There are several romantic relationships to root for in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter, and Peter Quill and Gamora, to name a few. However, there is another bond just as strong but not nearly as revered in the films: the marriage of Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive of the trauma-bonded Black Order.
Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive's relationship was never confirmed on-screen, but there are scenes that hint at their bond. The MCU films they appear in chose to focus on their loyalty to Thanos, rather than to each other. As dangerous as this union may have been for anyone who found themselves unfortunate enough to cross their path, for these two homicidal love birds, it was just another day at the office.
How Did Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive Die?
During Avengers: Infinity War, the Black Order is tasked with retrieving the Infinity Stones on Earth. In seeking out the Mind Stone, Corvus fights the Falcon during their attack on Vision, deflecting each of his explosive missiles with relative ease. This is a testament to his superhuman speed, durability and strength. He even takes several psionic energy blasts from Wanda and hits from Vision without calling it quits. Due to his regenerative healing factor, Corvus can recover from a wound relatively quickly, though his wife does not share this ability.
While Proxima has many traits in common with her spouse-in-arms, her advanced agility and acrobatics set her apart. When she's going up against Captain America and Black Widow, Proxima performs multiple flips and contortions in the air, strategically positioning herself at a point of advantage so that she can be by her husband's side after Black Widow stabs Corvus, severely injuring him. Proxima, also wounded, crawls to his rescue in a revealing character moment, marking the first time they display loyalty to someone who is not their adoptive father. Despite their extensive training in hand-to-hand and armed combat, the duo's superhuman capabilities are no match for the teamwork of The Avengers.
As far as weaknesses are concerned, their arrogance and blind loyalty to Thanos serves as the couple's downfall, not just in the Battle of Wakanda but also during the Battle of Earth. During the former, Corvus makes the fatal mistake of overestimating his abilities while underestimating his enemies. Believing that Vision is too wounded to be taken seriously as a threat, he lowers his guard and pursues Captain America instead. Presented with an opportunity, Vision impales Corvus from behind and kills him with his own blade, regenerative healing factor be damned.
Similarly, the hubris shown by Proxima also ends up costing the deadly crusader her life. While towering over Wanda, who lies helpless on the ground, Proxima mocks her and Vision's misfortunes, letting her guard down the same way her husband did. Before Proxima can deliver the final blow to her adversary, Black Widow and Okoye swoop in to save the day, buying Wanda enough time to regain her strength and send their sadistic foe flying into the jaws of a Thresher's blades, where she dies. While the pair possess many superhuman abilities that some of The Avengers do not, it seems as though Proxima and Corvus are not immune to the element of surprise.
The Many Deaths of Thanos' Black Order
This hand-picked team of orphans turned fearsome warriors divides and conquers the universe in the name of their father, taking countless lives so that Thanos can collect the Infinity Stones. Thanos uses the immense power of the stones to bring about his twisted version of balance to the universe at any cost, even going so far as to sacrifice his favorite daughter, Gamora, to achieve his goal. However, she isn't the only one of his children to lose their life in the line of battle.
Every one of Thanos' adopted children, except for the main timeline Nebula, dies on his quest for all six Infinity Stones. That's almost one child for every stone he wishes to wield, and they're not limited to one death either. In the comic book universe, Corvus dies by suicide from his own blade to escape the wrath of Thanos when he forms a separate empire of criminals during his father's absence. As for Proxima's fate, the Asgardian Death Goddess Hela kills her in a display of power when she fails to retrieve Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, for Thanos.
Within the MCU, Proxima and Corvus die in two separate timelines at the hands of Earth's mightiest heroes. In Avengers: Endgame, an alternate universe version of Proxima and Corvus go toe-to-toe with the superheroes in the Battle of Earth. After Okoye plunges her vibranium spear through Corvus' heart and Iron Man snaps away Thanos and his forces, Proxima, realizing that she's lost more than just the war, grievously cradles her husband's corpse in the background at the film's 2:31:01 mark.
Undoubtedly, Proxima and Corvus are as evil as they come, but that doesn't mean their love story isn't tragic. In her final hour, Proxima gazes at her fallen comrade in war and life, miles away mentally from the surrounding chaos and fully encompassed by the death of her husband. Even though she still has her life, if only for a short amount of time, Proxima Midnight died the moment Corvus Glaive did. In a heartbreaking scene, she holds her partner one final time before they both disintegrate into dust.