10 Times Actors Returned For Movie Sequels After Their Characters Died

Even when a movie character dies, there’s still a chance that the actors who portray them can return for more sequels. Franchises have found plenty of creative ways to bring beloved actors back after their characters have been killed off. It’s certainly not a new phenomenon, but Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom in the MCU means that it’s being talked about more than ever.

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There are many ways that franchises can bring an actor back after their character dies. The simplest way is to revive the character, although this is much easier in sci-fi and fantasy franchises, which can concoct inventive ways to bring people back from death. In other cases, the actors return to play completely different characters, whether the franchise offers some explanation about this or not.

10 Robert Downey Jr. In The MCU

Avengers: Doomsday Is Already One Of The MCU’s Most Hyped Movies

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Although Robert Downey Jr. has built an impressive career outside the MCU, especially with his Oscar win for Oppenheimer, he will probably always be most famous for his performances as Tony Stark. He has been the face of the franchise ever since 2008’s Iron Man, and his character’s sacrifice at the end of Avengers: Endgame seemed like the perfect send-off. However, this death was just the beginning of a new chapter for Downey Jr. in the MCU.

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doctor strange lylla and vision in the mcu Related Every Actor Who Played Multiple Roles In The MCU

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Certain casting decisions come under increased scrutiny in the MCU, and the debate over who should play Doctor Doom was one of them. For such an iconic comic book villain, the prevailing feeling was that the MCU needed someone special, but not many people were expecting the shock announcement that Robert Downey Jr. would return to the MCU to play the completely unrelated character. The announcement created a lot of buzz, but it’s still unclear how exactly this will play out in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday.

9 Sigourney Weaver In Avatar

Weaver Plays Grace And Grace’s Na’vi Daughter

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Sigourney Weaver plays Dr. Grace Augustine in the first Avatar movie. Grace is a brilliant scientist who has spent years studying Pandora and the Na’vi way of life. Just like Jake, she comes to admire and respect the Na’vi on a much deeper level than most of the other humans. Grace is killed toward the end of Avatar, and Jake is unable to transplant her consciousness into her avatar, but Weaver still returns in Avatar: The Way of Water.

Although Grace dies, her avatar gives birth to a Na’vi daughter named Kiri, who is also played by Weaver.

Although Grace dies, her avatar gives birth to a Na’vi daughter named Kiri, who is also played by Weaver. James Cameron and Sigourney Weaver first worked together on Aliens, so they have developed a creative understanding with one another, and Cameron has stated that he wanted Weaver to indulge her inner child when playing the young Kiri. Weaver is set to return for Avatar: Fire and Ash in 2025.

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8 Charles Gray In James Bond

Gray Played Bond’s Ally And His Greatest Foe

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The James Bond franchise has recycled plenty of actors in the past 60 years, but most of these actors only occupy minor roles. Charles Gray stands out because he plays Bond’s most famous villain, Blofeld. Gray isn’t usually ranked among the best Blofeld actors. Donald Pleasence is probably the most iconic, while Telly Savalas also delivers a strong performance in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Gray is a little underrated, however, as he brings a lot of sneering superiority to the role that makes Blofeld a loathsome bully.

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Before playing Blofeld in Diamonds Are Forever, Gray played one of Bond’s allies in You Only Live Twice, just four years earlier. Bond meets fellow British agent Dikko Henderson in Japan, but just as they are settling down for a conversation, Henderson is stabbed by an assassin through a paper wall. It’s a brief scene, and fans of the James Bond franchise might soon forget Gray’s role before his more important part in Diamonds Are Forever.

7 Arnold Schwarzenegger In The Terminator

Schwarzenegger Goes From A Villain To A Hero

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Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfectly suited to the role of the Terminator, so the franchise brought him back for the sequel even though his character was destroyed by Sarah Connor in the first movie. After playing one of the most chilling villains in sci-fi in The Terminator, Schwarzenegger plays one of sci-fi’s great heroes in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. For each sequel, Schwarzenegger plays a different copy of the same machine.

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For each sequel, Schwarzenegger plays a different copy of the same machine.

The T-800 in Terminator 2 is a much more complex character. Rather than being a relentless killing machine, this reprogrammed version of the T-800 takes on some more human character traits, which helps sell his new role as a hero. He becomes a friend and a father figure, so his eventual self-sacrifice is extremely emotional, which just goes how to show how different Schwarzenegger’s character is in James Cameron’s sequel.

6 Keanu Reeves In The Matrix

The Matrix Franchise Seemed Dead And Buried For Over A Decade

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The Wachowskis wanted to end the Matrix franchise with 2003’s Revolutions, but Lana was eventually convinced to revive the franchise without Lily for 2021’s The Matrix: Resurrections. The sequel had to navigate the considerable problem that both Neo and Trinity had been killed off at the end of Revolutions, but Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss returned. The sequel probably wouldn’t have had a shot at working without the franchise’s two main stars.

The sequel had to navigate the considerable problem that both Neo and Trinity had been killed off at the end of
Revolutions.

Rather than immediately being Neo once again, Reeves’ character starts The Matrix: Resurrections as an older version of Thomas Anderson, the version of himself that exists within the Matrix. Anderson has to go on a journey of discovery just like he does in the franchise’s first movie. Neo and Trinity were resurrected by The Analyst, who wanted to study Neo’s powers as The One in order to maximize the energy output of the Matrix.

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5 Pat Roach In Indiana Jones

Pat Roach Played Different Characters In Three Indiana Jones Movies

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Before he started taking on acting roles, Pat Roach first made a name for himself as a professional wrestler in Britain. He often used his hulking frame to play enforcers and thugs, most notably in the Indiana Jones franchise. He plays two characters in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The first is a minor character who Indy fights in Nepal. The second is the German mechanic who Indy fights later, although this character is shredded in the propeller of a grounded plane.

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Although his character was brutally torn to shreds in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Roach returned for Temple of Doom. In the prequel, he plays the violent chief guard who runs the mines. Once again, his character is killed in a fight with Indy, but once again, Roach returned to the franchise. His role as a Gestapo member was supposed to be much more important in The Last Crusade, but most of his scenes were cut.

4 James Caan In The Godfather

Caan Returned For Just One Scene

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Sonny’s violent death is a big turning point in The Godfather, and his legacy shapes the sequel even though the character is long gone. Sonny’s death inspires Vito to end the gang war, and this facilitates Michael’s return to America. James Caan delivers a captivating performance as Sonny, so it’s a joy to see him return in The Godfather Part II, even though he only appears in one scene.

James Caan refused to return for the sequel unless he would get paid the same amount that he got for
The Godfather.

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The flashback scene in The Godfather Part II shows the Corleone family at peace, with Michael telling his brothers that he’s signed up to join the army. It underlines just how far Michael has come on his journey, and it contrasts his reign over the family with the years that his father Vito was still in control. James Caan refused to return for the sequel unless he would get paid the same amount that he got for The Godfather. Francis Ford Coppola considered this one scene so important that he helped Caan get his way.

3 Yayan Ruhian In The Raid

Gareth Evans Didn’t Want To Make A Raid Sequel Without Giving Ruhian A Role

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Yayan Ruhian is just one of the remarkable martial arts stars in The Raid: Redemption and its sequel. The cast also includes Joe Taslim and Iko Uwais. All three of these actors have since had roles in big Hollywood productions, which underlines the international success of the two Raid movies. Despite this global popularity, it seems like The Raid 3 will never get made. Fans can look forward to a remake by Michael Bay and Patrick Hughes instead, although it would be a surprise if this remake touched the quality of the original.

Yayan Ruhian shows off his martial arts skills in The Raid: Redemption as Mad Dog, who serves as the chief enforcer for the crime lord Tama. Although he is killed by Rama and Andi after a brutal fight, Ruhian also has a role in the sequel. He plays the smaller part of Prakoso, another gangland assassin. Ruhian also acted as a fight choreographer on both Raid movies, showcasing the little-known Indonesian fighting style of pencak silat.

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2 Ian McDiarmid In Star Wars

Somehow, Ian McDiarmid Returned

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Ian McDiarmid first played Emperor Palpatine in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, and he developed the character in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Surprisingly, he returned for The Rise of Skywalker to close out Disney’s sequel trilogy. This ended up being one of the franchise’s most divisive moves, since Palpatine’s return from death doesn’t have a satisfying explanation. The Rise of Skywalker holds a 51% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a steep drop-off compared to The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

This ended up being one of the franchise’s most divisive moves, since
Palpatine’s return from death
doesn’t have a satisfying explanation.

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Another common criticism of Palpatine’s return is that the idea seems to have no basis in the rest of the trilogy, as if it’s a reflexive move to retcon some of the worldbuilding from The Last Jedi. Although the decision to bring Ian McDiarmid was a controversial one, he revives the character of Emperor Palpatine with just as much menace as ever, and he effectively replaces Snoke.

1 Hugh Keays-Byrne In Mad Max

One Actor Plays Two Iconic Villains

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The Mad Max franchise started in 1979, with Hugh Keays-Byrne playing the villain Toecutter. When George Miller revived the trilogy, he cast Keays-Byrne as the villain once again. In 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, Keays-Byrne plays Immortan Joe, arguably the best Mad Max villain of all. Immortan Joe wears a mask that covers most of his face, so fans of the franchise might not even recognize the actor.

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Toecutter is run over by a semi truck at the end of Mad Max, and Immortan Joe dies at the hands of Furiosa. Keays-Byrne is far from the only actor who has played two roles in the Mad Max franchise, although he’s the most high-profile. Bruce Spence, Josh Helman and Max Fairchild all have roles in two movies. Elsa Pataky and Lachy Hulme both have two roles in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga alone.

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