The Marvel Cinematic Universe is likely getting ready to kill many characters in 2026, given all the major releases that are set to come in the new year, and I’m convinced that these characters are the most likely to die when the MCU returns. In terms of big deaths, the MCU’s 2025 projects did not present an elevated number at all.
Foggy Nelson, White Tiger, Taskmaster, Muse, and Sue Storm, the latter of which was resurrected, made up the list of major deaths added to the MCU’s slate of projects this year. With Avengers: Doomsday giving Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom a main role, as well as all the other big upcoming MCU releases, a bigger number of characters could die in 2026, such as:
10
Steve Rogers
Chris Evans is back! Steve Rogers was the star of the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer, which not only revealed Captain America’s return, but also that he had a child with Peggy Carter. The MCU has shown how Steve puts his life on the line for his loved ones, and that could be used in Doomsday.
Captain America dying to protect his baby would make for an emotional moment in the MCU movie. Steve Rogers is one of the faces of the franchise, so his sacrifice would impact both the heroes and the fans heavily. His return, only to die, would set the dark tone of the movie and Doctor Doom’s terrifying nature.
9
Thor
Another original MCU Avenger who could die in Doomsday is Thor. Chris Hemsworth’s Marvel hero is nearly the end of the road in terms of his story potential. Thor has gone through devastating losses, rising back up to form a happy life for himself alongside his adoptive daughter, Love.
It is that life that he wishes to protect, as seen in Marvel’s new Avengers: Doomsday trailer. The footage confirmed Love’s return alongside Thor, with the God of Thunder praying to Odin for him to come back home after fighting a new villain, presumably, Doctor Doom. Thor sounded desperate, so Marvel might be teasing a death on the horizon.
8
Ultron
Ultron is coming back to the MCU in 2026, appearing for the first time since he seemingly died in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. James Spader’s Ultron could potentially come back to stay for a good time in the franchise after his return in Vision Quest. However, I don’t believe that is the path Marvel is taking.
Ultron’s return will likely serve to help White Vision understand the original Vision’s memories and make peace with his new identity. As such, the villain might not even be really “alive” again when we see him. Ultron could exist purely as a memory, one who tries to fight back and get to the real world, only to be stopped and “killed.”
7
Mr. Charles
Mr. Charles is an interesting addition to the list because we have yet to see him debut in the MCU and do not really know much about the character. However, what Marvel has revealed of Matthew Lillard’s MCU character is enough for me to believe he is not surviving Daredevil: Born Again season 2.
Mr. Charles will reportedly be part of Wilson Fisk’s world when the Daredevil series returns for season 2. According to the Head of Streaming, Television and Animation at Marvel Studios, Brad Winderbaum, Mr. Charles represents “a new class of power players on the international stage” in Mayor Fisk’s life. Kingpin might be enraged by Mr. Charles’ control, leading to the latter being killed.
6
Cherry
Image via Disney+
Cherry is not a major character in the larger scheme of things for the MCU. However, he has played a key role in Matt Murdock’s life in Daredevil: Born Again, serving as his P.I. and one of the few who know Matt’s secret. Cherry was last seen joining Daredevil’s new army to free New York City.
A Daredevil: Born Again season 2 set video was shared on Twitter by @chrisagwrites, showing Cherry getting hit repeatedly by a member of Fisk’s Anti-Vigilante Task Force. That, allied to the fact that Jessica Jones is back, and she can occupy Cherry’s role as Matt’s P.I., potentially means Cherry will die in 2026.
5
Scorpion
Spider-Man: Brand New Day brings back Michael Mando as Scorpion, with the expectation being that the character will finally don his comics-accurate costume to fight Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Scorpion is known for being a deadly fighter, and Mando’s villain wanted to kill Spider-Man when he was last seen in the MCU.
As such, Scorpion could be going in for the kill in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While I don’t believe Peter Parker would ever kill the villain, Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is in the Spider-Man movie, and he does not go soft on villains. If Scorpion puts Peter or another main player’s life at risk, the Punisher could gun him down.
4
Loki
I’m mixed on whether Loki will die. On the one hand, he is a direct threat to Doctor Doom‘s possible plans of reshaping the multiverse, as Loki is now its protector. As such, Robert Downey Jr.’s new MCU character could make his way to the Citadel at the End of Time, kill Loki, and take his power.
However, Loki is reportedly part of Captain America’s Avengers team in Doomsday. As such, he would have the backup to fight Doctor Doom and not die. Additionally, Thor is said to be on that same team, and he could protect his brother or even sacrifice himself for him — a move Loki could also pull, so the jury is still out.
3
Professor X
The X-Men will return in Avengers: Doomsday, and that could lead to a few monumental deaths. With so many of his mentees appearing in the MCU movie, Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier could end up being killed by Doctor Doom in an effort to protect them.
If the X-Men’s universe ends up involved with the main MCU in an incursion, then Professor X will be at the forefront of how to stop it. The hero has always tried to find harmony between the mutants and other groups, so if Doctor Doom killed him, perhaps he could put the X-Men against the Avengers.
2
Magneto
Magneto has never hidden the fact that he puts the survival of the mutants above all else. If their universe is threatened with an incursion, then he could turn to trying to kill whoever is on the other side. As such, Magneto could die fighting MCU heroes, which would be tragic.
If that is not the case, Magneto could also die facing Doctor Doom. Due to his status as the Master of Magnetism, the X-Men villain could believe that he has the power to take Doom down. However, Downey’s MCU villain is also skilled in magic, and that could be the end of the older X-Men movie star.
1
Bucky Barnes
Finally, many MCU fans thought Bucky Barnes could die in Thunderbolts*. While that did not happen, the door remains open for the former Winter Soldier to die in Avengers: Doomsday. Bucky is one of the franchise’s most beloved characters, as well as one of the MCU’s longest-running players.
His death would be a huge loss, and with Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, the hero would be devastated if he lost Bucky after everything he did to keep his best friend safe. A major death needs to have a lasting impact beyond just shock value, and Bucky’s would fit that role in the MCU‘s 2026 projects.
- Cast
-
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors
