Ever since the very beginnings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the stories of the franchise have had stakes of life and death. Its classic good-versus-evil adaptations of Marvel Comics stories often contain violence and the looming threat of death for many of its characters. This has seen many of the franchise’s characters pay the ultimate price; from its most despicable villains to its purest heroes. However, it isn’t just the MCU’s main characters that meet their deaths, but also its supporting figures. Many of these characters are totally innocent and completely unconnected to the battles between heroes and villains, making their deaths seem decidedly unfair.
The TV shows and movies of the MCU have sadly delivered many such examples. Though these deaths usually come about as a result of a minor or supporting character inadvertently getting caught up in the affairs of villains, it doesn’t serve to make their deaths seem any more justified. Whether for in-universe reasons or cruel twists of storytelling, some MCU deaths just seem plain unfair.
1) Carina
Carina’s MCU story is not a long one, as she is introduced and killed in the span of a single movie. Guardians of the Galaxy introduced Carina as the slave of the Collector, who is killed when she attempts to use the Power Stone to escape her master’s cruel treatment. The attempt killed her almost instantly, demonstrating the immense danger of the Stone. However, her motivation was one of simple freedom, and her death seemed especially unfair, even if it was necessary to demonstrate the Stone’s power.
2) Yinsen
Despite seeming relatively minor, Ho Yinsen is one of the most important MCU characters. His death in Iron Man came about when he sacrificed himself to allow Tony Stark time to escape their Ten Rings captors. Necessary though it may have been in order to facilitate the foundation of the entire MCU, it still seems incredibly unfair that such a noble and selfless deed would immediately result in the death of an innocent.
3) Stuart “Rampage” Clarke
Introduced in Ironheart‘s first episode, Stuart “Rampage” Clarke was Riri Williams predecessor in Hood’s gang. After being considered a liability by his teammates, Stuart is replaced, with it later being revealed that he was murdered offscreen. Not only did it seem incredibly unfair that Stuart was killed through no real fault of his own, the fact that it was done so unceremoniously made it far worse, as did the apparent waste of an actor with as much comedic potential as Eric André.
4) Aunt May
One of the most shocking and upsetting twists in the plot of Spider-Man: No Way Home was the death of Aunt May at the hands of the Green Goblin. Aunt May’s abrupt and tragic end came about as the result of Peter’s plan to help treat the villains instead of dooming them to die. The well-intentioned plan of Peter and May ending in such violent fashion made her death seem all the more devastating, as she never deserved to meet her end in such a way.
5) Meredith Quill
When Meredith Quill’s death is first shown in the MCU, it seems to be a far more familiar sort of unfair, as she dies as a result of brain cancer. However, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 reveals that Ego actually put a tumor in Meredith’s head, murdering her in one of the worst ways imaginable. Her only crime was falling in love with Ego, and in return he killed her slowly and painfully in order to stop himself from staying on Earth.
6) Frank
Frank is not Ant-Man‘s most memorable character for his actions in life, as he’s about as minor as named MCU characters get. His only real scene in the franchise showed him voicing legitimate concerns over Darren Cross’s planned use of Pym Particles, as the technology had not yet been fully stabilized. For making a justifiable objection, Cross immediately used the defective tech on Frank, turning him to a small pile of goo before flushing him down the toilet in one of the most unfair deaths in the entire MCU.
7) Sharon Davis
Sharon Davis proved the unlikely star of two MCU TV shows after she reprised her WandaVision role in Agatha All Along. After her ordeal in Westview, Sharon is summoned by Agatha to serve as a stand-in green witch for her makeshift coven, despite not possessing any magical ability. Simply happy to be included, Sharon tags along with the witches until the first trial of the Witches’ Road sees her poisoned. Her death resulted in part from Agatha’s cruelty and partly from Sharon’s own willingness to help out, making it seem deeply unfair on multiple levels.
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