The premiere of the highly-anticipated Marvel film Avengers: Endgame will happen in the seemingly lighthearted sequel. The loss of Iron Man still affects the Marvel Cinematic Universe today, but he's not the first hero to die in battle.
Action movies like The Book of Eli similarly feature heartbreaking scenes that kill off their protagonists. Whether it's to save their loved ones or just an inevitable ending for these main characters, their deaths are almost always inextricably linked with the way the movie ends and resolves its storylines.
Max Da Costa – Elysium (2013)
Available to rent on Apple TV.
The dystopian sci-fi action film sci-fi technologies in the movie such as the Med-Bays are reserved for the upper class, but this changes when the rebellious worker Max acquires world-shattering data.
In the process of protecting the data that could change the way the system works, Max, unfortunately, ends up sacrificing his life so that his friend Spider could the program from his brain. His brave choice gives everyone access to life-saving healthcare in the form of hundreds of Med-Bays, which become available to everyone on earth thanks to Max.
Dr. Robert Neville – I Am Legend (2007)
Available to stream on HBO Max.
Set in a dystopian version of New York City, I Am Legend follows the story of the lone survivor Dr. Robert Neville, who is immune to the virus that has decimated the world. He's made it his mission to develop a cure and has to make the ultimate sacrifice to get it to an encampment towards the end.
The original ending shows a confusing decision where he runs towards the hostile creatures with a grenade, while instructing Anna and Ethan to hide inside a chute. He could have just ed them and threw the grenade. It's even more dissatisfying for those who know about the alternate ending that's more faithful to the 1954 novel it's based on.
John W. Creasy – Man On Fire (2004)
Available to rent on Apple TV.
Based on a 1980 novel of the same name by A.J. Quinnell, Man on Fire depicts the experiences of intelligence officer turned bodyguard, John Creasy. When his charge, 9-year-old Lupita "Pita" Ramos, is abducted, he goes on a murderous rampage that ends in a tense exchange – his life for hers.
The emotional ending of the underrated action thriller film shows John's tear-jerking reunion with Pita, who soon runs off to her mother. In the enemy's car, John sadly succumbs to his injuries from an earlier confrontation with some of the villains. He has obviously accepted his fate at that point and is glad to have saved the young girl before his death.
Maximus Decimus Meridius – Gladiator (2000)
Available to rent on Apple TV.
Gladiator is a movie is set in ancient Rome that tells the well-written story of the general Maximus Decimus Meridius. He's betrayed by the overly ambitious Commodus, whose greed drives him to murder his father Emperor Marcus Aurelius, as well as Maximus' wife and son.
Maximus rises through the ranks after he's sold to become a gladiator, eventually facing Commodus himself. Despite being unfairly injured before the fight, he still manages to win but soon dies because of his injuries. His dramatic death comes with the last demand from the protagonist, who implores everyone to free the gladiators and reinstate Senator Gracchus.
Harry S. Stamper – Armageddon (1998)
Available to stream on Prime Video.
The disaster film Armageddon is a classic that's among the first to depict the apocalyptic situation of a massive asteroid heading straight for the earth. The expert oil driller Harry Stamper is tasked to train a team of astronauts who will place a nuclear bomb in the middle of the asteroid.
While the movie is far from being perfect, its moving twist ending is undeniably a scene that can cause anyone to shed a tear or two. The astronaut A.J. Frost draws the short straw and is forced to be left behind to manually detonate the explosive, but Harry switches places with him at the last minute and ignores his desperate pleas, telling him that he's like the son he never had.
John Koestler – Knowing (2009)
Available to stream on Prime Video.
The box office hit intense survival action movie that is centered on MIT astrophysics professor John Koestler and his bizarre discovery of a 50-year-old piece of paper that seemingly predicts major world events. It soon becomes clear that humanity is headed straight for an apocalypse via a massive solar flare, but there are other forces at work in the background.
In the end, John learns that aliens are taking select children to a planet where they can restart. He accepts that there is no hope for the earth and allows his son Caleb to board the ark to space. His death is just one of many, as the entire world is engulfed by fire.
Eli – The Book Of Eli (2010)
Available to stream on Netflix and HBO Max.
Set thirty years after a nuclear holocaust, The Book of Eli is centered on a skilled nomad who goes on a mysterious task to deliver an important book that only he has a copy of. His mission is complicated by Carnegie, the antagonist who wants to use the book as a means of control.
The events preceding Eli's death reveal that he's actually blind and has the book, which is a copy of the Bible, memorized. He manages to dictate its contents to a sanctuary's leader from start to finish before finally biting the dust, enabling that group to spread the book freely.
V – V for Vendetta (2006)
Available to stream on HBO Max.
Based on a comic book series of the same name, V for Vendetta takes place in a frightening dystopian future where the Norsefire political party controls their fascist state through propaganda. The freedom fighter, V, attempts to ignite an uprising through his increasingly violent terrorist acts.
V is known for wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, which he doesn't take off even after he's shot multiple times. He confesses that he's in love with his ally, Evey Hammond, as he takes his dying breaths. His demise sparks the revolution he's been wanting all along, as thousands of others don the iconic mask.
Leonidas – 300 (2007)
Available to stream on HBO Max.
The massively popular historical action film 300 revolves around King Leonidas and his army of 300 Spartans, who bravely go against the Persian "God-King" Xerxes and his battalion of 300,000 men. Back in Sparta, Leonidas' wife tries to rally for them, but betrayal and politics make it a challenging task.
After a treacherous Spartan leads the enemy right to them, Leonidas and his army are forced to give up their lives instead of surrendering. The king dies alongside the fallen soldiers following an epic action sequence that highlights numerous courageous actions from the Spartans.
Iron Man (Tony Stark) – Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Available to stream on Disney+.
Set after the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame follows the surviving heroes as they attempt to undo the effects of the Mad Titan Thanos' snap. They need all the help they can get for the ensuing battle, which is still the most impressive action sequence in the MCU to date.
Unfortunately, part of what happens during that fight is Iron Man's touching sacrifice. Doctor Stephen Strange knew this was going to happen all along, as it's the only order of events that will allow them to win and bring back everyone who was lost. Tony's badass last moments will forever be ed by his fellow heroes and citizens who are left to pick up the pieces.
