Deaths in comics rarely last, so it is essential to make the story as emotional as possible for the death to even matter. The death of Jean Grey in The Dark Phoenix Saga worked because she sacrificed herself. The death of Superman worked due to the aftermath and how his passing touched everyone around him.
There have been many deaths in the pages of the Avengers comic books, but it took a special story to make them memorable. When a hero dies, they have to die saving someone or for the greater good, and it is those deaths that everyone remembers in the end. Here is a look at the saddest deaths in the pages of the Avengers comic books.
10 HAWKEYE
Hawkeye was one of the early members of the Avengers. He started with the team in its second year, when Captain America put together a unit with Cap as the leader and the founding members left. That line-up included Captain America, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver.
This line-up is ironic, since Hawkeye died during a war between the Avengers and Scarlet Witch. In Avengers Disassembled, he died in a Kree ship's explosion. Later, Wanda lost control and brought Clint back from the dead, only to kill him again. Hawkeye also wasn't the only Avengers member Wanda murdered in that battle.
9 ANT-MAN
The character of Ant-Man has been with the Avengers since the start, one of the founders of the team. That was Hank Pym, who, along with his future wife The Wasp, formed the group and worked with them for many years. However, Pym stopped being a full-time hero years ago.
In 2002, the second Ant-Man, Scott Lang, joined the Avengers. Ant-Man was there to help in the battle against Scarlet Witch when she revived the dead Jack of Hearts. Scott tried to help him, but Jack exploded, killing Ant-Man instantly.
8 STATURE
Ant-Man did not remain dead. In the Young Avengers comics, Iron Lad returned from the future and brought new technology with him. Soon, he had the team traveling through dimensions with Scarlet Witch, and they ended up back at Avengers mansion when Jack of Hearts appeared. Cassie Lang saved her dad.
It was a happy reunion that was short-lived. See, Cassie was now the superhero Stature, since she had been stealing her dad's Pym Particles for years while staying with him at Avengers Mansion. Eventually, the Young Avengers end up battling Doctor Doom. When Cassie thinks he killed her dad, she attacks him. Doom blasts her in retaliation, killing her instantly. She dies in her father's arms.
7 SCARLET WITCH
Wanda was not spared from death herself. There was a lot that Wanda did to hurt a lot of people. Forget about her killing Ant-Man and Hawkeye. She also stripped the majority of Earth's mutants of their powers. This action made her an enemy of many mutants, including Rogue.
After Avengers Vs. X-Men, Captain America wanted to put together a team of Avengers and mutants to prove to the public that the two sides could live together in peace. It didn't work out quite right. Rogue never trusted the Scarlet Witch, and in a moment where she wrongly believed Wanda betrayed the team, murdered her in cold blood. Wanda died in Wonder Man's arms, as he told her how much he loved her.
6 WONDER MAN
Speaking of Wonder Man, he was one of the early members of The Avengers; a former villain turned hero who has died on more than one occasion. The former member of the Masters of Evil joined the team but died almost instantly when Baron Zemo's life-prolonging treatment was stripped from him. Wonder Man succumbed to the side effects of his powers, saying he would rather die than betray the Avengers.
When Ultron created Vision, the robot used Simon Williams' memories and behavioral patterns. This event ended up getting very complicated because Vision married Scarlet Witch, someone who Simon believed he was destined to love.
5 WASP
In Secret Invasion, the Skrulls showed up in the Savage Land resembling various superheroes, and the battle ended up going back to New York. The Wasp was there to help them and used the growth serum that Hank developed, not knowing the Skrull version of Hank created it as a bioweapon.
Thor saved the world by using Mjolnir to turn the energy back into Wasp, which caused her to explode, killing her instantly. Knowing he was the one who ended her life, Thor was devastated and swore vengeance.
4 THE HULK
Hulk was an unusual case and one of the most significant casualties of Civil War II. The storyline involved a member of the Inhumans named Ulysses, who claimed he could see future events before they happened. He shared his visions and helped Captain Marvel and others stop disasters before they occurred.
When they saw Hulk was going to cause a cataclysmic event, they found Bruce Banner and realized he was experimenting on himself again to control Hulk. Then, from the treeline, Hawkeye shot an arrow into Bruce's head and killed him. The jury found Hawkeye not guilty when they learned Bruce planned his death if he caused a threat again. Tony Stark made it clear that an Avenger and a friend died that day.
3 MOCKINGBIRD
For years, Marvel fans watched the relationship between Hawkeye and Mockingbird grow. The two met when kidnapped and forced to work together to escape, and they married very quickly. They then moved to California and ran the West Coast Avengers together.
However, their marriage hit a rough spot when Mockingbird murdered Lincoln Slade, breaking the Avengers no-kill code and Hawkeye couldn't abide by it. However, over time, they reconciled, but Mephisto came along (which is never good). Bobbi sacrificed her life to save Hawkeye (taking a direct blast from Mephisto) and died in his arms.
2 CAPTAIN AMERICA
The first Civil War put two of the greatest Avengers of all time against each other. Captain America and Iron Man led two groups of superheroes -- one who wanted to work for the government and one who tried to keep their freedom. Cap was on the side of freedom and fought hard.
However, he soon realized that he couldn't make changes if he continued to fight Iron Man and the United States government. He surrendered to make a difference from the inside. Sadly, before he got a chance to do anything, an assassin put a bullet in him and Captain America died, the greatest casualty of the Civil War.
1 BLACK WIDOW
Years after Civil War, there was another war going on with Captain America. This event was Secret Empire, which saw Cap's body taken over by Hydra Supreme and made to look like a sleeper agent who had always supported Hydra. It turned away a lot of fans, but there was a method to the madness.
Captain America and Hydra took over the U.S. Government, and a lot of citizens supported him and the new form of government. However, Captain America (while possessed) did the unthinkable. Black Widow showed up to try to talk sense into her old Avengers teammate. Cap killed her, one of the things that affected Steve Rogers the most when he regained control.
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