From John Marston To Lee Everett, Here Are 5 Gaming Protagonists Who Deserved Better Than What They Got

Arthur Morgan may have taken the crown from John Marston with the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, but the original still delivered an impactful story. While games may have traditionally been about ‘victory’, those tropes are now subverted for a more Greek tragedy approach.

Despite being noble and kind, characters might not meet the ending the audience feels they deserve. However, it’s their trials and tribulations that make their end much more impactful. Here are five characters we feel deserved better but have become iconic because of how they went out.

5. Isaac Clarke – Dead Space 3

Poor Isaac just wanted to do his job and get to spend some time with his girlfriend, Nicole. Instead, he’s thrown into a world of nightmarish creatures and eldritch relics and forced to fight not only for his survival but for the rest of the human race!

As an engineer, one wouldn’t expect Clarke to have the chops needed to deal with an entire ship filled with the twisted, reanimated remains of the crew, but he manages to face this horde three times! With his plasma cutter by his side, he’s able to finally understand what the cause behind the Marker’s signal is and the eventual fate it has planned.

Unfortunately, that fate consumes Isaac, as he is not entirely successful in his mission. While the events of Dead Space 3 are still contested, the lack of news regarding a new entry in the series could be the only sign we need that Isaac is not making a comeback. But, with the remake of the first game performing so well, we can only hope the subsequent titles get the same treatment.

4. John Marston – Red Dead Redemption

The first game in the Red Dead Redemption franchise focused on John Marston’s quest to track down his old gang members to buy his freedom for good. The adventure takes John across much of the West and even down into Mexico to track down his former compatriots.

John is undoubtedly being yanked around on a chain by the Pinkertons, but one does expect the man to finally walk free once the final deed is done. Unfortunately, that is not the case. While John does complete all the tasks put forward by his handlers, it appears he is far too wanting a man to be let go.

Abigail and Jack can make their escape, and the player can seek revenge as the adult version of John’s son. The part that hits the hardest is all the missions John performs to set up his home for the final act of the game. If Rockstar can incorporate the same amount of story-telling into Grand Theft Auto 6, it may just become the game of the decade.

3. Lee Everett – The Walking Dead

Telltale’s take on not just the series but the zombie apocalypse genre in general was very well received by the audience. Allowing the player to choose outcomes made it perfect for repeated playthroughs, though some may choose not to avoid seeing a beloved character meet a gruesome fate.

Lee Everett, who acted as a surrogate father to Clementine, was the protagonist for Season One of Telltale’s experience. Through the story, we see Lee go from being an average person to the leader of a small band of survivors. It’s thanks to Lee that Clementine was able to learn how to handle firearms and defend herself.

This training would prove to be pivotal in the story, as a zombie apocalypse often ends in a lot of tragedy. While Lee might not make it to Season Two, he lives on in the memories of those he met and led in the first game, and this is just one of the many impactful character conclusions we see throughout the series.

2. Cole Phelps – LA Noire

Detectives and cops are usually in the kind of business that could end in tragedy on any random day. Cole Phelps was well aware of this and wished to become an upstanding detective despite the risks. His fight against Leland Monroe and Harlan Fontaine, while ultimately successful, doesn’t end well for the detective.

Phelps experiences quite a few ups and downs in his adventure, and Rockstar was able to nail the experience of playing a beat detective well. The interrogation sequences are one of the most iconic in mystery games, with the ‘Doubt’ meme living on in infamy.

While Phelps’ image may live on the internet, the character himself, sadly, did not fare quite as well. The detective managed to save his two companions but was unable to get out of the way in time to save himself. While the game’s ending showed it was Phelps’ work that was instrumental in bringing justice to the case, Rockstar threw in another twist that made his eventual fate that much worse.

1. Joel – The Last of Us Part 2

Now, Joel isn’t the protagonist of The Last of Us Part 2, but we do get to play him briefly, and that warrants him being on the list. We also get to know him quite intimately through the events of the first game, and his decisions, while not accepted by many, were ones that left a lasting impact.

Both Joel and Ellie had grown apart after the events of the first game. Not only was Ellie growing up and becoming an adult, but she also harbored resentment against her surrogate father for his actions against the Fireflies. However, none of that softens the blow Abby deals to her (and Joel) that begins her quest for revenge, which we will see depicted in the second season of the HBO show.

Despite helping Abby and her team escape a horde of Runners, Joel’s fate was sealed the moment he revealed his identity to the group. The phrase ‘Joel in one’ became quite popular when the game was first released, and with good reason.

For all of his faults, Joel was trying to do right by those close to him. While it was inevitable his actions would have consequences, we doubt anyone predicted such a brutal fate for the character.

Which video game protagonist do you think experienced a fate they didn’t deserve? Let us know who and why in the comments below!