10 Iconic Movie Characters Who Suffered Insulting Deaths

6. Mystique - Dark Phoenix

Dark Phoenix Mystique death
20th Century Studios

On paper, Jean Grey killing off Mystique in Dark Phoenix makes sense.

Having the X-Men watch Jean murder their teammate solidifies her descent into evil, and creates an irreversible rift in the team. Plus, the fact that Mystique was among the most popular characters in the franchise should've made this moment more heart-wrenching, and since Jennifer Lawrence was a mega-star at the time, having her character killed off within the first half-hour made for a shocking move.

However, Mystique's death doesn't work for several reasons.

Firstly, the trailers all-but confirmed that Mystique was going to die, robbing this scene of any, well, mystique. Secondly, even though Charles Xavier watches his stepsister of 40 years die before him, he barely reacts. Thirdly, this scene is set up like Mystique and Jean Grey are best friends, despite the fact they barely interacted with each other during the franchise.

Finally, Jennifer Lawrence just doesn't act like... well... she doesn't act. Although the two-time Oscar winner was phenomenal in the other X-Men instalments, she comes across like she doesn't want to be in Dark Phoenix. Considering how nightmarish the film's production was, you can totally understand why.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows