Top 10 Movie Scenes Where Villains Fall to Their Death

Who says plummeting to certain death needs to be a bad thing?? Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 movie scenes where villains fall to their deaths!

For this list, we’ve looked at all movies where the bad guy takes a tumble, and then dies. Live-action and animated films qualify for this one, but only the biggest bad guys and the best falls get selected! Oh, and you can be sure there are spoilers ahead, so SPOILER ALERT.

At ten, there’s two realms, Earth and Outworld. The courageous Liu Kang is on our side, while the malevolent Shang Tsung is the brains behind the baddies. When the two meet upon a ledge that overlooks lots of lethal weaponry, it’s clear that this scene’s gonna end uncomfortably for someone. Thankfully for mankind and for the continuation of Mortal Kombat, it’s Shang Tsung who finds himself skewered through the heart, impaled by his own evil.

The planet all around them is destroying itself, but Kruge has eyes only for Kirk, and ears only for the secrets of Genesis. The Klingon leader isn’t much of a looker, but he is beginning to really get on William Shatner’s nerves! The pair finds themselves precariously positioned on a not-too-steady slither of a rock-face, and hand-to-hand combat ensues. As vertigo flickers across the face of the villain, determination drives Kirk’s boot into Kruge’s face. The rest is free falling, fiery history!

In our next movie ‘Slo-Mo’ is a dangerous new drug, and in our next scene it’s not difficult to see why it’s so addictive! Madeline Madrigal, or Ma-Ma, is the leader of a callous cartel operating out of a dystopic tower block. When Judge Dredd catches up with her though, she’s caught between the proverbial rock and hard place. In this instance, however, the hard place is several stories southwards! The glass looks like glitter, but the blood’s barefaced and brutal. We want to look away, but just can’t!

Disney villains have a habit of falling to their deaths, but this guy’s grisly end is especially memorable. The Beast looks set to throw his rival into the abyss, but in a moment of mercy Gaston’s life is given back to him. Next, and upon seeing Belle, the Beast’s heart shines out from his hairy, scary, ferocious form… But Gaston’s hatred rears its ugly head again. After some literal backstabbing, the baddie meets his moralistic comeuppance, and the hunter becomes the prey.

It takes one ring to rule them all, and one fall to end this epic tale. Gollum was a hobbit once, but so consumed by greed has he become, he meets his end alongside Middle-Earth’s most valuable item of jewellery. The slow-motion, the soundtrack, the scary look in Sméagol’s eye – in this scene, the Shire seems a very long way away! Lava never makes an especially soft landing, but the fires of Mount Doom are especially fierce!

As if dangling from a severed rope bridge above alligator infested waters couldn’t get any worse… Indy has to do it alongside the bloodthirsty high priest, Mola Ram. Luckily for Mr Jones, however, he’s in the know when it comes to the necessary incantations for such a situation. A few choice words, a few red hot Sankara stones, one desperate grasp at the goods, and one serious slip from safety – Mola Ram’s mortality was realised really rather quickly.

Batman might be used to hanging from hard to reach places, but the Joker’s not quite as adept. Jack Nicholson has one-lined his way to a helicopter rescue, but the caped crusader isn’t about to let the villain fly to safety. The hero’s sharp shooting ties the Joker to the Gargoyle… The helicopter’s power breaks the stone from the church… The Gargoyle’s weight pulls the Joker to his death… And the sickly, scary smile never leaves the crazy clown’s face! It’s creepy poetry in menacing motion!

Why can’t 007 ever pick a fight in a safe environment? At #3, he and Sean Bean are stuck atop a tower, and floor space is at a minimum. As Bond battles for an advantage against his onetime friend, various shots showcasing height are nausea-inducing edge of seat cinema(!)... Various kicks, head butts and strangleholds have all nails bitten, and all toes curled! Bean as Alec Trevelyan is the MI6 agent gone wildly astray, but there’s still a little in us that expects Bond to spare him... How wrong we were!

There are some serious, serious issues in the Skywalker family, and most of them come to a head in this scene. Luke just will not turn to the dark side, no matter how forcibly his incredibly estranged father tries to make him do so! For Emperor Palpatine, electro-torture is the only answer, and Luke looks certain to be killed. It is Palpatine, though, that soon shall be plummeting to his own death. Vader does it, and in the most roundabout of ways redeems himself!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Lord Nelson Rathbone
“Shanghai Knights” (2003)
- Two-Face
“Batman Forever” (1995)
- Gregory Goyle
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” (2011)
- The Evil Queen
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)

Falling into first place is Alan Rickman with the most magical, menacing, oddly melancholic exit from the top floor of a skyscraper that’s ever been filmed. As Hans Gruber, Rickman is the villain that we all secretly root for! That’s why it’s weirdly sad when we’re given a point-of-view shot of the charismatic kidnapper breathing his last. The switch between slow-motion and real-time is real class! And the comic timing by the cops is spot on! In this instance, ‘Die Hard’ is a very literal thing!

Do you agree with our list? Which fall did we forget? For more drop dead Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.