Sandbox / Like You Would Really Wick Check It

Page: Like You Would Really Do It

Checking against: Drama of character's implied death is ruined due to character's importance to the story and other out-of-universe factors.

To-Note: Some works kill off main characters so it's not a sufficient reason alone

To-Note: Some examples contain conversational troping and irrelevant commentary

To-Note: Haven't separated if character did in fact die or not, though subverted expectation marked as subverted examples aren't uncommon

Correct (27/74, 36%)

1. YMMV.The Owl House S 3 E 3 Watching And Dreaming — During the episode, it looks like The Hero Dies when Luz Disappears into Light. But because such an ending would be very anti-climactic — plus the fact that there's still so much of the episode to go when Luz is killed — it's clear that Luz isn't gone for good.
2. YMMV.Avengers Infinity War — Though Kevin Feige and the Russos have indicated that deaths in Infinity War will be permanent, fans were skeptical even before the film's release. The sheer breadth of the film's body count makes it seem highly implausible that so many popular and marketable characters will truly be Killed Off for Real; in particular, Black Panther and Spider-Man sequels have already been announced, as well as a third Guardians of the Galaxy film in which Gamora is confirmed to appear^note Some have pointed out that this may have been intentional misdirection, similar to when Michael Rooker showed up on the Infinity War set to stave off leaks that his character, Yondu, died in Guardians vol. 2, and they were proved Right for the Wrong Reasons as of Endgame, where Gamora stays dead and the incarnation that could appear is the one from the 2014 timeline before she met the Guardians., despite all three characters being among Infinity War's casualties — indeed, many have said that they could believe that the deaths would stick up until Black Panther died, given how much of a cultural phenomenon his single movie is. While there may be some permanent fatalities in Avengers 4, most fans are expecting that the bulk of the deaths in this film will be undone somehow in the next. Heimdall and to a lesser extent Vision are the only ones nobody is really all that skeptical about. The filmmakers defended this decision by saying that only killing off the second string heroes (the ones who don't have solo movies and thus don't benefit from Contractual Immortality) like Vision, Scarlet Witch, Falcon and Bucky would've been seen as a cop out, since the audience would know the big name characters still had Plot Armor. After a couple months, Dave Bautista ripped off the band aid by stating in no uncertain terms that he'd be back in both the next Avengers and Guardians films. Even if you had a little doubt in some of the others coming back, the sheer fact that one of the dead characters was Spider-Man guaranteed that this wasn't permanent, considering he's, y'know, Marvel's mascot as well as one of the most popular and beloved characters in the history of fiction. Not to mention how Marvel made a big and complex deal with an entirely separate film studio just to use him. Also, for a specific example: the fake-Thanos dying on Knowhere. No-one would really think that the film's Big Bad would die that early and certainly not that easily. The scene itself doesn't go along with it much either, as while Gamora instinctively reacts as if he really is dead, Quill's reaction is a quiet "That was easy..." as if he can't believe it's really over either. Ironically, Avengers: Endgame actually kills Thanos within the first ten minutes with even less of a fight... at first, anyway.
3. YMMV.Doctor Who S 35 E 3 Under The Lake — The Cliffhanger and Part Two trailers suggest not only that the Doctor will perish for good and become another ghost but also that it's a fate he can't avoid, a fixed point. But this guy has his name right in the show's title; he'll find a way to say Screw Destiny. Like "The Magician's Apprentice", the cliffhanger is more how he will survive rather than if. (To be fair, this can apply to every cliffhanger ever involving the Doctor, given the name of the series.)
4. YMMV.The Force Awakens — Poe Dameron is presumed dead after the TIE fighter crashes on Jakku and Finn cannot find him; however, since a major actor like Oscar Isaac plays him combined with a dose of Never Found the Body, few believed he was truly dead. Sure enough, he shows up fine later in the film. Though ironically enough, Poe was meant to stay dead but the crew's appreciation of Oscar's acting talents and Oscar just plain asking to not have one of his characters get killed off again spared Poe.
5. YMMV.Beelzebub — Takamiya ordering Lucifer to kill Furuichi by ripping his heart out. His main-character status had a lot of the fanbase believing that the mangaka wouldn't actually kill him off so suddenly. Turned out they were right and he was confirmed to be Not Quite Dead in the next chapter.
6. YMMV.Hilda — Hilda's Disney Death in "The Storm". Yes, we have absolute reason to believe you'd kill off the main protagonist of your show... with only three episodes of your season to go. Your first season, no less.
7. YMMV.Arrow S 4 E 9 Dark Waters — Felicity is such an obvious choice for the grave Oliver was at in the season premiere that it's pretty clear some twist is coming. Not to mention, this is just one episode after the show set up a major drama bomb Chekhov's Gun with Oliver hiding his son's existence from her. The show indeed gives up the ghost on this just one episode later by showing her alive in the future.
8. YMMV.Supergirl 2015 S 4 E 14 Stand And Deliver — Manchester randomly committing suicide halfway through an episode never had a chance of being taken seriously, especially since the trailer has scenes of Manchester that take place after him doing it, making the ruse obvious. His next appearance isn’t even played as any kind of reveal. (Sounds like Trailers Always Spoil)
9. YMMV.To Catch A Thief — Robie's the hero of a comedic romance film, he's not going to really let Danielle fall off a building, but SHE doesn't know that and makes a full confession.
10. YMMV.Camp Camp — The season 3 episode "Nikki's Last Day on Earth" opens with the entire camp convinced that Nikki is dying after drinking one of Neil's experimental tonics, but as she's one of the show's leads, it comes across as unlikely from the get-go. Indeed, it turns out she was just having her first period.
11. Quotes.Executive Meddling — "We'd just gone to all the effort of saying, 'Jean is dead, get over it,' and they said, 'Haha, we fibbed.' So why should anyone trust us again? But that's the difference between being the writer and being the boss."
12. YMMV.Minecraft Story Mode — Most people's immediate reaction to seeing Petra/Ivor and Lukas being crushed to death in episode eight was that it had to have been staged or an illusion or something. No way did two main characters die just like that.
13. WebAnimation.Overly Sarcastic Productions — In "Save The World'', Red addresses the problem that many writers think that higher in-universe stakes mean more audience investment. However, in actuality the uncertainty of outcome correlates more to the audience investment. That's why the audience doesn't believe that the world and especially the Universe isn't going to explode as that would mean the end of the franchise or series.
14. WebAnimation.Overly Sarcastic Productions — "Fates Worse Than Death" addresses this problem again that higher stakes for the character won't mean higher stakes for the audience as the audience knows that the series can't afford to lose a charactes. Red discusses that sometimes there isn't a sweet spot between "The writer will never do this!" and "I think the story isn't fun anymore." in terms of a general audience reaction.
15. YMMV.Superboy — A primary criticism of the climax of Superman #18 is the fact that Jonathan's extensive marketing and starring role in Super Sons all but ensures his survival, sapping a great deal of the impact behind his horrific fate at the end of the comic.
16. YMMV.Honor Harrington — A character in Basilisk is given a full three pages of backstory before being "killed" while trying to escape. Anyone could figure out it wasn't him. He is shown later escaping Basilisk thanks to his use of the craft that everyone thought he was in as a decoy. He shows up again in Field of Dishonor, and is hired by Pavel Young to kill Paul Tankersley and Honor in duels. Succeeds at the first, but the second... not so much.
17. YMMV.Honor Harrington — Despite the author's insistence that Anyone Can Die, there is a distinct pattern of Plot Armor around Honor and her family. Yes, nearly the entire Harrington clan is wiped out in Oyster Bay, but miraculously almost all the ones we've actually met onscreen escape with their lives.
18. YMMV.Honor Harrington — There's a similar tendency for crew members with a lot of Character Development to survive at the least the book they're introduced in. There was no way that, say, a young techie who takes a level in ass-kicking and puts the ship's bullies in their place is going to buy the farm in the inevitable Honor Death Ride at the end of Honor Among Enemies, for example. After their introductory book, however, they're as fair game as anyone else.
19. YMMV.Crisis On Infinite Earths 2019 — Let's just say that basically no one buys the death of Oliver Queen, the man who made the Arrowverse possible so early on. Sure enough, in the very next episode, Mia and Barry decide to bring him back using the Lazarus Pit. They just need help from Sara and Constantine in order to find a working Pit on an alternate Earth and restore his soul once he emerges. But then in episode 3 he doesn't return to his body and instead becomes the host of The Spectre. He then dies again in part 4 rebooting the multiverse believing he defeated the Anti-Monitor in battle.
20. YMMV.Crisis On Infinite Earths 2019 — The overall concept of the Crisis itself is this trope; it's a Foregone Conclusion that the universes annihilated by antimatter aren't actually permanently destroyed and will be brought back in some form, especially the ones that are the settings of still ongoing TV series that the CW showrunners don't control, like Lucifer and Titans (2018) (the former being even more blatant due to Tom Ellis saying the Crisis happens before the start of his own series). The lighthearted way the showrunners talk about it gives away the fact that even the universes that could, theoretically, be permanently destroyed haven't actually been; no one wants the Fridge Horror that Smallville's Clark and Lois' Happily Ever After was destroyed by the Anti-Monitor mere hours after we saw it.
21. YMMV.Crisis On Infinite Earths 2019 — The above is extra true with Hour Three of the Crisis ending on a Cliffhanger with the entire Multiverse having been destroyed; no one really thinks the Arrowverse shows will now be about a handful of heroes living at the Vanishing Point. Essentially, the drama isn't if our heroes stop the Crisis, but how.
22. YMMV.Ru Pauls Drag Race — Happens again later in the season, in Social Media: The Rusical. Barely halfway through the season, frontrunner Symone and producer-favorite (thanks to her penchant for getting into arguments) Kandy Muse end up in the bottom together. Unless the lipsync had turned out to be truly heinous, any Genre Savvy viewer should be able to tell a double-save is about to happen.
23. WMG.Tales From The Borderlands — Scooter. As if they'd really kill a major recurring character in a spin-off game.
24. YMMV.Jane The Virgin — Not many fans were that concerned for Michael after the Season 2 finale, since his death would put a permanent cloud over the show that would make it impossible to regain its light, peppy tone. Unfortunately they did in Chapter 54.That crashing sound you heard was your heart dropping through the floor (Is it a subversion?)
25. YMMV.Ultimate X Men 2001 — Sure, one of Ultimate Marvel's big premises is that death would be permanent, but who really thought that Magneto, the main X-Men villain (and one of the main stars of the film franchise to boot) would be really killed off at the end of the very first arc? 8 years later, after being used in a good number of stories, is another thing; but the first arc is clearly not his last appearance.
26. YMMV.Ultimate X Men 2001 — Issue 3 starts with Logan supposedly murdering the living daylights out of the X-Men. Given that it is three issues in, the chances that Mark Millar would actually kill off the entire cast that early are pretty low. Killing one of them, maybe. Two, ehh. Everyone? Nuh-uh. Sure enough, it turns out to be a Danger Room scenario where Wolverine got a bit carried away.
27. YMMV.Goblin Slayer — Goblin Slayer seemingly dying after rescuing the party from the goblin champion in the midst of Volume 2. Even if it weren't Spoiled by the Format or from works ahead of the medium being viewed, having that actually happen is too absurd.

Correct but isn't about death (2/74, 3%)

1. YMMV.Titan Academy — If the Squid Game episode wasn't a dream, then that means a majority of the cast would be written out of the show due to being expelled for being eliminated. Of course the series can't afford to lose its cast member that quick at this time! While the mass expulsion would give similar results and looked like this trope, it's not quite because Jianhao himself has stated that there would be a lot of students expelled and there's already the build-up ever since the appearance of the Organization.
2. YMMV.Titan Academy — Originally, Alan planned that the new passing score would be 80. However, there's no realistic way for Jianhao and many characters to accumulate that high score so quickly in such a short time, and if that plan went through, then the main character gets expelled. And so, during the exam, the passing score remains at 50.

ZCE (Do not tell the reason of disbelief) (17/74, 23%)

1. YMMV.The Dark Crystal Age Of Resistance — Anyone who's seen the movie won't be too concerned about Aughra dying.
2. YMMV.The Mansion Of E — Anyone else thought Sylvester and Rosemary would somehow survive the fall in the Great Chasm? Granted it was still pretty shocking, when it happened.
3. YMMV.Ben 10 — Nightmare Retardant: Grandpa Max being mutated into a hideous Stinkly-larva monstrosity in "Dr. Animo And The Mutant Ray" would be absolutely horrifying, and a major Moral Event Horizon for Animo...if not for the fact that he's completely fine mentally and physically when Ben uses the ray again.(aside from having a sugar craving) Not to mention you already know he's going to be back to normal anyway.
4. TearJerker.Suits — "Break Point": Louis' cat Bruno dying and ending up to be euthanized. While it did occured off-screen, it doesn't make it any less heartbreaking and anyone who has or had a cat will understand why he looks like his world has crashed. Also, Donna getting fired. The look on her face is just heartbreaking. Even though we know she'll end up coming back one way or another, it's still heartbreaking.
5. YMMV.Hilda — Did you really think that David would stay dead in Season 2?
6. YMMV.Hilda — Raise your hand if you thought Twig was gone for good at the climax of The Deerfox.
7. YMMV.Hilda — Did you really think Johanna was gonna die of her illness at the end of "The Fairy Isle", especially with Astrid looking to sacrifice herself to ensure she lives? Granted, even if it was obvious that Johanna was gonna live, that doesn't stop the scene from being an emotional punch to the stomach.
8. YMMV.Minecraft Story Mode — Lukas falling off Sky City. Most assumed he would be fine even before Jesse was pushed off as well.
9. YMMV.Casshern Sins — Did you think Casshern was dead at the end of Episode 21?
10. YMMV.Honor Harrington — There's no way Hamish and Samantha are going to bite the dust so close to the end of the main storyline.
11. YMMV.Game Of Thrones S 6 E 7 The Broken Man — Absolutely no one believes Arya is dying. They already brought back the Hound and Jon from worse.
12. YMMV.Deliver Us From Evil Series — Some fans said this when Holmes disappeared for several chapters and was believed dead - however, the reaction was hardly apathetic. During the fact, the reaction was desperate; after the fact, it was relieved. Apparently, quite a few readers were genuinely scared for Holmes.
13. YMMV.Crisis On Infinite Earths 2019 — Most people never seriously thought the franchise would go through with killing off Barry Allen like the entire half-season of The Flash leading up to the crossover kept insisting would happen. Sure enough, Earth-90 Barry figures he fits the prophecy just as well and sacrifices himself in Earth-1 Barry's place.
14. YMMV.Ru Pauls Drag Race — The Season 13 premiere is set so that more than half of the cast seems to have been eliminated right off the bat. Of course, Ru announces at the end of the episode that they all have a chance to return to the competition.
15. YMMV.Dominic Deegan — Due to Word of God, this now extends to pretty much every important character. For a specific example, Luna's dying. Yeah, right. And lo and behold, she's alive, while technically dead for a few strips, everyone predicted she'd be brought back.
16. YMMV.Scott Pilgrim Takes Off — Granted, his disappearance did last for more than one episode and is indeed a Tear Jerker, but did you honestly think Scott Pilgrim himself would be Killed Off for Real?
17. YMMV.Jane The Virgin — Yeah, it's so believable that the show might reveal Mateo isn't actually Jane's biological son just three episodes before the finale.

ZCE (Do not tell the disbelief) (17/74, 23%)

1. Not Worth Killing — Fushigi Yuugi has Miaka's ex-best friend Yui justify (in both of Miaka's visits to Kutou, mind you) that she only wants to keep Miaka and the Suzaku Seven alive because after all, "Where's the fun in killing them right away?" Yeah right.
2. YMMV.The Lion King 1994 — After murdering Mufasa, Scar sends the hyenas after Simba. The hyenas refuse to venture into the thornbushes as Simba escapes through them, so they decide to let him go, assuming he'll die in the desert, and kill him if he returns to the Pridelands. (Does not explain the audience's point)
3. YMMV.Blackened Skies — One scene in Chapter One teases the idea of Kaede becoming a Decoy Protagonist again via Mondo killing her in a fit of blind rage. Naturally, the next chapter reveals that he missed.
4. YMMV.Strike Back — In the final episode of '"Shadow Warfare'', Locke agrees to exchange Stonebridge and Scott for the Big Bad with a Russian mobster... and then it turns out he has snipers ready to kill the mobster as soon as the exchange is complete.
5. YMMV.Strike Back — It looks like Arianna Demachi is going to be a Karma Houdini... only for S20 to track her down and Coltrane to execute her.
6. YMMV.Day Shift — Not only does Big John survive his apparent Taking You with Me stunt, but as a human, no less.
7. YMMV.Enchanted — Pip being thrown in the fire. And Giselle thinking for any real length of time that he's dead.
8. YMMV.Sonic Heroes — The Team Dark storyline makes the suggestion that Shadow is actually an android after the Egg Albatross battle and then immediately destroys the plausibility of it by having Neo Metal Sonic announce, quite plainly, that he's just copied the Ultimate Life Form data, which a robot fake would not have.
9. Characters.GI Joe IDW — Face–Heel Turn: Joins Cobra in Snake Eyes: Agent of Cobra. He's faking it to infiltrate and sabotage them, obviously.
10. YMMV.Star Trek The Next Generation S 5 E 9 A Matter Of Time — While it was already pretty unlikely that they would show the Enterprise crew making a screw-up that results in them incinerating the population of an entire planet, Geordi's staying on the surface of Penthara IV during the attempt makes it clear that it's going to be successful.
11. YMMV.Excalibur Marvel Comics — Captain Britain's death.
12. YMMV.Excalibur Marvel Comics — And Faiza Hussein's death in Issue 1.
13. YMMV.Excalibur Marvel Comics — And just about everybody's death in issue 14.
14. YMMV.Dont Meddle With My Daughter — Zenovia had no chance of actually executing Clara, given the premise is about Athena protecting her.
15. Recap.Transformers Animated S 3 E 01 Trans Warped — My God, What Have I Done?: In Part II, Sari using the key to upgrade herself leads to her losing control of her new-found strength and capabilities. What follows is Bumblebee trying to stop her, only for her to accidentally stab him. And it doesn't help matters when the ensuing explosion from her blade exacerbates his already critical injuries. Fortunately, Ratchet was able to repair them both, saving Bumblebee, & disabling the part of Sari that made her lose control. Afterwards, Sari comes out of the experience acknowledging the Autobots were right about her needing to take things slow.
16. Heartwarming.Halo 3 — At the start, when they think the Chief's dead or incapacitated, Johnson wants heavy lift equipment, because "We're not leaving him here." And then the Chief's hand grabs him, and he speaks up, and Johnson gets cheerful.
17. YMMV.Legends Of Tomorrow S 5 E 3 Slay Anything — Mick gets burnt to a crisp during the episode, especially when a promo shows a scene of Mick that didn't happen before his death.

Focuses on a known plot device (2/74, 3%)

1. YMMV.Deadpool 2 — Killing Vanessa for real? Well, you could, but not with a time travel device being integral to the plot. Though it should be noted that this was added after reshoots; the death was initially going to stick.
2. YMMV.Bloodstained Ritual Of The Night — This has been a common reaction to Zangetsu's "death". Not only is it heavily stacked with Never Found the Body and Uncertain Doom, but he is seen as way too cool and unique a character to die off. An Easter Egg that occurs only if you set your resolution to 21:9 (Ultrawide) and watch the ending reveals that, yes, Zangetsu is alive and well, observing Miriam from afar.

Misuse (8/74, 10%)

1. YMMV.Digital Devil Saga — Averted. When you first see Roland and Argilla's Heroic Sacrifices in the second game you'll almost certainly dismiss them as just hiding because the game still has a long way to go and, given the way you're encouraged to optimise your characters for specific roles, killing 2 of them off for real would SERIOUSLY handicap your party's effectiveness over the long term. By the time Gale and then Cielo have been far more conclusively killed off on screen it finally sinks in that, no, Anyone Can Die- as you immediately see when Serph and Sera, the last 2 characters left, die after them and the final stage of the game effectively takes place in the afterlife. (YMMV cannot be played with)
2. YMMV.Strike Back — It's extremely unlikely that a certain character was blown to pieces at the end of an episode. That said, some credit is due for the "next time" promos acting like they would. And then horribly averted when many recurring characters are suddenly and unceremoniously Killed Off for Real. ^note By the time Series 4 ends, every single officer in Section 20 is dead with the exception of Locke. Apart from the Dynamic Duo, Richmond is the only character from Series 2 who is still alive. (YMMV cannot be played with)
3. YMMV.Strike Back — Also averted in Episode 9 of Vendetta, when it looks like the team is going to get there Just in Time to rescue Chetri. Surely they wouldn't kill the Naïve Newcomer / Everyone's Baby Sister! Especially not after having already killed a team member—holy shit, they did. (YMMV cannot be played with)
4. YMMV.The Force Awakens — Played with the death of Han Solo. They really did go through with killing him, and it's one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the saga, if not cinema itself. However, those who are familiar with the behind the scenes of the original trilogy know that Harrison Ford has wanted Han dead since Empire, and many hardcore fans fully expected him not to make it. (YMMV cannot be played with + Fan Myopia)
5. CassandraTruth.Western Animation — "The Man Who Killed Batman": Charmingly inept crook Sidney Debris becomes famous throughout the underworld for killing Batman (not) — but his fame attracts thugs who want to claim his title and a murderously angry Joker. Unfortunately, when he goes to Rupert Thorne for help, his story only convinces the latter that he's playing dumb to get him. (In-Universe + Gratious pothole)
6. YMMV.Young Hercules — Between being a prequel to series that showed its three lead characters well-into adulthood and airing on a kid's block that often enforced Never Say "Die", the show could often get hit with this. Still, they managed some surprise by killing off Eurydice and Marco onscreen. (ZCE + YMMV cannot be played with)
7. YMMV.The Walking Dead S 07 E 01 The Day Will Come When You Wont Be — It's safe to say that almost no one expected Rick or Carl to get the bat. Some also believed that Glenn would be safe, given his fake-out death the previous season as well as being the victim in the comics making it too obvious for him to be the victim. They were wrong. (YMMV cannot be played with)
8. YMMV.Dream SMP — Subverted. Although fans didn't think that Wilbur would blow up L'Manberg as too much effort was put in to it, they actually did it. (YMMV cannot be played with)

Other (1/74, 1%)

1. SortingAlgorithmOfDeadness.Comic Books — Part of some sort of JFF table

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