Surrender Or The Universe Gets It

We all know that tactics like this work great for villains:

But have you wondered how many heroes have stooped to this level?

After watching Captain Marvel actually grab a hostage and threaten her life so that he could win a battle, I started wondering if other Marvel characters did this sort of thing. Nowadays I suppose heroes wouldn't think twice about it, as their moral compass in today's comics was long ago crushed underfoot. Wolverine, for instance, threatens lives as a matter of course, and he certainly has no scruples as far as threatening captives for information, so it's probably no great leap for him to *snikt* someone important to a villain if it was a way to end their threat.

So what heroes have crossed this line? Well, I remember Iron Man opening the door for the Avengers with this little maneuver:

Afterward, the Black Panther calls him on it:

Let's put it to a vote, yes or no: Would Stark have gone through with it? And isn't it a little unnerving that we can't answer "No!" in unison?

Sometime later, in a pitched battle with an all-powerful foe, Iron Man resorts to the same ploy again. And just look at the other Avengers who are on board with it:

Granted that these stories, written by the same writer, were probably meant to raise the issue for drama's sake, without necessarily resolving it; indeed, no meeting was ever held to settle the matter, or to bring anyone up on charges (though we probably have Moondragon to thank for that, as she presumably removed specifics of the Avengers' memories of the battle). But to see seasoned Avengers like Yellowjacket and Hawkeye follow Iron Man's lead--and enthusiastically, at that--was a disturbing thought to come away from the story with, nor is the fact that neither of them remember doing so comforting.

I must say, though, that of all people, I never expected Reed Richards to throw in with this crowd:

I'd say holding an entire universe hostage sets a new standard, no?