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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
Artax from The Neverending Story
Sirius Black in Harry Potter. I had to go back and reread the paragraph several times, then put the book down. Seemed just so unfair.
Put in there just as a cheap way to get emotional reactions from the audience, it’s the story telling equivalent of having the dog in the story die.
Technically, Sirius is the dog in the story.
Jesus, because no one ever shuts up about it
Hazel from Watership Down.
NOT a children’s movie, mum!
OH MY GOD That movie caused me so much enotional damage as a kid
I was spared but my wife was damaged by this also. I watched it with her as an adult and couldn’t believe people let their kids watch 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…
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.
Made me cry:
Gotta be Schindler’s List. That movie was so goddamn sad, and I just started sobbing when I saw that splash of red color. You know when. Ooof. A masterpiece I will never watch again.
For a more recent example, I watched the second season of Arcane. Lots of sad scenes, but anyone else who has watched it knows the most heart-wrenching one:
spoiler
Cried manly tears when Isha sacrificed herself to save Jinx.
Left me disturbed:
Another Spielberg movie, Saving Private Ryan. Didn’t cry when the Nazi soldier sloooooowly stabbed Mellish to death. But afterwards, I had nightmares about it for months. Cripes, what a brutal death scene.
are you sure that what made you cry in Schindler’s List is “fictional”?
I still need my Suspension of Belief, here, or I’ll hate people even more. I came out of the cinema enraged and ashamed and so- well, just prickly I guess.
