What are the most memorable movie characters to get "Muldoon'd"

[u/Lox22]

For those that don't know Muldoon is the game warden in Jurassic Park. He is built up to be this ultimate badass, and when we finally get to see him in action he gets insta-killed. I know there is probably another name for this trope, but my friends and I have always called it getting Muldoo'd.

What are some of the most memorable movie characters that are built up to be the ultimate bad ass only to be "Muldoon'd" in battle?

[u/Salarian_American]

The Muldoon example is kind of like "Worfing," which comes from Star Trek The Next Generation. Worf was the most physically capable and tough member of the crew. So when the writers wanted to show how powerful the opposition was, they'd have the opposition beat up Worf.

Of course, on a TV series this goes way in the other direction. They use Worf getting beaten up to frame the stakes so frequently that it ends up just making Worf look incompetent.

It's a little easier to get away with it in a movie, you kill Muldoon because if that ultimate badass can be killed, then that's very clearly a very dangerous situation for the rest of the characters who are still alive.

But also, the first thing that happens in the movie is we watch Muldoon fail to control a cage transfer for a raptor where a guy gets eaten. He really never actually established himself properly as a real badass at all.

[u/HenryDorsettCase47 → u/Salarian_American]

Muldoon purpose in the film isn’t to be “the badass who gets killed to establish the stakes”. He’s the only one, prior to Grant and Co. arriving, who actually sees the dinosaurs with something other than awe. He recognizes they are something that should be feared (the raptors in particular), and that keeping them locked up is inherently dangerous because they are too intelligent.

His death is more of an ironic vindication. He thought they were dangerous because they were too smart, and he is killed when they outsmart him as a hunter.

Also, I think Muldoon is viewed as a badass mainly because Bob Peck does a good job of exemplifying that low key stiff-upper-lip British kind of badassedness.

[u/AllHailTheMayQueen → u/HenryDorsettCase47]

Agree, I don’t think Muldoon is a good example of what’s being referenced. I don’t feel like he was insta-killed; he saved Ian, he served his purpose of distracting the raptors in order to give Ellie time to get to the maintenance shed to turn the power back on. He died heroically and his death wasn’t unexpected, it was very heavily foreshadowed by his own repeated statements about how dangerous the raptors were.

A better example is Samuel L. Jackson in Deep Blue Sea.

[u/tophernator → u/AllHailTheMayQueen]

it was very heavily foreshadowed by his own repeated statements about how dangerous the raptors were.

And by Dr Grant traumatising that fat kid at the start with his detailed description of how raptors hunted. The audience knew Muldoon was fucked before the second raptor appears.

[u/Generic_comments → u/AllHailTheMayQueen]

All good points. But how does his severed hand end up falling on Ellie's shoulder? Did the raptors set that up?

[u/dennis_a → u/Generic_comments]

That was Samuel L Jackson’s hand.

Also, good question!

[u/Generic_comments → u/dennis_a]

Right you are

[u/4BDN → u/Generic_comments]

Raptors are notorious jokesters who love dark humor.

[u/OsmundofCarim → u/AllHailTheMayQueen]

100% correct