When Breaking Bad was about to end, most viewers’ Spider-sense was tingling; we knew, we just knew that not everyone was coming out of that show alive. That’s because we’ve been trained by years of pop culture consumption to know when the bad times are coming. Usually, it’s when things are looking a little too nice for our protagonists that they’re about to get knocked down. But the end of a television isn’t the only time that characters become Dead Characters Walking— time after time we see certain tropes stack up and repeat themselves to show us that some characters just aren’t meant to survive whatever they’re in. You can feel pretty sure a character is going to die if they’re…
…on the phone with the protagonist and they have “crucial information” that they say can only be relayed in person.
… teenagers having promiscuous sex and/or smoking all the drugs.
…going to “be right back!”
…the villain at the end of an action movie.
… a soldier or mercenary who longs to get back home to their spouse and children.
… an old or a sickly child who has recently befriended the protagonist.
…someone who just had a nice moment with their estranged lover/parent/child and seem to have wrapped up all the loose ends in their life.
…the villain’s partner who still expects their “fair share” of whatever the take is.
…going up against Rambo.
… played by Sean Bean or Michelle Rodriguez. Those two poor bastards can’t seem to survive anything! #dontkillseanbean
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