MCU: 25 most heartbreaking Marvel Cinematic Universe character deaths

MARVEL’S AGENT CARTER – “Valediction” – Peggy faces the full fury of Leviathan, as Howard Stark makes his return in the explosive season finale of “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Kelsey McNeal)

HAYLEY ATWELL

24. Peggy Carter

Movie it happened in: Captain America: Civil War

Why it was so heartbreaking: I guess it’s sort of unfair to include this. Peggy died off-screen and it wasn’t really the Peggy we’d got to know and love. Okay, yes, it was technically the same Peggy, but it wasn’t Hayley Atwell in the role by this point. It’s due to this technicality that she just can’t be moved further up this list.

Yet, regardless of this, losing Peggy Carter was hard for one person in particular, Steve Rogers. And it was because of seeing his reaction to the loss that puts her death onto my list of the most heartbreaking deaths in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Steve had only just gotten to see Peggy again, and she was an old woman close to the end of her life – a good life, but still at the end. There was so much loss for them when Steve crashed the plane into the icy water and remained there for decades. Peggy’s death gave us so much regret.

Had it not been for the fact that Steve had an interest in Peggy’s niece, Sharon Carter, then this death may have been higher up on the list. Likewise, had it not been for the funeral being the place he found out about Sharon’s connection then this death would have been much higher.

However, Peggy made a huge impact on Steve Rogers. I’m just glad he got to go back in time and live a life with a version of her in the end.