25 iconic film deaths that stay with you forever

His death, and dying word, is the driving force behind one of the all-time classics. Charles Foster Kane dies right at the beginning of “Citizen Kane,” dropping a snow globe and whispering his final word, the cryptic “Rosebud.” Orsen Welles’ masterpiece is entirely built around Kane’s death, and is there a more famous dying word in cinema?

You may not remember than Anthony Edwards’ character in “Top Gun” has the real name of Nick Bradshaw. You remember his as Goose, just like you remember Tom Cruise and Maverick and Val Kilmer as Ice Man. In what is largely a rollicking romp of a film, the death of Goose is jarring, giving the film a jolt of pathos it might lack otherwise, and paving the way for the much-loved sequel "Top Gun: Maverick."

OK, so technically we don’t see Mr. Creosote die, but even in the absurd world of Monty Python the writing is on the wall. The ravenous glutton gets a particularly gross segment in the comedy troupe’s sketch film “The Meaning of Life.” Played by Terry Jones, Mr. Creosote eats and eats and throws up and eats. Then, he is offered a mint that is wafer thin. This mint puts him over the edge, causing his stomach to explode. Like we said, technically – and inexplicably – he’s alive for the final beat of the sketch, but that gaping hole in his stomach and chest isn’t going to let him survive very long.

This is a death that, as time goes on, people have gotten irked about. “Titanic” was the highest-grossing movie for years, and the love story at the middle is a big reason why. After the boat starts to sink, Jack and Rose are left to fend for themselves. Rose is able to climb on top of a wood board and survive, but Jack stays in the water and freezes to death. Ah, but was there enough room for both of them? That doesn’t work for the story’s purposes, but maybe it would have worked in real life.

There had to be a big death to close out the arc of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Everything was building to “Avengers: Endgame,” and there had to be some stakes. Indeed, the man who really kicked off the MCU in earnest – Tony Stark – was the one who gave up his life for the cause. With the help of his Iron Man armor, Stark is able to create a makeshift Infinity Gauntlet, but while he saved the universe with a snap of his fingers, he also died from the impact.

There are many noteworthy deaths in the world of “Star Wars.” Darth Vader’s is definitely up there. Han Solo’s packed a punch in “The Force Awakens,” though Harrison Ford’s apathy about the whole “Star Wars” thing kind of undercut that. However, we’re going with Obi-Wan’s death. That happened in the very first movie, before we really knew what to expect. He’s one of the key characters in the movie, and he’s played by a living legend in Alec Guinness. Obi-Wan’s death was the first big surprise of the “Star Wars” universe, and also the first light saber-related death as well.

Though Disney makes movies for the family, they definitely don’t shy away from death. Perhaps none packs a bigger punch than Mufasa’s. After all, his own child, Simba, has to see him die via trampling. Then, Simba later finds out that it was his uncle Scar who killed his father, but not until after Scar has convinced a young Simba he was responsible for Mufasa’s death. For kids of a certain age, this was the first real significant movie death they experienced. Mufasa and his brother have now gotten the prequel treatment (and the CGI treatment) in a successful 2024 film.

The crew on the Nostromo in “Alien” don’t have much use for first names, so you probably only know John Hurt’s character as Kane. If you haven’t seen “Alien,” you still know his character and his death. In this case, you know him as the guy who has the alien burst through his chest.

Fredo’s death had some pathos, but nobody in “The Godfather” universe has a death quite like Sonny’s. Ambushed at a toll booth, the hotheaded oldest son of the Corleone family is riddled with enough bullets to make Bonnie and Clyde’s deaths look tame in comparison. Of course, this opened the door for Michael to take over the family, and that didn’t go well for the folks who gunned down Sonny.

She doesn’t have any lines as an adult, and she’s dead early in the film, but we still had to include Ellie (eventually Ellie Fredricksen we assume) on this list. You know her as the woman from the beginning of “Up.” Carl and Ellie meet as kids, and we watch a montage of their entire lives together. That ends with Ellie’s death, leaving Carl a lonely widower. Then, somehow, “Up” becomes a romp involving a talking dog.

“Die Hard” is perhaps the quintessential action movie, and Gruber is in turn perhaps the quintessential action movie villain. As such, his death was assured to be memorable. It’s maybe not as dynamic as some of these deaths, but it is well done. Gruber falls from the top of Nakatomi Plaza to his death, and when he begins his descent we get to see Alan Rickman’s shocked face in slow motion, which is a nice cinematic touch (and also apparently genuine, as they dropped Rickman before he was prepared to capture his response).

There are many deaths in “Saving Private Ryan,” many of them gory and anonymous. However, even in a movie attuned to the horrors of war, Steven Spielberg obviously had to have a big, sweeping “movie” death for Miller. Tom Hanks’ character has sacrificed his life for his platoon, and for the titular Private Ryan. Is it a little maudlin when he tells Ryan to “earn this?” Perhaps, but it also definitely sticks with you.

They flipped the script in “Star Trek Into Darkness” but we’re going with “The Wrath of Kahn” here. Spock sacrifices his life to save the crew of the ship, including Captain James T. Kirk. Kirk and Spock share a tender moment together as Spock dies from being poisoned. We get one last “Live long and prosper” and an iconic angry movie moment from William Shatner. Then they’ve bring Spock back to life later, which undercut things a bit.

John Singleton was only 24 when he directed “Boyz n the Hood,” but it really packed a punch. The story of growing up black in South Central Los Angeles amid gang activity has moments of triumph, but also many moment of tragedy. This includes when Ricky, who has academic hopes for going to college, is gunned down in an alley before he gets a chance to get out of the neighborhood.

“Do the Right Thing” never loses its relevance, which is unfortunate. Tensions are high on a scorchingly hot day, but things are taken to the next level with Radio Raheem is murdered by a police officer. A riot unfolds afterward, which destroys the pizza parlor that Mookie worked for. Of course, Mookie threw the first trash cash through the window of the pizza shop, so there’s that.

Sure, the Iron Giant is a giant alien robot, but that doesn’t mean he can’t die. It also doesn’t mean his death at the end of “The Iron Giant,” such as it is, isn’t heartbreaking. The Giant sacrifices his life by flying into the sky to intercept a missile that was heading toward the town of Rockwell. His sacrifice saves the day, but it cost the Iron Giant his life.

In all three versions of “King Kong,” the giant ape dies the same way. Kong climbs a giant building in New York, original the Empire State Building, with a blonde woman in tow. Planes shoot at him, he tries to swat them off, and in the end King Kong falls from the building to his death. Also, of course it’s beauty that killed the beast.

For the bulk of “Apocalypse Now,” we’re watching Willard head up the river during the Vietnam War to find Colonel Kurtz. He’s purportedly gone mad and started a cult in the jungle. When we meet Kurtz (played indelibly by Marlon Brando), there is nothing to argue against that. Willard does manage to complete his mission (terminate, with extreme prejudice) by killing Kurtz. Mirroring an animal sacrifice happening at the same time, Kurtz fades into death with his famous final words: “The horror. The horror.”

Alfred Hitchcock did not want anybody showing up late to “Psycho.” To him, it was vital that viewers watch the entire movie. That makes sense for basically every film, but especially this one. When “Psycho” begins, you believe that Marion is the main character. Then, she stops at the Bates Motel. A few minutes later she’s being murdered in the shower, and our purported protagonist is no more.

Poor Chrissy at the beginning of “Jaws” definitely had a memorable death, but we’re going with Quint here. Maybe that’s because we get to spend some actual time getting to know him. Maybe it’s because he’s played by Robert Shaw, a fantastic actor. In the end, it’s probably the fact when Quint dies we watch him getting eaten by a shark. That makes an impact.

Speaking of misdirections in horror movies, Drew Barrymore is not long for “Scream.” That’s well known at this point. When people went to see the movie, though, nobody expect Drew’s Casey to get killed off right away. It’s one of the most-famous horror movie deaths, and that’s saying something given the body count in that genre.

If there is one image you remember in “Platoon,” it’s assuredly of Sergeant Elias Gordon. Willem Dafoe watches a helicopter leave him behind as he is shot by enemy soldiers. Elias falls to his knees, arms in the air, as bullets riddle his body. It’s operatic in its execution. Oliver Stone doesn’t have time for subtlety.

You may not remember the name Arnold Toht. What if we called him “The Nazi whose face melts off in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’?” Then you definitely remember his death, right? It’s impossible to forget that image once you see it, especially since so many of us first saw “Raiders” as kids.

Once things went awry at “Jurassic Park,” things were bound to go bad. Dennis Nedry, who was responsible for the issues, gets his comeuppance at the hands of a dino. However, his death pales in comparison to Donald Gennaro, the lawyer checking out how safe everything is at Jurassic Park. He flees from a car to try and escape a Tyrannosaurus Rex, only to be eaten by that T. Rex off of a toilet.

Most people in movies can handle getting splashed with water. The woman in “Flashdance” seems to thrive off of it. The Wicked Witch of the West from “Wizard of Oz,” though? Water and her were not friends. When the witch got doused by water she straight-up melts. Even if she is wicked, her screams of agony still pack a punch. Now, thanks to all the "Wicked" backstory, that might be even more true.