Summary
Superheroes in movies are often portrayed as nearly invincible beings, possessing powerful traits such as invulnerability or incredible healing abilities. Even though many superheroes, despite boasting special abilities, are ordinary people at their core, they rarely get severely injured on screen. However, sometimes superhero films make injury a pivotal point of the story, creating tough challenges for heroes with a significant impact on their recovery.
Below are some of the worst injuries ever suffered by famousDCandMarvelsuperheroes in various movies. To establish some simple rules, only injuries suffered by already established superheroes with their powers are counted. Many superheroes actually got their abilities as a result of different accidents or injuries, like Tony Stark getting hit by shrapnel before he became Iron Man, or young Matt Murdock losing his sight and later becoming Daredevil.
Additionally, let’s not count serious injuries survived by superheroes with major healing factors, as they generally have no major consequences for heroes such as Wade Wilson (Deadpool), James Howlett (Wolverine), or Eddie Brock (Venom).
8Thor: Ragnarok
Hela Cuts Out Thor’s Eye
Before becoming somewhat of a comedic relief in the MCU, Thor suffered greatly, both physically and mentally. For instance,he was stabbed by Lokiduring the battle against Malekith inThor: The Dark World. One of the gravest injuries Thor ever received, however, was losing his eye to his sister, Hela, during the events ofThor: Ragnarok. While facing Hela, Thor was cut several times by her giant blade before she delivered a final blow, ripping out his eye with a sword strike.
After spending some time wearing an eye patch, Thor receives an eye implant during the events ofAvengers: Infinity War, which was given to him by Rocket Raccoon. Since then, some viewers might have even forgotten about one-eyed Thor, as it is really hard to spot his artificial eye today.
7Avengers: Infinity War
Thanos Stabs Iron Man With A Nanomachine Blade
Perhaps the worst injury Tony Stark sustained, other than the shrapnel explosion in the very firstIron Manmovie, was his standoff with Thanos inAvengers: Infinity War. Armed with his new nanosuit, Iron Man throws everything he can at his rival but just can’t matchThanos’s raw strength, as the titan already possesses several Infinity Stones at that time. As a result, Tony is severely beaten, and Thanos punctures him in the torso with the hero’s own nanomachine blade.
While viewers don’t see the long-term consequences of this scene, as the film ends shortly after, it’s evident that Tony Stark is severely wounded, with blood coming from his mouth — indicative of severe internal bleeding. It’s not hard to imagine that, under different circumstances, this wound could have been fatal for Tony Stark, but having his technology at hand and being able to address it quickly likely made the difference in his survival.
6Logan
Old Wolverine Gets Severely Injured By X-24’s Claws
Even though Wolverine has survived many terrible injuries in almost every movie he appeared in (even been caught in a nuclear blast), his healing factor has made them largely inconsequential. However, themovieLoganis quite different, as viewers see the iconic character much older, weaker, and nearly stripped of his healing abilities. When facing his young and powerful clone known as X-24, Wolverine barely survives the fight, sustaining serious injuries from the clone’s claws and unable to heal them.
A wounded Logan spends a large portion of the film trying to recover on his own, constantly passing out. He only recovers after overdosing on an experimental mutant serum to boost his abilities in order to protect young mutants from X-24 at the very end of the film.
5Captain America: Civil War
War Machine Falls From The Sky
The infamous superhero split inCaptain America: Civil Warwas never meant to be as dramatic as it turned out during the airport battle. The one who suffered the most is James Rhodes (War Machine). After Steve Rogers and Bucky escape on the plane, Rhodey attempts to stop them, while Sam Wilson (Falcon) creates distractions in the air to aid Steve’s escape. War Machine asks Vision for assistance, but due to an accident, Vision’s beam hits Rhodey’s nuclear arc reactor instead, leaving his suit powerless.
War Machine then plummets from the sky, with Iron Man and Falcon unable to catch him in time before he hits the ground. After the fall, it is revealed that James Rhodes has fractured his spinal column, resulting in paralysis from the waist down — until Tony designs bionic supports for his legs.
4Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Winter Soldier Shoots Captain America Twice
Steve Rogers is the kind of personwho will protect anyone with his own body without a second thought, and his fight with James (Bucky) Barnes on the Helicarrier during the events ofCaptain America: The Winter Soldieris a prime example of that. During the fight, Steve’s primary mission is to replace the controller chips rather than oppose his old friend, so he tries to avoid the confrontation, refusing to directly fight Barnes.
However, due to the Winter Soldier’s aggression, Steve gets shot in the leg and back and is severely beaten in hand-to-hand combat as he refuses to defend himself. After being wounded and rendered unconscious, Steve Rogers falls into the Potomac River and would have drowned if Bucky hadn’t pulled him out of the water.
3X-Men: First Class
Magneto Deflects A Bullet Into Professor X
One of the mosticonic Marvel superheroes is Professor X(Charles Xavier), founder of the X-Men, and inX-Men: First Class, the audience witnesses how he lost his ability to walk. During the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the USSR and US fleets fire rockets at mutants, and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) holds them in the air and redirects them toward both fleets. Trying to stop Magneto, CIA officer Moira MacTaggert shoots at him with her pistol, but he deflects the bullet, inadvertently redirecting the projectile into Charles Xavier’s spine.
As a result of the injury, Charles Xavier struggles with great pain and remains paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life. From that day on, he uses his wheelchair, which all Professor X fans can instantly recognize.
2Black Panther
Killmonger Cuts, Stabs, And Throws T’Challa Down The Waterfall
InBlack Panther, challenged for his throne as the king of Wakanda, T’Challa faces Erik Killmonger (N’Jadaka) in a ritual combat duel at the waterfall cliffs. During the long and arduous battle, T’Challa finds himself unable to defeat his opponent, who has spent his entire life preparing for this moment. As a result, T’Challa is severely beaten, suffers several deep knife cuts, and is even stabbed in the stomach. Wounded and exhausted, he is then thrown down the waterfall by Killmonger and presumed dead by everyone.
Some time later, it is revealed that the barely alive and comatose Black Panther was rescued by the Jabari tribe, and T’Challa is eventually healed by Nakia’s herb. After his long recovery, he is able to challenge Killmonger once again and ultimately defeats him.
1The Dark Knight Rises
Bane Breaks Batman’s Back
One of the most iconic moments from the Batman comics is recreated inThe Dark Knight Rises.An older and already scarred Bruce Wayne is challenged in combat by Bane. At the end of the brutal battle, Bane lifts Batman’s body over his head and then breaks his back over his knee.
Suffering such a terrible injury and barely capable of moving, Bruce Wayne is taken to an ancient underground prison in the Middle East, from which it is believed there can be no escape. A large part of the movie is dedicated to Batman’s recovery in prison, healing his injuries, training, and his attempts to escape the prison with sheer willpower and determination to save Gotham’s people.
