Audiences love when a character has a well-developed storyline and gets what they deserve, particularly when a film has a happy or satisfying ending. So, when this expectation is subverted, it leaves a feeling of discontent or confusion. There are plenty of characters who had character arcs, or endings, that felt cruel or unjustified in the entire context of the film.
The characters featured in this list all have unfair storylines that leave the viewer feeling deflated or devastated, depending on the context. More often than not, audiences have taken to social media to raise the alarm about how truly terrible the injustice was. They truly deserved better on screen.
Warning: some movie spoilers ahead!
10 Leslie Burke - Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
A very unexpected and alarming plot twist in this seemingly innocent family-friendly film sees protagonist Jesse's (Josh Hutcherson) newfound best friend, Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb), suddenly disappear from the film. It is revealed to Jesse that she has died, having drowned near the magical land that they would visit.
Leslie deserves better, not least due to the fact that she died aged just eleven, but also because Jesse was not there with her. The magical world that they created together was to shield them from the demons and trials of life, which was something not often seen in children films at the time. As Jesse was her only friend, there is comfort that she was happy in the time before this.
9 Sandy Olssen - Grease (1978)
Many viewers of the infamous classic Grease are often surprised by the end scene, which sees Danny and Sandy driving off into the clouds in a flying car and waving at their friends. The abstract finale to the musical film has often left fans to speculate and conjure conspiracy theories as to what such an end could mean in the context of the film.
Sandy is a character that is done an injustice as she changes her entire persona and appearance to suit the guy that she is interested in. Why should she have to change and Danny remain the same? Regardless, these moments have an added layer of nostalgia, particularly after the passing of Olivia Newton-John.
8 Queen Amidala - Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Star Wars fans still reel at the sudden death of Queen Amidala occurring during childbirth, coinciding with when her husband, Anakin, becomes Darth Vader. The coexisting scenes are equally heartbreaking as there are mutual births and deaths witnessed on screen.
In her death, she is broken-hearted and without any loved ones, except for the twins that she names. The reality of her Anakin turning to the dark side, alongside the threat posed to her children because of it, looms at the end of the Clone Trilogy, as fans know what is to come next. She ultimately deserved greater happiness and to raise her children.
7 Jack Dawson - Titanic (1997)
Jack Dawson deserved better, but not for the most obvious reason. Two people could not have fitted on that door. Rather, why should the working-class character, and the character with the most potential, have to die? His character had clear direction and a chance to make something of his life.
Forgetting his romance with Rose, the film strongly suggests that he could have had a life filled with opportunity and success as an artist. It speaks to the lost potential of those who perished in the real-life Titanic sinking.
6 Henry Jones, Sr. - Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
At first, it is very underwhelming for fans of the Indiana Jones franchise when they discover that Henry Jones, Sr. has passed away, as the way that it is portrayed in the film is that he died before the film's events. They simply show a picture of Connery as Jones, Sr., which arguably disappointed fans that they would not offer more information on-screen.
However, the reality of this decision by the filmmakers does make sense. Not only was Sean Connery enjoying his retirement, but he has also been quoted remarking that his role in the film would have been too small. So perhaps it would not have been that different with him in the film anyway.
5 Tyler Hawkins - Remember Me (2010)
Tyler, portrayed by Robert Pattinson, is a character who was done a huge injustice on screen in 2010 when, in a sudden plot twist, the film ends with his death in the 9/11 Terror Attacks in New York City. Viewers who were expecting to see a generic coming-of-age romantic drama were stunned as the shot of him in an office building pulled away to reveal the towers in 2001.
Even though the ending to this film was supposed to be conveying a deeper message of the shock of 9/11 happening on just a random day, it just seemed so jarring and cruel to end the film this way.
4 Daisy - The Great Gatsby (2013)
Daisy Buchanan is a character stifled by the patriarchal rules that govern new 1920s American society. Her character has so little agency that she struggles to make decisions for herself, and, despite loving Gatsby, she sticks by her husband, Tom, for the security it offers her.
Lovers of Gatsby may be quick to criticize her, but it is clear that she agonizes over the decision. Unlike the male characters, she has to consider her child and cannot just abandon her home. It was a very challenging situation, and Baz Luhrmann does well to portray this, but Daisy as a character still deserves to be free from constraint.
3 Mercutio - Romeo and Juliet (1996)
In another Baz Luhrmann film, it is no secret that Mercutio, the life of the party in the Shakespearean tragedyRomeo and Juliet, is murdered. He is killed by Tybalt in the first climax of the story, in which he cries the infamous line: "a plague o' both your houses." This ultimately dooms Romeo and Juliet for the rest of the tragedy, foreshadowing what is to come.
Being Romeo's best friend and the character who was the life of the party, it is a shame that Mercutio marks the first death in this film. All because he got caught in the crossfire between two houses and was protecting Romeo from death.
2 Satine - Moulin Rouge (2001)
Yet another Baz Luhrmann film sees characters plunged into chaos and untimely death, where characters face major injustice. Nothing says true heartbreak than watching Nicole Kidman die from tuberculosis on screen. Another character with so much potential, the story leaves viewers heartbroken as she dies, shattering her budding romance with Christian (Ewan McGregor) and leaving him devastated enough to write a story about it.
As Satine had to fight for her place on stage, as well as her secret love for Christian, it is no surprise that viewers wished for better circumstances for her.
1 Ginny Weasley - Harry Potter Franchise (2001-2011)
The character that faced the most painful injustice on screen by far was the character Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter film franchise. After her character was so established and prominent in the books for her badass and fearless personality, fans were excited to see her on-screen portrayal. However, many were left disappointed as not only was she scarcely in the films but her entire personality was stripped away.
It was as though she purely existed because she had to, acting as a plot device for her and Harry's eventual romance. The knowledge that a fantastic female character was so underdeveloped and terrible than what she should have been still left a sour taste in people's mouths. Not least because they omitted so much.
