We asked TV fans and movie fans within the BuzzFeed Community to share character deaths that devastated them to the extent that it ruined the show or film entirely. Here were some of the several hundreds of submissions, starting with television: WARNING: Some scenes contain graphic violence.
1. Sweets from Bones being attacked in a parking garage. "I hated that. I haven’t even watched Bones for years."
—trsmith1395
20th Television Here's the scene: 2. Dr. Greene from ER dying of a brain tumor. Here's the scene: 3. Lexa from The 100 being shot. "It was like a switch flipped and I went from obsessed with the show to completely uninterested. I didn’t even finish the season."
—jennahanes
The CW Here's the scene: 4. Glenn from The Walking Dead being beaten to death by Negan. "That was pretty much it for me. I kept watching for a bit, but I wasn’t invested anymore."
—haleyw4ae66dcb9
"I couldn't watch anymore after they killed off Glenn."
—InfoJunkie5572
AMC Here's the scene: 5. Quentin from The Magicians sacrificing himself to defeat the Monster. Syfy
"Killed off because the writers couldn't see that staying true to the source material at least with main/essential characters being ALIVE is, you know...important for your viewers to feel vindicated in their dedication. It was blatant shock value that added nothing to any other character arcs or the story overall but a gaping, emotionless hole."
—paigeas
Here's the scene: 6. Tara from Sons of Anarchy being brutally murdered. FX
"I hated that her storyline took such a turn, and it made Jax into everything he was trying to run from. That scene when he walked in and found Tara on the ground was GUT-WRENCHING and I bawled my eyes out. It was never the same after that."
—jenmarie11x1203
Here's the scene: 7. Carl from The Walking Dead being bitten by a walker. "Glenn from The Walking Dead was really bad, but I didn't stop watching until they killed Carl. It felt like a betrayal that they would deviate from the comics to kill Carl but not keep Glenn. It's also depressing how the show kept killing off its moral center each season."
—susank43293cb70
"Carl from The Walking Dead . He wasn't even my favorite character by any means, but if you know how the comics go, it was a pretty disappointing death to see. To add to that, what made it worse for me was that they seemed to have only done it for shock value. It was a waste of not only a main character but also took the show in a completely different direction. I haven't watched since."
—mrsnegan
AMC Here's the scene: 8. Poussey Washington on Orange Is the New Black getting killed during a confrontation. "This show did such a good job showing what it is like inside a prison and in the instance of her death, too good of a job. This was such a real death for me. So many things on this show made me angry about the treatment of people in prison and especially those in minority groups. The hate and cruelty they face.
But to make her death even worse, it was the most innocent and naive guard who used lethal force without even knowing, because they couldn’t afford training since they'd become a for-profit corporation. It made me angry and sad to know this could happen 10 times a day for real and we would never know. I couldn’t reach another season because it was too much and made me feel so helpless."
—b4fd29efa2
Netflix Here's the scene: 9. Charlie from Lost drowning. "I never watched a single episode after he died. He was my favorite character and at least 75% of the reason I watched the show."
—a-whale
ABC Here's the scene: 10. Michael from Jane the Virgin having an aortic dissection after initially surviving a gunshot. "My sister and I binged that season and loved it so much, but when Michael died we were absolutely devastated. I was a wreck for days. Gina Rodriguez is a fantastic actor and her sobs at the end of the episode just made it all the more heartbreaking. We watched a couple episodes afterwards, but it just wasn't the same. Apparently he comes back, but I don't care to know how or why."
—recklingturtle
The CW Here's the scene: 11. Silus from Vampire Diaries being stabbed by a dagger. "Why? They spent what felt like seasons building him up to the biggest baddie, only for him to die in like three episodes after he was revealed. All that buildup and suspense...for nothing? His quick death and lack of action did it for me. What a waste."
—nicolexmartin
The CW Here's the scene: 12. Prudence from Charmed being killed by a demon shooting her into a wall. CBS Television Distribution
"I gathered my wits and waited four long years to continue watching it. It was so disrespectful how she wasn't acknowledged the rest of the show, especially the ending scene where they show the photos of the sisters in the Halliwell house with no sign of Prue."
—nahomistgo
Here's the scene: 13. Rita from Dexter being murdered. "When I saw that episode, I was so mad and upset I didn’t continue watching the show for like six months, and it still wasn’t the same."
—kelcea
Showtime Here's the scene: 14. Marissa from The O.C. dying in a car accident. "She had great character development, then they killed her off! The show wasn’t the same after that!"
—katieh444fe3bbc
Fox Here's the scene: Alright, now let's take a look at the movie deaths that ruined films for folks... 15. Black Widow in Avengers: Endgame "The rest of the movie was definitely missing something. Especially in the scene with all the women characters, and the first woman of Marvel wasn’t there."
—isatom
Marvel Here's the scene: 16. Rachel in The Dark Knight "She was the character I felt most emotionally attached to, and you could see how much she inspired and cared for the people around her. No matter how many times I watch the movie, it always rips me apart."
—tigresssss13
Warner Bros. Pictures Here's the scene: 17. Mystique in Dark Phoenix "I could not care less about the ending once they killed Mystique. That was not the way to kill such an iconic character. Her death was senseless. She should’ve died in a more iconic way. Instead, it feels like it was wasted because of bad storytelling."
—itspena14
20th Century Fox Here's the scene: 18. Howard in Uncut Gems "I know it’s at the end of the movie, but I had my hands over my face for like 10 minutes after it. I can't tell if I love this movie, or if the ending ruined the whole thing."
—lbpowell
A24 Here's the scene: 19. Duke in G.I. Joe: Retaliation "Channing Tatum played the protagonist in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra , and they killed him off in the sequel to replace him with The Rock."
—mshaik
Paramount Pictures Here's the scene: 20. David Dunn in Glass Here's the scene: 21. The cat in The Shape of Water "I wasn’t expecting it at all. I thought I was going to watch a fantasy romance but that scene was like something out of a horror movie. I almost lost my cat shortly before and that just made it worse. It was like a switch flipped and I instantly lost interest in the rest of the movie."
—eclipsecat14
Fox Searchlight Pictures Here's the scene: 22. Bill Murray in Zombieland "That visceral reaction was unexpected and still haunts me. I stopped watching and have never seen the ending. Who cares about a world without Bill Murray?"
—jtothez
Sony Pictures Releasing Here's the scene: 23. Tadashi in Big Hero 6 "Aside from Baymax, Tadashi was the only other character that I enjoyed, and it made me less invested in the film."
—lightheart16
Disney Here's the scene: 24. Six in 6 Underground "I watched the beginning of 6 Underground and lost interest immediately after Dave Franco’s character died. It was so sudden and brutal for such an awesome actor. Waste of a talent."
—abbeyy47fce0c28
Netflix Here's the scene: 25. General Hux in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker "As soon as Hux died, I wanted to walk out. I knew it was coming, but I thought he’d get a better story arc than that. They did him so dirty."
—generalhux
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Here's the scene: 26. Kylo Ren/Ben Solo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker "It happens so close to the end, but it was so anticlimactic that it invalidated the sacrifices of the original trilogy characters. It just felt like a cheap rehash of the end of Return of the Jedi . I didn’t care how the rest of the movie ended at all after that."
—knaughton92
Walt Disney StudiosMotion Pictures Here's the scene: 27. Rosie in Jojo Rabbit "I had to leave and cry in bed. I only watch that movie up to before he finds his mother dead, then I make up my own ending."
—tomhollandmyhusband
Fox Searchlight Pictures Here's the scene: 28. Finnick from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2 "Why did he have to die? He just got married. He didn't deserve that death. The movie kinda got boring for me after we lost him."
—eleanorpalmer
"He was such an amazing character with an awesome arc and he had a wife AND a baby back at home. He was always my favorite in the books and the movies, and his death was unnecessary!"
—whateverhappenedtovine
Lionsgate Films Here's the scene: View comments