# Examples of this cliche - how you know a character is doomed! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411 "2012-03-10T22:12:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/21 "2012-03-11T06:50:00Z")
Are you and your partner chasing a serial killer? Make sure you are the protagonist, not the sidekick. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/22 "2012-03-11T06:53:42Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > The young, baby-faced kid, fresh off the farm, who won’t even swat a fly. Unless, of course, he’s played by Anthony Perkins. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/23 "2012-03-11T07:05:47Z")
> [@audit1](#): > > IF your are the old mentor to the hero, your days are numbered. You will get to give one last piece of advice, while giving your last breath. Unless you’re Obi Wan Kenobi, in which case you _keep on giving advice_ even after you’ve turned into a slight breeze. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/24 "2012-03-11T07:33:43Z")
Never be the guy who has the information or skills that would solve everything. Because then you have to die in order for there to be a story. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/25 "2012-03-11T09:47:22Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > like the soldier in a war film showing around a picture of his sweetheart back in the states and talking about what he’s going to do when the war’s over, a nigh-certainty the character is doomed! 's why when I saw the first _Transformers_ film, once the main Army guy started talking about “holding his baby girl for the first time” I immediately thought “well, he’s dead.” Probably deliberate that he didn’t get offed. cue all the snobs chiming in about how they didn’t see _Transformers_ ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/26 "2012-03-11T10:05:39Z")
Being in a dangerous situation, especially a fight and [not having any name](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0472.html). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/27 "2012-03-11T13:57:59Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > Red Shirt. I did like how they winked at this I the newest movie. It is such a well know element of TOS that they had to put it in and they did. ---
**Author:** ![Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ee7513/32.png) [@Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kim_o_the_Concrete_Jungle)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/28 "2012-03-11T14:43:19Z")
In a bad fantasy story you might meet some grey-bearded, half-senile, half-crippled old man who turns up out of nowhere. And he seems to know more than he’s letting on. Yeah, he’s god. Or at the very least, some sort of angel or powerful being. And at the end of the day, he’ll have some lame, unconvincing excuse as to why he couldn’t intervene directly, rendering most of the story pointless. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/29 "2012-03-11T15:12:48Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > In murder mysteries, never, never, NEVER _call_ the detective and say “I know who did it. Meet me at [such & such place.]” The detective will arrive to find you dead with a bullet between your eyes. So true. I read enough mysteries that I’ve gotten rather tired of this one. The person will usually say “I can’t tell you over the phone”, but there’s almost never any clear reason why they couldn’t. When this person turns up dead I always think “If you’d just said ‘Mr. Smith is the killer!’ when you had the chance, you might be alive now.” ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/30 "2012-03-11T15:25:32Z")
I just wanted to point out the OP username/subject combo. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/31 "2012-03-11T15:41:02Z")
If you fall in love with either half of the Official Couple and you aren’t the other half, you will die – usually heroically. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/32 "2012-03-11T16:25:39Z")
You’re the only black guy. Some shark movie with LL Cool J in it played with this trope by making the black guy live through a ton of impossible scenarios while everyone else died. Of course, he wasn’t the only black guy–Samuel L. Jackson was in the movie for about five minutes before dying, as the full-of-hubris scientist who was sure that engineering giant intelligent sharks would be just fine (see also, Jurassic Park). ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/33 "2012-03-11T18:14:12Z")
“Are we ready to leave? Let me go back in the house/office/basement/attic to get something/check something out.” Cue ominous music. Thunderstorm? Lights go out? Get a flashlight or light a candle and instead of sitting tight, get up and go down in the basement or up in the attic. Cue ominous music. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/34 "2012-03-11T18:32:46Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > You don’t want to be the one having sex or doing drugs (even drinking) in a horror movie. Or the black guy. The gay guy is probably gonna get it too. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/35 "2012-03-11T18:35:29Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > So true. I read enough mysteries that I’ve gotten rather tired of this one. The person will usually say “I can’t tell you over the phone”, but there’s almost never any clear reason why they couldn’t. Obviously they can’t say over the phone, since if the killer is listening in, then the killer would know who the killer is. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/36 "2012-03-11T21:17:13Z")
Being called **Disposable Hero** would be a pretty hefty clue. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/37 "2012-03-11T21:40:04Z")
“They killed my woman” is a pathetically common motivator. The wife/girlfriend of the Action Hero is lucky if she makes it into the story at all. Bryce Courtenay has a habit of introducing nice young women into his books only to have them violently killed as motivation for the guys to do something. In Lethal Weapon the wife was already dead before the movie started & the Girlfriend in LW2 was wiped out after only one night of lurve. Also, don’t be the dad in a cowboy film - and definitely don’t let your gunslinger son call you “Paw”. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/38 "2012-03-11T21:52:33Z")
Displaying any type of cowardice. Run away from the T-Rex and hide in an outhouse? T-Rex eats the outhouse. Hit the emergency door locks to save yourself, but leave your companions behind? You just locked yourself in with xenomorphs. Leave Indy to fend for himself? You’re not making it out of that cave alive. Saying “Are you crazy, I’m not going in there!” and then actually not going in there? Dead in the next five minutes ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/39 "2012-03-11T22:35:35Z")
Pre-1970 or so: Being implicitly gay in a drama. (Inspired a memorable montage of death scenes in the documentary ‘The Celluloid Closet.’) ---
**Author:** ![alfonzos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alfonzos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alfonzos)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411/40 "2012-03-11T22:48:18Z")
Any non-cleric who can quote the Bible verbatim. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-this-cliche-how-you-know-a-character-is-doomed/615411.md?page=3)