Considering that, in the Marvel Universe, Death Is Cheap and villains easily escape from prison in most comic books, and the fact that comics are generally written as unending serials, this trope is pretty much the rule rather than the exception.
This is a spoileriffic trope; spoilers shall be unmarked. You have been warned.
- Elektra is one, despite the fact that the fanbase loves her. She murders loads of innocents (for example, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents). Of course, she kills mostly Red Shirts who are armed with some weapons, which seems to be justified by the fact that as they are armed, she is allowed to fight them. Of course, as a ninja, she can use non-lethal methods, but doesn't care. When she is confronted about this, she murders the rogue agent who hunts Elektra to avenge her friends that Elektra murdered. Despite all this, the heroes of Marvel Universe have no problem hanging out with her — the same people who cannot stand being anywhere near The Punisher, who doesn't even kill HAMMER troops even though they could be considered mooks — he still considers them federal agents, even though their agency made a Face–Heel Turn. Elektra does not give that much care.
- Many of these S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have gone rogue or are just plain evil. S.H.I.E.L.D. is commonly infiltrated by evil bastards. Granted, in at least one instance Elektra killed a shipload of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents but she was deep undercover for Fury. Deep undercover. Yes, Fury sanctioned the murder of a Helicarrier full of his own men. Sigh.
- Kid Colt (2009): Two of the main villains of the series seem to get away completely unscathed.
- Sheriff McGreeley killed a man, framed Kid Colt for that murder, and seemingly covered up his brother Joshua's murder of Colt's entire family. He also sends Bounty Hunter Sherman Wilks, the main antagonist of the series, after Colt (and tells one of his lackeys that if Colt's captured, he won't live long enough to stand trial). The only consequence is that he's tricked into paying 'Wilks' a bounty for Kid Colt's supposed death - he remains The Unfought, he's not exposed as a a Dirty Cop and he suffers no consequences for his plot.
- Bloodeye's gang of scavengers murder a house full of innocents, as well as trying to kill Colt, his sidekick Hawk and Bounty Hunter Sherman Wilks (and killing almost all of Wilks's men). Quite a few of his gang are killed, but Bloodeye himself is completely unharmed and simply rides off after Colt wins Wilks's freedom from the scavengers (via Trial by Combat against Bloodeye's champion), saying that he expects to cross paths with Colt again someday.
- New Warriors featured a villain team called Eugenix, whose goal was to improve the human race by killing or sterilizing everyone they deemed genetically inferior. Their last appearance was in the second issue of volume two, where they escaped the New Warriors to continue their plans without punishment.
- Runaways:
- Mr. Prast receives no onscreen comeuppance for raping and abusing Klara.
- At the end of Terry Moore's arc, Val Rhymin manages to escape punishment for trying to bring about a Zombie Apocalypse in Malibu.
- Ultimate Marvel: Ultimate Reed Richards/The Maker. Even after everything he did to Europe and Asgard, he's given no real punishment, and is even allowed to go back to working for S.H.I.E.L.D. by Nick Fury. When the Ultimate Universe is destroyed by an Incursion, Reed manages to survive on-board a life raft, escaping to Battleworld. After what goes down there, he somehow managed to get out and into the new Marvel Universe afterward, where he restarts his mad science anew.
