Joey Magidson
*Yes, I’m updating this article from its initial posting here a year ago. The sheer emotionality of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is to blame. So, grab your tissues and come with me once again…*
As I said on social media about a year ago: “Marvel movies aren’t exactly where I get my emotional sledgehammers from, but there’s a (spoiler-free) line from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that has been lingering in my mind and heart, for obvious reasons…” Beyond my personal reasons for being taken by it, the MCU’s latest is a slyly emotional film. Now, while Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has other main designs, it got me thinking about when Marvel has gone for the emotions. Believe it or not, there have even been times where the superhero flicks have had tearjerker worthy moments. Today, I want to run down just a few of them.
Below, you can see six of my selections for Marvel tearjerker moments. There are certainly more to be found, but these are the ones that immediately sprung to mine for me. I’m including television as well as film, since WandaVision contains perhaps the most devastating one of them all. Your mileage may vary though, so be sure to chime in with your picks too…
Here now are some of the moments from the MCU that have made folks, perhaps even myself, tear up:
“What is grief is not love persevering?” from WandaVision – This is still the big one, of course. Was WandaVision where I expected to hear a profound meditation of grieving and love? No, but there it was, nonetheless. It doesn’t even require any commentary, just let the immense power of the line wash over you. I still get chills.
“I love you in every universe” from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – The initial inspiration for this piece, Stephen Strange’s declaration to Christine Palmer fits for the character, but it also just wrecks anyone who feels the weight of the line. It’s a doozy. When you see the film, you’ll understand why. It just hits.
Tony Stark’s sacrifice and funeral in Avengers: Endgame – Of course, one of the major moments in Avengers: Endgame is Tony Stark’s sacrifice. Along with his funeral, it was a time for many Marvel fans to let loose with the emotions. Seeing everyone there to pay their respects, it was subdued, but immensely effective.
Peter Parker’s pleading not to go in Avengers: Infinity War – As the shockwaves of the snap reverberate through the world, the one that really gets audiences is Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Why? Well, besides his age, it’s the pleading he makes to Iron Man, begging not to go. It’s positively haunting, even if it wasn’t long-lasting.
Andrew Garfield’s reaction to saving MJ in Spider-Man: No Way Home – Folks, leave it to the MCU to right a wrong. Andrew Garfield‘s Spider-Man saves Zendaya‘s Mary Jane, allowing that Peter Parker to let the weight of a past failure go. Not only is it a brilliant bit of fan service, it just does right by a character who could really have used it. The look on his face right after says it all.
Multiple moments from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Last, but not least, considering it’s the newest release, we have James Gunn giving your tear ducts a workout. I didn’t want to list the same film over and over again, or to overtly spoil anything, so I’ll just say that I have three specific things that got to me here. You might have had more or less, but it’s unlikely that nothing brought a tear to your eye here.
Are there any Marvel moments that make you cry? Let us know!
This is the most predictable answer from me as both an otherwise heavy Marvel skeptic and Black Panther fanboy, but all three of that first film’s visits to the Ancestral Plane were absolute emotional knockouts for different reasons. All the feels for them.
Excellent picks.