Most of us have that tv show, movie or videogame that we are very passionate about, and these always include characters that make you love them and feel for them as if they were real people. Whether it’s a popular show like Game of Thrones, or a less known one like Reign, a widely acclaimed movie like Endgame, or a scary one like It, or even violent videogames like the Mortal Kombat franchise where the characters fight each other to death in a tournament; there will always be that one character or group of characters that make you love them and then crush your heart when they die. Their deaths leave us feeling miserably sad and heartbroken, and we cry for them as we would for someone we knew personally. Here’s a list of characters who got an ending they did not deserve. Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD! Glenn Rhee from The Walking Dead
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The Walking Dead is one of those tv series that just has to end already. It’s been airing for almost ten years, and the plot just gets progressively worse. As Rick adapted to the new reality of zombies swarming the streets, he met very important people who later became his dear friends, and one of those was Glenn. These characters overcame every obstacle, fought zombies and humans alike, and during the first five seasons, it was a great show, but there is only so much you can do in a zombie apocalypse. The show got more and more repetitive, with very few good things to balance the bad. Only characters like Glenn, Maggie, Rick and Michonne made the show worthwhile; but that changed once the group encountered Negan and Glenn met his terrible death at the hands of Negan’s baseball bat, Lucille. Glenn was a fan-favorite character who had been in the series since season one, and to see him die so gruesomely, especially knowing that he and Maggie were going to have a baby, was heartbreaking. He deserved the family that he dreamed of having. Another big problem with The Walking Dead is their habit of constantly killing minorities. Tyreese, Noah, Sasha, and now Glenn; the show killed most minority characters who became even remotely important while the rest of the group were all white except for Michonne, Father Gabriel and Ezequiel.
Rost from Horizon Zero Dawn
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Ned Stark, Logan, Jim Hopper, and possibly Joel Miller in The Last of Us Part II (let’s hope not because that would be heartbreaking), what do these dads have in common? If you haven’t guessed already, it’s pretty simple yet sad; they have all died for their kids. Although my over-all list only features two videogame characters (expect another videogame character coming soon), Rost is among that group of dads who died for their kids. Set in a futuristic world overrun by machines, Horizon Zero Dawn is more than just a game; it’s a masterpiece. From the breathtaking visuals, to the plot and characters, there are not many people who don’t like it, and those of us who have played it can all agree on something: Rost’s death was painful to watch. He originally belonged to the Nora tribe and he was an exceptional warrior, but when he made a mistake, he became an outcast. However, he was such a good person that not even his own tribe could completely cast him out, and he was assigned his most important role. Rost later became the adoptive father of the game’s protagonist, Aloy. One of the most badass and greatest characters of the videogame industry. Rost raised her, trained her, and made her the warrior that she was, but at the end of his journey, he died protecting her. He left Aloy completely alone in a world where she had to fight murderous machines and discover the truth about herself, all while dealing with the loss of the only family she had known. Rost was more than just her father figure; he was the only person Aloy had, and he was a genuinely kind person who deserved to live so he could see what a strong and good person Aloy had become.
Ned Stark from Game of Thrones
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“Ned was an honorable man”, was what most people said about Ned Stark whenever he was mentioned. Everyone knew what an honorable person he was, and how he was among the few people in Westeros who were not consumed by greed, power, lust or all of the above. Ned had a good heart; he loved his wife, he was the best father in all of Westeros, and his death was the reason why most people hate Cersei Lannister. What pushed Cersei to orchestrate his execution was his desire to do what was right not only for King’s Landing, but for all of Westeros. By trying to do this, he uncovered many dark secrets about powerful and dangerous people. Ned died because he tried to do what was right; he died because he wanted to make the world a better place not only for his own children but for everyone else, and no one deserves to die for such a noble cause.
Seok-woo from Train to Busan
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As if this list had not enough dads in it, one more claims his place among those fathers who shouldn’t have died. Train to Busan is one of those movies that are horrible; not in a bad sense, though. The plot is great, and it has strong and kind characters. What makes it so horrible are the gruesome deaths of all the characters we got attached to. Seok-woo was a workaholic, divorced dad who was too focused on his job to spend time with his little daughter. He seemed cold at first, but as the movie went on and the plot progressed, Seok-woo showed us what he was capable of in order to protect his daughter during the beginning of a zombie apocalypse. He met a distinct group of people on his journey to Busan, among those were many characters that won our hearts over, but nothing was more painful and heartbreaking to watch than the ending scene where Seok-woo sacrifices himself so his daughter can escape and live free from the zombies. If you didn’t cry as Seok-woo got devoured by zombies while his daughter was desperately trying to get to him, you have no heart.
Poussey Washington from Orange is the New Black
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It’s been years since Poussey died, and it’s still frustrating and sad to remember how she left the famous prison series. Poussey was one of the many inmates who didn’t deserve to be in prison, but she also didn’t deserve to die due to the incompetence of an undertrained guard. Poussey was a good friend, and a good person to everyone she knew at the prison. She stayed out of trouble, she was nice to others, and all she wanted to do was read books and cuddle with her girlfriend all day. Is there anything more wholesome? Her death not only enraged the fans but also her fellow inmates who organized a riot in order to bring justice to her case and make sure the man responsible for it payed the consequences. Needless to say, the riot was not successful, but she moved others so much that they stood up to the guards, and to the other side of the law, just to make sure justice was served. Poussey was possibly the most wholesome character in the whole series and her death will hurt us for a long time.
Although the beginning of this list is sad and painful, next week’s list of characters will hurt you even more. Another videogame character, a fallen queen, and a robber are among those we got attached to and had to see them die in the worst way possible. Will it ever end? Fan favorite characters need to stop dying for the sake of our feelings. Stay tuned for part two in case you see your favorite character in the next list!