11 Powerful Movie Deaths Devalued By The Sequels
4. Jack Sparrow - Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
In most cases, the death of a film franchise's lead character is the telltale sign of that franchise coming to an end. In other cases, the series continues on via spin-offs, or, as the Pirates of the Caribbean saga so nonchalantly demonstrates, undoing the character's death altogether.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End introduces the concept of Davy Jones' locker, an unseen place at the literal end of the world to which Davy Jones is charged with transporting those lost at sea. This is where Jack ends up, having been devoured by the monstrous kraken at the end of the previous film. Led by another recently deceased character, Captain Barbossa (who could just as easily have made this list), the crew of the Black Pearl travel to the locker to rescue Jack from his fate - which they do - and suddenly, everything is just peachy again!
Bacon-saving mystical plot device or no, it's undeniable that having Captain Jack back in this film (and every subsequent one, it's worth noting), seriously cheapens his supposed departure in the one preceding it. Fair enough, a world with barnacle-faced crab men piloting ships is obviously not too concerned about realism, but why ruin such a good death scene with umpteen more Pirates films after it?