Marvel: The 8 Saddest X-Men Character Deaths

The X-Men stories across various media focus on a group of mutant superheroes that come together under the care of Professor Charles Xavier, be it at the Academy or on the battlefield. Sometimes, they team up to fight common enemies, but other times, the mutants have no choice but to hide and retreat from the world around them. The X-Men movies show that many people despise mutants and are prejudiced towards them, making their lives particularly dangerous.

Due to this and the dangerous missions the X-Men undertake, it is not uncommon to see a team member die under tragic circumstances. Due to timeline changes and resurrection plots, some team members have more than one death to discuss. Overall, the movies focus on how dangerous it is to be an X-Man and do not shy away from showing the darker aspects of superhero life.

8 Darwin

Unrealized Potential

• Appears in: X-Men: First Class

Darwin was one of the newcomers recruited by Charles and Magneto in X-Men: First Class. He trained alongside a group of talented students who managed to bond over their shared status as mutants and became close friends, with Darwin’s ability being masterful adaptability. However, unlike other team members, Darwin was never destined to become an X-Man.

When Sebastian Shaw found the group, he proposed that the mutants join him. Some agreed, some refused, but Darwin pretended to accept Shaw’s offer while planning to kill him when he lowered his guard. This did not end well for him, as Shaw annihilated Darwin with a powerful blast. The fact that Darwin could have become a welcome addition to the team but never lived long enough to do so makes his death hurt a little more.

7 Cyclops

A Knife In The Back

• Appears in: X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand

Scott Summers, aka. Cyclops, appeared in the first X-Men movie as a natural leader and team player, which often contrasted him with more rebellious team members such as Wolverine. Despite this, Scott remained widely respected by the team and formed strong bonds with them, especially with his lover, Jean Grey.

His death can be described as a heartbreaking betrayal. Scott dies at the start of The Last Stand as he discovers that Jean Grey miraculously survived a massive flood. She is willing to accept his love, but once Scott opens up to her, Jean kills him and doesn’t leave a single trace. By the time the other X-Men found any trace of him, all that remained were Scott’s glasses.

6 Jean Grey (First Death)

Lovers Separated

• Appears in: X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand

Jean Grey has always been a wildcard among the X-Men. Despite being a loyal friend, she possesses incredibly strong powers that can easily make even the strongest enemies tremble. Jean also has a natural charm, which leads both Cyclops and Wolverine to develop romantic feelings for her.

Jean’s first death happens at the end of X2, when she chooses to sacrifice herself for the sake of her team. Jean uses her powers to hold back a flood and create an escape route for the other X-Men. As with any heroic sacrifice, this leaves surviving members of the team with uncontrollable grief and uncertainty about what Jean’s fate could’ve been.

5 Jean Grey (Second Death)

The Heartbreak

However, X2 wasn’t the end of Jean Grey. She returns in The Last Stand and becomes a major antagonist for the X-Men. As Xavier reveals, her survival can be explained by the awakening of her dark personality, known as the Phoenix. Jean becomes an incredibly dangerous threat and steals Magneto’s spotlight as the movie’s main antagonist.

She dies again at the movie’s end, but one of the X-Men has to do the deed this time. Logan is the one to kill her with his adamantium claws, effectively ending the life of his beloved. This is a tragic death, as Jean wasn’t responsible for what the Phoenix personality made her do, and her death is the painful outcome of having to stop a destructive force that she can’t control.

4 Mystique

A Gruesome Decimation

• Appears in: X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men: Dark Phoenix

Mystique has changed sides – and faces – many times throughout the X-Men franchise, but one thing that has remained consistent about her ever since the end of First Class is that she shows unabashed pride in being a mutant. Whether she was a hero or a villain, this trait, along with loyalty and care for her friends, defined her.

However, she met her gruesome fate in the Dark Phoenix movie. When Jean becomes possessed by the uncontrollable power of the Phoenix, Raven tries to calm her down and reason with her. It doesn’t work, and, leaving herself exposed, Jean Grey annihilated her, forcing the viewers to watch a beloved character die an unjust death.

3 Charles Xavier (First Death)

The Mentor’s Departure

• Appears in: X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Logan, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

Charles Xavier is a symbol for all X-Men. Many of them would never have found a home, or any kind of place to belong, without his guidance. Even without the use of his legs, Charles remains a strong mutant due to his telepathic powers, and his incredible wisdom and compassion make him a strong leader.

Because of this, his death in The Last Stand is, first and foremost, extremely shocking. Despite his attempts to reach out to Jean Grey, the Dark Phoenix is too strong and unruly to ever care for his pleas and ends up tearing Charles apart. The X-Men have to survive without their mentor, which makes their battle extremely difficult.

2 Charles Xavier (Second Death)

A Painful Decay

Charles reappears in Logan, where he is very different from any previous incarnation of the character. Charles is portrayed as a weak, ailing old man who cannot function without Logan’s help, and becomes a slave to his own abilities as he can’t sustain them anymore. Nevertheless, Wolverine still takes care of him.

The scene where he meets his demise is gruesome and sudden. Wolverine and his rag-tag group try to find their way, but are eventually tracked down by the mutant hunters, who slaughter both Charles and the family that helped them hide. Logan could not protect the old Professor, which became one of the last regrets of his own life.

1 Logan

The Veteran’s Passing

• Appears in: X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Logan, Deadpool & Wolverine

Wolverine’s death is among the most depressing in the franchise because he was one of the first X-Men film audiences became familiar with, and because the story of his last movie was a heartbreaking buildup to his death. Wolverine is far weaker in Logan than in his previous movies, as his adamantium skeleton is poisoning him from within.

Logan’s last stand happens at the movie’s end, as he is tasked with defending Laura and a group of new mutants from Donald Pierce and the Wolverine clone he created, X-24. Despite Logan’s extreme resistance, he eventually suffers multiple mortal wounds that he’s unable to heal from. Logan dies content, knowing he gave Laura and the next generation of mutants a chance to see another day.