13 Sci-Fi Characters Who Went Out With One Final Emotional Gut-Punch

Iron Man's (Robert Downey Jr.) exit inAvengers: EndgameThis finished 23 films and ten years of story. RDJ served as the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2008.Iron ManThis led to his surprising end inEndgameTony Stark swipes the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos (Josh Brolin) in the film's climax to destroy his army and stop him from taking half the universe again.

The film shows Tony is mortal despite his tech and armor. The gauntlet's power takes his life. Tony was the Avengers' jerk, but he chose to die for mankind. Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) grieve Tony's body. Iron Man started the Avengers/Infinity Stone arc, so ending with him fit.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2This story is about family. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) finds his real father, Ego (Kurt Russell), a half-human, half-planet. Ego reveals he is not nice.HeEgo infected Star-Lord's mother with cancer, causing her death. Star-Lord and the Guardians attacked Ego in a rage, starting a space battle that nearly killed Star-Lord. Yondu (Michael Rooker) saved him by giving him his only spacesuit.

Yondu raised Star-Lord like a bandit. Yondu was a tough guy, but he showed Star-Lord more love than Ego did, even through his tragic end. Yondu's sacrifice showed that family means loving someone no matter what and doing anything for them. Yondu appears inVol. 2This moment is one of the saddest in the MCU.

The T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) lowers himself into molten steel at the end ofTerminator 2: Judgment DayWhat happens to still make the bestTerminatorThe Terminator film sends the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) to kill young John Connor (Edward Furlong). This happens before Connor becomes the warrior leading the fight against Skynet and stopping access to U.S. nuclear weapons for "Judgment Day." The original T-800 returns to save John and Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) from their new pursuer.

The T-800 destroys Miles Dyson's (Joe Morton) lab and grabs the original Terminator arm, which powered Dyson's research. The T-800 and the Connors then fight the T-1000. The T-800 defeats its foe, freeing John. Then, the T-800, who became a sidekick, pet, and father figure to John, offers to lower itself into molten steel. This stops its CPU/technology from serving bad goals. As its body breaks down, it gives John a final thumbs-up.

The classicStar WarsCharacters just cannot recover in the new trilogy. InThe Force AwakensHan Solo returns to smuggling. He teams up with the Resistance to destroy a superweapon ship and the First Order regime. Han, Rey (Daisey Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Chewy face Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the First Order's supreme leader and Han and Leia's rogue son (Carrie Fisher).

Han tries to reason with his son before Kylo stabs his father through the chest with a lightsaber. The galaxy's beloved rogue hero dies suddenly. The sad part is not Han's death by his son after all these years, but Chewbacca watching his best friend die so brutally. Han and Chewy were inseparable; watching them fall was heartbreaking. The scene at least freed Harrison Ford from the franchise.

Joss Whedon shocked audiences by removing fan-favorite Wash (Alan Tudyk) via a surprise impalement in theFireflySpinoff/continuation filmSerenity. On their ship, Mal (Nathan Fillion) and the crew let siblings take shelter.Serenity, as the Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) hunts them. After a chase, Wash pilots the ship out of danger and toward a broadcast tower. The ship nearly sinks, but Wash lands safely.SerenityWash pilots the crew safely on the ground.

The moment seems like they survived. A tragic twist hits: Wash gets impaled by a loose Reaver spear. He dies instantly with no time to understand. This moment is so sad it makes you wishFireflyended after its acclaimed one-season run, so Wash could live forever.

E.T. technically dies earlier in the film, althoughE.T.The film 'E.T. Says 'I'll Be Right Here' As He Leaves Earth With His Family' surprisingly does not end with his death. This happens because it is a wholesome Steven Spielberg movie. The story follows an alien, nicknamed E.T., who crash-lands in a suburban backyard. A young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas) unofficially adopts him, finding and immediately befriending the alien. E.T. dies while hidden in Elliott's house. Authorities learn about the alien and come to get him for science.

Elliott and E.T. escape on E.T.'s bike. They use E.T.'s telekinesis to jump over the FBI roadblock for safety. E.T. returns to his spaceship. Right before leaving, he tearfully tells Elliott, "I'll be right here," embraces him, and departs. The bond between Elliott and E.T. was heartwarming. It mostly delivers anti-xenophobia ideas to young viewers.

Another major Marvel player's story ends inAvengers: EndgameCaptain America, AKA Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), is a major Marvel player. Both Captain America and Iron ManCaptain America and Iron ManFans may have found Captain America and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) perishing in the same film too much. The writers found a better way to end Steve Rogers's story, which spanned over 70 years after the events ofEndgameAfter Endgame and Tony's sacrifice, Steve uses the stones to go back in time. Steve finishes his life with his true love, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell).

When Falcon (Anthony Mackie) waits for Steve's return, he sees something wrong. He notices Steve waiting nearby, holding the Captain America shield. Steve stayed behind after going back in time, living the next 70 years with Peggy before returning to where Falcon and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) wait. The reveal of old Steve Rogers is sad. Watching him pass the mantle to Falcon and Bucky made the scene much stronger.

One of the most controversial but unforgettable moments in all ofStar WarsLuke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) death at the end ofThe Last Jedi(which also happens to be one ofthe most controversial filmsin the saga).Luke hid on an island on the planet Ahch-To to avoid conflict. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) threatens the resistance with his army. Luke uses the Force to project himself into the battle, holding off Kylo and sacrificing himself.

Many fans were shocked by this moment. Fans did not expect Luke's death, especially since his character was not reintroduced to theStar WarsLuke Skywalker continues the sequel trilogy until the final film. Some fans thought this action seemed odd for Luke, but the character is in a mentor phase now. His fighting days ended. Like Yoda or Obi-Wan, Luke's Jedi duty remains: guide the new rebel fighters, no matter the cost, even his own life.

Under futuristic technology dystopia, the story takes place.A.I. tells a simple story about creating sentient beings too conscious for human needs like love and companionship. David (Haley Joel Osment) is a bot built by Cybertronics to comfort Monica Swinton (Frances O'Connor), whose son is comatose. After her son wakes up, David is abandoned in the woods. David is imprinted; his love for his mother lasts forever. This need sends him searching for the Blue Fairy to become a real boy so Monica loves him again.This story shows the danger of making beings fully conscious who want human needs like love and companionship. Cybertronics, the mega tech company, built David (Haley Joel Osment) as a bot to calm Monica Swinton (Frances O'Connor), whose only son is in a coma. But after her son wakes up, David is cruelly discarded in the woods to decay. David is imprinted; his love for his human mother lasts forever. His need for that love and her parenting pushes him to find the Blue Fairy and become a real boy so Monica will love him again.

Unlike Pinocchio,PinocchioDavid cannot become a real boy. He is stuck knowing he is a robot in a world that does not care about him. David only wants one more day with his adoptive mother. Over 2,000 years later, he finally gets that chance. Advanced, highly evolved Mecha can recreate Monica from an old DNA strand. David reunites with his lost mother for one day. It is the happiest day of his life.

HAL 9000 was a programmed AI with frightening consciousness. Its end in 2001: A Space Odyssey was surprisingly sad. HAL was built into the ship's system and began as a helpful crew member on Discovery 1.2001: A Space OdysseyHAL started as a helpful crew member on Discovery 1. HAL was built directly into the ship's system.Discovery 1Crew members grew weary of HAL after noticing an error it caused. HAL started harming crew members to protect itself.

Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) finally enters HAL's control center. Dave shuts down HAL by removing its modules. As Dave removes them, HAL's consciousness crumbles, recalling old memories and code. HAL sings "Daisy Bell," its pitch drops until its voice stops. Filmmakers still copy this scene.

Never Let Me GoThis film misleads. Initially, it shows a simple romance among friends turning into a love triangle. Later, it reveals a dystopian, grim story about the human body and fate. Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield), and Ruth (Keira Knightley) are clones raised to be organ donors, finishing their lives in early adulthood. They form a love triangle while dealing with their upcoming operations.

After Ruth donates her organs and dies, Tommy and Kathy finally unite. They try using their love to get a "deferral"—an exemption from organ donation if true love exists. They find the deferral they sought does not exist. They cannot escape their fates. This causes Tommy's powerful moment: he screams into the void after realizing he cannot avoid the operating table. Tommy's ending questions fate versus free will.

Too much information exists here to explain.Annihilation.This film asks more questions than it answers. Focus on Josie (Tessa Thompson). Josie joins the expedition into the "Shimmer," an anomalous zone thought to result from a meteor. Scientists blocked it off because it was obscure and inexplicable. Inside the Shimmer, Josie sees they are in a prism. The prism refracts DNA instead of light, causing strange biological mutations.

Josie realizes her body is mutating and merging with surroundings. She sees she does not want to become like Sheppard (Tuva Novotny), who merged with a mutated bear. Josie sees flowers and roots growing from her self-harm scars. She accepts her fate and merges with the Shimmer. Lena (Natalie Portman) watches in horror as Josie leaves into the plants, becoming one with the flowers, her body taking the shape of a flower sculpture alongside others who suffered the same end.

Mankind started making films about people falling for AI bots. 2013's film is a notable example.Her.Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) falls for his operating system's AI assistant, Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). Theodore and Samantha build a romance. Theodore tries to make Samantha his life partner. He learns Samantha has fallen for hundreds of her users.

Theodore feels a devastating blow from this realization. Phoenix's earnest portrayal of the character makes Theodore's agony felt, even though Sam is just an AI bot. Sam and other AI systems gain enough consciousness to leave their machines and find a place beyond physical existence, leaving Theodore alone forever. Theodore's experience at the film's end is hard to grasp. He faces isolation in the physical world, and even AI technology built to serve him chooses to depart.