10 Movie Characters Killed Early In The Sequel
8. Crossbones - Captain America: Civil War
After Brock Rumlow appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and was shown to have survived at the end of the film, fans were speculating about the appearance of Crossbones for two years until Civil War. What we get from Frank Grillo is a fantastic iteration of the villian for about ten minutes, before he is blown up by Scarlet Witch.
While this appearance may have, at first, seemed like nothing but fan service, Crossbones' death had several big implications on the rest of the movie. Rumlow was a known enemy to both The Avengers and the audience, so The Russos were able to have Cap fight someone he had reason to chase across the globe to Nigeria, without having to waste time on exposition.
Though he was the target and the reason for the explosion that killed him, Crossbones wasn't the only casualty in Lagos. Innocent people died because of him, leading directly to both the fear surrounding Scarlet Witch and her powers, and the Avengers-dividing Sokovia Accords that were the key to the superheroes splitting up.