Whether it be Marvel
or any other comic publisher, death is frequently treated as an impermanent narrative device meant to compel the plot or characters forward. However, its impermanence threatens to steal the real meaning of death in a story. When a character or their loved one is gone, that’s supposed to be it. The trauma, grief, and sadness can motivate those around them to accomplish impossible feats.
As morbid as it sounds, fortunately, some Marvel characters never come back. Some have been gone for decades. When these characters departed the world of the living, each left behind a shock wave of impact, changing the lives and destinies of other Marvel characters forever. Their deaths mean something because they aren’t coming back. It can be hard and hurtful to see your favorite heroes and villains finally bite the dust, but their deaths often serve a greater storytelling purpose. Amid the army of seemingly immortal characters, these ten long-dead Marvel characters are dead and are staying that way.
1
Gwen Stacy
Death: Amazing Spider-Man #121 (1973) by Gerry Conway & Gil Kane
After the Green Goblin discovered Peter Parker’s identity, the villain went on a mad rampage trying to upend the hero’s life. Osborn later trapped Spider-Man in a horrific choice between stopping him or saving
the life of Gwen Stacy
. After the Goblin threw Gwen off of a bridge, Peter successfully caught her with his webbing. However, the impact of the sudden stop was too intense, breaking her neck instantly. Horrifically, Gwen continued to live past this for a few moments, wondering why she deserved to die like this.
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The death of Gwen Stacy is one of the most influential moments in Peter Parker’s life, next to the death of Uncle Ben. While Mary Jane remains the iconic love interest for Peter, it was Gwen who really stole Pete’s heart. Her death is a well-known pop-culture moment thanks to her on-screen back-breaking death in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. In the comics, Gwen’s death became the narrative backbone that
kickstarted the Clone Saga
, one of Spider-Man’s most convoluted stories to date.
2
Brunnhilde and the Valkyries
Death: War of the Realms #2 (2019) by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, & Matthew Wilson
Before Jane Foster left behind her title as Thor to emerge as the one and only Valkyrie, Asgard used to be the home to the Valkyrior. With Brunnhilde chosen as his first Valkyrie, the warrior goddess and her compatriots were tasked with ushering the souls of worthy and devoted followers to the splendid halls of Valhalla. During Malekith’s violent war
across the Ten Realms
, the Valkyrie soon became one of the only forces that could keep the Dark Elf tyrant back.
Odin, the forces of Asgard, and the Avengers had all been bested by Malekith, forcing them to take a tactical retreat. Left behind, Brunnhilde and her Valkyrior stood their ground against the threat, only to be utterly massacred. As her sisters lie around her, bloodied, broken, and dead, Malekith impaled the Valkyrie before cleaving her in half. Of course, Jane Foster later took on the responsibility of the Valkyries, but the original shepherds of the dead have stayed dead ever since
the War of the Realms
.
3
Karen Page
Death: Daredevil #5 (1999) by Kevin Smith & Joe Quesada
One of Marvel’s most heart-shattering deaths of all time, Karen Page shattered the hearts of Marvel’s mightiest heroes after she died. The long-time assistant, friend, and lover of Matt Murdock, Karen was just as iconic to Daredevil as Gwen Stacy was to Spider-Man. Unfortunately, in the days before her death, her life had become a living Hell thanks to
the evil efforts of Mysterio
. In an attempt to drive Daredevil insane, Mysterio infected Karen with HIV, driving her back to Murdock after a messy separation.
Following her death, dozens of heroes, alongside Stan Lee and other notable Marvel creators, attended Karen Page’s funeral as Matt was left speechless, tears falling from his face.
Upon her return to Hell’s Kitchen, Mysterio attempted to turn Karen against Matt while hiring Bullseye to unleash a horrific string of murders to break the hero even further. Once Daredevil and Bullseye finally clashed, Karen bravely sacrificed herself to save Matt from a lethal attack. Following her death, dozens of heroes,
alongside Stan Lee
and other notable Marvel creators, attended Karen Page’s funeral as Matt was left speechless, tears falling from his face.
4
Happy Hogan
Death: Iron Man #14 (2006) by Daniel Knauf, Charles Knauf, & Patrick Zircher
Unlike his MCU variant who happily lives in Iron Man’s legacy, fielding heroes for the Avengers, and turning away the likes of Deadpool, Happy in the comics met a grimmer fate. After an unsuccessful career as a boxer, Happy found a second future after
saving Tony Stark
from a violent car crash. Like his MCU counterpart, Happy would go on to serve as Stark’s chauffeur and bodyguard and the two remained close until his death.
During
the Civil War event
, Happy loyally followed Iron Man’s push of the Superhuman Registration Act. He quickly became the target of their political enemies and was attacked and used as bait to trap Iron Man. While Happy defeated his attempted captors, his body eventually collapsed. He was placed on life support until Tony had to make the impossible decision to let his friend go.
5
Kraven the Hunter
Death: Amazing Spider-Man #22 (2019) by Nick Spencer and Humberto Ramos
After Kraven’s Last Hunt, Kraven the Hunter and Spider-Man had become narratively bound in a way that few Spidey villains have before. Kraven was a simple man. He wanted to prove himself the best hunter; if his prey were too weak, he’d move on to something bigger. However, after believing that he had killed Spider-Man, Kraven happily took his own life. Years later, Kraven’s family attempted to resurrect him, but due to meddling by Kaine Parker, Kraven was left alive but cursed to be unable to die unless he killed Spider-Man. Kraven hated that he had been brought back and continued to
search for Spider-Man
purely as a means to allow himself to rest.
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The big-game-hunter would continue to push Peter over the years in an attempt to break his no-kill policy. Kraven eventually submitted, realizing that Spider-Man was an infallible hero. Embracing his enemy’s heroism, Kraven
disguised himself as Spider-Man
and fought his son, intending to die. Technically having met the terms of the curse, Kraven could finally move on. After his death, his son discovered a note from his father, detailing how proud he was and that the “Kraven the Hunter” title now belonged to him.
6
Harry Osborn
Death: Spectacular Spider-Man #200 (1993) by J.M. DeMatteis & Sal Buscema
Another Spider-Man character who has faced a permanent death despite his popular pop-culture notoriety, the original Harry Osborn has stayed dead for over thirty years. Like his father, Harry had self-administered a version of the Goblin Formula which slowly led him toward madness. As
the new Green Goblin
, Harry wanted to prove that he could surpass his father’s legacy without sacrificing his family as Norman had done to him. However, as the Goblin Formula continued to wreak havoc on Harry’s mind, he became singularly obsessed with destroying Peter Parker’s life.
In what almost became a murder-suicide, Harry snapped back to his senses when he realized that his son Normie had been put in harm’s way by his own actions. After saving Spidey, Mary Jane, and Normie, the Goblin Formula ripped Harry apart on the inside. He soon died, holding Peter’s hand at the end. Horrifically, Harry’s soul was sent to Hell due to a deal Norman had
made with Mephisto
. After being tortured by demons for years, Doctor Strange finally freed Harry from his hellish fate.
7
Loki
Death: Siege #4 (2010) by Brian Michael Bendis, Oliver Coipel, Mark Morales, & Laura Martin
Loki, the master of deception and false hope, is dead and has been for a while. While a reincarnation of himself is currently alive and well,
the current Loki
isn’t technically the original. In another of the mad god’s incessant schemes, Loki pitted Asgard and Earth’s superhero community against each other. His greater goal was for Asgard to return to its place within the Ten Realms, severing its ties with Midgard.
Faced with his failures, Loki joined the heroes at the last minute and sacrificed himself to destroy the Void before uttering his final words, “I’m sorry, brother.”
To further incite this scheme, Loki manipulated the hero Sentry to give into his dark other half, the Void. However, when the Void was released, it began consuming Asgard. Faced with his failures, Loki joined the heroes at the last minute and sacrificed himself to destroy the Void before uttering his final words, “I’m sorry, brother.” While a version of Loki is still scheming away in Earth-616, it was confirmed in the Loki: Agents of Asgard series that the two Lokis are both physically and spiritually different people.
8
The Living Tribunal
Death: New Avengers #30 (2015) by Jonathan Hickman & Dalibor Talajic
The Living Tribunal is an exceptionally odd addition to this list because the Living Tribunal was never technically alive or dead. Like Eternity, Infinity, or Death, the Living Tribunal was known as an Abstract Entity, a multiversal sentient being who represents concepts of existence. However, in the course of the second Secret Wars event, the Beyonders found a way to kill the Living Tribunal, leaving the Multiverse without its ultimate judge. Fortunately, its death wasn’t a meaningless one.
As the Multiverse continued to collapse in on itself under the weight of the incursions, the Illuminati harvested the sliver of the Living Tribunal that had fallen into Earth-616. Using its corpse, the heroes created a Life Raft which saved hundreds of lives in the wake of the cosmic destruction. However, because the Living Tribunal was a multiversal concept, it did not return after the Eighth Cosmos was created. Instead, the One Above All chose
a variant of Adam Warlock
to rise and serve as the next Living Tribunal.
9
Darkhawk (Chris Powell)
Death: Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk #1 (2021): “Last Flight” by Kyle Higgins, Juanan Ramirez, & Erick Arciniega
Darkhawk originally gained traction in the 1990s as a Peter Parker-like character, thrust into responsibilities beyond his years. As a teenager, Chris discovered the Raptor Amulet, which allowed him to swap bodies with the Shi’ar android now known as Darkhawk. As Darkhawk, Chris would go on to act as a righteous hero, fighting alongside Spider-Man and
the Fantastic Four
on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, like his reputation after the 90s, Darkhawk received a painfully unceremonious and lackluster death.
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After facing a fracture in time-space, Chris spent months studying the phenomenon, hoping to send the data of the anomaly to a successor who would resume his mission. Nobly sacrificing himself for the sake of the mission, Darkhawk recorded his entire life’s story and his adventures as a hero, before sending the data, his memoir, and his Raptor Amulet to whoever would become
the next Darkhawk
. Afterward, Chris’s ship lost power as he plunged into the cosmic rift, never to be seen again.
10
Uncle Ben
Death: Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962) by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
What would any “dead Marvel characters” list be without the biggest name in permanent deaths? While his death may be a well-known comic book staple, it’s probably the most important death in all comics. Of course, his death inspired the birth of Spider-Man and defined the essence of
Peter Parker’s heroism
. However, it’s the impact of his death off the page that makes it especially important.
When a character dies, never to return, that death then defines the actions of the heroes and villains around them for decades to come.
The entire point of this list is to highlight characters who have stayed dead. Unfortunately, comics can’t get away with killing off major characters, so it’s become part of the industry’s foundation to expect that a dead hero will return. However, there is importance in the permanence of death. The moment someone leaves this world, they’re gone from it forever. When a character dies, never to return, that death then defines the actions of the heroes and villains around them for decades to come.
Both comic characters and readers have become accustomed to death merely becoming a temporary state, taking away any impact that a character’s passing would have. But at the beginning of it all,
there was Uncle Ben
. To this day, Marvel’s most well-known phrase, “With great power comes great responsibility,” carries a heavy weight not because of its meaning, but because of the impact Uncle Ben left behind with it.
