There are few things that grind people's gears more than characters who don't exhibit a lick of common sense. It's equally as offensive on the page as it is onscreen... audiences are unforgiveable that way. It's why a lot of people get annoyed with horror films and argue that the buxom blonde should not run upstairs when the exit is right there. Even more annoying though are characters who kill others due to their own ridiculousness.
But if you've looked around at the world lately, you'd notice that people are worse than those innocent souls they love to mock in horror films, HAHAHA... not. Anyway, the point is that innocent people die because other people are stupid.
After Redditor sugar-soad asked the online community, "Which fictional character would be alive if other characters had used a bit of common sense?" people weighed in with their frustrations.
"A ton of characters..."
A ton of characters in Harry Potter if the Ministry of Magic believed that Voldemort had returned.
"I saw Skyfall the other day..."
I saw Skyfall the other day. Don't keep the cyberterrorist in a cell completely controlled by computers for some reason, and then plug his computer into that system and allow it to run executables.
"...the mayor who thought it would be a good idea..."
Jaws, the mayor who thought it would be a good idea to keep the beaches open despite grave warnings from a shark scientist and the police chief.
"Should've just tempered yourself..."
All of Jason Voorhees' victims from part 6 and onward would still be alive if Tommy Jarvis didn't angrily stab Jason's corpse with the gate spike that conducted lightning and resurrected him...
Should've just tempered yourself and only burned him Tommy.
"The characters literally pass a dude..."
Bing Bong from Inside Out.
The characters literally pass a tube that could send any memory up to HQ. If that just used that tube and then used the train of thought on the way back, everything would have gone perfectly.
"In some parallel dimension..."
Shmi Skywalker.
After Episode 1, the Queen of Naboo, who had the credits, could have bought her freedom and hired her to work for her either on an estate, and or give her job training and education to work elsewhere.
Sideous, Jar Jar, the Jedi Council, Yoda, ObiWan could have done the same to gain influence or provide peace of mind to someone they have a vested interest in.
Shmi had to remain a slave on Tatooine to justify a familial relation to justify Luke being there.
In some parallel dimension, Star Wars was released in chronological order and made more sensible because of it.
"WHY DID HE NOT..."
Quicksilver in Age of Ultron, WHY DID HE NOT PICK HAWKEYE UP AND RAN AWAY WITH HIM INSTEAD OF JUMPING IN FRONT OF HIM?!
"Just another case..."
Sirius Black.
Instead of waiting for the Order of the Phoenix, Harry and his friends went in without much of a plan other then get to the prophecy bubble before Voldemort could. The Order was split between saving the kids and fighting off Voldemort and his minions. Realistically, the Order would have been aware of Voldemort's plan to capture the prophecy and would have been equipped for it. They likely had to adapt their plan after learning that school children were going in recklessly to do it first.
Just another case of Harry being dumb and not thinking things through.
"I don't think common sense..."
I don't think Tris had to die in the last book of the Divergent trilogy. I don't think common sense would have helped anything but I think it could have happened differently
"If Jaina and Uther..."
Arthas from Warcraft.
If Jaina and Uther guided Arthas and helped him doing only what a king could've done (destroying a city full of infected citizens that would've turned into zombies) and followed him to Northrend, he would not turned evil due to Nerz'hul's influence in Frostmourne, so basically everything that happened after Mal'ganis's death would have never happened.
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