The Marvel Cinematic Universe is no stranger to shocking deaths. Natasha Romanoff sacrificed herself to save her best friend, Thanos threw his own daughter off a cliff, and Tony Stark sacrificed his life to save the lives of half the universe. The franchise is also no stranger to some unexpected violent deaths (remember how Groot stabbed people with his branches?!). But even then, it knows its limits.
As Marvel Studios continues to evolve the MCU throughout the Multiverse Saga, one of the elements it does that by is telling more mature stories. You won't find a better example of that than Deadpool and Wolverine, which was the franchise's first R-rated movie and it earned every bit of that blood-soaked, swear-word-ridden rating. And with it now branching into the world of TV-MA shows, Marvel is continuing to raise its maturity level.
Look no further than the most recent episode of Daredevil: Born Again.
Kinpin's brutal streak creates the MCU's most graphic death
The season finale of Daredevil: Born Again, titled "Straight to Hell", quite literally saw all hell break loose. As Mayor of New York City, the Kingpin allowed his corrupt Anti-Vigilante Task Force to run wild on the streets during a blackout, hoping for them to take down some vigilantes along the way - including Daredevil and The Punisher.
One person who didn't approve of the convicted felon behind the sacred desk was New York City Police Commissioner Gallo. He had dragged his feet throughout the season and even threatened to quit when Fisk took office, but the Kingpin forced him to stay on by blackmailing him. And when Gallo had enough and attempted to have him removed from office, Fisk took extreme action.
Having his Anti-Vigilante Task Force bring him before an audience of his fellow officers, Fisk beat him brutally. He then grabbed his head in both of his hands and proceeded to push until he violently crushed it in front of those watching. He then asked if there were any questions and walked off, satisfied at his heinous actions.
This undoubtedly inserts itself right at the top of the list of the most brutal MCU deaths. Although the franchise hasn't been afraid to stray into more mature territory from time-to-time, Marvel Studios has mostly ensured that the MCU remained generally family friendly. The evolution of the franchise in recent years, however, has allowed them to experiment more with different tones and aesthetics, allowing for more mature content such as Echo and Daredevil: Born Again.
It is worth pointing out that the original Daredevil series that streamed on Netflix between 2015 and 2018 was just recently canonized into the MCU, so technically the brutal deaths that took place in that one are now canon to the franchise. However, as it wasn't considered canon prior to that - and overseen by a different creative team from the MCU movies - it's that much more striking when Daredevil: Born Again - a Marvel Studios project - takes the franchise in this new, darker direction.
But if you do remember everything that happened in Netflix's Daredevil, you'll already know that the Kingpin has a thing for crushing people in a violent rage.