Exactly What It Says on the Tin. May or may not herald a Downer Ending. This trope is an aversion of Decoy Protagonist, Our Hero Is Dead and Not Quite Dead. May or may not be The Bad Guy Wins. Also note that the Hero doesn't have to die in order for the Bad Guy to win. Sometimes this could lead to another character to take his place. The ultimate variant of Anyone Can Die, and one of the main causes of a Bittersweet Ending. Might overlap with Heroic Sacrifice. Compare Dead to Begin With, when the hero's dead from the very start of the story. Spoilers ahead, obviously! You Have Been Warned.