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Stealing the show in the first 20 minutes.
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00:00Character deaths can create a huge emotional impact, especially when the character who dies
00:04has played a large role in the story for a while. However, sometimes a character dies before they
00:10have a chance to make much of an impression in audiences' minds. Early character deaths can be
00:14a great way to establish that no one in a story is safe, and even characters who seem like they
00:19will be around for a while won't necessarily make it out of Act One. That said, some characters are
00:24still able to become great despite early deaths. So with that in mind then, I'm Ellie with What
00:29Culture here with 10 great movie characters who die at the beginning.
00:33Number 10. Bella Faulkner in Hunt for the Wilderpeople
00:37Hunt for the Wilderpeople, directed by Taika Waititi of Jojo Rabbit and Thor Ragnarok fame,
00:43follows an unlikely father-son duo, Hector Heck Faulkner and Ricky Baker, as they find themselves
00:49as the targets of a manhunt. The two share a zany yet heartfelt adventure throughout the film.
00:54However, they would have never been brought together in the first place without Heck's
00:57wife, Bella Faulkner. It is Bella's idea to take in Ricky in the first place, and between her and
01:02Heck, she is far more eager to have him around. In fact, Heck appears cold towards Ricky at first,
01:07with Bella playing mediator in all of their conflicts. Bella's kind heart and hilarious
01:12portrayal by Rima Tiwiata leads to some sweet and silly moments, such as her performance of the
01:17Ricky Baker birthday song. Unfortunately, Bella's early death kickstarts the film, shattering the
01:22possibility that the three of them could be a happy family after all. Once she is gone,
01:26it becomes evident how impactful she was at keeping the peace between the two leads.
01:31Number 9. Ajak in Eternals
01:34The MCU's Eternals features ten title characters. It's only natural that one of them would barely
01:40make it past the opening credits. Salma Hayek's Ajak is the Eternals' powerful leader. With healing
01:45abilities and communications with the celestial Arishem, she keeps them safe and hidden during
01:49their centuries on Earth. However, Ajak's leadership skills and healing capabilities are not enough
01:54to keep her safe during the film's runtime. When Cersei, Sprite, and Icarus seek her out,
01:59they discover that Ajak has been murdered. This is not Ajak's final appearance in the film. She
02:04appears several times through flashbacks, solidifying her powers both as an Eternal and as a mentor figure
02:09to the rest of her family. In one powerful scene, she tells Icarus that humanity's devotion to each
02:14other, such as the undoing of the snap, inspired her to try and stop the emergence, which will destroy
02:19all of humanity. Angered that Ajak is questioning the Eternals' purpose on Earth, Icarus feeds her
02:25to the Deviants, leading to her death and the plot of the film. Though Ajak does not stay alive on
02:30screen for long, her impact on both the audience and the Eternals is huge.
02:35Number 8. Heather Chandler in Heathers
02:37Heather Chandler is one of the three title characters of the 1989 film Heathers. Chandler leads a clique of
02:43four high school girls, three of whom share the same first name, Heather. The fourth member,
02:47Veronica Sawyer, grows tired of Chandler's cruelty and bullying and vows to take her down.
02:52Veronica teams up with a boy at school named JD to get revenge on Chandler. The two offer her a
02:57fake hangover cure in order to cause her to vomit, but Veronica accidentally hands her a mug filled
03:01with drain cleaners she believes JD made as a joke. Chandler drinks the concoction and instantly dies.
03:07Despite her early out, Heather Chandler quickly establishes herself as a great cinematic Queen Bee-esque
03:13villain. She commands every one of her scenes, towering over her subordinates,
03:17including Heather Duke, Heather McNamara, Veronica, and any student who dares cross her path. Chandler
03:23is so powerful that even after her death, wearing her signature red scrunchie signifies possessing
03:28her power within the school. The late Kim Walker turns Heather Chandler into a memorable villain
03:33turned victim in what little screen time she has.
03:37Number 7. Mufasa in The Lion King
03:40Mufasa's death in the 1994 film The Lion King became infamous for, no pun intended,
03:46scarring nearly every child who ever saw the movie. The character makes such a large impact
03:51that it's hard not to be scarred by his death, even as an adult. Mufasa, Simba's father,
03:55is voiced by the incomparable James Earl Jones. He quickly proves himself to be a just king and
04:01kind father. He is protective of Simba and firm with him when he steps out of line and visits
04:06the elephant graveyard, in doing so disobeying Mufasa and endangering himself. It is evident
04:11that so long as Mufasa is around, Simba will be safe. Of course, Mufasa is then shortly killed
04:16by his younger brother Scar in an attempt to take the throne. Scar knocks Mufasa into a stampede of
04:22wildebeest where he is trampled to death. If his fall was not painful enough, seeing Simba
04:27paw helplessly at his father's corpse is heartbreaking. Mufasa returns to Simba in a vision later on in the
04:33film, reminding his son and the audience that he'll always be with Simba.
04:38Number 6. Juan in Moonlight
04:40Despite having only 20 minutes of screen time, Mahershala Ali won his first Oscar for Barry
04:46Jenkins' 2016 film Moonlight. Watching the film, it's easy to see that awarding his portrayal of
04:52Juan is one of the best decisions the Academy has made in recent years. Juan exclusively appears in
04:58the first of the film's three segments, titled Little. Juan, a drug dealer, takes Little, a young
05:03boy named Chiron, under his wing. Juan introduces Little to his girlfriend Teresa, and the two genuinely
05:09care for him. He also helps Little swim and teaches him that there is nothing wrong with being gay.
05:13When Little asks Juan if he is a drug dealer, he says yes, hanging his head in shame. Instantly
05:19after that, part one of the film ends, and it cuts to part two, titled Chiron. Juan is nowhere to be seen
05:24in part two, and before long, it becomes apparent that he has died. This loss hits hard, and is
05:29especially jarring given the quick transition between the two segments and Ali's powerful
05:34performance. Number 5. Uncle Ben in Spider-Man
05:38Spider-Man's signature catchphrase, with great power comes great responsibility, is almost as famous
05:44as the wallcrawler himself. That simple yet powerful sentence has guided Peter Parker throughout
05:49his time behind the Spider-Man mask. Uncle Ben is the man who first taught him that lesson. Uncle Ben
05:55first appeared in the 1962 comic book Amazing Fantasy No. 15, dying in order to motivate his
06:01super-powered nephew. Ben then made his way to many of the Spider-Man film adaptations. Played by
06:06Cliff Robertson in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, and Martin Sheen in the Mark Webb films, Uncle Ben's
06:12early death always hits hard. Peter's uncle is shown as an abundantly kind man, and Peter's failure to
06:18save him is a heartbreaking lesson in taking responsibility. Uncle Ben's death is a reminder
06:23for Peter to always do all he can, and his impact throughout all forms of Spider-Man media proves
06:28that he is an incredible character in his own right. Number 4. Vizzini in The Princess Bride
06:35For a character who dies so early in his film, Vizzini from The Princess Bride says more than his fair
06:41share of hilarious one-liners. Played by Wallace Shawn, Vizzini is hired to kidnap Princess Buttercup,
06:46and murder her in order to start a war. After a mysterious Man in Black defeats his two hired
06:51goons, Inigo Montoya and Fezzik, the man confronts Vizzini himself. The two engage in a battle of wits,
06:57at which Vizzini claims to excel for Buttercup's life. Vizzini hilariously overthinks the simple
07:02question the Man in Black asks him, which cup has the poison? Vizzini causes the man to look away,
07:07then switches the cups. When he and the Man in Black drink, Vizzini laughs hysterically,
07:12thinking he has outsmarted the man, only to instantly die once it's revealed that both
07:16cups were poisoned and the Man in Black was immune. Wallace Shawn's portrayal of Vizzini,
07:20the foolish mastermind, is unbelievable. Shawn convinces audiences that Vizzini is arrogant
07:25enough to think he is the smartest man in the world. Plus, his plethora of catchphrases are
07:29always a delight to hear. The fact that Vizzini only places fourth on this list is inconceivable.
07:35Number 3. The Comedian in Watchmen
07:38The Comedian's death is the first thing to happen in Zack Snyder's 2009 film adaptation of Alan Moore
07:45and Dave Gibbon's comic book Watchmen. The film sees the comedian, aka Eddie Blake,
07:50played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The story opens with Rorschach investigating the comedian's murder.
07:55As we learn more about the comedian, aka Eddie Blake, the bigger question than who killed him
08:00becomes how did it take so long for this man to get murdered? The comedian has no redeeming
08:04qualities whatsoever. He does not hesitate to murder innocent people and has the audacity to
08:09blame Dr. Manhattan for not stopping him. He commits sexual assault against the Silk Spectre only to
08:15receive a satisfying beating from hooded justice after the fact, and it is implied that he murdered
08:20John F. Kennedy. The man deserved what was coming. Despite knowing his ultimate fate, it is impossible
08:25for audiences to sympathise with the comedian. He is well written in that he is impossible to like in
08:30any way, and if audiences knew him before the film began, they might have a different reaction to his
08:35fall from that window. Number 2. Ellie in Up
08:39Pixar's 2009 film Up swept audiences away with its opening scene. In it, we meet two children,
08:46Carl and Ellie, who make plans to go to South America, which Ellie describes as America but South.
08:51It's an adorable introduction to the film and its eventual leading man. Then audiences are treated to
08:56one of the greatest sequences in Pixar history. Carl and Ellie get married, start a life together,
09:02build a house, spend time together in love, prepare to become parents, learn that they cannot have
09:06children, and grow old together. Unfortunately, Ellie becomes sick and passes away, leaving Carl to sit
09:12alone at her funeral as the scene comes to a close. The montage contains no dialogue, but Michael
09:17Giacchino's score packs a heavy emotional punch. Throughout the film, Carl tries to make it to South
09:22America in Ellie's honour. Ellie's bravery, charm, and passing are a large part of why Up is so fondly
09:28remembered. Though the rest of the film is wonderful, it never comes close to the sheer
09:32beauty of the opening scene with Ellie. Number 1. Mia Faye in Ace Attorney
09:38In Takashi Miike's 2012 film Ace Attorney, an adaptation of the visual novel Phoenix Wright Ace
09:45Attorney, audiences quickly meet Mia Faye, protagonist Phoenix Wright's boss and mentor. Mia quickly proves her
09:52competence in court when she almost instantly solves the case for Phoenix, proving his client Larry
09:57Butes innocent. Phoenix himself is not a great lawyer at this point, fumbling papers on his desk and
10:02missing easy contradictions, but as long as he has Mia on his side, he should be fine. Of course, shortly
10:07after this trial, Mia is murdered, and Phoenix is responsible for defending Mia's younger sister,
10:12Maya, who has been charged with Mia's murder. To make matters worse, Phoenix finds himself up against
10:17the fearsome prosecutor Miles Edgeworth without the help of his trusty mentor. However, Mia once again
10:22saves the day during this trial when Maya channels her spirit to provide Phoenix with some much-needed
10:27guidance. Mia effectively avenges her own murder by allowing Phoenix to earn Maya a not-guilty verdict
10:33and causing the arrest of her actual killer, Red White. Mia again provides aid from beyond the grave for
10:38Phoenix throughout the film's final trial, in which we learn why she was killed. Mia found a key piece of
10:44evidence that could close the book on a 15-year-old unsolved case called DL-6. In the film's climax,
10:49Maya is able to finally channel Mia again, and Phoenix finds the piece of evidence Mia died for,
10:55hidden in the statue used to kill her, managing to solve the DL-6 case once and for all. Even without
11:00her spirit being channelled, Mia plays an active role in the Ace Attorney film after her death. Mia is
11:05the mastermind behind Phoenix's defence, while also placing enough faith in him to allow him to grow into his
11:11own. And that concludes our list. If you can think of anything that we missed, then do let us know in the
11:16comments below. And while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification bell.
11:20Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there, at WhatCulture, and I can be found across various social
11:25medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild. I've been Ellie with WhatCulture, I hope you have a magical day,
11:30and I'll see you real soon.
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