Warning: This Article Contains Spoilers For ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’.Get ready for some bloody mayhem. Audiences are finally seeing the triumphant return of the iconic Final Destination franchise. With the long-awaited sixth installment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, smashing all kinds of box office records, this series proves it keeps coming back for more.
From the spectacular opening disaster sequences to the elaborate freak accidents, the Final Destination movies undoubtedly have everything horror fans could want. But it’s not just the gore and carnage most fans love. Let’s discuss the many characters that make these movies so enjoyable. Though they don’t all stand out, the Final Destination series has a long list of compelling, memorable characters. They’re likable and sometimes rootable. Some are even downright terrifying. But no matter what, they make this series all the more worth watching. Here are the twelve best characters in the Final Destination franchise.
12
Death/The Grim Reaper
All Six Films
Let’s begin with the series’ terrifying main antagonist and the only character to be featured in all six films: Death. Described as a mysterious, ever-looming dark force, Death, also sometimes referred to as the Grim Reaper, is the ultimate decider of everybody’s existence. It picks and chooses who dies at any moment, using carefully set-up designs, and particularly does not like it when anyone messes up these plans, for only a more gruesome fate awaits them should they decide to escape their original demise.
There’s no mentioning these movies without discussing Death as a character. It’s one of the most fascinating antagonists ever written. Silent, invisible, and inescapable, Death is one of the most relentless villains in horror history. It can’t be defeated or reasoned with; it only wants to maintain the balance of nature and bring a horrific end to those who dare cheat it.
- Release Date
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May 16, 2025
- Runtime
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109 Minutes
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Kaitlyn Santa Juana
Stephanie Lewis
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Teo Briones
Charlie Lewis
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Owen Patrick Joyner
Bobby
11
Billy Hitchcock (Seann William Scott)
‘Final Destination’ (2000)
Poor Billy Hitchcock (Seann William Scott). All this clumsy, sports-loving high schooler wanted was to enjoy a nice school trip to France. But as fate would have it, it was never meant to be, as his plane, Flight 180, exploded mid-ascent. Even after he was saved from this disaster at the last minute by a clairvoyant student, Death later came back to claim Billy in a head-splittingly brutal fashion.
Despite only being a supporting character in the first film, Billy became a beloved favorite among many Final Destination fans. Actor Seann William Scott brings so much humor to this performance, even adding a little bit of his Stifler from American Pie charm. Billy was likable, funny, and responsible for some of the funniest lines and moments of the film. Of all the characters that went out in exceptionally gory ways, his was easily one of the most undeserving. At least he didn’t have to be around for the weaker sequels.
10
Ian McKinley (Kris Lemche)
‘Final Destination 3’ (2006)
On a senior trip to a carnival with his girlfriend, Erin (Alexz Johnson), and his classmates, rebellious high school student Ian McKinley (Kris Lemche) was saved from certain doom after a girl’s, Wendy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), horrifying premonition of a disaster prevented him from riding a deadly roller coaster. But Death had other plans and came back to finish the job. Wendy eventually saved Ian again, but Erin bit the dust. Resentful that she couldn’t save his girlfriend a second time, Ian descended into madness and paranoia and took his anger out on Wendy, even wanting to cause her demise. But Death spun around again, and Ian met his end by getting crushed by a collapsing cherry picker.
Final Destination 3 isn’t perfect, but it’s one of the scariest entries and gave the franchise some of its best characters, including Ian. He is honestly one of the most intriguing characters in the series. Kris Lemche brought so much to this unique secondary antagonist role, and he truly shined in the moments when his character became hostile to Wendy. It’s a compelling, truly underappreciated performance that gets more captivating to see with every rewatch.
- Release Date
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February 10, 2006
- Runtime
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92 minutes
- Director
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James Wong
- Writers
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James Wong, Glen Morgan
9
Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana)
‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ (2025)
College student Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) was disconnected from her family for most of her life, having mostly lost contact with them after her mother left. But after having strange recurring nightmares of her younger grandmother, Iris (Brec Bassinger), dying in a grizzly tower collapse, she returned home, where she pieced together the realization that her family was never meant to exist. Now realizing that Death was after them, she stepped up to the plate to stop her family’s bloodline from being wiped out.
Stefani was one of the most complex and fascinating characters in this impressive new installment. Like so many protagonists before her, she was brave, compassionate, and determined to save the ones she cared about, even going to extreme lengths. Through Old Iris’ (Gabrielle Rose) survival book and some clever thinking, she could even calculate a few of Death’s designs before they even happened. She’s a worthy protagonist who definitely deserves a spot on this list.
8
Kevin Fischer (Ryan Merriman)
‘Final Destination 3’ (2006)
After his girlfriend and best friend were tragically killed in a freak roller coaster accident that was also meant to kill him and his clairvoyant friend Wendy Christensen, Kevin Fisher (Ryan Merriman) became Wendy’s most capable ally when trying to stop Death from coming back to reclaim them. He tried his hardest to save as many lives as he could, but ultimately met his end in the film’s brutal train chase finale.
Kevin was a compassionate, intelligent, and capable survivor who became Wendy’s most useful companion during their ordeal, despite the two initially being polar opposites. Their odd-couple partnership is truly one of the most fascinating and heartfelt parts of Final Destination 3, and it’s all thanks to Ryan Merriman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s surprisingly great on-screen chemistry. Merriman easily makes audiences root for Kevin’s survival, even though it was never meant to be. Kevin ultimately proved on more than one occasion that he was the right survivor anyone would want by their side in one of these harrowing situations.
7
Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook)
‘Final Destination 2’ (2003)
Still mourning the tragic loss of her mother a year prior, young Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) decided to have a fun weekend getaway trip with her friends to Daytona Beach. However, on the road, she experienced a sudden, shocking vision of a grizzly car pile-up and quickly saved a group of motorists on an on-ramp, but failed to save her friends from the disaster. When she found out that Death had it out for her and the remaining survivors, Kimberly, along with a few allies, tried to cheat Death once again. Thankfully, she’s one of the very few to be successful.
While she’s not as memorable as the last film’s protagonist, Kimberly is still a worthy hero to follow in this wildly fun second installment. She’s kind, determined, and truly one of the most caring of Final Destination‘s protagonists, even willing to sacrifice herself to save others. Her bravery and thoughtfulness ultimately made her and another survivor, Thomas Burke (Michael Landis), currently the only ones on Death’s list to still be alive after the end of the recent movie.
6
Sam Lawton (Nicholas D’Agosto)
‘Final Destination 5’ (2011)
Aspiring chief Sam Lawton (Nicholas D’Agosto) had more serious problems on his mind than his decision about whether to leave his cushy office job for a mentorship in Paris when he mysteriously had a premonition of dying in a violent bridge collapse. After narrowly avoiding the disaster and cheating Death another time, he thought he was safe to pursue his life’s dream. But, in a cruel twist, he met his fiery doom aboard Flight 180 in the film’s surprise prequel ending.
After the goofy, sloppy fourth installment, 2009’s The Final Destination, almost derailed the franchise into nothing but gory schlock, it was nice to see a welcome return to form with Final Destination 5, which is one of the best films of the series. Not only was it scarier, more polished, and better directed, but it gave audiences a better cast of rootable characters, especially Sam. Sam’s demise at the end is easily the most heartbreaking out of everyone’s in the film because he was so relatable and likable. Nicholas D’Agosto gave a fantastic performance, turning Sam into someone fans could actually get behind rather than just being generic or forgettable.
- Release Date
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August 12, 2011
- Runtime
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91 minutes
- Director
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Steven Quale
- Writers
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Eric Heisserer
5
Iris Campbell (Brec Bassinger and Gabrielle Rose)
‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ (2025)
Things couldn’t have been better for young Iris Campbell, as she was expecting to start a family with her fiancé, Paul. But when she suddenly had a vision of a series of unfortunate mishaps that led to the high-rise restaurant the couple were in collapsing and killing everyone, she narrowly prevented the disaster, saving countless lives. But she knew Death still had it out for her and, over the years, struggled to keep the family she was never meant to bring into the world alive, even at the cost of her own.
Iris is truly the most compelling character to come out of Bloodlines. She was such a determined and tragic protagonist who did everything she could to save the ones she loved, even if it was futile. It’s heartbreaking that she had to live mostly alone with the terrifying knowledge of Death’s presence, without most people, not even her own family, believing her. Brec Bassinger and Gabrielle Rose do phenomenal work bringing this fascinating modern horror movie hero to life. It’s just a shame we couldn’t see more of her.
4
Clear Rivers (Ali Larter)
‘Final Destination’ (2000) & ‘Final Destination 2’ (2003)
Hardened by the traumatic ruing of her childhood and family life after her father’s sudden death, Mt. Abraham High School student Clear River (Ali Larter) felt aloof from the rest of her peers. That was until her classmate Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) saved her and several others from disaster before Flight 180 blew up. Now feeling a mysterious but tender connection with Alex, she gained a new desire to live and accompanied Alex in his quest to break Death’s sadistic designs.
Clear was smart, capable, and quite caring for those around her. It was her determination that kept her going throughout Final Destination and most of Final Destination 2 before she was abruptly killed off in one of the series’ most unsatisfying demises. Though she had an unfortunate departure, Clear was one of the most fascinating and well-developed characters this franchise had ever seen. Ali Larter knew how to make this iconic final girl so memorable, and she was a blast to see in every scene she was in.
3
Wendy Christensen (Mary Elizabeth Winstead)
‘Final Destination 3’ (2006)
For McKinley High School student Wendy Christensen, a trip to a carnival to end her senior year with her boyfriend Jason (Jesse Moss) and a few friends seemed like it would be the time of her life. But, when she experienced a horrifying vision that the roller coaster they were all about to go on derails, she freaked out and got off along with a lucky few but failed to save Jason. Devastated by the tragedy but determined to keep living, she eventually learned that Death was still not done with her yet and went on a mission, along with Jason’s friend Kevin, to cheat this formidable foe once again.
While Clear Rivers is the Final Destination franchise’s most recognizable female protagonist, Wendy is arguably its most compelling. It’s quite an emotional journey she goes on throughout this story. Wendy goes from traumatically losing her boyfriend and feeling powerless to stop anything to gradually gaining a new perspective on life and learning to become more confident when trying to save lives and stop Death’s plans. Mary Elizabeth Winstead does not get enough credit for her dedication and professionalism when taking on this role. It’s quite an emotionally demanding performance that she executed flawlessly. It’s no wonder this first leading role led to bigger, better projects for her down the line.
