The stakes are high for the superheroes in Marvel movies. Their reputation and credibility are on the line. For many heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), their decisions came with a price. They had to forfeit their life to save others or to reverse the course of actions caused by a villain.
Not all movies in MCU ended with a beloved superhero's death which would end their character arc. Yet those that did sacrifice their lives for the greater good, left their friends grieving their deaths and sometimes facing the consequences of their actions in future installments of movies and TV shows.
The following contains spoilers for several Marvel movies and shows.
Ant-Man Enters the Quantum Realm Knowing the Consequences in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp'
In Ant-Man (2015), Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) agreed to participate in a shrinking experiment where he was shrunk to the size of an ant. In Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), he wrestled with his responsibilities as a father and as the Ant-Man. This time, he teamed up with the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) to find Ghost. Ant-Man makes the risky decision of entering the Quantum Zone to gather the necessary quantum particles to help Ghost.
Ant-Man knew the risks associated with the Quantum Realm, but he was the only one who returned to the Quantum Zone whereas the Van Dyne Family monitored his status. He saw firsthand how Janet Van Dyne was trapped in the realm for several years. The end of Ant-Man and the Wasp was not one he might have expected as the Van Dyne Family disappeared and Ant-Man was trapped in the Quantum Zone. Ant-Man and the Wasp is available on Disney+.
Wanda Gives Up Her Perfect-Reality in 'WandaVision'
In WandaVision (2021), viewers watched Wanda Maximoff's (Elizabeth Olsen) life unfold in Westview. Wanda lives with her husband Vision (Paul Bettany) where they spend their days working and inviting their coworkers for dinner. In each episode, Wanda began to question the world around her.
Wanda confronts her seemingly perfect reality. When she realized that none of it was real, she freed the Westview residents from her spell thus sacrificing her chance to live the life she desired. Her actions had dire consequences. At the end of the series, she familiarizes herself with The Darkhold, a cursed book. This tied in with the events in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are available on Disney+.
Spider-Man Erases History in 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'
Spider-Man (Tom Holland) might have defeated Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), but wasn't seen as the hero by the public. Instead, Mysterio released a video confession where he claimed that Spider-Man "attacked him for some reason" and revealed that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. In Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Peter asked Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to help configure a spell to have everyone forget that he was Spider-Man.
Dr. Strange's spell backfires and opens a multiverse of villains and other Spider-Mans. Towards the end of the movie, Dr. Strange tried the spell again, and this time, the spell worked. No one remembered Peter Parker. Peter Parker lost Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) after the Green Goblin killed her, and he lost his friends who no longer remember him. Spider-Man: No Way Home is available on YouTube.
Groot Uses Himself as a Shield in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'
The Ravagers included Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), a tree-like creature named Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), a raccoon named Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), and Gamora (Zoe Saldaña). Together they searched for the powerful orb that Ronan had. Ronan refused to give up the orb to Thanos and escaped to Xander. Peter Quill and his team traveled to Xander to defeat Ronan.
When Dark Aster ship fell, Groot used his branches to shield the rest of the group. Groot sustained life-threatening injuries that resulted in his death. This wasn't the last time viewers had a chance to see Groot. Rocket planted a part of Groot, and he was able to regrow. Guardians of the Galaxy is available on Disney+.
Natasha Trades Her Life for the Soul Stone in 'Avengers: Endgame'
One of the six infinity stones that powered the Infinity Gauntlet was the Soul Stone. However, to retrieve the soul stone, one of the heroes had to sacrifice their life at Vormir. Initially, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) already accepted that it would be him sacrificing his life to earn the stone. Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) refused for him to make that decision when he had a wife and children that he would leave behind. As the two tried to stop each other, ultimately Natasha told Clint "It's ok" before she pushed herself from the cliff.
While all the heroes grieved Natasha's death, the events that followed Avengers: Endgame (2019) still haunted Clint. Throughout the Marvel movies, Natasha and Clint were friends. One of the films even revealed that one of Clint's children was about to be named after her. In the TV series Hawkeye (2021), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) searched New York City to kill Clint to avenge her sister's death. Avengers: Endgame is available on Disney+.
Iron Man Restores Life But Ends Up Losing His Life in 'Avengers: Endgame'
Besides collecting all the infinity stones, there was the matter of reversing the actions that Thanos (Josh Brolin) caused at the end of Avengers: Infinity War (2018). At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos snapped and half the population disintegrated before their very eyes. Those that were left teamed up with the rest of the Avengers to take down Thanos and his army.
Avengers: Endgame didn't just part with Natasha (Black Widow), the heroes had to say goodbye to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). As he took the Infinity Stones to power up his glove, Tony snapped his fingers and restored order. Thanos and his army disappeared. At the end of the movie, Tony parts ways with his loved ones.
Jane Dies to Help Thor in 'Thor: Love and Thunder'
What came as a surprise for many was Dr. Jane Foster's (Natalie Portman) transformation. The last time viewers and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) saw Dr. Foster was in Thor: The Dark World (2013). They decided to separate but reunited in the 2022 film Thor: Love and Thunder. In Thor: Love and Thunder, Jane wielded the Mjolnir, the hammer, and became the Mighty Thor. As she held the Mjolnir in her hand, she possessed all godly abilities.
Despite possessing superhuman strength, these powers weakened her and reversed her cancer treatment. However, this didn't stop her from trying to save Thor and Asgard. The final battle between Gorr (Christian Bale) and the Thors resulted in Jane's death, yet all the actions that led up to this moment emphasized Jane's heroic actions. Thor: Love and Thunder is currently in theaters.