As demonstrated in Baz Luhrmann's most recent biopic, Elvis, sometimes the best way to tell a character's story is to start things rolling with their unfortunate ending and an explanation of how they got there. It's not the most conventional storytelling method, but many of cinema's iconic films utilize this motif to a tremendous effect.
Whether it's used to throw a curveball ending, misdirect the audience, or simply play with the audience's expectations and emotions, beginning with a main character's death is undoubtedly a great way to snag the viewer's attention before the plot essentially starts.
Tangled (2010)
Although it's on a technicality, Disney's animated rendition of Rapunzel does begin with the words "this is the story of how I died." Going in blind, fans are completely unaware that Flynn, narrating the opening exposition of the story, does in fact die in the story's main plot before being revived by Rapunzel. To their credit, that's a pretty creative twist for a princess movie.
It could be considered a fakeout, but there is an element of truth to the statement, as Flynn Rider is technically a dead man telling the story of how he perished and was brought back to life by a girl with magic hair. Chalk it up to Disney knowing the fine arts of storytelling.
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Yes, it's impossible to kill Deadpool without him pulling himself back together. However, since he literally sets his apartment and himself ablaze in an over-the-top explosion to symbolize his death/rebirth, it's truly something worthy of the Merc with a Mouth. After all, it's that kind of humor that keeps audiences coming back for more and more Deadpool.
To be fair, it's not the first time Deadpool has died to start his own movie. In fact, the argument can be made that he is in a perpetual state of death and rejuvenation due to his mutation, but that's a bit of a moot point when it's literally his superpower.
The Others (2001)
The Others is a haunted house movie that turned the genre on its head in 2001. It's a gothic horror film that upped the spook factor set forth in movies like The Sixth Sense, and practically spiraled its twist to create a more chilling final result.
Like many films of its breed, it begins with the unknown death of the film's lead characters, and all the while it's kept ambiguous as to what their fate actually is. The line between the world of the living and the world of the dead is brilliantly blurred to create a sense of dread and suspense that hardly leaves the viewer.
Meet Joe Black (1998)
The myth of Death and The Maiden is one that goes back to ancient Greece, but this remake of Death Takes a Holiday featuring Brad Pitt in the titular role has a very unforgettable introduction to its leading man. In order for death to have a corporeal form, he needs to borrow one not in use, which is precisely how his handsome blonde avatar comes into the picture.
When the audience is first introduced to the man-who-would-be-Death, he's shortly killed off in a somewhat goofy fashion, essentially being ping-ponged between two cars before ultimately perishing in the accident. That being said, it's undoubtedly one of the most memorable character deaths in cinema, and it does bring Death himself into the plot.
Spawn (1997)
So many superheroes are created thanks to the death of someone close to them, but there is the occasion when it's their own demise that sets their superhero origin stories in motion. Case in point, Al Simmons, who makes a deal with the devil, Malebolgia, to save his soul from damnation by becoming the unkillable Spawn.
Although it's unquestionably dated by today's superhero movie standards, Spawn did act as a sort of catalyst to the genre. Without this piece of the '90s, fans might not have the likes of the MCU today, even with its gratuitous amounts of CGI.
RoboCop (1987)
Whether it's the timeless 1987 original or the 2014 remake, one thing had to happen in order for Alex Murphy to become the cybernetic hero of a dystopian Detroit. He had to first shed his mortal coil and be brought back through bio-mechanical means, thus bringing the world RoboCop.
The ultraviolent original truly spared no expense when it came to tearing Murphy apart, which only made it that much more impressive to see him put back together as the cyborg superhero. Watching RoboCop absolutely blast through the drug-smuggling crime lords without even flinching never fails to scratch a certain action movie itch.
The Crow (1994)
Gothic movies and superhero films tend to use death to kick start the events of the plot. In the case of Eric Draven, however, it results in the creation of the supernatural spirit of vengeance. When T-Bird and his gang of thugs murder a rockstar and his beloved, they unleashed a reckoning that soon has them atoning for their sins in the form of the Crow.
Vengeance is a powerful motive, especially when coming back from the dead to avenge someone's death, including a character's own. This is one bird of prey that never forgives and never forgets.
Elvis (2022)
Biopics are never ones to shy away from a character's death, and this elaborate production surrounding the King of Rock and Roll is no exception. It was essentially a how-did-they-get-here moment that kickstarted Baz Luhrmann's character study of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley. The death of Elvis marked the end of an era, and the film shows the origins and career of arguably the most successful solo act in the music industry.
Both the Colonel and Elvis were larger-than-life characters who needed a film like this to tell their stories, and Lurhmann's musical fantasy certainly delivered. Exploring both the origins of the musician's style, career, and legacy along with his relationship with his manager, the film offers an experience as iconic as Elvis himself.
Beetlejuice (1988)
"There's a word for people in our situation: ghosts!" It should come as no surprise that a Tim Burton production like Beetlejuice would begin with someone's death, and it certainly wasn't the first. However, there aren't many stranger ways to start a successful comedy than by killing off two of the main characters in only a few minutes of screen time.
Adam and Barbara might not be as zany or entertaining as their pinstriped poltergeist, but their unfortunate demise is handled in a way that only the eccentric nature of Tim Burton could manifest. Death by dog on a bridge might not be the most common way to enter the Neitherworld, but it's certainly one of the most humorous.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Since the film is over 23 years old, a spoiler warning is pretty much useless. Given the fact that Bruce Willis's Dr. Malcolm is shot in the opening scenes of the film, it's sort of a no-brainer that he would be a ghost giving therapy to an ESP-gifted child. That being said, the shock value is still there for all newcomers to the Shyamalan film.
The audience clearly sees Dr. Malcolm attacked at the beginning of the story, and once Cole's powers are confirmed to be real and not a hallucination, the more perceptive viewers will pick up on the twist soon enough. With that all in mind, it's still perhaps one of the more polished examples of a Shyamalan twist.