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SomeMarvel Cinematic Universemovies, such asSpider-Man: Homecoming, go their entire runtimes showing a handful of deaths at most. But they’re a little less common than those with, say, 80 or 90 deaths. Naturally, given how expansive the MCU is, that doesn’t necessarily meanjusthuman beings. Just look at theGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise, which prides itself on staying away from Earth far more often than not. The same goes for theThorfranchise, which features the cosmic, hammer-wielding ‘Security Guard’ (as Thor actorChris Hemsworth recently called him) smashing through everyone from legions of Frost Giants to a single gigantic, planet-killing fire demon. But we’ll possibly get back to Thor or Peter Quill and crew later.
Just as uncommon as an MCU film with only a few deaths, there are also those with thousands upon thousands of character deaths. And, believe it or not, not all of these MCU installments have the wordAvengersin the title. Though, certainly, those rank high. However, it is hard to justifiably count the massive number ofUltron bots in a death tally(the human beings on the temporarily floating Sokovia are a different story).
However,not one of them is the film that features the highest MCU body count, as it were. This includesAvengers: Infinity War, which has half the universe snapped into nothingness. Why doesn’t that count? Well…those who perished were brought back to life thanks to the events ofAvengers: Endgame. So, which MCU movies have the most deaths thatactuallycounted? Let’s dive in. And, who knows, perhaps the forthcomingGalactus-includingFantastic Four(or the delayedBladefilm) will blow all of these movies out of the bloody water.
Which MCU Movies Have the Highest Body Counts?
Admittedly, the death counts in MCU movies are far, far harder to pinpoint than something like, say,Friday the 13th. After all, Jason Voorhees never blew up an entire planet. For instance,FandomhasEternalsin the number one spot (in terms of live-action films) with 32,742,596,037 deaths.
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But that multi-generation-spanning film isn’t alone in featuring a ridiculous number of dead folks, be they human or otherwise. Other MCU films that hit quadruple digits (according toFandom) includeThe Avengersat 75,496,Black Pantherat 2,262, andThor: Ragnarokat 1,331. But, when it comes to records, there’s really only one true legitimate source to consult.
Guardians of the Galaxy Features the Most Deaths in the MCU
According to none other thanGuinness World Records, the MCU film with themost deaths is James Gunn’s 2014Guardians of the Galaxy,with a gargantuan 83,871. Furthermore, that’s not a record relegated to just the MCU, but superhero cinema as a whole. Like with most blockbusters, the majority of the casualties occur during the climactic battle that closes out the film. That is before the battle turns into a, well,dancebattle.
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So, which population didGuardians of the Galaxydecimate for the most part?That’d be the Nova Corps, the vast majority of whom were stationed on Xandar, the capital of the Nova Empire. Though, if it’s any consolation to the Nova Corps, they’ve had mostly smooth sailing since then, save for Thanos' snap. And, yet, neither Nova Prime, AKA Irani Rael (Glenn Close), nor Rhomann Dey (John C. Reilly) made an appearance throughout the remainder of James Gunn’sGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy, nor have they had a role inany other MCU project, big screen or small.
The Permanence of Death Is Relative in the MCU…Usually
Like with any film franchise, the permanence ofa character’s demise is related to what benefits the storyand what benefits the box office. Although, given the nature of the business, it’s usually the latter that takes precedence. For instance, Robert Downey Jr. isrumored to be returning to the MCUas Tony Stark even though, given the perfection of the character’s exit, it would be both illogical and thematically unsatisfying.
Fortunately, truth be told, the return of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man seems highly unlikely, even if the beloved actor is emotionally on board for it. Given the MCU’s recent output (which,according to Disney’s Bob Iger, is an output that will be cut in half for the foreseeable future), which has been met with increasingly diminishing financial returns and fairly consistent mixed reviews, there’s almost certainly going to be the inclusion of familiarity.
But there will also be reverence for major fan-favorite projects such asAvengers: Endgame. Have the events of the Thanos-focused two-parter been referenced? Sure, and quite often. But there’s a difference between following up on something popular and undoing that popular something’s harder-hitting plot beats.Guardians of the Galaxy, and the rest of the MCU, is streaming onDisney+.
