WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War, now in theaters nationwide.
With a name like Avengers: Infinity War, it hardly comes as a surprise that a number of characters didn’t make it out of Marvel Studios’ biggest superhero blockbuster to date alive. Some of the deaths are gruesome and definitive, while others are intentionally vague, but in each and every case, they’re impactful.
Of course, we’d be foolish to think all of these fatalities will wind up being permanent, but regardless of what the future might hold, here’s every major casualty from Avengers: Infinity War:
Heimdall
After a brief skirmish with Thanos, Hulk quickly finds himself outmatched against the Mad Titan. While lying on the ground recuperating, Heimdall quickly transports the Green Goliath back to Earth to warn everyone of the impending threat. Unfortunately, he’s rewarded for his actions with a spear to the heart, courtesy of the Black Order.
Loki
When Thanos decides to send the Black Order to Earth to seek out several of the Infinity Stones, Loki offers to be their guide. However, as Thor is quick to notice, the trickster has a few things left up his sleeve – in this case, a dagger is one of them. When he pulls the blade on Thanos, though, the Mad Titan grabs Loki by the throat, amused by the spectacle, and then proceeds to choke the life out of Loki as Thor cries out in despair. Of course, the God of Mischief has cheated death in the past, but there’s likely no coming back from this one.
Gamora
“A soul for a soul” – those are the words we hear from the Red Skull, as he explains to Thanos that the only way to get the elusive Soul Stone is to sacrifice something – or rather someone – that he loves. This elicits a laugh from Gamora, as she refuses to believe her adopted father is even capable of love, but as he turns around and we see tears running down his face, it becomes clear that there’s at least one thing in life that he truly loves. Nevertheless, he refuses to let this get in the way of his life’s work, so he grabs his daughter and throws her from the cliffs of Volmir, sending her falling to her death.
Vision
We all had a feeling that Vision would bite the bullet, considering one of the Infinity Stones Thanos was after happened to reside in the synthezoid’s forehead. What we didn’t expect, though, is that Vision would die twice. The first time, he dies in a sacrificial manner after begging Scarlet Witch to destroy the Mind Stone before Thanos can get his big, purple hands on it. However, immediately after killing the man – err, the robot she loves, Wanda is shocked to see Thanos use the Time Stone to turn back time and pluck the Mind Stone from Vision’s head himself, turning him into nothing more than a husk of Vibranium and organic materials.
Winter Soldier
In a moment ripped straight from the comics, Thanos – now in possession of the fully assembled Infinity Gauntlet – snaps his fingers to incite a wave of death that ultimately eliminates half of the living beings in the universe. The first one to suffer the effects is Bucky, who calls out to Captain America as his hand and forearm begin to turn to ash. Soon enough, his entire body fades away, leaving a pile of dust in his place.
Falcon
Falcon, much like Bucky, also succumbs to Thanos’ death-snap, crumbling away just moments before War Machine reaches his position. For those wondering if it’d be Bucky or Sam to take up the mantle of Captain America, it seems like neither man is currently fit for the position.
Groot
Admittedly, we’ve seen Groot die once before, back in the first Guardians of the Galaxy. Still, it was no less sad to watch the angst-filled teenage tree crumble up and die after such a hard-fought battle.
Scarlet Witch
As if watching her brother die in Avengers: Age of Ultron and the love of her life die twice in Infinity War wasn’t enough, now Wanda even lost her own life, courtesy of the Infinity Gauntlet. This is particularly disheartening because, as we witnessed moments before, Wanda actually has the ability to destroy an Infinity Stone, which would certainly come in handy in the future.
Black Panther
Despite the fact that he has an upcoming sequel that’s all but confirmed, and despite the fact that his solo movie just recently earned over $1 billion, T’Challa/Black Panther proves to be no match for the Infinity Gauntlet. It’s even more heartbreaking because Okoye is present at the time, crying out as she’s forced to watch her friend and her king disappear before her very eyes.
Drax, Mantis, and Star-Lord
The powerhouse of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Drax, has one goal in life – to kill Thanos. However, he’ll have to schedule a rain check, because the effects of the Infinity Gauntlet aren’t just felt in Wakanda, but also on Titan. Of course, he isn’t the only Guardian on Thanos’ homeworld to suffer this fate, though, as both Mantis and Star-Lord are also reduced to dust, courtesy of the Mad Titan.
Doctor Strange
Although Doctor Strange is also a victim of the Infinity Gauntlet, it’s worth noting that it could all be a part of his master plan. At one point, he tells Tony that he visits the future to view all the possible outcomes of their battle with Thanos and that the heroes are only victorious in one of them. Then, as he’s fading away, he tells Tony that giving Thanos the Time Stone to save his life was the “only way,” so perhaps there’s more than meets the eye.
Spider-Man
Arguably, the saddest death in the entire film is that of Peter Parker, largely because he’s just a kid who’s found himself in an incredibly grown-up world. As he begins to disintegrate, he pleads with his mentor Tony, telling him how he doesn’t want to die. Unfortunately, all Tony can do is watch as his protégé disappears.
Maria Hill and Nick Fury
In the post-credits scene, we see that the effects of the Infinity Gauntlet have managed to reach New York City, as the driver of the vehicle in front of Nick Fury and Maria Hill suddenly disappears, leading to a minor accident. After Hill fades away, Fury quickly begins to make a distress call but before he has a chance to finish, he disappears, as well. However, when he drops his communication device, it seems as though the call may have gone through, as Captain Marvel’s unmistakable logo appears on the screen, setting the stage for her MCU debut next year.