Kill off
Encyclopedia
The killing off of a character is a device in fiction
, whereby a major character dies but the story continues. The term, frequently applied to television
, film
and chronological series, often denotes an untimely or unexpected death motivated by factors beyond the storyline. It also implies a critical or cynical attitude towards a work, and is rarely used by authors when discussing their own works.
In works featuring actors, the unwillingness of an actor to continue with the production (or, conversely, producers' unwillingness to retain an actor), for financial or other reasons, may lead to that character being "killed off" or removed from the storyline.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, whereby a major character dies but the story continues. The term, frequently applied to television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and chronological series, often denotes an untimely or unexpected death motivated by factors beyond the storyline. It also implies a critical or cynical attitude towards a work, and is rarely used by authors when discussing their own works.
In works featuring actors, the unwillingness of an actor to continue with the production (or, conversely, producers' unwillingness to retain an actor), for financial or other reasons, may lead to that character being "killed off" or removed from the storyline.
Film
- Until the 1980s and 1990s, Hollywood film plots featuring death and danger, such as actionAction filmAction film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
or horrorHorror filmHorror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, were criticised for killing off secondary blackAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
characters prematurely to advance the plot, leading to accusations of tokenismTokenismIn the arts, employment, and politics, tokenism is a policy or practice of limited inclusion or artistic and/or political representation of members of a traditionally marginalized group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices rather than discrimination, intentional or not...
; examples include The ShiningThe Shining (film)The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
and the AlienAlien (film)Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
series. However, with more black actors in starring roles since the 1990s, this trend is thought to have decreased – numerous American films and television series have also made knowing references to the idea as a cliché.
Television
- The PalestinianPalestinian territoriesThe Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
children's character Farfur (a Mickey MouseMickey MouseMickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
lookalike) is an example of a character "killed off" for political reasons in 2007. After the program received criticism from some government ministers in both Palestine and IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
for espousing anti-Israeli sentiments, the Farfur character was killed off. Even his death, at the hands of an "Israeli agent," making Farfur a "martyr," was similarly politicised. - In the 9th season premiere of Two and a Half MenTwo and a Half MenTwo and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
, it opened with Charlie HarperCharlie Harper (Two and a Half Men)Charles Francis "Charlie" Harper is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men from seasons 1–8. Played by actor Charlie Sheen, the character has garnered him three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor and two Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in...
's funeral. The character had been killed of due to disagreements between Charlie SheenCharlie SheenCarlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
and the producers of the show.
Comic books
- In 2008, rumors arose that BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
was going to die in the DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
series.
External links
- TV Tropes articles: "Killed Off For Real" & "Dropped a Bridge on Him"