It's important to set goals. That especially goes for the heroes of a story, as it gives the narrative a sense of purpose. Swearing vengeance is a reliable means of doing this. It makes the conflict relatable by playing off people's natural desire for payback. If someone does you wrong, you want to get even. Sadly, it doesn't always work out this way.
Some movies flip the script in this area, denying their heroes the retribution they seek. That occasionally comes down to characters deciding against this deadly path, but it also occurs through circumstances beyond their control. Whatever the reason, these heroes don't achieve the vengeance they so desperately seek.
7 Mathilda - Leon The Professional
Drug trafficking and families never go well together. Mathilda learns this the hard way when her parents and siblings are wiped out by the coked-up Stansfield over a deal gone wrong. The girl survives thanks to the intervention of neighbor and hitman Leon. She wants to train under him as an assassin, learning the skills needed to exact vengeance, but he wants her to live a quiet life away from violence.
Unfortunately, Mathilda takes matters into her own hands. She tries to carry out her covert mission herself, but Stansfield discovers her deception. Thankfully, Leon protects her once again from the resulting firefight, blowing himself up along with Stansfield. Thus, his ward is free to pursue a better life.
6 Bruce Wayne - Batman Begins
Before he was the Caped Crusader and staunch supporter of the justice system, Bruce Wayne was a punk kid who wanted revenge on Joe Chill, the street thief who killed his parents. The angry youth tries to ambush Chill after the criminal provides testimony against mob boss Carmine Falcone, but the crime lord gets to him first.
He kills Chill, eliminating him as a witness and leaving Bruce dejected and empty. On the upside, this gives him a new target: the larger criminal element destroying everything his parents stood for. Fans, of course, know where this leads. One journey ends, and another begins.
5 Caesar - War For The Planet Of The Apes
The irony is that the star of this Planet of the Apes origin trilogy doesn't want a war, as it would only lead to further casualties on both sides of the primate spectrum. That hits home in the third film. After an unhinged human colonel slaughters his family, Caesar relentlessly pursues the murderer across the ruined country. Along the way, he comes across a strange phenomenon: the same airborne drug that made the apes intelligent is now causing humans to lose their higher brain functions. In short, they can't speak. This is ultimately the reason for his not taking revenge.
Once he finally catches up to the colonel, Caesar finds that his enemy has succumbed to this sickness. The fate he was so afraid of has finally befallen him. Caesar knows that killing him like this would bring him no satisfaction, so he leaves the man to his misery and rejoins his people. Afterward, the colonel blows his own head off, providing audiences some extra closure.
4 Caspian - The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Telmarines do a lot of dark deeds in the second Narnia movie, but one of the most despicable is reserved for their own prince. Caspian's father falls victim to a jealous brother who wants the throne for himself. Once the prince learns of this treachery, he joins the Narnians. He works to not only free the land from the Telmarines' tyrannical rule but also achieve retribution against Uncle Miraz.
Oddly enough, it's Peter who defeats the villain in a duel. He offers Caspian the killing blow, but the hero refuses to stoop to his uncle's level. Miraz doesn't live long, though, as his lieutenant covertly stabs him and sets off a battle. Maybe Caspian should have done the honors, after all.
3 Spider-Man - The Amazing Spider-Man & No Way Home
Two big-screen web-heads have sworn revenge for the death of a loved one but lost out. The first was The Amazing Spider-Man. This premature reboot recites the same old story: Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker loses his Uncle Ben and goes after the mugger responsible. Sadly, he seems to forget about this and skips to donning the Spider-Man mantle. Thus, lazy writing and studio meddling rob him of any resolution to this formative conflict.
The same retribution later eludes Tom Holland's Spidey. Between unfunny Marvel shenanigans and Avengers crossovers, he doesn't get to this part of his origin story until his third solo flick. This multiverse adventure sees the Green Goblin kill his Aunt May. Peter then tries to stab the villain with his own glider, but Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man stops him from crossing that line. Instead, they cure their shared enemy and send him home. Thus, the MCU's web-head starts to actually feel like Spider-Man.
2 Thorin Oakenshield - The Hobbit
This Dwarf has bad blood with several characters in Middle-earth, but the greatest threat is Smaug. The malevolent dragon ruthlessly attacks the Dwarf kingdom of Erebor: killing countless residents, driving the rest away, and claiming their domain for himself. Thorin's people lose everything they'd built and face further hardship on the road due to Middle-earth's other evils. This is why he enlists the titular Hobbit as a burglar.
He would retrieve the Arkenstone--the King's Jewel--to rally the disparate Dwarves, reclaim their homeland, and slay the dragon. They give it a pretty good attempt in the second film (more so than in the book). Thorin and company bury Smaug in molten gold from Erebor's forges, but it's not enough to finish the job. In the end, it's a humble Man named Bard who strikes the killing blow when the dragon lashes out at Lake-Town. This gives Thorin his kingdom back but deprives him of his long-sought revenge. Talk about a mixed bag.
1 Mattie Ross - True Grit (1969)
Two adaptations of this western tale exist, and each turns out differently for the teen protagonist. Both versions see her hire U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn to track down Tom Chaney, the man who killed her father. Depending on the movie, though, the outcome diverges.
In the 1969 film, Mattie fires her dad's gun and only wings Chaney before tumbling into a snake pit. It falls to Cogburn to finish the job. The 2010 remake lets her complete her revenge mission, shooting Chaney square in the chest and sending him off a cliff. Unfortunately, she also loses an arm due to snake venom, so this victory is bittersweet. The original may deny her vengeance, but at least she keeps all her limbs.