Here's why Roxy's unceremonious demise in Kingsman: The Golden Circle was a mistake. Director Matthew Vaughn's fruitful collaboration with Mark Millar began with 2010's Kick-Ass, which was adapted from Millar's graphic novel. The story followed a teenager who decides to become a real-life superhero following an accident that leaves him with a high pain threshold. He soon gets sucked into a battle between a mob boss and father/daughter vigilantes Big Daddy and Hit-Girl. The film became a success, though sequel Kick-Ass 2 - which Vaughn produced instead of directing - was seen as a disappointment.
Matthew Vaughn next directed Kingsman, which was again adapted by screenwriter Jane Goldman from a Millar comic. The movie followed Eggsy (Taron Egerton, Rocketman) who trains to become a spy in an elite organization known as The Kingsman. He's mentored by Harry Hart (Colin Firth), with the duo teaming up to take down Samuel L. Jackson's supervillain. The film was something of an homage to Roger Moore era James Bond and featured a witty script and great action. The movie was a resounding hit, which led to 2017's Kingsman: The Golden Circle. While the film was another hit it received a more mixed reception, with certain story elements - including a distasteful sex scene - being criticized in reviews.
For some, one of the big issues with Kingsman: The Golden Circle was it lacked the heart of the original. The first movie had its share of violence and non-PC humor, but it was grounded by its relationships. Chief among these was the friendship between Eggsy and Roxy, who both train to join The Kingsman. Unlike the other snobby candidates who look down on Eggsy, she treats him with respect, and the pair help each other out during training. Roxy proves to be an exceptional agent too - despite a fear of heights - and eventually wins the title of Lancelot over Eggsy. Nonetheless, she, Eggsy and Merlin work together in the finale to take down villain Valentine's plan.
Roxy became a fan favorite and a sequel should have given her more room to grow. Sadly, the character - alongside every Kingsman aside from Eggsy and Merlin - is blown up by a missile in the first act of Kingsman: The Golden Circle. This obviously raises the stakes and makes things personal for Eggsy, but it also felt like a cheap death for a character with lots of potential. Another element that hurts the sequel is the ludicrous resurrection of Firth's Harry. The death of Harry was a major turning point in Kingsman and underlined the danger facing Eggsy, but it's revealed in the sequel he was saved by the Statesman, who applied a magical gel that repairs the brain damage caused by his headshot.
While Colin Firth is great in the role, this flippant resurrection cheapens the dramatic impact of his death. It also highlights how pointless Roxy's death was, since Kingsman: The Golden Circle seemingly killed her to make way for new character's like Channing Tatum's Agent Tequila - who is quickly sidelined due to Tatum having schedule conflicts with Logan Lucky during production. Roxy could have easily filled Tequila or Harry's role, or just been worked into the narrative in another way. Some fans are hopeful Roxy somehow escaped the explosion and could return for a future Kingsman movie. Given that they've pulled that trick once with Harry Hart, it's unlikely they'll pull it again to resurrect Roxy - even though she deserved better.
