10 Movie Sequels That Recast Major Characters (For The Better)

9. Rachel Dawes - The Dark Knight

War Machine Terrence Howard Don Cheadle
Warner Bros.

Rachel Dawes' demise in The Dark Knight was made all the more shocking due to the fact that the film had only just bothered to recast the role with actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. Surely Christopher Nolan wouldn't go to the effort of recasting a major character just to kill her off in the very same movie?

Apparently he would - and the Joker blew Bruce's childhood friend to smithereens in his and Nolan's most shocking, audacious bait-and-switch. The immense repercussions saw Harvey Dent rebirthed as Two-Face and the Batman watch his happy ending literally turn to embers before his eyes.

Gyllenhaal deserved better than the film ultimately gave her, but Rachel Dawes' death gave The Dark Knight the brutal plot twist it desperately needed.

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A film critic and professional writer of over ten years, Joel Harley has a deep and abiding love of all things horror, Batman and Nicolas Cage. He can be found writing online and in print, all over the Internet and in especially good bookstores.