12 Greatest Monsterverse Movie Moments (So Far)
8. Kong: Skull Island - Packard's Death
Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) is one of the best Monsterverse characters to date: a haunted, vengeful soldier who develops a Captain Ahab-like obsession with killing Kong after Kong destroys several American military helicopters. The character also benefitted hugely from one of Jackson's best recent performances.
In the film's third act, a now somewhat-mad Packard tries to kill Kong with some explosives and ignores the attempts by the other characters to convince him that Kong is actually peaceful and only attacked the helicopters due to them bombing the island.
Things do not end well for Packard. His attempts to kill Kong fail, his men abandon him and Kong then kills him.
Perhaps this story-line would've benefitted from a bit more screen-time, but it's still a sad, moving and, considering that the film is a fairly ludicrous Hollywood blockbuster, refreshingly dark character ending that shows the terrible psychological effects of war.