Summary

  • The Final Destination franchise has only had two survivors so far, Kimberly Corman and Thomas Burke, who managed to cheat Death's plans.
  • Both Kimberly and Thomas haven't been mentioned in the franchise since their respective movies, leaving their fate uncertain.
  • While it's unclear if the characters will return in Final Destination 6, the possibility remains open as legacy sequels often bring back old characters, and they are the only characters to have successfully beaten Death.

The Final Destination franchise insists one can't cheat Death, and to that end, there have only ever been two Final Destination survivors so far. The Final Destination movies see human beings trying to fight against such a force and they obviously have very low odds of winning. The only edge the characters have is the opening premonition sequences, in which the main protagonist experiences a terrifying vision of some kind of mass casualty event.

Audiences return to these movies again and again not for the intricate plots, but for the exceedingly gory and creative methods that Death employs to kill those who escape their intended fate. Several of the Final Destination movies end with every single character getting killed, and other rare survivors tend to die offscreen between movies. However, while the Final Destination kill counts are high there have been two Final Destination survivors; Final Destination 2 heroes Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) and Thomas Burke (Michael Landes).

Related
Final Destination: Every Death Rule (& Exception) Explained
The Final Destination franchise focuses on Death's design, which is constantly changing; here is every death rule and their exceptions explained.

Kimberly Corman

Final Destination 2

Kimberly looks concerned in Final Destination 2

While the original Final Destination's Alex Browning, survived the first movie, he's revealed to have been killed offscreen by a falling brick prior to Final Destination 2. His friend/love interest Clear Rivers returned for the sequel but was one of the last to die. Final Destination 3, 4, and 5 all end with a closing disaster that kills off the whole cast too. That leaves Kimberly, who had the premonition in Final Destination 2. However, Kimberly survived at the end of the film after avoiding a huge car crash and drowning, and she never returned for a sequel, hinting that she's safe.

The Final Destination movies often reveal that other surviving characters from previous films in the franchise died off-screen, but Kimberly has never once been mentioned in the franchise since. However, one thing worth noting about this is that a text extra on the home video release of Final Destination 3 asserts that Kimberly did in fact get killed off between films, keeping up the franchise's pattern. Her method of alleged death was quite grisly as well, with both getting caught inside a wood chipper.

Watch Final Destination 2

Thomas Burke

Final Destination 2

Kimberly Corman and Marshal Thomas Burke in Final Destination's 2 Freeway Log Accident Scene

Thomas, who is a police officer who also appears in Final Destination 2 and works closely with Kimberly, survives a massive car wreck after he was supposed to die. Like Kimberly, Thomas hasn't been mentioned in the series since, so it's safe to assume that Thomas is still alive. However, again like Kimberly, Thomas was killed in the wood chipper with Kimberly according to the Final Destination 3 bonus feature. Nevertheless, given that his death was simply a piece of text in a bonus feature, it's up to the audience if they want to believe the wood-chipper event that happened in the cinematic universe.

Related
How To Watch The Final Destination Movies In Order
There is a subtle difference between the chronological and release date orders of the Final Destination franchise - which is the best way to watch?

Could The Final Destination Survivors Return In The Next Movie?

Final Destination 6 logo

Final Destination 6 is currently in development, and while not much is known about the movie, it's hard not to speculate whether or not the series' only two survivors will return. A common trend with legacy sequels is to bring back old characters, so there's a chance both Kimberly and Thomas could make a comeback. Though they were killed off in a bonus feature, it's unclear if that text is officially meant to be canon, as it's not mentioned in any of the actual films. Plus, it's also unclear if any of the movie's screenwriters signed off on that particular extra feature.

With that in mind, Kimberly and Thomas remain the only Final Destination characters to beat Death for good, and there's no reason they can't return. Unfortunately, though, it has been confirmed that Final Destination 6 will focus on a group of first responders, something that Thomas and Kimberly aren't. However, just like how the Final Destination 2 characters tracked down Clear Rivers for help, the first responders could do the same thing with Kimberly and Thomas. Additionally, Tony Todd's William Bludworth is returning for the Final Destination sequel, so other characters could return too.

final destination 6 poster
Final Destination 6
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Horror
Supernatural

The premonition-based horror franchise returns in Final Destination 6. This entry acts a relaunch for the series with the formula remaining the same. Each Film's protagonist is given a vision of a deadly event that takes several lives - by using this information to avoid their own death and the deaths of others, By doing this, death looks to claim those who've escaped by orchestrating bizarre accidents that kill them one by one. 

Director
Zach Lipovsky , Adam B. Stein
Main Genre
Horror
Writers
Guy Busick , Lori Evans Taylor
Franchise
Final Destination
Prequel
Final Destination 5
Producer
Craig Perry, Sheila Hanahan Taylor, Dianne McGunigle

  • Final Destination Movie Poster
    Final Destination
    Summary:
    After a teenager has a terrifying vision of him and his friends dying in a plane crash, he prevents the accident only to have Death hunt them down, one by one.
    Release Date:
    2000-03-17
    Assistant Director :
    Jack Hardy
    Budget:
    $23 million
    Cast:
    Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Kristen Cloke, Daniel Roebuck, Roger Guenveur Smith
    Cinematographer:
    Robert McLachlan
    Director:
    James Wong
    Distributor :
    New Line Cinema
    Franchise:
    Final Destination
    Genres:
    Horror, Mystery
    Producer:
    Craig Perry, Glen Morgan, Warren Zide
    Production Company:
    New Line Cinema, Hard Eight Pictures, Zide-Perry Productions
    Rating:
    R
    Runtime:
    98 minutes
    Sequel:
    Final Destination 2, Final Destination 5, The Final Destination, Final Destination 3
    Sfx Supervisor:
    Ariel Velasco-Shaw
    Writers:
    Jeffrey Reddick, James Wong, Glen Morgan
    Main Genre:
    Horror