10 Movie Characters Everyone Was CONVINCED Would Die (But Didn't)

If you could place a bet on who would absolutely, positively die in Quentin Tarantino's revisionist war epic Inglourious Basterds, it would surely be the detestable SS officer Hans Landa, played with ferocious, Oscar-winning relish by Christoph Waltz.

How could Tarantino resist but offer up a horrific demise for such a vile human being? But despite Landa's death being the most logical end-point, that's not what happened at all.

Rather, Basterds concluded of course with the historically inaccurate demise of Adolf Hitler (Martin Wuttke) and the bulk of the German High Command, while Landa slipped out with his life in tact.

That is to say, the opportunistic Landa allowed the Basterds' mission to go ahead in exchange for a pardon for himself. But Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) didn't let Landa go without a parting gift - carving a swastika into his forehead, ensuring everyone he ever meets will know who he is.

As much as everybody wanted to see Landa get brutally ventilated with machine-gun fire, this was a fitting end for him all the same.

But before our #1 entry, if you haven't seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 yet, MAJOR SPOILERS will follow...