4. Ben - Night of the Living Dead
Why He's Awesome: Unlike most in this scenario, Ben manages to keep level-headed amid the madness of a zombie apocalypse, escaping into a cellar and having seemingly survived the worst of the invasion. Without question, he's one of the most likable and sensible of all zombie movie protagonists.
How He Got Shafted: The next morning, he's woken by the sound of gunshots, as the sherrif's deputies begin shooting any and all zombies they can round up. Ben heads outside, but the rednecks end up mistaking him for a zombie and shooting him. They then burn him on a pyre during the credits, cementing the film's incisive social commentary, that the racist rednecks mistook him for a zombie because of his skin colour. Devastating.