8 Worst Jobs in Movies: From Death Star Gunner to HYDRA Guard

Sometimes movies revolve around glamorous heroes who live the lives we can only dream of. But for every James Bond or Captain America, there's a Paul Blart. With his sequel set to further the misadventures of the world's most overzealous mall cop, we're looking at some of the worst, most unrewarding forms of employment movies have to offer.

Apparently they don't have OSHA in a galaxy far, far away. The brave Imperial troops who control the Death Star's massive death ray are one catwalk away from tripping and falling right into a planet-destroying blast. And those lucky few who manage to avoid that fate invariably just get blown up anyway when the Rebel Alliance comes calling.

Life sucks for the low men on the Imperial totem pole, but it's not great for those on the other end of the spectrum, either. We saw just how short the career of the average commanding officer is in ‘Empire,’ as Darth Vader went through a revolving door of captains and admirals. Even the higher-ups are one mistake away from being Force Choked into early retirement.

The Rebels are always being asked to lay down their lives, but the Bothan spy is easily the unsung hero of the Rebel Alliance. We never saw these brave, doomed heroes in 'Return of the Jedi.' We only learned that many of them died to bring information about the construction of a second Death Star.

Nobody likes a killjoy – least of all the fiercely independent Ghostbusters. Poor Walter Peck was just trying to do his job and protect Manhattan from an unlicensed supernatural containment facility. For his efforts, he got showered in a 30-foot marshmallow man’s guts.

Wearing a badge on your chest in Gotham City is the equivalent of putting a target on your back. You either end up chasing after the Batman and getting your cars pancake’d by his, or you live long to see yourself on the wrong end of the Joker’s chaos. Maybe a transfer to Metropolis is in order?

The upside? You get a cool, brooding ballad from Bruce Springsteen to serve as a metaphor for your life struggles. Downside? You’re a washed-up wrestler who has seen better days, much like Mickey Rourke.

Hydra agents are the Stormtroopers of the Marvel Universe, in that they're basically just there to stand around and shoot lasers until Captain America punches them with his shield. And there is no workman’s comp that can cover getting vaporized by your employer, Red Skull, and his weapons.

Thanos is one of the most feared beings in the entire universe. But what you should really be afraid of is being is Number Two. There is little to no job security in the role, just ask The Other – the guy whose neck Ronan snapped. Thought you do get to work on a series of floating space rocks. So you got that going for ya, which is nice.