The Titanic Scene Fans Agree Makes No Sense

To put it quite simply, fans don't feel that Jack had to die, not because they are sad he died and wished it could have gone on but because it makes no sense. Many have pointed out — like Palmer — that both Rose and Jack could have fit on the door or they could have taken turns. This debate has been so ongoing that full-on experiments have been conducted and some pretty big names have chimed in on the topic.

First, three schoolgirls conducted an experiment using math and research to discover whether or not both Jack and Rose could have fit on that door (via The Advertiser). Their research concluded that they could have. Then, scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson pointed out another scientific fact in that survival instinct would not have allowed Jack to basically just sacrifice himself without trying other alternatives (via Digital Spy). He pointed this out after commenting on how fans are so focused on whether or not he could fit on the door instead of why he didn't even try to fit on the door in the first place.

In an attempt to end the controversy and give fans an answer, director James Cameron explained why Jack had to die in a 2017 Vanity Fair interview. His answer? "The answer is very simple because it says on page 147 [of the script] that Jack dies. Very simple." So in Cameron's eyes, Jack dies as an "artistic choice." While an artistic choice is respectable, that doesn't make the nature of Jack's death any less confusing and controversial.