8 Recent Movie Deaths That MUST Stay Permanent

8. Yondu (Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2)

He may have come across as one of the bad guys in James Gunn's first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 cemented that Yondu's heart had been in the right place all along.

Played by Michael Rooker, this whistling Ravager had always had his eye on Peter Quill and had done his utmost to do what he could for Star-Lord. Quill's own father may have been absent, but Yondu was the one doing his best to provide some semblance of a father figure for the cocksure Earthling.

Like some of the other deaths featured here, Yondu's demise in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was one based around sacrifice. And it's only then, in Yondu's final moments, that Star-Lord realises he's been looking in the wrong places for fatherly love. Rather than chasing around after Kurt Russell's Ego, he should've been recognising the affection and warmth of Yondu.

If this particular death wasn't to stick, it would just feel cheap and lazy. More importantly, there really is no place in the Guardians' story for Yondu anymore. Of course, Michael Rooker is phenomenal to watch, but bringing him back just because Rooker is so damn good, that would be a totally weak move.

Authored by Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

Posted On: 7th Dec 2019

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