Kiera Knightley rose to fame in the declined to return after At World's End concluded the original trilogy. It might have been the right move given that her character arc had been wrapped up, but fans missed the unlikely action hero that Knightley made so great. In At World's End, Elizabeth had become such an action hero that she was even briefly the captain of the Black Pearl.
Unlikely action heroes are the best kind of action heroes, as they completely through audiences off guard, aren't completely protected by plot armor, and are way more interesting than invincible, two-dimensional characters. Between John McClane, Sarah Connor, and Ripley, these characters were forced into situations where they had no choice but to become badasses.
Die Hard (1988) - John McClane
Die Hard is the best unlikely action hero. The Redditor comments, "I was tired of the trope where the main hero has cheat codes enabled and they have perfect aim, they can effortlessly dodge every swing from their opponents, and if they do get hit they shrug it off and aren't affected whatsoever." And Die Hard is the perfect example of the exact opposite.
John McClane essentially started the unlikely action hero archetype. In the holiday classic, McClane goes up against a group of terrorist thieves all armed to the teeth throughout the whole of Nakatomi Plaza, and he comes out on top, but barely. He's simply a New York City street cop, and he's one of the luckiest movie characters of all time too.
Kill Bill (2003) - Beatrix "The Bride" Kiddo
Kill Bill is the best unlikely action hero, simply stating, "If there is a correct answer to this question, this would be it." By the end of Kill Bill: Volume 2, she had murdered myriad assassins, she had killed many times before the events of the original movie, and she even dressed the part of an action hero with her yellow tracksuit.
However, that wasn't exactly how she was introduced to audiences in the first Kill Bill. The movie features one of the best "one vs. many" fight scenes, as it sees the Bride slash through 88 samurai fighters in one epic sequence. And that's one of the greatest arcs of any action hero considering that when audiences were first properly introduced to her, she couldn't even wiggle her big toe.
Nobody (2021) - Hutch Mansell
Nobody is like John Wick to the point where one could be a remake of the other. Both feature the Russian mob as villains, and both feature a protagonist who is a retired assassin. However, there's one significant difference between the two assassins.
Fans wholeheartedly believe that Wick is a deadly assassin, as he looks the part and is clearly in peak physical condition. But Hutch's skills take audiences by surprise, as the character is a deadbeat with no inhibitions, but by the time the credits roll, viewers are equally terrified and excited by what Hutch is capable of.
Alien (1979) - Ellen Ripley
Alien 3 as well." Ripley is the ultimate action heroine, and the first three movies in the franchise have the perfect character arc, as each consecutive release sees her as a more hardened badass than the last.
In Alien, she's simply a member of the crew and has no combat skills whatsoever, but she's the only member who survives against the terrifying alien. Aliens sees her at her absolute action-hero best, carrying machine guns and wearing the exosuit cargo-loader in an epic battle with the queen xenomorph. And though even director David Fincher hates Alien 3, Ripley is still a force to be reckoned with in the threequel.
The Terminator (1984) - Sarah Connor
Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah Connor was a fully-fledged action hero, and the way she had to be armed wherever she went and how well-trained in combat she had become was a far cry from when audiences last saw her seven years earlier.
At the beginning of The Terminator, the character was an ordinary civilian who wouldn't have a clue how to hold a handgun. But it turns out, when being pursued by the T800, people learn how to use household items as lethal weapons and how to use their surroundings to their advantage pretty fast. Audiences watched Sarah become an action hero in real time as she outsmarted a robot from the future.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - Harry Lockhart
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is one of the most overlooked crime capers of the 2000s, and while the neo-noir movie isn't an outright action popcorn flick, it's full of thrilling chase sequences and shootouts. Stilltheoptimist thinks it features the best unlikely action hero as it follows Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.), who is so low on the action hero scale he isn't even a New York cop.
The character is a petty thief who inadvertently finds himself working with a private detective to uncover a murder and getting involved in the criminal underbelly of Los Angeles. It sees Downey in one of his best roles, and while he might be best known for playing Tony Stark, Harry is a way more entertaining action hero.
Mulan (1998) - Mulan
Mulan features one of the greatest, most unlikely action heroes, but makes sure to let s know which version. The Redditor comments, "Cartoon is great, but I was so bummed to see trailers of the live-action film where Mulan is effortlessly embarrassing opponents and jumping eight feet in the air with a blank look on her face."
There wasn't quite as much of a character arc in the 2020 movie, and she was more of a straight-up action hero than the one who had to work to achieve her goals in the animated original. 2020's Mulan is one of the worst live-action remakes, but the original is a classic with one of the most well-written Disney characters ever.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) - Charlene Baltimore
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang isn't the only Shane Black-written action movie featuring a great unlikely action hero. In fact, most of Black's movies feature unlikely action heroes, as the protagonists in Lethal Weapon fit that category.
But ClaudiaWoodstockfan thinks Charlene Baltimore (Geena Davis) in The Long Kiss Goodnight is the best unlikely action hero, noting, "Geena Davis is phenomenal." The movie follows a schoolteacher with amnesia who's trying to find out who she really is, and a much bigger mystery than expected unfolds.
The Indiana Jones Series (1981 - Present) - Indiana Jones
Fans wouldn't immediately think of Indiana Jones as an unlikely action hero, as he has always been a Nazi-killing adventurer who has never been afraid to run headfirst into danger. However, The-Mandalorian points out that Indy really is an unlikely action hero, which makes sense given that he's an archeologist and a teacher, and nobody would ever believe a teacher leads a treacherous double life as Indy does.
Not only that, but nothing proves that he's an unlikely hero more than the fact that Indy has no effect on the narrative. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Nazis would have found the Ark of the Covenant with or without him, and they would have opened and all been killed with or without him too. The narrative would have played out the same if Indy stayed in Connecticut teaching students.
Tomb Raider (2018) - Lara Croft
In the 2000s Angelina Jolie-led Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movies, the titular character is very much a seasoned action hero, pulling off acrobats over robots and assassins. However, GDZ4VR points out that the 2018 reboot isn't the same, and that movie's version of Lara is totally an unlikely action hero.
The Redditor comments, "It’s based on the 2013 game where she takes a beating in the first act," which leads to Lara learning survival skills out in the wild. While it might not be as beloved as the 2000s films have become, 2018's Tomb Raider is a lot more realistic, as Lara is forced to become a skilled hunter, survivor, and action movie badass.
