18 Films Featuring Iconic Moments of Mortality

It always stinks when our favorite characters in movies die because we form a bond with them as the story unfolds. Some deaths are more harrowing than others. Here are some of the more iconic on the big screen.

1. Aliens (1986)

The alien, a xenomorph, kills Paul Reiser, aka Carter J. Burke, as he tries to slip away when the aliens are attacking the rest of the crew. Brutal.

2. Terminator 2 (1991)

The T-1000 fell into a large vat of molten liquid. Alas, despite an attempt to reform itself, it “died” due to the extreme heat. As it died, it recalled everyone it imitated before taking on a blank human form and finally melting into liquid steel — heavy, man. 

3. Avengers: Endgame (2019) 

For years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) had been criticized for an apparent lack of consequences for the main characters — the idea that they would be kept alive for the sake of another movie. Welp, all of that went out of the window in Avengers: Endgame, a film that saw Iron Man — the person who started the MCU — make the ultimate sacrifice. Making this scene all the cooler was the fact that he did so with his typically charismatic flair. 

4. RoboCop (1987)

It's hard to find a less artful death than Alex Murphy's, but it fit right in with the cruel, cynical world that was RoboCop. Cornered by a bunch of depraved criminals, the soon-to-be RoboCop gets his limbs blown off before mercifully being shot. It's about as grotesque as it gets, and it perfectly evokes the spirit of the universe it inhabits. 

5. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)

Some say that one of the most iconic death scenes they have ever seen was in Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. Who can blame them, really? Plus, it's somehow comedic. 

6. John Wick (2014, 2017, 2019, 2023)

If you are a fan of the John Wick franchise, you are most likely familiar with how fantastic their death scenes are. Keanu Reeves is legendary in his role as Wick.

7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

When prisoner McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) gets sent to a psychiatric hospital, the power-hungry nurse on the ward does everything she can to crush his spirit. While at the hospital, McMurphy bonds with a stoic patient who eventually takes his life out of kindness. After a long battle, the hospital forces McMurphy to get a lobotomy, leaving him incapacitated and a shell of his former self. McMurphy's friend smothers him to death.

8. The Godfather (1972)

This classic mobster drama features many wild death scenes, but one of the most iconic is the death of Sonny Corleone (James Caan). As he drives up to a toll booth to pay his fare, he's ambushed by ten or so men who pull out guns and take him down in his car.

9. The Land Before Time (1988)

The Land Before Time is a classic animated children's film about a young dinosaur on a mission to reach the Great Valley, a place where plant-eating dinosaurs roam without fear. Before he embarks on his mission, he witnesses the death of his beloved mother as she sacrifices herself to protect him from a carnivorous beast.

10. Hereditary (2018)

This terrifying horror film features the most shocking death scene I've ever witnessed. When a teenager wants to go to a party, he tells his parents a white lie about where he's going, and they tell him to bring his younger sister along. The sister has an allergic reaction at the party, and her brother rushes her to the hospital. But on the way there, she sticks her head out the window for air and is decapitated by a telephone pole.

11. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Not many films compare to Saving Private Ryan in their ability to display the harrowing events of the war from the soldiers' perspective. The film is filled with tragic loss, but one scene that stands out in fans' memories is when Technician Wade (Giovanni Ribisi), a helpful medic, loses his life. The men gather around him in an attempt to save him. However, Wade knows he won't make it, and he requests more morphine before calling for his mother and passing away.

12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Fans of the Harry Potter series will never forget the iconic death of one of the greatest wizards of all time: Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). After Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Dumbledore return from their quest to locate a terrifying object known as a Horcrux, they return to Hogwarts, where Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) pulls out his wand and murders a defenseless old man.

13. Titanic (1997)

Can you imagine a death scene more iconic than when Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) dies in Titanic? We can all picture Rose (Kate Winslet) lying atop some floating wood while Jack clings to the side while submerged in the freezing water. As Rose grapples with his loss, his body slips lower and lower into the ocean, and Rose utters the iconic line, “I'll never let go.”

14. Die Hard (1988)

When a group of terrorists run by mastermind Hans Gruber (Allen Rickman) takes a Christmas party hostage, one man must do what it takes to save his wife and the other partygoers from a terrible fate. At the end of the film, Gruber dies when he's tricked and shot, causing him to dangle out the broken window of a skyscraper as he clutches his wife's hand for safety. But eventually, he plummets to his death on the sidewalk below.

15. La Confidential (1997)

This famous police investigation thriller follows three cops with different motives investigating a cold case from the 1950s. Officer Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) goes to get information from a fellow detective at his home when the other cop suddenly shoots him in the chest. The close-up of Vincennes' face is chilling as the life leaves his eyes.

16. Bambi (1942)

One of the most heartbreaking death scenes is when Bambi's mom dies. At the beginning of the film, the two are grazing on some grass when a hunter emerges from the trees and chases them, eventually killing Bambi's mother.

17. The NeverEnding Story (1984)

The NeverEnding Story follows a boy who picks up a mysterious fantasy book and begins to realize he's part of the story. Artax, a faithful horse, dies in the Swamp of Sadness while on the journey for a mystical cure for the princess. The horse essentially takes his own life in this dismal scene.

18. The Lion King (1994)

The young king of the lions has some growing up to do in this Disney classic, especially after the tragic death of his father, Mufasa (James Earl Jones). The evil Scar (Jeremy Irons), Mufasa's brother, sets up what looks like a terrible accident when Mufasa is trampled by a herd of wildebeest in front of his horrified son.