Summary
- Phase 6 of the MCU could see long-running characters meeting their end, including iconic heroes like Thor and Bucky.
- Hawkeye, Hulk, and War Machine are all prime candidates for important deaths in the upcoming Marvel crossover events.
- Characters like Rocket Raccoon and Nick Fury may not survive the next Avengers films, signaling potential major changes in the MCU.
Many long-running characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have begun to get somewhat long in the tooth, and going into Phase 6 presents many more opportunities for important deaths. The MCU is no stranger to death, routinely killing off most villains in the same film they appear and occasionally indulging in a tearful Marvel hero sacrifice. Most notable among the latter include the deaths of Iron Man and Black Widow in Avengers: Endgame.
With the upcoming Phase 6, Marvel seems to be going into another massive crossover event, with the tentpole films Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars promising the same level of spectacle as the end of the Infinity Saga. It seems incredibly likely that at this point, many iconic characters that have been with the series for a long time might finally pass away, whether as a heroic sacrifice or as a way to sell the terror of the new threat of Doctor Doom. Either way, outcomes look bleak for several famous heroes in particular.
10 Hawkeye
It’s A Miracle He’s Survived Even This Long
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If there’s one Avenger that seems to has survived far past his expiration date, it’s Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye. By far the weakest of the original Avengers, Hawkeye has routinely gone up against world-ending threats armed only with archaic weaponry, and has still come out the other side mostly unscathed every time. Phase 6 might be as good a time as any for the marksman hero, who still never got his own film, to finally bite the dust.
For one, Hawkeye already has a replacement hero lined up with his same name, with Kate Bishop stepping into the role in the Hawkeye series. Practically speaking, actor Jeremy Renner’s long recovery from his alarming accident in 2023 might also be reason enough to retire the character, possibly even off-screen. It’s unlikely, but possible that Hawkeye could even get a post-mortem prequel film a la Black Widow following his death.
9 The Hulk
Bruce Banner Could Finally Find His MCU Exit
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The Hulk has been one of the MCU’s biggest wasted opportunities in the entire series. Thanks to legal hand-wringing tying Marvel Studio’s hands, the character wasn’t able to get additional solo films following 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, hamstringing his development as an eternal supporting character that never got a chance to shine. Now, The Hulk retains Banner’s personality in Hulk’s body, but the MCU has moved him away from facing off against even some of his most famous comic villains, giving them to Sam Wilson’s Captain America instead.
The Hulk retains Banner’s personality in Hulk’s body, but the MCU has moved him away from facing off against even some of his most famous comic villains, giving them to Sam Wilson’s Captain America instead.
Killing off a powerful being like The Hulk could be a great way to sell the series on a powerful threat such as Doctor Doom, putting an alarming target on Hulk’s back. Like Hawkeye, Hulk has multiple contenders with similar powers that could functionally replace him in the series as well, including his son, Skaar and his cousin, She-Hulk. In any case, it seems unlikely that Dr. Bruce Banner will continue to persist in the Marvel universe following another existential crisis.
8 Bucky
The Winter Soldier Might Finally Be Laid To Rest For Good
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Bucky Barnes has quietly been one of the longest-running heroes still active in the MCU. First appearing as far back as Captain America: The First Avenger, Bucky Barnes has been through a lot in the series, from his time as the Winter Soldier to the events of Captain America: Civil War to finally confronting his trauma in TheFalcon and The Winter Soldier. Overcoming amnesia, HYDRA programming, and multiple attempts on his life, Bucky has had more close calls than anyone.
The actor who portrays Bucky, Sebastian Stan, has said as much in a recent panel at San Diego Comic-Con, with Stan questioning Bucky’s survival in Thunderbolts*. In his statements on playing Bucky, Stan mused “It’s like having nine lives – How many are left?“, implying Bucky’s days in the MCU are numbered. If he does manage to live through the events of Thunderbolts*, Bucky is a prime candidate for the chopping block of the next two big crossover films in the MCU.
Sebastian Stan also appeared in
Destroyer
(2018) as Chris.
7 Thor
Has Had A Long, Tragic MCU Journey
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Few characters are as accustomed to death in the MCU as Thor is. Having lost his brother, father, mother, and lover over the course of his four movies, not to mention his eye, hammer, and homeland, Thor has had a tragic journey. It wouldn’t be altogether a surprise for Marvel to punctuate the God of Thunder’s sad tale with an equally devastating death sequence sometime within Phase 6’s four films.
Like Hulk, Thor is a prime target for new villains looking to make a name for themselves, as his death would instantly prove a threat to be worth taking seriously. Not only that, but his adoption of his former enemy’s daughter, Love, at the end of Thor: Love and Thunder sets him up for a heroic sacrifice to save her. Another one of the MCU’s longest-running heroes, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is long overdue for retirement from the franchise in one form or another.
6 Wong
Most Likely Won’t Stay The Sorcerer Supreme Forever
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Like Bucky, Wong has come a long way since being merely considered the sidekick of a more famous Marvel hero. First appearing in Doctor Strange, Wong has gone on to prove himself as one of the MCU’s most powerful magicians in his own right, becoming Sorcerer Supreme in the absence of Doctor Strange. Since then, Wong has made solo appearances in She-Hulk and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, becoming an incredibly recognizable supporting character in the MCU.
Unfortunately, Wong’s ultimate lack of importance might leave him in an alarmingly comfortable spot for Marvel writers to kill off, being recognizable enough to get a reaction but not so beloved that his death would cause outrage. Additionally, killing off Wong would allow the title of Sorcerer Supreme to pass back to Doctor Strange, who has become something of the MCU’s new figurehead strategist in the absence of Tony Stark. Wong’s death just makes more and more sense for the upcoming Phase 6.
5 Rocket Raccoon
A Final Goodbye To James Gunn’s MCU Legacy
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is unique among the Marvel Cinematic Universe for being the first film in the franchise to truly feel like an ending. The third installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy saw the dissolution of the titular team as audiences knew it, with Rocket and Groot being the only two familiar faces to remain in the group. If any member of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy is going to come back, it’s Rocket.
Unfortunately, his return might quickly be paired with a tragic death scene in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. The death of the fan-favorite character would be an incredibly emotional affair, and would officially mark the end of the original team on the Guardians of the Galaxy (not counting the reincarnated Groot). Meta-contextually, Rocket’s death could also be a poignant send-off to James Gunn’s influence on the MCU, having moved on to spearhead his own cinematic universe with DC.
4 Kang
Has Officially Been Pushed Aside In Favor Of Doom
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If there’s one character that the MCU previously billed as integral to the story that’s sure to perish in the phases to come, it’s Kang. While the multiversal tyrant was all set to be the MCU’s next big bad, a combination of lukewarm audience reception and controversy surrounding Kang’s actor, Jonathan Majors, prompted Marvel Studios to pivot. Now, the fifth Avengers film, once titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, has officially been re-born as Avengers: Doomsday.
It’s clear that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom has replaced Kang as the next overarching Avengers villain, regardless of Majors’ thoughts of Doom’s casting following his firing from Marvel Studios. Story-wise, it seems like the Council of Kangs are suddenly in imminent danger of being wiped out entirely, possibly by Doom himself. It’s possible that a blue-faced CGI Kang, not necessitating Majors’ return, might be killed off to prove Doom’s strength, if Kang is even directly mentioned again at all.
3 Ant-Man
A chronic Underperformer That Might Finally Get The Axe
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Speaking of Kang, it was his appearance alongside Ant-Man in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania that may have sealed both characters’ doom. The film was an alarming box office flop for the MCU, causing Marvel Studios to re-evaluate their entire strategy moving forward. As such, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man might be in danger of taking on a job too big for him to finish with his life.
Ant-Man has never been a high box office performer for Marvel Studios, which might be reason enough to kill him off in the upcoming Phase 6. Scott Lang also has a replacement hero lined up already, his daughter Cassie, who uses size-changing Pym technology in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Even if Cassie doesn’t become the next Ant-Man, there are plenty of other names beyond Scott Lang and Hank Pym who have worn the Ant-Man suit in the comics, clearing the way for a new introduction.
2 War Machine
One Of The MCU’s Oldest Heroes In Danger Of Dying
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Like Bucky, War Machine is another one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s longest-running heroes that’s survived unbelievable odds time and time again. First appearing as far back as Phase 1’s Iron Man 2, Don Cheadle’s War Machine has quietly been one of the most consistent and iconic heroes. That’s why it was so controversial when Secret Wars revealed that Rhodey had been a Skrull infiltrator since perhaps as far back as the events of Captain America: Civil War.
With the 59-year-old Don Cheadle like to age out of his superhero role soon, War Machine could be done for in the next
Avengers
films regardless.
To fix this problem, it’s possible that Marvel may simply kill off the Skrull impostor, leading to a shocking moment in which the heroes discover the shapeshifting corpse of an alien in place of their comrade. Barring that, War Machine’s swap could be retconned some other way, but the real Rhodey is still very much in danger going into Phase 6. With the 59-year-old Don Cheadle like to age out of his superhero role soon, War Machine could be done for in the next Avengers films regardless.
1 Nick Fury
The True Foundation Of The MCU Could Finally Meet His End
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While performances like Chris Evans’ Captain America or Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man could be argued as the figurehead hero of the MCU, Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury is undoubtedly the series’ unyielding backbone. Appearing since the very beginning to organize the Avengers in the first place, Nick Fury has survived countless attempts on his life, regime changes, alien invasions, and so much more. Few characters in the series have had as many close calls, and at this point, seeing Nick Fury go would be gutting.
It’s for just that reason that Nick Fury is so likely to die in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, as his death could easily be one of the most poignant scenes of the entire series. Not only that, but Samuel L. Jackson is now 75 years old, and has been playing the character since Iron Man‘s post-credits scene in 2008. It seems almost improbable that the MCU would allow the famous mentor of its heroes to survive yet another catastrophic event.
| Upcoming Marvel Movies | Release Date |
| Captain America: Brave New World | February 14, 2025 |
| Thunderbolts* | May 2, 2025 |
| The Fantastic Four | July 25, 2025 |
| Blade | November 7, 2025 |
| Avengers: Doomsday | May 1, 2026 |
| Avengers: Secret Wars | May 7, 2027 |
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Created by Kevin Feige First Film Iron Man Latest Film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever First TV Show WandaVision Upcoming TV Shows Secret Invasion
Summary
The monolithic franchise that kicked off with Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), is one of the industry’s longest-running and largest cinematic franchises. Based on the heroes from Marvel Comics, the MCU is a new way for fans and newcomers alike to enjoy the ever-expanding universes of some of the world’s most famous superheroes. Releasing as “Phases,” Marvel Studio’s first three Phases came to be known as “The Infinity Saga,” which surrounded the formation of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and their showdown with the Mad Titan known as Thanos as he sought to collect the Infinity Stones. With his ultimate goal of indiscriminately wiping out half of all life in the universe, this plot ultimately reveals itself over ten years of films, ending in a two-part finale that changed the world’s fate – and the core cast forever. Currently, the MCU is preparing to enter the fifth phase, focusing on Kang the Conquerer as the new core series villain.
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