In most games, players frequently lose lives due to missed jumps into deep chasms, being shot dead, or being blown to bits by grenades, only to be resurrected and given a chance to “start over.” Surprisingly, despite dying many times, by the end of the game, most protagonists remain alive and well, at least in theory and according to the storyline.
However, in some rare cases, the villains possess the “power” to kill our protagonists, also for reasons of “storyline.” This often surprises players, as, similar to films, we tend to think that the protagonist is “automatically” immortal. Here is a list of 10 villains capable of making the protagonist “disappear.”
Mephiles – Sonic The Hedgehog (2006)
The blue hedgehog has always been the soul of the Sonic The Hedgehog series, so very few would think there would come a day when Sonic would be stabbed to death. It’s like watching the animated movie Toy Story where Woody is strangled by his own pull string while Buzz Lightyear suffocates in his own helmet. However, this is indeed what happened in the game Sonic The Hedgehog (2006) released on the PS3 and Xbox 360.
One of the main villains in the game is Mephiles – an evil entity that suddenly appears and attempts to merge with another entity named Iblis to become the “ultimate being.” Normally, Sonic would do everything to thwart this plot, but at the end of the game, when facing Mephiles, things don’t go as planned. After Mephiles blinds Sonic to distract him, he stabs Sonic in the back with an energy spear. Fans were utterly shocked to witness this scene as no one thought this legendary blue hedgehog would die, and although Sonic is resurrected afterward, this event showed that SEGA made a bold and daring move with this game.
Arnold Leach – Clive Barker’s Jericho
Clive Barker’s Jericho is an FPS game released in 2007. At the beginning of the game, players control the cool Captain Devin Ross, but right at the start, this character is also killed. Ross, along with his team in the Jericho Squad, is dispatched to “deal with” Arnold Leach because he has killed countless innocent people. This mission is quite straightforward, just “go in” and “come out” to finish, but unfortunately for Ross, this mission also marks the end of his life.
After being lured to stand on a round podium far from his team, Ross is ambushed, grabbed by the neck, and brutally beaten to death by Leach himself, then dropped from mid-air and crumpled to the ground. Ross then returns in the “guardian” form as a spirit, able to possess other members of the Jericho Squad and assist them in subsequent battles. Theoretically, he was dead right from the start, and you then switch to control another character.
The Wendigos – Until Dawn
Instead of allowing control of just one character, Until Dawn lets players control multiple protagonists with a storyline that shifts back and forth among these characters, showcasing each individual’s fear while on top of Blackwood Mountain. Thanks to this mechanism, along with the fact that every action you take can change the narrative, it is entirely possible to have all the protagonists die by the end of the game.
The main antagonists responsible for this carnage are the Wendigos – pale, grotesque creatures that love to eat human flesh. Depending on how you play the game, you might witness the Wendigos killing the protagonists, such as Sam being impaled in the stomach, Chris losing his head, and generally gruesome scenes. The Wendigos are terrifying because you can’t talk to or control them, and they are very difficult to kill, making them extremely brutal villains in Until Dawn.
Handsome Jack – Borderlands 2
Handsome Jack is a complex character; you will both loathe him and gradually come to… like him, despite his horrendous acts. Jack is a sharp and funny villain with a violent temper who relishes in slaughtering others. And you will get to witness this firsthand when he brutally shoots down the hero Roland in Borderlands 2.
After Roland (along with Lilith and the Vault Hunter team) infiltrates one of Jack’s Hyperion bases and kills his daughter Angel – to prevent Jack from abusing Angel’s power for his vile schemes – Jack teleports into the room and shoots Roland from behind, causing Lilith to scream in terror. Admittedly, in this part, players cannot control Roland as in the previous installment, but he remains one of the key heroes in the series, and moreover, Roland seems like a “immortal” character who lives until the end of the game. Therefore, when Jack kills him in the blink of an eye, players realize that Jack is indeed a very ruthless villain.
Makarov – Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
The campaign modes in Call of Duty are quite interesting because you see that just in the previous scene, the developers show you that death carries a heavy weight, yet in the very next scene, a bunch of soldiers appear and spray bullets at your position. The atomic bomb explosion scene in Modern Warfare (2007) makes you feel the devastating impact of the blast on those unfortunate enough not to escape, while the No Russian scene in Modern Warfare 2 (2009) allows you to shoot civilians at the airport, making you question the meaning of “morality.”
And this is also why the game doesn’t hesitate to let characters “take a bullet,” characters you control like Paul Jackson, Soap, and Yuri all have to sacrifice themselves at some point. In Modern Warfare 3, Yuri meets his superior, the notorious terrorist Makarov, and is mercilessly shot while trying to save Captain Price. This is a brave act, and fortunately, Price survives and takes down Makarov, ending the horror in the Modern Warfare series.
Edgar Ross – Red Dead Redemption
Ten years have passed, but the ending of Red Dead Redemption remains one of the most impactful scenes in gamers’ minds, both visually and emotionally. After spending hours side by side with the character John Marston, you finally witness him being tricked by Edgar Ross and facing a hail of bullets that end his life. It’s even more heartbreaking to know that John sacrifices himself to protect his family, choosing to surrender so his wife and children have time to escape.
After deciding to kill John instead of letting him live peacefully as agreed, Ross and a squad of soldiers corner John in the barn and offer him only one choice: embrace death. Stepping out of the barn, John manages to fire a few shots, but due to overwhelming and aggressive enemy forces, our protagonist must take the bullets and collapse right there. Once the deed is done, Ross leaves, and later John’s wife and children return to bury him. After this scene, you will undoubtedly feel immense rage toward Ross, so when you control John’s son to hunt down Ross for revenge, the feeling of satisfaction when justice is finally served will be immense.
Micah Bell – Red Dead Redemption 2
If Red Dead Redemption 3 ever releases, don’t expect the protagonist to survive until the end of the game. There are many ways to conclude Red Dead Redemption 2, and although all these endings lead to the protagonist Arthur Morgan making a sacrifice, two of these endings involve Arthur being killed by the villain Micah Bell – a lawless individual that players will undoubtedly detest.
At the end of the game, depending on your honor rating being low or high, different events will unfold. In one ending, Micah points a gun directly at Arthur’s head, then laughs mockingly and walks away. In another ending, Micah stabs Arthur severely, but this fight is interrupted by Dutch, who then leaves the scene. Arthur tries to escape but is ultimately stabbed in the back by Micah. Similar to Edgar Ross in the first game, at first, you might not hate him too much, but after this scene, it would be strange if you didn’t feel enraged.
Emperor Palpatine – Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Emperor Palpatine couldn’t defeat Luke in Return of the Jedi and Rey in The Rise of Skywalker, but that doesn’t mean he is completely powerless when facing his enemies. Starkiller – the protagonist in the game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – fought Palpatine and gained the upper hand, but before he could land the finishing blow, Starkiller was stopped by Kota, who didn’t want him to strike while he was consumed by anger.
Starkiller decides to spare Palpatine, and it’s no surprise that this decision backfires. Pretending to be defeated, Palpatine unleashes lightning bolts, pushing Kota aside. Starkiller then faces Palpatine once more, absorbs the lightning, and ultimately succumbs to this extraordinary power. The Force Unleashed also has an alternate ending where Starkiller survives, but that ending is less recognized and considered the canonical conclusion of this game. In the sequel, Starkiller is “revived” as a clone but is killed once again. It truly is unfortunate; even after dying, he can’t find peace.
Ramsay Bolton – Telltale’s Game Of Thrones
Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones needs no introduction. He is so cruel that just mentioning his name sends shivers down your spine, and in the series, there probably isn’t a more evil character than Ramsay. In Telltale’s game version, this character remains as ruthless as ever, and players don’t have to wait long to discover this. Ramsay appears right in the first episode, immediately instilling fear into the Forrester family – the main characters in the game. By the end of this episode, Ethan Forrester bravely confronts Ramsay when he begins to interfere with the Forrester clan. However, Ramsay acts brutally, stabbing Ethan in the neck without a second thought or hesitation.
If Ethan were an adult, this act would still be painful enough for players, but he is just a child. Many gamers think that because Ethan is young and also the protagonist, he will be “immortal,” but Game of Thrones made a daring move, splashing cold water in players’ faces when they see Ramsay willing to kill anyone who dares to cross him, further proving that he is the most evil character in the series.
Sephiroth – Final Fantasy VII
Aerith is a very optimistic character and one of the most beloved figures in the Final Fantasy series. So when witnessing Aerith being killed midway through Final Fantasy VII, at the moment when the villain Sephiroth descends from above and stabs Aerith from behind, players were in utter shock. Although Sephiroth kills Aerith, theoretically, it is merely Jenova in disguise, the real Sephiroth is often associated with this villainy, and regardless, he is a rather unlikable character throughout the game.
No matter who you blame, Aerith did not deserve such a tragic death. And for gamers who grew up with cheerful games like Crash Bandicoot, Mario, Sonic, this scene taught them a lesson that sometimes evil can triumph over good.
Source: What Culture translated by Gearvn