God of War: Ragnarök is finally out, offering gamers the chance to return to the God of War universe and once again play as the ultimate god-killing warrior himself, Kratos. Yet fans of the franchise playing the game for the first time are also preparing themselves in case one or more of their favorite characters wind up dead.
Character deaths are common in video games. They help drive the plot of the story and give the protagonists something to fight for. Sometimes, a character's death can be seen coming pretty early on, but in other cases, a character's death came as a total, heart-wreching shock.
John Marston
Red Dead Redemption
At the end of Red Dead Redemption, John Marston has finished his work for the government by hunting down his former gang and is reunited with his family, giving players a sense that the game is over.
However, the game pulls one final trick by sending the government after Marston to kill him. The player, as Marston, will fight off the government agents as best they can, but will be overwhelmed, and Marston will be killed. The death comes as a complete shock because it seemed like Marston would be able to enjoy a happy ending and live the rest of his days in peace with his family. Unfortunately, few heroes get a happy ending in the Old West.
Roland
Borderlands 2
With one of the best video game opening sequences ever, Borderlands 2 promised to bring more chaos, insanity, and explosions to the hit franchise alongside returning characters from the previous game like Roland. But what no one saw coming was the death of this beloved character.
After killing Angel per her own request, the Vault Hunters, alongside Roland and Lilith, appear to have stopped Handsome Jack for good. Then, out of nowhere, Jack himself appears and shoots Roland in the back, killing him. Players, like the characters, are stunned at the sudden turn of events and the quickness of the death. Roland was a strong and skilled fighter, and having him taken so easily is something that few could ever see coming.
Kaidan/Ashley
Mass Effect
Mass Effect is widely known for forcing the player to make tough choices that could affect the rest of the game, and one such choice involves the shocking death of a key squad member.
During the mission on Virmire, Shepard is forced to choose to save either Kaidan Alenko or Ashley Williams, leaving the other behind to die. It's a tough choice to make, and there are many things to consider when making that choice. But seeing a squad member that you've grown to care about (and potentially started a romance with) die in the line of duty is shocking, especially with a good chunk of the game still left to play.
Joker
Batman: Arkham City
Batman isn't a killer, and will even save his villains from death despite their crimes. As such, when the Joker revealed he was dying and infected Batman with the same condition in Batman: Arkham City, players expected that both Batman and the Joker would come out alive as they always have.
However, to their shock, the game ends with Joker dying. Not only that, but Batman tried to save him, only for Joker to accidentally destroy the cure before he can take it. Thus, Batman's greatest enemy dies, to the complete shock of players. Even though he died, Joker would still return as a hallucinated companion for Batman in the following game.
Lee Everett
The Walking Dead
Telltale's The Walking Dead game is filled with sad moments and brutal deaths. But the death of Lee Everett is one of the most shocking deaths out there.
After protecting Clementine for such a long time, Lee is suddenly surprised and bitten by a walker when looking for her. It's both a shocking development for players and fills them with a sense of dread. After all, Lee has little time left, and from that point on, players know he's a dead man walking, which makes the death all the more tragic.
Avery "Junior" Johnson
Halo 3
Johnson is a loyal ally for Master Chief throughout the hardest levels in Halo history. With him surviving both the Covenant and the Flood several times, this hardcore soldier seemed absolutely unstoppable.
But then players are forced to watch in horror as 343 Guilty Spark murders Johnson to prevent him from activating the unfinished Halo ring to destroy the Flood once and for all. For gamers, the death is completely unexpected, as they fully expected that, out of all the NPCs in the game, the one who would make it out alive would be Johnson. At least Master Chief granted Johnson's final wish and sent him out with a bang.
Aerith Gainsborough
Final Fantasy 7
Aerith is a sweet character, assisting Cloud and his group on their mission to defeat Sephiroth. This sweetness and dedication to the group makes her unexpected death even more shocking.
After the group fail to prevent Sephiroth from stealing the Black Materia, Aerith travels alone to the Forgotten City. When Cloud confronts her, she gives one final smile before she is suddenly stabbed through the back by Sephiroth. The death comes without warning and left many in shock. For a main character like Aerith to die so easily and so quickly was stunning, and many gamers point to her death as the most defining moment in Final Fantasy history.
Dom
Gears of War 3
Dom is easily one of the most beloved characters in the Gears of War franchise, making his sacrificial death all the more shocking.
Heavily outnumbered and with the team about to be overrun by enemy forces, Dom drives a truck straight at the enemy, ramming into a fueling depot and triggering a massive explosion, killing Dom and all the enemies. The death is even more unexpected given that this happens early on in the game. Generally, main characters like Dom don't die until the game is almost over. But here, the death comes early for such a beloved character.
Joel
The Last of Us Part II
When it comes to unexpected deaths, no death can really come as not only unexpected, but also hated as the death of Joel in The Last of Us Part II.
Early in the game, Joel is confronted by a group led by Abby, who wants revenge against him for killing her father in the previous game. She then proceeds to beat Joel to death. This death came completely out of nowhere and not only shocked fans, who expected to play this game with Joel and Ellie's relationship growing, but also infuriated them. Abby may have successfully gotten her revenge, but this one death completely alienated fans from the game and the franchise as a whole.
Ghost And Roach
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Ghost and Roach are two of the most important characters in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but their deaths both come at the same time, from the same source, and are equally shocking.
After retrieving a server for General Shepard, Ghost and Roach reach an extraction led by Shepard himself.
Out of nowhere, Shepard executes both of them, seeking to cover up his shady activities by taking the server and killing the two soldiers involved in its retrieval. There is literally nothing beforehand to suggest what Shepard has done or that he was planning this, making this surprise twist even more shocking than it already was.