With all the heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are a lot of villains and antagonists to fight. Aside from the typical formula of defeating a villain to keep evil at bay, sometimes it is more personal. Many of the heroes in the MCU have encountered villains who have harmed innocent people, and sometimes even the heroes’ loved ones.
A classic formula for vengeful heroes is resisting darker desires to retaliate against villains who have hurt someone close to the hero. Often, heroes avoid vengeance because they believe that an act of retaliation makes them no different from the villains they fight. Since there is a fine line between justice and revenge, many heroes have tackled these internal conflicts by resisting retribution.
10 Wanda and Pietro Maximoff Decided To Become Tony Stark’s Allies
Despite the direction Wanda’s character takes later on, she and her brother Pietro make more heroic choices earlier during their introduction. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff initially joined Ultron to get revenge on Tony Stark as they blamed his weapons for their parents' death. Their motives are valid, making them more sympathetic than most other antagonists.
They also proved decent individuals who reserved their vengeance for only Tony until Ultron’s plans included destroying the Earth. Wanda and Pietro then put aside their grudge against Tony and become his allies. Although it’s clear that not all is forgiven, Wanda and her brother still choose to join the Avengers and learn to move on from their tragedy.
9 Thor Did Not Seek To Retaliate Against Hela
Thor has been through a lot and has lost just about his entire family. He’s a hero but also a warrior who feels righteous fury when a friend or family member has been harmed. Thor infamously decapitates Thanos, but there are other instances where he doesn’t seek revenge.
The best example would be against his long-lost sister Hela. Hela takes over Asgard, murders Thor's old friends, and even takes one of his eyes. Thor had plenty of reasons to want revenge against his sister, but prioritized saving the people of Asgard instead. In fact, Thor was even somewhat saddened over her death as he understood that she was still family despite everything.
8 Star-Lord Wanted To Kill His Father To Prevent Universal Assimilation
Star-Lord, much like Thor, has lost many people he loves and somewhat humorously referenced this face in Infinity War. However, Star-Lord’s experiences are just as tragic, especially regarding his biological father, Ego the Living Planet. Ego plans to use Quill’s celestial nature to assimilate the entire universe, and he also reveals that he is the one who killed Quill’s mother.
Although Quill immediately draws blood and fights with his father after learning the truth, he changes his tune when his friends come to his rescue. Star-lord still has his mother in his thoughts, but also chooses to stop Ego’s plans for the sake of saving the world once again.
7 T’Challa Refused To Let Vengeance Consume Him
When T’Challa made his first debut in Captain America: Civil War, he lost his father, King T’Chaka of Wakanda. When Captain America’s friend Bucky Barnes is framed for his murder, T’Challa is deadset on revenge. Only for him to discover that Helmut Zemo was the true culprit.
T’Challa spends most of the film focused on avenging his father, and he acknowledges this. However, upon seeing how Zemo allowed vengeance to consume his life, T’Challa chooses not to let it do the same for him. Rather than destroy Zemo, T’Challa lets him live to spend time in prison instead. A demonstration that T’Challa was indeed a noble and fantastic king.
6 Tony Stark Eventually Forgave Steve For His Deception
Revenge was one of the key themes in Captain America: Civil War. T’Challa wanted revenge for his father's death, and Zemo wanted revenge for the death of his whole family. Later in the film’s climax, Tony Stark desires revenge against Bucky for murdering his parents. However, he is stopped when Steve intervenes, and ultimately fails to get revenge.
Tony was understandably enraged and deeply hurt not only by the truth, but because his friend Steve lied to him about it. Naturally, he broke off their friendship for a couple of years. Yet, Tony eventually comes around and chooses to forgive Steve rather than keep up a grudge or seek revenge against him and Bucky.
5 Bucky Didn’t Get Back At Zemo For What He's Done
Bucky Barnes is one of many characters who has suffered a lot of hardships, even though his character sometimes falls under the radar. Even though Bucky has endured being cryogenically frozen, brainwashed by terrorists, and forgetting his best friend, his attempt to move forward is interrupted when Zemo uses him to destroy the Avengers.
Come The Falcon and The Winter Soldier; Bucky is forced to team up with Zemo. Bucky has every reason to despise Zemo for everything he’s done to him and his friends, but keeps his anger in check. Given Bucky’s history of enacting violence, one can’t blame him for not wanting to avoid committing more of it.
4 John Walker Renounced His Ambitions To Become A Real Hero
After Captain America’s retirement, the world needed a new Captain America. Although Steve chose his friend Sam Wilson to take up the mantle, the shield went to John Walker, a military soldier who debuted in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. However, John had too many personal issues that hindered his attempts to be a hero.
This is shown when he takes the super soldier serum and later witnesses his friend Lemar being murdered. John becomes increasingly violent and vindictive. Yet in the end, when John chooses to save the civilians over getting revenge on Karli, Lemar’s murderer. John might be flawed, but by resisting revenge, he learned the first steps it takes to become a true hero.
3 Shang Chi Broke The Cycle Of Abuse In His Family
A hero introduced in Phase 4, Shang-Chi, also called Shawn, is one of the newest additions to the MCU. Shang-Chi’s origins are unique because his debut film centers on his dysfunctional family and generational trauma. Wenwu, also known as the Mandarin, turned him and his sister into assassins after their mother, Ying Li, was murdered, and plotted to bring her back from the dead.
Shawn had to stop his father in order to protect the world despite their strained history. The fight is an intense, emotional battle between the estranged father and son. Shawn’s anger towards his emotionally distant father is valid, but rather than become as violent as him, Shawn chooses not to use his father’s rings despite proving worthy enough to wield them.
2 Peter Parker Chose Not To Become A Murderer
Spider-Man is infamous for enduring tragic loss after tragic loss in the comics and older film adaptions. The current Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, is no exception. After the MCU’s Peter Parker accidentally brings in variants of other enemies, such as the Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Sandman, his Aunt May is eventually killed by the Green Goblin.
Peter’s other variants have to urge him not to give in to his vengeful desires as they had to live with that guilt themselves. Although Peter nearly gives in, he ultimately decides not to become a murderer and shows more empathy towards the villain.
1 Shuri Empathized With Namor Instead Of Taking Vengeance
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the most recent film of the MCU. The movie focuses on Shuri and the rest of the Wakandan warriors after losing T’Challa. Shuri is conflicted not just with her grief but also about what to do for Wakanda when the most recent villain, Namor, threatens it.
Unfortunately, Shuri’s attempts to remain peaceful with Namor and his underwater tribe are foiled when he has her mother, Ramonda, killed. Initially, Shuri is tempted to make him pay for his crimes, but in the end, she chooses to spare Namor, much like her brother did against Zemo. Shuri also proves that by choosing empathy, she is more than fit to be the next ruler.