7. Dr Robert Neville - I Am Legend (2008)
Ever the martyr, Will Smith's scientist Robert Neville had to die right? The end of I Am Legend shows immense stupidity in a film that is fairly so-so up until said point. Cornered by the plague ridden naked-zombie creatures in his basement, he shoves the supposed antidote into Anna's hand and instructs her and her son into a coal shaft which could easily house three people. Looking at the monsters defiantly, he pulls the pin on a grenade blowing everything in the basement - except the supposedly reinforced coal shaft - to kingdom come. Here is the thing, Robert could have pulled the pin, thrown the grenade and joined the pair in the coal shed himself, resulting in the death of the films antagonists and left him alive. Of course, if you have read the book, you will know it has much more depth and reasoning to end differently - but lets not get into that, suffice to say; it is much better than any film thats been based on it. There is an alternate ending; where the alpha male smears a butterfly on the glass window - identifying that the woman he has been experimenting on is what he wants. Neville apologizes to the infected group; the alpha male acknowledges his apology, and the infected leave. Shocked by the ordeal, Neville sits down for a moment in his laboratory. Looking over the pictures of his numerous test subjects the implications of his research methods begin to dawn on him. The final shot follows Neville, Anna, and Ethan as they drive away towards Vermont with the antidote. The problem with this ending (and maybe the reason it was changed) is that while it makes more sense plot wise, the whole film is pretty void of emotional charge or depth that its deep meaning doesn't sit well with the rest of the empty narrative. The grenade/coal shed scene seems rushed and silly, one that on the surface makes him look like a hero, but when you think about the poor writing and snap decision that must have been made to get to this point in the script, you realize this makes him look pretty stupid.