“Bullet Train” is packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it death scenes that may leave you stepping out of the theatre asking, “Wait, was that character killed with the knife, the gun, or the snake venom?” The star-studded film – which includes a few surprising celebrity cameos – takes us on a brutal, fast-paced ride on a Japanese bullet train as rival assassins, fueled by greed and vengeance, pick each other off one by one.
In the first act of the film, Ladybug (Brad Pitt) sets out on a mission to steal a briefcase full of money from a moving train. As soon as he boards, his missing ticket becomes the least of his worries. Before he’s able to step off the train with the briefcase, Ladybug finds himself being pursued by adversaries who are armed and out for vengeance, including The Wolf (Bad Bunny), The Hornet (Zazie Beetz), The Prince (Joey King), and more. While each villain has their own preferred method of causing mayhem – mind games, explosives, hand-to-hand-combat – it’s difficult to keep track of who’s still in the game, and if not, who killed them. Needless to say, not every character – no matter how skilled – makes it to the end of the line.
With characters’ true fates kept hidden until the very last scene, the film doesn’t spare a second keeping us in suspense. Check out our rundown of the major character deaths in “Bullet Train” ahead.
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How Does The Wolf Die in "Bullet Train"?
Bowie knife in hand, Bad Bunny makes his major Hollywood movie debut in “Bullet Train” as The Wolf, a Mexican gangster seeking revenge on the person who poisoned his wife and guests on his wedding day. Dressed in an immaculate white suit embroidered with flowers (a tribute to his wedding-day attire), The Wolf immediately attacks Ladybug as soon as the train doors open, charging for him with his knife as a bar-style brawl ensues.
Caught off guard, Ladybug narrowly avoids being stabbed in the heart – thanks to his phone in his shirt pocket – and fights The Wolf off by blocking his attempts at stabbing him with the silver briefcase. In a fit of rage, The Wolf hurls the knife at Ladybug, accidentally bouncing it off the briefcase and lodging it into his own heart.
“Mi corazón!” The Wolf cries (the same words he said as he held his dying wife’s body) before falling forward on the briefcase and snapping his neck.
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How Does The Son Die in "Bullet Train"?
Logan Lerman makes an unexpected appearance in “Bullet Train” as The Son, the son of The White Death (Michael Shannon), the fearsome leader of a criminal empire in Japan. As Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) attempt to transport The Son back to his father, they’re forced to abandon him in favour of chasing after Ladybug, who’s stolen the silver briefcase full of money that they were transporting.
While the brothers attempt to track down Ladybug – who is currently fighting off The Wolf – The Hornet (Beetz), who was hired by The Prince (King), walks by in her mascot costume and stabs The Son with a syringe full of boomslang snake venom. Within a matter of seconds, the venom goes into effect, killing The Son and leaving streaks of blood dripping from his eye sockets – just like all the guests poisoned at The Wolf’s wedding.
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How Does The Hornet Die in "Bullet Train"?
For most of the film, Beetz’s character, The Hornet, goes completely unseen as she’s dressed in her mascot disguise. When The Hornet finally reveals herself, it’s to take down Ladybug, who she stabs with another syringe full of snake venom. Shocked, Ladybug immediately snatches the syringe from The Hornet’s hand and injects her with the remaining venom, which take 30 seconds to go into full effect.
As The Hornet fumbles for the anecdote in her breast pocket, Ladybug is quick to swipe it from her, injecting himself with the anecdote in one swift movement. After a minute of suffering the venom’s effects, The Hornet falls to the floor and dies, her eyes streaked with blood, just like her victims’.
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How Does Tangerine Die in "Bullet Train"?
In one of the most impressive plot twists of the film, “Bullet Train” leads viewers to believe that Lemon, one half of a brotherly assassin duo, dies after being shot by The Prince. Near the end of the film, however, we learn that Lemon survived the gunshot wound thanks to a bulletproof vest and was unconscious for several minutes due to the sleeping powder Ladybug slipped into his water bottle.
Before Lemon’s true fate is revealed, Tangerine – his longtime partner, best friend, and “brother” – finds himself face to face with The Prince. Just as he pieces together that she might be Lemon’s killer, Ladybug – still convinced of The Prince’s innocence – intervenes. A split second later, Tangerine is writhing on the floor, having been shot through the neck. Though he tries to warn Ladybug that The Prince isn’t trustworthy, he dies before he’s able to relay the message.
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How Does The White Death Die in "Bullet Train"?
“Knives Out” star Shannon is completely unrecognisable as The White Death, an expert fighter from Russia and the leader of a Japanese crime empire. In search of Carver (Ryan Reynolds), the mastermind behind his wife’s death years earlier, The White Death boards the train and sets his sights on Ladybug, who is filling in for Carver.
A fan of Russian roulette, The White Death doesn’t hesitate when it comes to putting his own life at risk. What he doesn’t know is that, as the film comes to a close and he’s finally able to corner Ladybug, the gun he aims at him is rigged. Constructed by The Prince, who hoped the gun would fall into her father’s hands all along, the weapon was actually engineered to backfire on the shooter. Per The Prince’s plan, when The White Death pulls the trigger in Ladybug’s direction, he shoots himself instead, bringing an end to his reign of terror.
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How Does The Prince Die in "Bullet Train"?
Just as the credits begin to roll and we think the film might have come to a definitive end, one final scene comes crashing onto the screen. Still vengeful over his brother’s death, Lemon, who just minutes before had leapt out of the moving train and into the water below, hijacks a tangerine van and uses it to run over The Prince, laughing as he speeds off and the movie comes to a definitive close.
