Top 10 Times Movie Characters Celebrated Too Early
#10: Janie Orlean
“Don’t Look Up” (2021) Usually, world leaders in disaster movies are calm, collected, and have one goal in mind– saving their country and the world. However, the same could not be said for Janie Orlean, the president in this satirical film centered around a deadly comet. She makes selfish choices throughout the movie, including abandoning Earth and escaping to a new habitable world. That makes it all the more satisfying when she discovers that the locals on this new world are far from friendly. We’re going to call that karma.
#9: Megamind
“Megamind” (2010) Isn’t it nice when a villain has a change of heart? DreamsWorks’ superhero-comedy follows supervillain Megamind, who becomes bored after defeating his nemesis Metro Man. While fighting his protégé, hero-turned-villain Tighten, Megamind disguises himself as Metro Man and scares Titan off. Feeling cocky, he lets the moment go to his head, assuming the fight has ended, only to have Tighten return even angrier than before. Megamind’s smile is instantly wiped off his face as he realizes that the fight isn’t even close to over.
#8: Mayor Larry Vaughn
“Jaws” (1975) When the beach town of Amity Island is suddenly ravaged by a man eating shark, Mayor Larry Vaughn is desperate to save the town’s reputation for the sake of the summer economy. This leads him to cut corners in his search for the shark, including his assumption that the first shark killed is the one behind the deaths. Overjoyed, he declares that the beaches can be reopened, and ignores all warnings to the contrary. This comes back to bite him – no pun intended – when the shark claims another victim. When it comes to safety, cutting corners isn’t the answer.
#7: Eversoll
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (2018) This franchise has featured several characters who thought they were safe, only to get eaten by dinosaurs. The first in “Fallen Kingdom” is Jack, a mercenary who’s devoured by the Mosasaurus. However, an even more brutal example comes towards the end of the film, with auctioneer Gunnar Eversoll. When the dinosaurs break out, he flees into an elevator, shoving a terrified woman out of his way. While he’s initially relieved, karma strikes again when the Indoraptor opens the door. The last thing he sees is the dinosaur he was meant to sell.
#6: Scar
“The Lion King” (1994) It’s always cathartic seeing a villain get what’s coming to them … although this was a truly brutal fate. In “The Lion King”, Scar seeks to secure the throne by any means possible– including manipulation and murder. He even manages to manipulate his henchmen, the hyenas, into thinking he actually cares about them. So when he survives a fall and sees them approaching, he assumes they’re there to help. His relief fades quickly when he realizes that they see his true colors. And they’re hungry! It’s a fitting end to such a cruel character.
#5: Cyrus, Diamond Dog, & Swamp Thing
“Con Air” (1997) These convicts should have known that they couldn’t escape Nic Cage! After the prisoners hijack a plane but crash land in Vegas, they try to escape in a fire truck. They’re pretty pleased with themselves, laughing gleefully. And it might have worked, except for the doggedness of their pursuers: Cage’s character Poe, a former Army Ranger, and U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin. During the chase, all three meet their ends in various gruesome ways. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch!
#4: Hans Gruber
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“Die Hard” (1988) Alan Rickman’s iconic villain Hans Gruber might be a cunning criminal mastermind, but he does have his flaws. One is his ego, which leads him to underestimate his opponents. After New York cop John McClane interferes in his plans, he holds McClane’s estranged wife Holly hostage. He is smug in victory and can’t help but gloat. However, this ends up being his downfall, as it gives McClane enough time to surprise Gruber one last time. You know what they say - pride comes before a fall.
#3: Thor
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“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) While some of our entries are comical, this one is just tragic. During the Battle of Wakanda, Thanos obtains the final Infinity Stone and is about to snap his fingers to wipe out half of all life in the universe. There’s a glimmer of hope however as Thor plunges his axe Stormbreaker into Thanos’ shoulder. Thor stares his brother’s murderer in the eyes and pushes the axe in further. He thinks he’s won, but taking all that time for vengeance was a bad idea. All Thor can do is scream as Thanos snaps his fingers. It was a gut punch of a moment, one that left the audience feeling just as hopeless as the Avengers.
#2: Voldemort
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” (2011) With Harry seemingly killed, things aren’t looking good for the heroes of Hogwarts. But they’re looking great for Voldemort, and he knows it. With his followers at his back, he gloats over his triumph, demanding that the heroes recognize him as their new leader. All the joy drains from his face as Harry springs back to life! He watches his shock as his army starts to abandon him. Voldemort’s pride proves to be his downfall. After all the horrible things that Voldemort had done, it was incredibly cathartic to see his premature celebration get ruined.
#1: The Organization
Top 10 Times Movie Villains Celebrated too Early
“The Cabin in the Woods” (2011) In a world where secret committees create real-life horror movies to appease dark gods, it only makes sense that things would go wrong. The American members of this clandestine Organization are literally celebrating - dancing, drinking, and laughing - as their final victim is attacked. The party is cut short when they’re suddenly informed that someone else has survived. Just then, down by the lake, Marty steps in and saves Dana. Realizing that their own lives are now on the line, the Organization members start to panic. Seeing the villains get a taste of horror themselves is undeniably satisfying - even if the fate of the world is at stake.
