A good story—whether it's a book, movie, manga or TV show—can really draw us in.
We can get invested in the story to the point we begin to have real feelings about the characters.
That's why having a favorite character die can cause real grief.
Redditor Iridescent126 asked:
"What was the saddest fictional character death for you?"
Spock
"Spock, in Wrath of Khan."
- Lisa_Anns_Ass
"'I have been, and always shall be, your friend'.”
- MadMacs77
"'Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human'."
- bozoconnors
GiphyStoick the Vast
"Stoick the Vast How to train your dragon"
"Dude literally just reunited with his wife after over 15 years of being gone and spends a total of about 15 minutes with her. Cause of death: basically took a bullet in the chest to protect his son."
- 24Nitro-gamer
"I saw it in theatres and a bunch of kids started to cry. Not like sniffing but out loud wailing. It added to the atmosphere."
- ThePurpleMister
"I cried, 20-something y.o. dude just ugly crying"
- leotushex
The Iron Giant
"The Iron Giant will ALWAYS have me ugly crying when he goes up to stop the missle"
- muhfckinuhhh
GiphyWhere The Red Fern Grows
"The dogs in 'Where the Red Fern Grows'."
- johnny*mseed
"Came here to say this. This book destroyed me in grade five but also really demonstrated grief in such a profound way."
- such_sweet_nothing
Bubba
"Bubba in Forrest Gump. That whole scene had me wrecked."
"From Bubba's weak, 'I wanna go home,' to Forrest's narration saying he died by that river in Vietnam while showing him holding Bubba....."
"God damn, I'm crying just thinking about it."
- ChuckZombie
GiphySaving Private Ryan
"Saving Private Ryan has two of the saddest, most brutally gut wrenching deaths I’ve ever seen on screen in Wade and Mellish."
"Wade trying to talk the guys through his injury that goes from panic and terror to acceptance of his own death as he cries out for his mother and says 'I want to go home'? Jesus Christ."
"Mellish is brutal for all the more uncomfortable and raw reasons you’d imagine. War is horrific. Young men are sent off to die, and their lives are cut short for no reason."
"It’s tragic and heartbreaking, and this is one of the only movies to really nail that feeling"
- Tuna-No-Crust
Ellie From Up
"Ellie from 'UP' gets me everytime"
- MaterialScientist420
"Sometimes I wonder how movies ever took off when the first ones were short with no sound."
"Then I remember the time a 10 minute animation with no dialogue absolutely wrecked me. It's a god-damned masterpiece and I hate it."
- cycloptian_tit
GiphyM*A*S*H Had A Few
"Henry Blake. MAS*H. The scene in the operating room. The actors weren’t told about it, just called back for one last scene shoot and Radar walks in and tells them. The silence is amplified by the sounds of instruments still working. Haunting"
- Salami_sub
"Piggy backing off this, the guy they tried to keep alive so his kids wouldn't remember Christmas as the day their dad died. That one gets me just thinking about it."
- GaussfaceKilla
"I just saw that one like a month ago! That was totally heartbreaking. Hawkeye spins the clock forward to twelve o five December twenty sixth and they all conspire to forge his death certificate"
- The_Dynasty_Group
My Girl
"'He can’t see without his glasses'"
- peesherman42
"What made this especially shocking/sad is that the entire movie was a huge bait-and-switch, but in a really effective way."
"At the time, 11-year old me thought -- based on the trailers and the marketing -- that I was about to watch a lighthearted coming-of-age movie."
"And while it does have some of that, boy did it have a macabre edge to it."
- Geekboxing
Littlefoot's Mom
"Littlefoot’s mother’s death"
- 2-DMan
"My son fell in love with this movie when he was 3 or 4, and every time that part would come on I would have to leave the room because no matter what age I am, I will always get emotional. Something about the music and the overall vibe that really just punches me in the gut."
- isurfnude4foods
"The music plus the quote 'Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely'. It's so beautiful and tragic."
- fiofo
GiphyThe sign of a great story is how it can touch our hearts and sometimes break it.
So what was the saddest character death for you?
As a girl who tended to watch shows geared towards boys (and therefore had very few female characters), I always paid special attention to the female characters.
The male characters always did amazing things. Ash from Pokemon did some stupid but brave things in order to protect others. Superman saved Metropolis on a daily basis. The Doctors from Doctor Who saved entire universes!
I wanted to see a female character have her moment in the sun, too. She didn’t even need to save the world. Just do something amazing in the name of protecting someone or be the most capable person in the room.
Luckily, there are some extremely well-written female characters in TV shows and movies. They are intelligent, tough, and general badasses. Kate Beckett from Castle comes to mind. The most recent Doctor was a woman too!
Reddit was ready to identify more of these female characters.
It all started when Redditor Connie_Lingus6969 asked:
“Who is a well written strong female character in a movie or TV show?”
Ohana Means Family
"Nani from Lilo & Stitch. A (semi) realistic portrayal of an orphaned 19 year older sister, trying make ends meet and provide the best life she can for her younger sister and herself. Trying to balance her social/romantic, work and personal life and being forced to grow up and take responsibility fighting CPS to keep her only family left, together…all the while facing alien shenanigans that occurs."
"“broken but still good. Yeah still good” 🥹 -Stitch"
– Daedalus_Blade
"Awesome that a Disney movie finally showed a woman succeeding without becoming a princess."
– Key-Mulberry2456
I Believe In Her!
"Dana Scully in the X files"
– martybarty
"And increased real-world uptake in STEM among women - The Scully Effect"
– slippyfeet
"Surprised that this isn’t higher. Scully was THE strong female character of the 90s. Intelligent, educated, confident, and well-spoken. Held her own in male-dominated fields (law enforcement and medicine). Able to get herself and Mulder out of scrapes time and again. And all while wearing heels and sharp suits."
– SurpriseBackpack
Distinctly Female, Completely Awesome
"Clarise Starling from Silence of the Lambs."
– Samsassatron
"What makes her such a good character is that despite being highly intelligent and competent she's desperately scared and vulnerable and mostly alone. The scene where she encounters Buffalo Bill and he's trying to bluff her, and the camera pans back and you see his revolver on top of the cooker behind him you just think "Oh no, how's she going to survive this?" Great character and a great performance from Jodie Foster."
– Johhnymaddog316
"Second this. She isn't "female version of male character", she is distinctly feminine and has to deal with the real world problems of being a woman in a male-dominated field, and all of it is handled in a realistic, grounded way."
– Notmiefault
"No Big!"
"Kim Possible, because she has so many different layers! Yes she saves the world with her best friend on the regular but she doesn’t use that as an excuse to complain about girly things or flat out say that they’re stupid like most “strong female characters” you see. She’s really into cheerleading and incorporates it into what she does, she dates Ron despite every other girl telling her that she’s stupid for liking him and doesn’t care what they think for the most part. She also has believable flaws and has to admit that she’s wrong a number of times, maybe I just really like Kim Possible."
– French-toast-bird
"I came here to say this! What I loved about Kim is that she was the popular, successful girl, but she was extremely down to earth and normal. She didn’t follow the typical trope of the “strong woman who hates other women”, and she actually loved her parents and siblings."
– ANervousFreck
Look No Further
"Olivia from Fringe."
– HatTruck
"Such truthful words has rarely been spoken."
– when_will_you_learn_
"Aa a guy, I was absolutely mesmerized by Olivia growing up. Such a strong woman who went through so much but never gave up, and always came out stronger on the other side."
– aspirationalsoul
They Can Always Be Both
"Suki in ATLA"
– WARMASTER5000
""I AM a warrior. I'm a girl, too." Love Suki!"
– lettersfromowls
""You're my prisoner now""
"What a badass""
– Envy_The_King
No Need To Be A Man
"Mulan"
– Adventurous_Yak_9234
"The fighter in her"
– Training-Ferret
"Hell yes"
– calm--cool
"I'm The Slayer"
"Buffy"
– Grizzled222
"The scooby gang faces a large collection of vampires"
"Angel: We need you to distract the vampires."
"Buffy: Right."
"Xander: What are you gonna do?"
"Buffy: I'm gonna kill them all. That oughta distract them."
– _bones__
"Was my first thought. Slayer at 16. Had to kill the love of her life. Always saved the world. Put everyone's needs above her own always."
– kmc0123
Guilty Of Being Amazing
"Elle Woods from Legally blonde. Being a strong woman does not mean giving up femininity"
– kittykatsnacks101
"Absolutely."
"Yes her priorities were misled at the start, but Realising she needed to prioritise herself over any relationship is the main reason she’s a strong woman. Strong women aren’t faultless, and a character that grows is way more inspirational to women and girls in my opinion"
– barrenvagoina
"Yes! This was my favorite movie growing up and it shaped me into who I am today - an engineer that still embraces her femininity"
– laurenalivia
"Seat Belts, Everyone!"
"Ms. Frizzle"
– sphawkhs
"Especially when you take a look at what she gets away with."
- "Taking students on field trips without permission slips countless times"
- "Taking students into deep space in an unfit craft, 3 counts."
- "Shrinking students countess times."
- "Feeding students to another student."
- "Exposing students to dangerous environments, including"
- "the inside of a running engine"
- "the late cretaceous period"
- "the magma chamber of a volcano"
"I want her lawyer."
– TomoyoHoshijiro
100% agree! I always wanted to be in Ms. Frizzle’s class!
People Break Down Which Historical 'Good Guys' Were Actually Bad Guys
Elementary school teachers are liars! Or, at least, they omit the truth.
When we were young, we learned about historical figures such as explorers, inventors, politicians, artists, and more who were touted as great people.
However, if we look past their great discoveries or triumphs, the people are not all that great. Christopher Columbus is a prime example.
Some people, like the late, great Steve Irwin, indisputably earned the title of good guys. But as we all know thanks to people like Coco Chanel or Bill Cosby, those who paint themselves as good guys are actually bad guys.
Curious to find out more, Redditor CongressPotatoKenobi asked:
"Which one of histories ‘good guys’ was actually a horrible person?"
The Pitfalls Of Jealousy
"Tinkerbell. Everybody thinks she was so cute and such a good friend to Peter, but she was a jealous psychopath and tried to murder Wendy several times."
– Wishyouamerry
"But in the books Peter Pan is also basically a psychopath. There are multiple references to the Lost Boys being worried he'd kill them."
"One of the main points of the book is that children don't know right from wrong unless they have parents to teach them."
– Xypharan
"Just watched Peter Pan (the cartoon) the other day, and yeah she was a psycho. I would love to see Aubrey Plaza play her in the inevitable live action remake cause damn, Tink was cold blooded."
– ILeftMyBurnerOn
The Great Inventors Of Yore
"Alexander Graham Bell!"
"This man did not invent the telephone. Several people were working on similar technology at the same time. Antonio Meucci invented it first, but there was a court case over who got the patent rights. Meucci died before the case was settled, and Graham Bell won the glory he didn't deserve."
– Im_Bill_Pardy
"Alexander Graham Bell was also a eugenicist who sought to end sign language in schools and wanted to ban deaf people from marrying each other. He was a staunch Oralist and the repercussions of his actions are still being felt in society today through such Audist institutions like the Bell Institute."
– Gilsworth
"Thomas Edison. Biggest monopolist ever and took credit for other people's work. He didn't invent the lightbulb but bought the rights and advanced it. He monopolized the film-projector + most films at the time and it took a very long lawsuit to get that fixed. He took many creations from his employees and put his name on it. This wasn't illegal because of the contracts employees signed at the time but it's not exactly a sign of goodwill. I don't hate the guy but his character is often completely exaggerated."
– Deleted User
"Thomas Edison and Henry Ford’s winter homes are in my city. As soon as students are in 3rd grade, all the schools would bring us to their homes, and really try to make you believe both of them were good people."
– floridas_lostboy
The Great Inventors Of Now
"Steve Jobs was a bit of an ass"
– RetroEnthusiasm
"Bit was an understatement. The guy was a massive credit hog, abused his employees and normalized a lot of sh*t business practices that are now used by several other companies."
– KingOfCook
"Elon musk"
"he generally treats his employees like sh*t, overworking them and making them work in unsafe conditions"
– Noist_Mugget
"He recently cut wages of all his workers after tesla stock went up"
– Deleted User
"There are higher injuries and safety violations in his factories compared to other car manufacturers, and there are emails about disregarding safety protocols in order to push more production."
"Workers could lose limbs, be permanently injured or die."
– B3taWats0n
Those Writers Though
"Rudyard Kipling, author of 'the jungle book.' Paraphrasing, "the only way to keep the yellow man out is to bring the white man in.""
– GelicateDenius
"Also got his son killed by using his influence to get him into the army despite his sons piss poor eyesight. Bit of a d*ck move if you ask me."
– InspectorGoole
"Dr. Seuss was a total POS who cheated on his first wife with her friend, His first wife, Helen, had Guillain-Barré syndrome, and knowledge of her husband's affair drove her to eventual suicide. He then remarried her friend."
"Her suicide note; “I am too old and enmeshed in everything you do and are, that I cannot conceive of life without you,” read her suicide note. “My going will leave quite a rumor, but you can say I was overworked and overwrought. Your reputation with your friends and fans will not be harmed.”"
"also, this does not make him terrible, but he had an "adult" nudie book called the seven lady godivas. It's weird yall."
– Apatheticforcredit
"HP Lovecraft. Maybe not one of the "Good Guys," because he didn't pioneer any social movements or anything like that, but he's one of the most influential writers of the 20th century."
"He was also insanely racists. And not just your typical "white man from 1920s America" racist, but passionately, unapologetically racist. The kind of racist that made other racist 1920s American white guys say "Dude, chill out with the racism.""
– Goliath89
The Music Sounds Different Now
"In some aspects to the 60’s and 70’s when the Beatles were icons, (I’m talking about John Lennon) people who use his image and face for “peace” sometimes forget important details."
"-He abused women"
"-He was a cheater"
"-Total hypocrite on the “no possessions” when he lived one of the most lavish lifestyles of his time"
"-compulsive liar"
"-almost killed a few people (look up Bob Wooler, he was almost punched to death by John. There were others but their stories have either been disputed or unclaimed.)"
"So whenever I see a bunch of people sing imagine I just shake my head in shame cause so many people don’t even know how bad he was but act like he was a saint."
– Chefshipwreck5897
"Elvis Presley. He never wrote a song in his life, but his record label made any song writers hand over half of their writing fees, before Elvis would record their songs. He's credited as a co-writer on the majority of his songs."
– Biker27
Talks Too Much
"Ellen"
– rlyllsn
"You can see it in her TV persona. Basically, all those little off-handed put downs she does that pass for jokes are the real Ellen. She doesn't seem to be trying to make them funny either. People just take it that way because it is Ellen."
"She is the kind of person that is always talking shi=*t about everybody else and if she gets called out of in, "It was just a joke". But you know it really wasn't."
– olderaccount
Those Political Leaders
"Gandhi was a racist, sexist and actively encourage Casteism in India. The inspiring story you hear about his protest in South Africa is a myth."
– paradoxperumal
"Thomas Jefferson was all kinds of hypocritical. On one hand he claimed slavery was bad, and on the other kept over 200 slaves."
– Notmiefault
"JFK"
"Getting shot and being handsome allowed people to overlook the Bay of Pigs, his womanizing and mafia connections as well as his numerous destructive political policies."
– NotwiththeCIA
Should've Known
"Mother Teresa."
– W_I_Water
"An old co worker worked with her. She was a former nun who said mother Teresa was ruthless and cruel to all of the nuns who worked alongside her."
– OnemoreSavBlanc
"She believed in salvation through suffering so her aims were not to heal people but to "park" them and let them suffer without painkillers before dying."
"Also she used her celebrity to amass charity money and use it to other goals like missionary work and line the pockets of the Vatican."
– inckalt
"As well as having her nuns baptise those of different faiths without their knowledge or consent. They would ask the patients if they wanted to be saved (paraphrasing), and without any further details being asked, her nuns would baptise them on their death beds."
– comrade_batman
Absolutely Evil
"I’m not seeing John Muir in here. Yes, the Father of the National parks made absolute certain indigenous people were NOT included in any of this process as he wiped them out and they’re practices. Yosemite would most likely be much more lush and fertile had he let the native people take care of it."
– yes_dinner
Saving The Wrong Person
"John Smith from Pocahontas, that motherf*cker deserves to rot"
– Agent-Orange666
"Saw a good art about 'What if Pocahontas was a dude'"
"It ends with him shooting Pocahontas in their first meeting."
– Deleted User
Even The Scientists Aren't All Good
"Issac newton, while arguably the greatest physicist ever, was a pretty big POS."
"He was very closed-minded and didn't like criticism. After quickly becoming famous for his incredible works, he frequently abused his powers to bury works intended to contradict his own."
– lawrence1998
My, How Despressing
"A shorter list would be "Which of history's good guys were truly good guys and not later found out to be complete a$holes.""
– Sngglbnny
Is anyone a good guy?
Do you have anyone you'd add to this list? Let us know in the comments below.
People Explain Which Quotes From Fictional Characters Made The Biggest Impact On Them
Fictional characters always say the best things.
It's always perfect and spot on, but in real life we normally say things wrong and messy.
Maybe that's why so much great dialogue resonates...
Redditor AmOdd asked:
"What did a fictional character say that stuck with you?"
"The love Molly. You take it with you." - Sam Wheat/Patrick Swayze (Ghost)
I still weep.
POV
"Many of the truths we cling to depend largely on your point of view. - Ben Kenobi"
taloncard815
Ewan Mcgregor Hello GIF by Disney+GiphyAcceptance
"'We accept the love we think we deserve.'"
“'I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won't tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn't change the fact that they were upset. And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have.'”
"(Perks of Being a Wallflower, I Don't Know if i'm a cliche)"
itsacalamity
steeped in blood...
"A boy who idealizes war is perplexed why a war hero wants to retire to become a farmer. He asks the wise warrior why he seems to despise war and this is his response:"
"There is more honor in a field well plowed than one steeped in blood."
oWatchdog
"Lloyd Alexander the Black Cauldron. Read it in elementary school and that has always stuck with me. Good thing too, because the indoctrination and glorification of the military is very strong in my country and starts at an early age."
oWatchdog
Sober
"When Vimes says about his alcoholism, 'One is too many, two's not enough.' That's when I knew that cutting down wouldn't work, I would have to completely stop. Been sober nearly five years now."
ahhtibor
"I always tell people 'Drinking-wise, you are like a car; you have an accelerator and a brake. You can start and stop or go fast or slow. I'm the space shuttle; I can only light the rocket or not light the rocket, that's it, those are the choices I have."'
"I haven't lit the rocket in a decade."
picksandchooses
Burning
“'I survived because the fire inside burned brighter than the fire around me.' -Joshua Graham, Fallout New Vegas"
Wrayo
Summer Burn GIF by NETFLIXGiphyGreat words from great characters will haunt you forever.
Picard
"'It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness, that is life.' - Jean-Luc Picard"
martinsonsean1
Star Trek Drinking GIF by HULUGiphy'tomorrow never comes'
"Tomorrow's the day you'll pay the bills! Tomorrow's the day you'll grow up and start acting responsible. But tomorrow never comes for you, because it's always so conveniently a day away.' Suzie, Hey Arnold. Had to copy and paste because I forgot the original quote verbatim but the 'tomorrow never comes' part always stuck with me despite me being a massive procrastinator."
fernadoreddit
Sacrifice
"'The hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end they just have to have faith. Ain't that a *itch? - Epsilon from red vs blue.'"
Marston
"'Be loyal to what matters.' - Arthur Morgan"
MemeMachine2468
"Roger Clark killed that role. It’s not often that a video game voice actor gives a genuinely Oscar-worthy performance."
"I remember thinking before the game was launched 'Huh, this guy seems like a total *ick, there’s no way R* can make him a more likable character than Marston'; now that I’ve had a few months to stew on it I honestly think he may be my favorite video game character of all time, probably top 5 protagonists in all fiction."
Hypergolic_Golem
Help
"'Some people will always need help. That doesn't mean they're not worth helping.' -Meera Reed from Game of Thrones"
Nachodoo
Come At Me Bring It GIF by Game of ThronesGiphyI do love good dialogue. It's the key to everything.
People Explain Which Fictional Characters Are Only Idolized Because People Misunderstood The Story
It's always odd to hear about people who idolize the Joker and Harley Quinn. Isn't it very apparent that those two are in an abusive and codependent relationship?
You'd think so, but if you spend a little time on online message boards or looking at any memes, you'd see a host of representations of Joker and Harley Quinn as "relationship goals" when they should be anything but.
Clearly the people who read those comics misunderstood the assignment, and they are not alone.
People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor WhereDemonsDwell asked the online community,
"Which fictional characters are idolized by people who missed the entire point of their story?"
Walter White
"Walter White. You're not supposed to root for the murderous, ruthless, self-centred, ego maniac drug lord by the end of the series. People do."
NDStars
People tried to turn his wife into the villain. If anything, she was the only character in the series to stand up to him consistently and people hated it.
Tom
"Tom from 500 Days of Summer."
"Really liked the character and could associate myself with him in my younger self but he's living in his fantasies more than understanding his reality."
CrackerGuy
This is the kind of movie that hits different when you're in your early 20s compared to any other time.
Bonnie and Clyde
"Not fictional characters, but Bonnie and Clyde. Cool if you wanna have an adventure with your ride or die, just don't kill 13 people while doing it."
sosaidtheliar
People loved and adored them because they saw them as heroes taking on the banks that caused the Great Depression. No one really knew how terrible they actually were except the cops who were hunting them down.
When they were killed, their bodies were towed through the streets of a town and people crowded around crying and sobbing like two movie stars had been killed, then started ripping their clothes trying to get souvenirs.
The movie from the 1960s did not help.
Tony Soprano
"Tony Soprano. I don’t get how people could look up to him, when the whole show is about how he hates his life."
ClarkTwain
Because the show deliberately tries to trick you. David Chase constantly pulls you between sympathizing with Tony's very real, very human problems (most of the therapy scenes, the ducks, etc.) and smacking you in the face for even considering that he might be a good guy.
Holden Caulfield
"Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye. He wasn’t being refreshingly rebellious, he was crying out for help. He was probably mentally ill, and definitely emotionally scarred by his brother’s death and the unhealthy way his parents handled that tragedy."
GoingOn2Perfection
I think the brilliance of that book is depending on your stage of life you can take something very different each time.
The Joker and Harley Quinn
"Joker & Harley are still idolized as an example of crazy passionate love despite it being clearly established as an abusive relationship. It’s a shame the movies had to cut out most of the really bad Joker abuse because then maybe the point will be driven home."
[deleted]
See? What did I tell you? People acted like they were Gomez and Morticia which is... so not the case.
Vito Corleone
"Vito Corleone. Everybody knows Michael is a monster but he’s only his father without the “family man” charm. Both of them are ruthless murderers."
simplepleasures
And the story is a tragedy. You'd think people would have learned something...
Scarface
"Scarface. So many wannabe gangstas and rappers with Scarface shirts and posters."
Leeser
That was my thought too. It's like everybody only watches the first half of the movie.
Tyler Durden
"Tyler Durden. Hands down."
[deleted]
Yeah I think the socioeconomic message was lost on most people who just paid attention to the first half of the movie.
Lolita
"Lolita. I hate that the name has become synonymous with young, seductive, coquette types. The entire book includes accounts that she was an unwilling participant and trapped."
notusuallyaverage
It's interesting how so many people pretend like Nabokov glamorized Humbert Humbert. Nabokov wrote him as a lying, murderous monster.
Chances are, you can think of people out there who misunderstood the assignment, too.
Like, is there anyone out there who actually idolizes Don Draper? (Answer: Yes. Sadly, yes.)
Have some suggestions of your own? Tell us more in the comments below!