Videos by ComicBook.com
From the death of beloved characters to entire massacres of countless innocent mutants, here is a look at the most tragic deaths in X-Men comics.
6) Wolverine Kills A Mutant Teen Named Jesse
Sometimes, a mutant that no one has ever heard of dies, and it still breaks a reader’s heart. That happened in 2004 in Ultimate X-Men #41 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch. The issue opened with a teenager named Jesse waking up for school. However, he finds his mom isn’t home, and the streets seem empty. Soon, he finds other people, but they all die around him, burning to death. This leads Wolverine to search for the teen, as he hides in a cave away from everyone else.
This is a tragic moment because Wolverine was sent there to kill the teen, and he brings some beer to share with the young man before he does it. The entire back half of the issue has Wolverine explain that Jesse is a mutant and there is no way to control his powers. This was an instance where a young mutant had nothing to do with his fate, and just being a mutant meant he had to die. When Jesse asks Wolverine to end things, it is heartbreaking.
5) Nightcrawler Sacrifices Himself to Save Hope
X-Force #26 was part of the Second Coming storyline in the X-Men comics in 2010. This was about Hope Summers, who was considered the Mutant Messiah and was fated to save the entire mutant race. The evil Sentinel Bastion had built up a lethal force of allies and was setting out to kill the young mutant. Through it all, Nightcrawler was exhausting himself by teleporting too far too many times to save his people. However, the last thing he does is leap between Bastion and Hope Summers, and Bastion kills Nightcrawler instead.
As his last act, Nightcrawler teleports Hope to safety and dies, telling her he believes in her. Nightcrawler has always been one of the most beloved mutants, and one who was always ready to help others. His death devastated the X-Men and readers alike.
4) Colossus Dies From the Legacy Virus
The Legacy Virus hurt a lot of mutants in Marvel Comics. It was a devastating plague that tore through the mutant population, killing hundreds. The most horrifying death came when Colossus’s little sister, Illyana, died, and the sight of this young child perishing was too much to handle. This made the end of the Legacy Virus such a special moment, but still tragic for a different reason.
In Uncanny X-Men #390 (2001), Beast discovered the cure for the Legacy Virus, but the person who took it would die while all other mutants would live. Colossus sacrificed his life to end the virus and save any other mutant from dying like his sister. The end saw Colossus admitting he would do it all again if he had to, and then showing one last second of fear before dying, a heartbreaking yet heroic death.
