Cinema can be a cruel mistress at even the best of times, presenting to us an awesome, insanely likable and quotable character, who is then killed or otherwise screwed over by film's end, making the audience feel a considerable pang of anguish as a result. It's a testament to the quality of the writing in these movies that they made us like and then mourn or lament these characters within a 2-hour timeframe, but alas, we actually wanted to see these people succeed, making their abject failure all the more devastating. Here are 10 awesome movie characters who we took an immense liking to, only for fate to have other plans and strike them down in one way or another. Sure, a happy ending for these guys wouldn't have suited the narrative at all, but we can dream, right?
10. Leon - Leon
Why He's Awesome: Leon (Jean Reno) is a kick-ass assassin who spends most of the movie fostering a bizarre but affecting friendship with his neighbour, Mathilda (Natalie Portman), while also seeking to help her avenge her family, who were murdered at the behest of demented DEA Agent Stansfield (Gary Oldman). Cue countless scenes of Leon using his ingenious skills to slickly rip the bad guys to shreds. How He Got Shafted: Leon is nearly home free, making his way out of the hotel in disguise, when Stansfield sneaks up on him and fatally shoots him in the back. Still, before he bites it, he leaves Stansfield with a parting gift, the pin of a grenade attached to Leon's body, complete with a whole family of grenades, which blows the pair to smithereens.