1. Thor
Unlike most of the other heroes on this list, Thor is born into exceptional privilege. The son of Odin, Thor is a prince of Asgard, and assumed to be in line to inherit the throne. However, after his MCU introduction, it all goes wrong for Thor, and his life begins to take one tragic turn after another.
First, his mother is killed. Then, his father is killed, and his hammer, Mjolnir, is destroyed by his long-lost (evil) sister Hela. Then, he even loses Hela when he allows his homeworld to be destroyed (after losing one of his eyes). Immediately after, Thanos kills Loki, his only surviving family member, and the Mad Titan then wipes out half of all life using the Infinity Stones. Not too long after that, Thor loses Jane Foster, the woman he loves, to cancer. All in all, a pretty rough deal.
Basically, tragedy is a massive part of Thor’s character arc. Seeing him go from carefree and cocky Asgardian prince to a god who has quite literally lost everything but keeps fighting is inspiring, but it’s still unbelievably sad. With all that loss and pain, it’s no wonder that Thor stands out as the most tragic among movie superheroes.
And that’s our list. Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to follow Corner of Film on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @corneroffilm to keep up to date with all our excellent content!