Many major Marvel Cinematic Universe characters died in its 2023 slate.
Marvel Studios had a roller-coaster year as the franchise delivered three new movies and two live-action series.
While many fans were expecting even more heartbreak throughout the year, Phase 5 took some big swings throughout its new entries.
Who Died in the MCU in 2023?
It is time to look at the 22 biggest characters that died in the MCU across the franchise's five live-action movies and Disney+ shows from 2023.
Xolum
Xolum served as a Freedom Fighter in the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, recognizable for his cylinder-shaped head and the light beams that shot out of his head.
While Xolum fought valiantly against Kang the Conqueror and his army, Kang took him out with a blast of his power, and Xolum's head was left destroyed.
MODOK
Corey Stoll returned to the MCU to portray Darren Cross, who was rebuilt in the Quantum Realm with a brand new body as he became the franchise's take on MODOK (Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing).
After working as Kang's muscle early in the movie, he eventually turned on his leader during the final battle, but he died as a result of trying to break through Kang's energy shield.
Kang (Maybe)
After first having one of his Variants (He Who Remains) introduced in Loki Season 1, Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror took the spotlight as the main antagonist of Ant-Man 3, ruling over the entire Quantum Realm.
This Kang Variant met his end in the threequel's final battle and was sucked into the malfunctioning Multiversal Engine Core while Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne escaped back into the real world.
Although Majors will not play the role any longer after being found guilty of domestic assault in court, there is still a chance Kang may be recast for the MCU and brought back at a later date.
Ayesha
After playing a secondary villain role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Elizabeth Debicki made her exciting return to the MCU as Ayesha in 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, with fans learning about her background with the High Evolutionary.
Unfortunately, when the High Evolutionary destroyed Counter-Earth, Ayesha became collateral damage as her story came to an end with the planet's decimation.
Lylla
Portrayed by Laura Barton star Linda Cardellini, Lylla was an anthropomorphic otter experimented upon by the High Evolutionary as part of Rocket Raccoon's same batch of animal hybrids.
Only shown in flashback sequences, Lylla was mercilessly killed by the High Evolutionary when Rocket broke the entire P89 batch out of captivity, taking a shot to the back immediately after getting out of her cage.
Floor
Mikaela Hoover's Floor the Rabbit was another member of Rocket's P89 batch held captive by the High Evolutionary, although her time in the movie did not last long.
After Lylla was killed, Rocket charged at the High Evolutionary with fury while Floor begged him to leave the ship, all before the villain's guards shot and killed her.
Teefs
The fourth batch P89 experiment came in the form of Teefs the Walrus (played by Asim Chaudhry), a talking Walrus who utilized a pair of mechanized wheels to move around.
He was shot and killed alongside Floor during Rocket's assault on the High Evolutionary.
War Pig
War Pig was one of the High Evolutionary's toughest warriors, with the animal experiment being played by Ant-Man's Judy Greer.
Before Counter-Earth was destroyed, Adam Warlock used his impressive strength to take out War Pig by taking her head clean off of her body.
Vim
Miriam Shor joined the Guardians 3 cast as Vim, a recorder for the High Evolutionary who helped him create his perfect society through genetic experiments.
But after seeing his obsession with getting Rocket back into custody, she attempted to turn on him, and he murdered her with a powerful energy blast.
Controller
Controller is another Humanimal under the High Evolutionary's watch in Guardians 3 who was genetically modified from a naked mole rat.
She met the same fate as Vim, being disintegrated by the High Evolutionary's energy blast in the very same scene.
Maria Hill
Secret Invasion brought back Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill for the first time since Spider-Man: Far From Home, although her inclusion would not last for long upon her return.
In the closing moments of Episode 1, she took her final breaths in Russia after Gravik shot her in the chest disguised as Nick Fury, leaving many fans enraged at how her MCU story came to an end.
Hill was the longest-standing character in the MCU to make this list, starring in the franchise for 11 full years before her untimely death.
Talos
Ben Mendelsohn's Talos also made his long-awaited return to the super-powered franchise as one of the most prominent Skrull leaders in the MCU, although the series ended poorly for him as well.
Episode 4 saw Talos meet his own tragic death when he was shot by Pagon and subsequently stabbed to death by the show's top antagonist Gravik.
Pagon
Killian Scott made his MCU debut (as revealed exclusively by The Direct) in Secret Invasion as a Skrull named Pagon, who worked closely with Gravik as his right-hand man.
However, almost immediately upon speaking out against Gravik, the villain takes out his subordinate by using the new superpowers infused into his body from Groot's DNA.
Agent Prescod
Agent Prescod was introduced in Secret Invasion as a CIA agent stationed in Moscow who uncovered a Skrull conspiracy to take over Earth after investigating terrorist attacks connected to the alien shapeshifters.
He shared this information with someone he believed to be Agent Everett Ross, although Ross revealed himself to be a Skrull in disguise before shooting and killing Prescod in cold blood.
Gravik
Kingsley Ben-Adir brought the role of Gravik to life in Secret Invasion with his character serving as the leader of the rogue Skrull faction attempting to infiltrate and take over Earth.
While he accomplished his mission of acquiring The Harvest (gaining powers from over a dozen MCU characters), Emilia Clarke's G'iah did the same and took him out in an epic superpowered battle in the show's final episode.
Raava
Raava was a Skrull Resistance member who impersonated Don Cheadle's James Rhodes to get close to United States President Ritson, stripping Nick Fury of his power and convincing Ritson to go on the offensive against the Skrulls.
Although Raava succeeded and nearly started a full-scale nuclear war in the process, Fury shot her in the head and killed her, reverting her back to her Skrull form for Ritson to see.
Skrull Everett Ross
Martin Freeman made his return to the MCU in Secret Invasion, although it only took part of one episode for fans to learn that a Skrull had assumed his look.
He quickly met his end after a fall from a tall building as Maria Hill and Talos reunited.
Chris Stearns/Skrull
Happy Gilmore star Christopher McDonald took on a role in the MCU as a Skrull simming the body of Chris Stearns, a news anchor on FXN who stoked the worldwide conflict after the bombing in Russia.
After serving on the Skrull council in Secret Invasion, he was exposed and killed on live TV during one of his broadcasts following President Ritson's speech to the nation revealing the Skrulls' existence on Earth.
UK Prime Minister Pamela Lawton
Anna Madeley portrayed United Kingdom Prime Minister Pamela Lawton in Secret Invasion, with her character being kidnapped and replaced by a Skrull before Gravik's defeat.
However, after she was released and resumed her position as Prime Minister, she was shot and killed by a vigilante who believed her to be a Skrull after President Ritson's speech.
Dox & TVA Loyalists
Loki Season 2 brought Kate Dickie onto the scene as Dox, a former TVA Minutemen soldier who formed a faction of loyalists in an attempt to prune the branching timelines that came as a result of Sylvie killing He Who Remains.
But when Ravonna Renslayer offered her a chance to gain her life back in exchange for retaking the TVA, she refused, leading to Miss Minutes activating the Gizmo and crushing her and her loyalists to death inside a cube.
Supreme Intelligence
The Supreme Intelligence was first introduced in 2019's Captain Marvel, serving as the artificial intelligence-based leader of the Kree people on Hala.
As part of a flashback scene from 2023's The Marvels, Brie Larson's Captain Marvel was seen returning to Hala to eliminate the Supreme Intelligence, using her powers to take out the entire system as she left Hala in a state of despair.
Dar-Benn
Joining her real-life husband Tom Hiddleston, Zawe Ashton made her MCU debut in The Marvels as she embodied the film's main antagonist, Kree warrior Dar-Benn.
The 2023 sequel ended with Dar-Benn creating a Multiversal wormhole with the energy of two Quantum Bands, although that energy proved to be too powerful for her as it disintegrated her and ended her life.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Secret Invasion, and Loki Season 2 are streaming on Disney+. The Marvels does not have a confirmed debut date for Disney+ yet, but here's when we expect the Captain Marvel sequel to start streaming.
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