For me, it was always Optimus Prime from The Transformers movie.
Wash’s, in “Serenity”. It was just so unexpected and abrupt, and it served to generate a sense of unease in the viewer; after Wash’s death, no character seemed to be protected by plot armor. Granted, Shepherd Book bit it before Wash did, but the movie seemed to set him up to be separate from the rest of the crew. I loved that Whedon played with this concept of fragility in the ensuing battle, with Kaylee getting darted, Zoe getting sliced up, and Simon getting shot. And then, Mal’s battle with the agent… I thought the misdirect was masterfully done.
I’ve been affected by character deaths before and since, but Wash’s death was the only death I’ve seen in media that has made me worry for the safety of the other characters. It made a lot of sense outside of the movie, too, as “Serenity” was more or less a tribute to some IP that was never going to get resurrected. While watching the movie for the first time, I was left thinking: “what if Whedon just said ‘fuck it’?”
There’s something people always leave out in all this. The crash right before wash dies really feels as if serenity could be totaled. So first that crash… Then all of that
The gut punch was Gina Torres, and Zoe not being allowed to grieve and be with Wash.
I watched Serenity again a couple years ago, and it was just as harsh and abrupt as I remember it. It’s a hard emotional jab at anyone who has ever loved a partner that’s a part of their everyday life.
For a deeper gut punch, remember that in “Heart of Gold”, Zoe tells Wash that she wants to have a baby with him, and she won’t brook any of his lame excuses, like “the universe is too dangerous for kids”. It’s possible that if there was ever a second movie or a continuation of the series, they’d say that Zoe did get pregnant just before all of the shit went down, but with it being abandoned IP, we have to guess. So what do you think? Is there a mini Wash in Zoe’s future?
“I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.” are some damn fine final words.
You can’t take the sky from me.
Noooo, I refuse to believe that the movie is canon 😭
Ooof! I was gonna add something from my own childhood, but then I read this and now I gotta take a knee and go cuddle something soft.
I probably haven’t seen The Neverending Story in 25 years, but I still think about Artax from time to time. Fuckin’ Swamp of Sadness…
The 80s were so brutal. We had a kids movie that starts with the main character’s horse dying from sadness.
Fun fact: Artax can speak in the novel.
AAAANDD ITS SO MUCH WORSE TOOOOOO 😭
For real. That moment in that movie is basically telling you that you cannot save your best friend from crippling sadness and depression. The horse and the boy love each other but it doesn’t matter in the end.
I was allowed to watch that movie waaay too young, and I know it’s the same for others my age, but I was pissed when I learned that one of my friends let her 5 year old watch it because she’d seen it when she was 5, and apparently forgot or didn’t care that the horse dies?? Like how can you forget that?? And then the 5 year old heard us talking about the movie and the FIRST thing she says is “Remember the horse?” in this sad little voice. Way to traumatize your kid.
It was so traumatizing, death by depression. But, overall, as a little fruity kid about the same age as Bastian when it came out, TNS was the closest thing to affirmation of my own little fruity existence I could find. We easily traumatized fruity kids don’t usually get represented well in action films.
Thank you! This traumatized me as a child, my dad used to have to fast forward that part because it was so upsetting for me.
Dangit! Two people now have totally eclipsed what I was gonna add with something that just takes more wind out of my sails!
I definitely need something to cuddle now.
Well, at least your username fits.
Companion cube
You monster
First time I saw Wash die in firefly was brutal.
More recently, after watching better call Saul I am heartbroken over Mike’s death. Particularly for Stacey and Kaylee.
Mike Ermentraut was an amazing character. They built him so well as a fully 3 dimensional broken man who still held on to a sort of moral code, warped as that was.
The actor was excellent and portrayed ‘old-man strength’ perfectly. The pain he held inside but never even seems to really understand was written on that bumpy face. But you knew and really believed that he struggled to show his kind of love to the remnants of his family. Mike died as a fully human being.
Mike: Walter shut the fuck up and let me die in peace
Walter: doesn’t shut the fuck up, to nobody’s surprise
Howard’s death hurt me the most out of all of them. Not sure why.
I guess because he was an innocent guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. They just wanted to fuck with the guy just a little but instead they tore him down and destroyed him. It just feels bad.
And for a huge portion of the show he was the only ally they had.
Namaste! They built him well too, but differently. He might be one of those ‘good times, noodle salad’ people. Well intentioned, cosseted, smart in a narrow way and so so naive. The clincher was dumping him in the same hole as Lalo Salamanca. Dirt doesn’t know the difference, but the audience did.
“Dogmeat has died”.
Oh no he fucking has not. Reload.
Mordin Solus from Mass Effect.
“Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong”
“Too many. Lost shields. Sorry, Shepard. Tell them… I held the line.”
And I had to reload an old save.
I was going to post Shephard, but no, Mordin was the worst.
I haven’t the constitution to play “evil”, so saught out the evil equivalent as video… also heartbreaking.
Robin Williams as the Bicentennial Man. The movie was okay; his performance was amazing. I’ve struggled with mortality for a while, like I expect a lot of people do, and to see him as a character who started their existence immortal, and to choose mortality. His death in the movie hit me much, much harder than I expected. I haven’t watched the movie again since my first viewing because I’m honestly afraid of going through that again.
Robin Williams as the Bicentennial Man. The movie was okay; his performance was amazing.
+1.
Underappreciated great movie; and the book is good too. (The Positronic Mang)
Aerith. Do I need to say more?
This was spoiled for me since I didn’t play it until the PS2 era, and it still hit me hard and unexpectedly.
The FF7 remake is going to make it hurt more.
Geez, that hasn’t come out yet, has it? I’m a bit out of the loop, but you’re telling me we got a game about Yuffie, but Aereth didn’t die yet?
Things do happen in part 2 that has been out for nearly a year but we only got one part of what we expected, everyone got mad that the big scene was “stolen from us”, and we expect the other shoe to drop in the upcoming part 3. The writers did it on purpose, and they might plan to make it worse for us.
My reaction was “good, now they won’t force me to keep this useless redundant healer in my party anymore”. I suffered through the loss of Tellah in ff4, who was actually useful in battle, so I was hardened by the time 7 came out
Joyce Summers. That episode of Buffy was a masterpiece.
I just saw this for the first time recently. It hit me so hard that I had to call my therapist for an extra session. The look on her face was identical to my father’s when he passed.
My mom died when my sister and I were approximately Buffy’s and dawn’s ages, respectively. It was an absolute gut punch to watch for me too.
Ugh…Just laying on that couch… Can’t defeat natural causes with a wooden stake.
Holy hell, that was so brutal. How she was just lying there, with eyes open and all
Artax from The Neverending Story
Mufasa would be the most popular answer for us oldies.
Since 9 Sep especially, it’s been a rough scene to watch. It hits so, so much harder now.
Jesus, because no one ever shuts up about it
Cowboy Bebop spoilers
spoiler
Spike Spiegel
The English dub actors that voiced Spike and Julia got married a couple years ago. That made me feel slightly better when I learned about it.
^Bang!
Great answer. Such a bummer.
Gotta knock a little harder…
Bambi’s mother.
Runner-ups:
- Carl’s wife from Up
- The mother in Violet Evergarden
- Ghost and Roach from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Up wrecks me as an adult
Ellie’s death is impressive because it works despite the viewer only having known her for ten minutes with no spoken words.
