My Top 10 Redemptive Villain Deaths

Not every villain death needs to be an ignominious one or a sadistic monster getting their just desserts. Some villains get to die in a way contrary to how they lived. These are my favorites in that regard:

Number 10: Red Torpedo and Red Inferno (Young Justice): While the Red Androids weren't around long enough for their deaths to have a huge impact, it was still kind of nice to see these heroes turned villains become heroes again just long enough to save the day from their "baby brother's" madness. I especially love how Red Tornado got them on board with his very simple but pointed observation: "You were never human...but you WERE heroes."

Number 9: Saren Arterius (Mass Effect): As basically the Illusive Man of the Turian race and a sadistic and corrupt individual before joining the Reapers, Saren seems pretty far gone. But in a moment that has the added bonus of letting you skip a boss fight, Shepard has the option to convince Saren that there's still hope, leading to the villain to not only defy Sovereign via suicide, but even to thank Shepard before doing it. This was personally how I chose to resolve the would-be boss battle with Saren, and by all indications it seems the way most people resolved it too. As the closest thing Shepard ever has to an Arch-Enemy, it's a shame Saren goes out in just Part I, but this is also probably as good a send-off as he was ever going to get, so there is that. 

Number 8: Galen Marek/Starkiller (Star Wars Legends Continuity): Talk about going out with a bang. While it's disappointing to see Galen Marek's story end the way it does, much like with Saren, this was likely as good a send-off as the character was ever going to get. Dying so that the founders of the Rebel Alliance could live, Galen's sacrifice proves an under-remembered act in-universe but still a pivotal one considering it gives rise to the very organization that would lay the Empire low. And, it's a sacrifice that kind of pays homage to the title, as Galen "unleashes" the Force to the very best of his ability in a kamikaze attack. Also, the last scene with Rahm Kota and Juno Eclipse also ends things on a sweet note, which helps to soften the blow just a bit. 

Number 7: Tie between Johnny Quick (Crisis on Two Earths) and Quicksilver (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Two supervillain speedsters who reform before dying trying to stop the machinations of a former partner. Those similarities are what allows these deaths to be tied, and both also pack a similar emotional punch. The tragic ironic echo of Quicksilver's death plus Scarlet Witch's reaction are powerful, and for Johnny his catching on to how Batman sacrificed him instead of the Flash due to forseeing the end result, in turn proving that Batman really did care about Flash all along. Both sad deaths indeed, and both are mourned by the very heroes they were fighting earlier in the movies. 

Number 6: Dark Phoenix (Marvel Comics): Yes, I said Dark Phoenix. Because it turns out, that the Phoenix Force didn't kill Jean Grey, it replaced her. Even so, this is still a story of a villain whose redemption is to sacrifice herself to save the Galaxy from her own out-of-control power. While this death would have had much more of an impact if it had really, truly, been Jean Grey, the death is still one of Marvel's most iconic for a reason, and therefore still deserves a spot on the Top 10. And really, the tragedy is still there, given that Phoenix came to truly care about the people she was technically deceiving, enough so that she finally decided to do the right thing and sacrifice herself for the good of everyone else. A selfless act that the previously rampant destroyer might not have been so eager to make before learning humanity. 

Number 5: Aya (Green Lantern the Animated Series): Given that this is a power-mad, nigh-omnipotent female villain who sacrifices herself for the good of the galaxy, one would be forgiven for finding this death similar to Dark Phoenix's. What makes this one rank just a bit higher is in how this is, actually, Aya and not someone replacing her. As such, the story packs just a little bit more of a punch. Again, the Dark Phoenix redemption sacrifice works in it's own way, but this one works just a tad better. That, and it represents the sad conclusion to Aya's story that began early in the show and continued throughout the whole thing. 

Number 4: Poison Ivy (Batman Arkham Knight): Truth be told, I've long had a rather neutral opinion of Poison Ivy. That is to say that I am neither a hater nor a diehard fan the way most other people seem to be. No, I generally regarded Poison Ivy as an okay but not spectacular villain. Neither favorite nor least favorite. So I can safely say from that, that I have never cared more about Poison Ivy then in Batman Arkham Knight. Truth be told, I suspected that Ivy would end up having to sacrifice herself, but this does not actually diminish the scene, which still has the tragic feel they were going for. It's nice to see a villain I've long had no strong opinions of finally get my vote by performing an act of ultimate self-sacrifice. Her dying words "Nature always wins" pack the appropriate emotional punch, and her crumbling into dead leaves also works in the scene's favor, as it is essentially her becoming one with nature. I think, in the end that's what she always wanted. So yeah. A powerful scene, and whenever I want to care about Poison Ivy, I remember this. 

Number 3: Doctor Octopus (Spider-Man 2): "I will not die a monster". That line alone makes this scene a great, and the fact that it's a perfect ending for the most sympathetic villain in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films is just another plus. The journey that Otto goes through over the course of one movie is incredibly well done, from sympathetic and well meaning doctor to someone whose dream and world were shattered, to mind-controlled and sadistic supervillain to finally redeemed villain. The final shot of him sinking to the depths of the ocean is chilling even as we admire how he was able to throw off the mechanical arm's evil influence in the end. As it is, we never actually see him straight up die, likely meant as a means of bringing him back in the event that they wanted him to return for any Spider-Man 3 sequels that never got made. But, even though the scene is technically ambiguous, I think we can still count this as a villain death, and a damn satisfying one at that.  

Number 2: Harry Osborn (Marvel Comics): Another winner of a scene involving a Spider-Man villain. What makes this one just narrowly edge out Otto's death in Spider-Man 2, is the thing Harry dies doing. Both Spider-Man villains die redeeming themselves, but in Harry's case he also dies saving the friend he'd finally chosen to not kill at the last minute, fatally poisoning himself in the process. He expires with his friend turned enemy turned friend again at his bedside. It's a powerful moment and tellingly, has no dialogue. None is needed. The pose of grief Spider-Man is in tells the reader everything they need to know. 

Number 1: Darth Vader (Star Wars): Come on, we all knew only this one could be number one. As the definitive and most iconic "redeemed villain death" of all time, Darth Vader's place at number one is only right. Many of the other deaths here can match the level of tragedy, but none can match it in iconography. The scene of Vader with his mask finally removed and all of the sinister menace turned into the weariness and gratitude of a mortally wounded Anakin Skywalker, is also iconic. And of course, how could any of us forget the famous line: "You were right about me. Tell your sister...you were right." And with that, the tragic story of Anakin Skywalker comes to a bittersweet end, with him dying but also getting to die a hero, and then in turn rejoining Obi-Wan and Yoda in the Light Side of the Force. 

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