Most supervillains are every bit as iconic as the superheroes they battle, but only a small handful can say they've achieved the ultimate victory over their greatest rivals.
Death has become meaningless in comics (and movies) for the most part, but it still surprises and shocks in equal measure when a bad guy gets the best of a hero. Granted, you don't see it very often, and it's even less common for one of them to kill a character as iconic as Spider-Man, Captain America, or Superman.
It does happen on occasion, though, and the list of Marvel and DC supervillains who managed to put a permanent (or temporary) end to their foes makes for intriguing, bloody reading!
Brace yourselves, because some of your favorites went out in a brutal, violent way. To take a look through this feature, all you guys need to do is hit the "Next" button below.
10. Doctor Doom
The panel above might show Reed Richards killing his best friend, but this was entirely Doctor Doom's fault. Using his mastery over magic to inhabit the body of Ben Grimm, "The Thing" threatened to go on a rampage, and held the Human Torch by the throat.
Doom's message was a simple one: kill Ben or watch as he murders Johnny and countless others.
Mister Fantastic had no other choice than to gun down his oldest ally, and this was a definitive death for the iconic hero who hails from Yancy Street. In fact, he was only resurrected after the team travelled to Heaven, met God, and brought Ben back to Earth.
Doom has killed many people, but this was one of his most heinous acts.
9. Bastion
"No More Mutants."
That's what the Scarlet Witch said when she wiped out most of Earth's mutant population in House of M. The emergence of Hope Summers marked the dawn of a new era for those with an X-Gene, but many anti-mutant villains decided they needed to put an end to that before it could get started.
The Sentinel Bastion was among them, and just as he was about to strike Hope down, Nightcrawler teleported between them and took the killing blow himself.
Coincidentally, the only way he could be brought back from the dead was also to be pulled from Heaven.
8. Red Skull
In one possible future for the Marvel Universe, Earth's villains pooled their resources, teamed up, and decimated the world's heroes with relative ease.
With Washington D.C. burning, the Red Skull approached a mortally wounded Captain America (Bucky Barnes, not Steve Rogers) and proceeded to gouge his eyes out, killing Cap in the process. It was a violent end for the patriotic hero, and one that the Red Skull took great delight in.
Years later, the deranged baddie - now President and donning Cap's costume - got his comeuppance at the hands of Old Man Logan, who used his old friend's shield to behead the Red Skull and put and end to him.
7. Daken
During Norman Osborn's Dark Reign, Daken, Logan's son, became the new Wolverine.
Sent to deal with The Punisher, Daken didn't hold back, and overpowered Frank Castle with ease. Behind the weaponry, Frank is just a man, and whereas the likes of Captain America and Spider-Man have held back while fighting him, Daken had no qualms about slicing him down.
In one of Marvel's bloodiest non-MAX branded comics, "Wolverine" sliced Castle's limbs off, and ultimately beheaded The Punisher, leaving him little more than a pile of body parts.
Frank was resurrected as Franken-Castle, but later returned in his human form.
6. HYDRA
Rick Jones was there the day Bruce Banner was transformed into the Incredible Hulk, and later served as the new Bucky alongside Captain America.
A close bond was formed, and during the Marvel Universe's early days, Rick regularly worked with Cap, the Avengers, and even the original Captain Marvel. After the frequent sidekick resurfaced in Secret Empire, the HYDRA-brainwashed Captain America ("HYDRA-Cap") ordered Rick's execution after learning that he'd leaked the organization's secrets.
Placed in front of a firing squad, his death was a definitive one.
In many respects, Captain America was just as culpable for this death, and even now, many fans haven't come to terms with how Steve Rogers was portrayed during this period.
5. Sinestro
In the desolate Injustice timeline, Sinestro made short work of two of the greatest Green Lanterns.
With the Green Lantern Corps on Batman's side and the Sinestro Corps aligned with Superman, Sinestro offered John Stewart the chance to join him. While the conflicted hero weighed up his options, the villain wasted no time in literally stabbing him in the back.
Kyle Rayner fared even worse.
Unaware of the conflict playing out on his home planet, he was ambushed by the Sinestro Corps in space, had his ring taken, and was then drawn and quartered by the villains.
4. Green Goblin
In the regular Marvel Universe, Norman Osborn has never succeeded in killing Peter Parker.
He's certainly made Spider-Man's life a living hell: killing his girlfriend, making him think he's a clone, and generally tormenting the wall-crawler and those he's closest to. In the Ultimate Universe, however, the Green Goblin took advantage when a weakened Peter - who had been shot in a separate altercation saving Captain America - battled the Six.
Spidey beat the Goblin and his fellow villains, but the toll it took on him was too much, and he died in Mary Jane's arms. It was a shocking, tragic end, but one that led to the debut of Miles Morales.
He later returned, but the end of the Ultimate Universe now means he's gone for good.
3. Doomsday
One of the most famous deaths in the DC Universe's history came when the seemingly unstoppable Doomsday clashed with Superman in a fight that was among the most brutal ever seen.
In the middle of Metropolis, the Man of Steel did everything he could to counter his strongest foe. Managing to deliver a killing blow to Doomsday at the same time he took one, Superman stood victorious before dying in the arms of Lois Lane. The hero was gone, but not for too long.
DC Comics then embarked on a convoluted story which saw a number of different Supermen arrive, claiming to be the real deal. Kal-El was eventually revealed to be among them, but his death - while short-lived - sent shockwaves through the DC Universe.
2. Bullseye
Easily one of the most iconic moments in comic book history, the death of Elektra at the hands of Bullseye was a surprisingly violent, shocking end to the assassin's life.
The man who never misses took great delight in taking down his rival (becoming Wilson Fisk's top killer), and in her dying moments, Elektra managed to crawl to Matt Murdock's doorstep and take her last breath in his arms.
Cementing Bullseye as Daredevil's greatest foe alongside The Kingpin, this death is still referenced today.
Elektra soon made her return, and resurrections became something of a staple for her. That made this no less surprising, though, and it remains one of the all-time great comic book deaths.
1. Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus has always been one of Spider-Man's greatest enemies, but he cemented himself as perhaps the best of them all when he successfully managed to kill Peter Parker.
Much to the chagrin of fans, the dying Otto Octavius found a way to switch his mind with Peter's. The wall-crawler died in Doc Ock's failing body, while the villain became the new, Superior Spider-Man.
This proved to be a highly divisive run, but the true Spidey did eventually return when Ock realized Peter was a better man than him, and the only one capable of beating the Green Goblin.
It was a damp squib of an ending, but that initial death of Spider-Man still came as a legit shocker (even though it wasn't the first time he'd died in battle).