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Sometimes the character you think is the star isn’t the one steering the story for long. Join us as we count down the most memorable false protagonists in movies and TV, where an apparent lead dies, disappears, or gives way to someone else. Our picks include “Psycho,” “The Godfather,” “Scream,” “Game of Thrones,” “Alien,” and more!
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00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the best
00:09cases of an apparent hero dying, exiting the story, or taking a backseat to another
00:15character. Some spoilers ahead for the following movies.
00:36He's yours. When your movie begins with Ryan Gosling, you expect him to stick around for
00:41most of the runtime. The Place Beyond the Pines has other plans with its unique structure.
00:46What else, you want the bike in it too? Yeah, just capture the mood.
00:53It's a nice bike. The bike's part of the family.
00:55Gosling's character Luke Glanton robs banks in order to provide for his kid, but a failed
01:01getaway takes a turn for the worse. A cop named Avery Cross corners Glanton in a house and shoots
01:07him. Once you realize what's happened, the movie shifts perspectives to follow Bradley Cooper's
01:12cross in the aftermath.
01:14His hand comes up, you fire. His hand comes up, he fires, you fire.
01:20Right.
01:21Like that.
01:23Yeah.
01:24Like pop-pop.
01:27That sounds like he shot first.
01:28The larger plot takes a look at fathers, sons, and the trauma that generations pass down
01:34to each other. It's a much more ambitious trauma that doesn't falter even after losing
01:39a pivotal role.
01:40You ever ridden one of these before?
01:47Number 9. Dino, Oz.
01:50I'm guessing you ain't Italian. What are you in for?
01:53Shaving strokes off your golf score?
01:56This gritty prison drama started off strong with anti-heroes like Dino Ortolani. He looked
02:01to be one of the main characters in Oz, giving viewers several highs and lows in the pilot.
02:06Let me tell you something, coach. Even with all your good intentions, all your reforms, and all your
02:11overhaul policies, I ain't ever gonna change. We ain't ever gonna change. None of us.
02:18As the episode went along, his bold personality landed him in critical condition before he got
02:24burned. His death by the end of the episode comes with a warning for audience members.
02:29You start to realize that even the strong-willed can go at any point.
02:33Showcasing the brutal uncertainty of being locked up, his demise proved to be emblematic of the show's
02:39unrelented storytelling.
02:41Every inmate, every officer, either hates your guts or they're terrified of you. Or both.
02:48Being popular has never been a big concern of mine.
02:51Well, how about staying alive?
02:52Number 8. John Clute
02:55When a businessman goes missing, John Clute goes looking for him. The detective seems like the
03:10hero considering his place in the story and the movie's title. Clute starts to split its time
03:15between the private eye and one of his contacts, Brie Daniels.
03:27To the benefit of this mystery film, it takes time to explore the inner life of the latter
03:33call girl. Donald Sutherland's character searches for the truth and develops a relationship with
03:38Daniels.
03:38Well, there's this man that I, this detective, and I don't know exactly what is
03:49happening or what he wants out of me or anything like that, but he took care of me.
03:55While you're still invested in the case, you also grow to see how the woman will turn out.
04:00Fonda's Oscar-winning performance delves into the complicated world of city living,
04:05identity, and mental health.
04:06What I would really like to do is be faceless and bodiless
04:15and be left alone.
04:18Number 7. Dallas
04:20Alien
04:21Some people might forget that Ellen Ripley isn't the clear hero in the first Alien.
04:26Ripley, this is in order. Open that hatch right now. Do you hear me?
04:30Yes.
04:31Ripley, this is in order! Do you hear me?
04:33Yes. I read you. The answer is negative.
04:36When the crew wakes up, Dallas takes the lead as the commanding officer among other potential
04:41protagonists. The ensemble tries to figure out what to do after Kane brings a deadly creature
04:46on board.
04:47Look, I just run the ship. Anything that has to do with the science division, Ash has the
04:51final word.
04:52How does that happen?
04:53It happens, my dear, because that's what the company wants to happen.
04:55Since when is that standard procedure?
04:57Standard procedure is to do what the hell they tell you to do.
05:00In a shocking scene, the captain goes deep into the ship only to be surprised by a xenomorph.
05:06This clears a path for Ripley's ascendance as the last survivor.
05:09Move! Get out of there!
05:11Move! Don't! Move, don't! Move, don't! Move, don't! Get out!
05:18Oh! No, nothing! Way down and wake up!
05:24Sigourney Weaver's star-making role comes at the expense of many other tragic demises,
05:29but she clearly earned her status as a franchise leader.
05:33Number 6. Rita, Mulholland Drive
05:36Mulholland Drive
05:43Mulholland Drive
05:47That's where I was going.
05:49You'd be forgiven if you don't actually understand this one.
05:52Rita survives a gunman and a car crash, struggling with amnesia while navigating Los Angeles.
06:02Her mysterious backstory seems worthy enough for an entire plot.
06:06I don't know who I am.
06:09What do you mean? You're Rita.
06:11No, I'm not.
06:13I don't know what my name is.
06:16I don't know who I am.
06:18Rather than focus on her the whole time, director David Lynch instead shifts the story to Naomi Watts' Betty.
06:25The latter comes to Hollywood to become a star, but she ends up becoming Rita's savior.
06:30Both women intertwine in strange ways until Watts' character grows to hate her friend.
06:35Lynch's nebulous plot draws you and makes you question the main cast, their identities, and reality itself.
06:42I'm sorry. I'm just so excited to be here.
06:45I mean, I just came here from Deep River, Ontario, and now I'm in this dream place.
07:09Long before it becomes violent, Death Proof plays out like a casual hangout.
07:14Several friends come together for a drink-filled evening.
07:18Julia and her buddies turn her birthday into a fun night.
07:21But then they drive away.
07:23For your information, Pete Townsend at one point almost quit The Who, and if he had, he would have ended
07:28up in this group,
07:29thus making it Dave, D, Dozy, Beaky, Mitch, Titch, and Pete.
07:38Little do they know that stuntman Mike stalks them in his fully loaded car.
07:43Despite all the time we spend with these women, they're killed in a head-on collision.
07:48Quentin Tarantino then takes his slasher homage and jumps into the future with a whole new group of heroes.
07:53So, where's the maniac?
07:57Shot him and his punk ass sped off.
08:01You wanna go get him?
08:02Oh, hell yeah!
08:04Easing you into a false sense of security, the filmmaker isn't above killing half the cast before resetting the plot
08:11with other characters.
08:12Number 4. Ned Stark
08:14Game of Thrones
08:15If this news is true, and the Lannisters conspire against the throne, who but you can protect the king?
08:24They murdered the last hand. Now you want Ned to take the job?
08:28Sean Bean is one of the most well-known actors in the first season of Game of Thrones.
08:33His role as Ned Stark fuels the initial story, with his heroic family coming into contact with more nefarious rivals.
08:40I want no bloodshed. Tell your men to lay down their swords. No one needs to die.
08:46Fiend's presence likely tricked casual fans unaware of his character's literary fate.
08:52Stark doesn't make it out of the original season alive, instead losing his title as Hand of the King after
08:58accusations of treason.
08:59He's sentenced to death by Joffrey, and his absence sends his clan into a frenzy.
09:05So long as I am your king, treason shall never go unpunished. Sir Illyn, bring me his head.
09:15For much of the series, his children seek revenge for his slaying in a large ensemble of intertwining narratives.
09:22Arya, Robb, Sansa, Bran, and Jon Snow all have their own subplots that power much of the remaining series.
09:29You were born in the long summer. You've never known anything else.
09:33But now winter is truly coming, and in the winter, we must protect ourselves.
09:38Number 3. Casey Becker. Scream.
09:41What's that noise? Popcorn.
09:44You're making popcorn? Uh-huh.
09:46I only eat popcorn at the movies.
09:48Well, I'm getting ready to watch a video.
09:50Really? What?
09:51Oh, just some scary movie.
09:53This Wes Craven horror film famously starts with an ominous phone call.
09:57Drew Barrymore's character picks up the phone, slowly realizing that she's talking to a deranged killer.
10:04You never told me your name.
10:05Why do you want to know my name?
10:07I want to know who I'm looking at.
10:11What did you say?
10:13I want to know who I'm talking to.
10:16That's not what you said.
10:17The fantastic opening sequence follows Casey Becker as she tries to reason with the caller and save herself.
10:23With a simple setup, the Scream franchise creates its most iconic moment.
10:28Barrymore's fame does not prevent her character from being killed.
10:31Showing fans that nobody is safe, the filmmakers dispatch with their leading lady and shift the narrative to Sidney Prescott.
10:38Do you like scary movies, Sidney?
10:41I like that thing you're doing with your voice, Randy. It's sexy.
10:45What's your favorite scary movie?
10:47This incredible twist set the tone for a long-running series.
10:52Number 2. Vito Corleone, The Godfather
10:55In this epic mob tale, a New York family navigates their violent operation and personal relationships.
11:01We've known each other many years, but this is the first time you ever came to me for counsel or
11:06for help.
11:08I can't remember the last time that you invited me to your house for a cup of coffee.
11:14Even though my wife is godmother to your only child.
11:18Marlon Brando begins the film as the title character with tremendous power.
11:22Vito Corleone demands respect from his underlings, doing favors for people on his daughter's wedding day.
11:29You look terrible.
11:30I want you to eat.
11:32I want you to rest well, and a month from now, this Hollywood big shot's going to give you what
11:37you want.
11:37It's too late. They start shooting in a week.
11:41I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.
11:43His character then survives an assassination attempt and spends time in recovery.
11:48Michael eventually avenges his father, joining his siblings as an unlikely co-conspirator.
11:54It's not here, Bob.
11:56I'll take care of you now.
12:03Al Pacino's role requires him to go from a relatively innocent man to the next godfather.
12:10Francis Ford Coppola's classic follows the younger son on his trajectory, skillfully showing the anti-hero's rise to power.
12:17I thought that when it was your time that you would be the one to hold the strings.
12:28Senator Corleone, Governor Corleone, something.
12:33Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
12:38Barbara, Knight of the Living Dead.
12:40She flees to a house, but Ben takes over as the main survivor and leader.
12:44It's all right.
12:49Don't worry about him.
12:50I can handle him.
12:51Sarah, The Last of Us.
12:53Joe's daughter doesn't make it past the initial outbreak and her dad takes over.
12:58We're not sick.
13:02Sir.
13:04We are not sick!
13:05Pyle, Full Metal Jacket.
13:08The trainee seeks revenge after a grueling training sequence.
13:11Hi, Joker.
13:19Don, 28 weeks later.
13:22This cowardly anti-hero runs away only to help cause another outbreak.
13:27Don!
13:28Help us!
13:34Don!
13:35Don!
13:43Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's Adia, Songs from Iran, reimagining
13:49Persian melodies as modern rock, metal, and pop songs.
13:53Check out the full track and album below.
13:56Come to me and save me from this wretched place.
14:01Come to me and hide me in your sacred space.
14:06Seal me with your grace.
14:09Number one, Marion Crane, Psycho.
14:13Is anything wrong?
14:16Of course not.
14:18Am I acting as if there's something wrong?
14:20Frankly, yes.
14:22Please, I'd like to go.
14:24Well, is there?
14:26Yes, there were.
14:27Alfred Hitchcock's influential film starts off like a simple crime plot.
14:31Marion Crane steals some money and runs away, but her getaway stalls out at a motel where
14:37she meets the odd Norman Bates.
14:39She just goes a little mad sometimes.
14:44We all go a little mad sometimes.
14:50Haven't you?
14:50Returning to her room, she prepares for what will be her last shower.
14:55Janet Leigh's hero is around for a large chunk of the movie, but her death takes Psycho in a strange
15:01direction.
15:07Bates cleans up after what might be his violent mother while a detective searches for Crane.
15:12The remainder of the story follows the investigation into Crane's murder.
15:16Bates covers up, and everything that leads up to another surprising twist.
15:21Hitchcock relishes in changing the rules and pulling the rug out from under his audience.
15:26When he met your sister, he was touched by her, aroused by her.
15:32He wanted her.
15:35That set off the jealous mother, and mother killed the girl.
15:38Did we forget another movie that switched main characters?
15:42Let us know in the comments below.
15:47I don't know.
15:47Sorry to be, but first.
15:47You
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