Nobody really dies in comic books, but the deaths of major heroes were still shocking in the early 1990s. Numerous Avengers perished in one of the most cosmic and influential Marvel Comics storylines of all time, The Infinity Gauntlet, written by Jim Starlin with art by Ron Lim. And not all of them were a result of Thanos snapping his fingers.
Not all of them were Avengers at the time, but would be later, or were in the battle for all intents and purposes. The survivors took the fight directly to Thanos, as they did in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but things turned out differently in the comics. Things only got deadlier as Earth's Mightiest Heroes confronted the Mad Titan.
10 Hawkeye
The Infinity Gauntlet is often considered one of the greatest superhero crossovers ever. A big part of that is the shocking way it begins, with The Snap happening right at the top. Hawkeye is among the many victims when Thanos eliminates half of all life in the universe.
Along with dozens of other major superheroes, including the Invisible Woman, Clint Barton never gets a chance to defend himself against the heinous machinations of Thanos.
9 She-Hulk
Once the survivors realize what's happened, they immediately regroup and descend on Thanos' cosmic lair. Even with half their number gone, the odds are pretty good for the heroes. She-Hulk has changed a lot over the years but she's always been a powerhouse.
But she's no match for Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos touches She-Hulk and she's immediately swamped by brown organisms that either consume or suffocate her, it's not clear. One thing is for sure: she dies and horribly.
8 Namor
Namor The Sub-Mariner suffers the same horrible fate as She-Hulk. He charges into the fray with her, seeking to overwhelm Thanos, and is destroyed by the same strange fate. For Namor, who isn't always a good guy and makes a habit out of betraying his teammates, it was an ignominious death.
As one of the most powerful mutants on Earth, he was a match for any villain but Thanos made short work of him and others while barely lifting a finger.
7 Wolverine
Wolverine wasn't part of the Avengers yet during this story, but he fought with them against Thanos. With his healing factor, adamantium skeleton, and terrifying claws, Wolverine is virtually unkillable. But Thanos is effectively a god with the Gauntlet, and with the Reality and Power Stones at his service, turns Wolverine's bones to rubber.
Wolverine is left to die on the ground, his body giving out but his healing factor holding on. It's one of the most awful and tormenting deaths in the entire storyline.
6 Thor
Wolverine's demise might not be the most brutal, though. Thor, equipped with the mystical hammer Mjolnir, is a bit of an equalizer in the battle. Few weapons are more powerful than Mjolnir. But even Thor's god-like power is no match for Thanos.
He turns Thor to glass and then shatters him into hundreds of pieces. Thor survived the stunning blow thanks to the combined sorcery of the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange, who combined spells to put him back together.
5 Iron Man
Iron Man dies in Avengers: Endgame, but his fate is much more cruel in the comic book the movie was based on. Iron Man goes full bore at Thanos, pummeling him with repulsor rays. But one of his minions, Terraxia, who hasn't appeared in the MCU as of yet, intervenes.
She fights with Iron Man and then emerges a few panels later with his helmet. It's left up to the reader to deduce whether the helmet is empty or not, and what exactly happened to Tony Stark that was so awful it couldn't be shown.
4 Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch very nearly destroyed Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. She was less successful in the comic books. Immediately after her heroic rescue of Thor, she confronts Thanos with all her power. While Cyclops attempted to distract Thanos, she flanked him with her hex powers.
Thanos turned her unique abilities back on her though and she is physically destroyed. Doctor Strange is able to salvage her essence however and reconstitutes Wanda's body for the final battle.
3 Vision
Scarlet Witch and The Vision have one of the most complex relationships in comics. That's about to be explored in fascinating detail in WandaVision, as well as the fallout from the MCU Vision's death. Both of them died in the comic book and both of them were equally awful.
The Vision tries to sneak up on Thanos as he fights the Hulk, but Thanos turns around, reaches into the Vision's chest, and pulls all his insides out. The result is as catastrophic as it was for him in the movies.
2 Spider-Man
Spider-Man, like Wolverine, wasn't an official member of the Avengers at this point in the Marvel Universe. But the Avengers often called him for back-up before his official stint with the team, and like Wolverine and many others, he joined the survivors against Thanos.
Peter Parker gave it his all, but like Iron Man, his defeat is too brutal to witness. Off-panel, Terraxia beats him to death with a rock. His death was another shocking reminder that Thanos didn't need the glove to destroy some of Marvel's best and brightest.
1 Captain America
The most disheartening death for the Avengers in the comic book might be reserved for Captain America. The heart and soul of the team, and the leader of the effort to topple Thanos, he fights valiantly as he always does. But he falls in battle. It's as quick and undignified as can be, with Captain America killed with a simple, brutal backhand from Thanos.
He also destroyed his adamantium shield. Steve Rogers had been trying to distract Thanos while Silver Surfer stole the Infinity Gauntlet, but the gambit failed.