10 Most Tragic Deaths In The History Of Comic Book Movies

9. Colonel Stars And Stripes (Kick-Ass 2)

Colonel Stars And Stripes Kick Ass 2
Paramount

Kick-Ass 2, on the whole, was a pretty tragic production. With its limp box-office numbers and poor critical reception, it ended a franchise that showed great potential, as well as being publicly dismissed by star Jim Carrey on account of the film's gross depictions of violence. Funnily enough, the character that Carrey played - Colonel Stars and Stripes - suffered a rather violent, untimely demise himself, as he was brutally killed off before his full potential could even be realised.

Because, as the movie makes clear, he's the only vigilante in his group that truly knows what they're doing. With Hit-Girl taking an early retirement, everyone else - Kick-Ass, Battle Guy, Dr. Gravity - lacks real fighting experience, guts and combat skills. They need this guy, but before they can even attempt to put a stop to their opponent's plan, the Colonel is gutted like a fish, a sword rammed through his stomach before having his neck snapped and head chopped off.

Not only did he die too soon for the characters in the movie - he died way too soon for us, the audience. Colonel Stars and Stripes was plastered all over Kick-Ass 2's marketing campaign, promising a return to form for Jim Carrey after a string of disappointing roles, but he was in the movie for what felt like ten minutes.

It's a shame we never got to see more of him, and although Kick-Ass and friends did come out on top in the end, there would've been a lot less bloodshed had the Colonel lived just a little bit longer.

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!