10 Iconic Comic Book Deaths We Need To See In Movies

Death sells, no matter how you put a spin on it. TV shows actively fish for extra viewers by teasing a major killing, and British soap operas traditionally target the biggest Christmas audiences by sending beloved characters to their festive graves. The same trope can be seen in comic books: whenever a character starts flagging, or interest begins to wane in a particular property, writers will inevitably fall back on the one event that guarantees the engagement of the blood-thirsty fans who flock to the most macabre of titles. The writers of The Death Of Superman, Batman R.I.P. and Batman: Death Of The Family knew the marketing power of the Grim Reaper, and sooner or later, the comic book movie universe is going to channel the same appeal. We've already seen the important "death" of Agent Coulson, and chances are we will be seeing more of our favourite comic book characters taking their last breaths on screen. And when DC and Marvel do start taking heads, they should be looking no further than the next ten morbid comic book events for their inspiration. Behold, the comic book movie Kill List. Incidentally, there's no place for Batman here, since Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises has pretty much guaranteed that no film-maker could follow any fatal or near-fatal storyline for Bats without accusations of copy-catting for dramatic effect. Needless to say, there are spoilers within.

10. Wolverine - Wolverine Goes To Hell

Not strictly an outright emotional death, with wailing and funerals and mourners, but Wolverine was condemned to the after-life (or at least his soul was) by the disgruntled members of The Red Right Hand, a group who have been wronged by him. They trick him and send him to Hell with some black magic, and he ends up confronting his biological father (though not in the melodramatic, life-affirming manner you might expect from an indie film.) The event is a rich storyline, particularly as it gives Wolverine the opportunity to face off with some of his vanquished former foes, including Sabretooth, while his body is possessed on Earth by demons, and the Red Right Hand set about killing people he knows and loves. The possibilities for combat scenes worthy of Logan's skills would be endless, and the final threeway battle between Wolverine, the demons possessing his body and the X-Men who believe he has to die would ensure a colourful climax to say the least. The Problem We've already been to Hell in comic book movies, both physically and metaphorically, thanks to the unfortunate abomination that was Constantine, and frankly, that didn't exactly work out too well. And for all of the suspension of disbelief we're expected to accept in Wolverine's movie career, we haven't really seen anything that acknowledges the existence of traditional Christian ideas of Heaven and Hell, so it might be too much of a departure to send the mutton-chopped marvel down to the big oven.

9. Half Of Everyone In The Universe - The Infinity Gauntlet

With Thanos teased during the credits sequence of The Avengers, and unlikely to play a major antagonistic role in the Avengers sequel, thanks to Ultron taking centre stage, everything is set up for the red faced villain to appear in a supplementary role behind the scenes, and then make big plays in Marvel's Phase 3 that culminate in a final show-down in The Avengers 3. And what better way to announce the grandness of your villainy than by wiping out half of existence because the girl you want to bang tells you to? That girl was Death herself, who Thanos had the major alien hots for, who commanded him to prove his love by killing half of the people alive in the universe as a love token. High-maintenance, or what? The fatal snap of his fingers, helped by his shiny new Infinity Gauntlet, killed off a good number of Marvel characters, including Daredevil, The Fantastic Four and many others, and reinforced Thanos as a villain to really care about. It's also the kind of catastrophic trigger that could bring together The Avengers, The Guardians Of The Galaxy and possibly The X-Men (if that logistical storm can be worked out.) The Problem The X-Men series already focused on a weapon that would wipe out massive amounts of the population, so it might be a little too familiar, and though the Avengers sequels will need scale and scope to outdo each other, wiping out half of existence might be too big and grotesque to be even remotely relatable. It might also be pretty difficult to add drama to the instantaneous deaths of multiple major characters, without looking a bit silly.

8. Hawkeye - Avengers Disassembled

Hawkeye can probably be counted as an expendable Avengers character, and if he was to bite the dust right now, few would probably mourn his loss the same way they would a Hulk, or a Captain America. But it wasn't always that way, as the archer played a central, tragic part of Brian Michael Bendis' Avengers Disassembled, which also killed Ant-Man, and kicked off an incredible run of events including House Of M, Planet Hulk and Civil War. As that arc is the richest for Marvel to mine in future projects, starting off at the generally recognised trigger point, which sees Hawkeye destroy a Kree ship, which is attacking as part of a fleet of alien ships sent by Scarlet Witch as part of her break-down over losing her children who didn't even actually exist (long story.) The events of Disassembled ultimately lead to Tony Stark pulling his financial backing from the Avengers, and the group disbanding, which would fit the accepted arc of trilogies if incorporated in some way into Age Of Ultron, and there could still be some place for Hawkeye to sacrifice himself, especially as he helped contribute to Coulson's death in the first ensemble. The Problem Hawkeye was already used as a plot device in the first Avengers movie, and doing it again might look lazy, even if killing him is probably enough of a difference from having him controlled by Loki for it to work. And by the time the Avengers sequels happen, Hawkeye might not be big enough of a character to kill off in fans' eyes, if indeed there has to be a death.

7. Barry Allen - Crisis On Infinite Earths

If Hawkeye's sacrifice was heroic, there probably has to be a whole new classification of the meaning for what Barry Allen during the events of Crisis On Infinite Earths. Using his super speed to foil Anti-Monitor's plan to destroy the multiverse, and sacrificing himself in the process, Allen makes one of the most memorably heroic stands in DC history. But it isn't just the nature of the death that matters here - sooner or later, DC are going to have to play a big hand to make sure they don't lose too much ground on Marvel, and Crisis is an essential enough concern to fit that bill, even if it requires several doctrates and a super-computer to follow at times. In Crisis, Supergirl also dies, along with a raft of multiverse heroes, and there is more than enough intrigue in the series to give DC the spectacle they would need to justify a cross-over movie. And regardless of the ret-con that brought Barry Allen back to life, his death remains a landmark of the comic book world. The Problem Money talks, and if DC even remotely sniff a financial success with the apparently forthcoming Flash movie, or sense that a JLA movie could actually happen, they're unlikely to kill off a key player before he gets a chance to shine. Plus, there are some serious misgivings about The Flash being a viable option for a movie anyway - if a guy with an all-powerful magic ring who can basically do whatever he wants with it doesn't work, what chance does his mate who can run like, REALLY fast?

6. Nightcrawler - Second Coming

Though Bryan Singer hasn't brought him back for Days Of Future Past, Alan Cummings' Nightcrawler was a highlight of the original X-Men series, thanks in part to the brilliance of the fan favourite character, and with a big help from his performance. The character's death during Second Coming in 2010 was as shocking as it was entertaining, as the teleporter sacrificed himself to save Hope Summers - the first mutant born since the events of House Of M made mutants redundant and threatened to end them as a species. Nightcrawler ends up impaled as Bastion attempts to kill Hope, saving the Mutant Messiah and leaving a major hole in the X-Men universe that wiped out one of the most uplifting characters in the entire universe. There's also a lot of value in how Nightcrawler's death informed the X-Men world, with X-Men: Schism coming out of Cyclops' harder stance that pushed himself and Wolverine apart, which in turn lead to the outset of the Avengers vs X-Men storyline, thanks to Cyclops and Wolverine's clashing opinions on Hope. That storyline would easily be one of the greatest events, and the best way to tie the X-Men into the Avengers universe, if that is ever deemed viable. The Problem Nightcrawler isn't coming back to the X-Men movie universe just yet, as far as we know (barring a cameo of some sort that Singer has somehow kept under wraps) and using the storyline to set up the Avengers vs X-Men storyline that everyone in their right mind should want might prove a waste if the studios can't get their acts together and cooperate. Likewise, it will be difficult to bring Second Coming in without lots of establishing work, which would require Hope Summers' storyline, and indeed the first coming.

5. Everyone - Marvel Zombies

Robert Kirkman is basically king of the world now, after the success of The Walking Dead, so it would seem a pretty smart marketing move to adapt his most famous Marvel run. Marvel Zombies would be the spin-off event to end them all, though presumably it would take some convincing for audiences that they were watching an alternate universe, and not the real Avengers, Fantastic Four and X-Men being munched on by the undead. The plot is ludicrous, and everything escalates ridiculously, until the zombies end up taking on and eating Galactus and heading out in the galaxy to satiate their raging hunger, but up to a more restrained level, the storyline would work exceptionally well for fans of both comic book movies and zombies. Marvel could well decide this works better as a video game (though that too might be pie in the sky) but it would be a huge fan service for Marvel to drop any hang-ups about complicating the main Marvel threads and bring this one to life. The Problem It's unlikely Marvel are going to kill off all of their money making heroes in the interest of fan service, since zombie infections aren't exactly simple to shake off. On the plus side, Zombies would make an exceptional TV show, and there's no real reason that universe can't simply be presented as a different strand to the cinematic thread.

4. Superman - The Death Of Superman

Few DC fans could have missed the fact that Supes was about to bite the big one after DC unveiled the most spoilerifiic title in the history of spoilers, but that didn't stop the Superman event from becoming one of DC's best-sellers. The climactic battle between Superman and Doomsday has become one of the most memorable flashpoints in all of DC history, as with any narrative event that proves a previously infallible hero is not as invulnerable as they originally seemed. It is this sort of event that DC could take to the bank, even if killing off Superman might be deemed something of an idiot move, considering how much money they could take out of the property if they do it right. Like Bane for Batman, Doomsday represents the kind of threat who can match Superman's vast overpowered abilities, rather than relying on someone with more Machiavellian impact like Lex Luthor, and future Man Of Steel sequels would do well to bring the villain in. And even suggesting that Superman might die - perhaps with as frank a publicity drive as came with the 1992 comic - would see the same sort of response as the comic received. Naturally, it turned out that Superman's death was greatly exaggerated, especially by the people who buried him, but that doesn't derail the potential to see the storyline brought to life on the big-screen. The Problem It's Superman, and while comic books are never particularly bothered about resurrecting dead characters, it's a lot more difficult to convince cinema audiences that death is impermanent (not to mention the fact that they'd probably just scoff,) which would make the inevitable resurrection hard, unless they just reboot and start again. So, not really a problem at all then.

3. Iron Man - The Crossing

We've already seen a fairly complete character arc for Tony Stark, from his cocky uprising, inspired by a crisis of morality, through his dealing with the impact of revealing his identity, and then having his hero moment in The Avengers when he attempts to sacrifice himself, and finally to his resolved crisis of identity in Iron Man 3. There are only two steps Stark has not explored yet - death or retirement, and while Iron Man 3 felt like something of an end, Stark isn't going anywhere yet (not least because of his involvement in other Avengers projects) and we could see the end of his story in a future sequel. Hopefully, Marvel will be brave enough to kill off Stark, which happened back in the '90s event The Crossing, which has pretty much been ret-conned entirely out of existence by subsequent story changes. That's not at all surprising, considering how poor The Crossing reads (it is complex and confusing at best, and wrong-headed at worst) but the core of what happens to Iron Man is still a great Marvel moment. Under the control of Kang, Stark turns bad and attacks the Avengers, killing the rubbishly-named Yellowjacket (not the Hank Pym iteration) as well as Amanda Chaney and Marilla. In a plot that feels suspiciously like the events of Back To The Future II, the Avengers go back in time to recruit a teenage Tony Stark to stop future Stark from ruining everything, and ultimately future Tony sacrifices himself to save the day. Teenage Tony takes over as Iron Man, but the death of the original could be the answer to how to get Robert Downey Jnr out of the Avengers universe. The Problem We've seen the Tony Dies A Hero bit already, albeit without the actual dying part when he responds to Captain America's goading that he would never be the man to lie on the barbed wire and flies off with the nuke at the end of The Avengers. For all intents and purposes, Stark does "die," as he is resolved to do so (hence the symbolic phone call to Pepper) so having him actually die might just feel like retreading old ground. And time travelling might be deemed a bad idea, since the X-Men are already going in that direction with Days Of Future Past.

2. Captain America - Civil War

Civil War has to happen at some point in the future of Marvel movies - or at the very least on the small screen - considering its scale and impact on the Marvel universe. It also featured some of the most irresistible storylines released under the Marvel banner, and it would easily slot into the current Marvel movie universe, thanks to the signposts that Marvel have already dropped in. With the end of the Avengers movie subtley raising the question of who watches the Watchmen, and the issue of holding superheroes accountable, it seems logical that subsequent movies will play out the growing unrest, and the split interpretation of the value of superheroes that ultimately leads to the Superhuman Registration Act. There's also of course the flags set up in the dynamic between Captain America and Iron Man that would lend themself perfectly to the Civil War events that ultimately see Cap slain. The events of Civil War would be the extended storyline that could drive Marvel's movies for a significant time (at least three phases) culminating in the high-profile death of Captain America when his anti-registration forces surrender to Iron Man, and it would be a solid gold box office ticket. The Problem Killing Captain America is basically like pulling the USA's big stripey pants down in public and making it march around a bit, while someone plays circus tunes on a tin whistle. As Agent Coulson so memorably said in The Avengers, the world needed Captain America, and America could probably do with a strong patriotic symbol to hold on to right now. So killing him off might be tantamount to inciting a full-scale national riot.

1. Robin - A Death In The Family

Batman himself could have made this list if it wasn't for Christopher Nolan's switcheroo that saved him from the nuke over Gotham Bay (and the influence of like, real science) but it would be far more valuable to the Batman movie universe to see the impact of a death of one of his loved ones. Now, Alfred has died in the past, though that was saving Batman's life from a falling boulder, and though it was strongly hinted in Death Of The Family, he wasn't killed by the returning Joker, which would have made a nice storyline. So, the focus turns to the story that gave birth to Death Of The Family, Death In The Family, which results in Jason Todd's murder at the hands of the Joker. A landmark moment in the Batman universe, certainly, but also an opportunity for DC to continue the Nolan strand of the universe. If DC were to adapt the story, to use Blake in Jason Todd's place, and have his death be the trigger to bring Bruce Wayne back to Gotham, we would also have the opportunity to see Nolan's Joker come back to the screen. Obviously casting issues will possibly over-shadow that decision, but the event would be the kind of prestigious storyline that might bring all of the elements back to continue that thread and avoid an unnecessary reboot after Batman Vs Superman. And it would also offer DC a chance to retcon the unfortunate decision to have Bruce Wayne retire, as he realises that the Batman story is his own. The Problem At the minute, Robin sucks in the movie universe. He was criminally ruined by Joel Schumacher, and though there was what amounted to a fan service Easter Egg in The Dark Knight Rises in Blake's name, the side-kick is still a million miles away from reappearing in the movies. And killing off a character who has just appeared isn't going to have the same impact as Jason Todd's death had in the comics. The Nolanverse solution would be the best approach, but there's very little chance, as things stand of Nolan and Bale coming back. Which other iconic comic book deaths do you want to see adapted into movies? Share your picks below.