Just so we’re clear, wishing for anyone’s death and being entirely thrilled about it isn’t something that needs to be practiced, but when it comes to the movies, there are times when seeing the villain finally getting the final ride to whatever afterlife awaits them is pretty satisfying, especially if they happen to be an extremely tough and/or troublesome villain that grates on the nerves of a lot of people. Great villains usually deserve great deaths, but sometimes it’s nice to see that some villains manage to get even worse since they might have done something that was so godawful that they absolutely deserved to go out in one of the worst ways possible. However it happens, these are the times when the audience breaths an audible sigh of relief since they can’t help but be glad to see that the villain was finally given the treatment they’d earned. With that said, here are 10 of the most satisfying deaths of villains in movies.
10. Thanos – Avengers: Endgame
Some folks actually believe Thanos was in the right when it came to eradicating half of the life in the universe, but here’s a good question for you. Why not wish for the universe to expand so accommodate the continual growth of those living in it? That’s definitely less villainous, even if it might come with severe repercussions as well. But the MCU Thanos wasn’t any better than the comic book version since they were both intent on destroying, not creating.
9. Lo Pan – Big Trouble in Little China
You could definitely call this character arrogant since he cared about nothing but his own needs and his own return to flesh, and would do whatever it took to get what he wanted. But where he messed up was in thinking that there was no one that could dare oppose him. It might have been nice to see a bit of a prolonged fight, but given the budget, it’s still pretty cool to see someone like Jack Burton take down this character.
8. Nicky Santoro – Casino
Some folks actually liked Nicky, and it’s not hard to see why since Joe Pesci is a great actor and makes his roles work in a way that makes them easy to root for, sometimes. But Nicky was such a massive problem in this movie since from the moment he moved to Las Vegas his head expanded and it still couldn’t fit his ego since being off the chain that the bosses had kept him on was the worst thing that could have happened.
7. Breckel – The Condemned
The guy has all that money and he just HAS to stage a real-life, online deathmatch on an island that no one can find? That’s when a person is TOO rich, especially since he was so confident that he could get away with it. The fact that the explosion didn’t feel like anything special is a nice touch since we saw him reaching desperately for the grenade and then BOOM. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
6. Count Mondego – The Counte of Monte Cristo
Here’s the funny, and the great, thing about Guy Pearce. He can play the role of a guy that you can’t help but like and want to see get ahead in a movie, and then he can turn around and become a massive pain in the backside in the next role. He does it so well that you don’t even feel a bit sorry for Mondego since he dug his own grave for Dantes ever returned from prison and then the life of a smuggler.
5. Top Dollar – The Crow
This guy didn’t even have to leave his home to make the lives of others miserable since he made it possible for T-Bird and his bunch to mess up Eric Draven’s life. But the way he was forced to go out was great since Eri’s laying of hands on Top Dollar’s face delivered 30 hours of pure, unending pain that one can only think that any human mind would quail at since that kind of agony experienced in a matter of seconds feels like it would overload anyone’s gray matter.
4. Hans Gruber – Die Hard
The fact that this is now used to signify when Christmas is near is great since the debate over whether Die Hard was a Christmas movie or not was kind of funny, to be honest. But let’s be even more honest, Hans was kind of a cool and suave character, but he was a jerk. He made everyone believe that he was trying to free fellow terrorists from around the world and that he had a cause, but he was just a thief.
3. The Heads of the Five Families – The Godfather
Michael Corleone was the deadliest person in The Godfather trilogy, hands down and without question. The guy was calm and collected at a baptism while his people were out killing the heads of the other families that had allied against the Corleone’s, and he had his own brother-in-law killed without a second thought. Plus, he stepped into the role of Don Corleone smooth as silk, almost as if he were destined to take on this role.
2. King Ghidorah – Godzilla: King of the Monsters
When it comes to monster fights, this one was absolutely epic since, despite the fact that Godzilla needed help, he was juiced up in a way that even Ghidorah couldn’t handle since the scenery was melting due to his proximity. True, Ghidorah did influence the next movie, but that can hardly be called life, at least not on the same scale as when the three-headed monstrosity was still capable of moving around under his own power.
1. Stacey Bridges – High Plains Drifter
So why is this satisfying? That’s a simple explanation. Stacey was a villain without question and didn’t really deserve much more than what he received. The drifter dispensed the same kind of treatment that he’d received in life, and Stacey died without ever finding out who it was that had killed him. Now that’s revenge.
When it’s the villain the death is deserved, then it’s satisfying to watch.
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