BothMarvelandDChave deployed wholly unnecessary or downright preposterous heroic sacrifices. Heroic sacrifices are a staple of comic book movies and TV shows, often used to create emotional moments that leave audiences in shock. However, some of these sacrifices haven’t received enough justification in the narrative to hit home. Worst still, some are so redundant they become distracting, taking the audience out of the action rather than accentuating it.
Superhero media thrives on the trope of self-sacrifice. It’s a way to highlight the nobility of characters, raise stakes, and elicit emotional reactions from audiences. Boththe DCU timelineandthe MCU continuityboast numerous examples. Iron Man’s iconic death inAvengers: Endgamemight be the most notable heroic sacrifice in contemporary superhero media.However, in other instances when a heroic death or major sacrifice lacks necessity, it can feel contrived rather than impactful.
10Jean Grey Lifts The Blackbird From The Outside
X2: X-Men United
One of the most famous heroic sacrifices in comic book movie history happens inX2: X-Men Unitedwhen Jean Grey steps outside of the Blackbird to telekinetically lift it above the incoming waters of Alkali Lake. Jean holds back the rushing water while simultaneously raising the jet, ultimately sacrificing herself in the process. The moment is heartbreaking, with each of theX-Men grieving her as they escape.
10 Most Impressive Displays Of Power In All 7 X-Men Movies
The X-Men movie franchise is packed with incredibly powerful characters who have exhibited some truly awesome displays of power throughout.
However, this sacrifice didn’t need to happen at all. Jean Grey is an incredibly powerful telepath and telekinetic who had previously demonstrated precise control over her abilities. There wasno reason she couldn’t have lifted the Blackbird while staying safely inside. Instead, the scene forces her into an unnecessary death simply to set up her resurrection as the Phoenix inX-Men: The Last Stand,making her demise feel more like a plot device than a necessary consequence.
9Quicksilver Runs In Front Of Bullets
Avengers: Age Of Ultron
InAvengers: Age of Ultron, Quicksilver meets his untimely end when he runs in front of a hail of gunfire to save Hawkeye and a child. His last words,“You didn’t see that coming?“make for a poignant farewell, but his sacrifice feels completely unnecessary given his super-speed abilities. Quicksilver’s powers allow him to move at an incredible velocity, which means he could have easilymoved both Hawkeye and the child out of harm’s way insteadof putting himself in the line of fire.
Even Marvel’s Most Notorious Movie Villains Can Be Redeemed, And These 10 Moments Prove It
Many Marvel movie villains have displayed heroic behavior at some point, either beginning with benevolent intent or redeeming themselves in some way.
Throughout the film, he’s shown effortlessly dodging bullets and moving faster than the eye can see. The decision to have him sacrifice himself in this way feels more like a forced attempt at emotional weight rather than a logical conclusion to his character’s arc. Given his abilities, heshould have had multiple ways to avoid his own demisewhile still saving others.
8Superman Uses A Kryptonite Spear To Kill Doomsday
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice
Superman’s battle against Doomsday inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceculminates in a tragic moment where he wields a Kryptonite spear to deliver the killing blow. Superman determines that Kryptonite will weaken Doomsday. However, since Kryptonite is also lethal to him,Superman is weakened as well,allowing Doomsday to deliver a killing blow in its final moments.
Superman’s sacrifice inDawn of Justicedidn’t need to happen at all and largely served to set up his resurrection inJustice League.Wonder Woman, who was actively fighting Doomsday alongside Superman and Batman, was more than capableof delivering the final blow herself. She had already proven her combat superiority against the monster, and unlike Superman, she isn’t weakened by Kryptonite. The scene feels engineered to force Superman’s death rather than allowing the fight to conclude in a way that makes strategic sense.
7Batman Takes The Blame For Harvey Dent’s Crimes
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knightends with Batman deciding totake the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimesto preserve the former district attorney’s legacy. Batman and Commissioner Gordon agree that if Gotham knew Dent had become Two-Face and gone on a killing spree, the city would lose hope. To prevent that, Batman allows himself to be framed and becomes a fugitive. While noble, this sacrifice could have been avoided.
10 DC Movies & Shows That Are Perfect For Fans Of The Dark Knight Trilogy
The Dark Knight Trilogy might be the best adaptations of Batman ever, exploring fascinating and mature themes, many of which appear in other DC works.
Gotham had just endured absolute chaos at the hands of the Joker, andDent’s descent into madness was largely overshadowed. The public could have easily been misled in a way that didn’t involve blaming Batman – his crimes could have been pinned on the Joker, who had already caused immense devastation. By choosing to take the blame, Batman unnecessarily exiles himself and burdens Gotham with a lie, setting up problems for the future that were wholly unnecessary.
6Yondu Gives Up His Spacesuit For Quill
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2culminated in Yondu’s ultimate act of heroism – sacrificing his life by giving Peter Quill his spacesuit. However, this seems questionable whenviewed through the lens of the established universe. In the first film, it’s made clear that humans can survive in space for a brief period, and Peter Quill, having unlocked his Celestial powers, would likely have been able to survive the vacuum of space.
10 Most Impressive Displays Of Power In The MCU’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Movies
Guardians of the Galaxy have included some of the most powerful beings in the MCU, and fittingly includes a swathe of incredible displays of power.
This notion is further supported inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, where Quill, once again faces space unprotected, is rescued by Adam Warlock and survives. Given that Yondu and Quill were just moments away from reaching a ship, Quill likely would have survived, rendering Yondu’s death somewhat redundant. The scene feels more likean excuse for an emotional climaxthan a narratively justified plot point.
5Groot Makes A Wooden Shield To Protect His Team From A Crashing Spaceship
Guardians Of The Galaxy
In the firstGuardians of the Galaxy, Groot famously formed a wooden shield around his teammates to protect them from the fiery crash of a spaceship. While the scene is heroic and emotional, it’s hard to ignore the physical impossibility of the act. A wooden structure, no matter how large or durable, would beill-equipped to withstand the intense heat and explosionof a spaceship crash.
There’s no insulation or suspension to shield against such forces, making Groot’s actions scientifically implausible. Moreover, if Groot’s shield was strong enough to protect his team from the crashing ship, it’sodd that he himself perished in the process. If the shield could save the team, then it should have been more than enough to protect Groot, raising the question of why he didn’t survive. His sacrifice, while noble, ends up feeling inconsistent.
4Jonathan Kent Refuses To Let Clark Save Him
Man Of Steel
InMan of Steel, Jonathan Kent’s decision to refuse Clark’s help during the tornado scene stands out as a highly controversial and seemingly unnecessary sacrifice. Jonathan, aware that his son possesses superhuman abilities, fears that saving him would reveal Clark’s powers to the world, exposing his identity. However, Clark’s incredible speed and reflexescould have easily allowed him to save his father without anyone noticing.
10 DC Movie Scenes That Are Way Harder To View On A Rewatch
While many DC movies have proffered some timelines and iconic scenes, others live in infamy and are notoriously hard to watch years later.
Superman can outrun bullets, so there’sno reason he couldn’t have moved faster than the eye could see, using the tornado as cover to preserve his secret. Jonathan’s insistence on dying, then, feels illogical and out of character. Ultimately, this sacrifice inMan of Steelserves more as an emotional turning point to spur Clark Kent on than a well-reasoned decision, undermining both Jonathan’s character and the logic of the scene.
3Lilia Calderu Sacrifices Herself On The Witches' Road
Agatha All Along
InAgathaAll Along, Lilia Calderu’s self-sacrifice on the Witches’ Road is presented as an act of ultimate bravery to protect the coven from the Salem Seven. However, the circumstances surrounding her death raise significant questions. The entire premise behind her sacrifice is based on the belief that the Witches’ Road is real, but this is proven incorrect by the end of the series. If the Road is not real, Lilia’s death becomesa tragic and unnecessary loss.
Additionally, with a fully-powered Wiccan and a slightly-powered Agatha Harkness, both of whom are capable of powerful magic, the covenhad the means to fend off the Salem Sevenwithout needing Lilia to make the ultimate sacrifice. Lilia’s death is emblematic of a pointless sacrifice, as her power and the coven’s capabilities would have sufficed, but was ultimately pointless.
2Wanda Destroys Vision’s Mind Stone Too Late
Avengers: Infinity War
InAvengers: Infinity War, Wanda Maximoff’s delay in destroying the Mind Stone stands out as a major missed opportunity that leads to Thanos’s victory. Wanda had the power to destroy the stone earlier in the film. Thiscould have potentially prevented Thanos from completing his gauntletand ultimately altering the course of the battle. However, she hesitates, and by the time she finally destroys the stone, Thanos simply needs to use the Time Stone to reverse her efforts.
10 Most Wasted Characters In The Avengers Movies
The Avengers movies proffered thrilling ensemble line-ups with multiple iconic characters, which meant that some characters were squandered.
Thereupon Vision was killed anyway. This delay is arguably futile because Wanda, despite her love and desperation, should have recognized the urgency of destroying the stone before Thanos could arrive and intervene. Had Wanda acted sooner, the outcome ofAvengers:Infinity Warcould have been significantly different, and thedestruction of the Mind Stone might have saved countless lives.
1Captain America’s Plane Crash
Captain America: The First Avenger
At the conclusion ofCaptain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers decides to crash a plane carrying Red Skull’s advanced weaponry into the Arctic, sacrificing himselfto prevent the potential destruction of major cities. While the heroism of this act is clear, it raises questions about the necessity of such a drastic measure. Notably, the film doesn’t set any strict time constraints on the danger posed by the plane,
10 Times Marvel Movie Heroes Acted More Like Villains
Marvel heroes normally embody the noblest of heroic traits. Yet even they can make mistakes so grave that they verge on the villainous.
As such, there’s no clear reason why Steve couldn’t have circled the area, buying time for SHIELD to intervene or even come up with an alternative plan. Additionally, given Steve’s military training, it seems plausible that hecould have attempted to land the plane or guide it to a safer destination. His premature crash serves more as a way to establish his character arc and set up his later return inThe Avengers, but it feels like a rushed decision without sufficient rationale. It is one of the more perplexing heroic sacrifices made in bothMarvelorDCadaptations.
Cast
X2 is the second installment in the X-Men film series, where Professor Charles Xavier’s team faces growing anti-mutant forces led by Col. William Stryker. In response, mutants Storm, Wolverine, and Jean Grey form an uneasy alliance with adversaries Magneto and Mystique to counter Stryker’s plans to eradicate mutants.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Avengers: Age of Ultron, released in 2015, follows Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man and Captain America, as they contend with Ultron, a rogue AI with plans for global annihilation. This Marvel sequel sees The Avengers form uneasy alliances and embark on a perilous global adventure to thwart Ultron’s schemes.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice features the iconic clash between Gotham’s Dark Knight, played by Ben Affleck, and Metropolis’s Man of Steel, portrayed by Henry Cavill. As these two heroes confront each other, a looming threat endangers humanity, setting the stage for larger challenges ahead in the DC Extended Universe.
The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is the second installment in the Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale as Batman. Released in 2008, the film follows Batman’s alliance with Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent as they combat the organized crime that threatens Gotham, facing the menacing Joker.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring Chris Pratt as Peter Quill. Abducted from Earth as a child, Quill navigates intergalactic adventures, becoming entwined in a conflict centered on a powerful orb coveted by Ronan the Accuser.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the adventures of Peter Quill and his eclectic crew as they navigate complex family dynamics and revelations about Quill’s mysterious heritage. Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the film explores themes of family and identity against a backdrop of intergalactic adventure.
Man of Steel
Man of Steel is a 2013 reboot of the Superman franchise, directed by Zack Snyder. Henry Cavill stars as Clark Kent, who discovers his extraterrestrial origins and extraordinary powers.
Avengers: Infinity War brings together the Avengers and their allies to face a new threat from the cosmos, Thanos, who seeks to collect the Infinity Stones. The film, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, unites numerous superhero characters in a battle to prevent Thanos' ambition of altering reality itself.
Captain America: The First Avenger follows Steve Rogers, a frail man from Brooklyn transformed into the super-soldier Captain America during World War II. As he aids the war effort, Rogers confronts Red Skull, who seeks world domination through a powerful device for a nefarious organization.
