Over the decades, Marvel Comics has treated readers to some of popular culture's finest characters and stories. Often presenting flawed protagonists and engaging, multifaceted villains, Marvel's particular brand of storytelling instantly connected with fans and has continued to reap dividends into the modern age.

With such a wealth of stories, Marvel has experimented with numerous genres and tones over the years, but some of their finest are tragedies—tales of woe and anguish without a happy ending in sight. One of the greatest things about Stan Lee's universe has always been that the heroes don't always exact thunderous, affirming victories.

10 The Night Gwen Stacy Died Changed Comics Forever

Famously credited for ending the Silver Age of Comic Books, tragedy comes in spades in The Night Gwen Stacy Died. Dissecting the fall of the Osborn Dynasty, Harry Osborn wrestles with drug addiction while his father, Norman Osborn, gradually descends back into his goblin persona with devastating results.

The comic's most infamous moment comes when the Green Goblin throws Spider-Man's great love, Gwen Stacy, from a bridge. Tragically, it is heavily implied that Spidey's attempts to save her ultimately lead to her demise. The Green Goblin is ostensibly killed in the ensuing clash, paving the way for Harry's own eventual emergence as the Goblin.

9 A Teenager Died For Waking Up As A Mutant in Ultimate X-Men #41

Ultimate X-Men often had dark leanings, which was never more apparent than in Ultimate X-Men #41. The issue opened benignly enough with a teenage boy waking up for breakfast and school, but the story soon spirals. He soon realized that upon hitting puberty, his mutant powers kicked in. Unfortunately, those powers kill all those around him.

The boy retreated to a cave and was soon joined by Wolverine. Logan calmly explained to the teenager the current state of mutant affairs, his role in the X-Men, and the job he's been sent there to do. All the young boy could say was, "Just do it." The issue ends with Wolverine leaving the cave in silence, his forlorn expression denoting that the boy is now dead by his hand.

8 The Death of Captain Marvel Explores Grief and the Inevitability of Death

While comic book deaths are frequent in Marvel Comics, The Death of Captain Marvel remains memorable for never being retconned—the graphic novel chronicles Mar-Vell's gradual acceptance of his imminent death from cancer, with the hero remaining dead. This paved the way for Carol Danvers to later adopt the title.

The sweeping and high-octane fight scenes generally expected from Marvel are wholly absent from this tale, with Jim Starlin instead choosing to focus on an inglorious and subdued death from illness. Most poignantly, it expertly dissects the emotions of Captain Marvel and those around him as all come to accept his inevitable demise.

7 A Child Died Emulating His Hero in The Fantastic Four #285

"Show me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy," wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald, and this theme permeates The Fantastic Four #285. In this issue, the reader meets Tommy Hanson, a young, neglected, and friendless boy who idolizes the Human Torch. His hero-worship turns dark when he self-immolates himself to be more like Johnny Storm.

The Human Torch meets Tommy on his deathbed, where the young boy declares, "I only did it to be like you." This thrusts Johnny Storm into gut-wrenching introspection, which sees him wish to give up his superheroic persona. The Beyonder eventually intervenes by showing the Human Torch the past, but a distinct melancholy pervades the issue.

6 Deadpool: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is a Meditation on Trauma and Loss

In Deadpool: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, the Merc With a Mouth's signature humor takes a backseat to dissect Deadpool, Wolverine, and Captain America's joint trauma. In addition, it serves as a meditation on loss and the evil men do.

The tale ends on a distinctly dour note, with Deadpool losing the partner and child he never knew he had. Even worse, he is directly responsible for their demise. A tale of guilt, hurt, and immorality, Deadpool: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is a surprisingly moving and bleak tale from Deadpool's canon.

5 Spider-Man Meditates on Loss and Longing in Spider-Man: Blue

The perfect coda to The Night Gwen Stacy Died, Spider-Man: Blue depicts Peter Parker struggling to come to terms with Gwen Stacy's death years after the event. The memory of Gwen haunts him, and he spends his Valentine's Day directly addressing her in a dictaphone, laying bare his broken heart.

Through flashbacks, the reader witnesses Peter long for a simpler time of love and friendship that will never be rekindled. While Mary Jane Watson offers Peter solace in the present, the Jazz concept of "feeling blue" pervades the text, leading to a poignant, heartbreaking, and downbeat tale that fittingly pays tribute to Spidey's lost love.

4 The Vision Wrestled With Heartbreak in Vision #7

The Vision and Scarlet Witch share one of the greatest romances from Marvel Comics, and Vision #7 sees the titular hero reflecting upon their relationship. This issue is poignant because it captures every facet of their romance—each soaring, heartwarming high is juxtaposed with a toxic, gut-wrenching low.

The issue begins with Vision and Scarlet Witch in bed. Vision tells her a joke, and the two of them laugh together—a touching moment of early connection. In the present, Vision lies in bed with his new wife and tells the same joke; this time, they sit in vacant silence. The End.

3 Civil War Remains a Bleak Moment From Marvel Comics

The Marvel Universe was torn apart by the introduction of the Superhero Registration Act during the Civil War event. On one side, Iron Man accepted greater accountability and oversight. At the same time, Captain America led a team that wanted to protect individual liberty. The line between good and evil began to blur as the war raged on, especially due to Iron Man's controversial actions.

Gradually becoming the antagonists of the tale, Iron Man's team ultimately won, and this victory led to Captain America's death. Highlighting the moral descent of numerous heroes and the demise of a bastion of goodness, Civil War remains a bleak, divisive, and memorable moment from the Marvel Canon.

2 The Incredible Hulk: The End is a Dystopian Tragedy

The Incredible Hulk: The End chronicles Bruce Banner's time as the last man on Earth following a nuclear Armageddon. He wanders the wastes of the world, with the Hulk and Banner still at war with each other even when everything around them is ash and bones.

Banner laments the loss of everything that ever mattered to him, while conversely, the Hulk finally has everything he ever wanted: to be left alone. The one-shot comic poignantly and melancholically ends with Banner inevitably succumbing to old age, the final panel depicting the Hulk's thoughts—"Hulk feels...cold"—perfectly encapsulating a brutal and unforgiving tale.

1 "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man" is Marvel at its Most Tragic

The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man is justly remembered as one of the most moving and sentimental issues from the Marvel canon. Spider-Man visits a young boy who hero-worships him, and Spidey and the fan strike up such a rapport that the former even reveals his secret identity to him.

In a moment of poignant vulnerability, a crying Spider-Man hugs the boy before leaving him alone in his room, and the tears continue once he has left. In the final panel, it is revealed that the young fan has leukemia and has only been given a few weeks left to live. This issue continues to bring tears to many fans' eyes and was even loosely adapted for Spider-Man: The Animated Series.