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15 film characters who refuse to die

Live for something, or die for nothing! That’s what John Rambo said the last time he was out to make a difference, by saving the world.

For the fifth time in his life, Sylvester Stallone is back in the role that made him a fighting machine, who refuses to die no matter what the odds. Let’s take a look at some of the iconic Hollywood characters who have followed the same path as Rambo, on the eve of the iconic character’s fifth and final appearance. Don’t worry, you aren’t going to die when you are around these people!

1. Indiana Jones (an archaeologist disguised as a professor)
 Played by: Harrison Ford

Dr Henry Walton ‘Indiana’ Jones Jr. has been around since 1936 and although he made his feature film debut in 1981, Indiana has stayed alive despite standing in the way of dangerous people.

He hates snakes and rats, yet he managed to bypass them in order to save the world and ancient civilizations. He has battled Nazis long before any of us were born, yet he continues to defy them and will return in a couple of years to save the world from destruction.

2.Sherlock Holmes (solving cases since the 1930s)
Played by: Basil Rathbone, Robert Downey Jr

He may have been around for over a century but Sherlock Holmes was finally brought to the big screen by Guy Ritchie, with Robert Downey Jr. playing the world’s first consulting detective after a gap of 60 odd years. Before him, it was Basil Rathbone who played the character in 14 films back in the 1930s and 1940s and made a name for himself as the definitive Sherlock.

Others including Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Christopher Plummer, Ian McKellen, and Will Ferrell have portrayed the character but not as Holmes-ly as the Iron Man actor.

The reason why this literary character hasn’t died on screen is that its creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle didn’t kill him since bringing him back from the dead in The Empty House. If he can’t kill him, no one can!

 3. James Bond (saving the world since the 1960s)
Played by: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig

Created by Ian Fleming in the 1950s, James Bond has been on Her Majesty’s Secret Service as a film character since the 1960s, when Sean Connery breathed life into the character.

He has battled villains ever since and even though he lost his one and only wife in the process, he has continued to save the world from all kinds of bad guys.

Some have been Russians, some have been media moguls while there is always Ernst Stavro Blofeld, head of SPECTRE and Bond’s nemesis.

JB will be back in No Time To Die next year for the 25th time to show the world that James Bond is forever!

4. Rocky Balboa (winning fights since the 1970s)
Played by: Sylvester Stallone

For someone who was not even considered a boxer when he started, Robert ‘Rocky’ Balboa Sr. has come a long way. Sylvester Stallone’s iconic character has been around the 1970s, when he challenged World Champion Apollo Creed in Rocky in 1976 and was last seen in 2018 in Creed 2, training the son of his foe-turned-bro, Apollo Creed.

The Italian Stallion appeared in six Rocky films and two Creed flicks in the last 43 years and has been knocking out his opponents, despite some highs and lows.

5.John Rambo (Staying alive since the 1980s)
Played by: Sylvester Stallone

And then there is John James Rambo, another Sylvester Stallone character that has been saving lives since 1982.

In First Blood, Rambo takes down an entire Sheriff department after they drew ‘first blood’, then returns to Vietnam to rescue Prisoners of War in First Blood Part II takes down Russians during the Afghan War in order to save his mentor Colonel Trautman in Rambo III and helps a missionary gone missing in Burma, before inheriting his late father’s Ranch in Arizona in Rambo.

He likes to live alone and loves not being disturbed, because when he is disturbed, he makes sure that those on the other side, don’t get to see the end of the tunnel.

6. John McClane (causing mayhem since the late-1980s)
Played by: Die Hard

John McClane’s heroic rescue of his wife and others way back in 1988 helped a whole new generation of actors to do the same once in their careers. However, McClane returned four more times to save his wife (this time while she is in a plane), his daughter, his son and the rest of the world, living dangerously every time.

His last attempt to Die Hard failed big time but he didn’t die and found his son who can take the legacy forward, the legacy of McClane saving lives when it seems the hardest.

7. Batman (He is Batman!)
Played by: Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck

He is not only the only superhero without superpowers, he is also one of the most famous ones in the world.

Ever since Michael Keaton donned the Bat Suit in 1989, the Caped Crusader has returned to save Gotham time and again. Despite battling eccentric villains, Batman hasn’t died yet because he has the will of a man who doesn’t die.

Yes, he has gotten injured the process, only to return stronger, more powerful and with new ways to tackle the opponents.

For someone who takes on Man of Steel Superman, Batman seems to have guts as well as luck on his side.

8. Nick Fury (Saving the universe since the mid-1990s)
Played by: Samuel L Jackson

Ever since helping Captain Marvel in 1995, Nick Fury has been an integral part of Marvel Cinematic Universe, recruiting the best Superheroes in the world to form Avengers.

He has been part of adventures featuring Captain America, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain Marvel and others and continues to grow stronger despite not having superpowers to aid him. Although he has faked his death and disintegrated on another occasion, he continues to lead SHIELD to make the world we live in, a safe place.

9. Lara Croft (Raiding tombs since 2000s)
Played by: Angelina Jolie

Made famous as a video game way back in the 1990s, Lara Croft was brought to life when Angelina Jolie decided to portray the character for films. She brought back the memories of Indiana Jones with her depiction of the video-game character but owned it, for two flicks. The newer version of the series was nothing compared to the original franchise, because Lara Croft loved to craft her way to the land of the living, and despite facing countless mines, death traps and villains, she is still the ‘Lara Croft’, alive and kicking in the eyes of her fans/

10.The Bride (taking revenge since 2000s)
Played by: Uma Thurman

They left her to die, and made the mistake of not following up. Uma Thurman’s The Bride was the soul of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2 as she managed to stay alive despite many attempts on her life. For not one but two separate films, she hunted down all those who wronged her four years back and won each and every battle she featured in.

11. Bryan Mills (Looking out for his family since 2008)
Played by: Liam Neeson

He is a retired CIA operative; they are the ones who messed with his family and in Taken franchise, you don’t do that at all. Liam Neeson transformed into a one-man army when he accepted the role of Bryan Mills, crossing the globe to rescue his 17-year-old daughter after she is kidnapped in the first part, then saves his family again when the father of the kidnapper wants him dead and finally, eludes capture from the same US authorities with whom he formerly worked, after he was framed for his ex-wife’s death.

The franchise led to a TV series that tackled the making of Mills, the man who refused to die for the sake of his family.

12 .John Wick (On the run since 2014)
Played by: Keanu Reeves

And then there was the murder of his dog, John Wick’s dog. Keanu Reeves managed to portray an assassin who loved taking down those who wanted him dead, without dying of course.

In the three John Wick installments, he has effortlessly killed people just to stay alive, even if they were trained assassins and professional killers.

How he has survived is a difficult question, but the answer would be simple – he is better than any assassin in the whole world. He nearly met his match in his last outing but since then he has nursed back to his best and is now ready to face any challenge, be it in the shape of knives, bullets or death of someone close to him.

13. Ethan Hunt (Making The Impossible, Possible since 1996)
Played by: Tom Cruise

He loves a challenge and since the late 1960s, Mission Impossible has been making it possible for us to live in a safe and secure world. Ever since the TV series was made into a film, Tom Cruise has been giving heart attacks to his fans, doing his stunts be it in an enclosed space, at the top of the world’s largest building or at a mountain no sane person would dare to climb. He and his team love saving the world, and ever since his first ‘mission’, 23 years back, he has not lost a team member, keeping themselves and himself alive in the process.

14. Jason Bourne (Trying to remember his past since 2002)
Played by: Matt Damon, Jeremy Renner

He may not remember his name or why people he doesn’t know shoot at him but Jason Bourne has been trying to regain his memory, slowly. He is one of the sharpest guys around and ever since his first feature film in 2002, bad guys around the world have been fearing him, for he knows no fear, or may have forgotten about it. In the five Jason Bourne films (not counting the TV movie in 1988, but the only one featuring Jeremy Renner), he has saved the world while trying to clear his name and bring those who did this to him, to justice … the Bourne way!

15. Captain Jack Sparrow (Being Himself since 2003)
Played by: Johnny Depp

Believe it or not, but no pirate in the history of the world has become as famous as Captain Jack Sparrow who single-handedly breathed life into what was just a Disney theme park ride. Through his five appearances in the Pirates of The Caribbean films, he has entertained the audience all over the world be it young or old. In fact, his name is synonymous to the franchise although he has been clumsy, irrational and above all, an untrustworthy character in each of his appearances. These traits make him a lovable character, and harder to kill despite being on the other side of pirates who leave no one alive!

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