In many ways, the Marvel Cinematic Universe feels like a TV show whose episodes you watch on the big screen (in other words, an old-fashioned pulpy serial). And just like many modern TV series, the MCU has killed off characters in shocking and emotionally charged ways. There have been many heartbreaking character deaths in the MCU, from Natasha Romanoff to Groot.
The death of Tony Stark will be a tough one to beat, but the character deaths aren’t over yet. More characters will die as Phase Four begins. So, here are 10 characters who could be marked for the MCU’s next major death.
Thor
Not a lot of fans expected Thor to survive Avengers: Endgame, but thankfully, he made it to the end. It was Tony Stark who died on the battlefield, while Steve Rogers returned to the past and aged gracefully. Thor’s survival paved the way for Taika Waititi to continue his revamp of the character with Thor: Love and Thunder.
But Chris Hemsworth will undoubtedly want to move on to other projects soon and Jane Foster has been announced as Thor’s replacement, so the God of Thunder might die at the end of Love and Thunder.
Scarlet Witch
It’s been reported that the upcoming Disney+ series WandaVision will lead directly into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Scarlet Witch will have a supporting role in the latter, so the leading fan theory is that she’ll alter the fabric of reality in WandaVision before helping the Sorcerer Supreme to fix everything in his next solo adventure.
As Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch dive into the multiverse and possibly face off against the terrifying villain Nightmare, there’s a chance that Scarlet Witch could die.
Hank Pym
Hank Pym had his superhero heyday in the ‘60s and he’s not getting any younger. Michael Douglas has said he’d love to do a fully digitally de-aged prequel about Hank’s adventures with Janet Van Dyne’s Wasp during the Cold War, which could be a lot of fun.
But in the present day, it’s possible that Hank won’t survive much longer. A future Ant-Man movie (though not necessarily Ant-Man 3) could have a heartfelt funeral scene.
Hawkeye
The primary goal of Avengers: Endgame was to mark the end of the saga that started with the assembling of the six core Avengers in their initial 2012 team-up. However, only half of those six Avengers wrapped up their arcs in the movie. Clint Barton is set to train his successor, Kate Bishop, in the upcoming Hawkeye series on Disney+, with Hailee Steinfeld being rumored for the role (and based on her dramatically resonant turn in the Coens’ True Grit remake, that would be awesome).
Clint could retire to a life as a farmer with his wife and kids, but that would that would be the easy way out. The tough ending would be to gruesomely kill him off as he hands the torch to Kate.
Nick Fury
The MCU has duped us with so many fake-out deaths for S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury that when he inevitably does get killed in action, it might not come as much of a shock. So, Marvel will really have to push the boat out to give his demise some impact.
Whether he dies in battle with Captain Marvel in her next solo movie or something terrible happens to the Skrull command ship we saw him traveling on in Spider-Man: Far From Home’s post-credits scene, Fury’s days could be numbered.
The Hulk
When the Phase Four slate for the MCU was initially announced, there didn’t seem to be any room for the Hulk. His arc is complete, as the dichotomy of Bruce Banner and the Hulk has been resolved in the form of “Smart Hulk,” and all his best adventures have been depicted on-screen already.
Despite the fact that Bruce has been confirmed for an appearance alongside his cousin Jen Walters in the upcoming She-Hulk series, he could be the next character to go.
Vision
Technically, Vision already had an emotionally charged death scene when Thanos ripped the Mind Stone out of his head. However, he’s about to be brought back somehow in WandaVision. One fan theory is that a grieving Scarlet Witch will warp reality to resurrect him and end up screwing up the universe as a result.
This could lead to some dire consequences – consequences that will require the intervention of Doctor Strange and the Masters of the Mystic Arts – that send Vision to another early grave.
Rocket
When James Gunn was rehired to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he said that the most exciting prospect about helming the threequel was getting the chance to wrap up Rocket’s MCU arc, as Rocket is the character that he most identifies with.
There are rumors that Rocket will face his creator in Vol. 3, or that he could find a love interest. But the end of a character arc in the MCU usually only means one thing: death.
Bucky Barnes
With Steve Rogers out of the picture, there’s not much room in the MCU for Bucky Barnes. Marvel will surely get a lot of mileage out of Bucky’s buddy-cop team-up with Sam Wilson coming to Disney+, but Bucky has found peace. His arc is over. There’s little else for him to do.
Keeping him around will have a negative effect on his character. Bucky could be a casualty of the next Avengers movie, or his death could make for an emotionally charged season finale in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Spider-Man
Last summer, Marvel fans were horrified to hear that talks had broken down between Disney and Sony, and Spider-Man would be departing from the MCU on a big cliffhanger. Fortunately, after Tom Holland drunkenly called the companies’ CEOs, the negotiations got back on track and the MCU incarnation of Spidey will return to multiplexes.
He’ll appear in another solo movie to wrap up his standalone trilogy, and he’ll also have a role in another MCU movie that’s yet to be announced. To get Spidey out of the MCU and into the Sony-verse full-time, he could be killed off in that mysterious second movie.