10 Movies That Tricked You By Killing Main Characters Early

Executive Decision was one of a series of action films involving airplanes and terrorism in the 90s before September 11th had to go and ruin that set up. Air Force One, Con Air and even the Brosnan-era Bond films all enjoyed exploring the dangers of plane travel until that fateful day.

In Decision, terrorists take over a commercial flight that is headed over the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., forcing the military to attempt to dock the moving plane with a stealth jet through an emergency hatch before a lethal poison is unleashed upon the general population.

Steven Seagal leads his team of marines and an unprepared Kurt Russell into the plane successfully, but ultimately sacrifices himself to secure the plane and his team. Seagal was an actual marketable name in 1996 (the 90s were a different time), so his sudden, early death was a genuine surprise to audiences.

Not to the cast and crew, however. According to cast member John Leguizamo, no one could stand working with him, and allegations of sexual harassment going back as far as Under Seige were starting to gain traction. Originally, Seagal's head was supposed to explode due to a loss in cabin pressure, but the actor held up production for days, refusing to shoot it because his fans wouldn't like it.

In retrospect, we really, really would have.