The lion scores quite a few kills during the movie . It takes out many poachers and massacres an entire village full of innocent people. As for main characters, though, there is a bit more plot armor in play to protect them all, so the lion only kills one of the top-billed characters. Idris Elba is the main character, and since it would be a grisly film indeed that would kill him or his little girls, it is the "best friend" of the story who has to go, ultimately. It is almost a foregone conclusion from the start of the story that Martin is poised to die instead of our central family of heroes in "Beast," but we still have to wait for that eventuality to unfold.
The good news is, at least the character goes out like a pro and on his own terms. When the lion attacks Martin and the girls, Martin shoos the kids out of their vehicle. While wrestling with the lion, the vehicle slides down a steep hill, injuring Martin and causing gasoline to leak all over the place. When the lion attacks, Martin pulls out his lighter and ignites the gas, causing a massive explosion that causes his own death but also burning the lion, who does walk away but has hideous scars and a slower step for the rest of the film. Not only does Martin die protecting Nate's children from harm — and thus earning some serious hero status for his final act — he also does significant damage to the lion. He still dies, of course, but at least he goes out with a bang.
