10 Most Tragic Deaths In The History Of Comic Book Movies

3. Howard & Maria Stark (Captain America: Civil War)

Howard Stark Ant-Man
Marvel Studios

Captain America: Civil War's finale was surprisingly restrained, opting for a character-driven conflict rather than the mammoth-sized spectacle that so many other similar movies choose to display. This wasn't just a 'change for the sake of change' either; the seeds of this reveal (that Bucky killed Tony's parents) started to be sown a couple of movies ago, and it all brilliantly culminated here in a pair of deaths that will undoubtedly have long-term consequences on the future of the MCU.

The fact that Bucky Barnes - Captain America's best friend - brutally strangled and beat Howard and Maria Stark to death (while Tony watched!) isn't something that the billionaire superhero will be able to forgive in a heartbeat. There's now an irreparable rift between Tony and Bucky, which essentially means there's a rift right down the middle of the Avengers, separating Cap's side from Iron Man's side. Reconciliation certainly won't be easy.

And this all stems from the murder of Tony's parents. Imagine the feeling of watching someone who you thought was on your side kill your helpless mother and father - would you be able to shake it off and play nice? The death of the Starks is a downright tragedy, for many, many reasons; it's split Earth's Mightiest Heroes when the planet needs them most, it's driven Iron Man from playful Avenger to a slightly more sullen, world-weary hero, and worst of all, it meant that Tony never got to say goodbye to his family before they were cruelly taken from him.

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Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!