Top 20 Movies Where the Villain Kills the Hero
#20: “300” (2006)
Top 10 Movies Where the Villain Kills the Hero
Based on the comic book by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, “300” depicts a highly fictionalized account of the historic Battle of Thermopylae. While the Spartans are undeniably heroic in their efforts, they ultimately lose the battle against the invading Persians. Leonidas wounds the God King Xerxes but does not kill him. Unfortunately, this act comes in the midst of a massacre. All of the remaining Spartans are killed by the Persians, with most perishing thanks to a bombardment of arrows. Leonidas is shown as the last man standing, and he valiantly welcomes the multitude of arrows that rain down upon him with outstretched arms.
#19: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)
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An acclaimed entry in the “Star Wars” canon, “Rogue One” goes to some extremely dark places, and it packs one heck of an ending. Most of the protagonists are killed in the climactic battle, including Îmwe and Rook. But the most shocking moment occurs when the Death Star appears above the planet Scarif. Grand Moff Tarkin uses the superweapon to shoot the base’s antenna, leading to the demises of Krennic, Cassian, and Jyn. As if things couldn’t get any worse, Darth Vader himself invades the Rebel command ship and slaughters countless soldiers. However tragic this ending is, we can find solace in the fact that it directly leads into the events of “A New Hope,” and ultimately, the end of the Empire.
#18: “Gran Torino” (2008)
Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, “Gran Torino” concerns a Korean War vet named Walt Kowalski, who develops a bond with his Hmong neighbor, Thao. Walt hopes to prevent Thao from joining his cousin’s gang. And in the end, he makes the ultimate sacrifice. Walt heads to the gang’s hideout and pretends to draw a gun from his jacket, causing the gang members to fire, ending his life. It’s a devastating sequence, but it’s all for the best, and it concludes Walt’s character arc in beautiful fashion. The gang members are arrested, and Thao is freed from their control and influence.
#17: “Man on Fire” (2004)
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The titular Man on Fire is John Creasy, a bodyguard who seeks vengeance against a kidnapping ring after they abduct Lupita Ramos. This ring is led by an anonymous person known only as The Voice. When Creasy goes to the Voice’s house, he is shot in the chest by the anonymous man’s brother, Aurelio. While he doesn’t die straight away, this wound eventually proves fatal. While giving up Aurelio and himself for Lupita, Creasy dies with the knowledge that he saved the girl. The Voice is later tracked down and killed by an AFI agent named Miguel Manzano.
#16: “Road to Perdition” (2002)
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A gangster drama from director Sam Mendes, “Road to Perdition” stars Tom Hanks as Michael Sullivan. Sullivan’s family is killed and he seeks revenge against Connor, his adoptive brother and the son of Irish mob boss John Rooney. Rooney in turn hires a hitman named Harlen Maguire to kill Sullivan. While Sullivan kills both Rooney and Connor, he is shot by Maguire inside his aunt’s beach house in Perdition. Sullivan returns the favor and kills Maguire, but the hitman’s gunshot proves fatal and Sullivan dies with a tearful goodbye to his surviving son.
#15: “The Wicker Man” (1973)
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A seminal horror film from the early ‘70s, “The Wicker Man” contains an iconic ending involving the titular statue. Police Sergeant Neil Howie travels to an island called Summerisle, which is inhabited by a large group of Pagans. He’s there because he received a letter telling him about a missing girl who is supposedly living on the island. Unfortunately, Howie later learns that this was all a ruse, and that he was summoned to the island to serve as a human sacrifice to the Pagan gods. This is carried out in the movie’s horrific ending, in which Howie is burned alive inside the wicker man as the islanders dance around him.
#14: “The Cowboys” (1972)
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John Wayne starred in some great Westerns in his day, and “The Cowboys” is certainly one of them. He plays Wil Andersen, an aging rancher who finds himself taking a group of inexperienced schoolboys on a long cattle drive. Along the way, they’re accosted by violent rustlers led by Long Hair Watts. During one nighttime confrontation, Watts shoots Andersen in the torso, inflicting fatal wounds. Watts escapes with the cattle and Andersen dies of his injuries. Luckily, his drive is eventually successful, as the schoolboys - along with the crew’s adult cook - trap and kill Watts, retrieve the cattle, and deliver them to South Dakota.
#13: “Arlington Road” (1999)
In the mid 1990s, the United States experienced a slew of violent sieges and terrorist acts, culminating in the Oklahoma City attack of 1995. “Arlington Road” was greatly influenced by these acts and the general atmosphere that they inspired. In the drama, Jeff Bridges plays Michael Faraday, a history professor who suspects that his neighbors are terrorists. Turns out, he’s right. They’re targeting the headquarters of the FBI, which they plan to blow up. The neighbors are successful in their goal, as the explosion takes out part of the building and kills Michael in the process. Even worse, they frame Michael as the lone terrorist and get away with everything. So, it’s not exactly a happy ending.
#12: “Rocky IV” (1985)
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By 1985, the “Rocky” franchise had lost pretty much all semblance of reality and was now a bonafide blockbuster with robots and Cold War-ending boxing matches. To signal this transition, “Rocky IV” killed off the series’ original antagonist to make room for a new one. Rocky’s foe-turned-friend Apollo Creed challenges Soviet boxer Ivan Drago to a fight, with the intention of proving America’s superiority over the USSR. However, the match is completely one-sided, and Drago beats Apollo to death in the second round. Creed is obviously not the sole hero of this film, but it’s quite a dramatic way to end the first act, and serves to fuel the titular Rocky’s desire for revenge and the rest of the sports drama’s plot.
#11: “Promising Young Woman” (2020)
The titular Promising Young Woman can be one of two characters. It can be protagonist Cassie Thomas, or it could be Cassie’s best friend Nina Fisher, who took her own life following a horrific assault. Cassie sacrifices her own life and potential to avenge Nina, and her journey leads her to an old classmate named Al Monroe. Cassie infiltrates Al’s bachelor party and confronts him about the past. But as she’s doing so, Al grabs a pillow and suffocates her to death. It’s an enormously shocking and unpredictable development, but it doesn’t stop Al from receiving his comeuppance. Cassie had a contingency plan, and it results in Al being arrested at his own wedding.
#10: “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” (2015)
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A legacy sequel of sorts, “The Force Awakens” introduced a slew of new characters while bringing back fan favorites like Luke, Leia, and Han Solo. One of the major new characters is Kylo Ren, the evil son of Han and Leia. Han confronts Kylo on Starkiller Base and asks him to renounce evil, which serves as a nice inversion of the father-son relationship that Darth Vader and Luke shared. And just as Luke defied his father, so too does Kylo. He initially shows promise and goes to give Han his lightsaber, only to activate it and drive it through his father’s chest. And just like that, one of the most iconic characters in movie history was dead.
#9: “Saving Private Ryan” (1998)
An unflinching glimpse into the horrors of war, “Saving Private Ryan” isn’t shy about killing off characters. In fact, of the detachment sent to rescue Ryan, only a very small number survive. Included in the dead is lead protagonist Captain Miller, who’s a victim of his own conscience. Earlier in the film, Miller allows a German prisoner known as Steamboat Willie to walk free. In the harrowing climax, it’s Steamboat Willie that shoots and kills Miller. It’s not only the death itself that’s dramatic, but the method in which it’s filmed. We watch from Willie’s point of view as he shoots Miller, perhaps not even knowing who he is. To him, he’s not the hero of the story, but just another soldier to shoot.
#8: “Boys Don't Cry” (1999)
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Hilary Swank received the Best Actress Oscar for playing trans man Brandon Teena. The story of “Boys Don’t Cry” is based on a true one, and sadly the real Brandon Teena was killed on December 31, 1993 by John Lotter and Tom Nissen. The film honors history and does not diverge from the actual events. In the brutal and emotional climax, Brandon is shot under the chin by John, and his body is defiled by Tom. The movie leaves their fates uncertain, which only makes the ending all the harder to digest. In real life, both were arrested and charged with homicide. Nissen was sentenced to life in prison, and Lotter to death. As of 2022, he is awaiting execution on death row.
#7: “Braveheart” (1995)
While this epic has long been criticized for its wanton historical inaccuracy, “Braveheart” retains the method of William Wallace’s death. Wallace helped lead the First War of Scottish Independence, and as a result, he was executed by King Edward I of England. While the film shows Braveheart going out as a hero and a martyr, he is nevertheless defeated by the English. Robert the Bruce’s father arranges for Wallace to be captured, and he is subsequently tried for treason and executed. It all makes for one of the most unforgettable endings in movie history.
#6: “Léon: The Professional” (1994)
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Known for being the major debut of Natalie Portman, “Léon: The Professional” is a peculiar thriller. It concerns the relationship between professional hitman Léon and his pre-teen protégé, Mathilda Lando. Mathilda’s family was killed by DEA agent Norman Stansfield, and desiring revenge, she plies Léon to teach her the trade. In the explosive climax of the film, Léon gets a bullet in the back courtesy of Stansfield. Just before he dies, Léon activates a chest of grenades, which proceed to take out the corrupt agent. While Léon didn’t live to see his foe vanquished, he died with the proud knowledge that Stansfield was right behind him.
#5: “The Departed” (2006)
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This gangster classic from Martin Scorsese features one of the most unpredictable and shocking movie deaths of the 2000s. Unfortunately, the victim is the hero. State trooper Billy Costigan goes undercover and works as a mole inside the Irish mob. He is successful in rooting out Colin Sullivan, a mob associate who himself is spying on the Massachusetts State Police. But in the midst of Sullivan’s arrest, Costigan is shot and killed by another mole working with the mob. Sullivan’s surprised face says it all. While this undercover man is by no means the primary villain of the movie, he still represents the systemic issues that Costigan was trying to fight.
#4: “Logan” (2017)
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A sort of anti-superhero movie, “Logan” is far more grounded than the other “X-Men” films, and it depicts a battle-hardened Logan who is well past his prime. While peak Wolverine may have been able to best his villainous clone, X-24, old Logan isn’t so lucky. X-24 emerges victorious in their climactic face-off, stabbing Logan with his claws and driving his body through a tree branch. It’s young Laura who ends up killing X-24 by shooting him with a bullet made of adamantium. Luckily, Logan doesn’t die straight away, so he is allowed to share one last and very touching goodbye with Laura. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
#3: “Pan's Labyrinth” (2006)
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Guillermo del Toro has made some wonderful films throughout his legendary career, and many would call “Pan's Labyrinth” his masterpiece. Not only does it feature some of his most memorable characters and images, but it also contains a very mature story. Young Ofelia ventures through magical portals and is led to believe that she is the reincarnated form of an underworld princess named Moanna. Along the way, she must battle her ruthless officer stepfather, Captain Vidal. In a horrifying and jaw-dropping plot development, Vidal shoots and kills Ofelia. While she dies in the human realm, her spirit returns to the underworld, where she proceeds to rule once again as Princess Moanna. It’s a bittersweet ending, with death and rebirth given equal emotional heft.
#2: “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)
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To say that the villain kills the hero in this one would be a massive understatement. It’s more like, “the villain wipes out half of the entire MCU roster.” The ultimate superhero extravaganza, “Infinity War” paid off ten years of storytelling and featured one of the most stacked casts in the history of film. And most of them die when Thanos snaps his fingers. Upon the activation of the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos not only takes out half the universe, but he also kills many beloved heroes, including Peter Parker, T'Challa, and Wanda Maximoff. And that’s not including all the people he kills before the snap, like Vision and his own daughter, Gamora. Really, it’s probably easier to list who didn’t die than who did…
#1: “Gladiator” (2000)
Joaquin Phoenix plays a great villain, and Commodus is a bad guy for the ages. Hero Maximus Decimus Meridius seeks revenge against him, as the son of Marcus Aurelius had his entire family killed. Maximus becomes a renowned gladiator and attracts the attention of Commodus, who challenges him to a duel. Ever the coward, Commodus stabs Maximus before the fight begins in an effort to weaken him and gain an advantage. Despite the despicable effort, Maximus still comes out on top and bests Commodus. However, the wound proves too great and Maximus dies in the Colosseum, having finally been reunited with his wife and son in death. It’s a happy ending, despite all the bloodshed.
