Death doesn't last in long-lasting comic books, and Marvel Comics aren't any different. Even major comic events — including the deaths of Doctor Strange, Wolverine, and Nightcrawler — often get reversed within only a few years. Sometimes, deceased characters return before the year is even over.
While some Marvel deaths have no lasting effect at all, others left behind a legacy that reverberated through the years. These tragic fates define entire eras or encourage major characters to change their ways completely. Even if the deceased characters eventually return, the legacy of their demise remains. While every death matters, some Marvel deaths ensured things would never be the same as before.
10 Billy And Tommy Maximoff
Long before Wanda Maximoff depowered the mutants, she was a respected member of the West Coast Avengers. She married Vision, and the two of them had children together: Billy and Tommy Maximoff. Unfortunately, that love wasn't meant to last.
In a shocking twist, it was revealed that Wanda and Vision's children had never been real at all. Mephisto arrived and absorbed Billy and Tommy alike. The twins were officially dead. This horrific tragedy haunted Wanda for years. In time, things reached a boiling point, leading Wanda to lash out at the Avengers during Marvel's Decimation event.
9 Charles Xavier
Scott Summers and Charles Xavier have always had a complicated relationship. As Xavier's best soldier, Scott was raised to lead the X-Men. By the time the X-Men went to war with the Avengers, Scott had absorbed the Phoenix Force and was ruling the world. Xavier tried to stop him, but Cyclops murdered him in cold blood.
Xavier's death changed the X-Men forever. The schism between Wolverine and Cyclops would only grow more bitter, as Cyclops was stripped of the Phoenix Force and left on the run. Scott was considered a monster from that point on — only truly forgiven during the Krakoa Age nearly a decade later.
8 Elektra
Elektra is a skilled fighter who has taken down some of Marvel's strongest villains. From her earliest appearance just a few issues earlier, it appeared Elektra could never lose a fight. Tragically, there was one villain Elektra couldn't beat. When she faced off against Bullseye, he killed her with her own sai.
Bullseye was already a horrifying threat, but he truly established himself as a monster by killing Elektra. From that moment on, Daredevil's character would change drastically. He hunted down Bullseye with no holds barred, and it took Daredevil years to recover from his love's death. Even today, that death continues to influence Daredevil and Elektra alike.
7 Ultimate Spider-Man
Miles Morales is one of Marvel's biggest new characters. In just a decade, he launched from his first appearance in comics into life as a movie star. It could never have happened if the original Spider-Man of his universe hadn't sacrificed his life along the way.
After the Ultimate universe's Peter Parker died in a fight with the Green Goblin, Miles had the opportunity to become Spider-Man. Miles' entire early story involved learning how to deal with the consequences of Peter's death. Had that Peter survived, Miles might never have become the superhero he is today.
6 Hawkeye
After discovering how the Avengers had made her forget she'd ever had children, the Scarlet Witch wasn't doing well. Consumed by her grief and fears, she summoned a Kree ship that quickly went on the offensive. Hawkeye did his best to stop the carnage, and he lost his life in the process.
This was the last straw. From that point on, the Avengers couldn't trust Wanda anymore. She lost her support system, and that only made drove her further into chaos. Eventually the Avengers turned on their teammate, causing Wanda Maximoff to sink into despair. Wanda created a new reality and, when that fell apart, she decimated the universe's mutants.
5 Captain America
The death of Captain America in World War II changed Marvel Comics forever, but that wasn't the most important death Steve Rogers has suffered. After the events of Civil War, Captain America was shot dead in front of the eyes of the world. All it took was a single bullet.
Rogers' death changed Tony Stark, who has previously been fighting against his fellow teammates and soon recognized his mistakes. Yet the bigger influence that Captain America's death had was on the world at large. His death was a symbol of America's fall in Marvel Comics — that everyone had gone too far.
4 Mar-Vell
Not every hero goes down in a blaze of glory. The original Captain Marvel is proof of that. Mar-Vell famously died after a long fight with cancer, and he's one of only a few who has never received a permanent resurrection. Instead, Captain Marvel's legacy remains rooted in his death.
Captain Marvel has been a hero ever since, but it hasn't been Mar-Vell. Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Genis-Vell have been honoring him by taking up the mantle in his memory. They do their duty to keep him alive, and the rest of the Marvel universe continues to remember Mar-Vell for his heroism.
3 Gwen Stacy
Spider-Man has had many romantic interests over the years, but Gwen Stacy is the one that changed him the most. After failing to save Gwen, Peter was left to wrestle with his own guilt. He had failed to protect her, and he had also failed to stop Norman Osborn when he could.
After Gwen's death, Peter's interpretation of his great responsibility would never be the same. It also paved the way for Mary Jane Watson to become Peter's primary love interest. Similarly, it gave Ghost Spider — an alternate Gwen Stacy — the opportunity to stand out. Even half a century after Gwen's death, she remains a strong presence in the Spider-Man line.
2 Jean Grey
Jean Grey's death shook the X-Men. While the X-Men had known death before, Jean's was the first death that really felt like a lasting blow. Thunderbird's death might have changed their bond, but Jean was a founding member of the team. Sadder still, she had fallen to the dark side and died for it.
Jean's death would eventually lead to Cyclops leaving the team, the founding of X-Factor, and the X-Men's long-lasting fear of going too far. While Marvel later retconned the event by revealing Jean had actually been the Phoenix itself during that time, the fear of the Dark Phoenix continued to haunt the real Jean and the rest of the X-Men.
1 Uncle Ben
Getting bitten by a radioactive spider didn't turn Peter Parker into Spider-Man. Even with web-swinging, wall-crawling, and super-strength, Peter still would never have become the hero he is today without the inciting incident that turned him into a superhero: Uncle Ben's death.
Having failed to stop a crime, Peter indirectly caused his uncle's death. From that point on, he realized he would need to use his great powers for good. Had Uncle Ben survived, Spider-Man's legacy would be drastically different. He might never have been a friendly neighborhood hero at all.