Do you ever watch a movie or television show, or read a book, and rue the fact that a particular character died? Have you imagined how a story would've been entirely different if just one deceased character had survived it?
One cinephile turned to social media to find out what These were some of the best responses.
1. Khal Drogo (Game of Thrones)
The dead characters from Game of Thrones were prevalent in the responses, but none felt as impactful as Khal Drogo. Drogo's death meant that Daenerys Targaryen would never birth the stallion who would mount the world after she miscarried her first child with the Dothraki leader. It's also questionable whether Danerys would have died had Drogo been there to protect her.
On Reddit, u/in-site said, “My pick is Khal Drogo. I would read and watch the s*** out of Khaleesi/Khal taking over the world with their lil baby.”
2. Sirius Black (Harry Potter)
u/deadbeatdemonic gave Sirius Black from the Harry Potter stories as an answer, which prompted a widespread response from fans of the popular franchise.
One reply came from u/strayofthesun, who said, “I just wish Sirius had lived long enough to know that his brother tried to destroy a Horcrux,” while u/NarglesEverywhere said, “Came here to say Sirius Black! Harry finally had a chance at a father figure and they just yeet him into hell through a curtain.”
3. Antie (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids)
In 1989's Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, the shrunken children's lives are saved by a baby ant (nicknamed “Antie”) that gives its life to protect them from a scorpion. However, the children would've been killed without Antie's sacrifice, making the movie very different.
u/OptimusPrimel984 put Antie forward as an answer, and it garnered a significant response. u/-sbl- said, “You just stirred up a trauma that has been buried for 20+ years,” and u/Sweet-Luck-9872 Sweet-Luck-9872 replied, “This one hits way too hard.”
4. Littlefoot's Mother (The Land Before Time)
One of the saddest deaths in movie history occurred in 1988's The Land Before Time when a “sharptooth” killed Littlefoot's mother. When u/j54t brought it up in this discussion, several people agreed.
While it wouldn't have changed the movie much (the dinosaurs would still have headed to the Great Valley), it certainly made the story far more sad and poignant than it would otherwise have been. u/ignatious__reilly replied, “I was crushed,” and u/fusiongt021 said, “Someone [sic] cutting onions again.”
5. Qui-Gon Jinn (Star Wars)
u/Bunjyh gave Qui-Gon Jinn as an answer, then went into great detail about what would've changed in 1999's Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and beyond if he'd survived. For instance, Count Dooku might not have left the Jedi Order, as he had similar views to Qui-Gon about them.
Several users agreed. u/nyctre said, “Finally a proper answer and not just people naming characters that made them sad when they died. Thank you for that,” and u/AccountWasFound suggested Qui-Gon would've noticed Anakin Skywalker creeping on Padmé Amidala and nipped that situation in the bud before it got out of hand.
6. Tara Maclay (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
u/tuxnight1 suggested “Tara from Buffy,” prompting u/AMissKathyNewman to reply, “Urg yes,” and u/LandArch_0 to agree by saying, “That was a shocking death.”
Tara's death in season six of Buffy the Vampire Slayer resulted in her girlfriend, the powerful witch Willow Rosenberg, attempting to destroy the world and completely changing the dynamic between Willow and her friends. Had it not happened, the season six finale and season seven would've been very different.
7. Glenn Rhee (The Walking Dead)
Glenn Rhee suffered one of the most shocking and gory deaths in television history when Negan killed him in the opening episode of The Walking Dead's seventh season. u/DixieMcCall suggested Glenn as an answer in this discussion, and there was widespread agreement.
He was a well-liked character, and his death completely altered the series' dynamic. u/stephers85 said, “Yup, I could only get through like two or three episodes after he got killed. He was the heart of the show.”
8. Tony Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Several users gave Tony Stark as an answer in this discussion, including u/Guntas_Kour and u/weirdlynormally. The latter said, “He deserved to retire and maybe lose an arm or something but to retire and live out his life with his child and pepper and friends and spiderson.”
Many people legitimately upset by Stark's death replied, with u/Life-Leg5947 saying, “I cried for weeks after this happened was like losing a good friend and watching them die on screen.” It did feel like Stark could easily have given the Infinity Stones to someone more equipped to deal with their power, which would've changed the MCU considerably going forward.
9. John Coffey (The Green Mile)
u/pidjunpai answered, “John Coffey from The Green Mile.” u/ApplesAndPants disagreed somewhat, replying, “And yet, John Coffey was ready to go. He was tired of living in a world he didn't belong in. He was tired of feeling all of the pain. Hard as it was, Edgcomb did him a favor.”
That reply is correct, but it doesn't alter the fact that the story would've been changed if Coffey had survived. It would've meant he was correctly found not guilty and would've been free to live as he deserved.
10. Charlotte (Charlotte's Web)
The main character in Charlotte's Web, Charlotte, is a spider, so it's pretty surprising that her death was so sad. But, as u/CakeSilent8719 suggests, it was devastating. They said, “Charlotte in Charlotte's Web. It tore me up as a 5 year old, and I cried like a baby when I read ir with my daughter.”
Others agreed, particularly with how it affected their kids. If Charlotte had survived until the story's climax, it would be a much happier ending, with fewer devastated children worldwide.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.