Ordinarily, movie heroes live long enough to solve the problem at hand and see the chaos come to an end. After all, the final showdown between the hero and the villain has never ceased to be fun throughout Hollywood's existence. However, there are times when the luck of the protagonists runs out very early.
Depending on the manner of the death, audiences are often left shocked, impressed, or disappointed. Regardless, the early hero deaths always work by adding more talking points to the movie. In some cases, the unexpected deaths greatly boost what would have been otherwise bland storylines.
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Stream On Netflix
Bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth seeks shelter from a blizzard inside the Minnie's Haberdashery lodge as he is transporting fugitive Daisy Domergue. Inside the lodge, he ends up drinking poisoned coffee and dies.
Ruth's early death aside, he can still be counted as a character with one of the most heroic moments in Tarantino movies. Realizing he has been poisoned, he warns another character not to take the same coffee, thus saving his life. Although Ruth's death leaves the movie with no clear replacement protagonist, his wish to see the outlaw pay for her actions is ultimately fulfilled.
The Lion King (1993)
Stream On Disney+
Angry at being banished from the main pride of lions, the villainous Scar puts his nephew in danger, forcing his brother Mufasa to try and save him. Mufasa then dies in the process, leaving Scar as the new ruler.
Mufasa's demise is undoubtedly one of the saddest Disney deaths of all time. Watching him fall from a cliff before being stepped on by wild beasts is truly painful. On a positive note, the untimely death leads to a perfect revenge story. The cub, Simba, grows to be a strong lion like his father and eventually gets payback.
Gravity (2013)
Stream On HBO Max
Astronauts, Commander Matt Kowalski and Dr. Ryan Stone, are sent to perform upgrades on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Soon, debris hits their ship. and in the frantic proceedings that follow, Kowalski dies, leaving Stone all by herself.
Kowalski's death isn't one to frown upon since he actually sacrifices himself for Stone so that she can continue the mission. And since Stone is the sole survivor, the rest of the events mostly take place in silence because she has no one to talk about. Ordinarily, dialogue greatly boosts movies but the lack of it feels very much refreshing here since all the audience has to do is watch in anticipation.
G.I. Joe: Retalation (2013)
Stream On Paramount+
After his heroics in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Duke gets a promotion to the team captain. But just as viewers are gearing up to see him do so much more in his sequel, he succumbs to injuries sustained during an airstrike.
Channing Tatum was once quoted as saying that he hated working on the movie, something that might have contributed to his character's early exit (via Hollywood Reporter). On the brighter side, the absence of Duke paves way for Marvin F. Hinton to shine, further cementing Dwayne Johnson's status as one of the most intriguing action stars.
Alien (1979)
Stream On Disney+
Officer Kane and his fellow astronauts become curious when they bump into a spaceship full of eggs on their way back to Earth. In a surprising twist, a creature bursts out of one of the eggs and attaches itself to Kane's face. When it detaches, another creature comes out of his chest, killing him instantly.
Kane's death doesn't necessarily leave a bus-without-driver mess since the surviving astronauts do their best to figure out the alien mystery. In the end, they are successful in eliminating the threat. And while there are many more examples, Kane's death still ranks highly among the most brutal kills in the Alien franchise.
The Cabin In The Woods (2011)
Stream On Netflix
A group of college students encounters several horrors as they camp by a cabin to have fun. When Curt, the most popular member of the group decides to ride away to seek help, he smacks right into a force field and dies.
Curt's early death is indeed baffling since Chris Hemsworth was at the height of his fame when the movie came out. The actor had impressed in the first Thor movie and audiences were looking forward to seeing what else he could do. Luckily, thanks to a solid script, Curt's death doesn't hurt the movie.
Godzilla (2014)
Stream On Netflix
A scientist named Joe finds evidence of the existence of giant creatures. But just as he is coming up with strategies on how to deal with them, he gets killed by a kaiju.
Generally, the movie is a great improvement from earlier tales about the monster which were characterized by poor CGI. But even Bryan Cranston felt that his character was wasted (according to an interview with Breaking Bad fame, and as such, fans would have appreciated it if he had been given more responsibility.
Scream (1996)
Stream On Peacock
Despite featuring heavily in promotional materials, Drew Barrymore's character, Casey, dies within the first 10 minutes of the movie (and so does her boyfriend).
The brutal kill doesn't hurt the movie's appeal as it's still considered one of the best slasher movies ever made. And before dying, Cassey has some memorable moments too, including one where she answers a question about Friday The 13th incorrectly. It's worth noting that the character's early exit was actually Drew Barrymore's own idea (via EW).
Executive Decision (1996)
Stream On Hulu
At the height of his fame, Seagal starred as Lt. Col. Austin Travis, a commander leading a special forces team against the Italian mafia. However, Travis sacrifices himself early in the mission.
It's a moment that shocked audiences at the time, given Seagal's reputation for bossing proceedings both on-screen and behind the scenes. In most of the actor's movies, the characters he plays never die or lose out to the villain. And at the time, he was also one of the most popular actors in the world,
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Stream On Amazon Prime
When a shark escapes from a research facility, corporate financiers send Rusell Frank to investigate. He doesn't waste time marshaling the researchers and instructing them on what to do but out of nowhere, a shark shows up and devours him.
Samuel L. Jackson is always guaranteed to give great performances hence the departure of his character feels like a huge loss. The lack of a hero ends up making the sharks the true stars of the movie. Instead of getting horrified by their actions, viewers get to have a fun time watching them cause havoc.
