10 Happy Endings Destroyed by Sequels

Sequels are often less satisfying than their predecessors. That dissatisfaction can come from many factors. The plot might not be as strong, or the characters could fail to engage the viewers. These examples barely scratch the surface of sequel failure. Such flaws are usually a result of studio mandates. If a movie makes money, then producers naturally want to keep the cash flow going. They don’t care if the material warrants a follow-up. That lack of passion can lead to a bigger problem.

Some sequels undermine the happy endings of previous entries. A film might resolve everything with gratifying optimism, vanquishing its villains and leaving its heroes in a good place. Then, along comes the sequel to obliterate that bliss. Granted, writers do this to facilitate the adventure, as the conflict can’t happen if things are at peace. That said, fans hate seeing their favorite characters suffer after a hard-won victory. It essentially taints the previous tale with frustrating fruitlessness.

Related: 10 Canceled Franchise Movies Made into Something Else

10 Star Wars

The struggle of good vs. evil gives Star Wars its universal appeal. At their core, the original films are about a plucky group of heroes as they bring down a tyrannical empire. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi sees them finally achieve that goal. Luke Skywalker becomes a Jedi Knight and redeems his father, who defeats Emperor Palpatine. Meanwhile, Han Solo and Leia Organa mature themselves while cementing their relationship. The victory celebration hammers home the happy occasion, but perhaps the party is premature.

The subsequent trilogy—The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker—reverts the galaxy to oppression. Imperial remnants seize control with embarrassing ease, and the old heroes are depressed failures who all get unceremonious deaths. This void leaves a new generation of less engaging protagonists to save the day, ultimately facing down a resurrected Palpatine. History repeats itself in empty fashion.^[1]

9 Indiana Jones

Speaking of history, Indiana Jones specializes in the field. The archaeology professor travels the world in search of legendary artifacts, often outwitting unscrupulous looters along the way. He risks becoming a relic himself as he reaches his senior years. Luckily, he reunites with his greatest love, Marion, in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This reunion comes with the discovery of a son, essentially giving him a family to offset his growing loneliness. This happiness doesn’t last, though.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny skips forward to the hero in his senior years. After his son dies offscreen in the Vietnam War, Indy separates from Marion and limps toward retirement in a trashy New York apartment. Adding insult to injury is his obnoxious goddaughter, who repeatedly shows him up in a plodding adventure involving time-traveling Nazis. Granted, Marion returns in the end, but the reconciliation is clearly a footnote, lacking the earnest joy of the previous conclusion.^[2]

8 Toy Story

Growing up is a bittersweet process. Toy Story conveys that ordeal through the eyes of action figures. This series concerns a group of toys belonging to a boy named Andy. Through various adventures, they grapple with increasing feelings of obsolescence. Thankfully, these adventures also strengthen their bond, both with their kid and with each other. By simply being there for him, they’ve done their job. They then gain renewed purpose after passing onto a new owner, Bonnie, in Toy Story 3. The franchise thus comes full circle. Any further sequels would feel redundant.

Toy Story 4 commits a greater sin by betraying its predecessors. In this entry, Woody the cowboy toy feels more useless than ever. Despite favoring him earlier, Bonnie no longer picks him for playtime, preferring all the other toys and even a plastic spork. This loneliness coincides with him reencountering Bo Peep. His former love interest now wanders the world as a “lost toy,” sometimes helping others yet ultimately having no responsibility. Feeling his job is done, Woody abandons his friends and his owner to be a free agent as well. So much for loyalty.^[3]

7 Alien

Though spiraling into a sci-fi anthology, the Alien series starts as one woman’s path to conquer her trauma. The first film involves a parasitic organism infiltrating a cargo ship. The sole survivor is Ellen Ripley, who subsequently struggles with her horrific memories. The sequel, Aliens, lets her put that fear to bed. Discovering a human colony overrun by the xenomorphs, she assists a group of marines in wiping out the creatures’ queen and eggs. The nightmare is over. For the cherry on top, Ripley manages to save two of her allies and gains a surrogate daughter in fellow survivor Newt. She can finally rebuild her life… for about five minutes.

Alien³ opens with the heroes’ ship crashing on a prison planet. Sadly, the rough landing kills everyone but Ripley. Not only does this incident once again rob her of any human connection, but it strands the poor gal in a hive of murderers and maniacs. The worst part is that the xenomorphs live on, renewing Ripley’s trauma by hunting the convicts. Her eventual sacrifice is a miserable end to a miserable life.^[4]

6 Terminator

The Terminator films start on a grim note before finding hope. The films revolve around a post-apocalyptic future ruled by machines, which gain sentience through a military defense project called Skynet. The mechanical assailants send a cyborg back in time to kill the mother of the resistance leader, prompting the humans to send a protector. Terminator 2: Judgment Day repeats that formula, albeit with a few reversals. One twist sees the heroes destroy all traces of Skynet, preventing the hellish future. Then again, maybe not.

The following films and TV shows repeatedly retcon that act (and each other). Despite Skynet’s supposed destruction, it always reemerges in some form or fashion. The heroes try to stop it, but the influx of Terminators makes that prospect easier said than done. Certain entries take things further by killing John Connor, the humans’ future leader. These events all feed into a depressing notion that the apocalypse is inevitable, undermining the series’ assertion of making one’s own fate.^[5]

5 The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers is a testament to the power of music. After getting out of jail, Jake Blues looks for purpose with his brother, Elwood. He finds it when a message from God tells him to save his childhood orphanage from foreclosure. To raise the necessary money, the siblings must reunite their band for a pivotal performance. The journey sees them recruit a slew of iconic musicians and commit countless crimes. Sure, they wind up back in jail, but the orphanage remains standing, at least for the time being.

Blues Brothers 2000 renders their efforts moot. The orphanage closes regardless, forcing friends and staff to relocate. All the brothers’ battles, risky escapades, and musical tributes only prolong the inevitable. That fact alone is demoralizing, but Elwood also finds himself alone. Jake and their father figure, Curtis, both die between films. It falls to the surviving sibling to organize new talents to compete in the Battle of the Bands. Though hitting the same beats as the original, these pursuits are like a great song covered by an inferior artist.^[6]

4 James Bond Franchise

To be fair, the James Bond films repeatedly reset the status quo. This approach facilitates a new mission and a fresh cast for each entry. However, the Daniel Craig era attempts to explore the character beyond his spy duties. It becomes increasingly clear the cutthroat lifestyle will be the death of Bond, yet past losses make him afraid to pursue another path. Thankfully, he overcomes this trauma in Spectre. On top of walking away from MI6, he begins a peaceful life with Madeleine Swann. It’s just too good to be true. No Time to Die immediately shatters that peace.

The couple’s retreat ends with the arrival of assassins. Sent by Bond’s nemesis, these thugs prompt the hero to question Madeleine’s intentions, causing him to sever ties. He doesn’t learn the truth until years later. Not only is Madeleine innocent, but their romance birthed a daughter. James only has a few hours with his newfound family before embarking on one final mission. It’s on this mission that 007 finds himself infected with the villain’s incurable virus. Rather than risk his family (or wait for a cure), he stays on the baddie’s base as it’s destroyed. This downer ending runs counter to both the previous entry and every Bond film prior.^[7]

3 Pirates of the Caribbean

Being based on a theme park ride, Pirates of the Caribbean would naturally be an irreverent adventure. The debut flick, The Curse of the Black Pearl, adheres to that goal. When high-class Elizabeth Swann is kidnapped by a crew of scallywags, lovestruck blacksmith Will Turner requests the aid of the wily Captain Jack Sparrow. Little does he know that Jack once presided over the villains’ very ship. Luckily, their combined guile satisfies them both. Jack regains his vessel, and Will rescues his lady love while plucking up the courage to admit his feelings. All’s well that ends well, or so they think.

The following films shanghai their characters into more explosive adventures. The East India Trading Company arrests Will and Elizabeth for aiding a pirate, and Jack finds himself pursued by the supernatural Davy Jones. These plots converge into an all-out war for the sea. By the end, a curse tears the happy couple apart. Meanwhile, Jack loses his ship once again before becoming a bumbling buffoon in later flicks. These fates are nearly as grim as actual pirates.^[8]

2 Beetlejuice

This horror comedy concerns the question of moving on in the afterlife. Beetlejuice begins with Adam and Barbara Maitland meeting an untimely death. Bound to their house, they become unwilling roommates with the new occupants, the Deetz family. Ultimately, they contact ghostly conman Betelgeuse to scare the family off. What surprises the Maitlands is the parental bond they form with the neglected Deetz daughter, Lydia. This newfound connection prompts the group to banish Betelgeuse to the afterlife. His stay isn’t as permanent as you might think, though.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice makes Lydia a mess. Although she married and had a child, her husband’s death creates a rift with her teenage daughter. Compounding that tragedy is her father being eaten by a shark. Worst of all, though, are her visions of Betelgeuse, heralding his return and setting off her PTSD. The Maitlands could have helped her through these ordeals, but they apparently found a supernatural loophole, letting them finally move on. The movie essentially seeks a new family dynamic by destroying the old one.^[9]

1 Tron

The desire to dominate extends to cyberspace. Tron takes place primarily in a computer system. Not only is it a neon wonderland, but the various programs all have humanoid appearances and personalities. Enslaving them all is the Master Control Program, which carries out the agenda of an evil CEO. Programmer Kevin Flynn tries to hack into the system, but the MCP traps him inside it. Of course, this turn lets Flynn team up with a security program named Tron, their combined efforts thwarting the tyrant and freeing the system. The irony is that Flynn’s hubris restores the regime.

Tron: Legacy puts the system under new oppression from a program named CLU. Flynn creates this entity to manage the digital landscape, but this function changes the boss into a dictator. He swiftly eliminates anything that doesn’t fit his image of perfection. Flynn and Tron try to stop him, but CLU imprisons the former and rewrites the latter into his brainwashed minion. Rather than free the system, however, they all die (along with the rest of the programs) when Flynn’s son shuts it down. Yes, turning off your computer causes a mass extinction.^[10]