The Top 5 Most Unnecessary TV Character Deaths!

Television characters come and go, some fade out, and some are struck down on-screen. There are a variety of reasons why characters are killed off, and even more ways that the deed is done, but some character deaths really stick with you. Some character deaths hurt like hell, but you know they had to happen for the show to go on and for the characters to grow. The ones that you just can’t shake, though, are the ones that feel unnecessary within the context of the show and disconnected from the plot, whether it's because the actor left or the writers made a poor decision. Here are 5 TV character deaths that feel completely unnecessary.

*Spoilers for The 100, Veronica Mars, The Vampire Diaries, Killing Eve, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

1. Lexa from "The 100"

No list of undeserved character deaths would be complete without Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) from CW’s "The 100". A fan favorite character who first appeared in Season 2 of the hit series, Lexa was a groundbreaking character for the queer community as she sparked a romance with the lead character Clarke (Eliza Taylor), thereby confirming her queerness and Clarke’s bisexuality. As the young leader of her people, Lexa was fiercely strong and capable, which made her death all the more shocking. Moments after reuniting with Clarke, Lexa was killed by a stray bullet to her stomach. In a show where characters can be stabbed straight through by a spear and survive, this felt like an affront to the LGBTQ viewers who felt seen by Lexa’s strength. 

2. Logan from "Veronica Mars"

Few series have tarnished their legacies quite like "Veronica Mars". "Veronica Mars" originally ran from 2004-2007 before it was abruptly cancelled, only to return for a crowd-funded movie in 2014 and a fourth (and, so far, final) season in 2019. After 4 seasons of buildup saw the titular Veronica (Kristen Bell) and her reformed bad boy boyfriend Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) tie the knot, Logan is suddenly killed off-screen by a bomb left behind by a killer who had already been brought to justice. His death is deeply shocking, and it serves no narrative purpose, adding a sour and depressing final note to the series as Veronica drives off, seemingly forever alone. Logan went through years and years of character development and growth to get to the point he reached in Season 4, and the idea that he will never reap the rewards of that work is too dark of a thought for a teen detective show from the early-2000s. 

3. Enzo from "The Vampire Diaries"

"The Vampire Diaries" is quite familiar with character deaths, but killing someone off without even a hint of resurrection is a rarity. Unfortunately, this was the case with the vampire Enzo (Michael Malarkey), who became a consistent character in the later seasons of "The Vampire Diaries". Enzo becomes even more relevant when he falls in love with the witch Bonnie Bennet (Kat Graham), a character who was infamously mistreated and deprioritized. Their relationship makes it feel like Bonnie is finally allowed to be happy and that someone sees her for the incredible person she is. That is, until Enzo gets his heart ripped out by a humanity-less Stefan (Paul Wesley). Stefan is ultimately forgiven, and Enzo is treated like an unimportant casualty even as his death gives you a sense that Bonnie lost her soulmate. Enzo’s death was clearly an attempt to raise the stakes, but the emotional consequences clearly ran deeper than what was expected. 

4. Villanelle from "Killing Eve"

When Lexa died on "The 100", it caused a reckoning as audiences realized how many lesbian characters are killed off without a second thought. That’s why it was so disappointing when, years later, Villanelle (Jodie Comer) was killed off in the series finale of "Killing Eve". Much like the other entries on this list, Villanelle was finally happy, as she found her ending in the arms of Eve (Sandra Oh), the woman she had hunted (and been hunted by) for all 4 seasons. The two had found safety in each other despite their violent instincts, which made it all the more disappointing when seasons of slow burning between the two women ended in bloodshed as Villanelle was shot and killed. This death proved that it will take a lot more than a trend for LGBTQ women to be treated fairly on television.

5. Anya from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

Speaking of lesbian character deaths on TV, Tara (Amber Benson) from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" certainly makes that list. However, it was ex-demon Anya’s (Emma Caulfield Ford) death in the series finale that felt like a true punch to the gut. Anya was a part of the ensemble cast from Season 4 to Season 7, going from demon to human to demon and then back to human over that time. She was unceremoniously killed off the last act of the finale, providing nothing new to the episode other than a bad taste in your mouth.