Another Top 10 Disappointing Deaths of Great Characters
Not every character gets the end they deserve. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we'll be counting down our picks for Another Top 10 Disappointing Deaths of Great Characters.
For this list, we're looking at even more big screen deaths of beloved, well-crafted or just plain badass characters. To be included, the demise met by these characters needs to have left us wanting more, or have been too simple and easy for such memorable characters. To be clear, this isn't a commentary on the quality of the films in question, as many of them are indeed excellent. It goes without saying, but this video will be nothing but spoilers.
#10: Chad Feldheimer
“Burn After Reading” (2008)
Brad Pitt doesn't really play many supporting roles, and his characters sure as hell don't get unceremoniously killed off relatively early in the film. But hey, this was a departure for Pitt in more ways than one. You see, Brad plays a character named Chad in this Coen Brothers film, and in a deviation from his typically smooth, stoic, or occasionally manic characters, Chad is bubbly, superficial, and kinda simple-minded. Pitt knocks it out of the park, delivering a show-stealing performance. Then, with no warning, the dangers of getting involved in a blackmail scheme become all too real with a single bullet to the head. Chad… you left us too soon.
#9: Dr. King Schultz
“Django Unchained” (2012)
When this Austrian actor landed a role in Quentin Tarantino's “Inglourious Basterds,” he blew people away, quickly become one of the most desirable character actors in the industry. Collaborating again with Tarantino for “Django Unchained,” Waltz delivered another magnetic performance, this time as as Dr. King Schultz, a dentist turned bounty hunter. After taking the life of Leonardo DiCaprio's despicable villain Calvin J. Candie with one quick sleeve trick, Schultz seemingly gives up and accepts his fate. For a master marksman and impressive gunslinger such as himself, Schultz deserved to take a few more with him.
#8: Luke Glanton
“The Place Beyond the Pines” (2012)
For cinemagoers who didn't do their homework before going to see this crime drama, this death must have come as not only a shock, but a big disappointment. When you see Ryan Gosling front and center on a movie poster, you expect to get your money's worth of the heartthrob. But this movie is divided into two parts, separated by a 15 year gap, and sadly, Gosling's charming but self-destructive bad boy doesn't survive the first half of the film. We understand the narrative necessity, but if you were going to kill Luke with a disappointing gut shot and short drop, maybe don't make him arguably the most compelling character in the film.
#7: Black Widow
“Avengers: Endgame” (2019)
With Natasha Romanoff appearing in the MCU since 2010, many believed she was an untouchable Avenger that'd live to see the end of Phase Three. Especially considering Scarlett Johansson portrayed her; we never thought things would end like this. After turning Clint Barton from his newly found vigilante ways, Romanoff takes him to Vormir retrieve the Soul Stone. Red Skull tells them they must sacrifice a loved one, so the 2 Avengers struggle to convince each other that they should be the one to die. They end up both throwing themselves off a cliff, but Black Widow's grappling hook saves Hawkeye, while leaving her dangling. She persuades him to let go, after which Barton goes back to the present. 'Speechless' doesn't even begin to cover how we feel.
#6: Qui-Gon Jinn
“Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (1999)
For those who longed to see the stoic, powerful Jedi masters of the extended “Star Wars” canon brought to life on the big screen, Qui-Gon Jinn was pure wish fullfilment. Though “The Phantom Menace” was the subject of much criticism, few could fault Liam Neeson's performance as this complex, hopeful Jedi. The battle with Darth Maul is arguably the highlight of the film - a thrilling lightsaber duel worthy of the epic franchise. Then… Qui-Gon receives an unexpected hit to the face from the handle of Darth Maul's weapon, followed by a quick, lethal thrust to the torso. It was a shock to Obi-Wan and cinemagoers alike. We'd just grown attached to this Jedi Master.
#5: Jazz
“Transformers” (2007)
Unless you're a big fan of Michael Bay's “Transformers” franchise, chances are that all of the various Autobot and Decepticon just kind of blur together. But Jazz was different. Even in these hectic films, he stood out with his big heart and personality. Transformers buffs who have been with the franchise long before Bay got ahold of it can tell you that Jazz is an important member of the team - Optimus' right hand man, and a long-standing fan favorite. So… how did the films treat dear Jazz? By having Megatron unceremoniously rip him in a half in a blink and you'll miss it moment, seemingly designed to break the hearts of our childhood selves.
#4: Trinity
“The Matrix Revolutions” (2003)
As played by Carrie-Anne Moss, Trinity is one of the most badass and empowering female characters in action or sci-fi films. After kicking ass and taking names for much of the trilogy, Trinity is then done in not by an insurmountable number of Agents, nor a self-sacrifice in the name of Zion. No… she dies in a crash and gets fatally impaled by some power cables. To be clear, the last moment shared between her and Neo was indeed heartbreaking. Given how high the stakes were in this final instalment, we're not sure there was any way to have her survive. We just wish she could've gone out in a blaze of glory.
#3: Dr. Susan McAlester
“Deep Blue Sea” (1999)
Given its genre and premise, this sci-fi horror film was always going to get bloody. But we still wish that blood hadn't been shed quite this foolishly. In a desperate attempt to stop a highly intelligent killer shark from escaping, Dr. McAlester cuts her own hand and jumps in the water to serve as live bait. Some have argued that this was a willing self-sacrifice, but considering her desperate (and failed) attempt to then get back out of the water… we're going to call this a bad plan that ended, well… the only way it could. After showing herself to be a brilliant and capable character, McAlester sadly met a facepalm-worthy end.
#2: William 'Billy' Costigan, Jr.
“The Departed” (2006)
Rough list for Leo. In this tense crime drama, multiple games of cat and mouse are being played, with both DiCaprio's Billy Costigan and Matt Damon's Colin Sullivan infiltrating the mob and the State Police respectively. Given the dangerous situations both men put themselves in, a gunplay-heavy ending was somewhat inevitable, but that didn't make it any easier to see Costigan bite the bullet, right when it seemed like he had finally come out on top. Excellently played by DiCaprio, Costigan was was a carefully crafted and nuanced character - one we were sad to see go. Of course, that could be said about any number of characters in this film who met similar fates.
#1: Sarah Connor
“Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” (2003)
This character, originally played by Linda Hamilton, is one of the strongest, most badass female protagonists in the history of cinema. Over the course of “The Terminator” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” we saw her go from a relatively timid character, to a fearsome one - a mother willing to do anything to protect her son. Unfortunately, when the much-maligned “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” happened in 2003, we're told that she has died of cancer. Though it was a minor comfort to know that she lived to see the predetermined date of Judgment Day come and go without incident, an offscreen death due to disease was far less than this iconic character deserved.
read more...
Not every character gets the end they deserve. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we'll be counting down our picks for Another Top 10 Disappointing Deaths of Great Characters.
For this list, we're looking at even more big screen deaths of beloved, well-crafted or just plain badass characters. To be included, the demise met by these characters needs to have left us wanting more, or have been too simple and easy for such memorable characters. To be clear, this isn't a commentary on the quality of the films in question, as many of them are indeed excellent. It goes without saying, but this video will be nothing but spoilers.
#10: Chad Feldheimer
“Burn After Reading” (2008)
Brad Pitt doesn't really play many supporting roles, and his characters sure as hell don't get unceremoniously killed off relatively early in the film. But hey, this was a departure for Pitt in more ways than one. You see, Brad plays a character named Chad in this Coen Brothers film, and in a deviation from his typically smooth, stoic, or occasionally manic characters, Chad is bubbly, superficial, and kinda simple-minded. Pitt knocks it out of the park, delivering a show-stealing performance. Then, with no warning, the dangers of getting involved in a blackmail scheme become all too real with a single bullet to the head. Chad… you left us too soon.
#9: Dr. King Schultz
“Django Unchained” (2012)
When this Austrian actor landed a role in Quentin Tarantino's “Inglourious Basterds,” he blew people away, quickly become one of the most desirable character actors in the industry. Collaborating again with Tarantino for “Django Unchained,” Waltz delivered another magnetic performance, this time as as Dr. King Schultz, a dentist turned bounty hunter. After taking the life of Leonardo DiCaprio's despicable villain Calvin J. Candie with one quick sleeve trick, Schultz seemingly gives up and accepts his fate. For a master marksman and impressive gunslinger such as himself, Schultz deserved to take a few more with him.
#8: Luke Glanton
“The Place Beyond the Pines” (2012)
For cinemagoers who didn't do their homework before going to see this crime drama, this death must have come as not only a shock, but a big disappointment. When you see Ryan Gosling front and center on a movie poster, you expect to get your money's worth of the heartthrob. But this movie is divided into two parts, separated by a 15 year gap, and sadly, Gosling's charming but self-destructive bad boy doesn't survive the first half of the film. We understand the narrative necessity, but if you were going to kill Luke with a disappointing gut shot and short drop, maybe don't make him arguably the most compelling character in the film.
#7: Black Widow
“Avengers: Endgame” (2019)
With Natasha Romanoff appearing in the MCU since 2010, many believed she was an untouchable Avenger that'd live to see the end of Phase Three. Especially considering Scarlett Johansson portrayed her; we never thought things would end like this. After turning Clint Barton from his newly found vigilante ways, Romanoff takes him to Vormir retrieve the Soul Stone. Red Skull tells them they must sacrifice a loved one, so the 2 Avengers struggle to convince each other that they should be the one to die. They end up both throwing themselves off a cliff, but Black Widow's grappling hook saves Hawkeye, while leaving her dangling. She persuades him to let go, after which Barton goes back to the present. 'Speechless' doesn't even begin to cover how we feel.
#6: Qui-Gon Jinn
“Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (1999)
For those who longed to see the stoic, powerful Jedi masters of the extended “Star Wars” canon brought to life on the big screen, Qui-Gon Jinn was pure wish fullfilment. Though “The Phantom Menace” was the subject of much criticism, few could fault Liam Neeson's performance as this complex, hopeful Jedi. The battle with Darth Maul is arguably the highlight of the film - a thrilling lightsaber duel worthy of the epic franchise. Then… Qui-Gon receives an unexpected hit to the face from the handle of Darth Maul's weapon, followed by a quick, lethal thrust to the torso. It was a shock to Obi-Wan and cinemagoers alike. We'd just grown attached to this Jedi Master.
#5: Jazz
“Transformers” (2007)
Unless you're a big fan of Michael Bay's “Transformers” franchise, chances are that all of the various Autobot and Decepticon just kind of blur together. But Jazz was different. Even in these hectic films, he stood out with his big heart and personality. Transformers buffs who have been with the franchise long before Bay got ahold of it can tell you that Jazz is an important member of the team - Optimus' right hand man, and a long-standing fan favorite. So… how did the films treat dear Jazz? By having Megatron unceremoniously rip him in a half in a blink and you'll miss it moment, seemingly designed to break the hearts of our childhood selves.
#4: Trinity
“The Matrix Revolutions” (2003)
As played by Carrie-Anne Moss, Trinity is one of the most badass and empowering female characters in action or sci-fi films. After kicking ass and taking names for much of the trilogy, Trinity is then done in not by an insurmountable number of Agents, nor a self-sacrifice in the name of Zion. No… she dies in a crash and gets fatally impaled by some power cables. To be clear, the last moment shared between her and Neo was indeed heartbreaking. Given how high the stakes were in this final instalment, we're not sure there was any way to have her survive. We just wish she could've gone out in a blaze of glory.
#3: Dr. Susan McAlester
“Deep Blue Sea” (1999)
Given its genre and premise, this sci-fi horror film was always going to get bloody. But we still wish that blood hadn't been shed quite this foolishly. In a desperate attempt to stop a highly intelligent killer shark from escaping, Dr. McAlester cuts her own hand and jumps in the water to serve as live bait. Some have argued that this was a willing self-sacrifice, but considering her desperate (and failed) attempt to then get back out of the water… we're going to call this a bad plan that ended, well… the only way it could. After showing herself to be a brilliant and capable character, McAlester sadly met a facepalm-worthy end.
#2: William 'Billy' Costigan, Jr.
“The Departed” (2006)
Rough list for Leo. In this tense crime drama, multiple games of cat and mouse are being played, with both DiCaprio's Billy Costigan and Matt Damon's Colin Sullivan infiltrating the mob and the State Police respectively. Given the dangerous situations both men put themselves in, a gunplay-heavy ending was somewhat inevitable, but that didn't make it any easier to see Costigan bite the bullet, right when it seemed like he had finally come out on top. Excellently played by DiCaprio, Costigan was was a carefully crafted and nuanced character - one we were sad to see go. Of course, that could be said about any number of characters in this film who met similar fates.
#1: Sarah Connor
“Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” (2003)
This character, originally played by Linda Hamilton, is one of the strongest, most badass female protagonists in the history of cinema. Over the course of “The Terminator” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” we saw her go from a relatively timid character, to a fearsome one - a mother willing to do anything to protect her son. Unfortunately, when the much-maligned “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” happened in 2003, we're told that she has died of cancer. Though it was a minor comfort to know that she lived to see the predetermined date of Judgment Day come and go without incident, an offscreen death due to disease was far less than this iconic character deserved.
read more...
