Some video game protagonists simply cannot have a happy ending. There are a number of different factors that lead into a tragedy, often outside the protagonist’s control, leading togrief and loss unimaginable.
Sometimes, though, these characters are doomed by the narrative itself.
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It could be due to the character’s lifestyle, events prior to the game, or just being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Ultimately, their fate isn’t desired or deserved, yet it is their fate anyway.
That’s the tragedy of these characters; they were completely doomed from the start.
This article contains heavy spoilers for all characters and their respective games.
10Isaac Clarke
Dead Space (2023)
InDead Space(and by extension,its remake), the members of theUSG Ishimurawere unaware of the fact that they were all sent straight to their deaths.
TheConcordance Extraction Corporation(CEC), the leading body of the space mining industry, had an illegal mining company on the planetAegis VII, where they had discoveredMarker 3A— the creator of theNecromorphsand the catalyst of the entire game.
TheChurch of Unitologyused their connections in the CEC to man the ship and retrieve this marker, with the crew inside being expendable. Isaac Clarke serves as the ship’s engineer and is the sole survivor of thesci-fi horror game.
Surviving may not have been the best outcome, however, especially after he comes into contact with theRed Marker, driving him insane. His now-infected mind fractured, and he would never be able to shake away the Marker’s influence, nor the trauma from the events of the first game.
Because of this,EarthGovuses him to be aMarker Signal Hostin future games, which doesn’t go well either.
He was doomed to die, but met a far worse fate by surviving.
9Joel Miller
The Last of Us
The post-apocalyptic worldofThe Last of Usis unforgiving to everyone — most especially toJoel Miller, the main protagonist ofPart I. His story is a tragic one from start to bitter end.
After the devastating loss of his only child,Sarah, the game starts with him living as a smuggler, an already dangerous lifestyle in an even more dangerous environment. His fate is sealed, however, the moment he agrees tosmuggle an immune 14-year-old girl named Ellieto theFireflies.
By the end of the game, Joel is faced withan impossible decision that continues to spark debate: potentially creating a cure from Ellie’s DNA, killing her in the process, or saving her and damning the rest of the world. He chose to save her, a choice that many players,including his voice actor, Troy Baker, would have replicated.
However, this action would have dire consequences. He was later hunted down and killed byAbby, the daughter of the surgeon handling Ellie’s operation and the main antagonist ofPart II, and strained his relationship with Ellie by doing so.
Even if she hadn’t, someone else would have — he was doomed the moment he met Ellie, and the moment he agreed to escort her across the country.
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda franchiseis notorious for itscomplex and interwoven timeline, spanning dozens of games and intricate storylines.
Prior to the events ofSkyward Sword, the goddessHyliarenounced her divinity so that she could wield theTriforce, ensuring that she andHer Knightwould continue to reincarnate to prevent theDemon Kingfrom returning ever again.
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Her Knight, in particular, would reincarnate asLink.
This is an unavoidable, irreversible process, meaning that Link is literally pre-determined to fightGanon and all his incarnationsto the end of eternity. His entire existence is solely dependent on this, and it feels more of a tragic fate than just failing altogether.
7Cameron “Caz” McCleary
Still Wakes The Deep
Still Wakes the Deep
When players are introduced to the world ofStill Wakes The Deep, it’s hopeless. It’s desperate, heavy, and cold. There’s no light or hope at the end of the tunnel—everyone’s work is fruitless, struggling to meet the company’s profit demands and proper upkeep.
The world is bleak, as is the attitude of everyone on theBeira D. Oil Rig— and it’s most apparent in the game’s doomed protagonist,Caz McCleary. He’s desperate for a way out of his situation, just as the oil rig is desperate for a break from the constant budget cuts and disrepair.
If this means recklessly and unknowingly drilling intoThe Shape,the Lovecraftian monsterof the game, then so be it. Reawakening The Shape, combined with the disrepair of the oil rig, would lead to the deaths of every single employee.
And, in a final, selfless sacrifice, this includes Caz, a decision thathas divided several players. Ironically, though, for a game that started off and seems completely hopeless,the final message of the ending is almost hopeful,despite the tragedy that occurs.
6Noble Six
Halo Reach
Haloplayersconsistently hear characters in the franchise reference something calledReach. It was an icon, a motivator, a war cry—and it’s not untilHalo Reachthat players finally get heartbreaking context forthe game’s history.
Reach is, in fact, aFortress Worldthat fell in one day. Playing as the protagonist,Noble Six, new and veteran fans of the series finally understand the catastrophic weight of theHuman-Covenant War.
Players grow attached to theNoble Teamin despair, knowing what’s coming next — and even still, nobody was ready for it.
The ending of Reach is notoriouslyone of the saddest in gaming history, with the entire team being picked off one by one in a devastating poetic irony.
Noble Sixis the last one standing, the doomedLone Wolfforced to helplessly watch the literal end of the world.
5Ghost and Roach
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is without a doubt one of the most popular games in theCall of Duty franchise. It was recently rebooted, with many changes to the story andits charactersfor a fresh, new outlook.
One thing is consistent in both games, though:General Shepherd is a traitor.
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In the originalModern Warfare 2, though, his traitorous reveal results in the direct death of two characters:GhostandRoach, who players control. Shepherd shoots them both and has their bodies burned after, spitting on their graves and memories.
Neither character knew of their upcoming demise until it was far too late, despite Shepherd and the rest of his crew being in on it.
God of War
Rarely doesGreek Mythologyend well for mortals, and forKratosin theGod of Warseries, the pattern continues. If anything, it’s the epitome of a Greek Tragedy, despite it beingan action-packed hack-and-slash.
By desperately making a deal withAres, Kratos, unknowingly, sealed his demise, and the demise of his then-wife and daughter. He would break free of the gods' clutchesby slaying the entire pantheon, but it would cement his title as the true God of War. He would be unable to escape from his past, as evident in the newer games set inNorse Mythology.
And that’s ignoring the role of theThree Fates— Kratos can’t be more doomed from the start than his future being written into fate before he was even born.
3Arthur Morgan
Red Dead Redemption 2
The world is unforgiving to outlaws, being most especially true in the case ofArthur MorganinRed Dead Redemption 2.
Arthur is well aware of the grim fate that awaits him in the game, making several mentions of it at various points in time. In one example, after players complete aStranger Missioninvolving the reveal of the electric chair, Arthur writes in his journal that he hopes thatwhenhe’s caught, he’s hanged instead.
Unexpectedly, he’s hit with an entirely different cause of death, equally horrifying in 1899:Tuberculosis. And, even more depressing,it’s terminal and there’s no cure— just as thousands have died over a century ago to not having a cure, either.
He was long foreshadowed to die, especially considering howRed Dead Redemption 2is a prequelto a game that doesn’t show Arthur once. It’s a devastating tragedy, but one that most, including the narrative itself, knew would be coming.
2Solid Snake
Metal Gear
Metal Gear Solid
The lore of theMetal Gearfranchise is immensely complex and convoluted, and it’s tough to follow with several different versions ofSnake. Perhaps one of the most tragic, however, is the iconicSolid Snakehimself.
Solid Snakegoes through far too much, ranging from war trauma to accelerated aging to a thousand other tragic events across the franchise.
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His doom, however, comes from the fact that he’s a clone ofBig Boss— and will come from theFOXDIEvirus in his bloodstream, the cause of his accelerated aging. His cells degrade to the point where they cannot repair themselves, killing him instantly.
It’s a guaranteed death, completely unavoidable, no matter what Snake’s attempts may be. He was created this way as a clone, cementing his fate before he could understand the concept of what fate is.
1John Marston
Red Dead Redemption
The most tragic part ofJohn Marstonand his story inRed Dead Redemptioncomes from the fact that he fought so hard for a normal life — and ultimately didn’t have it.
John’s storysends a clear to the otherWild Westoutlaws: nobody can completely run away from their past, as it will always find a way to catch back up. It’s a theme thatRockstarseems to love bringing back in their games.
Players fight along with John to reclaim the narrative, to take back the quiet life that they had worked so hard to maintain. They will shoot down anyone,Dead Eye or not, who stands in the way of that.
All of this, just for John to die at the end, with a harrowing realisation to everyone involved:the Pinkertonsnever intended to let him live in the first place. He was always doomed from the very start.
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