10 Comic Book Movie Characters Who Died Too Soon

The comic book movies of the MCU, the DCU, and beyond have featured many deaths, but some characters actually died too soon in their respective continuities. In modern cinema, few genres are as successful and popular as comic book movies. The movies of the MCU and the DCEU, as well as other movies affiliated with other franchises, adapt the characters and stories of the comics to the big screen. Based as they are on stories of heroes and villains, many such movies see characters facing high stakes and dangerous situations.

Throughout the movie timeline of the DCEU and the MCU and beyond, comic book movie franchises have seen characters killed as a result of their stories. However, when considered alongside the franchise in question, these decisions can sometimes seem premature, with the character’s absence felt a little too keenly in subsequent movies. With that in mind, here are 10 comic book movie characters who died too soon.

10

Rick Flag Was The Suicide Squad’s Grounding Influence

The Suicide Squad (2021)

There weren’t many characters from David Ayer’s Suicide Squad who survived to join James Gunn’s sequel The Suicide Squad, but Rick Flag was one of them. Joel Kinnaman’s firm but fair take on the character acted as the leader of Task Force X, serving as the moral compass of the group of villains. As the only character with a moral center, Flag was the grounding influence of a group of otherwise larger-than-life personalities.

Though the DCEU was ultimately fated to end shortly after, Flag’s death seemed overly hasty. His place in the DCEU bridged the gap between heroes and villains, as he acted as something of an advocate for Task Force X. Having him killed by Peacemaker seemed a huge blow to any future Suicide Squad sequels, as Flag’s role in The Suicide Squad‘s cast would be one that could have proved impossible to convincingly fill with any other character.

9

Killmonger Was One Of The MCU’s Best Villains

Black Panther (2018)

Of every villain across the MCU’s entire movie timeline, few are as popular as Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger. Black Panther’s antagonist was one of the franchise’s most interesting and morally complex figures, as many consider his villainy entirely justified. His anti-Wakandan stance stemmed from the murder of his father and the wish for the African nation to support Black communities around the world, making his goal a noble one despite his extreme methods to seize control.

Killmonger’s death at the hands of T’Challa was perhaps inevitable, as the villain would never have ended his crusade by choice. Even so, it’s clear that the villain was killed too soon, as his popularity has seen him revived in multiple ways, including appearing in the Ancestral Plane in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and in What If…?’s Multiverse stories. Though Killmonger was killed to secure Wakanda’s safety, he deserved to have played a much larger role in the MCU moving forward.

8

Jimmy Olsen Never Got To Meet Superman

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)

The movies of the DCEU introduced new takes on many iconic DC characters, but very few fared worse than Jimmy Olsen. The Daily Planet photographer and long-time ally of Clark Kent and Lois Lane from the comics was featured in Snyder’s continuity, making a brief cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Unfortunately, Olsen was killed almost as soon as he was introduced, meaning that his death came far too soon to do justice to his traditional place as something of a sidekick to Superman.

The DCEU’s Jimmy Olsen, played by Michael Cassidy, introduces himself to Lois Lane as she investigates an African warlord. The DCEU’s Olsen is an undercover CIA operative posing as a photographer, giving him a fascinating backstory within the franchise. His near-immediate death comes as something of a disappointment, as Snyder’s movie initially hinted that Olsen might play an interesting role within the DCEU, but in the end, he never even got meet Superman.

7

Quicksilver Didn’t Get To Enjoy Being An Avenger

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Briefly introduced in an MCU post-credits scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Quicksilver made his full debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron alongside his twin sister, Wanda Maximoff. The first traditionally mutant characters introduced to the MCU, their initial role as secondary villains alongside Ultron soon gave way to them joining the Avengers to help save the Earth. Unfortunately, Quicksilver never made it past his MCU debut.

Shortly after being inducted into the ranks of the Avengers during the Battle of Sokovia, Quicksilver was killed while saving Hawkeye’s life. His shocking death came unexpectedly, particularly as it seemed he would play a significant role in the MCU’s future. A character with as much potential as Quicksilver to be killed so abruptly after his introduction was incredibly premature, as he never got to appreciate the perks of being one of the franchise’s Avengers.

6

Iron Man Should Have Been Important To The MCU’s Future

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

From the very start of the MCU’s timeline, Iron Man was its most important hero. Not only did Tony Stark’s story jump-start the entire MCU, but his role as a leader and a role model within the franchise was unparalleled. His own hero journey came to an emotional climax in Avengers: Endgame, when he sacrificed himself in order to stop Thanos once and for all. Though the moment was a key triumph in the MCU’s overall narrative, Iron Man was still killed off too soon.

Had Iron Man survived the events of Endgame, he would have continued to shape the stories and characters of the MCU’s future. His status as the leader of the Avengers and the franchise’s most brilliant inventor made him completely invaluable, and his loss will surely be felt in any subsequent Avengers stories. Though his death was the perfect resolution of his character arc, Tony Stark still died too soon in the MCU.

5

Jane Foster Barely Got To Be A Hero

Thor: Love And Thunder (2022)

Despite being introduced as far back as 2011’s Thor in Phase 1 of the MCU, Jane Foster played a shockingly small role in the franchise as a whole. Natalie Portman’s character was written primarily as a love interest for Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and only made two appearances before seemingly disappearing from the franchise altogether. 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder brought Portman back to the role, finally giving Jane Foster her hero moment as she took on the mantle of the MCU’s Mighty Thor.

Foster’s time as the hero was short-lived, though. Her terminal illness saw her die at the end of the movie, immediately after helping Thor defeat Gorr the God Butcher. What made Jane Foster’s death too soon was partly that she only made a brief return to the franchise and partly because her tenure as a hero was so short. Though the Mighty Thor was a character with huge potential, she was ultimately killed off too quickly.

4

Superman’s Death Was Rushed In The DCEU

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice might have only been the second movie in the DCEU continuity, but it was one of the franchise’s most ambitious. As well as introducing the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, and Doomsday, it also directly set up the formation of the Justice League. As well as that, it adapted the iconic Death of Superman arc, having Superman meet his end at the hands of the Kryptonian monster.

Killing a hero as iconic as Superman just two movies into a new franchise was too soon in practically every imaginable sense. Not only had there been no time to appropriately develop the character to make his death more impactful, but the important narrative arc felt incredibly rushed in the fledgling franchise. Superman may have been brought back in Justice League, but adapting the story of his death so early was nothing short of a massive misstep.

3

No Way Home Proved Green Goblin Had More Stories To Tell

Spider-Man (2002)

Sam Raimi redefined modern superhero cinema with his 2002 film Spider-Man, cementing the genre as a box office powerhouse. The film introduced Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn alongside Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, with the former becoming the villainous Green Goblin after exposing himself to experimental gas. Dafoe’s villain was an exceptional imagining of an important Marvel character, but he was ultimately killed during the film’s climactic battle.

Dafoe’s return 19 years later in the cast of Spider-Man: No Way Home decisively proved that he was killed too soon. The actor’s return to the role was every bit as triumphant as his debut, with Dafoe’s performance stealing the show as the dangerous Multiverse villain. From No Way Home, it’s clear that Dafoe deserved a much greater chance in the role, indirectly proving that 2002’s Spider-Man was far too early to have killed him off.

2

Wanda Maximoff Died Before Mutants Came To The MCU

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)

Like her brother Pietro, Wanda Maximoff was introduced to the MCU as an antagonist in Avengers: Age of Ultron. By the end of the movie, she had joined the Avengers and became a hero, partly to honor the sacrifice of her brother during the Battle of Sokovia. Also like Pietro, Wanda was also killed off too early in the MCU, although her death came much later, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

After tapping her potential as the Scarlet Witch, Wanda posed a threat to the entire Multiverse as she searched for her children using the Darkhold. Upon realizing the villain she had become, Wanda chose to die, seemingly ending her MCU story. As this occurred prior to the introduction of mutants to the MCU, Wanda was robbed of any chance of playing her most iconic part in an adaptation of the House of M story from the comics, meaning her MCU death came far too soon.

1

Ra’s Al Ghul Should Have Come Back To Life

Batman Begins (2005)

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy offered a grounded and largely realistic take on the character of Batman and his world. Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne was introduced in Batman Begins, where he was taken in by the League of Shadows and trained by Liam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul. Upon realizing the organization planned to destroy his home, Batman found himself at odds with his mentor, and the film ultimately ended with the death of Neeson’s character.

Considering Ra’s al Ghul is effectively immortal in the comics, having him die after a single movie didn’t do him justice. Of course, the restorative powers of the Lazarus Pit were too far-fetched for Nolan’s realistic trilogy, but having a traditionally unkillable villain vanquished so quickly by an inexperienced hero was not at all in line with the characters as they exist in the comics. From that perspective, Ra’s al Ghul’s death was perhaps the most premature in the history of the comic book movies of the DCU, the MCU, and beyond.