Starring in a video game is rarely a one-and-done deal. It’s very common for a game’s sequel to have characters from the first game reappear in some capacity, even if they’re no longer in a starring role. This can range from a companion to a mere cameo to something much more fatal.
Sometimes, video game characters reappear in the sequel to die. Even if they contribute something significant before they go, they don’t make it out of the narrative in one piece. This is sometimes telegraphed, but other character deaths can catch fans off-guard by coming out of left field or being an ignominious end to a well-liked character.
This article contains clips of death scenes from games. They may contain spoilers, explicit/offensive language, and scenes that may be upsetting to some viewers.
10 Uriel Septim VII
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Emperor Uriel Septim VII is a constant figure in Tamriel throughout The Elder Scrolls franchise. Saving him is the ultimate goal of The Elder Scrolls: Arena. He later serves as a crucial figure in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, and there are frequent mentions of him and his influence throughout The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.
Uriel Septim’s appearance in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion initially feels like more of the same. He appears in the player character’s cell to escape the palace under threat from assassins. Despite the dire threat, few players expected him to die within minutes of his appearance. There’s no way to save Uriel, and his long reign comes to a violent end.
9 Joel Miller
The Last Of Us Part II
Joel Miller has been an icon of gaming ever since helping Ellie Williams in The Last of Us. Given how integral his relationship with Ellie is to The Last of Us, many players expect something similar in its sequel, The Last of Us Part II. Although Joel is central to that game’s plot, it’s in a very different, more painful way.
Joel’s death kicks off The Last of Us Part II‘s events. Abby Anderson catches up to him and kills him for his actions in the previous game’s climax. Most of the game then follows Ellie and Abby’s cat-and-mouse game as Ellie hunts the other woman down for revenge. Joel only appears in flashbacks after his initial scenes.
8 Tommy Angelo
Mafia II
Mafia II has very few storytelling connections to the first Mafia game. It follows a new protagonist, Vito Scaletta, rather than the first game’s Tommy Angelo. However, Angelo makes a cameo appearance in the game. When Vito and his friend Joe Barbaro have to work off their debt to a loan shark, one of the jobs they take on is a hit on a retired gangster and shoot him with little ceremony.
Tommy’s death isn’t a shock within the Mafia storyline. The first game shows his death as an uninteractive scene in the epilogue. However, few players expect to control his assassin in Mafia II. Furthermore, his death is unexpected because of how little ceremony it has. The player doesn’t even pull the trigger, just drives up. Players starting the series with Mafia II would struggle to notice anything different about this mission.
7 Viktor Reznov
Call Of Duty: Black Ops
Despite the different subtitle, Call of Duty: Black Ops is a sequel to Call of Duty: World at War. The main tie between the two games is the heavy presence of Viktor Reznov, a significant character throughout Call of Duty: World at War‘s Russian storyline.
However, Reznov’s second Call of Duty role is much more brief. His appearance in the flesh in Call of Duty: Black Ops, is restricted to the “Vorkuta” level. This death is unexpected even to those who haven’t played World at War because of his frequent appearances throughout Black Ops in Mason’s hallucinations.
6 Big Boss
Metal Gear Solid 4
Big Boss’ presence looms large over the Metal Gear Solid franchise, despite his seeming death before it even begins. Solid Snake fights Big Boss in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, with the world believing him dead after. Later games follow his influence, legacy, or even his life in a prequel storyline.
Big Boss makes an unexpected living appearance in Metal Gear Solid 4: The Phantom Pain. He reveals that his death never happened, and that it was faked by the Patriots. However, Big Boss’ appearance doesn’t last long. He dies shortly after his final conversation with Snake, four games after he first appears to pass away.
5 Johnny Klebitz
Grand Theft Auto V
Johnny Klebitz isn’t the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto IV‘s base story. Instead, he’s the central character of its well-liked The Lost and Damned expansion, with minor appearances in the base game and The Ballad of Tony. Klebitz also appears in Grand Theft Auto V‘s main story in a much more minor capacity.
Johnny appears in Trevor Phillips’ first cutscene in Grand Theft Auto V, picking a fight with the gangster. Phillips beats Klebitz to death in front of several allies before annihilating Klebitz’s The Lost gang. It’s an abrupt end to a character last seen in a completely different city in a different game.
4 Harry Mason
Silent Hill 3
Harry Mason survives countless horrors as the player character in Silent Hill. After his absence from the brand-new story in Silent Hill 2, his next significant presence is in the more direct sequel Silent Hill 3. However, most of his presence is in spirit, since he doesn’t survive the game’s prologue.
Instead, Silent Hill 3‘s protagonist is Harry Mason’s daughter Heather. The villain Claudia murders Harry to manipulate Heather into her plot. The player doesn’t even see Harry’s death. Heather returns home to find Harry dead in his chair. He continues to be felt in the game’s background and mysteries, however, including the central plot twists regarding Heather’s identity.
3 Commander Shepard
Mass Effect 2
Commander Shepard is the protagonist and player character in all three Mass Effect games. However, the second game opens with their death. Mass Effect ends with a triumphant Shepard saving the galaxy and seeing off Sovereign’s threat. Mass Effect 2‘s opens on a Collector attack that claims Shepard’s life.
Few players expect the protagonist to die ten minutes into the story. The rest of Mass Effect 2‘s plot follows a revived Shepard two years later, working with Cerberus to stop the Collector attacks that have been happening since Shepard’s death. Their time dead and concerns about the nature of their revival are recurring plot points throughout Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.
2 Joker
Batman: Arkham City
Batman is a superhero with a strict rule against killing. This gives him some of the most recurring villains in comic book history. This is especially true of the Joker, famed in the medium for his ability to survive certain death and escape incarceration with ease. This makes Batman: Arkham City‘s ending very shocking.
Joker appears to return to an active antagonist role in Batman: Arkham City, much like he does in Batman: Arkham Asylum. This is a trick. Joker spends most of Batman: Arkham City slowly dying while Clayface impersonates him. Joker’s actions seal his fate in Batman: Arkham City‘s final moments, putting an end to the hero’s most infamous villain.
1 Sergeant Johnson
Halo 3
Sergeant Johnson is a legendary figure in the Halo franchise. He’s a recurring ally in Halo: Combat Evolved who skyrockets to prominence in Halo 2 and Halo 3. Johnson accompanies Master Chief to Delta Halo and the Ark, secures the first truce between humanity and the Elites, takes down the Brute leader Tartarus, and holds his own alongside two legendary soldiers.
However, Johnson’s one of several main characters to not make it out of Halo 3 alive. He dies seconds before the replacement Halo’s activation and Master Chief’s escape. Johnson doesn’t even get killed by the Covenant or Flood. 343 Guilty Spark murders him for attempting to fire Halo, sparking the game’s final boss fight.
