MCU: 5 Character Endings That Fans Completely Reject (& 5 They Think Were Perfect)

From Ironman to Yondu, MCU fans have had strong opinions about many of the franchise’s character endings.

7 min readJun 22, 2021

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown so large in the last decade that, between movie and TV releases, dozens of significant characters meet their end every year. While it’s hard to be sure if a Marvel character is dead ‘for good’, as with any significant on-screen death, fans tend to lean heavily against or heavily in favour of how they are presented, as was seen with the well-portrayed death of Iron Man.

The last five years in particular have seen several major MCU characters see their end, especially in theatres with the wrapping up of Phase Three. From the poorly received ending of Captain Marvel’s Yon-Rogg to the emotional rollercoaster that was Yondu’s death in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, these are some of the best and worst received endings of MCU characters.

Rejected Ending: Karli Morgenthau

Karli with her arms crossed looking pensively over the camera.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was relatively well-received by MCU fans, with some strong writing and great performances from the likes of Daniel Brühl and Sebastian Stan. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the portrayal of the death of the show’s main antagonist, Flag Smashers leader Karli Morgenthau.

Karli is shot and killed by Sharon Carter in the finale of season 1, and in her final moments is portrayed as a tragic character. This did not play out great with viewers, however, as the Flag Smashers leader had committed some terrible crimes throughout the show, from blowing up innocent police officers, to even attempting to kill Falcon himself just before she was shot -fans had no sympathy.

Perfect Ending: Yondu

Yondu staring at the camera with a grimace.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 had fans on the edge of their seats for the final act of the movie, with huge stakes and a feeling that maybe Quill wasn’t going to make it out of this one alive. Lucky for him, however, Yondu sweeps in at the last moment to rescue our protagonist. A character that started as an enemy of the Guardians, Yondu’s redemption arc was loved by fans and seen as both endearing and deserved.

This is what makes his final moments even more tragic, as the space pirate sacrifices his life to save that of his ‘son’, an ending that paid respect to the character by acknowledging his redemption.

Rejected Ending: Pietro Maximoff

Pietro with a smirk on his face during the battle of Sokovia.

The Maximoff Twins were an extremely interesting and somewhat unexpected twist in the story of the Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the death of Pietro stained this storyline. The character was given no substance in the movie, forming no strong relationships with other characters, and not seen as going through the indecisiveness and inner turmoil which is so clearly portrayed by his twin, Wanda.

It comes as no surprise then that when fans witnessed him being killed in the act of saving Hawkeye and a little girl from Ultron, many rejected the scene, considering it to be forced and overdramatic, and few cared about the character’s demise.

Perfect Ending: Hela

Hela looking on with despise at her opponents during the final battle at Asgard.

While nobody can say for certain if Hela -the powerful antagonist of Thor Ragnarok- is dead for certain, her ending in the movie was certainly well received. Hela’s entire character was built around a lust for war and a fearless, dominating attitude, her power seemingly matching to that of even Thanos in the following Infinity War movie.

While it can’t be said for certain she won’t be coming back, Hela’s death scene lived up to what fans had come to expect of the character through the run of the movie -badass. Charging full speed at a hulking Surter, the powerful Asgardian is seemingly crushed by her opponent’s giant sword in an epic final moment that left viewers satisfied.

Rejected Ending: Yon-Rogg

Yon-Rogg looking apprehnsively at someone from a scene taken from Captain Marvel.

The Captain Marvel antagonist is an interesting case considering he wasn’t actually killed, however, the end of that movie will likely be the last time MCU fans will see him in major theatre releases, at least certainly to any significant degree. Regardless, Yon-Rogg’s ending was one of the worst received of those mentioned.

The character faces off with Captain Marvel in one of the final scenes of the movie…for about 3 seconds before Brie Larson’s character immediately blows him away with ease. If it isn’t obvious, the main gripe people had with this ending was its anticlimactic outcome, not to mention the fact nobody enjoys a movie finale where the protagonist wins without really even ‘earning’ it.

Perfect Ending: Ultron

Ultron speaking with disdain moments before the avengers ambush him on the abandoned factory ship.

Certainly a memorable MCU antagonist, Ultron dominates both the story and the screen time of the second Avengers movie and has the unique trait of being one of the few characters to both be born and killed off in the same movie. From his inception in the film, Ultron is sinister and characteristically witty, with logic he will let no one challenge, resulting in a movie full of memorable quotes.

It is only fitting then, that in his final moments viewers see the powerful AI villain stripped down to his weakest form in front of his former inferior, Vision. Perfectly in character, Ultron’s final words before his death bring a satisfying end to the villain: ‘’you’re unbearably naïve’’.

Rejected Ending: Ulysses Klaue

Klaue looking to the side with a look of slight shock.

Appearing in several MCU films, Klaue was a slightly endearing character, if you could look past his criminal life…and terrible teeth. Viewers see him for the last time in Black Panther, where he helps Killmonger in his mission to enter Wakanda, only to be betrayed by the antagonist as they prepare to leave with stolen valuables.

While it did serve to move the story forward, the problem fans had with this ending was just how little justice it does to the character of Klaue. Throughout his presence in the MCU, the master thief and criminal has proven himself to be sly and cunning, and to see him so easily caught off guard, and subsequently killed from a betrayal by a man he clearly shouldn’t have trusted, was hard for viewers to accept.

Perfect Ending: Odin

Odin in his prime with his two sons during the first Thor movie.

Thor: Ragnarok was a well-received movie for many reasons, but one of the less obvious was the dignified ending it brought to Anthony Hopkin’s character of Odin, at least for now. Rather than simply killing off the character through the movie’s antagonist, Hela, director Taika Waititi chose a different, less expected direction.

Instead, viewers see Odin as a tired old man, giving his sons meaningful purpose and direction before he fades away while gazing off into the cold North Sea. The scene feels natural, and in the moments before Hela arrives, fans are left misty-eyed and emotional.

Rejected Ending: James Wesley

Wesley dressed in his usual suit, looking off to his side with pursed lips and a raised eyebrow.

While certainly a lesser-known character due to his presence only in the first season of Daredevil, Wesley was a fascinating character in the series, acting as a refined and logical contrast to the violent and brutish nature of his boss, Kingpin.

However, Wesley’s death completely contradicted the calculated behaviour fans had come to expect from the character. Sitting across a table from Karen, he leaves a gun well within her reach, and then simply dies after becoming distracted, by allowing Deborah Ann Woll’s character to grab the weapon. An unsatisfying end to a fascinating character.

Perfect Ending: Tony Stark

Tony staring ahead with determination moments prior to the Avengers first travel back in time in Endgame.

A discussion of fan-favourite character endings in the MCU would be incomplete without that of Ironman’s death, the most well-known character ending in Marvel history. Sacrificing himself for the sake of humanity and all life in the universe, Tony dons the Infinity Gauntlet, fully knowing the consequences of doing so.

Widely regarded as one of the most emotional MCU deaths, it’s easy to see why fans found this ending to be perfect for the character. One of the original Avengers, Ironman was a part of numerous fights for humanity, and his sacrifice was a natural conclusion to a character who had never shied away from risking his life to save others. His final moments, while emotional, are dignified, and viewers know he dies peacefully as Pepper assures him that both she and his daughter ‘’are gonna be ok’’.

NEXT: MCU: 10 Characters That Fans Would Love To Be Friends With