Morgan Freeman’s Most Memorable Movie Deaths

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Watching an actor die on-screen never ceases to feel like a great loss.  Although viewers know that the death is nothing more than a plot twist at best, it can still make for one of the most gut wrenching experiences, especially when the actor is one of the most beloved and well-known stars in Hollywood.  Morgan Freeman, who has been the victim of several on-screen movie deaths,  is one of the most talented actors of his generation.  Fans who have been following Freeman for most of his career have fallen in love with the self-proclaimed “God” of an actor who has the ability to play kindhearted characters as well as cruel villains. Freeman has not only worked his way on to movie screens, but into the hearts of people everywhere.

At 77 years old, while most people are enjoying vacations and retirement, Freeman is working harder than ever.  In 2014 alone, Freeman has starred in five feature films and is in the process of filming two others. He shows no signs of slowing down and when rumors began circulating that he was planning on retiring, he quickly denied them and said, “I have no intention of retiring now or any time in the next several decades.” Freeman fans everywhere breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Freeman plans to stick around indefinitely.

His captivating presence and authoritative voice have helped him achieve success on the stage and on the screen, and many fans can’t even a remember a world without Morgan Freeman’s movies.  With more than 50 years in the film industry, Freeman has become a fixture on movie screens all over the world. His commanding energy has given him a persona that almost seems immortal-making his death in movies all the more unbearable. The attachment that many fans feel to Freeman and his characters have made the loss of Freeman, real or fake, seem unimaginable. Although they may be difficult to stomach, here is a list of Morgan Freeman’s most memorable movie deaths.

5. Red

In the 2010 action comedy film, Red, Freeman plays the role of a former C.I.A agent who is terminally ill with cancer. Freeman’s character, Joe Matheson, teams up with his mentee Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) to track down a mysterious hit squad.  In the end, Joe sacrifices himself by pretending to be Frank and is gunned down by an unknown sniper. His death allows Frank to escape to safety.  Unfortunately for Freeman; however, his death in the movie meant that he could not be a part of the cast for the movie’s sequel, Red 2, which was released in 2013.

4. Wanted

With a Rotton Tomatoes rating of 71%, the 2008 film, Wanted, received mixed reviews upon its release.  Based on the comic book series of the same name, the film follows Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) as he goes from a boring account manager to a member of a secret society of assassins.   By using the Loom of Fate, a weaving loom that uses errors in the fabric to reveal names of potential targets, members of the society are given their assignments.  Morgan Freeman’s character, Sloan, is the Fraternity’s leader who works to help Wesley reach his full potential.   Wesley is given his first While Sloan and Wesley start the film as allies, they end up becoming enemies when Wesley discovers that Sloan has been using the Fraternity as a hit contracting service after his own name was reveled by the Loom of Fate. When Sloan and his fellow assassin Fox (Angelina Jolie) confront Sloan, the Loom of Fate is destroyed and Wesley is forced to back to his regular life.  However, Wesley eventually gets his revenge at the end of the film when he kills Sloan right as Sloan is planning to kill him.

3. Dreamcatchers

Based on Stephen King’s science-fiction horror novel of the same name, Dreamcatchers follows a group of friends as they experience an alien invasion.  Freeman’s character, Colonel Abraham Curtis, is on a mission to quarantine everyone who has been exposed to the aliens; however, when it is revealed that Curtis plans to kill all of those who have been quarantined, Captain Owen Underhill (Tom Sizemore) attempts to take over the operation.  Determined to protect the planet and refusing to go down without a fight, Curtis fights back and is eventually killed when Underhill (who is also killed) shoots his helicopter out of the sky.

2. Unforgiven

In this 1992 Academy Award winning Western film, Freeman plays a retired gunfighter named Ned Logan.  Ned and fellow former gunfighter, William Munny (Clint Eastwood) take one last job after years of living in retirement.  Eventually, Ned is kidnapped, tortured and killed by the local sheriff, Little Bill (Gene Hackman) who in turn displays Ned’s corpse outside of the town’s saloon.  At the end of the film, William avenges his friend’s death by killing Little Bill and requesting that Ned have a proper burial or else more harm will come to the town and its people.

1. The Bucket List

In the 2007 film, The Bucket List, two terminally ill men attempt to complete a list of all the things they’d like to do before they die. Freeman’s character, Carter Chambers, a former mechanic, and billionaire Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson), form an unlikely bond as they set off to accomplish their goals. As the two check things off of their list, Carter’s condition worsens and he is forced to undergo surgery.  Carter dies during the procedure and Edward gives the eulogy at his funeral, sharing that his brief friendship with Edward was the best time of his life.

 (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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