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How Much Would It Cost to Insure the Avengers?

Licensed Life Insurance Agent/Staff Writer
April 25, 2019
*SNAP*

The gauntlet-clad Titan Thanos achieved his mission with a snap of his fingers. In one moment, half of the universe ceased to exist—along with half of our beloved Avengers. And after watching their friends turn into dust, the remaining Avengers suddenly realized…it might finally be time to buy life insurance.

We’ve compiled a list of just how much it would cost to insure the Avengers who survived the snap and which policies would be–ahem—perfectly balanced (as all things should be).

Methodology

Without a doubt, being an Avenger is high risk. To get our results, we worked with a high-risk life insurance expert, Chris Abrams, founder of MJ Life Insurance, to identify the type of insurance each surviving Avenger would need before Avengers: Endgame. Determining how much it would cost per month, we compared each Avenger’s plan to compile a ranking of the most to least expensive insurance premiums.

#1 – M’Baku, $4,143.63/month

Avengers_M'Baku_Life_Insurance

M’Baku carries a lot on his shoulders, and I’m not just talking about that suave, white gorilla pelt. As the leader of the Jabari tribe, we recommended a policy that would ensure smooth operations for M’Baku’s people in case he doesn’t tap out during his next ceremonial combat.

Policy: Guaranteed universal life (up to age 121)
Payout: $7.5 million

#2 – Okoye, $3,100/month

Avengers_Okoye_Life_Insurance

This Wakandan general is fiercely loyal to the throne, but we think it’s time for her to get fiercely intense about her retirement as well. With an indexed universal life policy, this #baldbychoice beauty would retire with more money than she could shake a spear at.

Policy: Indexed universal life
Initial death benefit: $1,320,293
Years before tax-free income: 25
Annual tax-free income: $267,807 from years 26–80

#3 – Thor, $1,711/month

Avengers_Thor_Life-Insurance

The Lord of—excuse me—God of Thunder deserves a policy fit for a king, and the indexed universal life policy hits the nail on the head. With this plus burial insurance for funeral costs, Thor gets not only a decent death benefit (in case any dependents come along, *wink*), but a mighty retirement income as well.

Policy 1: Final expense
Payout: $35,000

Policy 2: Indexed universal life
Initial death benefit: $960,338
Years before tax-free income: 41
Annual tax-free income: $538,055 for years 42–96

#4 – Nebula, $1,250/month

Avengers_Nebula_Life_Insurance

Since Nebula is a cyborg, we weren’t sure whether she needs life insurance or auto insurance, but we figured an indexed universal life policy would at least help her save for retirement. Think of all the spare parts that money could buy.

Policy: Indexed universal life
Initial death benefit: $760,854
Years before tax-free income: 31
Annual tax-free income: $538,055 for years 32–86

#5 – Captain America, $932.45/month

Avengers_Captain_America_Life_Insurance

Although the Cap is technically 100, his overall life expectancy, super-soldier serum, and rock-hard abs have us rating him closer to a 27-year-old. Though America frequently depends on him, Steve doesn’t technically have any dependents, so we recommend an indexed universal life and a final expense policy to cover funeral-related expenses.

Policy 1: Final expense
Payout: $35,000

Policy 2: Indexed universal life
Initial death benefit: $323,093
Years before tax-free income: 38
Annual tax-free income: $164,257 for years 39–93

#6 – Black Widow, $833/month

With Natasha’s long career as an assassin, we think it might be time for her to start thinking about retirement. Our recommended indexed universal life policy would be quite luxurious, considering she’s probably used to a more meager lifestyle as an international spy.

Policy: Indexed universal life
Initial death benefit: $446,383
Years before tax-free income: 31
Annual tax-free income: $113,104 for years 32–86

#7 – Carol Danvers “Captain Marvel,” $500/month

Although Earth could have used Captain Marvel’s help a few times by now, we know she’s been busy flying through space, cracking Skrulls. But before she starts kicking purple butt in Avengers: Endgame, we think she should consider a policy with retirement benefits. This indexed universal life policy would set Carol and her “cat” up real nicely.

Policy: Indexed universal life
Initial death benefit: $324,675
Years before tax-free income: 37
Annual tax-free income: $102,786 from years 38–91

#8 – Ant-Man, $358.53/month

No amount of Pym Particles could shrink the responsibility of taking care of an 11-year-old girl. To make sure Scott's daughter is adequately cared for, we recommend a term life policy.

Policy: 30-year term life
Payout: $750,000

#9 – Bruce Banner (The Hulk), $226.57/month

Although Bruce doesn’t have any dependents, we recommend a term policy to Hulk smash the mountain of debt he likely accrued earning his seven—yes, SEVEN—PhDs.

Policy: 30-year term life
Payout: $500,000

#10 – Rocket Raccoon, $208/month

Now that the rest of his team is gone, this weapon-crazed "trash panda" has no dependents, so he can at least start saving for retirement. An indexed universal life policy would provide decent supplemental income to support Rocket's prosthetic-thieving pursuits. Godspeed, sweet rabbit.

Policy: Indexed universal life
Initial death benefit: $100,000
Years before tax-free income: 22
Annual tax-free income: $9,437 for years 23–77

#11 – Hawkeye, $205.54/month

Arguably the family-est of family men among the Avengers, Clint Barton has a wife and three children, so we recommend a term life policy to match. You may be wondering, why is his monthly payment so much less than Ant-Man’s if his death benefit is higher? One word: health. Clint’s lack of “dad bod” grants him a $1 million payout and lower premiums. With that kind of coverage, maybe we'll actually see this second-string Avenger and his bow in the next fight.

Policy: 30-year term life
Payout: $1 million

#12 – War Machine, $123.56/month

Ol’ Rhodey has been through a lot in his career, from breaking his back to constantly tolerating Stark's quips, but at most he needs burial insurance to help with the expenses of a funeral. We might have suggested an indexed universal life policy for retirement purposes, but due to his age and likely military pension, a final expense policy should be enough.

Policy: Final expense
Payout: $25,000

#13 – Miek, $80.85/month

Miek presents an interesting scenario. As a giant bug with knives for hands, most insurance companies probably wouldn't insure him (go figure). But assuming a company would tackle that challenge, we recommend a policy requiring no health screening or paperwork. And scissors beats paper.

Policy: Guaranteed issue
Payout: $50,000

#14 – Korg, $45.96/month

This former “prisoner with a job” presents a similar case to his buddy Miek. Based on his estimated income and assuming a company out there would insure him, Korg could get a nice term life policy. Who knows—the payout might even cover the cost of printing enough pamphlets for a revolution.

Policy: Term life (up to age 100)
Payout: $50,000

#15 – Shuri, $30.50/month

Despite her technological genius, this 16-year-old would still require a guardian to take out a policy on her. Our recommendation is a whole life policy for children because it can be customized about as much as raw vibranium.

Policy: Whole life
Payout: $50,000

#16 – Iron Man, $0

The self-proclaimed “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” has more money than he knows what to do with and no dependents that we know of (yet). Although he doesn't need life insurance, Tony would likely get denied coverage anyway. You might ask, would that be due to his high-risk behaviors of flying at Mach speeds or engaging in deadly fights? Nope. Tony would be denied coverage due to his frequent car accidents.

Policy: None

#17 – Valkyrie, $0

This Asgardian warrior with a penchant for the sauce has no dependents and is both independently wealthy and an heiress to a fortune. Currently, she is in greater need of a liver transplant than life insurance.

Policy: None

Correlations and key findings

  • The Wakandans comprise both the two highest and single lowest monthly payments on this list (excluding those who don’t need coverage).
  • The two Avengers who sat out Infinity War (Ant-Man and Hawkeye) were the only Avengers with living dependents. (Additionally, these two both have criminal records, which could get them disapproved in the US.)
  • Some Avengers are responsible for cities or tribes, making their insurance needs far greater.
  • Many Avengers could benefit from an indexed universal life policy to help save for retirement.
  • Iron Man and Valkyrie don’t need life insurance as they have more than enough cash to cover any remaining expenses, and neither has any dependents to protect.
  • Due to Thor's and Steve Rogers’s ages, technically they wouldn't qualify for life insurance in the United States. However, since their life expectancy is higher, their rates were calculated based on their normal human-age equivalent. Typically, a US insurance company would not insure someone past 90, and in most cases, the cutoff age is even lower.
  • Due to some of the characters not being from Earth, they may have an abnormally heavy weight. In a typical life insurance rating, they would be declined as a high risk, but for this article, abnormal weight/height combinations were generally not taken into consideration. Instead, rate classes were based on overall health.

The End(game)

As you might have guessed from this list, life insurance isn’t really cut and dry. Although most of these characters are examples of beings at peak physical condition, their age, gender, lifestyle, types of insurance, etc. all determine their rates—which vary considerably. Luckily, none of our professions are as dangerous as any of the Avengers, or we'd all be doomed. Well, technically only half of us. But still. Not a great scenario.

What do you think of this list? Were you surprised by who came out on top? Or, like me, are you still upset that Peter Quill totally blew it? Dust off your keyboards and let us know in the comments.

Disclaimers

*Data based on actor/actress information rather than the character. This is necessary because specific information required for a life insurance quote is needed, but the character information is not available.
**Annual income based on the average salary of a real person in the US with a similar occupation
***A non-US citizen wouldn’t be able to obtain life insurance from the majority of US life insurance companies

"Sample quotes based on research by Chris Abrams and are for illustration purposes only. Actual quotes may vary. Data effective 1/28/2019."

Written by
Alex Enabnit
Alex is a licensed life insurance agent who has appeared on Yahoo Finance, HealthPopuli, and Good Morning Arizona. He writes factual, useful, and occasionally amusing articles about life insurance. Believe it or not, he enjoys researching the intricacies of life insurance and helping people choose the best policies for their specific needs—almost as much as he enjoys kayaking and long hikes.