a cliffhanger: instead of immediately revealing Cap to be alive, Marvel followed up with a memorial issue where Iron Man reminisced about some of Captain America's finest moments. In Captain America #113, Madame Hydra was about to kill the Avengers when Captain America rode up on his motorcycle and sprang into action, surprising everyone. If the MCU's Captain America ever has any intention of retiring, could he try a similar tactic?
5. Captain America #443
After the Super Soldier Serum lost its potency, Captain America became physically weaker and had to begin wearing a suit of armor designed by Tony Stark. He also developed a heart condition. Feeling that he had lost his edge, Steve's friends noticed his depression and worried for his emotional state. In typical Captain America fashion, Steve decided to carry his burdens alone.
When he learned he only had 24 hours to live in Captain America #443 Cap tried to make the most of the time he had left. Instead of spending his last moments with his fellow Avengers, Cap spent his time trying to reform Crossbones and Batroc the Leaper. Later, the Avengers were shocked to discover that his armor was lying on his bed but his body was missing. Apparently, he was kidnapped by the Red Skull, who wanted to restore him to life.
Losing the Super Soldier Serum and dying a natural death does seem like a possible option for Evans' exit from the MCU. It could certainly make for some emotional scenes as the Sentinel of Liberty prepares for the inevitable by revisiting ghosts the audience might not realize were haunting him.
4. Onslaught
In the '90s, the entire Marvel Universe was up against one of its deadliest villains, Onslaught, born from the minds of Professor X and Magneto. The heroes found him to be unbeatable, until Reed Richards discovered that non-mutant heroes could absorb his power. Captain America was among the group of Avengers who courageously gave up their lives to defeat the villain, entering his energy form along with Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Hulk, and Namor. Every hero inside Onslaught was apparently destroyed upon his defeat.
Their "deaths" had a tremendous impact on the Marvel Universe... even if it turned out none of them were truly dead (Franklin Richards placed them in a pocket universe until they were able to escape). The death holds less significance than others on this list, as this was a story about two teams of superheroes giving their lives to stop Onslaught.
But with reality and time travel all in play for Infinity War, this kind of fakeout - but earned sacrifice - is on the table.
3. Secret Wars
Secret Wars has a reputation as one of the earliest—and biggest–crossover events in Marvel Comics history. The Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four were brought to Battleworld by the Beyonder, who was the living embodiment of the Cosmic Cube. Doctor Doom sought to harness this power, and succeeded. In a confrontation with Doom, Captain America attempted to defeat Doom but was killed.
To Doom's surprise, Captain America was instantly resurrected by the wish-fulfilling powers of the Cosmic Cube. Never one to give up, Steve rushed at Doom again, determined to stop him. Doom killed Captain America a second time, but to no avail. Before he could kill him a third time, he lost control of his cosmic abilities and was seemingly disintegrated.
Due to the nature of Steve's death in the comic, it's hard to see this one getting translated to the big screen, unless of course Marvel ever decides to do a Secret Wars movie.
2. Avengers #4
Avengers #4 is the comic book that reintroduced Captain America and brought him into the Silver Age. It's also the comic that established Captain America's first "death". The comic explained his long absence from comics by showing that Captain America was wrongly believed to be dead since 1945. In failing to diffuse a bomb, Cap fell into the ocean and was frozen for decades until a raging Namor the Sub-Mariner accidentally made it possible for Cap to be found by the Avengers.
In the original story, Bucky was killed while Cap was forced to live with the guilt of his partner's death. After his return, Cap struggled to find his place in the world again. The story was adapted in Captain America: First Avenger, which laid the foundation for the character's journey in the films that followed.
1. Korvac Saga
In 1978, the Avengers and the original Guardians of the Galaxy banded together to defeat Korvac, a man who had stolen a large portion of the Power Cosmic from Galactus' ship. Korvac's goal was to remake the universe into a better world. Unfortunately, the heroes couldn't beat him or even hurt him. While all others were left dead or unconscious, Captain America was the only one left to oppose him. Just like his battles against Thanos in Infinity Gauntlet and Doctor Doom in Secret Wars, Cap didn't stand a chance. But as one would expect from the First Avenger, Cap didn't care.
Despite the fact that Korvac defeated Hercules and Thor with ease, Captain America was the first out of over twenty heroes to hurt him. During the fight, Cap acknowledged that he wasn't a god like some of his teammates and that though he was "just a man", he would find a way to beat him. Sadly, Korvac killed Captain America before he could make good on his promise.
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Steve bought enough time for Wonder Man and Thor to wake up and renew their attack on Korvac, and in the end Korvac was ashamed of murdering the Avengers - and brought them all back to life before being killed by Galactus. It's unlikely Korvac will appear in the MCU, but Avengers: Infinity War or Avengers 4 could draw inspiration from Cap's passionate speech and last-ditch stand against impossible odds.