4 Heart-Wrenching Tragedies of Love in Recent Pop Culture

Here is a look at some of the heart-wrenching love stories to have graced pop culture in recent years. Fair warning, this post is full of spoilers. 

Wolverine and Jean Grey (X-Men):

While she is most commonly linked with Cyclops, Jean Grey was also the love interest of James “Logan” Howlett, more commonly known as Wolverine. And though the two were never officially an item, he was always in her heart, first figuratively and then literally. When Jean was unable to control the presence of Phoenix, which was taking control of her mind and powers, Wolverine was forced to kill the girl he loved. Three sharp claws right through her sternum. That's one definition of heartbreak. 

Bill and Beatrix “The Bride” Kiddo (Kill Bill):

Nobody put the two volume Tarantino epic Kill Bill into such succinct wording as the film's titular character, “there are consequences to breaking the heart of a murdering bastard.” Most of those consequences consist of Beatrix Kiddo a.k.a The Bride piling up a body count as she avenged herself. Over four hours of bloody action later, when Bill tries to use their daughter as a final emotional blackmail, the completion of her task becomes bittersweet and heart-gutting. 

Peter “Spider-Man” Parker and Gwen Stacy (Spider-Man):

Dating a superhero in a comic book universe essentially puts a target on one's back. Case in point, Gwen Stacy. The Goblin holds her hostage as a way to lure Spider-Man into battle. At a pivotal battle scene atop a bridge, the Goblin hurls Gwen from one of the towers. As she falls, Peter shoots a web to stop her descent . The momentum is too much however and her neck snaps. This is a pivotal moment in the Spider-Man story. And though he has found other loves, none will ever be as great as Gwen.

Nux and Capable (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Being a war boy in Immortan Joe’s army is a tough life. The line of work basically guarantees a short life span before being shuffled off to Valhalla. No one was more ready to die in the pursuit of Max and Furiosa than the war boy Nux. With nothing to live for but glory on the Fury Road, Nux was bound to die alone, until he met Capable. One of Immortan Joe’s escaped wives, Capable, is kind to Nux when no other character has ever been before. They have the beginnings of a beautiful romance. But as Nux sacrifices his life to save the others, the viewer is left screaming into the desert, "but what might have been?!"