While the pleasure of a movie is generally in following the main character as they navigate their life towards success, some of the most powerful films also portray a protagonist’s demise. In many ways, it is actually the journey that is most interesting about the story rather than a character’s happy ending.
From animated films to live actions, there are many movies where the main character meets their final moments in the same story. However, it is nonetheless inspiring to witness a character’s beginning and end and to chronicle what they made of their life.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
This film from David Fincher tells the story of a man who ages backward. Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) is born, strangely, as an old man, and he experiences “growing up” in reverse; for example, he learns to walk as a newly “born” elderly person.
Threaded into Benjamin Button’s life is a complicated relationship with Daisy (Cate Blanchett), who begins as his friend and, when they reach the same age, becomes his romantic partner. Benjamin continues to age backward, getting younger and younger, and eventually dies as an infant with the mental faculties of an elderly man. Benjamin Button, however, nonetheless lived, even if oddly.
Big Hero 6 (2016)
Disney’s Big Hero 6 is a fun, inspiring, and tender portrait of friendship. The central plot revolves around Hiro (Ryan Potter) and his healthcare robot, Baymax (Scott Adsit) - created by his late brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney).
As Hiro and Baymax discover that there may be a larger threat facing the city of San Fransokyo, likely what caused Tadashi’s death, they join forces with Go Go (Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez), and Fred (T.J. Miller) to fight the threat.
At the tear-jerking climax of the movie, Baymax and Hiro struggle to make it through the portal back to the real world together; Baymax decides to sacrifice himself to propel Hiro back through the portal, who survives, though now without his companion.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth superimposes a present-day story in 1944 Spain with the mythical fairytale of Princess Moanna of the underworld. The main story follows protagonist Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) as she completes three tasks presented to her in a magical realist labyrinth.
However, in the final task she must complete, Ofelia is required to draw a drop of blood from her baby brother, which Ofelia does not want to do. As she seeks to find a way out, Ofelia’s stepfather shoots her to recover the baby. In the final scenes of the film, Ofelia is warmly welcomed to the underworld as Princess Moanna as she dies in Mercedes' arms.
The Prestige (2006)
Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige is a mind-bending mystery that centers on Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), who pursue careers as magicians in London. The pair go their separate ways but continue to meddle in each other’s performances, sabotaging each other’s tricks.
The stakes of their performances continue to escalate, even harming them physically in the present world, and Angier ends up using a machine built by Nikola Tesla (David Bowie) to create duplicates of himself. At the very end, Borden shoots Angier in a theater, and Angier’s duplicates appear, also dead.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
This film follows Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks), who has been ordered to save James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) during the aftermath of the D-Day invasion. Miller and his team weather battlefields to reach Ryan, losing some men along the way.
Eventually, Miller finally reaches Ryan, and Miller helps Ryan defend the bridge at Ramelle. In the process, though, Miller sustains a serious bullet wound, which becomes fatal. The film concludes with Miller’s dying words and a transition to his tombstone, where an elderly Ryan salutes to the grave.
Gladiator (2000)
Gladiator is a historical epic movie, starring Russell Crowe as General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who, after defying Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) and being arrested, becomes a gladiator.
In his last fight against Marcus Aurelius’ son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), Maximus successfully kills Commodus, but only after enduring many wounds himself. Maximus dies from his injuries, though he dies an honorable Roman death, as he is carried out of the Colosseum after uttering last words for political reform.
Thelma & Louise (1991)
Ridley Scott’s iconic 1991 film sees a physical, mental, and emotional journey between two friends as they try to escape the law. The story revolves around best friends Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon), who embark on a short weekend getaway that takes a drastic turn when they shoot a man in self-defense.
The vacation turns into a runaway road trip as the women must figure out their next steps. They can only run so far and so long, though, and the police eventually catch up to them. However, in the final scene, Thelma and Louise do not submit to the police and, after sharing a tender kiss, drive their car off the cliff.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Batman (Christian Bale) just barely cheats death in the last installment of The Dark Knight Trilogy. At the climax of the standoff with Bane (Tom Hardy) and Talia (Marion Cotillard), Batman quickly carries the detonated bomb to a safe distance and absorbs the explosion.
He is later declared dead, and the audience, along with Alfred (Michael Caine), is led to believe that Bruce has died also. Bruce Wayne’s funeral proceeds and the estate is left to Alfred. However, a few scenes later, while Alfred is at a cafe in Florence, he catches a glimpse of Bruce, quiet, alive, and well in the distance with Selina.
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of the same title, The Great Gatsby is set in the roaring 1920s and profiles the brooding and mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) through writer Nick Carraway’s (Tobey Maguire) eyes. As Nick gets to know Gatsby and his world of luxury and parties, he also discovers that Gatsby has a deep loneliness due to the lost love he has for Daisy (Carey Mulligan).
In the end, Gatsby's love for Daisy is essentially what kills him, as his car gets tangled up in a hit and run. George Wilson (Jason Clarke) later shoots Gatsby to avenge his wife’s death. The movie is a chronicle of Gatsby’s life to death, and while his death is shocking, it also feels like a poetic end to a poetically tragic life.
Titanic (1998)
James Cameron’s Oscar-winning Titanic is a love story that ends in tragedy. Set amidst the historical sinking of the British passenger ship, the film follows first-class passenger Rose (Kate Winslet) and third-class artist Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), who meet after a chance encounter.
As a forbidden relationship blossoms between the two, the romance abruptly comes to an end when the ship crashes into an iceberg. While Rose survives, Jack does not. However, there is somewhat of a happy ending for the two as they are reunited in the afterlife.