Two Avengers Confirmed To Die In Marvel's Next Major Crossover

Published Aug 28, 2026, 9:11 PM EDT Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows. Marvel reveals which two Avengers are the first to die in the team's apocalyptic 2026 crossover. While the comic book Avengers originally chose their name because Wasp thought it sounded "colorful and dramatic" and the MCU's Avengers get their name from Captain Marvel's Air Force callsign, they have also reinforced its meaning multiple times. In the comics, Earth's Mightiest Heroes have overturned their defeat in events like Secret Invasion and Avengers: Disassembled. In the MCU, the Avengers have reversed the actions of villains like Loki, Ultron, Baron Zemo, and Thanos, going as far as traveling back in time to achieve it. The clearest example of the Avengers doing their team name justice happens the same way in the comics and the movies. Jonathan Hickman's Secret Wars brings all surviving heroes together to revert God Emperor Doom's multiversal takeover and restore order to the multiverse. Likewise, the Russo brothers' Avengers: Doomsday promises an even bigger loss for Earth's Mightiest Heroes at the hands of Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, and Avengers: Secret Wars is likely to center around the Avengers' attempt to undo Doctor Doom's multiversal victory and pave the way for a new MCU. Before the Avengers inevitably reach their triumph in every battle, no member of Earth's Mightiest Heroes is ever safe; not even the world's greatest martial artists or the universe's most experienced mythical warriors. Thor And Shang-Chi Die In The Avengers' New Apocalyptic War Marvel Zombies: War Zone #1; Written By Tom Waltz; Art By Jaime Infante & Bryan Valenza Marvel's new Marvel Zombies virus doesn't come from outer space or a different universe this time. In Marvel Zombies: War Zone, a horde of undead ninjas called the Hunger, led by Gorgon, starts spreading the virus on Earth. In New York City, a team of Avengers composed of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Wasp, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Shang-Chi, the Fantastic Four, and street-level heroes like Daredevil and Cloak and Dagger immediately intervene. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for the Hunger to kill several of the Avengers. Thor's stomach is devoured by multiple zombies, and Gorgon himself slices Shang-Chi in half at the waist. Thor and Shang-Chi's deaths aren't a fake-out, and the Avengers find themselves forced to flee aboard the Quinjet and the Fantastic Four's Fantasticar before they're overwhelmed. Besides, Daredevil also seems to fall in battle, as he's shown reacting in fear to a zombie attack he can't dodge in time, and he's absent in the following panels. No other Avengers are confirmed to die so far, but the Marvel Zombies: War Zone covers so far also tease the deaths of Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Hulk, arguably three of the most dangerous heroes to become flesh-hungry monsters. The Avengers' New Villain Is An Unexpected Doctor Doom-Level Threat Gorgon's Zombie Apocalypse Makes Him An Avengers-Level Villain Usually, villains as mighty as Doctor Doom and Thanos are unable to do anything to stop the zombie virus. In this new continuity, Marvel Zombies: War Zone's Gorgon seems to be the mastermind behind the zombie apocalypse, powerful enough to overwhelm the Avengers and the Fantastic Four with his zombie army and to slay the heroes himself when he so desires. Whereas Tomi Shishido is only one of many X-Men and Inhuman villains in regular continuity, not even Doctor Doom himself may be able to stop Gorgon in this timeline. As if Gorgon's command over the Hunger weren't enough, Marvel Zombies: War Zone #1 also teases an additional twist, with Gorgon performing a ritual to resurrect Thor. This may be the way Gorgon adds powerful characters to his zombie army, which means that Marvel Zombies: War Zone's zombies might be more durable than all other versions of Marvel's undead, but also much slower to transform. And considering Frank Castle is the star of the five-issue miniseries, Gorgon's downfall may be not predicting such a technically weak street-level anti-hero is the one who will stop the Hunger's wrath. How do you think the Punisher will stop Gorgon's zombie invasion? Marvel Zombies: War Zone #1 is now available from Marvel Comics Release Date May 4, 2012 Runtime 143 minutes Director Joss Whedon Cast Steve Rogers / Captain America Characters By Stan Lee, Steve Ditko Studio(s) Marvel