Marvel characters with the saddest backstories

Key takeaways

• Bucky Barnes suffered early tragedy, was captured by the Soviet Army, and brainwashed into The Winter Soldier.
• Spider-Man is an orphaned youth, haunted by the death of his uncle, learns responsibility, becomes a hero.
• Black Widow, tortured by the KGB, loses her sense of self, forced to become an assassin.

While heroes and villains differ profoundly miracleThe factor of tragic past provides common ground between them. From Spider-Man losing his uncle Ben to discovering that Loki isn't Odin's true child, many Marvel characters have experienced tragic backstories. While some use it as a source of inspiration for good, others seek revenge.

While the image of these characters often centers around flashy suits, powers and victories, it's not always sunshine and rainbows behind the mask. In fact, it makes them relatable, showing that even powerful heroes and villains go through bad experiences. are here Characters with the saddest backstories in Marvel.

8 Bucky Barnes

The Winter Soldier

Probably one of the most misunderstood characters in Marvel Bucky Barnesaka The Winter Soldier. Born in New York, Bucky faced tragedy as a child with the death of his mother. Soon after, he lost his father while serving in the army. While this is enough to break a person, the bad luck does not end here for him.

While serving in the military himself, Bucky is captured by Soviet forces after a mission goes awry. While in captivity, he is subjected to horrific experiments that turn him into the Winter Soldier, a mindless assassin working for Hydra. Transformed into the Winter Soldier, Bucky is stripped of his memories and brainwashed, making his story truly devastating.

7 Spider Man

Orphaned and burdened with guilt

Born to Richard and Mary Parker, Peter was orphaned at a young age when both his parents died in a plane crash. Adopted by his aunt and uncle, Peter grew up in a loving family after this severe trauma. However, things took a drastic turn again. After Peter regains his spider-powers, he witnesses a robbery.

However, he does not stop the robber and lets him escape. Later, the same robber kills his Uncle Ben, making the story come full circle. This is where the infamous saying 'with great power comes great responsibility' was born. Losing his father-like figure, Peter suffers from a heightened sense of loss and is forever haunted by the guilt of his actions, turning him irrevocably to virtue. Spider Man.

6 Loki

Orphaned, adopted, and neglected

LokiThe Nurse God of Mischief is one of Marvel's tragic villains. While his evil actions are not justified, they stem from the fact that Loki was never accepted as a child, making for a tragic backstory. Born to the King of the Frost Giants, Loki was abandoned because of his small stature and adopted by Odin.

However, Odin puts a spell on Loki to hide his Frost Giant features. On top of hiding the truth from him, Odin often ignored Loki and favored Thor as his true-born son. This caused resentment in Loki's heart towards Thor, and he resorted to abuse as a means of dealing with this emotional neglect. Already in a fragile state, Loki later discovers his true origins as a Frost Giant, shattering his sense of self, and turning him into one of Marvel's most iconic villains.

5 black widow

Torture by the KGB

Orphaned and abandoned in childhood, black widow, Or Natasha Romanoff, suffered early trauma. However, his tragic fate did not stop there. As she grew older, Natasha was recruited by the KGB. Here, she went through rigorous training and psychological brainwashing that would destroy her sense of self. On top of that, she was further trained in the Red Room program, where young girls are transformed into elite spies.

If that wasn't enough, after the death of her first love Nikolai in WW2, Natasha married Alexei Shostakov. However, the KGB tried to fake her husband's death. Having lost everything from her parents to her feelings, Natasha suffers a major trauma, which prompts her to become a black widow.

4 Nebula

Forced to compete against his sister

Like Loki, Nebula He was also adopted along with his sister Gamora. However, instead of raising them in a royal family like Odin, Thanos raised them under a ruthless regime, transforming them into living weapons. To put her tragic past into perspective, both sisters were orphaned by Thanos as he invaded their planet and wiped out half the population.

After killing his parents, Thanos adopted both Nebula and Gamora. However, the Mad Titan favored Gamora even more, ignoring Nebula. On top of that, he will have them compete against each other in brutal fights. Each time Nebula disappeared, he altered her body with cybernetic magic, turning her into a reluctant cyborg. This relentless cycle of violence and abuse completely destroyed Nebula, making him a truly tragic character.

3 Daredevil

He loses his sight and then his father

Matt Murdoch, or DaredevilLive a life defined by tragedy. Being one of Marvel's darkest characters, Daredevil has suffered great losses and comes from a tragic past. As a child, Matt gets into an accident while rescuing an old man. This accident robs him of his sight, leaving him blind for life.

On top of losing his sight, Matt is later orphaned as his father is murdered by local gangsters. Driven by this sense of loss, Matt Murdock turns into Daredevil, vowing to fight crime until his last breath. However, being a vigilante comes with a sense of trauma, as he isolates himself and leads a lonely life. While the accident turns Matt into a superhuman, it comes at the cost of a ruined childhood.

2 Wolverine

used and turned into weapons

WolverineOr Logan, perhaps the saddest mutant in all of Marvel. Cursed with near immortality, Logan has witnessed the death of all his loved ones, creating a profound sense of loneliness. As a child, Logan accidentally kills his biological father. Later, due to losing control of his powers, he accidentally kills his first love, Rose.

Adding to his trauma, Logan is enrolled in the Weapon X program, where he is transformed into a killing machine. During the event, Wolverine is stripped of his memories, leaving him with a fragmented sense of self. The combined trauma of his childhood and the Weapon X program left Logan deeply scarred. On top of this trauma, Logan continues to experience intense loss throughout his life as Wolverine, resulting in one of Marvel's saddest stories.

1 Rocket Raccoon

A survivor of horrific experiments

Rocket RaccoonA beloved character from Guardians of the GalaxyMarvel has the saddest backstory. Originally an ordinary raccoon, Rocket is subjected to horrific and inhumane experiments that alter his biology. The highly revolutionary, scientist behind these experiments, performs many operations on the rocket in an attempt to create the perfect civilization.

As such, the rocket undergoes intense trauma, pain, and aggressive mechanical processes. On top of that, while imprisoned, Rocket tries to escape with his friends. However, they are killed by a high revolutionary. This adds to Rocket's trauma and guilt, breaking him even more. Eventually, Rocket finally escapes his captivity and finds a home with the Guardians. However, her journey as a tortured subject makes her a character truly defined by tragedy.