History PlayingWith / BlackDudeDiesFirst

** Bob is made a very obvious SacrificialLamb, being Alice's [[BlackBestFriend best friend]] or boyfriend, getting lots of screen time, etc. But Charlie, who is white and has stayed in the background, is killed first instead.

** Bob is made a very obvious SacrificialLamb, being Alice's [[BlackBestFriend best friend]] or [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt boyfriend]], getting lots of screen time, etc. But Charlie, who is white and has stayed in the background, is killed first instead.

** Bob suffers many AmusingInjuries and several cases of NoOneCouldSurviveThat, but ends up as one of the only survivors of the story, [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt hooks up with Alice]], and walks away with a large bag of money.

** Bob died before the story proper even began. (See PosthumousCharacter or DeadAllAlong)

** Nobody dies, but Bob is the first to get KO'd.

** ...except Charlie is actually NotQuiteDead, and while gazing in horror at his "corpse", Bob ''is'' really killed first, possibly by Charlie, [[PlayingPossum who was feigning his death to lure Bob into a trap]].

** [[EverybodyLives No one dies]].

** The entire cast is black, or there are no black cast members in the first place.

** Bob knows he's going to die very soon, so he kills himself painlessly at the start to avoid the possibility of a more [[CruelAndUnusualDeath drawn-out and painful death.]]

** Mike says, "Okay, guys, we're a bunch of teens and a serial killer is on the loose. We all know that serial killers go for the black dude first (you can beat the crap out of me later, Bob) or for defenseless young girls (same for you, Alice). Therefore, all us white males should do whatever we can to protect the black guy and the girl while we all get the hell out of here. As long as AliceAndBob are alive, then the rest of us are pretty much invincible (hopefully)."

* '''IntendedAudienceReaction''': The writers made Bob the first guy to die in the story to set the audience up for a PlotTwist: When Bob died, he went to Hell. But he was badass enough to [[EscapedFromHell fight his way out]]. He doesn't actually come back to life, however, until the rest of the gang face the murderer near the end. More than half of the fandom is shocked, and the twist is so well known that it becomes an ItWasHisSled situation (forgetting the rest of the film, by the way).

** Bob doesn't die first, or he dies too late in the story for his race to have any significance.

** Race doesn't determine who dies first.
** EverybodyLives.
** The cast is mixed-race, so the deaths of various ethnicities are spread out.
** Bob is one of the few survivors.

** [[BigBad Emperor Evulz]] is just about to shoot Bob, when he sees a (''white'') man dressed in all-black clothing walk by. Evulz shoots him instead.

** The black dude is the [[SoleSurvivor only survivor]]..

** Bob doesn't die first, or he dies too late in the story for his ethnicity to have any significance.

** Bob either survives, or dies too late in the story for his ethnicity to have any significance or relevance.
** Bob lives long enough to be the only living hero or, at least, dies last.

** Bob is injured first, but survives those wounds.

* '''Exploited''': Bob pulls off a [[ThanatosGambit plan to exploit his death]]. He has a grenade wired to go off if his [[DeadMansSwitch life signs fail]]. Bob is ambushed and ends up the only one to die to the monster, who [[TakingYouWithMe dies with him]].

* '''Implied''': Bob is the first character to disappear, but it's not made entirely clear whether it's because he was killed.

** The black dude is the [[SoleSurvivor only survivor]].
** The black guy is the ''last'' one to die.

'''Basic Trope''': African ethnicity means you're first for the chop.

** [[ScaryBlackMan Bob is tough and intimating]], so the killer goes after him first [[TheWorfEffect to demonstrate that he is even tougher]].

** The movie is about the lives of pregnant wome,n and the first to give birth has a black baby.

** Bob is made a very obvious SacrificialLamb, being Alice's [[BlackBestFriend best-friend]]/[[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt boyfriend]], getting lots of screen time, etc. But Charlie, who is white and has stayed in the background, is killed first instead.

** Later on, Bob dies for real. He's the first casualty in the story, in fact.

** [[ButtMonkey Bob is]] [[TheChewToy incredibly unlucky]], comically falling victim to EverythingTryingToKillYou. Maybe drawn out and subverted several times over for maximum comic effect, but ultimately something does get Bob. Or, Bob [[TheyKilledKennyAgain keeps getting killed and revived multiple times]], with much {{lampshading}}.

* '''Zig Zagged''':
** Same as parodied, but played for suspense rather than for laughs, and it's the whole cast who are faced with EverythingTryingToKillYou.
** Same as double subverted, but Bob knew Charlie was trying to kill him and either fakes his own death or else avoids Charlie's attack, thus allowing Bob to kill or apprehend him as so desired.

** Bob either survives, or dies at some other point in the story without his ethnicity having any significance or relevance to this.
** OR: Bob lives long enough to be the only living hero or, at least, dies last.

** In order to woo young black viewers, [[ExecutiveMeddling the studio insists that Bob, as a black superstar, be cast]]. But Bob is very busy and can only be on set for a couple of hours. The script is hastily rewritten to ensure Bob dies first, thereby allowing his name to be plastered all over the production without risking Bob's other commitments.

** "There's a SerialKiller on the loose and I'm the only black dude in the neighborhood. [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Screw this, I'm moving to Canada!"]]

** The cast arrive on an island full of people who have never seen a black man before, and consider Bob some sort of evil spirit. So, they kill him first to protect themselves.
** Bob knows he's going to die very soon, so he kills himself painlessly at the start to avoid the possibility of a more drawn-out and painful death.
** Alternately, Bob knows he's going to die soon, so panics and tries to escape/avoid his fate, causing him to be predictable and easier to pick off.
* '''Exploited''': Bob pulls off a [[ThanatosGambit plan to exploit his death]]. He has a grenade wired to go off if his [[DeadMansSwitch life signs fail]]. Bob is ambushed and ends up the only one to die to the monster.

** "Okay, guys, we're a bunch of teens and a serial killer is on the loose. We all know that serial killers go for the black dude first (you can beat the crap out of me later, Bob) or for defenseless young girls (same for you, Alice). Therefore, all us white males should do whatever we can to protect the black guy and the girl while we all get the hell out of here. As long as AliceAndBob are alive, then the rest of us are pretty much invincible (hopefully)."

* '''Implied''': Bob is the first character to disappear, but it's not made entirely clear whether or not it's because he was killed.

** "There's a SerialKiller on the loose and I'm the only black dude in the neighborhood. Screw this, I'm moving to Canada!"

* '''Exploited''': Bob pulls off a [[ThanatosGambit plan to exploit his death]]. He has a grenade wired to go off if his [[DeadManSwitch life signs fail]]. Bob is ambushed and ends up the only one to die to the monster.

** Bob is injured first.

** The murderer is a white supremacist.

** Alice, the only white character in an otherwise all-black cast, dies first.

** The black dude is the only survivor.
** The black guy is the last to die.

** The movie is about the lives of pregnant women and the first to give birth has a black baby.

** Bob is made a very obvious sacrificial lamb, being Alice's [[BlackBestFriend best friend]]/[[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt boyfriend]], getting lots of screen time, etc. But Charlie, who is white and has stayed in the background, is killed first instead.

** Bob is incredibly unlucky, comically falling victim to EverythingTryingToKillYou. Maybe drawn out and subverted several times over for maximum comic effect, but ultimately something does get Bob. Or, Bob is a black TheyKilledKennyAgain character, with much lampshading.

** [[BigBad Emperor Evulz]] is just about to shoot Bob, when he sees a man dressed entirely in pure black walk by. Evulz shoots him instead.

** Bob suffers many AmusingInjuries and several cases of NoOneCouldSurviveThat, but ends up as one of the only survivors of the story, hooks up with Alice, and walks away with a large bag of money.
* '''Played for Drama''': The highly racist Caucasian cast conspire to ensure that Bob is always in the most danger, thus making it inevitable that he'll die first. Alice is appalled by this, and a major theme of the rest of the story is the conflict between those like her who tried and failed to protect Bob, and those who ensured he was the first victim. The drama is even greater if this scenario takes place before the Emancipation, thereby bringing overtones of FairForItsDay into the mix.

* '''Exaggerated''': Dozens of black people (indeed, every black character) die right at the beginning.

* '''IntendedAudienceReaction''': The writers made Bob the first guy to die in the story to set the audience up for a PlotTwist: When Bob died, he went to Hell. But he was {{badass}} enough to [[EscapedFromHell fight his way out]]. He doesn't actually come back to life, however, until the rest of the gang face the murderer near the end. More than half of the fandom is shocked, and the twist is so well known that it becomes an ItWasHisSled situation (forgetting the rest of the film, by the way).

** The entire cast is black.

** "There's a SerialKiller on the loose and I'm the only black dude in the neighborhood. [[GenreSavvy Screw this, I'm moving to Canada!]]"

** Bob [[GenreSavvy knows he's going to die very soon]], so he kills himself painlessly at the start to avoid the possibility of a more drawn-out and painful death.

** Bob is GenreSavvy and does everything he can to stay away from danger for as long as possible.
** Bob is GenreSavvy and gets out of town as soon as he learns a serial killer is at large.
** Bob's [[TrueCompanions very protective friends]] are equally GenreSavvy and risk danger themselves to keep him safe.

'''Basic Trope''': African ethnicity means you're first for the chop

* '''Exaggerated''': Dozens of black people die right at the beginning. All of the black cast, in fact.

** Bob barely beats out dying before a non-black cast member, being fatally wounded less than a second before Charlie.

** Or, Bob made a HeroicSacrifice in the beginning.
** [[ScaryBlackMan Bob is tough and intimating]] so the killer goes after him first [[TheWorfEffect to show that he is tougher]].

** The black dude is the killer.

** Bob is made a very obvious sacrificial lamb, being Alice's best friend/boyfriend, getting lots of screen time, etc. Only Charlie, who is white and has stayed in the background, is killed first instead.

** ...except Charlie is actually NotQuiteDead, and while gazing in horror at his "corpse" Bob is really killed first, possibly by Charlie, who was faking his death to lure Bob into a trap.

** Evulz is just about to shoot Bob, when he sees a man dressed entirely in pure black walk by. Evulz shoots him instead.

** Same as parodied, but played for suspense rather than for laughs, and it's the whole cast who are faced with EverythingTryingToKillYou

** Races don't determine who dies first.
** Nobody dies.
** The cast is mixed race, so the deaths of various ethnicities are spread out.
** Bob either survives, or dies at some other point in the story without his ethnicity having any significance or relevance to this

** The entire cast is black, or there are no black cast members in the first place

** In order to woo young black viewers, [[ExecutiveMeddling the studio insists that Bob, as a black superstar, be cast.]] But Bob is very busy and can only be on set for a couple of hours. The script is hastily rewritten to ensure Bob dies first, thereby allowing his name to be plastered all over the production without risking Bob's other commitments.
** The director is a racist. So are his fans. Killing off black people is expected of him, it's one of his trademarks. Of course, the actor who plays Bob didn't know this...
** The characters weren't originally meant to be a specific race or ethnicity. But the casting agency decided this black guy would be perfect for the role of Bob who is the first to die.

** "There's a serial killer on the loose and I'm the only black dude in the neighborhood. [[GenreSavvy Screw this, I'm moving to Canada!]]"

** Bob is blatantly the biggest threat to the evil force, so it targets him first

** Bob [[GenreSavvy knows he's going to die very soon]] so kills himself painlessly at the start to avoid the possibility of a more drawn out and painful death.

** Bob is GenreSavvy and gets out of town on the first sign a serial killer is on the lose.

** "Okay guys, we're a bunch of teens and a serial killer is on the loose. We all know that serial killers go for the black dude first (you can beat the crap out of me later, Bob) or for defenseless young girls (same for you, Alice). Therefore, all us white males should do whatever we can to protect the black guy and the girl while we all get the hell out of here. As long as Alice and Bob are alive, then the rest of us are pretty much invincible (hopefully)."
* '''Discussed''': "Don't you hate it how the black guy always dies first in this sort of situation?".
* '''Conversed''': "I like horror films, but it's a bit jarring how the black guy always dies first".
* '''Deconstructed''': Bob spends all of his time cowering in fear due to the existance of this trope.
* '''Reconstructed''': Bob receives constant death threats from racist groups, perhaps due to his being outspoken about an issue which negatively impacts upon them. Therefore, he spends all his time cowering in fear from the potential invokation of the trope. Ultimately, near the start of the story, the threats are acted upon.
* '''Implied''': Bob is the first character to disappear, but it'd not made entirely clear whether or not it's because he was killed.
* '''IntendedAudienceReaction''': The writers made Bob the first guy to die in the story to set the audience up for a PlotTwist: When Bob died, he went to hell. But since he was a badass, [[EscapedFromHell he managed to fight his way out]]. However, he only actually comes back to life near the end, when the rest of the gang face the murderer. More than half of the fandom is shocked, and the twist is so well-known that it becomes an ItWasHisSled situation (forgetting the rest of the film, by the way).
* '''Played For Laughs'''

* '''Played For Drama''': The highly racist Caucasian cast conspire to ensure that Bob is always in the most danger, thus making it inevitable that he'll die first. Alice is appalled by this, and a major theme of the rest of the story is the conflict between those like her who tried and failed to protect Bob, and those who ensured he was the first victim. The drama is even greater if this scenario, takes place before the Emancipation, thus bringing overtones of FairForItsDay into the mix.

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* '''IntendedAudienceReaction''': The writers made Bob the first guy to die in the story to set the audience up for a PlotTwist: When Bob died, he went to hell. But since he was a {{Badass}}, [[LikeABadassOutOfHell he managed to fight his way out]]. However, he only actually comes back to life near the end, when the rest of the gang face the murderer. More than half of the fandom is shocked, and the twist is so well-known that it becomes an ItWasHisSled situation (forgetting the rest of the film, by the way).

** The director is a racist. So are his fans. Killing off black people is expected of him, it's one of his trademarks. Of course, the actor who plays Bob didn't know this.......

%%* '''Implied''': ???