A hero died in Civil War II #1 this week.
This fallen icon will spark a power struggle between Iron Man and Captain Marvel and engulf the entire Marvel Universe.
A new Inhuman with the power to see the future arrives. Should this young man’s visions be used to change the future or should the future be protected?
We won’t spoil the story but character’s demise makes us look back at some of the most shocking deaths in Marvel history.
Hero deaths are integral to the publisher’s big event stories and have an important impact years later even after a fallen hero returns.
Here are the most shocking deaths that still matter:
Nightcrawler
Kurt Wagner looked like a demon but had the heart of an angel. Nightcrawler was often a swashbuckling adventurer and a living symbol of hope. This man of faith was lost in a brutal way in Second Coming.
Kurt sacrificed himself to save Hope, the mutant messiah and literally the last hope for the mutant race following M-Day when Scarlet Witch declared no more mutants. Kurt was killed by Bastion, the super Sentinel. Kurt stayed dead for years as the next generation of new mutants was born, Wolverine founded the Jean Grey School and discovered the bamfs. Those little demons lead to the return of Nightcrawler. Kurt is now fighting to protect a new threat to his race in Extraordinary X-Men.
This scene says everything as Colossus (another resurrected X-Man) comes home to the mansion to see the “Fuzzy Elf” has returned from the dead.
Captain America
In the aftermath of first Civil War Steve Rogers was walking up a courthouse steps to go on trial when he was shot and killed. Friend and former sidekick Bucky Barnes took up the mantle and some fans still remember the Winter Soldier turned Cap as their favorite. Cap’s friend turned enemy Tony Stark was emotionally haunted by “winning” Civil War and what it cost him as he tried to lead a rebuilt Avengers, SHIELD and Initiative.
Steve was not dead but lost in time. Rogers returned. Bucky “died” in Fear Itself allowing his mentor and friend to once again take on the famous moniker and Bucky became the Winter Soldier again. When Rogers lost his powers, he asked Sam Wilson to continue the legacy. We now have two men as Captain America as Civil War II erupts. Let’s hope the fighting heroes remember the lessons and cost of the first superhero conflict .
Professor X
Charles Xavier was killed by a possessed Cyclops during Avengers vs. X-Men. The Phoenix Force was in control of Scott Summers when the father figure and heir apparent met for a final time. The death of the X-Men founder by his greatest student didn’t unite rival X-Men but solidified the break between Cyclops and Wolverine. The evolution of Scott Summers from Xavier’s favorite son to a mutant icon even more dangerous than Magneto still divides X-fans with many declaring “Cyke was right” in his decision to go to war with the Avengers over the fate of Hope.
Wolverine and Cyclops have both died since AvX, Red Skull stole the Professor’s brain and harnessed its power. Professor Xavier is still dead but Storm recently had visions of her late mentor. The Professor is gone but still in the hearts and minds of his surviving students who continue to fight for his dream.
By Editor