10 Awesome Characters Who Deserved Better Death Scenes

A good death scene can mean the difference between an Oscar nomination and a massive snub, and it is often the more tragic and emotionally engaging scenes that ensure that films endure beyond their usual shelf life. Does anyone really think My Girl would have been as beautiful or as poignant if little Thomas J hadn't been stung to death before his time? Exactly. And while that reference is probably lost on some, the fact remains that Hollywood and TV writers will consistently play the Death of a Main Character card to sell extra seats or bring in more viewers at key points. That's why the soaps in Britain ritualistically sacrifice many of their most beloved characters at Christmas time under cars, trams and buses to win the busy festive ratings war. But then some beloved or popular characters aren't given that sort of appropriate send off: they are killed in a manner that simply doesn't fit their important to their films or shows, and we're expected to just move on with our lives despite these obvious crimes against story and character. But we won't forget, and we often won't forgive. So, behold - a list of 10 awesome characters who definitely didn't deserve to die so poorly. Needless to say there are SPOILERS during this article - so if you don't want to know which of your favourite characters might now be dead, you might want to look away now. Honourable Mention: Wilson (Castaway) That little ball messed with my heart in ways I've never been able to recapture since. His "death" was a profound and devastating moment from a great film full of tragedy and pathos, but it doesn't really count, since he was a volleyball and probably felt no pain. I hope.

1. Newt

Died In: Alien 3 She's basically the emotional heart of Aliens and her story is perhaps even more important than that of Ripley, as she gives Ripley something extra to live for, and also gives the increasingly androgynous heroine something of her femininity back. And then, at the start of Alien 3, poor little Newt is killed off in one of the most ridiculously unnecessary murders sprees of all time, which also sees fellow Aliens survivors Hicks and Bishop bite the big one in similar, unfair manner before the film has even got going. Alien 3 is a massive mess - the script feels both under and over-cooked, the story is all over the place and it's basically just the limping, idiot brother of the first two films, but that's still not reason enough to just brush three of the most important characters of the entire series under the carpet to get them out of the way.