13 Iconic Movie Characters Who Were Supposed To Die (But Didn't)

4. Dr Ian Malcolm - Jurassic Park

The Original Plan

Who would have thought that smarmy, smouldering Dr Ian Malcolm would emerge from the Jurassic Park franchise as its most beloved and most memeable character?

Maths is obviously a lot more sexy than when I was at school.

Anyway, in the novel that Jurassic Park is based on, Malcolm is killed off by the T-Rex attack that only wounds him in the final film. He spends the novel, rather grimly, dying slowly and eloquently.

What Happened Instead?

Steven Spielberg again; he decided that Malcolm was just too charismatic and likeable in Jeff Goldblum's hands, so he asked Michael Crichton - creator of Jurassic Park and co-writer of the script to save him. He obliged and we got to see him transformed into a legitimate action hero for The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

He's actually the only character on this list to have survived being killed twice: as he was actually revived in the Jurassic Park sequel novel, The Lost World thanks to some Costa Rican medics. All that remains of the T-Rex attack is a limp that leaves him needing a cane.

And now he's coming back for Jurassic World 2, which is rather wonderful.