It's been a problem for a while now; the Marvel Cinematic Universe has distinctly lacked the balls to kill off a major character. Phil Coulson was supposedly killed off in The Avengers when Loki stabbed him through the heart with his staff - and that seemed like a cop out in itself, as he was hardly one of the bigger names in the cast. Then he was brought back to life to star in his own television series and the entire plot of the movie in which he "died" was cheapened enormously. Marvel Studios need to show that they have the guts to sacrifice a big name. It will ultimately make the movie more interesting and unpredictable, give some authenticity to the threat of the titular villain and help the Marvel Cinematic Universe to move on to its next phase in a refreshing and new direction. With so many new characters on the way (Vision, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Ms. Marvel, the Inhumans etc.), the franchise is going to be full to the brim with heroes and it will become more and more difficult to manage them all. Therefore, it's about time one of the old guard was killed off to accommodate them.
