Bad Character Deaths vs Good Character Deaths (Writing Advice)
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- Опубликовано: 29 июн 2024
- Learn what separates a bad character death from a good one--with examples from Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Psycho, Star Wars, Attack on Titan, and more!
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0:00 Intro
1:00 Writing Good Character Deaths
2:43 Psycho Example
4:47 Bad Deaths vs. Good Deaths
5:03 Bad Type 1
5:25 Bad Example 1 - Man of Steel
8:00 Good Example 1 - Attack on Titan
10:00 Bad Type 2
10:31 Bad Example 2 - Game of Thrones
12:49 Good Example 2 - Star Wars Return of the Jedi
14:24 Bad Type 3
14:43 Bad Example 3 - The Walking Dead Season 6
16:14 Good Example 3 - Godzilla Minus One
18:17 Bad Type 4
18:41 Bad Example 4 - 24 Season 6
21:00 Good Example 4 - Fellowship of the Ring
23:01 Outro
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***PLEASE MARK FOR SPOILERS WHEN DISCUSSING ANY CHARACTER DEATHS. For example...
"I hated one particular death in [STORY TITLE]"
[hit Enter]
[hit Enter]
[hit Enter]
[hit Enter]
"When [CHARACTER] died, I was frustrated because..."
I hated multiple particular deaths in Jujutsu Kaisen
There isn't really any specific ones, almost none of the deaths are well executed. Most relevant and intereting characters are killed off for shock value like Gojo, Yuki and Nobara. A lot were interesting and should've been explored more but the creator overestimates shock value which is the only card he can really play.
SPOILER
Sean Bean Dies in the movie he was in
Snopes.
Wait you watch attack on Titan too
I hated a particular death in Lost
when Jack Shepherd died, I was frustrated because he was hyped up to the Island's protector. But instead it's wasted and it goes to Hurley who didn't really deserve it.
Yet somehow, Palpatine returned
Disney is how.
@@GhostRose6500 "yet, somedisney, Palpatine returned"
Ironically this is how we found out Palpatine returned, in a single line of dialog 😶
Somehow, I managed to leave that out of my RotJ analysis
@@corruptauthorthat’s not true at all, he was shown at the start of the movie.
Then after this line that everyone hates, they explain how he came back
The better death from prior Superman stories is Johnathan having a heart attack, showing Superman he can't save everyone.
Oo that would of have been chef’s kiss🤌🏽
@@matthewpennington8991 It was, when they did it in the first Christopher Reeve movie, AKA "Better than Man of Steel in every way that matters".
@@ShinGallon exactly!
@ShinGallon The Kents in the Snyderverse are so antithetical to who they are in every other version (except one version of John in the early 2000's).
The Snyder version of the Kents couldn't raise Superman. He would become *something* but it wouldn't be Superman. None of what they show him or say to him teaches him what it is to care for others more than yourself. The core aspect of who he is.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer also did the heart attack death, for the same reason.
So basically a good character death is any scene where Sean Bean dies.
I'm trying to find an exception but I can't because all his deaths are great... or at least in great movies because his death acting has not always been that golden.
Even his fakeout death in Goldeneye, then his real death in Goldeneye.
He died in a movie?😧
Plot twist: All of Sean Bean's characters actually live happily ever after in a parallel universe.
Harrison Ford did a really nasty number on him.
Terrible fake-out death: Chewbacca in ROS. One of the worst ever, especially due to the lack of connection with any of the new characters.
I honestly expected this to be the example
I still search for even one thing that movie did correctly.
Not only is it a terrible idea, but the execution was just so apathetic. Chewie "dies," Rey and Finn scream, then they run away and never really address it again, and in the NEXT SCENE we find out Chewie is alive and well. Absolutely worthless fakeout.
Chewbacca's "death" is horrendous. I wanted to include it here, but I already discussed it multiple times on the channel before
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Yes, you have been very vocal! Never forget...
Cedric Diggory's death in HP Goblet of Fire is one of the best deaths in my opinion. It was an absolute shock because you went into the book thinking it was a whimsical kid's story and suddenly a likeable character dies a real death with real mourning. And the acting in the film really sold the pain! Not many character deaths have felt like such a blindsided gut punch.
yes, his death hurt me more than dumbledore's, i don't remember the movie but the that's in my opinio the best hp, i remember being terrified reading it, sirius death was good too
good shout, goblet is my fav book cus of how cedrics death went down
His death led to Molly giving him (Harry) a hug that made him feel what a mother’s love felt like for the first time as well. It was a very emotional scene in both literature and film, though I prefer the book.
In the movies, his death marked the start of the M-Rating on Harry Potter.
I agree, it really set the stage for how dangerous Harry’s adventure really was. The BEST wizard student at Hogwarts snuffed out instantly by “real world” magic murderers. This was NOT class anymore. No more safety net.
It was a nice touch how you kept saying "Superman" instead of Clark because that just constantly reemphasized the fact that he is freaking SUPERMAN and easily could have saved everyone there. The mark of a true writer
He even goes on to save everyone all the time without hiding his face anyway, so what even was the point?
I call it manipulative, because he's not Superman yet. He's still a kid (even if they got Cavill to play him for this scene). Clark isnt ready to be superman, or have a full grasp of his powers, even in much of the present day scenes, let alone in the midst of his teen life.
I haven't seen the movie, but watching this clip, it's pretty obvious he could have saved everyone including his father AND keep his true nature a secret. Heck, I think a normal human in peak physical condition could have pulled it off.
you know it's gonna be a good brandon mcnulty vid when he starts it with "and I'll explain why it sucks" 😂
That always gets me hyped for the rest of the video. It gets me thinking, "Oh yeah bring on the criticism." 🤣
It wasn't just the killing of the Ice King that was a problem, but the killing of Cersei. Both major villains are therefore killed without any sort of emotional impact.
Especially since Arya killing Cersei would have had the emotional impact that neither death actually gave us.
Thank god they cooked up a third amazing villain in Daenerys to then kill off in a satisfying way, right?
I picked Cerci dying in Jamie's arms as the world crumbles around them a season earlier.
The Hound and the Mountain will kill each other - fire will somehow be involved.
John Snow will kill Daenerys just before she plunks down in the world's most uncomfortable chair.
8th season gets a lot of hate. I just found it predictable.
Thought Hot Pie would end up as king though.
@@brucefreadrich1188 no, you didnt.
@@marvcollins7842 I think her killing was satisfying and books were leading to her being an anti-villain (ditto with Tyrion who for some reason became a hero in the show). The problem wasn't the way she died but the nonsensical lack of buildup. There were plenty of ways her burning down Kings Landing would have been logical (her last dragon dies, or Greyworm is killed or Cersei is hiding among the small folk, or the bell gets broken), but it was like 'I've won and I'm evil now, lol'.
The best fake-out death is probably Gandalf in Fellowship
In the book and the movie, it was a bit ambiguous what happened to him, so i expected him come back. It kinda made it work.
Boromir's death was especially powerful because it was the first trigger for Denethor's madness, which also has consequences.
And with that it leads pippin into pledging allegiance to Denethor. This one deathe sscene from the first part impacts the characters actions and motivations all through the second and third part. And don't forget about Faramir!
I think Denny was already losing it from too much chitchat with Sauron on the palantir.
"...To the time he gets killed by the writers- I mean the tornado."
-Brandon McNulty 2024
I love/hate the deaths in Serenity... it hits worse if you have seen all the episodes of Firefly. Tissues.. lots of tissues needed.
I wasn’t a fan of Book’s death. It played like Ron Glass asked Whedon to be in the film as little as possible.
@erakfishfishfish I think it really solidified Mal's decision not to run and it was important bc of what he said about believing in something.
15:30 - "Somehow avoided being bitten" with the change of movie on the screen was priceless. lol. One bad use of "somehow" deserves another. XD
GoT S8 also did many fake-out deaths too. In The Long Night, we dimly see main characters being enveloped by wights. A few scenes later, they turn out to be fine. From memory, this was especially egregious with Brienne, because she screamed so amazingly as the wights enveloped her. As DaveGibson said, Cersei and Jamie being crushed by falling bricks was dull.
Like you, I was inordinately impacted by the way GoT turned into Marvel phase 4. It gutted me to see characters I loved so mistreated. Poor "Adolph" Danaerys! Alas Tryion and Varys! Poor Cersei was reduced to a tipsy spectator on the balcony, and Jon "She's muh queen" Snow ended up truly knowing nothing. Oh, the pain, the pain.
“In this final movie in the Star Wars trilogy” I aprove ignoring the existence of the other movies.😂
ignoring? There are not other movies
@@MrCosinuus Other Star Wars movies? Besides the three?
What is he even talking about?
Best Character Death: Sean Bean. He just dies so well.
Sean Bean is a living spoiler- you know, no matter what the story is, his character is gonna die.
He's skilled because he's had 10k hours of practice. That's how you become an expert.
@@chloemchll3774 Not true. Spoiler alert, in Ronin he just gets fired.
@@aaronleverton4221 And I loved how that movie subverted my expectations by not killing him.
Better than any twist M. Night has come up with…
@@chloemchll3774 Do not, under any circumstances, watch him in Screen One: Prince.
One of the funniest character death scenes I’ve ever seen is in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show.
Tala’s death was so hilarious because they played such dramatic music for a character who was mostly just a plot device with little development and no personality.
You are supposed to spoiler tag..
@@ikmorit’s been out for two years
I was more sad about the robot that has zero lines dying than her 😂. I'll never forget the way she lightly punched a stormtrooper in the helmet and it disoriented him so much he couldn't even fire his blaster.
But what about WADE?!
He was a true hero of the not-rebellion, a brave soul, and a deep and thoughtful character. His loss was totally felt in one of the shows of all time.
@@rollinghouse7140 You're right. Wade was truly one of the characters in Star Wars history. I remember seeing his death and thinking his wounds were surely mortal. He did indeed die in that show.
The intro with Boromir saying "One does not simply" scene with Brandon saying "One does not simply kill characters" is just pure gold
The ending of Das Boot is amazing from a "good" death standpoint
.
.
.
.
.
.
where the entire crew survives a harrowing submarine journey just to be killed in a British air raid right after they returned home. It's a reminder that in war, death comes for the "heroes" unexpectedly and at any time
Great example. I hated that movie the first time I saw it because of the ending. As I got older and my understanding of irony (and the horror of war) became more mature, I respected the movie much more. It is now one of my most favorite war movies of all time. Cheers from Boston ☘️
Yes! I forgot about that one.
First saw it when my parents rented the VHS (The Boat). I couldn't get with the ending. Then I grew up a little. About ten years later my parents gave me the complete Das Boot mini-series on VHS for Christmas. Wow. So much more. Of everything. It was like that with The Third Man. I really didn't think much of it and hated the score when I was forced to watch it as an English text. Today it's my all-time favourite film. Anyway, Das Boot is amazing from beginning to end (also, Stalingrad is great).
i watched a russian movie that was not very good but had a similar good scene. the soldiers heroically defend the trenches for so long against the germans in a 15 minute scene of intense fighting and when they are celebrating they are getting carpet bombed and almost everyone dies.
One of the best “meaningless deaths” is Samuel L Jackson in Deep Blue Sea. Seriously it’s the only thing anyone remembers of that movie.
godzilla minus 1 mentioned 👍
As always, fantastic examples of good and bad options, Brandon. Doc Brown's "death" near the end of the original "Back To The Future" made me cry when I first saw it. Until I realized he was wearing a bullet-proof vest. That unexpected plot twist worked for me.
A good anti-climatic death is the book version of Voldemort. Their final stand-off with Harry is anti-climatic in a sense that it’s not a flashy wizard-duel, it’s a duel of words. Harry realizes that he has all the cards and Voldemort doesn’t know that he has none. All the cruel and evil things he’s done set up a path for faliure, not greatness. Because of his ignorance towards love, friendship and family, he has to fail. It is a battle not of skill, but of values, and when he raises his wand, his curse bounces back and kills him. It fits perfectly into the theme that good will win against evil and tyrants create their worst enemies.
not read it but there's something about the 'anti-climax' not just with deaths, any anti-climax ending, that really stays with me - john carpenter does it well in his films, 1984 probably the best literary example.
You could have used Braveheart for every good example each death is meaningful from Wallace's father dying in a failed attempt at freedom, to William's climactic death bringing the Bruce's arc to fruition (I know the history is fuzzy I don't care) but the death that haunted me was Muron, the pivotal moment is accentuated by Wallace's belief that she made it to safety only for her to be executed while he thinks he is on his way to meet her, you have a great attachment to her character and her death feels almost too real, and the reaction is definitely appropriate and it pushes Wallace to the action he was reluctant to take
Totally right on all counts. From a storytelling standpoint Braveheart is in the mold of classic historical epics of the 60's-70s.
As to the history, weeeell, we all know 😅...look on the bright side though, it lead many of us to learn about the real history of the Medieval period.
My WIP wouldn't exist without seeing Braveheart. I have a love/hate relationship with it.
@@JamesRDavenport my view on historical accuracy in fiction is that it's nice but rare, if a movie like Braveheart gives you a basic general overview of the actual history and especially if it inspires one to look deeper into the real history it has done its Job
@@johntabler349 The problem, rather obviously so comment not meant for those who can see the obvious, is the majority of muppets who quote the film as historical truth. Like the "we don't have the facilities to take you all prisoner" line in A Bridge Too Far. The majority, whether vast or not, are not interested in research or learning, only being spoon-fed. To them "based on a true story" means "every moment is true" and at a party, during a discussion, they force you to make yourself look like a pedantic wanker while explaining historical reality and "bringing the mood down".
The character death I found most impactful was that of the Iron Giant, with “you are who you choose to be” echoing one last time. The Iron Giant chooses to be Superman, a hero who chose to “use his powers for good; never for evil”. And even though he was tagged as a dangerous, evil being from outer space, Iron Giant proves that perception wrong by deciding to sacrifice himself to save Hogarth’s town. At least that’s how I’ve always understood it, and then some😊
I agree with everything you said about Arya and the Night King, but I think it's symptomatic of a much bigger problem. The stakes in a story are supposed to escalate, not diminish, but GoT season 8 basically has everybody coming together to stop the apocalypse, and then immediately after, it's back to petty politics. It's hard to even care what happens to King's Landing.
I think the biggest problem with that whole season is that there was no satisfying conclusion to ANY of the plots/subplots. Everything ended in disappointment.
Yeah, I was really surprised they chose to have the battles in that order, it seems like the obviously wrong way to do it. Dany would have had a much more interesting & believable justification to roast all those people if she was expecting they were going to get turned into ice zombies, and the Winterfell battle could have been much more tense in the context of that having just happened but everyone left needing to work together afterwards.
I love the story of how Christopher Lee, former WW2 commando, corrected Peter Jackson regarding how a man reacts to being stabbed in the kidney regarding Saruman's death scene in the LOTR movie. Jackson started to argue with him, then remembered who he was talking to, LOL!
By the way, Mr. McNulty...my favorite obscure space opera is a show called Farscape. I hated it when it came out but rewatched it a few years back and truly fell in love with it. Been applying your analyses to it as I rewatch again and it's so fun! Free on RUclips. Several main character deaths there...
Keep up the great work.
Being stabbed in a lung actually.
@@LuminaryGames That makes more sense.
Best death was probably [spoiler] in JoJo Rabbit.
When Scarlet Johansson is caught and killed, and JoJo is left only with the person he has been told is his mortal enemy, and the most terrifying thing in Germany.
Almost perfect, except Tika did like a few too many close ups of her feet/shoes making it easier to predict she would be killed.
The way he discovers her body was chilling
Great example- but Psycho tops them all.
What more could be done?
@@thomasdurfee7157Easier to recognise it was her in the very moment. Easier to predict? I don't remember if I predicted her death while watching for the first time. Are shoes a symbol of death, am I missing something?
@@JR-sx3gl Yeah, it worked perfectly for me. Didn't see it coming, nor was I surprised, knowing how dangerous her actions were during the war. I thought very well done, like everything, pretty much, in that movie.
So many interesting characters. Rockwell did his usual exceptional job and Rebel and that tall dude were funnier than they should be as nazis.
Undoubtedly some will have a problem with "funny nazis", but I'm older and grew up with WW2's memory still fresh 60s-70s.
I read the Rise and Fall of the 3rd Reich and understand how deadly serious the fascist Nazi were- but the movies humour did not lessen or make light of them. They were funny yet still horrible as Nazi (Rebel giving the kids rifles and later hand grenades. Funny and awful).
Great movie.
Ned Stark's death in GOT Season 1 and character deaths in the red wedding were emotionally impactful and shocking
The deaths also had ramifications for the villains
A good death I enjoyed was in Guardians of the Galaxy 2
when Mary Poppins died. It really brought home the message of family.
I'm Mary Poppins y'all
"Mary Poppins - is he cool?"
"Yes. Yes, he is cool."
(Paraphrasing here, but man, such a strong moment!)
My eyes water just thinking about it, that movie is so freaking good
@@dyegoeduardosantossilva3659 My least favourite of the three, but it's such a good trilogy. The story arc for Yondu is fabulous.
@HandSoloRecords Really? I think it's my favorite ( although i didn't watch 3 :P )
But yeah, i think Yondu is my favorite part of it. The soundtrack also
I love how there always has to be spoiler warnings because someone out there may not have seen the 6th sense
I still haven’t watched it, and it was my best friend’s favorite when it came out. I just didn’t get around to it. 🤷🏻♂️
I mean...no shit?
Some amazonian tribe who just got internet this week might have never watched it
I always enjoy when Brandon notes Empire Strikes Back/Vader is Luke's father spoilers. I always imagine someone saying "wait, Darth Vader is his father????"
@@crashingatom6755 It's predictable and nowhere near as shocking or good as everybody made it out to be. And the pacing is sloooooow.
Season 8 of Game of Thrones should be a lesson to every writer in how to destroy your own work and credibility. It's a master class in epically failing the ending of a show or written work.
Spoiler alert for the Star Wars sequels (not that anyone needs it):
I'm not even a Star Wars fan and the deaths of the 3 protagonists, Luke, Leia and Han, were still insulting to me.
Han's death wasn't terrible just incredibly unnecessary given what they did with it in the next two films (spoiler nothing). Leia's death was added on after Carrie Fischer died and they didn't really give it a good send off. Luke was one of the biggest bullshit things I've ever seen in my life.
“John tells his Superhuman son…” lol!
The Glen fakeout death in the Walking Dead is the reason I stopped watching the show. As soon as he was "alive" again, I turned the T.V. off and never watched another minute of the show.
It also really was Not helped by the twist at the end of Season 6 And the beginning of Season 7 (IYKYK).
How about a spoiler tag?
For me it was the Neegan brutality in Episode 1 season 7. So horribly gratuitous. I was done and never watched it again.
I’m so glad you made attack on Titan as one of your examples. Absolutely love that show 🔥
The first season was so good, I wish it'd kept that level up. I gave up about 4 episodes into S3.
@@ShinGallon You should try finishing season 3, the final arc of season 3 is amazing
@@Doctor.Trolling Do they ever stop having endless interminable dialog scenes about royal bloodlines? Because I couldn't be paid to care less about that.
That first death is brutal. Sends the message of how the shows is going to be. And, then we have when the new recruits has their first mission and is almost a total failure.
I watched the first series and found it infuriating as it kept looking like it was subverting the normal anime tropes but then revealing that it actually wasn't. When the main character is apparently killed I was hooked, but it was not to be.
Damn it i went dyslexic for a bit i thought the thumbnail said "Bad Breaths vs. good breaths" lmao
Also useful to know.
😂😂
Boromir definitely beats the Night King in that one
Mint: good Morning Breath: bad
Re: Man of Steel. Another contrivance is that Clark's father takes on the more dangerous tasks even though Clark, even if he weren't Superman, was the better choice. He was younger, stronger and faster. If Clark was still a child or even a teen, it would make sense, but he was a strapping adult man who was more than capable of carrying a child or dog.
Re: Walking Dead. What added insult to injury was...
...that they killed Glenn a couple of episodes later, after milking yet another cliffhanger. It was clear the writer's were playing with the audiences emotions. I stopped watching the show after that.
The way Eren's mom covers her mouth and says "don't go" makes that scene 10x more impactful and shows so brutally that while the sacrifice was noble, it is no less terrifying for the person making it
One of the most impactful deaths that affected me a lot when I was younger was Ol' Yeller. Animal deaths as well can be very important to a story, and as well done very badly.
One of my favorite meaningless deaths is from Burn After Reading. Brad Pitt’s death is so shocking, out of nowhere, and so tonally different from the rest of the film it becomes darkly hilarious. And aside from Clooney’s character fleeing the country, it doesn’t impact the story at all. As the final scene of the film tells us, none of the events make rational sense and we learned nothing at all. I love that movie.
For me the worst fake out death was Chewie's "death" in Rise of Skywalker.
Good death example from Cabin in the Woods was
spoiler
spoiler
spoiler
spoiler
spoiler
Marty's fake-out death.
He is presumed to die off-screen at the hands of some zombies. I didn't feel cheated when it is later revealed that he lived because all other character deaths were shown on-screen, foreshadowing Marty's survival.
That's an excellent example!!
I have watched that movie easily five times - one of my favorites! And each time I marvel when I see how completely fair they were to the audience with the fake-out, and also how much his fake death affects the plot while he's off screen.
I really liked Kevin Stacey's death in LA Confidential. It kind of came out of nowhere, but the way it impacted White's and Exley's rivalry in a way that made them come together and work out who was the big bad was in their investigation was great. I love that film.
Padme in Revenge of the Sith is one of the worst case of killed by the writer. She’ s healthy but she has to die because we know from the original trilogy that she died shortly after giving birth to Luke and Leia, so “she lost her will to live”. For me, that’s right up there among the stupidest lines in Star Wars, after of course “somehow Palpatine returned”
And childbirth is dangerous, even in the far future of super space technology. They didn't have to make her die because she was sad. She could have died from a uterine rupture during some space fighting and because she was sad.
The daft thing is that, there is actually no reason for her to die at all, she just needs to be gone 20 years later for A New Hope. And Leia has vague memories of her. I appreciate George didn’t want to have her die offscreen but…..
@@intergalactic92 Luke specifically asks Leia about her and Leia remembers her, which is kinda hard if she died in childbirth. "Somehow, Padme Died"
Yeah it's not like she just had 2 children, thus giving her a reason to go on living or anything...
And I see people now defend the prequels like they weren't also written horribly.
@@ShinGallonThey had flaws but they were good
I have two examples, both from Supernatural.
The good example, the death of Charlie Bradbury.
***In her final episode, Charlie goes to bring The Book of the Damned to Sam, but she is intercepted by two members of the Styne family. Over the phone, Sam and Dean both tell her to just give them the book so they don’t kill her. But she chooses not to listen to them, and she died fighting to protect the book and to save Dean. It's emotional because it sent Dean on a revenge murder spree.***
My bad example is how they killed off Abadon. ***In the big confrontation, Dean is immune to Abadon's demonic powers. And when she tries to hit him with a wind forcefield, it fails. Her response is to try it again: to the point of Abadon trying the same useless attack three times and just standing there as Dean runs up and stabs her. She wasn’t being restrained, she could have thrown a punch or a kick, but instead, she just stood there and watched him run up to her. It’s extremely underwhelming because they spent all of two seasons building her up to be superior over all the other demons. And the end result left me shaking my head in disbelief.***
Also I don’t know if the spoiler tags will work or not.
What's also interesting to note about "Psycho" is that in the book the movie adapted
Mary Cranes death is even more tragic, because there, you actually get an insight on what she's thinking, and just before she is murdered, she decided to go back home and bring the money to the bank instead of stealing it. She actually wanted to rectify what she had done wrong, but never could, because she was at wrong time at the wrong place.
Kind of surprised to not see Bane’s lame death not on here.
Huge anticlimax for sure.
‘No. I came back to stop you!’ Once they used this line it became very clear that this was not the dark knight 😂
Also one note about the death scenes in Man of Steel and AOT, Superman's father's death was meant to set up Superman's reasons for being a hero but fails meanwhile Eren's mother's death sets a dark path for Eren and it works.
I am SO HAPPY you're watching AOT!!!! There's just incredible writing for the whole show and it just keeps on getting better.
And I once again have to thank you for helping me slicing the knot. I struggled so long with a story idea I had years ago because it just wouldn't come together. This video opened my eyes for the underlying problem: I had no villain. Well, I had one, I even have an epic battle in the end planned which I love. But I totally forgot the set-up the villain at the start of the story, because I wanted the villain to be much younger than my hero. Now I see that I have to alter my beginning to make the pay-off a logical consequence and not simply switch viallains mid-story for no other reason than getting the real baddie in play. I don't need all my secondary characters die without reasons beyond "I need to get my hero in place, so he can face the viallain he doesn't even know". Thanks again!
“There are Good Deaths And There Are Bad Deaths, I’ll See That Your Death Is A Good One.”
- Juan Bolsa (Better Call Saul - Rock And Hard Place)
I can't even imagine what a bad death by the cartel must be like
Which brings up the greatest death, Gus in "Breaking Bad." Plus the best explosion ever in a TV series.
My favorite character death in a movie was in L.A. Confidential.
The sudden death of Jack Vincennes in the kitchen of Captain Dudley Smith was utterly shocking to me. It was a twist that I didn't see coming. It was incredibly well acted by Kevin Spacey. It was completely believable, intensified the stakes of the plot, and became the catalyst for everything that followed. It looked like Vincennes was on a redemption arc, and that was stolen away from him, yet his last words sealed the fate of his killer. The entire movie had great writing, but that scene in particular stands out.
Not to mention that I had just seen James Cromwell in Babe, so I could not conceive of him as the villain.
Personally i think the best character death was in "No Country for Old Men"
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Moss's death was just so surreal yet emotional, the fact we didnt see him die, only the gang members was incredibly emotional. I was audibly angry but also sad.. the fact we spend 90% if the movie follwing his character just for him to die off screen was heartbreaking and really made us feel as if we were watching something real.
Obviously Antons death was great as well
How did I miss Anton's death? Do you mean Carson?
@@KutWrite you're right, i miss remembered. I thought he collapsed on the ground then it fades to black, but he walks off. My bad, been years 😅
@@PuppetMaster-Blade He died later when he realized he could've got that same shirt from JCPenney for $9.95
It was actually a really stupid way of killing him off and I was angry at the writers for a decade.
@@satana8157 was beautifully done. Didnt need a disney/mcu fairytale death. He got a realistic death and took everyone by surprise
The worst character death I've ever experienced is from Stephen King's book 'Carrie'
Carrie is my favorite Stephen King character, and having her die at the end breaks my heart every time.
She was alone her entire life, and that adds to the extra depressiveness to it.
she dies in a parking lot, covered in blood and grass and with a knife sticking out of her shoulder.
Carrie's death has shocked me like no other could. That's how a good character should make you feel.
So it's the worst, and the best!
@ikmor in a way, yes. She's my favorite book character ever, but she has the saddest death because of it.
Stephen King gave me so many emotions for a first book.
Best villain deaths: Big Trouble in Little China
- Thunder explodes
- Storm impaled after a bad ass sword fight with Wang
- Lightning gets a statue dropped on his head out of nowhere by Egg Shen, who explained how he got it up there with "It wasn't easy"
And of course, the death of Lo Pan: "It's all in the reflexes."
The stepdads death in 2012 was one of those stupid deaths. Everyone was totally fine like 3 seconds later.
I first watched AOT in 2014 and Karla's death stuck with me to this very day. And it hooked me so much that I couldn't stop thinking about it for months. Great example for a great video, as always.
I am so glad you mentioned Godzilla Minus One. After leaving the theatre I found myself reflecting and sharing your thoughts on Noriko. It helped me realize that there can be merit in fakeout deaths and other "bad" story tropes, so long as it's executed properly and not used as a cheap way to advance the story or induce artificial emotion.
The fake out death is by far the worse because it's so common nowadays. It's gotten to the point where I can't take any death or even injury seriously because the character always shows back up again. Heck, sometimes they treat a fatal wound like it was just a scratch and the character is up and fighting again in a few days.
Thank you for using time stamps for the spoliers!! I wish more people did this, and I hope you continue to!
Dr. Romano on ER. They spent a lot of time building up this guy. He could be an A-hole at times sure, but there was always a fairness and professionalism in his approach, a reason for everything he did.
He was a good surgeon. He could have been killed off trying to save others. Instead the writers hated this character so much they dropped a helicopter on him for spite. ER consistently favored certain characters who fit demographics and narratives. It was the beginning of the end for me. I didn't finish the following season and never came back.
The death of _______ on "Succession" was brilliant because it was both so unexpected and banal, which is how it happens in real life
And the way they dragged it out, so you’re never really sure until late in the episode.
@@erakfishfishfish Yeah all the building up towards it (eg his deteriorating relationship with the main characters of that episode) made it totally plausible that he was just fucking with them. Plus the impact on all of the characters in the show for the remaining episodes was done incredibly well.
Oh my god, that whole episode is an absolute masterpiece. It's amazing how a show having little to do with death portrays it so well.
I think Boromir's death is one of rhe best screen deaths ever!
Arya surviving a sliced gut and five stab wounds to the gut while jumping into the water and stumbling across the entire city to the one person she knew in the city without any consequence was the worst non death of all time. Only to set up her killing off a guy who just needed to watch everyone continue to die just to win the battle.
Bad death example: Joel from The Last of Us Part 2. Fans waited 7 years for their favourite character to die in the first hour of the game, and then for the half the game we play as the killer.
One thing I see _annoyingly_ often is people minimizing the impact of a character's death _on purpose,_ to give some hamhanded supernihilism moral, like "This character's death means and changes nothing, and that's the point. His life meant and changed nothing, just like YOUR life and death means and changes nothing. Haha aren't I so hashtag DEEP."
Great video and awesome job marking the spoilers, thank you!! Much appreciated.
Anakin killing the Emperor will always be my favourite death. The way he toils between saving his son and obeying his master as he looks back and forth at both of them. And when he finally realizes that he needs to save his son, he says "no" as he realizes that what he is doing is wrong. And then he shouts "NOO!" as he is willing to sacrifice himself to save Luke. These two words and their delivery give me chills everytime.
Your videos just keep getting better and better, Brandon, and you covered a *lot* of ground in this one! You are the absolute best at providing specifics backed by clear-cut examples and rigorous reasoning. I admire your work more and more every time I watch one of your videos. (And btw, I'm also enjoying The Half Murders very much!)
You are a major resource brother. God bless and keep up the good work!
Man of steel (and the whole DCEU for that matter) as such trash and a treasure chest for terrible writing to avoid. DC and Warner should truly be ashamed of themselves for screwing up so bad.
Nothing ever has sucked quite as much as Jonathan Kent's death in Man of Steel. Superman does not stand by and watch his father die, never. On the other hand, the Darth Vader demise is one of the greatest character arcs in film history.
I love your videos man. Keep it up!
Speaking of the tornado in Man of Steel, how about a video on good and bad uses of weather?
Two more good examples of deaths, maybe some of the best, from Last Samurai and Gladiator:
Nearly every major death from these movies. I just love them. In Last Samurai of course Katsumoto, but also his son. And also the deaths in battle of the major side characters are not wasted. Not with the same kind of emotions, but also Colonel Bagley is well written.
And the same with Gladiator. Maximus and Proximo especially.
Girls und Panzer der Film has a really good sacrifice scene when the Pravda team holds the University team back so that their commander Katyusha can escape. This scene is so emotionally strong despite NO ONE GETTING HURT. If you haven't watched the anime Girls und Panzer, I HIGHLY recommend it.
I love this channel so much. So glad I found it while I was on paternity leave.
Your videos are so cool, very intelligent and entertaining. As a writer AND movie/TV lover I appreciate the analysis which helps me be a better writer AND enjoy stories more when watching.
Borimors arc and death will always be my GOAT
I think the really annoying thing about the Man of Steel Kevin Costner thing was as you said it ALMOST worked - the idea of Dad refusing to be saved due to his conviction was quite powerful. (what's really ridiculous is he could have let Clark run back to save the dog but literally just told him not to 'reveal' his powers)
I haven’t seen it mentioned yet, but Jurassic Park has some iconic death scenes, from the park worker in the opening, to the lawyer, to Muldoon’s “clever girl” moment… however, I’d give the award to Dennis Nedry’s death scene… it’s important to the plot, involves consequences and the end of a character arc, it’s suspenseful, and the way he screams when he’s blinded by the Dilophosaurus venom is so visceral and chilling, I could never watch that scene as a kid for that reason…
*HEAVY SPOILERS FROM AVENGERS ENDGAME*
The best is definitely Tony Stark in Endgame
One of my favorite character deaths was in the 1984 version of "The Razor's Edge"
Early in the movie, the character, Piedmont (played by Brian Doyle Murray) dies saving Larry (Bill Murray). The rest of the movie is Larry trying to live a life worthy of the sacrifice. But what makes this great (and the film is not without flaws) is that you only learn this at the end of the movie. If it were made today, the director or studio would demand they bring it up every 20 minutes to remind the audience because they think all audiences are stipid. So Piedmont's death is only seen as pivitol at the end of the story.
I Liked the James bond film Goldeneye for character deaths.
006 "dies" from 007 with explosive charges changed to set early, later 006 is the main villain, whom was actually working with the initial bad guys, possibly from the start. 006 and 007 have a rivalry in the movie, 006 actual death also stops terrorist plot and is personally meaningful to 007.
I feel like The Acolyte was created to illustrate all of the types of bad deaths perfectly.
Season 1 of AoT really showed how every character's death mattered. One of my favorite scenes in the entire show is near the end of season 1 where the families of scouts are shown to be waiting for their return. These scouts were characters we were acquainted with during 1 or 2 episodes, we didn't care about their deaths that much, but seeing how much impact each death leaves in this show really drove home the idea that each live mattered.
And then you have Season 4, where scores of people are dying left and right and it's fine because some people committed war crimes centuries ago. Even Erwin's death in Season 3, as much as it was epic and memorable and I absolutely loved it, it was supposed to push Armin's character arc as the guy who "stole Erwin's life" basically. Instead, he's basically the same pushover he's been since season 1 almost all the way to the end.
Hudson Hawk uses the Fakeout Death to good effect, with the apparent demise of Tommy Two-Tone. (Airbags! Can you freakin' believe it!?!) This was a comedy that really leaned into the tropes used to build the story, and this is one of the best leanings.
Glad you're finally watching Attack on Titan. Once you reach a certain part of the show, I feel you're going to be cranking out more writing advice videos while referencing AoT.
Favourite character death: Stoick the Vast from How To Train Your Dragon 2.
The villain Drago Bloodfist wants to conquer the world with an army of dragons. The main character Hiccup tries to convince Drago to stop and that dragons are creatures of unity, not weapons of war. Drago doesn’t listen and Hiccup’s father Stoick sacrifices himself to save him. Drago wins and takes all the dragons, their best shot at defeating him.
Hiccup is devastated at his dad’s death, as half an hour ago they finally reunited with their mother and were talking about being a full family again. Hiccup found his lost mother and it came with the price of his father. It also leaves the characters lost and powerless as they are left without a leader and their dragons, so with Hiccup’s newfound understanding that some people out there are just straight up bad people, he stands up to take his father’s role as chief of their tribe, and makes a plan to avenge his father’s death, and defeat Drago.
Hands down, from Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles …
The death of Derek Reese, one of the lead characters. It happens so quickly, during a chase/escape sequence. He turns a corner and he's shot in the head. Neither the viewer nor the other characters have the time to mourn or even barely acknowledge his death. The camera doesn’t even stay on his body for more than a moment as the escape of the other characters continues.
You, sir, along with your channel is perhaps the best thing that could've happened to RUclips! Thank you so much for what you're doing.
I was wondering, if possible, could you make a video about story formats and their structures and how to write for each. So you're currently doing novels, could you perhaps show us what would change for short stories, flash fiction and micro fiction?
The Ice King's death at the hands of Arya is one of many examples of DEI; all that build-up and tension between two characters just to toss a cheap win to a STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER.
Star Trek II....need I say more?
"Ship....out of danger?"
Gets me every time.
You need not. Gets me every time too.
So glad your watching Attack on Titan! I Look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on plot twist, foreshadowing, and big reveals!
Not sure if this is a Spoiler for GoT or Walking Dead, but just in case...
You could have double-dipped the Game of Thrones example and also used it instead of the Walking Dead example. There were at least two times in the GoT episode where Sam was literally COVERED in zombies and then 10 minutes later he is somehow fine. Earlier in the same season, they do something similar where Jaime gets knocked into the water at the end of one episode and it's heavily implied that he's gonna die, but then gets rescued right at the start of the next. You would think the Season Eight writers watched all your videos but mixed up the "good" examples and the "bad" ones.
Anyway, excellent video, as always!
Now I know why that death scene from FMA was so praised. The one where in the aftermath someone goes "its a bad day for rain"
You could make a whole series of comparing good versus bad just from Game of Thrones. Seasons 1-4 great, 5-7 meh to bad, 8 so horrific that I've almost forgotten that GoT exists. As for best and worst, I would say as far as emotional impact Boromir was both. It really hit me in the feels, yet it was so well done. Of course, speaking of shows that go back and forth, you could also do a whole series on Supernatural, comparing the good seasons to the bad. There's no clear-cut division on that show, but it waxed and waned over its entire 15 year run.
I kind of like Pedro Niall's death in Wheel of Time. It's a series that loved foreshadowing and avoided the death of important characters, yet his death comes totally out of the blue. A Great General killed by a fool who had no idea what he was doing.