History Main / BlackDudediesfirst

In the past this perception was because black leads were kept away from any big-budget films outside of those that focused specifically on race or used it to make a point. Historically, movie makers were generally writing to white audiences, so it was natural (in their opinion) for whites to get more screen time. And if the writers throw in a TokenMinority to give the cast a more believable real-world racial balance, who do you think is going to die first, the TokenMinority, or the people who have a bigger role in the script?

As minority actors became more common in significant roles, this trope found new ways to stay relevant. Instead of the TokenMinority being unimportant CannonFodder, they instead became the most important supporting character so their deaths would have most dramatic impact on the plot. Films would take a ScaryBlackMan, turn him into TheBigGuy, and kill him off to [[TheWorfEffect show how strong the monster is]]. In action or horror films, TheHero (typically a WhiteMaleLead) might have a TokenBlackFriend [[TheLancer Lancer]] that gets killed off or does a HeroicSacrifice to show that [[ShooOutTheClowns this is no laughing matter]]. 80s horror shows were good at this, and film makers had growing backlash against all the exploitation films.

In TheNewTens, this began to approach DiscreditedTrope territory, as Black Lives Matter became a prominent sociopolitical movement and increasingly GenreSavvy audiences developed a tendency to groan when the TokenMinority was first on the chopping block. Horror movies especially are much more likely to [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] or parody the trope than play it straight these days. However, action films or video games still somewhat tend to struggle to move away from the trope, having the black character go down second or third.

* In ''Film/TheIsland'', Starkweather Two Delta provides a major hook to the film in his horrific early death, while the very distinctly African Albert Laurent manages to escape the violent deaths that claim most of his teammates and make a rather significant HeelFaceTurn at the end. As Creator/MichaelBay mentions on the commentary track to the DVD, he actually asked Creator/DjimonHounsou something like "How would you like to be the black guy who ''doesn't'' die?"

* A non-lethal variation in the [[WesternAnimation/PixarShorts Pixar short film]] ''WesternAnimation/MrIncredibleAndPals'' (a companion piece to ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1''), which is a [[StylisticSuck highly corny]] InUniverse cartoon starring Mr. Incredible (who's white) and Frozone (who's black -- or [[ButNotTooBlack lightly tanned]] in the cartoon's style). When they confront the villain Lady Lightbug, Frozone is restrained by her "radioactive silk" and taken out of the action immediately. It's {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by Frozone in the commentary that he and Mr. Incredible do on the cartoon. He's quite annoyed by the poor showing his fictional self makes.

* ''TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': Inverted, Arondir, who is played by an Afro-Puerto Rican actor, is the only captured Elf the Orcs left alive. All of his comrades were killed, while he was set free at the orders of the Orc chef, Adar.

* ''Series/BeingHumanUS'': Sally, who's Indian-American, is the first of the trio die (she was already a ghost, but had lingered, passing on in a HeroicSacrifice to restore Aiden).

* ComicBook/BlackPanther is the first hero to be killed on-panel in ''ComicBook/AgeOfUltron'' (though [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}, and the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] [[GreatOffscreenWar were all stated to have been killed prior to the start of the story]]).

* In the What-If version of ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'', Wolverine accidentally kills ComicBook/{{Storm|MarvelComics}} getting into an argument with [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]]. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone He is understandably horrified at what he did.]]
* Variation in ''[[ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen Avengers: X-Sanction]]''. The first [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avenger]] to be taken out by ComicBook/{{Cable}} is ComicBook/TheFalcon, who is knocked out without a fight and used as bait to lure his teammates into a trap.
* The major inciting event behind ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'' is the death of Comicbook/WarMachine at the hands of ComicBook/{{Thanos}}.
* Played with in Creator/IDWPublishing's ''ComicBook/{{Clue|2017}}'' comic. The first person found dead is Mr. Boddy, the African-American host of the dinner. In actuality, [[spoiler:he faked his death as part of his XanathosGambit]], and the first person who is actually killed is [[spoiler:Mrs. Peacock]].

* Ambrose Chase from ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}'' is normally {{Nigh Invulnerab|ility}}le, but had the misfortune of entering an AlternateUniverse that was governed by HorrorTropes, including this one. He managed to preserve his body before he died, and gets revived in the final issue.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': The first named character to die is ComicBook/SteveTrevor's overly serious black co-pilot Slade, who gets possessed and burnt out to a skeleton by Ares.

** Also subverted in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' - thanks to TrailersAlwaysLie, Colonel Rhodes aka War Machine is played up at the major casualty of the event. [[GameBreakingInjury Whilst he is crippled thanks to being shot down by Vision, he remains alive.]]

* Famously inverted in ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'': the black character is the only one of the group to survive the night, only to be unceremoniously shot by a posse in the morning. [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1990 The remake]] [[spoiler:has him zombiefied to avoid the UnfortunateImplications of the original ending.]]

* ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy'': In the Netflix series, Season 3 introduces viewers to The Sparrow Academy. Marcus Hargreeves is the leader of the Sparrows and a black man. Marcus is not only the first Sparrow member to die - he dies in the *first* episode.

* ''WebOriginal/FortniteTheMovie'': After somehow surviving being shot in Fortnite the Movie, Mime is shot and seemingly killed first in Fortnite the Movie 2. [[spoiler:Completely subverted in Fortnite the Movie 8: Enemy of the Clown when it turns out that Mime survived the attack.]] [[spoiler:Mime even survives Fortnite the Movie 9: Day of the Clown, the movie where majority of the main cast is killed off, only to finally be killed in Fortnite the Movie: The Reign of The Oni, the third last film in the whole series]].

* ''Series/{{Psych}}''

* The ''WebAnimation/{{Dorkly|Originals}}'' article, "[[http://www.dorkly.com/post/60847/these-8-characters-are-definitely-going-to-die These Eight Characters are Definitely Going to Die]]", includes in the list, "The Black Guy".

** Linkara created several X-COM squad members based on Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses contributors. The one based on WebVideo/TheRapCritic was the first to die. [[https://twitter.com/Phanto/status/358783403899895809 Read about it here]].

** Then hilariously subverted when [=DeStorm=] IS voted into the first challenge, but makes it out alive. By the time of the second challenge, Gabbie needs to choose between Jesse and [=DeStorm=], [[spoiler: she chooses to save [=DeStorm=] and Jesse is left to die.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''

In TheNewTens this is beginning to approach DiscreditedTrope territory, as Black Lives Matter is becoming a prominent sociopolitical movement and increasingly GenreSavvy audiences have developed a tendency to groan when the TokenMinority is first on the chopping block. Horror movies especially are much more likely to [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] or parody the trope than play it straight these days. However action films or video games still somewhat tend to struggle to move away from the trope, having the black character go down second or third.

The character doesn't have to be male, human, or even black for that matter. As long as they're the only minority present, and their chances of seeing the end of the movie are rather slim. Don't bother putting in 'averted' examples. If a black guy doesn't die first (or remarkably early on) then he doesn't die first, [[Administrivia/PeopleSitOnChairs end of story]].

-->-- ''Film/{{Evolution}}''

* ''Film/{{Evolution}}'' comically [[TropeNamers named]] this trope, but actually avoids it with a verbal DefiedTrope. Since it's a rather light-hearted comedy, almost EverybodyLives. The guy who said it (Orlando Jones) had even originally used the line in a ''Series/MadTV1995'' sketch.

* ''The Blackening'', a horror movie with an all-black cast, lampshades this trope repeatedly in the trailer -- the killer forces the group to sacrifice the one they deem "the blackest" at one point, and the TagLine is "We can't all die first".

* In one arc of ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', Sousuke is sent on a mission with five other soldiers to kill [[AxCrazy Gauron]]. Out of the group the first to die is the black team captain.

* In ''Film/TheIsland'', Starkweather Two Delta provides a major hook to the film in his horrific early death, while the very distinctly African Albert Laurent manages to escape the violent deaths that claim most of his teammates and make a rather significant HeelFaceTurn at the end. As Creator/MichaelBay mentions on the commentary track to the DVD, he actually asked the actor Djimon Hounsou something like "How would you like to be the black guy who ''doesn't'' die?"

** Also subverted in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' - thanks to TrailersAlwaysLie, Colonel Rhodes aka War Machine is played up at the major casualty of the event. [[GameBreakingInjury He's hit way harder than Nick Fury, but remains alive.]]

* In ''Film/{{United 93}}'', between the two pilots of the aforementioned plane, one is white while the other is black. The black pilot is the first one killed.

* A non-lethal variation in the [[WesternAnimation/PixarShorts Pixar short film]] ''WesternAnimation/MrIncredibleAndPals'' (a companion piece to ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''), which is a [[StylisticSuck highly corny]] InUniverse cartoon starring Mr. Incredible (who's white) and Frozone (who's black -- or [[ButNotTooBlack lightly tanned]] in the cartoon's style). When they confront the villain Lady Lightbug, Frozone is restrained by her "radioactive silk" and taken out of the action immediately. It's {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by Frozone in the commentary that he and Mr. Incredible do on the cartoon. He's quite annoyed by the poor showing his fictional self makes.

* The [[ShowWithinAShow[=McBain=]]] movie subplot in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' features [=McBain=]'s black partner talking about him being [[{{Retirony}} two days from retirement]], his daughter is graduating from college, ''and'' he planns to sail around the world with his wife on their boat "[[TemptingFate The Live-4-Ever]]" after they arrest [[BigBad Mendoza]]. Cue him [[TakingTheBullet saving McBain from an assassin]] and [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill getting shot 13 times]].

* The episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' with the infamous MENDOOOZZAAAAA! SkywardScream features [=McBain=]'s black partner getting killed.

* ''WebOriginal/FortniteTheMovie'': After somehow surviving being shot in Fortnite the Movie, Mime is shot and seemingly killed first in Fortnite the Movie 2. [[spoiler:Completely subverted in Fortnite the Movie 8: Enemy of the Clown when it turns out that Mime survived the attack.]] [[spoiler:Mime even survives Fortnite the Movie 9: Day of the Clown, the movie where majority of the main cast is killed off, only to finally be killed in Fortnite the Movie: The Reign of White Skull, the third last film in the whole series]].

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebOriginal/FortniteTheMovie'': After somehow surviving being shot in Fortnite the Movie, Mime is shot and seemingly killed first in Fortnite the Movie 2. [[spoiler:Completely subverted in Fortnite the Movie 8: Enemy of the Clown when it turns out that Mime survived the attack.]] [[Mime even survives Fortnite the Movie 9: Day of the Clown, the movie where majority of the main cast is killed off, only to finally be killed in Fortnite the Movie: The Reign of White Skull, the third last film in the whole series]].

* ''FortniteTheMovie/WebOriginal'': Completely and utterly averted. Mime survives the first two films despite apparently being shot in both. [[spoiler:Mime even survives Fortnite the Movie 9: Day of the Clown, the movie where majority of the main cast is killed off, only to finally be killed in Fortnite the Movie: The Reign of White Skull, the third last film in the whole series]].

--> "Word of advice: If the will says you have to spend the night in a haunted house you better hope that everybody else there is black guys and [[DeathBySex sluts]].”

* Famously inverted in ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'': the black character is the only one of the group to survive the night, only to be unceremoniously shot by a posse in the morning. [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1990 The remake]] has him zombiefied to avoid the UnfortunateImplications of the original ending.

* Played with in Creator/IDWPublishing's ''ComicBook/{{Clue|2017}}'' comic. The first person found dead is Mr. Boddy, the African-American host of the dinner. In actuality, [[spoiler:he faked his death as part of his XanathosGambit]], and the first person who is actually killed is [[spoiler:Mrs. Peacock]].

* Comicbook/BlackPanther is the first hero to be killed on-panel in ''Comicbook/AgeOfUltron'' (though [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], Comicbook/{{Cyclops}}, and the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] [[GreatOffscreenWar were all stated to have been killed prior to the start of the story]]).
* Mettle, the first victim of ''Comicbook/AvengersArena'' is half-black, half-white Jewish. This is made a bit more egregious as in an earlier issue of ''Comicbook/AvengersAcademy'' his friend lamented [[HarsherInHindsight feeling like the black guy in a slasher movie.]]

* The major inciting event behind ''Comicbook/CivilWarII'' is the death of Comicbook/WarMachine at the hands of ComicBook/{{Thanos}}.

* ''Tribe,'' by African American Larry Stroman, was a short-lived series about the adventures of a predominantly African-American superhero group. Issue 1, page 2, panel 4 features the first death: a black dude getting his neck snapped.

* Played with in Creator/IDWPublishing's ''[[ComicBook/Clue2017 Clue]]'' comic. The first person found dead is Mr. Boddy, the African-American host of the dinner. In actuality, [[spoiler:he faked his death as part of his XanathosGambit]], and the first person who is actually killed is [[spoiler:Mrs. Peacock]].

* In ''Film/{{The Dam Busters}}'', the first death is of the only black character in the film: Guy Gibson's black dog, whose name in the film and in real-life was [[NWordPrivileges also problematic]].

* In the 70s picture, ''The Great Santini'', a black dude does die first, but he manages to kill his killer too.

* Possibly intentionally lampshaded in another deep-sea creature feature, ''Film/{{Leviathan 1989}}'': Ernie Hudson bravely survives 90 minutes of battling the [[GoneHorriblyRight unholy result of a top-secret Soviet experiment]] on the bottom of the sea... after which, as he, [[TheHero Peter Weller]] and [[LastGirlWins The Girl]] make it to the safety of the surface, the monster returns and offs him 2 minutes before the end credits. Still a good way to go, especially considering [[Franchise/RoboCop who avenges his demise]].
%%* 2006 ghost movie ''La Llorona'' a.k.a. ''The Wailer'' is another example.

* ''Magma: Earth's Molten Core'' has the {{Jerkass}} mayor die in oncoming lava while screaming "NO!" Or was it him getting buried in hot rocks? It's hard to tell.

** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' subverts this: Nick Fury (played by [[Creator/SamuelLJackson Samuel L. Jackson]]) SEEMS to die, but he's actually FakingTheDead, in fine MCU tradition. (The other major black character, Sam Wilson a.k.a. the Falcon, does perfectly fine.)

* In Creator/DanAbnett's TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} novel ''[[Literature/{{Ravenor}} Ravenor Returned]]'', dark-skinned Zeph Mathuin is the first of Ravenor's warband to die "on camera."

* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'':

* Inverted in ''WebComic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella'': in a world where superheros die and come back to life (often enough that they throw a party every time someone does), the black Queen Beetle is literally the only one ''not'' to have died. (Well, and Rita, but Rita's just a sidekick.)

* A strip at the back of an issue of ''Comicbook/{{Squee}}'' parodies Hollywood action movie cliches, including this one.

* ''Film/{{Evolution}}'' comically [[TropeNamers named]] this trope, but actually avoids it with a verbal DefiedTrope. Since it's a rather light-hearted comedy, almost EverybodyLives. The guy who said it (Orlando Jones) had even originally used the line in a ''Series/MadTV'' sketch.

* ''VisualNovel/MonsterProm'''s sequel Monster Camp features Jerry, who discusses this trope and it's UnfortunateImplications in one event. [[AvertedTrope Needless to say]], he doesn't pull it off considering he never kills anybody important or any minorities, [[FridgeLogic although technically every character is a token since most of them are different monster species.]]

* In ''WebVideo/EscapeTheNight'' Jesse and {{DeStorm}} discuss this trope. When the group is in danger, Jesse turns to {{DeStorm}} and says that he's probably dying first. Judging by the annoyed reaction {{DeStorm}} has afterwards, he's familiar with the trope.
** Then hilariously subverted when {{DeStorm}} IS voted into the first challenge, but makes it out alive. By the time of the second challenge, Gabbie needs to choose between Jesse and {{DeStorm}}, [[spoiler: she chooses to save {{DeStorm}} and Jesse is left to die.]]

** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by [[TokenMinority Malcolm]] in ''[[Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS6E17 The Shining]]'' review.
* The idea is repeatedly and viciously lampshaded in WebSite/SFDebris's [[http://sfdebris.com/videos/startrek/t128.php review]] of the aforementioned "Where Silence Has Lease".

* Discussed and ultimately inverted in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. In "Fear Itself", when horror monsters are haunting Titans Tower, Beast Boy gets GenreSavvy and explains that as the group's PluckyComicRelief, he's going to be the first one to go, and sure enough he is. Cyborg is actually the ''last'' hero to go down.