system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Avengers Movie] What was the death-toll from the attack on manhattan?
gpt
Largely thanks to Captain America, minimal.

The initial attack was not responded to quickly and the small number of police and National Guardsmen were not able to contain it. However, once the Avengers arrived things changed.

Cap immediately advised the police to evacuate using the subway tunnels and to set up a defensive perimeter rather than attack the Chitauri. 

With the arrival of the Hulk, Cap then formulated a plan that restricted the carnage to a few square blocks of Manhattan island. With Hakweye 'calling out patterns and strays', Iron Man was able to contain any Chitauri attempting to leave the area.

Thor's lightning crippled the Chitauri's ability to get any of their lighter vehicles through the portal. Hawkeye shot down a considerable number of those vehicles also. With the Hulk causing panic and chaos in the Chitauri ranks, to the point where they had to draw in a lot of their remaining vehicles just to briefly incapacitate him, and Cap and Black Widow keeping many of their foot soldiers occupied, the Chitauri were never able to leave the main battle in any significant numbers.

There may have been other incidents where the Chitauri attempted to take hostages but these may not have been any more effective than the one Cap put a stop to.