Long before Game of Thrones brought ruthless slaughter to our TV screens, there was Joss Whedon. Where previous series in which death was reserved for unnamed red-shirts, and main characters always survived for next week's episode, those under Whedon's stewardship had no such assurances. The sudden deaths of Joyce Summers and Tara Mclay reminded fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer not to take any character for granted, and it didn't take long for his other creations to follow suit. Fred in Angel, Wash in Serenity, and even Penny's heartbreaking final words in Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog all prove one thing; Whedon's deaths aren't just inevitable, they're devastating. In fact Whedon's reputation has become so well known, that one of his first reactions upon the release of Avengers Assemble was to protest his innocence at the Death of Agent Coulson, placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of Marvel Supremo Kevin Feige. How much responsibility he takes for Age Of Ultron remains to be seen however; speculation is rife that his latest magnum opus will continue his tradition, something added to when he was quoted as saying that "The Avengers need to die." As with all long standing customs however, the increasing number of deaths means that not all can stand out. Here then is an in memoriam of characters whose deaths came from nowhere, were traumatic to say the least, but were forgotten about quicker than an active's treatment. They gave their lives so that the unexpected (even when it became expected) was always on the horizon, and these sacrifices should not have been made in vain.
