People Name Fictional Character Deaths That Made Them Cry
Losing a loved one is never easy. It doesn’t matter if they’re family, a friend, a pet, a houseplant, or whatever. People form bonds with other living creatures. When that bond is fractured with death, they grieve. What happens when that grief occurs with a fictional character? The loss of someone’s favorite character can almost feel as sad or upsetting as losing a real person. It doesn’t matter if they’re from a major motion picture, a television show, or even a song. However, some deaths just hit harder than others. People have named the most gut-wrenching and heart-stopping deaths to hit the big screen, small screen, and everything else in between. From animals we formed bonds with, to supporting characters that deserved more screen time, they’re all here.
Which fictional character’s death made you tear up?
Poussey, Orange is the New Black
Orange is the New Black premiered at the perfect time. Just as Netflix was finding its legs and becoming the be-all-end-all of television, Orange is the New Black premiered. This fantastic show (based off of a book) followed a group of inmates forced to live out their days in the prison industrial complex. One of the most engaging was Poussey Washington. Even in a prison full of people, Washington was always one of the most level-headed and rational of the crew.
She also didn’t cause any waves during most of the hijinks throughout the seasons. Then she died. Poussey’s death was entirely preventable and definitely unforeseen. During a peaceful protest turned chaotic moment, an officer restrains her…to death! Nobody was prepared for it and we’re still reeling.
Leslie Burke, Bridge to Terabithia
Most Disney films are fun, joyful romps with an addicting soundtrack. Bright colors, precocious protagonists, and the only people who die are the villains and at least one of the protagonist’s parents—the latter of which we never see or talk about. Bridge to Terabithia breaks the rules and introduces audiences, both young and old, to a shocking and depressing death. One of the main characters dies, and we’re all taken for a ride in the middle of the film.
Leslie Burke is a wide-eyed dreamer who just so happens to also be an outcast. While exploring Terabithia with Jess, she decides to take a swing on a rope. Unfortunately, it snaps, and Leslie falls to her death in the creek below. Fun family film! Leslie’s death is also considered one of the most tragic in all of Disney’s live-action films.
Ellie, Up
Up is a fantastic film full of balloons, dogs, and tragedy. Unlike most depressing films, the tragic death scene doesn’t occur at the end. We’re introduced to Carl and Elli at the very beginning of the film. Within the first twenty minutes, Ellie meets her somewhat tragic end. Thankfully, she lived a long and happy life with Carl. Despite being unable to have children, most of the memories we see involve her smiling and having fun.
She worked at the zoo and was by Carl’s side until the end. Her death also isn’t surprising. This makes it all the more upsetting. Nothing could have been done to save her as the cause of death happened to be old age and time.
John Coffey, The Green Mile
The Green Mile is a heavy film that tackles a lot of difficult subjects. Stephen King wrote an incredible book that was eventually made into a great movie. With an all-star cast and an interesting plot, every character struck a chord with audiences. Even the characters who had some previous charges had an emotional impact on viewers. John Coffey was one of the gentlest of all inmates in Cold Mountain Penitentiary.
He also has a slew of amazing magical powers that promote healing and finding the truth. Unfortunately, despite all his power, he was wrongfully convicted of his crimes. Things end up becoming too much and he eventually gets the death penalty and escapes the cruelties of the world he was born into. Watching him walk the titular green mile felt like all of us were walking alongside him.
Sirius Black, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Bellatrix Lestrange was a despicable witch who deserved what she got. She was guilty of killing a slew of people under the command of Lord Voldemort. One of her most upsetting kills, of the ones we saw, was the murder of Harry Potter’s godfather, Sirius Black. This guy was a wrongfully accused murderer who only wanted to defend his godson from the evils of Voldemort. While Harry and his friends were tracking down a prophecy in the Department of Mysteries, a group of Death Eaters follows them.
A magical fight ensues which ends with Sirius facing off against Bellatrix. As the two duel to the death, Bellatrix fires a curse that Black tries his best to defend against. Instead, he is thrown through a magical veil that absorbs his very soul! Bellatrix then goes off screeching and laughing into the night. Don’t worry though, Molly Weasley takes care of her a couple of books later.
Wolverine, Logan
Despite his claws being his defining trait, Wolverine is actually a healer. Logan has been through a lot of adventures across multiple timelines. He’s also basically become the face of the X-Men. In his titular film, Wolverine finally fails to heal himself. Throughout the years, the adamantium in his body was poisoning him. That was a twist most movie-goers didn’t see coming.
This rendered Logan’s healing ability null. At the end of the film he finally succumbs to this, as well as a bunch of other injuries, and dies. While most X-Men come back at the end of their movies, this time, he passes on and remains dead.
Samantha, I Am Legend
Not all great characters have to be humans. They don’t even have to be speaking animals for us to create a bond with them. Side-note, did you know there’s a website that tracks whether a dog in a movie dies or not? It’s super helpful. Well, spoiler-alert, the dog we’re talking about doesn’t make it. In I Am Legend, the world has gone to hell. The only survivors that aren’t vampiric demons are Will Smith and his dog, Samantha.
In the book and the film, Smith is working on a cure to save the world. His only friend that isn’t a mannequin is his dog. She’s a selfless and brave hero that ends up dying protecting Smith during a vicious vampire attack! It’s also one of the saddest deaths in all of cinema,. especially since it doesn’t happen at the end!
Henry Blake, M*A*S*H
M*A*S*H is an amazing film and television series about a group of enlisted people trying to survive the Korean War. While the show had a lot of comedy in it, there was no shortage of drama. Even when it seemed that some people were going to be able to return home, fate had other ideas. Lt. Colonel Henry Blake was a devoted soldier, a fiercely loyal friend, and an officer that was on his way to being discharged.
He even made it onto the plane that was set to fly him home! Unfortunately, given that they were leaving an active warzone, not every plane that departs lands safely. Audiences don’t get to see the plane get shot down, but we learn of Blake’s death the same time as the cast did.
Hank, Breaking Bad
A whole lot of people die in Breaking Bad. There’s no way around it. A show about creating a highly addictive form of meth and selling it won’t normally have a large cast of survivors. Even with a growing list of casualties, one death in the show hit people harder than most. Agent Hank Schrader is a tough-talking hardass that works for the DEA. Despite being on the side of the law, he’s kind of a jerk that nobody likes.
Despite trying to do the right thing, he finds himself at the mercy of a bunch of neo-nazis in the middles of the New Mexico desert. Schrader accepts his fate and encourages the skinheads to finish what they started. He’s then dropped into a shallow grave alongside some other victims and a big ol’ stack of cash.
Hedwig, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Not all main and supporting character deaths are as bad as the random deaths of others. One of the worst deaths in all of fiction happens at the very end of an epic series. The Harry Potter series features a massive list of characters that ended up dying for one reason or another. One of the most random and tragic has to be Hedwig.
The snowy owl that helped give Harry hope and deliver his mail was unceremoniously murdered with very little fanfare or explanation. One minute, she’s fleeing with Harry while Death Eaters chase them, the next, she’s hit with a killing curse and that’s it. Short, sweet, and terrible. It really set the tone for the remainder of the final book.
Mufasa, The Lion King
In the land of Disney, having a parent die is almost a prerequisite for a majority of the main characters. It’s pretty rare for a princess to have two living parents by the time her film rolls around. The same can be said for the princes who end up becoming kings. The Lion King is a heartwarming tale about a lion who has to grow up very quickly to reclaim his homeland from his evil uncle.
All of that takes place after the uncle murders the prince’s dad and then blames it on the young one. Mufasa’s death is pretty dramatic. The animators made sure everyone knew he wouldn’t survive the stampede thanks to a slow motion shot. Plus, we were left staring at his lifeless body for far too long after the trampling.
Hodor, Game of Thrones
Almost everyone in Game of Thrones had an ulterior motive for every action they took. That or they were downright cutthroat in their quest to claim the Iron Throne for themselves. One of the only people who seemed to just be along for the ride was Hodor. This loveable giant was never treated with the respect he deserved.
We didn’t even get any backstory on him until his tragically sad death scene! How did he get his name? He was trying to say “Hold the door” in the past and it morphed into Hodor! The trauma from his life carried on to his death. The show just didn’t feel the same after he passed.
Beth, Little Women
Elizabeth March, AKA Beth, is one of the most beloved characters in Louisa May Alcott’s massive library of stories. This gentle and always busy young lady was able to see the silver lining in most situations. She was also a pretty hearty kid! Despite staving off scarlet fever, she still remained active and tried to keep her smile shining for the world to see.
Of course, given the time, surviving an illness didn’t mean you were out of the woods. The after effects of the fever caught back up to Beth towards the end of the book. Unfortunately, despite people thinking she was all right, she succumbed to her illness once more and passed. She was very young, barely twenty-three! Also, this is a children’s book, for anyone wondering.
Glenn, The Walking Dead
Anyone who survives more than a day in The Walker Dead is already a hero. This hellish tale of survivors of the zombie apocalypse rarely has a fun moment. In fact, the show was a bleak experience for even the viewers to get through. The ragtag group of survivors are always on the edge of being wiped out. However, the few times they managed to laugh, everyone joined in. Glenn was one of the people that viewers and the survivors were happy to have around.
That’s why when he was subjected to the business end of Negan’s bat, time basically stood still. Even in the darkness that is the show, having Glenn die before our very eyes was enough for us to wish the apocalypse had claimed everyone. What was the point of watching after he was gone?
Marley, Marley & Me
Movies centered around a pet usually have the pet survive til the end. Right? Wrong. While there are a ton of animal movies out there, not all of them have happy endings. Anyone who has read Marley & Me knows what we’re talking about. The story of a giant menace dog that’s too rambunctious for her own good makes all of our hearts melt. This goofy pup gets into trouble, brings a family together, and then passes away from a pretty common affliction.
While the book and movie make no qualms about what’s going to happen, it still catches up by surprise every time we watch it. The feeling also mirrors the fear most pet owners have and know that they’ll eventually have to face. We generally outlive our pets. That doesn’t make the moment any easier, even when we’re watching it happen to someone else’s pup.
Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
There’s a lot you can say about this film. Most of them probably aren’t good things. From Jar Jar Binks to whatever the plot was supposed to be, the movie isn’t one of the higher-ranking films in the space opera series. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have some surprisingly gut-wrenching scenes. One of the hardest moments to watch, if you’re subjecting yourself to the film, occurs after an epic lightsaber battle.
Darth Maul, Obi Wan, and Qui-Gon Jinn are running around the underside of Naboo. It’s a great show of CGI. However, right when we think the villain will meet his end, Darth Maul destroys Qui-Gon! Audiences were shocked to say the least! The Force probably didn’t even see it coming.
Thomas, My Girl
Having allergies sucks. Most of us are afflicted with something in this world that doesn’t agree with our bodies. Whether it’s something small like pollen, or potentially deadly like shellfish, allergies are terrible but pretty common. What do you do if you’re allergic to almost everything? How do you live? The coming-of-age movie My Girl introduces us to someone that faces this dilemma. In the film, a kiddo named Thomas has a slew of allergies, one of them being bees.
While he does his best to stay healthy he unknowingly walks into an angry beehive while searching for a lost mood ring. Unfortunately, by the time he realizes his mistake, it’s too late! He quickly succumbs to the multiple bee stings and passes away pretty quickly.
Artax, The Neverending Story
It’s not just people who undergo deep psychological strain and emotional unrest. Even some of the most majestic creatures have to deal with crippling depression. In The Neverending Story, we team up with Atreyu as he rides his noble steed Artax across the land to save the Childlike Empress. His mission is to stop The Nothing from destroying Fantastica. On his quest, he has to journey through the Swamps of Sadness. He possesses a magical medallion that protects him from the swamps debilitating effects.
That power does not extend to his horse. As he trudges along, trying to keep his resolve intact, Artax ends up giving in to the sadness. In the film, audiences have to watch as the horse stops walking and resisting being saved. In the end, we watch the horse literally drown in sadness.
The Tenth Doctor, Doctor Who
BBC heartthrob David Tennant is arguably one of the most popular iterations of The Doctor to ever appear in Doctor Who. He’s so popular that not only did he star in one of the most popular seasons, he is being brought back (temporarily) as the fourteenth doctor! If you’re a stranger to the show, we’ve got you. The Doctor is a being called a Time Lord that never really dies.
Instead, when they experience great trauma, they regenerate into a new form! Tennant’s doctor is aware of this. However, given how attached he becomes to his companion and the adventures they share, he doesn’t want to regenerate. His heartbreaking “end” occurs after he tearfully says that he doesn’t want to go.
The Terminator, Terminator 2
One of the most famous lines from the entire compendium of Terminator films is from the very first one. “I’ll be back” is a piece of movie history. It also wasn’t a lie. When Schwarzenegger reappeared in Terminator 2, audiences lost their minds. It was an AMAZING movie and lived up to the hype of the first one. Unfortunately, the same hope we had for another return was quickly dashed at the end of the movie.
To ensure the new breed of terminators didn’t win, Schwarzenegger gets melted down in a fiery scene that ends with a metallic thumbs up. There was no coming back this time. Despite being a heartless killing machine it still hit us pretty hard.
Lady Sybil, Downton Abbey
Watching a bunch of rich people live out their days in high-class bliss while everyone else suffers around them sounds terrible. Somehow, Downton Abbey made it fun and downright addicting. Plus, Maggie Smith is in it, so there’s that. The show is a fascinating portrayal of life for the aristocracy during the turn of the center in the United Kingdom. All the characters of the fabled home go through some immense changes, but not all of them survive.
Lady Sybil was one of the youngest to accept change. Always willing to try new things, she was seen as a bright ray of sunshine in the home. Unfortunately, that light was soon extinguished. In the third season Sybil gives birth to her first child. However, she succumbs to pre-eclampsia shortly after her daughter is born.
Brooks Hatlen, The Shawshank Redemption
Most movies that take place in prison are sure to have one or two deaths. That’s just the unspoken rule about these tales. To showcase the dangers of prison (and how terribly they’re managed) a character must pass away, even if it happens outside of the correctional facility. That doesn’t make their death any easier. In The Shawshank Redemption, one of the most upsetting moments is when Brooks Hatlen takes his own life.
After having spent half a century behind bars, Brooks is eventually released! However, the world has changed so much that all he wants to do is return to jail. Instead of returning to Shawshank, the man writes a letter to his friends in the prison and then hangs himself.
Rita, Dexter
In a show about a serial killer who kills killers, there are going to be a lot of tragic and upsetting moments. Dexter makes sure audiences never know who is going to be a victim. It’s kind of the whole premise of the show. A character we thought was exempt from the formula was Rita. The love of Dexter’s life seemed to symbolize a happy ending for the guy.
All he had to do was solve the mystery of the Trinity Killer and they could be together. But before he could, the third and final death orchestrated by the mysterious murderer was Rita! Not only did her kid sit in the room with his dead mom, but Dexter was the one to discover her body. That’s enough to drive any homicidal killer even further over the edge.
Harry S. Stamper, Armageddon
Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wear giant bubble helmets and blow up asteroids headed for Earth. Oh, and that doesn’t mean they’re astronauts. If Armageddon taught us anything, it’s that anyone can go to space if they have the right amount of courage, natural talent, and reckless abandon to save the planet.
In one of his best performances, Bruce Willis plays a guy who’s tasked with saving the world, even if that means he won’t be returning to it afterward. Watching him say his goodbyes to his kiddo on Earth is heartbreaking. The only upside is that without his heroic actions there wouldn’t be an Earth for others to return to later!
Iron Man, Avengers: Endgame
Not all heroes are with us for a long time. Some of them are just here for a good time. That’s probably what Tony Stark’s entire life was about back when he was a member of The Avengers. Marvel’s billionaire party boy was one of the strongest and smartest in the multiverse’s arsenal of superpowered or super-equipped beings.
Despite being able to hold his own in a fight against the strongest being in the universe, he wasn’t a match for the evil those creatures brought with them. When it came time to save everyone in the multiverse, Tony had to make a choice. Was he willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save everyone else? If you’re reading this now, that means he made the only correct choice he had.
Fred Weasley, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Battle for Hogwarts was one of the tensest wizarding fights to ever be written about. As Voldemort and his army of Death Eaters prepared to take the school, the students, teachers, and remains of The Order of the Phoenix gathered to defend their beloved school. Every feud, rivalry, and bitter argument was going to be settled that night. Of course, even those who had little stakes would be forced to make some terrible sacrifices.
The Weasley twins, Fred and George, weren’t just tricksters and pranksters. They were both accomplished wizards that knew how to hold their own in a fight. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean they would both leave those grounds unscathed. Despite people thinking they would be together forever, Fred Weasley didn’t survive that night. His legacy would only be carried on through his now one-eared twin and partner in crime, George.
John Shelby, Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders is a period show that feels timeless and edgy at the same time. The show follows the infamous Peaky Blinders gang through the years as the 1800s meld into the 1900s and beyond. One of the saddest journeys we take is when we follow the life of John Shelby. Shelby was a young World War 1 veteran that couldn’t help but get into all sorts of trouble.
After narrowly avoiding being hanged, he moves to the countryside to try and live his life in peace. Of course, peace doesn’t find him. Instead, he receives an ominous sign from the Changretta Family marking him for death. After missing a phone call from someone trying to warn him, John is shot to death on his own front porch.
Marisa Cooper, The OC
A show set in modern times following the lives of four privileged kids from California sounds like a fun experience, right? It also sounds pretty laid back. How much trouble can people experience in The OC? The answer is a lot. Marissa Cooper just wanted to hang out with her friends, graduate school, and spend a year in Greece living on the water. She almost got her wish. After finally graduating at the end of season three, she says her goodbyes to her friends and heads to the airport with Ryan.
Right before they make it, they’re hit by a drunk driver and careen off the road. After the car flips around, Ryan manages to drag Marissa from the wreckage. Despite living through the initial crash, she ends up dying in Ryan’s arms. She was so close to her happy ending, but it was never destined to play out for her.
Eddie Munson, Stranger Things
Who doesn’t love a tragic rocker going out after one final concert? Eddie Munson from Stranger Things had a fantastic character arc in the show’s fourth season. The leader of The Hellfire Club wasn’t some creepy cult leader. This guy was a sweet introvert who just wanted to jam, make friends, and solve the mystery behind Chrissy’s murder. After the kids and Eddie track down Vecna, a plan has to be launched to get through the monster leader’s army.
Eddie, always one to look for a chance to play, decided it was the perfect time to rock. To distract a bunch of terrifying bat-demons, he decided to crank the volume up to eleven. This helped get the minions away from the big bad! While successful, the price for admission ended up being his own life.
Ji-Yeong, Squid Game
If you haven’t watched Squid Game yet, please, stop scrolling and watch this show. It’s a mind-blowing experience that’s hard to describe and well worth the binge. Towards the end of the season, those lucky enough to make it to the sixth game are split off into pairs. To survive, they have to beat their partner in a game of marbles. One of the pairings introduces us to the backstory of the quiet and sarcastic Ji-Yeong.
Instead of playing the game, she and Kang Sae-byeok spend their time explaining what drove them to enter the games. In the end, neither competitor won. Instead, Ji-Yeong decides to sacrifice herself so that Sae-byeok has a shot at advancing and winning everything for herself. Her acceptance of her fate and that tragic smile at the end are enough to make every viewer wish they both could’ve moved on.