A Powerful Goodbye
Yousa people gonna die?
Hi everyone, Mike here with some storytelling thoughts that I was compelled to share. I recently watched Thunderbolts (is that still the right title?), and while I’ll keep this spoiler-free for those who haven’t seen it, one aspect stood out to me. The inclusion of a character who had been killed off felt unnecessary and lacked the impact it could have had which inspired me to type up a thought piece. Let me know what you think.
Killing Off a Character
Death can be a powerful storytelling tool. It can be devastating and feel like the end of an era (or, most likely in comics, the precursor to an inevitable resurrection of a beloved character like Superman). Killing off a character is never a choice to be made lightly, however, and I have some thoughts on what should be considered when integrating a character’s death into a story:
1. Does it Raise the Stakes?
When done effectively, a character's death can raise the stakes for the characters around them. In The Walking Dead, every death reshapes the group and presents new challenges. In Game of Thrones, the brutality of the world means that death is unavoidable and keeps the world ruthlessly real.
2. Does it Serve the Plot?
Character deaths shouldn’t feel random or for shock value alone. The best ones serve the plot. Sometimes, it’s not about the death itself but what transpires afterward. Obi-Wan's death in Star Wars was a heartbreaking yet pivotal moment, serving as the spark that ultimately drove Luke to fully commit to his journey toward becoming a Jedi Master.
3. Does it Subvert Expectations?
Sometimes, a bold twist completely flips what the audience expects. When “safe” characters suddenly get killed off, it changes everything. Think about Marion Crane in Psycho—no one saw her early death coming! Hitchcock took a big risk by making us believe she was the main character, only to shock us all.
A second thought on bullet point 3, if you’re able to predict the death before it happens, it can dilute the impact. If a character makes a statement to another character like, “You’re like a brother to me” or “I don’t know what I’d do with out you”, then you know that character is dead as hell. Now, we won’t allow ourselves to get invested in the character because we know they’re dying. It robs us of the devastation we crave.
I want to hear from YOU!
What’s a character death that absolutely shattered you but, in hindsight, felt just right? Or what’s a character death that felt completely unnecessary? Drop a comment. I’ll be disappointed if no one mentions Artax from Neverending Story (sharing some personal trauma with that one)
XENOGEIST #3
CHARLOTTE AND THE CLOCKWORK HEART #1
Bugs and Kisses,
Mike and the Bad Bug crew
It did feel VERY weird that they killed off Taskmaster just like that. Someone who could go toe to toe against Natasha, and likely against Steve Rogers if given the chance.
I can see WHY they had to, as she was kind of redundant, BUUUT...if that were the case, they could have just as well not included her in the movie.
I find it even more interesting that NO ONE else died in the movie, at least as far as the main cast and even villains go. This is one of the RARE MCU movies where a villain did NOT die.
So WHY did they do that? I think to open up the chara (taskmaster) to someone else.
You had to mention Artax, didn't you? That was a very powerful scene, and I was soooo happy when Atreju was riding Artax again in the end.
I watch a lot of K-Dramas, and they are sometimes ruthless with killing off characters.
I also play DnD (among many other RPGs) and sometimes you just have bad luck, so one time I was simply falling off a cliff. That was... unexpected ^^