There comes a point in every major Marvel build-up when the conversation shifts. At first, it is all excitement. Which heroes are returning? How big will the battle be? What surprises are on the way? Then, as the release gets closer, another question starts to take over: who is not making it out?
That is where things now stand with Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). These films feel too large, too loaded, and too important to end without real consequences. The Multiverse Saga has been pushing the MCU into stranger and more dangerous territory for years, and now that story appears ready to cash in on all of it.
Marvel has made this kind of move before. When the franchise reaches an event this massive, loss becomes part of the appeal. Fans know the emotional weight has to come from somewhere. That is why a handful of characters already look especially vulnerable.
Doctor Doom Raises the Stakes Fast
A lot of that comes back to the villain at the center of this story. Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., instantly changes the tone around Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). This is not a threat that can be contained with one clever plan or one final team-up.
Doom’s connection to the Multiverse makes everything feel less stable. Entire realities may be in play. Multiple versions of heroes may collide. The scale alone suggests Marvel is preparing something much harsher than a standard Avengers ending.
And when a studio builds an event around that much danger, it usually means some of the characters fans love most are about to become casualties.
Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch Make Sense for Different Reasons
Clint Barton feels like the kind of death Marvel could use to bring the audience back down to earth. He is not powered by magic or cosmic energy. He is a human being with scars, history, and a family. That gives his potential death a different kind of weight.
It also helps that his arc already feels farther along than most. After Avengers: Endgame (2019), he found redemption and began a quieter phase of his life. That can be a dangerous place for an MCU character to be.
Scarlet Witch is almost the opposite case. Wanda still feels unfinished. Her story remains emotionally messy, and after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), Marvel left just enough uncertainty around her fate to keep the door open.
If she comes back for Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), she could easily become the kind of character whose final act is also her most heroic.
Loki and Doctor Strange Are Standing Too Close to the Fire
Loki’s story has already transformed more than most fans ever expected. He is no longer just a trickster. After Loki, he feels tied directly to the fate of the Multiverse, which puts him in a dangerous position going into Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
That makes him more than a possible casualty. It makes him the kind of character Marvel could use to show how destructive Doom truly is.
Doctor Strange belongs in the same conversation. He has spent the post-Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) era drifting closer and closer to forces he may not be able to control. Incursions, dark magic, and unstable realities now define his corner of the MCU.
Because of that, Strange feels like the kind of hero who may try to solve the final crisis by sacrificing himself.
The X-Men Could Arrive in Tragic Fashion
Professor X and the X-Men bring another interesting possibility. If Marvel wants to show just how dangerous this new era is, it could do that by letting one of its most respected figures fall early.
Charles Xavier has always represented wisdom and stability. Losing him quickly in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) would send a message that this story is not interested in playing it safe.
It would also create a larger ripple effect if other X-Men characters go down with him. In a Multiverse setting, Marvel has room to deliver multiple losses very quickly, and that kind of shock could give the film immediate force.
Thor Feels Like the Clear Favorite
As strong as the other picks are, Thor still feels like the most likely major death of them all. He is one of the last original Avengers still standing in a meaningful way, and his story has already covered nearly every emotional beat Marvel could ask of him.
He has endured grief, rediscovered purpose, and remained central to the franchise for a long time. That is often when Marvel starts setting up a final act that feels noble and definitive.
A heroic death in Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) would not just close Thor’s story. It would help close an entire era of the MCU.
These Movies Feel Designed to Change Everything
That is the real takeaway here. Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) do not feel like films that will simply move the franchise forward a little. They feel like films that will force it into something new.
That kind of shift rarely happens without pain. Whether it is Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Loki, Doctor Strange, Professor X, Thor, or some mix of them, Marvel seems headed toward a few painful goodbyes. And honestly, that may be the very thing that makes this next Avengers event feel as big as it should.
