10 Movie Heroes You Didn't Realise Probably Died Horrible Deaths
The supposed happy endings with a sting in their tails...
Happy endings are a powerful currency in any story. They're the kind of confident full-stop that's supposed to make us all feel like all is well with the universe - that no matter what trials and tribulations our heroes have been through, everything always works out for the best.
Even when it looks like they face insurmountable odds, Hollywood is there at the last minute to slap on a smile and a "happily after ever" to confirm we never, ever need to worry about them ever again.
But what if that's all just a ruse and the happy endings for some heroes are no more than bandaids over wounds that are about to get much worse as soon as the credits roll? Because, frankly, there are some that definitely seem to ignore the painful inevitability that something terrible is about to happen to our favourite heroes when they're out of sight...
10. Batman & Blake (And Everyone Else In Gotham) - The Dark Knight Rises
The end of Christopher Nolan's trilogy sees Bruce Wayne retired, Alfred free of his destructive worries about failing his master and Gotham left in the apparently capable hands of John Blake. And no, he's not Robin.
The implication is that Gotham, Wayne, Alfred and Blake have all earned a happy ending that meets each of their wishes.
But Wait...
Are we supposed to just completely overlook the fact that a nuclear weapon was just detonated out over the bay? Literally within miles of all of Gotham's surviving citizens...
If Batman spent only 2 minutes flying the bomb out over the bay, then he was probably within about 10 miles of the city, which puts the entire place within the fallout zone. Meaning a catastrophic, dystopian future of radiation poisoning. Which will make their gratefulness at not being blown-up outright a little hollow.
And then there's Batman himself, who must have been even closer to the explosion. Accepting that he SOMEHOW avoided being blasted into smithereens, he would have taken a serious dose of radiation and not the fun type that turns you into a real-life superhero. So, in other words, Talia won in the end, anyway.
9. Alice (Natalie Portman) - Closer
Closer is a particularly nasty little movie where pretty much nobody is likeable, everyone cheats on each other like only good-looking people who dine on betrayal can and a "happy ending" looks unlikely for everyone.
But in Alice (Natalie Portman), we do get an idea of hope for a better future as she escapes her abusive, controlling relationship - which was becoming no more than a cycle of nastiness - and strides out alone in New York.
But Wait...
Closer is based on a play, which it remains very close to, with a notable exception. In the film, Alice is hit by a car in the opening, but in the play, that happens at the end and her ex Dan reveals that she was killed and he has to go and identify her body. Cheerful.
So why does this affect the film, if the adaptation was different? Well, it wasn't, entirely, because - rather ominously - the final shot of the film sees Alice crossing a road in New York and a red "DON'T WALK" sign lit up, suggesting she was indeed hit by a car off-screen too.