Three Deaths That Shocked Comics

A look back at the deaths of three Marvel characters—Jean Grey, Elektra, and Captain Mar-Vell—and how they deeply affected comics readers, raised the bar to new creative heights, and left a lasting impact that inspired high-stakes events in years to come.

A look back to the deaths of three Marvel characters—Jean Grey, Elektra, and Captain Mar-Vell—and how they deeply affected comics readers, raised the bar to new creative heights, and left a lasting impact that inspired high-stakes events in years to come.

Explore the Stories Behind the Legends

The unforgettable and unexpected deaths of three indelible heroes in the early 1980s shattered the status quo and shook the Marvel Universe to its core.

In this age of relentless online spoilers, there may never again be comics events of such powerful shock value and emotional impact. The deaths of Jean Grey, Mar-Vell, and Elektra remain creative high water marks that have yet to be surpassed in terms of artful originality, poetic scope, and the way they ambushed readers, setting the stage for new creative challenges and a new approach to death in sequential storytelling.

Beautifully illustrated with full-color artwork, this entry in the MARVEL AGE OF COMICS scrutinizes the demise of these characters in all their jaw-dropping detail and underscores how their deaths influenced the treatment of high-stakes events in the comics that followed.