The 8 Best Marvel Heroes Who Are Currently Dead

The Marvel Universe is certainly no stranger to tragedy and loss, with its extensive roster of heroes often having to make the ultimate sacrifice in their battles to protect the world. In the wake of this, some of Marvel's most beloved heroes have met their untimely, or rather timely, ends, leaving behind legacies that continue to inspire the remaining heroes.

While death is rarely permanent in comic books, these fallen figures remain iconic for their heroic achievements and impact throughout their lives, or in this case, their superhero careers. Therefore, this piece seeks to celebrate the lives of these fallen heroes and their legacies while acknowledging their impact on the MCU multiverse. As a result, below are the best fallen Marvel heroes who currently remain dead.

8 Mighty Thor

Not even Cancer could stop Jane Foster as Might Thor

• First appearance: Thor (2011)
• Dead Universe in: Earth-19999
• Death: Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)

Thor Odinson's only romantic interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Mighty Thor, also known as Doctor Jane Foster, during her lifetime was one of the world's leading astrophysicists; the superhero comes a little later. The main character of the MCU's 2022 film Thor: Love and Thunder, Jane Foster was one of the MCU's newest superheroes.

While her superhero status is short-lived, her impact is far more profound. Faced with the god-killing threat of Gorr, the god-butcher, and the threat of stage IV cancer, the MCU's Mighty Thor succumbed to the disease after defeating Gorr, saving New Asgard. However, with her soul reaching Valhalla, a Valkyrie return may not be disabled. But until then.

7 Mercury

A tragic life of ultimate redemption

• First appearance: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
• Dead Universe in: Earth-199999
• Death: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

One of the MCU's most tragic but necessary deaths, Quicksilver Pietro Maximoff is another whose superhero status is very short given the circumstances surrounding his death. Scarlet Witch's fraternal twin brother, Pietro, like his sister, blurs the lines between heroism and villainy, as both were originally in the service of HYDRA against the Avengers and SHIELD.

However, the cost of heroism comes at a price too high for speed, after he sacrifices himself to save Hawkeye and a civilian child during the Battle of Slovakia in Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron. After all, what is the hallmark of a hero if not self-sacrifice?

6 Original Groot

Groot is family

• First appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.1
• Dead Universe in: Earth-199999
• Death: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.1

Drez-Lar's prophesied hero and Rocket's original accomplice, Original Groot was a founding member of the Guardians of the Galaxy whose only way of speaking was no more than “I am Groot.” While the alien tree trunk had very limited words, his actions clearly spoke of a hero, manifested both before and after his death.

In what would be the Guardians' first attempt at being “Guardians”, Groot sacrificed his life to save his friends during the Battle of Xandar in an attempt to protect one of the Infinity Stones from Ronan the Accuser. However, unlike other dead heroes, the hero Groot lives on in his offspring, born from a part of his destroyed body.

5 The Scarlet Witch

A life with no good, no bad, only loss

• First appearance: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
• Dead Universe in: Earth-199999
• Death: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Marvel's perfect take on a morally ambiguous character, The Scarlet Witch, also known as Wanda Maximoff, was technically one of the fiercest heroes and villains of the MCU.

While her actions as Scarlet Witch in the MCU's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness completely deviate from what a superhero should be, Wanda's heroic acts cannot be easily overwritten.

From watching her twin brother die, having to sacrifice her lover for a war to almost killing Thanos. However, it is the unintended effects of so much self-sacrifice and the need for any kind of closure that lead to her brutal descent into dark magic, ultimately leading to her demise under the crumbling ruins of Darkhold Castle.

4 The Ancient One

A perfect life at the perfect time

• First appearance: Prelude #2 to Marvel's Doctor Strange
• Dead Universe in: Earth-199999
• Death: Doctor Strange (2016)

Doctor Strange's predecessor and former Sorcerer Supreme and Leader of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, the Ancient One was responsible for Stephen Strange's appearance as Doctor Strange in the 2016 film Doctor Strange.

Not that she deserved to die at the hands of her former student, Kaecilius; however, The Ancient One was originally of Celtic descent and lived quite a long life before meeting Stephen Strange. You could argue that her death came at the right time to pass the torch, leaving an indelible legacy among the MCU's long list of now-deceased heroes.

3 Loki

The ultimate result of a lifetime of tricks

• First appearance: Avengers: Thor (2011)
• Dead Universe in: Earth-199999
• Death: Avengers: Infinity War

The biological son of the King of the Frost Giants, introduced in Thor the Movie, 2011, Loki was also the adopted son of Odin and Thor's half-brother. Although Loki's credentials as a hero can be questioned given his actions from Thor, to the movie to The Avengers.

However, his journey to redemption was just as satisfying. His final act of redemption, it would seem, came at the cost of his life after Thanos snapped his neck in front of his brother Thor, ending the Loki of the original timeline.

2 Black Widow

Natasha, the ultimate helper

• First appearance: Iron Man 2 (2010)
• Dead Universe in: Earth-199999
• Death: Avengers: Endgame (2019)

One of SHIELD's finest agents and a founding member of the Avengers, Natasha Romanoff has proven once again that the height of heroism is self-sacrifice. With her only known family destroyed in The Avengers and the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance, Natasha Romanoff was the first key to securing the one in a billion chance that Doctor Strange envisioned.

The infamous Black Widow may not have had superpowers, but her hero didn't need a cape to fly as he flew to his death for the Avengers to obtain the Soul Stone to defeat the mad titan, Thanos.

1 Iron Man

“I'm Ironman”

• First appearance: Iron Man (2008)
• Dead Universe in: Earth-199999
• Death: Avengers: Endgame (2019)

The MCU's most iconic superhero, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist, Iron Man, also known as Tony Stark, couldn't have lived a better superhero story. The son of Howard Stark and CEO of Stark Industries, Tony is the prime example of heroism, and his sacrifice proved monumental for the fate of the world in 2019's The Avengers: Endgame.

Taking the power of all six Infinity Stones with a heart made from an artificial energy source, Tony fended off Thanos and his army and reversed the Blip, all at the cost of his own life. His iconic “I am Iron Man” line capped the MCU's greatest superhero story.