History Main / KilledByRequest

!!'''As a DeathTrope, all Spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.'''

[[folder:Live Action Film]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* Creator/CharltonHeston didn't ''hate'' ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968'' or his character, but he wasn't interested in doing a sequel. He only participated in ''Film/BeneathThePlanetOfTheApes'' as a personal favor, but he demanded that they kill him off in the first reel. As a compromise, he disappears at the end of the first reel and reappears at the end, to die in the last reel.

* Adrienne King initially turned down the offer to appear in ''Film/FridayThe13thPart2'' because she was being targeted by a stalker after appearing in ''Film/FridayThe13th1980'' and as a result requested to be killed off in the sequel.

* It's been reported that Anya, the only regular character to die permanently in the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' finale "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E22Chosen Chosen]]", was selected because Creator/EmmaCaulfield had no interest in playing the character again in any other series within the franchise. (Spike's death was known by the entire audience to be impermanent, as his status as a regular character in the next season of ''Angel'' had already been announced.) This would be rather ironic and rather moot considering none of the actors (Once again, save Spike) would reprise their roles past the series ending.

* According to the DVD commentary for the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "The Cleveland–Loretta Quagmire", Loretta was written out of Family Guy because her voice actor, Alex Borstein (who also voices Lois and other female characters), was apparently tired of voicing Loretta due to her gravely voice, and was killed off in ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'' episode "Gone with the Wind".

For characters having to be killed off because the actor unexpectedly leaves, see ActorLeavesCharacterDies if the actor is still alive and TheCharacterDiedWithHim if the actor passes away. For an character asking to be killed in-universe, see MercyKillArrangement.

* ''Series/MiamiVice'': John Diehl (Larry Zito) was written out midway through the third season, via a plot that was motivated by his character dying of a forced drug overdose. While popular opinion suggests he left specifically because he "didn't like Miami", didn't get along with the cast or wanted to pursue theater, Diehl would later tell [[https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1986-11-13-8603100002-story.html the Florida Sun-Sentinel in 1986]] that his character being the designated PluckyComicRelief, and not being given any worthwhile plotlines (a problem that would plague his co-star, Michael Talbott), primarily motivated his decision to leave.

* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'': Creator/RobertReed hated everything about the show ''except'' the kids playing the young Bradys. This led to him and producer Creator/SherwoodSchwartz butting heads on numerous occasions. And in fact, had ''The Brady Bunch'' not been cancelled Schwartz actually planned to kill off Mike Brady over the summer hiatus so he'd be gone for the sixth season and beyond.

* ''Franchise/StarWars''.
** Sir Creator/AlecGuinness was the one vying for Ben Kenobi to be killed in ''Film/ANewHope'' because he thought the films would turn out to be terrible as well as thinking Kenobi was annoying.
*** This has been disputed by other sources, which state that, after filming had started, Creator/GeorgeLucas decided to kill off Kenobi, since the character was no longer central to the story after the escape from the Death Star. In this account, Guinness was not happy with the decision and nearly left the production (he ''did'', after all, reappear in both sequels despite his alleged hatred of the films).
** Creator/HarrisonFord also wanted Han Solo killed off in the Original Trilogy. While they considered what to do, the character was literally frozen in between films. Eventually, Ford got his wish in ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', the first movie of the Sequel Trilogy.
* ''Film/JamesBond'':
** By the end of his run, Creator/SeanConnery equally hated both the character of Bond and the experience of playing him. He wanted to have him killed off not only so he wouldn't have to play him ever again, but so that he wouldn't have to see or hear about him ever again, either.
** Creator/DanielCraig discussed the idea of killing off his Bond early on in his tenure with producer Creator/BarbaraBroccoli. It eventually happened at the end of his fifth film, ''Film/NoTimeToDie''.
* ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'': On hearing that Creator/BryanSinger would not be directing the movie, Creator/JamesMarsden, who played ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}, requested that his character be killed off. His petition was successful and he was killed off at the beginning of the film.

* Creator/JamieLeeCurtis only appeared in ''Film/HalloweenResurrection'' because she was contractually obligated to do so for agreeing to star in ''Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater''. She requested that her character, Laurie Strode, be killed off in return. Though she did return in [[Film/Halloween2018 a sequel]] that like [=H20=] ignored the other follow-ups.
* Creator/SigourneyWeaver wanted Ripley to do three things in ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' -- not handle a weapon, make love to an alien, and die. She did all three in ''Film/Alien3''. It didn't work, though, as Weaver was persuaded to come back as a [[spoiler:xenomorph-hybrid]] clone of Ripley in ''Film/AlienResurrection''.
* ''Film/FistOfFury'' originally ended with Creator/BruceLee's character escaping justice, as his real-life counterpart had done. Bruce insisted that he face the consequences of his actions, hence the BolivianArmyEnding.
* Creator/NancyAllen hated the script for ''Film/RoboCop3'' so much that she agreed to return only on the condition that her character be killed off.
* In ''Film/BlackChristmas2006'', Melissa was originally written as having survived. Creator/MichelleTrachtenberg, having just finished ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', was reluctant to do a horror film, and only agreed on the condition that she be killed off.
* Three years into filming of ''Film/{{Boyhood}}'' Lorelei Linklater, daughter of the movie's director Richard Linklater, asked that her character be killed off, however, Richard refused her request saying that it would be too violent.
* Adrienne King initially turned down the offer to appear in ''Film/FridayThe13thPart2'' because she was being targeted by a stalker after appearing in ''Film/FridayThe13th1980'' and as a result requested to be killed off in the sequel.
* Duane Jones, who played Ben in ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'', convinced George Romero to have Ben be shot by the redneck "zombie killers" at the end of the film, believing that it would be a more shocking, impactful ending than Ben surviving. History (and countless essays about the ending of the film) has borne him out.

* Creator/JohnnyYongBosch wanted to kill off Adam Park when he reprised his role for ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' and ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive'' because he thought [[DoingItForTheArt it would be]] [[AwesomeDearBoy cool to do]]. [[AvertedTrope He got rejected both times.]]

* ''Series/{{The Walking Dead|2010}}:

* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'': Robert Reed hated everything about the show ''except'' the kids playing the young Bradys. This led to him and producer Creator/SherwoodSchwartz butting heads on numerous occasions. And in fact, had ''The Brady Bunch'' not been cancelled Schwartz actually planned to kill off Mike Brady over the summer hiatus so he'd be gone for the sixth season and beyond.

For characters having to be killed off because the actor unexpectedly leaves, see McLeaned and TheCharacterDiedWithHim. For an character asking to be killed in-universe, see MercyKillArrangement.

* Mitchell, the vampire protagonist of the first three series of ''Series/BeingHuman'', was staked through the heart in the final episode of series 3, which also established that staking would destroy a vampire so thoroughly that there could be no possibility of them resurrecting. Reportedly, this was because Mitchell's actor, Aiden Turner, had a scheduling conflict between the show and filming for ''Film/TheHobbit'', and had asked to be killed off in a way which meant he wouldn't be expected to return.

Actors usually like the characters they play, otherwise they wouldn't choose to play them...[[MoneyDearBoy unless it's for money]]. Some still don't like either their character or the work they're in (or both) enough to be tempted by cold, hard, cash, and go on the record saying that they wish their character would be killed off already so that they can quit with no chance of [[TheBusCameBack the bus coming back]].

Not all the time do the actors express strong dislike for their characters or film, but may give other reasons for wanting to quit. The ultimate reason is usually the same, though, being "I don't want to do this anymore". Sometimes you will get situations when they drag the actor back by creating a BackupTwin. Some actors are also contractually obliged to film their work, with contracts maybe lasting either until their character is killed off, or even after the fact. Similarly, while such a request is often due to the actor disliking the character, occasionally the actor may make this request for artistic reasons, or simply because they want to [[RuleOfCool go out with a bang]].

* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'': Creator/RobertReed hated everything about the show ''except'' the kids playing the young Bradys. This led to him and producer Creator/SherwoodSchwartz butting heads on numerous occasions. And in fact, had ''The Brady Bunch'' not been cancelled Schwartz actually planned to kill off Mike Brady over the summer hiatus so he'd be gone for the sixth season and beyond.

** Sir Creator/AlecGuinness was the one vying for Ben Kenobi to be killed in ''Film/StarWarsANewHope'' because he thought the films would turn out to be terrible as well as thinking Kenobi was annoying.

* ''Film/JamesBond''. By the end of his run, Creator/SeanConnery equally hated both the character of Bond and the experience of playing him. He wanted to have him killed off not only so he wouldn't have to play him ever again, but so that he wouldn't have to see or hear about him ever again, either.

* ''Series/{{Lucifer}}'': Creator/KevinAlejandro was the one who suggested that Dan be killed off before the series finale (back when it was still [[SeriesFauxnale the end of Season 5]]) since he felt it was [[RedemptionEqualsDeath the only way to end his redemption arc]].

** Creator/HarrisonFord also wanted Han Solo killed off in the Original Trilogy. While they considered what to do, the character was literally frozen in between films. Eventually, [[spoiler:Ford got his wish in ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', the first movie of the Sequel Trilogy.]]

** Creator/BrentSpiner insisted on Data's death in ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'' because he didn't think he could convincingly play an un-aging android anymore as he got older. The final film still includes a SequelHook hinting at Data's possible resurrection [[spoiler:in B-4's body]], which is fulfilled in ''Series/StarTrekPicard''. (Out of canon, the ''Literature/StarTrekNovelverse'' and ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' also both took advantage of it.)

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* ''Series/{{Lucifer}}'': [[spoiler:Creator/KevinAlejandro]] was the one who suggested that his character be killed off before the series finale (back when it was still [[SeriesFauxnale the end of Season 5]]) since he felt it was [[RedemptionEqualsDeath the only way to end his redemption arc]].

* Series/{{Lucifer}}: [[spoiler:Creator/KevinAlejandro]] was the one who suggested that his character be killed off before the series finale (back when it was still [[SeriesFauxnale the end of Season 5]]) since he felt it was [[RedemptionEqualsDeath the only way to end his redemption arc]].

* [[AvertedTrope Averted]] at the last minute on ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman''. Male lead Joe Lando wanted to leave after the 5th season, so it was planned that his character (Sully) would die falling down from a cliff. But a massive backlash from the fans made it necessary for everybody to re-think this decision. So in the end, Sully survived. But to make a compromise with actor Joe Lando, he was free to only appear in half of the episodes in the 6th season (which also turned out to be the show's last).

* Adrienne King initially turned down the offer to appear in ''Film/FridayThe13thPart2'' because she was being targeted by a stalker after appearing in ''Film/FridayThe13th'' and as a result requested to be killed off in the sequel.