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4 Incredibly Gut-Wrenching Moments From the MCU That Still Keep Me up at Night
Over the course of its 17 years and counting history, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has delivered its share of shocking twists and heartbreaks in all sorts of varying forms. Captain America or Scarlet Witch could fill up a list of memorable moments all by themselves if we’re honest, and the same is true of several other characters as well. Still, there are 4 moments that stand out as truly gut-wrenching, and they’ve all managed to keep me up at night ever since.
4. Wanda’s Grief
A central point of mystery throughout WandaVision is what particular moment led to Scarlet Witch creating her dream version of Westview, and once we finally got that answer, it was much easier to understand how things went off the rails. During the show, Wanda learns where Vision is being held after the events of Infinity War, and she immediately confronts S.W.O.R.D. director Hayward about his whereabouts.
He shows Wanda what’s happening to Vision, and at first she doesn’t understand (and neither does the viewer), but the camera zooms in, you learn that the separate pieces on various tables are all actually Vision as he is being dismantled by S.W.O.R.D. Wanda is crushed and incensed and breaks the glass before heading down, but once she tries to look for life, she says in the most pained way, “I can’t feel you. I can’t feel you.”
The sight of her anguish and his dismembered head and body is a visual that’s hard to shake, and it is the direct event that leads to Wanda breaking and creating her version of Westview, setting her on a path that ultimately leads to her death (at least for now).
3. Fall of a King
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had the difficult task of dealing directly with the tragic loss of its star Chadwick Boseman, and to its credit, managed to create a story of grief, loss, and hope from that awful tragedy. There are several scenes in the film that embody this and pay tribute to Boseman’s legacy and the legacy of the character he so wonderfully brought to life, but the most gut-wrenching moment takes place right at the beginning of the film.
The film opens with the royal family in chaos as Shuri is trying to recreate an herb to save her brother, who is dying from an undisclosed illness. Shuri is furiously attempting to figure out a solution as his heart rate continues to drop, and just when she creates the herb and starts to head to her brother, Ramonda informs her that he has passed away.
The look in Shuri’s eyes is heartbreaking, and while the herb probably wouldn’t have saved him, the fact that she couldn’t even try makes the pain even worse. Coupled with the Wakandan funeral afterwards, this is a scene no Marvel fan will ever forget.
2. Made From Scratch
One of the most heartwrenching moments in the MCU came from the unlikeliest of sources, and that was Agatha Harkness in the Disney+ series Agatha All Along. In the eighth episode, fans finally learned the identity of Nicholas Scratch, who turned out to be Agatha’s son. The entire episode is dedicated to filling in this backstory, and it ends up being one of the most powerful and tragic episodes of MCU TV to date.
Agatha pleads with Death (Rio) to allow her son to live after giving birth to him, and Death can only promise to give him more time. Over the course of the episode, we see him grow up as Agatha keeps them moving and looks out for Death to eventually return, and after singing him to sleep one night, Death eventually comes to collect him.
Death has him say goodbye to Agatha, and he kisses her one last time before they walk away into the night, but it’s actually the morning after that makes this scene so powerful. Agatha awakes to find Nicholas has passed away, and all she says over and over again as she cries is “I want more time, I want more time, no, no”. It’s a scene that will stick with me for a good long time, and many others will likely feel the same.
1. I…Am…Iron Man
Going into this, I wanted to have an open mind and had a lot of other scenes before the iconic death of Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame, and then I watched it again, and everything else simply got pushed to the side. Few heroes embody the MCU like Tony Stark, and it’s not only the immense performance that makes this so impactful, but also the performances of those who are grieving as he lives his final moments.
After Tony successfully steals the Infinity Stones from Thanos and snaps his fingers, the wave of power leaves Tony gasping for breath and falling to the ground. He slumps over by a tree, and the first person we see is Rhodey, and there’s still a glimpse of a reaction from Tony as he recognizes his old friend. Then there’s Peter, who grabs Tony’s hand and tells him they’ve won as he fights back tears, but Tony is already starting to fade.
Finally, there’s Pepper, who kneels beside Tony, and you can see him recognize her and try to speak. He then smiles at her and tries to get words out, but she quiets him and says, “We’re going to be okay, you can rest now.” Suddenly, he’s gone, and as she breaks down his Arc Reactor goes dark and his arm falls to the ground. It’s a truly powerful sequence that really was the end of an era in the MCU, and it will likely never be topped.
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