10 Sci-Fi Movie Deaths That Came Out Of Nowhere

Nobody saw it coming.

By Jack Pooley /

Given that sci-fi movies are so often concerned with exploring the unknown and encountering entities of dubious friendliness, it's not terribly surprising that death is a common occurrence in the genre.

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Aliens, time-travelling robots, intergalactic savages, global plagues, and the vacuum of space are just a few of the many dangers sci-fi movie characters need to keep their eyes peeled for - and which they so often don't.

There's nothing quite like a movie death which catches audiences off-guard and leaves them thoroughly shook, and the sci-fi genre is certainly no exception to that.

While there's a lot to be said for deaths which occur after a suitable build-up - Thanos (Josh Brolin) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in Avengers: Endgame, for example - a surprise demise can leave a bruising impact which keeps audiences talking for days, weeks, or even months afterwards.

Nobody, not a single solitary soul, saw these deaths coming - at least not in the manner in which they occurred - regardless of whether the ultimate reaction was amused surprise or genuine anger...

10. Kane - Alien

The death of Kane (John Hurt) in Ridley Scott's original Alien is the film's unassailable "s**t just got real" moment, where viewers learn the grim ultimate outcome of him being attacked by a facehugger earlier on.

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Kane initially appears to be recovering well once the creature is coaxed away from him, but shortly after sitting down to eat dinner with the rest of the Nostromo's crew, he begins coughing and convulsing.

After Kane briefly writhes around on the dinner table, the infant Xenomorph forcefully bursts out of his chest, killing him instantly.

It remains one of the most brilliantly traumatic and unexpected deaths in general movie history, and is made all the more effective by the cast not being told exactly what was about to happen - their shocked reactions are at least semi-genuine.

Proving himself quite the sport, however, John Hurt memorably parodied Kane's death in Mel Brooks' classic sci-fi spoof Spaceballs.

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