Death's list is the set of people who are meant to die under Death'sdesign, a plan which apparently regulates the events and ultimate demise of everyone in the world. If someone deviates from or "cheats" the death that is set for them, Death will then create a new design and come back for them, usually leaving them in the worst, bloody, and painful way possible.
If multiple people escape their intended deaths, then Death will kill them in the order they were meant to die in originally, though it can deviate from this rule in multiple ways:
"The Butterfly Effect": In Final Destination 2, the Route 23 survivors are killed in reverse order to seal the rift caused by the survival of the Flight 180 survivors. To explain, the first five Flight 180 survivors to die (Tod Waggner, Terry Chaney, Valerie Lewton, Billy Hitchcock, and Carter Horton) inadvertently intervened in the original fates of all of Route 23 survivors with their deaths, causing those survivors to be piled up on a list based on who intervened in their deaths.
Changing the Order of Death Pre-Disaster:Alex Browning and Jonathan Groves both changed the order in which they were targeted in Final Destination and The Final Destination respectively when they sat in different seats than they did in their premonition disaster, enabling them to survive longer than they would've originally. In addition to them, Wendy Christensen and Kevin Fischer were scheduled to sit behind Ashley Freund and Ashlyn Halperin, but Frankie took their seats and they both agreed to be last in line, causing their positions to be switched before the premonition accident.
Intervention: Occurs when someone intervenes in one's death, saving them. If the interventionist is another survivor on Death's list, the person who was saved may be skipped, allowing Death to target the next person on the list.
Self-Intervention: Occurs when someone on Death's list manages to save themselves from dying. Depending on the timing of the intervention and whether or not the person was warned by someone else on Death's list, the person may cheat Death and therefore be skipped, allowing Death to target the next person on the list.
Preventing the Disaster From Occurring or Taking Lives: Occurs when someone on Death's list manages to somehow stop a disaster from occurring or somehow removes those on Death's list from the situation. Depending if the situation was truly avoided death or was a set-up, those on Death's list who were intended to die may be skipped.
Cheating Death Permanently: Using the rule that "only new life beats Death", one can cheat Death for good by either dying and then being revived or giving birth to a child that was never meant to be born. However, this only exempts the person cheating, and any other people still on the list will still be targeted. One can also cheat by causing the death of someone who was not meant to die and taking their lifespan, allowing them to live until the day the decedent was meant to die.
These are the list of deaths and failed attempts made after Death's design was thwarted in each of the Final Destination films, novels, and comics. Stats about their survival rates are included as well.
Final Destination[]
Position
Name
Cause of Death
Fate
Death/Skip Scene
Casualty
286 Other Flight 180 Passengers
Died in Flight 180 Explosion
Died
1-7.
Survivors
Almost died in Flight 180 explosion
Skipped, saved by Alex
1.
Tod Waggner
Nearly slipped and strangled/electocuted by radio wire
Avoided death, saved himself
Slipped and strangled by clothesline
Died
2.
Terry Chaney
Hit and splattered by speeding bus
Died
3.
Valerie Lewton
|mpaled in the chest by falling kitchen knife
Died
4.
Carter Horton
Nearly incinerated in a car explosion after his car was hit by a train
Skipped, saved by Alex
5.
Billy Hitchcock
Decapitated through jawline by flying car wreckage shot by loose chain from train
Overall, the best at surviving was Clear Rivers. While both Alex and Clear were able to skip death dozens of times between them, Alex eventually died first, with Clear surviving a few more near-death experiences. Out of the seven survivors, only Clear Rivers, Alex Browning, and Carter Horton managed to skip death at least once, making for a 3:7 ratio, or 57% of the survivors dying first time.
Final Destination 2[]
Position
Name
Cause of Death
Fate
Death/Skip Scene
Casualty
15 Unnamed People
Died in Route 23 Pileup
Died
1-11.
Survivors
Almost died in Route 23 pileup
Skipped, saved by Kimberly
11.
Kimberly Corman
Nearly hit by Truck from Hell
Skipped, saved by Thomas
10-8.
Dano Estevez, Frankie Whitman, and Shaina McKlank[3]
Hit by Truck from Hell and incinerated in SUV explosion
Died
7.
Evan Lewis
Nearly incinerated in apartment explosion caused by burning cooking oil
Avoided death, saved himself
Impaled through right eye by falling fire escape ladder
Died
6.
Tim Carpenter
Nearly suffocated on nitrous gas and nearly choked on a blowfish toy at the same time
Notice: This list is reversed due to the deaths of the first five Flight 180 survivors having in inadvertently intervened in the original fates of all of Route 23 survivors prior to the Route 23 pile-up.
Overall, the best at surviving was Thomas Burke. Out of the nine survivors, only Thomas Burke and Kimberly Corman managed to skip death at least once, making for a 2:9 ratio, or 78% of the survivors dying first time.
Overall, the best at surviving was Wendy Christensen. Out of the ten survivors, only Wendy Christensen, Kevin Fischer, Julie Christensen, and Ian McKinley managed to skip death at least once, making for a 2:5 ratio, or 60% of the survivors dying first time.
Unknown, as premonition ended before his possible death
5.
Janet Cunningham
Crushed beneath truck wheel
Died
9.
Lori Milligan
Neck twisted between pillar and truck
Died
10.
Nick O'Bannon
Head bashed into wall
Died
Overall, the best at surviving was Janet Cunningham as she was able to avoid death thrice and skip death once before dying. Of the ten survivors, only Nick O'Bannon, Lori Milligan, and Janet Cunningham managed to skip death at least once, making for a 3:10 ratio, or 70% of the survivors dying first time.
Nearly face burned with frying oil by Peter Friedkin
Avoided death, saved himself
Nearly stabbed by Peter Friedkin
Avoided death, saved by Molly
8.
Molly Harper
Nearly stabbed by Peter Friedkin
Avoided death, saved by Sam
6.
Peter Friedkin
Impaled through spine with meat spit by Sam Lawton
Died, Sam took Jim Block's remaining lifespan
7.
Sam Lawton
Nearly shot by handgun dropped on oven burner
Avoided death, as gunshot missed his head
8.
Molly Harper
Bisected through the waist by an airplane wing on Flight 180
Died
7.
Sam Lawton
Incinerated in Flight 180 explosion
Died with Jim Block's remaining lifespan
4.
Nathan Sears
Crushed and dismembered by Flight 180 landing gear
Died with Roy Carson's remaining lifespan
Overall, the best at surviving was Nathan Sears. Out of the seven survivors, only Nathan Sears managed to skip death at least once, making for a 1:7 ratio, or 86% of the survivors dying first time.
Final Destination: Bloodlines[]
Final Destination: Dead Reckoning[]
Position
Name
Cause of Death
Fate
1.
Sebastian Lebecque
Nearly set on fire by malfunctioning heater and gasoline soaked boots
Avoided death, as he stepped away in time
Obliterated in motorcycle explosion after he'd thrown a cigarette into the motorcycle's open gas tank
Died
2.
Amber
Slipped and crushed and bisected by out-of-control car
Overall, the best at surviving was Macy as she was able to avoid death seven times before actually dying. Out of the nine survivors, only Eric Prescott managed to skip death once, making for a 1:8 ratio, or 89% of the survivors dying first time. Only Jamie and Jessica Golden were able to cheat death by dying and being revived.
Final Destination: Destination Zero[]
Mornington Crescent explosion[]
Position
Name
Cause of Death
Fate
1.
Matthew Upton
Impaled through chest by acid-coated metal pipe and burned alive
Overall, the best at surviving was Danny King as he was able to skip death twice before dying. Out of the eight survivors, only Jack Cohen, Mary-Beth Bradbury, Bodil Raden, James Barker, Louise King, and Danny King were able to skip death at least once, making for a 6:2 ratio, or 25% of the survivors dying the first time. Only Louise King was able to cheat death by dying and being revived.
Final Destination: Dead Man's Hand[]
Position
Name
Cause of Death
Fate
1.
Tom Gaines
Nearly died in near-collision with tank truck
Skipped, saved by Allie
2.
Allie Goodwin-Gaines
Skipped, saved herself
3.
Shawna Engels
Skipped, saved by Allie
4.
Warren Ackerman
5.
Arlen Ploog
2.
Allie Goodwin-Gaines
Nearly drowned in shower cabin
Avoided death, saved by Tom
1.
Tom Gaines
Nearly died in hotel room explosion
Skipped, saved by Allie
2.
Allie Goodwin-Gaines
Skipped, saved by Tom
3.
Shawna Engels
Impaled through head and mouth by coin distributor after beeing run over by prize car
Died
4.
Warren Ackerman
Electrocuted in puddle of urine by falling power line
Died after contracting HIV from Sean Murphy's blood
Died
Overall, the best at surviving were Tom Gaines as he was able to skip death two times and avoided death once before dying. Out of the five survivors, everyone was able to skip death at least once, making a 5:0 ratio, or 0% of the survivors dying the first time. Only Tom Gaines and Allie Goodwin-Gaines were able to skip death two times before finally dying.
Final Destination: Looks Could Kill[]
Position
Name
Cause of Death
Fate
1.
Ruby
Bit off tongue and suffocated to death after inhaling hydrogen cyanide gas
Died
2.
Shirelle Edelstein
Internally decapitated after hair was caught in a set of rims on a wheel
Died
3.
Darla
Drowned and boiled to death inside closed hottub
Died
4.
Rosemarie Dupree
Eviscerated during liposuction
Died
5.
William Simms
Nearly killed in near-car collision
Avoided death, as he survived
Nearly drowned in sewer flood
Hit and splattered by subway train
Died
6.
Gunter Nonhoff
Bisected by reversing delivery truck
Died
7.
Abigail Foster
Nearly died during childbirth
Cheated death, saved by Stephanie
8.
Stephanie Pulaski
Hit by speeding bus
Died
Overall only Abigail Foster was able to cheat death by producing new life not meant to be. Out of the eight survivors, only Abigail Foster was able to cheat death, making a 1:7 ratio, or 88% of the survivors dying the first time.
Final Destination: Death of the Senses[]
Position
Name
Cause of Death
Fate
1.
Amy Tom
Throat nearly slit by the John Doe
Skipped, saved by Jack
2.
Chelesa Cox
Impaled through eyes and head by falling two-pronged icicle
Died
3.
Dawson Donahue
Nearly incinerated in gas explosion
Avoided death, as gas burns out before reaching him
Crushed against wall by flying car
Died
4.
Katie Astin
Nearly hit by speeding taxi
Skipped, saved by Jack
Face nearly burned by boiling hot water
Nearly struck by flying propane tank
5.
Joshua Cornell III
Head nearly crushed by falling audio equipment
Skipped, warned by Jack and Amy, saved himself
Nearly impaled through back by glass shards
6.
Dominique Swann
Nearly choked to death on nutmeg
Avoided death, saved by Amy
Nearly set on fire by lit oil lamp while standing in alcohol
Avoided death, saved by Jack
Choked to death on flying glass shard
Died
7.
Jack Curtis
Nearly struck by swinging lighting rig
Skipped, saved by Amy
1.
Amy Tom
Skipped, saved by Jack
4.
Katie Astin
Electrocuted by lighting rig
Died
5.
Joshua Cornell III
Decapitated through jawline by flying platinum record
Bled to death after getting impaled through chest by metal bird sculpture
Died
Overall, the best at surviving was Amy Tom as she was able to skip death twice before dying. Out of the seven survivors, only Amy Tom, Katie Astin, Joshua Cornell III, and Jack Curtis were able to skip death once, making a 4:3 ratio, or 43% of the survivors dying the first time.
Out of the one and only survivor, the narrator was able to avoid death at least once, making a 1:0 ratio, or 0% of the only survivor dying the first time.
Factory Explosion[]
Position
Name
Cause of Death
Fate
1.
"Factory Worker 1"
Impaled through spine by picket fence spike after falling from ladder
Died
2.
"Factory Worker 2"
Electrocuted in bathtub by falling radio
Died
3.
"Factory Worker 3"
Lower body shredded by lawnmower
Died
4.
"Factory Worker 4"
Hit and splattered by speeding train
Died
5.
The unnamed narrator
Hanged himself in a rope noose
Died
Out of the five survivors, all of the survivors died the first time, making a 0:5 ratio, or 100% of the survivors dying the first time.
Gas 1-80 Explosion[]
Position
Name
Cause of Death
Fate
1.
Chuck Peters
Unknown
Unknown
2-5.
Emma, Billy, "Elder Daughter" and "Younger Daughter"
Alive
6.
The unnamed narrator
Hanged himself in a rope noose
Died
Out of the six survivors, it is unknown if the list continued as the narrator died out of order. If the list ended, then only the narrator died, making a 5:1 ratio, or 83% of the survivors would have been still alive by the end of the comic.
Final Destination: Spring Break[]
Position
Name
Cause of Death
Fate
1.
Kris
Back shredded by boat propeller
Died
2.
Katie
Impaled through torso by medical display skeleton
Died
3.
Gino
Impaled through mouth by glass shard after being pushed through glass floor in boat by broken oxygen tank
Died
4.
Dreena
Neck snapped upon impact with ground after falling off a collapsing jet bridge
Died
5.
Jeremy
Died
6.
Amanda
Drowned in pool after getting trapped under automatic pool cover
Died
7.
Matt
Nearly run over by delivery truck
Avoided death, saved himself
Hit and incinerated by fireworks
Died
8.
Jake
Obliterated by helicopter blades
Died
9.
Bryan
Nearly impaled by flying broken tree
Avoided death, saved himself
Nearly hit by jeep
Avoided death, saved by Carly
Nearly struck by flying sign
Avoided death, saved himself
Suffocated inside coffin
Died
10.
Carly Hagan
Vanished into thin air
Unknown
Overall the best at surviving was Bryan as he avoided death death three times before dying. Out of the nine survivors, if Carly Hagan is alive, only nine survivors died, making a 0:9 ratio, or 90% of the survivors dying the first time.
Other Lists[]
Final Destination 2[]
Brian Gibbons was nearly run over by a news van but was pulled out of the path by Rory Peters. Months later, he was blown apart by a barbecue explosion.
Aldis Escobar nearly fell out of a elevator. Later on the same day, he was crushed in a car accident.
Isabelle Montoya nearly died in near-collision with tank truck but was saved by Allie Goodwin-Gaines. Due to Allie contracting HIV from Sean Murphy's blood, it is presumed that she died as she too was completely covered in Murphy's blood.
Final Destination: Wipeout[]
Hawaii Plane Crash[]
Corey Micheals
Mandy Robertson
Bobby Fraider
Drew Perkin
Brett O'Connel
Karl Windsor
Kim Rachelle
Ravyn Blackthorne
Afghanistan Military Ambush[]
Corbin Wainwright
Several unnamed others, all of whom died
Mentioned Lists[]
Throughout the franchise, there have been multiple mentions, either in the forms of newspapers and online articles, of either accident survivors or disaster survivors dying after near misses.
Several people, including a man named Brian Gibbons, who survived a disaster known as the Lakeview fire, all of whom later died, with Brian perishing in a backyard incident.[13]
A possible list involving Pam Smith and Craig Perry, who were killed in an accident at a hardware store years after witnessing the death of Brian Gibbons.
In Final Destination: Destination Zero, Patricia Fuller finds multiple documents and newspapers mentioning survivors of disasters who died afterwards in freak accidents, finding:
Eight Marines who avoided a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, all of whom died within a month in various ways, including:
A hit and run
A kitchen fire
A boating accident
Five surfers who avoided a freak wave in Australia, all of whom died within two weeks.
Seven medical students who avoided a yacht explosion and sinking in Japan, four of whom died within a week, with the remaining survivors going missing.
Six people who avoided a bridge collapse in Ontario, Canada, five of whom died within a month, including the visionary, with the only other survivor going missing.
Four people who avoided a cruise ship disaster on the Danube River, including a woman who later died in a freak accident.
A wreck survivor who was later killed in a freak accident.
A girl who survived being drowned and was later burned to death.
A boat crash survivor who was later crushed by a falling tree during a lighting storm.
A plane crash survivor who was boiled to death in a kitchen accident a week later.
An old woman who avoided a building collapse in Britain only to be run over by a truck a day later.
A young boy who survived a car crash in Ukraine only to be run over by a train.
A mother and her baby who avoided being murdered in Spain only to fall to their deaths two days later.
A man who avoided a drive-by shooting in Texas only to be accidentally shot by his own son.
A woman who managed to avoid a fire in San Diego only to later drown in a flash flood.
References[]
↑In the novelization, the order of the deaths are different. In an attempt to save Erin, Ian’s grip slipped and he fell. Erin was able to grab onto his hand but the force of the catch caused her to fall with him. While Erin died instantly, Ian was severely injured from the fall. Julie fell and died instantly, followed by Perry. After Perry’s death, Ian succumbed to his wounds and bled to death.
↑ 2.02.1Initially, Alex would have sat closer to the Flight 180 explosion. But, because Alex didn't exactly changed seats with Christa Marsh and Blake Dreyer like he would have in the premonition, Death treated as if Alex had stayed in his original seat. This inadvertently made Alex switch his original position on Death's list with Clear.
↑Depending on how you view it, Shaina, Frankie, and Dano may have not been part of the list. While they survived the initial pileup, they still died after being struck by a car hauler and were counted as casualties in the pileup, while Kimberly would've killed this way too if it weren't for Thomas, who intervened at the last moment and pulled her out of the way.
↑ 4.04.1The oxygen explosion that kills Eugene and Clear also sends a trolley flying towards Thomas and Kimberly. During that time, Thomas is shown slightly closer to the door than Kimberly. If it weren't for each of them pulling the other down before being hit by the trolley, both Thomas and Kimberly would of died.
↑There has been much confusion to whether Kimberly and Thomas actually died. In an alternate ending of Final Destination 3, the two were shown to have died in a newspaper article, though the information shown in this ending is not confirmed to be canonical.
↑While it is assumed that Wendy avoided her death by saving herself from being hit by fireworks, an alternate theory postulates that she was unintentionally saved by Ian McKinley, who stopped her from reaching the first aid tent and getting in the way of the cherry picker, which was initially supposed to crush her. After all, this would explain the clue of the McKinley Grad Night shirt, as it would hint to both Ian and the cherry picker.
↑Within the novelization of Final Destination 3, Wendy realizes that she would die after noticing the reflection of herself matching her photo of herself on a balloon during the chaos at the McKinney Tricentennial. The photo shows her holding Jason with a dark background behind them. During this time, she was holding an injured Kevin during the night. At the result of her realization, she looked around and realized the wind moving and the fireworks going off. Had she not, the firework that damaged the cherry picker that crushed Ian would have hit her. The novelization, although not canon, is based on an earlier draft of the film. Thus, this may or may not be intended.
↑ 8.08.18.2There is a lot of doubt as to whether or not the last three survivors died in the Train 081 derailment, as their deaths only occurred in a premonition and the ending to the film was left ambiguous. Though the derailment likely occurred as shown, it's possible that the three were able to mitigate its effects and avoid their deaths altogether.
↑ 9.09.19.2When Nick and the other survivors left the speedway before the McKinley Speedway disaster occurred, Jonathan was able to sit in his original seat. Thus, he able to avoid getting crushed by Car 11 and managed lived long enough to be placed after Janet and Hunt on the list.
↑ 10.010.110.210.310.4There is contention on whether or not Janet and Lori's deaths in the Springfield Centre Mall were actually avoided or not, as the premonition they were shown in was revealed to be a feint made by Death. Additionally, Janet's death in the premonition would've broken Death's rules, as it occurred out of order, though this could be explained if she survived long enough after being impaled for Lori and Nick to die first. However, the only way the death order in the end could be explained is if Nick saved himself and Lori from an unknown death, allowing the list to cycle back and restart with Janet.
↑In Dead Reckoning, Macy manages to avoid dying multiple times throughout the remainder of the novel. Somehow, these interventions don't allow her to be skipped.
↑ 12.012.112.212.312.412.5In the End of the Line, Danny saved each of the remaining survivors from the MRI scanner in the exact order that they would have died in.
↑There is a major discrepancy in that Brian Gibbons is claimed to have been a survivor of a disaster called the Lakeview fire, even though he is explicitly shown to have died after Rory Peters intervened in his planned death after a car crash involving the survivors of the Route 23 pileup, which occurred two years before the Lakeview fire. This is most likely a mistake by the prop designers, and the most plausible explanation is that the two Brian Gibbonses are entirely different people who cheated different deaths years apart.