Top 10 Movie Characters Who Suffer the Most

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (2022)
If ever there was a character that became their own worst enemy, it’s the Scarlet Witch. A Sokovian war orphan, along with her younger brother Pietro, Wanda volunteers to be experimented on by Hydra, which enhances her innate magical abilities. She finds love with the Vision, but when he dies, she creates a fantasy of their life together, trapping a whole town in the process. When she is forced to give up this illusion, Wanda still tries to find the children from her fantasy life in a parallel reality, and is willing to kill an innocent teenager for the power to travel throughout the multiverse. Eventually, it all leads to her own demise. No one mourns the wicked…except us, of course. RIP, Wanda.

“Manchester by the Sea” (2016)
At first, Lee Chandler seems like your typical bitter divorcé who must care for his orphaned nephew after his brother’s death. But behind Lee’s despondency lurks a horrible secret: His three children were in a fire that occurred because he drunkenly neglected to put a screen in front of the fireplace. Maddened by guilt, prevented from ending his own life, he now struggles with raising his nephew in the community where the darkest tragedy of his life took place. Haunted by his ghosts, Lee turns to drink and bar fights. Eventually, Lee arranges for his nephew’s estranged mother to take him in. One mistake can really change your life for the worst, a lesson lee has learned and lives with constantly.

“Dancer in the Dark” (2000)
The immigrant life can be cruel and it is especially tragic for Selma Ježková. A Czech immigrant living in the U.S., Selma has a degenerative eye disease which is likely to also afflict her son, Gene. Selma is saving up money for an operation for Gene, only for her factory job to let her go and her landlord Bill to steal her savings. Confronting Bill about the theft, Selma accidentally shoots him, and Bill begs her to finish the job and kill him. Selma is arrested, accused of faking her eye injury, and sentenced to death. Selma’s bleak life is punctured by musical sequences, showing her love of musicals. Dancing in the dark until the tune ends has never been so heartbreaking.

“Harry Potter” franchise (2001-11)
Godfather to Harry Potter, Sirius Black was born into a wizard supremacist family. Sirius rebels early and well by running away from home to live with his best friend, James Potter. But as young adults, the resistance against Voldemort ultimately leads to his best friends’ death. To make matters worse, another fellow friend betrays the Potters and frames Sirius for his own actions. Though Sirius manages to escape Azkaban and reconnect with Harry, he has to hid eout in his abusive childhood home, which doesn’t help his already-delicate mental health. In the end, he is killed by his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, while trying to save Harry from Voldemort. For such a brave, principled, and charismatic character, Sirius’s life was seriously awful.

“Star Wars” franchise (1977-2019)
Villains often have the most heart wrenching backstories. Before he was Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker was a slave-turned-Jedi-master, conceived without a father and prophesied to bring balance to the Force. Falling in love with and secretly marrying Padmé Amidala, his fears for her life make him easily manipulatable by Palpatine. Turning to the Sith, Anakin massacres the Jedi Temple, strangles Padmé in a fit of paranoia, and duels with his old mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan cuts off his limbs and leaves him for dead in the lava. Rescued by Palpatine, Anakin is fitted with armor for his mutilated body, thus becoming Darth Vader. Anakin’s descent to the dark side is the result of his suffering.

“Kill Bill: Volume 1” (2003) & “Kill Bill: Volume 2” (2004)
Here comes the Bride. Quentin Tarantino’s vengeful heroine definitely has suffered greatly at the hands of assassins led by Bill. Once a member of the Deadly Viper Squad, Beatrix becomes the group’s victim at her wedding rehearsal in El Paso. Pregnant with Bill’s child, she manages to tell him so right before he shoots her in the temple. After falling into a coma, she awakens to kill her would-be rapist and swear vengeance on her former colleagues. Beatrix dispatches them one by one until at last she confronts Bill—who is raising their daughter B.B., who had survived. At least Beatrix did indeed kill Bill, but at what cost?

“The Lord of the Rings” franchise (2001-03)
One of the most pitiful creatures in the “Lord of the Rings” universe, Gollum began as a Hobbit named Sméagol, who was corrupted by the One Ring of Power. His desire for the ring leads him to kill his relative Déagol for it. Centuries later, when Bilbo Baggins acquires the ring and gives it to Frodo, Gollum follows in hot pursuit. The evil of the Ring leads to Gollum’s body and face becoming unsightly and distorted. Gollum’s ring-lust serves as a parallel to Frodo’s own temptation, leading both to the fires of Mount Doom. While Frodo conquers his temptation, Gollum is too far gone. A merciful end to a life full of torment.

“Les Misérables” (2012)
She dreamed a dream in time gone by. From Victor Hugo’s tome, Fantine’s life is just one among many miserable ones. After her lover abandons her and their love child, Fantine is forced to work at the factory, sending her wages to her daughter Cosette, raised by the corrupt Thénardiers. When her love child’s existence is discovered, Fantine is fired, and in desperation sells her hair, teeth, and then her body. Sickened and dying, she manages to tell Jean Valjean about Cosette. But she is never reunited with Cosette and dies without seeing her—or knowing that the Thénardiers have been conning her all along and keeping the money for themselves instead of Cosette. Life has definitely killed Fantine’s dream.

“Frankenstein” (1931)
Who is the monster and who is the man? The tale of Frankenstein and his misunderstood monster has been adapted many times, but this ‘30s film is by far the most iconic one. Unlike the novel, Frankenstein initially doesn’t turn away from his monster, played by Boris Karloff. But when the monster is frightened by fire, Frankenstein mistakes his fright as an attack; he and his assistant chain it in the dungeon. The Monster escapes and even befriends a little girl, but when he throws the girl into the lake, she drowns. The Monster seeks out and tries to kill Frankenstein, only to be burned alive in the windmill by a mob. What a sad end to a sad life.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Ellen Ripley, “Alien” franchise (1979-)
Because Between the Aliens & Finding Out Her Daughter Is Dead, It’s Trauma Enough


John Wick, “John Wick” (2014)
Because He Just Wanted to Grieve His Wife & They Killed His Dog

Laura Palmer, “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me” (1992)
Because Laura Is a Murder Victim in Her Own Story

Johanna Mason, “The Hunger Games” franchise (2012-23)
Because She Refused Forced Labor & Her Whole Family was Murdered

Koba, “The Planet of the Apes” reboot series (2011-)
Because He was Experimented on, Abused by, & Traumatized by Humans

“The Color Purple” (1985)
The lead of Alice Walker’s novel-turned-film, Celie leads a life of poverty-related horrors and abuse. Taken advantage of by her own father, Celie gives birth to two children, whom her father quickly gives away. Celie is forced to marry Mister, a widower with a hard hand. She does find love in the form of Shug, Mister’s long-time mistress, but Mister catches her and prevents her from running away to Memphis with Shug. After discovering her sister Nettie’s letters, Celie finally stands up to Mister; at the end, she and her sister reunite. Celie’s story is one of hardship, abuse, and betrayal, and it’s all too real and undeserved. At least her musical counterpart gets some neat songs.


Which other film characters made you suffer along with them? Let us know in the comments down below!