Best character deaths

[TheRealMcCagh]

Xarl's end was pretty great. In fact, pretty much all of First Claw. Tarvitz didn't have much of a death scene, but I liked the change of pace there, not all heroes get some long monologue before they bite it like Sigismund. Sometimes you just die in anonymity 

[Roomsky]

Hmm. Definitely Loken (I like to pretend he's still dead) and Tarvitz. The whole opening trilogy really hit home with character deaths, actually. I still remember Karkasy's, Petronalla's, and Maggard's quite vividly. 

 

For all his issues, Mcneill really excels at this, I find. In addition to some of the above, who could forget Ahriman throwing Wyrdmake to the warp-predators, or Rogal shooting Atharva in the face? He has a talent for grand ends.

 

Alpharius` death, whatever one might think of the decision for it to occur, was everything Ferrus' should have been. Absolutely brutal, and I love how even in the battle's terminal moments, it takes several mortal strikes to finally lay low a primarch.

[bluntblade]

Ferrus' death largely makes up for the underwhelming fight that precedes it.

 

Torghun and Yesugei's deaths, back to back, are still the most affecting moments I've read in the entire series.

 

Vaer Greyloc's sticks with me for its sheer brutality and injustice.

 

Also, that Skitarius in MoM. "His soul burned for a statistically insignificant amount of time longer than his body." Utterly pitiless.

[Slan Drakkos]

Xarl's end was pretty great. In fact, pretty much all of First Claw. Tarvitz didn't have much of a death scene, but I liked the change of pace there, not all heroes get some long monologue before they bite it like Sigismund. Sometimes you just die in anonymity

 

I loved Xarl's death, but Mercutian's death hit harder. He went out like such a badass dying for his brothers........I honestly think he would have fit in much better in a more caring legion.

[b1soul]

I still remember when readers were shocked that Xarl was truly dead...the cremation sealed it

[Kriegsmacht]

I still remember when readers were shocked that Xarl was truly dead...the cremation sealed it

 

It's been a while since I read the trilogy but there was doubt that he died? I figured it was pretty obvious the whole squad wasn't going to survive.

[Slan Drakkos]

 

I still remember when readers were shocked that Xarl was truly dead...the cremation sealed it

 

 

It's been a while since I read the trilogy but there was doubt that he died? I figured it was pretty obvious the whole squad wasn't going to survive.

keep in mind that Talos' visions hadn't been wrong up until that point. Space Marines are also stupidly tough and many have survived worse wounds than what Xarl took. It definitely came as a surprise to me.

[Cleanse And Purify]

I think I knew he was gonna die when he started headbutting the Genesis Chapter champion in the helmet with his bare face.

[SkimaskMohawk]

It's uzas for me. After the entire series is pretty much over and you've been shown these snippets of the person he used to be, to find out he's been hugely betrayed the entire time. Reminds me of some malazan deaths :(

[m0nolith]

Sigismund

[bluntblade]

That One at the end of Praetorian of Dorn, for its absolute lack of decorum and surfeit of utter, utter brutality.

[Wulfburk]

Yesugei was the best for me, almost shed a tear. The whole plot about that Dark Glass thing is really awesome in Path of Heaven.

 

The ending of galaxy in flames with Loken and Tarvitz was pretty great as well.

[Sothalor]

Here's kind of a weird one for me: Lord Commander Namatjira's death at the end of Legion. Now, his death itself wasn't particularly flashy or spectacular; Alpharius* walks up to him and puts a bolt round through his head.

 

But man, did I find it satisfying. Namatjira was the epitome of the chicken:cuss commander: he takes all the credit and none of the blame. He exemplifies that all-too frequent combination of arrogance and ignorance. He throws temper tantrums when things don't go his way, and is straight-up abusive towards his subordinates.

 

So yeah, seeing him lose it and beg while Alpharius* dispatches his bodyguards and then come for him was fantastic.

 

 

* Note: may or may not actually be Alpharius

[Mellow]

Ferrus losing his head was a swift conclusion to a dumb character who basically got his beaten up a couple of times earlier and then got killed. Awful character. Really can’t stand him.

 

Sigismund was the finest piece of character death writing I’ve read to date.

[Fedor]

Ferrus is potentially a great character, same as any of the other Primarchs. I didn't think he was written as dumb in Fulgrim(other than mcneills botching of the first fight which i'm guessing was a clumsy attempt at pathos rather than trying to make him look an idiot) but he was basically a supporting character, a frame to be fleshed out later.

 

Guymer probably killed him stone dead with his approach in his Primarchs book though, taking what was meant to be a showcase and turning it into an examination of flaws when he was the one primarch that really needed the former.

[Slan Drakkos]

Ferrus is potentially a great character, same as any of the other Primarchs. I didn't think he was written as dumb in Fulgrim(other than mcneills botching of the first fight which i'm guessing was a clumsy attempt at pathos rather than trying to make him look an idiot) but he was basically a supporting character, a frame to be fleshed out later.

 

Guymer probably killed him stone dead with his approach in his Primarchs book though, taking what was meant to be a showcase and turning it into an examination of flaws when he was the one primarch that really needed the former.

he was a potentially great character, but after getting beaten on by Fulgrim, dying to Fulgrim, leading his kids into a trap, not waiting for anyone else, being a prideful idiot, and lacking the ability to show forward thinking or any real emotion, I gotta say that I'm glad he's dead. It's really telling when the only time that you can like a character is when another character has to speak well of them.

 

Back on topic, the last custode to die in The First Heretic went out like a boss and I loved it. Considering getting Custodes now....

[bluntblade]

I don't get being glad that Ferrus died. I just wish he'd been written better.

[Fedor]

 

Ferrus is potentially a great character, same as any of the other Primarchs. I didn't think he was written as dumb in Fulgrim(other than mcneills botching of the first fight which i'm guessing was a clumsy attempt at pathos rather than trying to make him look an idiot) but he was basically a supporting character, a frame to be fleshed out later.

 

Guymer probably killed him stone dead with his approach in his Primarchs book though, taking what was meant to be a showcase and turning it into an examination of flaws when he was the one primarch that really needed the former.

he was a potentially great character, but after getting beaten on by Fulgrim, dying to Fulgrim, leading his kids into a trap, not waiting for anyone else, being a prideful idiot, and lacking the ability to show forward thinking or any real emotion, I gotta say that I'm glad he's dead. It's really telling when the only time that you can like a character is when another character has to speak well of them.

 

Back on topic, the last custode to die in The First Heretic went out like a boss and I loved it. Considering getting Custodes now....

 

 

Counter argument would be Fulgrim actually being the real prideful idiot of that story, the guy ends up mentally broken and trapped in a painting until the lame retcon. I imagine McNeil probably wanted Ferrus to be a sympathetic character in the way he goes after Fulgrim at isstvan, but didn't reckon on the internet fandoms ability to reduce everthing to a patronising joke or meme. He goes out of his way to point out Ferrus does show forward thinking and doesn't just charge blindly ahead compromising the battle, but only responds to Fulgrim's goading after the reinforcements have made contact and the fallback is already under way.

 

Ferrus thinks the day is already won, main objective of the first wave achieved and goes for the personal retribution that only put himself and his bodyguards in additional harms way, maybe not the cool detached choice, but it doesn't really seem deserving of heaping scorn on the character in the manner you often see.  I'd wager it's the choice way more than half of the Primarchs would have gone for with their tempers and pride.

 

the Iron Hands lore originally just had Ferrus and the full legion press on when the trap was sprung rather than try to escape, with the legion later making bitter claims if they had been supported more by the Salamanders and Raven Guard they could have reached Horus(it was left entirely to interpretation if there was any real truth in this). He was always likely to be the one to be killed off from the three loyalists, but the newer collected visions lore and Fulgrim opened it up to be being interpreted as more of a neglectful, personal challenge rather than a desperate gambit to end the rebellion in the face of overwhelming betrayal.

[bluntblade]

However, McNeil doesn't manage to present the considerations that come across in FW's take, which makes Ferrus far more believable as a great warlord than the novel did.

[DarkChaplain]

To be fair, the novel was about Fulgrim primarily, his name on the cover and all. ForgeWorld also gets a lot of credit for things they did with the massive benefit of hindsight. They're retconning things left and right, and mostly for the better, but a lot of those things were also part of the early HH series where expectations from publisher and authors were vastly different and scope and scale far smaller than they are now.

 

I'm pretty sure that all early novels could be drastically improved upon with an additional 100 pages as sort of a "director's cut" after the series is basically finished. Remember, they didn't even have the same kind of editorial meetings with all the authors back then, let alone an overseeing editor like Laurie to keep things mostly consistent.

[Marshal Rohr]

Sigismund

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

I read into that Ferrus and Fulgrim has fallen in love with each other then later had a lovers’ spat that ended badly for the former. This explains his being illogical.

[bluntblade]

To be fair, the novel was about Fulgrim primarily, his name on the cover and all. ForgeWorld also gets a lot of credit for things they did with the massive benefit of hindsight. They're retconning things left and right, and mostly for the better, but a lot of those things were also part of the early HH series where expectations from publisher and authors were vastly different and scope and scale far smaller than they are now.

 

I'm pretty sure that all early novels could be drastically improved upon with an additional 100 pages as sort of a "director's cut" after the series is basically finished. Remember, they didn't even have the same kind of editorial meetings with all the authors back then, let alone an overseeing editor like Laurie to keep things mostly consistent.

That is quite possible, but I think McNeill could have tightened up a few things in Ferrus' character without spilling much more ink.

[b1soul]

"Xaphen, I always hated you."

[Old-Four-Arms]

DG ancient Huron-Fal :

 

"This death is ours. We choose it. We deny you your victory."

 

 

Old-Four-Arms