This article contains spoilers for many major fantasy TV shows!For every unforgettable moment in a fantasy TV show, there are just as many controversial moments that push viewers to their breaking point. Even the most popular fantastical TV series in history have included scenes that were so polarizing that audiences stop watching the show altogether. Typically, these plot points revolve around the introduction or exit of characters, as this can dramatically alter the series' dynamic and be devastating to witness. TV deaths often spark outrage when viewers feel that the character didn't deserve to be killed off and still had more to contribute.

There are many fantasy TV scenes that make no sense, but this is more excusable, as the complex magic systems and world-building in speculative fiction shows can become confusing. However, when a series makes a concrete and avoidable choice that alienates audience , it's much more difficult to accept this. While writers and showrunners can't control when an actor wants to leave a show or if the source material has a specific moment written in, plenty of these scenes were unnecessary. Today, they disrupt the legacies of otherwise brilliant TV series.

10 Dany Murdering Thousands

Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

Emilia Clarke's performance as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones quickly made her a fan-favorite character. Throughout the seasons, Dany proves herself to be a champion of the people, freeing those who have been enslaved across the Narrow Sea. Many viewers assumed that when she finally returned to Westeros to reclaim the Iron Throne, she would bring peace and justice to the land, unlike the people who had held power for so long. Unfortunately, the writers had other plans for Daenerys.

This is an abrupt and shocking change for Daenerys and came out of nowhere, reversing much of the development she had gone through up to this point.

In a total pivot in characterization, Daenerys burns down King's Landing in Game of Thrones season 8, one of the most polarizing seasons of the series. This is an abrupt and shocking change for Daenerys and came out of nowhere, reversing much of the development she had gone through up to this point. Maybe Game of Thrones is a fantasy TV show that deserved more seasons to redeem itself after the mixed response to season 8, but many viewers were done with the show before the finale aired.

9 Quentin Dying

The Magicians (2015–2020)

Quentin was a complex character, but after being the protagonist of The Magicians for four seasons, it came as quite a shock to viewers when he was killed off. Part of this was because Jason Ralph, the actor who portrayed him, was ready to leave the series, but things in The Magicians had been changing a lot since the series expanded past the original books the first three seasons were based on. While there were some interesting choices made in seasons 4 and 5, Quentin's death pushed many audiences to stop watching before the final season.

Though there were plenty of other fantastic characters carrying the plot of The Magicians, Quentin was the heart of the show, and without him, many of the other characters were lost. The aftermath of Quentin's death left The Magicians with a lot of grief to grapple with, which made the show hard to watch at times. Elliot (Hale Appleman) is a TV character who never got a happy ending in The Magicians. This is because his romantic arc with Quentin was cut short when he died.

8 Dawn’s Appearance

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)

Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) was a thoroughly unexpected addition to Buffy The Vampire Slayer, making her first appearance in the season 5 premiere and becoming a central character for the last seasons of the show. Up until that point, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) had been an only child, but suddenly, she had a younger sister that everyone was acting like had been there since the beginning. While the Buffy The Vampire Slayer, this wasn't entirely why viewers and critics disliked Dawn.

Though Dawn did find her place in the ensemble, she didn't help the lukewarm performance of season 5.

As a character, Dawn is a bit annoying and frequently gets in the way of Buffy's attempts to save the world, making the Slayer's life more difficult. The entire dynamic of the series changed, and this was a big disruption for many longtime fans. While there were many elements in Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 5 that made it different from the rest of the show, this stood out as a potential misstep. Though Dawn did find her place in the ensemble, she didn't help the lukewarm performance of season 5.

7 Introducing Anna & Elsa

Once Upon A Time (2011–2018)

Making Frozen one of the fairy tales to adapt in Once Upon A Time was the beginning of the end for the innovative series, as most audiences didn't consider the story classic enough to warrant a storyline. By Once Upon A Time season 4, the series had already touched upon many of the most popular folk tales and legends that Disney had adapted. This meant the show had to turn to more recent additions to the Disney canon, and this wasn't as compelling.

It was clear from this point on that Once Upon A Time had ed its peak, even if there were some exciting storylines to come in the remaining seasons. However, the tone and style that had defined the series in the early seasons was gone, and introducing Anna (Elizabeth Lail) and Elsa (Georgina Haig) made it seem like the show was out of ideas. Compared to the seamless way the other fairy tale characters had fit into the show, Anna and Elsa stood out.

6 Nina Dobrev’s Exit

The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017)

For all her flaws, Elena was a vitally important character in The Vampire Diaries, and when Nina Dobrev decided her time on the series had come to an end, it was a tough transition. Since Elena was the character with the most plot armor in The Vampire Diaries, it's not surprising that she didn't die but was put under a sleeping curse so she could one day reunite with Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and her loved ones. However, since Elena had avoided all of these issues in the past, it made it obvious that external circumstances had influenced the show's direction.

It was nice to see Elena return in the series finale, but there were many viewers who didn't stick around to see her come back.

Even for fans who weren't always happy with Elena, it was clear that The Vampire Diaries had to fill a hole when Elena was gone and that the show was never the same. Without Elena, much of the dramatic tension between her, Damon, and Stefan (Paul Wesley) was gone, and the antagonists felt more obscure and unimportant. It was nice to see Elena return in the series finale, but there were many viewers who didn't stick around to see her come back.

5 Glenn’s Death

The Walking Dead (2010–2022)

Steven Yeun's character in The Walking Dead, Glenn, was an amazing part of the show and helped bring emotional realism to the story. His relationship with Maggie (Lauren Cohan) anchored The Walking Dead, and his death was one of the most traumatic moments in the series, not just for Maggie but for all viewers. While The Walking Dead was no stranger to casualties, Glenn's death was made worse by the fact that he had disappeared a few episodes before and was assumed dead, only to be brought back and murdered by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) onscreen.

Not only was Glenn's death unnecessary, but it was an unfair way to bring his character arc to an end. It was upsetting to see him so brutally removed from the show, and it was a shocking fake-out to bring him back to life, only to ultimately kill him off. This storyline felt like the writers were trying to trick the audience and squeeze the most possible drama and despair out of Glenn's death. These factors were enough for viewers to feel as if The Walking Dead​​​​​​​ wasn't the same show it once was.

4 Jamie & Bree’s First Conflict

Outlander (2014–Present)

It takes a long time for Brianna (Sophie Skelton) to learn the truth about who her biological father is. Claire (Caitríona Balfe) returned to her present and gave birth to Bree, raising her as Frank's (Tobias Menzies) daughter for most of her life. Unfortunately, her first meeting with Jamie (Sam Heughan) isn't the happy reunion that audiences were hoping for, as the pair get off on the wrong foot. Since she traveled to the past, Bree has had many traumatic experiences, and Jamie isn't helpful in ing her.

This made viewers change their perspective on Jamie, and was one of the toughest parts to watch of the disappointing fourth season.

It's incredibly disappointing to see Jamie hurt his daughter after she's been assaulted, and so soon after they attempted to form a bond after years of not being with each other. Jamie is a fan-favorite character in Outlander, and based on his own experiences, it's shocking that he would ever blame someone for their assault, let alone his own daughter. This made viewers change their perspective on Jamie, and was one of the toughest parts to watch of the disappointing fourth season.

3 Sending The Characters Back In Time

Lost (2004–2010)

Throughout the seasons of Lost, many unexpected and otherworldly plot developments occur, but the time travel element is the most shocking aspect of the series. From the beginning, it was teased that there was more to the island than meets the eye and that the survivors of the crash and the audience would come into with the supernatural. However, between the flashbacks, flash-forwards, and the monsters that called the island home, time travel was just too much for Lost to grapple with.

How the island moves through time in Lost is a confusing part of the show, and this is where many viewers felt the series had jumped the shark. There were already multiple timelines and heavy themes of fate and destiny, and the time travel storyline turned out to merely cement the fact that the plane was always going to crash, and there was nothing the characters could do to avoid this. In the following seasons, Lost​​​​​​​ only veered further into the otherworldly aspects of the story.

2 Henry Cavill’s Exit

The Witcher (2019–Present)

There have been many controversial moments throughout The Witcher's three seasons, as Netflix's sweeping fantasy TV show makes significant changes to the source material by Andrzej Sapkowski. However, for dedicated fans of the series, nothing was more upsetting than the announcement that Henry Cavill, who had portrayed Geralt of Rivia since the series premiered, was leaving the show. In his final episode, season 3, episode 8, "The Cost of Chaos," it was tough to see Cavill in his last scene as Geralt.

Liam Hemsworth will take over as Geralt in The Witcher season 4, and there's a lot of pressure riding on his performance. It wouldn't be surprising if many fans didn't return to watch the next installment of the show since they know that Geralt will be unrecognizable. Hopefully, Freya Allan's work as Ciri and her character's renewed importance will be enough to bring in viewers for the last two seasons of The Witcher​​​​​​​.

1 Lexa’s Death

The 100 (2014–2020)

Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) had an incredible romantic arc in The 100, but it was tragically ended by Lexa's death in season 3. After slowly building trust and forming an unforgettable enemies-to-lovers arc, Clarke and Lexa were making strides to align their two groups. Unfortunately, Lexa's faction never fully trusted Clarke and the Sky People, and in an attempt to assassinate Clarke, Lexa is shot and quickly succumbs to her wounds.

This moment in The 100 is an example of the trope in both fantasy TV shows and series of all genres that sees LGBTQ+ characters quickly killed off after having their relationships made canon. Though Clarke would go on to have other romantic entanglements, her connection with Lexa is one of the best on the show, and neither character deserved to have it end this way. The choice to kill off Lexa could easily make viewers lose faith in The 100 and feel that the series had undercut its strides forward in representation.