Would you kill off your "MC"?

[NickRowler]

I had a series where I had a major character die in the end. The series, old and very flawed, was made during a time where I was really depressed and had to sort of "draw rant". The character represented someone who was good and perfect in my eyes. And when I killed him off, it was sort of a reality comes crashing in, this person doesn't exist, they are just something created to help me/someone cope. Which might not be the healthiest way of dealing with depression.

[DiegoPalacios]

I have a rule when it comes to big decisions like killing off a MC.
I have to answer tos questions:
1-Does this make the story better?
2-Why?

If the answer is no, or if you don`t have a plan for what happens next, it will probably be a terrible idea.

If you kill your MC, you have to make sure you have a good plan to move the story.

If he did some foreshadowing, or made some build-up to this moment it can help a lot. Either by making the death make logical sense or by making the moment of the death more meaningfull.(ex: the hero have sustained many wounds in a short period fighting a vampire king , but instead of resting, he fought a last time.He knew it would mean death to fight to the limits of his body, but nobody else could take down the vampire/dragon the vampire king owned that is treatening the kingdom)

This can be a chance to pass the torch to another team member or for a future generation. But it depends of a solid execution and great storytelling. (this needs a solid supporting cast to work)

As you said, killing your MC is a risky move, but if your friend is a good writer with a solid plan, he can make the story better with this.

[insomniascrawl]

I would if I felt like it was good for the direction of the story in a way the main character wouldn't fit. It's a bold move though, I'll admit lol

[indagold]

Why not? Who gives a shit if the fans are against it? You should be happy they're emotionally invested, you're impacting them with their work. You have a story to write, not placate people and serve their every need on a silver platter. No one wants to read a story that sucks up to the fans, thats called fanservice lol

Care about the plot first, if the death of MC is important to the plot, then kill them off. I like the genre of tragedies where this is used a lot and some people either use this to end their series or focus on the other characters instead from a more interesting and morbid angle. It's not a risky move or a poor writing decision, its just not a mainstream one.

[Ayumi]

I think if it suits the story, it is alright to kill the main character. And of course at the end of the story. (Except if he/she has more than one main character. Like in Game of Thrones.)
Some reader would be probably upset about it, but this is his story, so first he should decide what matters him more: the love of the readers or to write the story as he imagined.

[lartianmartian1]

But what if the main character was already dead?! Oooooh~

In all seriousness though, I don't think I'd kill off a main character of mine within the story (I love them too dang much ). But I can see it working in others. Depending on what the story's about, of course, like others have mentioned. The limited comic series 'Daytripper,' for instance, is all about the myriad of ways the MC could have died at any point in his lifetime, and it is beautifully told. So, if your friend feels strongly about this then, well, it's his story to tell.

[vworksart]

Not in my current story, but maybe in another and only at the end if the story calls for it. I feel like it's jarring to the audience if the main is killed off mid story somewhere unless there are multiple lead characters to allow another to pick up the slack. That's my opinion at least.

[djwaglmuffin]

I love her but yes.

Yes I would.

[Shanny8]

Not in the current story/comic that i'm doing now, but maybe in another tale.

[druidcitycomic]

I could easily see a scenario where my main character's done everything he needs to accomplish in the story, but I like the side-characters and world enough that I want to stick in it a while and follow them for a bit. Killing of the Main Character or just putting them on a bus isn't the worst way to do this.

[J.Z.Castillo]

I would absolutely kill off my MC if the story needed me to or if the story leads to that. As an MC you have several layers of plot armor so you kind of know they are safe from death at least, unless you give them a hero's death or something like that.

However if I were to kill my MC I would start to shift the narrative to another character WAY BEFORE the death of MC, maybe several issues before, maybe add some death flags here and there, so when that moment happens the other character can take the mantle of MC and to kind of prepare the reader for that moment.

[Freemints30]

Well my current story's main is sort of in between life and death, sooo, this very awkward.
But to seriously answer the question. Yes.
If I'm were trying to make a point with their death then of course. Another lead can pick up where the main left off just not make their death less pointless.

[Nullyish]

I read a tip before that says do not kill a character just for the heck of it or to create a drama. Kill them if it really need to be done, if their death serves an important purpose for the plot.

[dawgofdawgness]

Nope. My story is about jazz and the pursuit of fame- not the darkest thing out there. Characters will die on the inside a lot but never on the outside. :^)

[NiKons]

I've alsways been the one that could easily kill off a MC.
BUT, that doesn't mean I did it every time. A charater shouldn't die to shock, or sadden the viewer. Heck, he shouldn't die to make things epic!
He only has to die, when his death is necessary. When it advances the plot, and progresses it an away that couldn;t be possible without his death

[yondoloki]

If it fits the story, then go ahead! My main story right now doesn't involve killing a main character, but another project I have has a high probability of this happening. This story revovles around two main characters though, so you don't completely lose out on the point of view.

That's the tricky part of killing your main I think. You lose the character you see through the eyes of, so who do they follow afterwards? Are there other main players that can take over? have another perspective been introduced so it feels like a transition and not happens abruptly? Basically how does the story continue (or end if that's the point)?

[sararosebr]

My MC, for the most part, a big no. Side characters however...that could fund the coffin business for a while with some of my works (RIP secondary characters, you did not die in vain, but for the sake of the plot). The only time I have killed MCs was because it was technically a prologue that showed both in their previous life to explain how they got into the positions they are in now.
And there is no way I can with two stories I have because one is a slice of life, so...yeah. And the other has them being immortal and prize fought over by deities, so killing them through deus ex machina would have them lost to another god.
Granted, I do love to keep MCs alive to suffer much long in horrible ways, so that might be worse than if I was kind and just killed them.

[KennDemon]

Definitely. Maybe it's because I write a lot of slice-of-life, but I approach the matter with the mentality of 'death is a part of life, and being a main character doesn't make them immune'.

Right now I'm working on an large story that will span four books and has twelve main characters (three per book). By the end of the fourth book, two of those characters will be dead. Both for a good, plot relevant reason; self sacrifice to save others.

At the same time, I get not wanting to kill off a main character because your readers like them. Heck, I grew really attached to a character I wanted to kill off and actually went looking for a way to bring them back. I needed to have someone tell me that bringing them back would cheapen the sacrifice they made. Now it's become my mission to make readers cry when the death eventually happens.

[zigmenthotep]

I've already done it like 5 times.

[Zaboem]

These answers really really depend on the type of story being told. Look at Shakespeare. I cannot think of one protagonist from any tragedy who survives to the end. I also cannot think of any protagonist in a comedy who dies. The bard was a little formulaic in that way.

In most stories that involve death and tension, the possibility of death for any character is almost certainly required to keep the reader engaged. If none of the MCs ever fail nor die, there is no tension left.