These days, shows aren't exactly afraid to kill off a main character or two — especially
if it serves the story, or the show gets a little extra social media attention in the
process.
Here is a spoiler filled look at some TV character deaths on major shows in 2019 that were unthinkable…
but still totally happened.
Game of Thrones wrapped up a number of character arcs in its eighth season the way Game of
Thrones likes to do: with a grisly on-screen death.
The Battle of Winterfell was an event that the series has long been building up to, and
promised an absolute resolution to one of the show's biggest storylines.
After all, how could the show's various groups and families vie for the Iron Throne if they
couldn't fight off the Night King and the massive undead army under his control?
In the end, the army of the living seemed helpless to stop it all, save for the lucky
intervention of a certain assassin.
"What do we say to the God of Death?"
"Not today."
And so the Night King's reign was brought to a swift end by Arya Stark and her Valyrian
steel dagger — instantly destroying every last undead soldier in the process.
While Gotham serves as a prequel series to the well-established events of the Batman
comics and movies, the show easily grew into its own over the course of five seasons.
It also deviated a fair bit from its source material, delivering the occasional surprise
plot twist that didn't quite match up with what Batman fans might have expected to happen.
A year ago, Tabitha felt the wrath of Oswald Cobblepot, also known as the Penguin, in his
convoluted revenge plot over the death of his mother.
Butch, once dead and resurrected as the grotesque Solomon Grundy, struck up a tender relationship
with Tabitha, who is otherwise known as Tigress.
The Penguin killed Butch right in front of Tabitha, adding injury to insult by shooting
her in the leg, swearing to finish her off someday.
She did manage to survive into Gotham's final season… but only to fulfill Oswald's prophecy.
At the height of 2019's "No Man's Land" plot arc, Cobblepot finally stabs and kills poor
Tabitha.
Based on Neil Gaiman's legendary novel, Showtime's American Gods operates on the conceit that
all the gods anyone has ever believed in are real, and that they wander around the U.S.
in human form, having been brought to the new world hundreds of years prior.
And while you might assume that gods are pretty much unkillable, American Gods doesn't agree.
The show had no qualms, then, in bumping off Mad Sweeney, an ancient Irish king-turned-bird-turned-six-foot-tall-leprechaun.
In the present day, this scrappy god worked as muscle for Mr. Wednesday, leader of the
old gods.
Early in the series, however, Mad Sweeney's magical powers failed when he lost his enchanted
coin.
His luck and good fortune having come to an end, Sweeney finds himself unable to understand
why his life is falling apart.
Driven to madness, he turns on Shadow Moon, the show's lead... only for Shadow to stab
him in the heart.
Veep's series finale sees lead character Selina Meyer become President of the United States
after a series of machinations and manipulations at her party's national convention.
Selina gets the nomination when she courts Jonah Ryan's support by making him her running
mate, and gets Buddy Calhoun on board by agreeing to ban same-sex marriage.
One final roadblock is swiftly overcome after Meyer frames her loyal assistant Gary for
corruption and has him sent to prison.
"I couldn't have done it without you. Don't worry I'm not going anywhere."
The episode then flashes forward to Selina in the Oval Office, and then to more than
20 years later, when Selina's press secretary turned CBS News reporter Mike McLintock covers
the ex-president's funeral.
Veep saves one last joke for its put-upon protagonist, when Mike interrupts and then
ends his coverage of the presidential memorial to pursue the breaking news that beloved actor
Tom Hanks has died.
It sometimes seemed like the story of Game of Thrones was really the story of Daenerys
Targaryen — Mother of Dragons, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, and heir to the Iron
Throne.
Unfortunately, Dany's story came to a very final end in the show's last episode.
Worn down by her relentless quest for power and the deaths of her allies, the show's final
chapters saw her succumb to madness and burn down King's Landing with dragonfire.
This decision, which caused the deaths of countless innocents, also led to the loss
of support from her lover and nephew Jon Snow, as well as her chief advisor Tyrion Lannister.
"I freed my brother… and you slaughtered a city."
After all Daenerys went through in Game of Thrones over the years, it seems almost cruel
that she came so close to a happy ending.
But any chance of that ended with her descent into tyranny.
To prevent Daenerys from inflicting her madness on the rest of the world, Jon Snow stabbed
her to death only feet from the throne she'd always wanted.
Supergirl killing off Lex Luthor is shocking largely because he's by far the most famous
rogue in the Superman mythos — and one of the most notorious villains in superhero fiction
altogether.
With his death, where does Supergirl even go from there?
Well, in his final moments of life Lex reveals that Kara Danvers and Supergirl are one and
the same.
It was a tantalizing cliffhanger, as well as an inglorious end to a season-long arc
for the evil industrialist, politician, and super-villain.
After all, all he ever really wanted to do was defeat Superman.
And kill Lois Lane.
And create an evil Supergirl clone.
Is that really so bad?
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