Top 20 Satisfying Deaths of Hated Movie Characters

“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984)
While we love a face-melting demise as much as the next person, that iconic scene was more terrifying than satisfying. (x-ref) Mola Ram on the other hand, is a single, despicable person whose defeat we keenly anticipated from the moment he appeared and attacked a person’s heart. At the climax of the film, Mola Ram confronts Indiana Jones on a precarious rope bridge while looking to obtain the mystical Sankara Stones he so desperately craves. In a surprise move, however, Indy cuts the rope bridge. Jones and Ram struggle for the stones as they hang from the bridge. But Ram’s greed to catch a burning hot one spells his undoing. He promptly falls to his doom and gets up close and personal with a few crocodiles.

“X-Men: First Class” (2011)
Klaus Schmidt once asked Erik to move a coin with his powers. When Erik failed, Schmidt took his mother’s life. This fostered a burning rivalry between the two. After Schmidt changed his name to Sebastian Shaw, he finally confronted Erik. During an opening in the battle, telepath Charles Xavier freezes Shaw in place. It’s here where we see an antagonist fall and a villain rise. Erik uses a coin to finally dispatch his old foe. While there are more despicable villains than Shaw, few meet their ends in such a thematically appropriate fashion.

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2” (2015)
Speaking of coins, this duplicitous leader of the Second Rebellion made us actually appreciate the dastardly President Snow for his forthrightness. Alma Coin was the President of the ostensibly eradicated District 13. She drummed up a propaganda campaign against the Capitol with Katniss Everdeen as their figurehead, or, figuratively, their mockingjay. Though her cause was just, Coin’s secretly made ruthless plans. in order to usurp the enemy. She even let innocents like Katniss’s sister Prim perish to achieve her goals After realizing Coin will just become another Snow after the war, Katniss aims an arrow and puts Coin down. The mockingjay ended a cycle of tyranny and taught everyone the price of messing with her sister.

“Day of the Dead” (1985)
When you’re the leader of an underground military compound, you’d better show respect for your subordinates, even if one of them is a zombie with above-average intelligence. Upon finding himself in charge, Captain Rhodes slowly starts losing his mind. He becomes quick to dispatch any dissenters without a second thought. When the base becomes overrun with zombies, Rhodes puts his self-preservation above all else. But karma returns to haunt him in the form of Bud, a zombie in the scientists’ domestication program with a bone to pick. After the undead man shoots Rhodes, the panicked captain picks the wrong door. Bud’s militaristic salute to Rhodes as zombies descend upon the captain is the icing on the cake of this perfect sendoff.

“Mission: Impossible - Fallout” (2018)
Though Owen Davian from “M:I 3” is the more despicable villain, his end isn’t quite as sweet as August Walker’s. (x-ref) Sporting a luscious moustache, Walker is initially Ethan’s anti-hero ally that we really got behind. But when he’s revealed to be nuclear arms buyer John Lark with intentions for global catastrophe, we realize what a formidable and dangerous foe he really is. Ethan Hunt and the team track him to India. After a thrilling helicopter chase, Ethan and Walker battle on a cliffside. With both hanging from the edge, Ethan yanks the cable one of the helicopters is dangling from and sends it in Walker’s direction. The mustachioed villain falls right before the IMF averts yet another disaster.

“The Departed” (2006)
We don’t usually root against a Matt Damon character. However, he's just so hateable in “The Departed”. He plays Colin Sullivan, a mole in the Massachusetts State Police that's even disloyal to the criminals he’s supposed to protect. Upon learning mob boss Frank Costello is an FBI informant, Sullivan aids the police and takes out Costello. Billy Costigan, the police mole in the mob, nearly apprehends Sullivan some time later. But a lucky break results in Costigan biting the bullet before justice is served. We shuddered at the thought that Sullivan might walk away unscathed. But the last scene shows Sean Dignam coming to the rescue by surprising Sullivan in his home and ending the crooked man’s life.

“Death Proof” (2007)
Quentin Tarantino has a lot of despicable characters in his movies. Fortunately, he’s a master of gleefully taking the villains down before the credits roll. One character whose end we sorely anticipated was Stuntman Mike. Driving a ride that’s virtually death-proof provided he’s in the driver’s seat, Mike got used to using it as a dangerous weapon against women on roadways. When he sees a woman performing a risky stunt hood of a car, he can’t help himself. He torments them for what seems like hours. Thankfully the girls are able to avoid wrecking. They eventually turn the tables and give him a taste of vigilante justice. Huh, guess Mike himself wasn’t death proof.

“The Mist” (2007)
Mrs. Carmody used everyone’s fear of a supernatural mist to craft a violent cult. We get it: a mist that envelopes the town and unleashes a host of otherworldly monsters is scary stuff. But you’d hope cooler heads would prevail. Not so, as Mrs. Carmody is slowly able to amass followers and preach that the only way to get out of this situation is for certain people to give up their lives. While our band of heroes looks to sneak away from the supermarket, Mrs. Carmody incites the crowd and turns her attention to a vulnerable survivor. Out of options, store manager Ollie decides to permanently silence her. Trust us, we’re not crying over this spilt milk.

“The Godfather” (1972)
The extended opening sequence of “The Godfather '' details the goings on at a wedding as Carlo Rizzi marries into the Corleone crime family. However happy the occasion is, the marriage itself is anything but. Miffed at being looked over in the family, Carlo mistreats his new wife Connie. In retaliation, Connie’s brother Sonny beats him to a pulp. Unable to relent, Carlo colludes with a rival family to orchestrate Sonny’s brutal assasination. Michael Corleone has his suspicions about his sibling’s demise. When he assumes control of the family following his father’s passing, he tricks Carlo into basically admitting his involvement before having him taken out. It was cold but well deserved.

“RoboCop” (1987)
There are plenty of gruesome and over-the-top fatalities in this Paul Verhoeven classic. But the most cathartic demise belongs to OCP Senior Vice President Dick Jones. To combat the rampant crime plaguing Detroit, Jones tries to issue the ED-209 droid for police use. When the demonstration fails drastically, RoboCop rises in its place. Undeterred, Jones continues his plans to control both the city’s police and criminal empire. He even goes so far as to install a directive in RoboCop preventing him from acting against an OCP executive. This initially keeps RoboCop from harming Jones in the final scene. But after Jones’ superior promptly fires him, RoboCop is free to deal out justice.

“Carrie” (1976)
Before Mrs. Carmody in “The Mist,” there was no more detestable horror movie villain linked to religion than Margaret White. Though not quite as extreme as Mrs. Carmody, Margaret is first seen punishing her daughter Carrie just for having her first period. Unfortunately for Carrie, her burgeoning telekinesis only furthers Margaret’s belief that she’s a witch and ought to be eradicated. After Carrie returns from her horrific prom, Margaret attacks Carrie while pretending to comfort her. Whether consciously or purely by instinct, Carrie uses her powers to bring Margaret’s reign of terror to an end.

“The Matrix” (1999)
While we can sympathize with Cypher preferring the safe confines of the Matrix to the ravaged and bleak real world, that’s no justification for what he did. This member of the human resistance makes a deal with the machines that he’ll be put back into the matrix in exchange for the leader Morpheus. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Cypher unplugs back into the real world and assassinates multiple allies while they’re plugged in and essentially defenseless. Before he can do the same to Neo, Tank reveals himself to still be alive. He ultimately gets vengeance on Cypher in glorious fashion. In a story where Neo is a Christ-like figure, Cypher was definitely the Judas.

“Misery” (1990)
Like both Mrs. Carmody and Margaret White before her, Annie Wilkes continues Stephen King’s legacy of writing captivatingly horrendous villainesses. The unbalanced Annie Wilkes holds her favorite author Paul Sheldon captive under the guise of nursing him back to health. All the while, she forces him to write his premiere character back to life. If he doesn’t, he’ll face horrible repercussions. After several unsuccessful attempts to flee, Paul is forced to scrap with Annie in order to survive. Although she initially seems to meet her end after a collision with a typewriter, Paul ultimately puts an end to her story with his own hands.

“Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi” (1983)
Is there a movie villain more classically evil than Emperor Palpatine? He already deserved a terrible fate for luring Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side. But not satisfied with ruining one Skywalker, Palpatine tries to tempt Luke to strike down Darth Vader and become evil too. Although an intense lightsaber duel does take place, Luke ultimately refuses to take his father’s life. Palpatine rewards this restraint by hitting Luke with force lightning. In a classic moment, Vader’s familial love brings him back to the light and he decides to defy his master. He sacrifices himself to take Palpatine down. Though “The Rise of Skywalker” would later play around with the details of the emperor’s end, his demise in “Return of Jedi” is still satisfying.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” (2011)
Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange became one of the most hated people in the wizarding world after she took the life of Harry Potter’s godfather Sirius. Her comeuppance finally came during the climactic Battle of Hogwarts. Bellatrix attempts to take the life of Ginny Weasley in the Great Hall. This prompts Molly Weasley to step in with an epic line and defend her daughter. While their duel is quick, it’s thrilling. Molly’s able to stun Bellatrix before obliterating her completely. What’s really satisfying about Bellatrix’s defeat is the fact that it comes at the hands of Molly Weasley, who normally doesn’t get to show off how fierce she is on the battlefield.

“Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015)
Immortan Joe was the self-imposed leader of the post-apocalyptic city known as the Citadel. The cruel leader ruled with an iron fist. Not only did he hoard the only known water source over its citizens, but he neglected to care about what several of his wives actually wanted. And he’s so possessive that he flies into a frenzy when Lieutenant Imperator Furiosa flees with his spouses. For the majority of the movie, Joe’s forces chase his wives down. On the ride back to the Citadel, Furiosa finally confronts him on the side of his rig. She makes sure that Immortan Joe will never have the opportunity to mistreat one of his wives again.

“Get Out” (2017)
On the outset, the Armitage family seems like your average, upper-class family that tries way too hard to show they’re accepting of everyone. But it’s clear there’s something much more sinister going on under the surface. As Chris comes to learn, the Armitages have made a business of abducting people and stealing their bodies by implanting the mind of the highest bidder. Before this can happen to Chris, he fights back. Dean Armitage, his wife Missy and their eldest son Jeremy all receive brutal and just ends. Once Chris takes the three of them down, he's confronted by his “girlfriend” Rose. But after a brainwashed groundskeeper is temporarily freed, he puts an end to this horrendous family.

“Die Hard” (1988)
We love to hate this villain so much it almost circles back to just love. This is partially because Hans Gruber took out Harry Ellis, a character we just plain hated.(x-ref) But that obnoxious man’s demise isn’t the most glorious one in the film. Gruber is a supposed extremist who casually hurts people but is really nothing more than an extremely brutal thief. He eventually gets more than he bargained for when everyman cop John McClane arrives to save his wife Holly. The conflict between the cop and thief comes to a head when Gruber is left hanging out the window by Holly’s wrist. Fortunately, McClane unclasps Holly’s wristwatch and sends Gruber to his doom. Happy trails indeed, Hans.

“The Princess Bride” (1987)
Few characters have focused more on taking out their enemies than Inigo Montoya has. He spent years thinking about getting revenge against the man who slayed his father. Inigo eventually learned that the vicious Count Rugen was responsible. While he’s helping with a rescue mission in a castle, he and the Count finally meet. During their long awaited duel, Inigo repeats his promise to get revenge on the Count. For a moment, it seems like it won’t happen at all. But Inigo’ sheer tenacity and will ensures that he finally gets closure and avenges his father by slaying the Count.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Bill, “Kill Bill: Volume 2” (2004)
Beatrix Completes Her Quest With the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique


Howard Payne, “Speed” (1994)
This Uncompromising Villain Should Have Minded His Surroundings


Retch, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017)
Baby Groot Getting Revenge on His Tormentor Is Hilarious and Adorable


Colonel Tavington, “The Patriot” (2000)
Benjamin Martin Avenges Two of His Sons With One Stroke


Arjen Rudd, “Lethal Weapon 2” (1989)
Diplomatic Immunity Couldn’t Save Him

“Gladiator” (2000)
There is hardly a greater tale of revenge than that of Maximus Decimus Meridius against Commodus. After Commodus usurps his father as Emperor of Rome, he asks General Maximus to swear allegiance. But the warrior refuses. A slighted Commodus takes the lives of Maximus’s wife and son. After Maximus escapes his own grim fate, he swears vengeance against the Emperor. He rose through the ranks of the gladiatorial arena and slowly gained favor with the people of Rome. Desperate to see his enemy fall, Commodus wounds Maximus before the two compete in gladiatorial combat. But Maximus manages to overcome his fatal wounds and slay Commodus before finding peace.