Even though we know fictional characters aren’t real, the pain is definitely felt when certain ones die–and leave us sobbing!
From animated ones to live-action, fictional character deaths can leave us unhinged for the rest of our lives as we spend time processing their on-screen passings again and again.
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We asked you all which fictional deaths still haunt you, and you delivered your most heart-breaking picks. Here they are along with some of our own picks for the list!
1. Bambi’s mom in Bambi
A resounding 1,100 people liked the answer from Kay Clark that says, “The one that traumatised me when I was little was When Bambi’s mother got shot in the meadow.” Apparently, it traumatized a lot of people, as many were just kids when they saw the heartbreaking children’s movie that featured such an intense moment.
This is the one that no one can forget, even if they wanted to. RIP Bambi’s mom!
2. Mufasa in The Lion King
We don’t know what it is about Disney and killing off animal parents, but this is yet another cinematic tragedy in a children’t movie that still has many of us shaken to the core.
Fiona Murphy shared several crying emojis above a GIF of little Simba trying to wake up his dead father and another GIF of him crying as he realizes his father, Mufasa, has passed away. If that isn’t triggering, we don’t know what is! Almost 800 people liked that post and also feel Murphy’s utter devastation.
3. Dobby from Harry Potter
Many fans remember the darkest moments of the beloved magical Harry Potter movies, including the absolutely soul crushing moment when the house elf Dobby dies in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One. After living as a servant for so long, the little fellow is taken out in one fell swoop after showing the utmost loyalty.
Over 800 people resonated with the hurt that Robin Buckley-Ansley expressed when writing,” dobby in Harry Potter” as their pick for saddest fictional character death.
4. Old Yeller
Fictional animals and creatures just don’t have it easy, and this includes poor Old Yeller.
“Old Yeller!!! Still makes me cry!!” Martha Prescott wrote, with over 900 people liking the post in agreement.
In the movie, young Travis Coates must shoot and kill his dog Old Yeller before the dog becomes rabid from rabies. Now that’s just beyond sad!
5. Dr. Mark Greene from the series ER
Dr. Mark Greene, who was portrayed by actor Anthony Edwards, was diagnosed with brain cancer in the series and passes away after a two-year battle. It’s known as one of the longest death scenes in all of television history, as well as one of the most brutal for audiences to process.
“Dr. Mark Greene – ER,” Carina Pilotek wrote, which gained over 400 likes with many people expressing how watching the scene connects to their own real-life personal losses due to cancer. Talk about one that hit many close to home.
6. Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born
While the original 1937 version and other remakes of A Star is Born let us know exactly how the tragedy was going to do down, that didn’t mean we were even remotely prepared for the emotional rollercoaster that the 2018 Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper one would be.
“Bradley Cooper in A Star is born. It still shakes me up thinking about it,” Catherine Ames wrote, with over 200 people liking her post in agreement.
7. Glenn Rhee from The Walking Dead
This one hit The Walking Dead fans hard! The traumatizing moment in Season 7 changed everything when the villain Negan killed Glenn, portrayed by Beef actor Steven Yeun.
“Glenn from The Walking Dead,” Beverly Roberts Slone wrote, with over 600 people liking her comment in agreement.
8. Bruno and Shmuel in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Already, the film’s deeply tragic storyline centered on the Holocaust begins the film in a very emotional place. Then, things get even worse by the end when the two little boys named Bruno and Shmuel are mistakenly taken into a gas chamber without knowing it and then die together. If that isn’t the saddest fictional death scene, we don’t know what is!
“The little boy in The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas,” wrote Ronda Page, which received a little under 600 likes.
9. Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web
Who knew a little spider named Charlotte could make such a big impression on so many people, especially after saving the pig named Wilbur several times before her own death after laying eggs. This is another children’s movie that was super deep for kids.
“Charlotte,” Dantira David wrote, getting over 100 likes.
10. Hillary Whitney in Beaches
This 1988 comedy-drama film introduced the civil rights lawyer, Hillary Whitney, portrayed by Emmy-winner Barbara Hershey, who was best friends with the main protagonist, Cecilia Carol, played by Golden Globe winner Bette Midler. Whitney dies after she’s unable to get a heart transplant, which still haunts so many people to this day!
“Barbara Hershey’s character in Beaches gets me every time…” wrote Brenda Backen, earning her post almost 500 likes in agreement.
She also added, “The one in Bridge to Terabithia got me too” referring to the death of the character Leslie Burke in the 2007 film The Bridge to Terabithia. Leslie falls in a creek while trying to go back to the magical land called Terabithia, leaving his best friend to mourn the huge loss. Ouch!
11. Tony Stark in Avengers: End Game
It was tough for many fans of the fictional Iron Man character Tony Stark to watch him sacrifice himself to save the world in Avengers: End Game, especially after his character represented the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The funeral scene at the end of the movie also adds a layer of heartbreak to Stark’s heroic death.
12. Bubba in Forrest Gump
In the 1994 film starring actor Tom Hanks as the titular character Forrest Gump, Gump’s best friend Bubba dreams of owning his own shrimping boat, which he invites Forrest to join him on for their own business. Sadly, Bubba’s dream never comes true because he’s killed in the Vietnam War while serving with Forrest.
To make for a bittersweet turn, Forrest ends up opening the shrimping business, being very successful, and then giving Bubba’s family a lot of the profits. It was definitely a emotional whirlwind!
13. Rue from The Hunger Games
The premise of the entire Hunger Games franchise is inherently tragic. Residents of the fictional Panem live in a society that uses kids killing each other as entertainment. That on its own is pretty bleak, but adding the heart-wrenching moment in the 2012 film when the little girl named Rue, played by Amandla Stenberg, is suddenly stabbed is devastating.
Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, sings to Rue as she’s dying — which is when the tears started for many!
14. Shireen Baratheon from Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones had a lot of death — like, in almost every episode — but the death of little Shireen Baratheon hit fans harder because she was literally burned at the stake for doing nothing wrong. Even worse, her father, Stannis, approved of it, because he thought it would help him become king. He was wrong.
Poor Shireen was a sweet girl who never got the love she deserved. She was sacrificed in a slow painful way for nothing. Ooof, if that doesn’t bring you down, we’re not sure what will.
15. Fred Weasley from Harry Potter
As if Dobby wasn’t enough, the final installment of the Harry Potter movies had another heavy loss with one of the twins, Fred Weasley, being killed in an explosion during The Battle of Hogwarts.
Throughout the films, fans knew Fred and George as the lovable twins who enjoyed pranks and rebellion together– so it was awful for many to see Fred die, especially if they didn’t read the books and had no idea it was coming!
Who did we miss?
It’s not easy to say, but there are a lot of sad fictional deaths that continue to haunt many. Let us know in the comments if we missed any that are still sore spots in your life that you just have to talk about.
