Grab your tissues as we revisit the most heart-wrenching moments from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From sacrificial acts of love to devastating losses, these scenes left audiences worldwide in tears. Our countdown spans multiple phases of the MCU, featuring both beloved heroes and complex villains in their most vulnerable moments.
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00:00I don't want to go. I don't want to go.
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at MCU moments that turned us into emotional messes.
00:07There are about five phases of spoilers here across film and TV.
00:11You are very welcome here to the land of the gods.
00:16Number 20. The Void. Thunderbolts.
00:18Although they come from different backgrounds, the central characters in Thunderbolts all have PTSD in common.
00:24Look, I've been where you are. The past doesn't go away.
00:27This overarching theme is cleverly visualized in the climax when Bob is overtaken by the Void, spreading trauma across New York.
00:34Running from the Void only prolongs the inevitable. The only way to combat it is by facing the Void head-on.
00:40The Void takes on many different forms, trapping people in personalized prisons where their worst memories are played on an endless loop.
00:47Look what you are unleashed.
00:51You can't outrun the emptiness.
00:53While some can escape this cycle on their own, others need a support group to bring them back.
00:58Bob is ultimately pulled from the brink of no return with the help of his new friends, allowing them all to heal as a team.
01:04Number 19. Death Comes for Nicholas. Agatha All Along.
01:08In this miniseries, we learn that Agatha Harkness had a son named Nicholas Scratch, whom she's destined to outlive.
01:14Desperately begging death, Agatha buys her son time, but the clock is ticking.
01:18I can offer only time.
01:21How much time?
01:25Although this presents Agatha in a more sympathetic light, it doesn't make her less evil.
01:30In fact, Agatha involves Nicholas in her plans to murder other witches and steal their magic.
01:34Regardless, Agatha genuinely loves her son, proving she has a heart, in a way, that only makes Agatha more dangerous.
01:41When death inevitably takes the one person she cared about, Agatha plunges deeper into darkness.
01:45As powerful as Agatha becomes, she remains haunted by Nicholas' fate.
02:01Agatha doesn't fear death so much as confronting her son in the great beyond.
02:05Number 18. Thanos Sacrifices Gamora. Avengers Infinity War.
02:09The moment that made us empathize with Thanos the most is also the one that garnered the most hatred toward the Mad Titan.
02:16To acquire the Soul Stone, Thanos must throw a loved one into the pit below.
02:20In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love.
02:28A soul for a soul.
02:31Gamora believes her adoptive father has been bested, as he's incapable of love, or so she thinks.
02:36Despite being a less-than-ideal parent, Thanos truly views Gamora as his daughter.
02:41That doesn't mean he'll put family before his mission.
02:44Josh Brolin's performance and the emotive effects make us shed a tear with Thanos,
02:48even though he's the one causing this pain.
02:50Thanos ultimately succeeds in wiping out half of all life in the universe.
02:54Did you do it?
02:58Yes.
02:58Yes.
02:58Yes.
02:58Yes.
03:06Knowing the personal price, though, he struggles to celebrate.
03:17Number 17. Scott Returns. Avengers Endgame.
03:21Following the events of Avengers Infinity War, the world undergoes a massive change.
03:26After all, half of humanity is just gone.
03:28While Endgame features several scenes in this bleak new world, the one that hits home the
03:33most happens after Scott Lang, also known as Ant-Man, returns from the Quantum Realm.
03:38What the hell?
03:39Seeing him walk through the devastated and somber streets is rough, as is seeing his own
03:44name on a list of the dead.
03:45But what really gets the waterworks going is when he reunites with his daughter Cassie,
03:50now five years older than when he left.
03:52You're going to see...
03:53Some of the tears are happy, but we can imagine how devastating it must be for him to overnight
03:59have lost so many years with his daughter.
04:02You're so big.
04:05Number 16. Howard's Message to Tony. Iron Man 2.
04:09It was hardly surprising to anyone that the hard-drinking, womanizing Tony Stark had issues
04:13with his similar father, Howard.
04:15The elder Stark had difficulty expressing his emotions to his son, to the point where Tony
04:20doubts his own father's love for him.
04:21However, an old film reel gives Tony another look at his dad.
04:25I'm Howard Stark, and everything you'll need for the future can be found right here.
04:30While looking into Howard's research, Tony watches an old Outtakes reel of Howard displaying
04:34a model.
04:35At the reel's end, Howard speaks directly to Tony, telling his son that he's left a message
04:39in the model for him to discover, since he's limited by the technology of his time, and
04:44that of all his inventions, Tony is his greatest.
04:47What is and always will be my greatest creation is you.
04:58While it isn't quite I love you, it still has us tearing up, especially in light of...
05:03Number 15. Tony's Last Moments with His Parents.
05:07Captain America Civil War.
05:08As we've seen, Tony Stark did not have the best relationship with his father.
05:12This distant and complicated dynamic was further complicated by the fact that both his father
05:17and mother died fairly young, when Tony was 21.
05:21At the beginning of this film, we see a holographic recreation of Tony's final moments with them,
05:25and how he and his father argue.
05:27Do me a favor, try not to burn the house down before Monday.
05:30Okay, so it's Monday.
05:31That is good to know.
05:32I will plan my toga party accordingly.
05:35Although Tony is able to alter the memory to say how he really feels to his dad in the recording,
05:39he never got that chance in real life.
05:41At least not then.
05:43I love you, Dad.
05:46And I know you did the best you could.
05:48This moment is made even more heartbreaking by the revelation of what happened to them later
05:51on in the movie.
05:52Eric Killmonger is a complex villain.
06:07While the assassin turned challenger to the throne of Wakanda may be utterly ruthless and power-hungry,
06:12his goal to free oppressed people of African descent is an admirable one.
06:17So when Killmonger is defeated in battle and heavily wounded,
06:21we're still pretty sad that he chooses to die rather than live in imprisonment.
06:25Maybe we can still heal you.
06:30Why?
06:33So you can just lock me up?
06:34Despite their different outlooks,
06:36it's encouraging to see him and T'Challa enjoy the sunset together,
06:39as well as the fact that T'Challa took Killmonger's message,
06:43if not his methods, to heart.
06:44Just bury me in the ocean.
06:47With my ancestors that jumped from the ships.
06:48Because they knew death was better than bondage.
06:53Number 13.
06:54Foggy's Fate.
06:55Daredevil Born Again.
06:57Picking up not long after the Netflix series,
06:59Born Again quickly establishes it'll be just as hard-hitting as its predecessor.
07:03At the same time,
07:04the opening sequence distinguishes how this continuation will be different.
07:08Dark times.
07:09Dark times indeed.
07:11These Hell's Kitchen nostalga is running pretty thin with you guys.
07:14You realize that, right?
07:15Not nostalgia, reverence for the past, yet hope for the future.
07:18Namely, Matt Murdock will be down one friend.
07:21Benjamin Poindexter interrupts what was supposed to be a night of celebration,
07:24putting a bullet in Foggy Nelson.
07:26Never looking redder,
07:27Daredevil fights Bullseye while internally battling his desire to break the Sixth Commandment.
07:32As a bleeding, Foggy takes his last breath on the pavement below.
07:35And enraged, Daredevil sends his enemy to join him.
07:38Why?
07:39Why?
07:40Dex survives, but Murdock was fully prepared to commit murder.
07:44In a sense, Daredevil also dies that night.
07:46But a resurrection awaits the vigilante.
07:49Number 12.
07:50Rocket's Friends.
07:51Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
07:53Wiping out entire civilizations is one thing, but animal cruelty?
07:56This is why the High Evolutionary doesn't deserve a face.
07:59Of course, we're getting ahead of ourselves.
08:01Before Rocket teamed with the Guardians, he was incarcerated and tortured.
08:04It's okay.
08:08You're gonna be okay.
08:10Friendship provided a glimmer of hope in the bleakest of places.
08:13Just when freedom appears within reach, Rocket watches Lila die in front of him.
08:18Sent on a rampage, Rocket finds that Tiefs and Floor have also died in the chaos,
08:23leaving him with little purpose.
08:24Caught between life and death, Rocket is eventually reunited with his friends.
08:28Having found another family, though,
08:30Lana encourages him to keep fighting for the ones he loves.
08:32There are the hands that meet us, and then there are the hands that guide the hands.
08:40A shout-out to the animation on Rocket, which has never contained more humanity.
08:58Number 11.
08:59Romanoff Removed.
09:00Avengers Endgame.
09:01To acquire the Soul Stone before Thanos, Natasha and Clint know what must be done.
09:06Neither is thinking the same thing, however.
09:08It's starting to think we need a different people here, Natasha.
09:13The last five years, I've been trying to do one thing, get to right here.
09:17That's all it's been about, bringing everybody back.
09:19Having endured so much grief, Clint is ready to put himself out of his misery.
09:23Assuming the time heist works, though, Natasha is hell-bent on ensuring Clint sees his family again.
09:28The two keep one-upping each other until Nat is left hanging, giving Clint no choice but to let go.
09:34Natasha reunites Clint with his family, but she's forced to leave hers behind.
09:38As Yelena later visits her sister's grave, we feel her sadness and desire for vengeance.
09:43Despite blaming Clint for Natasha's death, Yelena ultimately finds closure in an unexpected place.
09:49She made a choice.
09:55We're gonna have to find a way to live with that.
09:58I love her so much.
10:11Me too.
10:12Each emotional beat hits its target.
10:14Number 10.
10:15Steve and Peggy's Dance.
10:17Avengers Endgame.
10:18Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter have to be one of the most star-crossed couples in the MCU.
10:23Following their heartbreaking separation, more on that later,
10:26Steve returns many years later, only for Peggy to not even recognize him due to old age.
10:31And she then passes away.
10:34It's been so long.
10:39So long.
10:41Well, I couldn't leave my best girl.
10:44Not when she owes me a dance.
10:46As tragic as that is, what made us cry even more is when they finally got their second chance.
10:51At the end of Endgame, we see that after Cap traveled back in time to restore all the Infinity Stones,
10:56he remained there, as Bucky and Sam meet an elderly version of him.
11:00So did something go wrong or did something go right?
11:04The film's closing moments reveal that Steve finally got that long-awaited dance with Peggy.
11:09It was certainly worth the wait.
11:10It had us crying tears of joy.
11:12Peter Quill didn't exactly have the most traditional upbringing.
11:32Kidnapped by the Ravagers with the intent to deliver him to his celestial father, Ego,
11:37Yondu decided to raise Quill as his own once he found out that Ego was killing his offspring.
11:41After Quill and the Guardian succeed in killing Ego, with the planet collapsing around them,
11:46Yondu manages to rescue Quill.
11:48But with only one rocket pack and one air shield, he gives the air to Quill,
11:53sacrificing his own life for his adopted son and proving to be a far-from-perfect,
11:58though still-worthy daddy after all.
12:11Even Rocket manages to get choked up at his funeral, and we are crying right along with him.
12:22Number 8.
12:23Steve Goes In
12:24Captain America's first time saving the world, or at least his country, occurs back in 1945.
12:30With Red Skull flying a plane full of deadly weapons towards the USA,
12:35Cap manages to board it and battle his foe.
12:37Although Red Skull is neutralized, the plane is not safe to land,
12:41so Steve decides to crash it in the water.
12:43I gotta put her in the water.
12:45Please, don't do this.
12:46We have time.
12:47We can work it out.
12:48His last conversation with Peggy Carter over the radio as they make plans for a date
12:52they both know will not happen is absolutely heartbreaking.
12:56We've already discussed Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter's ill-fated romance,
13:00but this moment, when it seems to end before it begins, still makes us tear up the most.
13:06Steve?
13:09Steve?
13:10Number 7.
13:11Groot's Sacrifice
13:12Guardians of the Galaxy
13:14The first Guardians of the Galaxy film has its share of sad moments.
13:17Heck, it starts off with the gut punch of watching Peter Quill's mother die of cancer.
13:21Take my hand.
13:30No!
13:31No!
13:32No!
13:33No!
13:33But there's a death that happens later in the film that hits even harder.
13:37During the final battle over Xandar,
13:39the Guardians find themselves struggling against the villain Ronin,
13:42but they manage to damage his ship enough that it crashes,
13:45unfortunately with them inside it.
13:47To protect his friends from the impact,
13:49Groot grows his plant-like limbs to shield them,
13:52at the cost of his own life.
13:54We are Groot.
14:01We never thought a talking tree and raccoon could make us bawl our eyes out,
14:05but this movie proved us wrong.
14:07Number 6.
14:15With Great Power
14:16Spider-Man No Way Home
14:17When Tom Holland's Peter Parker joined the MCU,
14:20we had already watched Uncle Ben die on the big screen twice.
14:23While it'd be repetitive to do this a third time,
14:26loss is an important part of Peter's journey.
14:28You did the right thing.
14:31It's not my responsibility, me.
14:33No Way Home finally delivered this essential turning point,
14:36but in an unexpected way.
14:37After the Green Goblin reveals his true colors,
14:40Peter finds Aunt May in the rubble.
14:42It appears everything might be okay
14:44until May imparts a few familiar words of wisdom to Peter.
14:47And with great power,
14:49there must also come great responsibility.
14:52This is the exact moment that we knew May wouldn't be leaving alive,
14:56despite his aunt's dying words.
14:58Peter has never felt more powerless or alone.
15:01Two others know what he's going through, however.
15:04Number 5.
15:05What is Grief?
15:06WandaVision
15:06Few Avengers have suffered more grief than Wanda Maximoff.
15:10After losing her parents at a young age,
15:12a grown Wanda watches her brother die.
15:14Amid this loss,
15:15a romance blossoms between Wanda and Vision.
15:18I've never experienced loss because I've never had a loved one to lose.
15:23But what is Grief?
15:28If not love persevering?
15:31He may be an android who's still coming to understand human emotion,
15:35but Vision has a profound perspective on love, grief, and how they connect.
15:40Vision's words not only help Wanda to start the healing process,
15:43they also spoke to many audiences following the COVID-19 pandemic.
15:47Wanda is given a new outlook on life, building one with Vision.
15:50Wanda, it's time.
15:54No.
15:54They can't stop him, Wanda, but we can't.
15:57Look at me.
15:58You have the power to destroy the storm.
16:00Don't.
16:00You must do it, Wanda, please.
16:04We are out of time.
16:07Unfortunately, Thanos snatches that life away.
16:10Watching her love die not once, but twice,
16:12Wanda faces her darkest hour yet.
16:14No amount of binge-watching can ease the pain.
16:17Number 4.
16:18Glorious Purpose
16:19Loki
16:20Watching Thanos choke the life out of him,
16:22it appeared Loki had pulled off his last trick.
16:25You will never be a god.
16:32While there are no resurrections for this god of mischief,
16:35Loki lives on in another timeline.
16:37Escaping following his battle with the Avengers,
16:39this Loki continues his pursuit of a glorious purpose.
16:42He finds it in an unlikely place.
16:44Running out of options,
16:45Loki finds a way to save the dying timelines
16:47and the friends he's made along the way.
16:49With the loom destroyed,
16:50Loki finds his throne at the end of time where he'll remain,
16:53watching over the branches of the multiverse.
16:55I know what I want.
17:00I know what kind of god I need to be.
17:05For you.
17:08For all of us.
17:09We've seen Loki undergo redemption arcs before,
17:12but this bittersweet act finally sees him become a god worthy of praise.
17:16Number 3.
17:17Peter Turns to Dust
17:18Avengers Infinity War
17:20There are a number of sad moments in this massive Avengers movie,
17:24and most of them are because of Thanos.
17:25You should have gone for the head.
17:32The Purple Conqueror's quest to wipe out half of life in the universe is shockingly successful,
17:37and with the snap of his fingers.
17:39Tons of our favorite characters are dissolved into dust.
17:43Arguably the most tear-inducing, though, is that of Peter Parker.
17:46I don't know what's happening.
17:48The youngest and most innocent Avenger can feel what's happening to him,
17:56and his panicked pleas to Tony Stark that he doesn't want to die are absolutely gut-wrenching.
18:01For Tony and the audience.
18:03Number 2.
18:04T'Challa's Funeral
18:05Black Panther
18:06Wakanda Forever
18:07With the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman,
18:09we knew the Black Panther sequel would be an emotional powerhouse.
18:12Wakanda Forever made us cry at least three times.
18:15Yes, princess.
18:18It was my brother's heart rate.
18:25Your brother is with the ancestors.
18:29The first comes with the death of the king,
18:32leading to a funeral that makes us feel the scale of Wakanda
18:35and the gaping hole T'Challa has left in the heart of every Wakandan.
18:38This wave of tears is immediately followed by another
18:41as our memories of T'Challa wash over the Marvel logo in a moment of silence.
18:45We cried once more during the mid-credits,
18:47although this scene brings tears of joy.
18:49Coming to terms with the loss of her brother,
18:51Shuri is introduced to Nakia's son,
18:53who shares the same name as his father, T'Challa.
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19:17The sequel to Infinity War raised the emotional stakes to new heights
19:27and the MCU hit peak sad with this moment.
19:30In the final battle against Thanos,
19:32Tony Stark manages to get the Infinity Stones away from Thanos,
19:35delivering a snap of his own while reaffirming his identity.
19:39While he's able to destroy Thanos and his armies,
19:51the strain of using the stones is too much for Tony,
19:54and he dies,
19:55with Pepper, Peter, and Rhodey bidding him farewell.
19:58While the funeral paying tribute to Tony also got us teary-eyed,
20:16there isn't a dry eye to be found during the moment of Tony's death.
20:28Which MCU moment gave you the feels?
20:32Let us know in the comments.
20:34No, Groot.
20:35You can't.
20:36You'll die.
20:39Why are you doing this?
20:40Why?