15 Most Heart-Wrenching Moments In MCU History

It might be passe now, given all the characters who have died, and given the fact that he's already died again since, but Coulson's original death in Avengers was a literal gut-punch.

Back before Tony Stark lost a franchise and gained GrandNanny of the Marvel Universe status, the babysitter of all the squabbling superheroes was Coulson. For awhile, he - and to a lesser extant, Nick Fury - were the only signs of interconnection between the different MCU films.

His fanboying over Captain America, owning trading cards; his trading barbs with Stark, protecting Pepper; his surprising confidence, his understated charm - we all fell in love with Coulson.

And then Loki stabbed him through the heart. And gave the Avengers a justification for their name.

There have been a lot more deaths, a lot more heartbreak, and Coulson has even died again, but it was this first death that ripped our hearts out and gave the Avengers their soul.