Summary

• In "24," character deaths are not uncommon & often unexpected, fueling the motives of the remaining characters.
• Major character deaths in "24" are often a result of selfless sacrifice or events tied to national security threats.
• The impact of character deaths in "24" extends beyond the moment, shaping the series' direction and character development.

The stakes are high in 24, which means the chances of a character dying are increased, but that doesn't lessen the pain or shock value of a few key character deaths. 24 follows Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) agent, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), as he works alongside his colleagues to protect the country from terrorist attacks. Audiences enjoy 24 for its use of twists and realistic action. This realism is due to 24's real-time format, in which episodes take place over an hour. This method of storytelling led to audiences becoming highly invested in each character.

Different from other dramas, multiple risks were taken with the direction of 24, including the use of heartbreaking character deaths. Though some of the biggest risks in 24 led to mediocre seasons that followed, the idea of killing off major characters didn't often negatively impact the series. Instead, major deaths fueled the motives of the remaining characters, and audiences were hooked as they followed along on their journey of retribution. The character deaths with the greatest impact were characters that deserved better and, knowing this, Jack and the others made it part of their mission to get justice.

10 George Mason

His death was marked as an act of sacrifice.

George Mason's death was equal parts tragic and heroic. After the radiation poisoning test results came back positive, George's health rapidly decreased. The CTU received confirmation that a nuclear bomb was set to go off later that evening and George, knowing what little time he had left, volunteered to take the bomb on a plane and crash it into a desert. The heartbreaking nature of George's death comes unexpectedly, as he was highly unlikeable to many at the start of the series. However, he'd grown exponentially by season 2, making his actions honorable and devastating.

9 Michelle Dessler

Her death was quick and unexpected.

Death isn't rare in 24, and it's likely to occur when audiences least expect it, which is exactly what happened with Michelle Dessler's death. Just moments after Michelle and her husband Tony are informed of David Palmer's assassination, Michelle walks to her car intending to help CTU LA in their investigation. As she opens the door, an explosion goes off, killing Michelle. Her sudden death, paired closely with that of David's, shocked audiences and was made more upsetting by Tony's angered reaction following the news of her death.

8 Curtis Manning

Jack killed Curtis to help with the overall mission.

As an addition to the main cast members who were killed off in 24, Curtis Manning's death occurred in season 6. Curtis' death showcases the hardest parts of the work in 24 and what happens when personal feelings take over. Curtis is consumed by his painful memories of seeing his Special Forces unit tortured by former terrorist Hamri Al-Assad years prior.

The circumstances surrounding Curtis' death is another hard reminder of the stakes at play and how little part a character's importance in 24 has in deciding their fate.

Curtis doesn't believe Hamri should be pardoned and threatens to kill him, but Hamri provides crucial information for the CTU in their mission to prevent ongoing terrorist attacks. Knowing how important Hamri's role is, Jack shoots Curtis, and quickly responds with an immense amount of guilt, easily recognized and felt by audiences as well. The circumstances surrounding Curtis' death is another hard reminder of the stakes at play and how little part a character's importance in 24 has in deciding their fate.

7 Ryan Chappelle

He died to save others.

Similarly to the circumstances surrounding Curtis' death, the death of Ryan Chappelle was at the hands of Jack, though he didn't want to kill Ryan either. Much like his killing of Curtis, Jack killed Ryan to save a larger group of people. A terrorist demanded that Ryan be executed, otherwise, he'd release vials of a deadly virus into the public. President Palmer handed the responsibilities over to Jack and the final interaction between Ryan and Jack was full of emotion. They are both aware it's what's best for the greater good, but it doesn't make it any easier.

6 Audrey Boudreau

Her death came after years of troubled circumstances.

Though Audrey Boudreau's death wasn't as action-packed as others in 24, it still made an impact and previous events involving Audrey make her final moments more heartbreaking. In an earlier season, Audrey gets captured while rescuing Jack. Audrey suffered grueling levels of abuse during her imprisonment and was only able to fully recover after a years-long process. However, her new and improved life is cut short when Audrey is killed by Cheng Zhi's sniper. Those closest to her become heavily distressed, feeling guilty for not having done enough to save her, leading Jack to seek revenge and kill Cheng.

5 Edgar Stiles

His last breath is witnessed by his colleagues.

During his short amount of time on 24, the character of Edgar Stiles was beloved and grew close to another CTU analyst, Chloe O'Brian. Edgar's personality and friendship with Chloe made the nature of his death difficult to sit through. A Sentox gas leak was released in the CTU building. Many of the staff members made it out or were secured in sealed rooms, but for Edgar, it was too late. Edgar made it a few feet in front of a protected room, but eventually succumbed to the leak, slowly passing away as Chloe and the others watched.

4 Omar Hassan

His death came after advocating for peace.

Omar Hassan, the President of the Islamic Republic of Kamistan, was killed following his work on a peace agreement with the United Nations. Omar's peace negotiations upset many in his nation who were opposed to this idea. As a result, Omar and his loved ones suffered numerous threats leading up to his eventual surrender. Though he surrendered, he still refused to apologize or denounce his actions, so he was killed, and it was streamed online for others to witness.

Omar accepted his fate and stayed true to his initial plans for peace, dying with his integrity intact.

Following along with the live stream, Jack believed he had time to save Omar, but when he arrived at the location, he realized the stream was prerecorded and Omar was already dead. As a result of Omar's death, and like many others in 24, his true character was evident. Despite being face-to-face with death, Omar accepted his fate and stayed true to his initial plans for peace, dying with his integrity intact.

3 Renee Walker

She was killed by a Russian conspirator.

Shortly after Omar Hassan's death, Renee Walker was killed as well. She and Jack had just arrived at his place after their long day when she was shot by Pavel Tokarev, an assassin working for Russian conspirators. Jack had Renee rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. Jack's goodbye to Renee was emotional and reminiscent of his reaction to Teri's death. Renee's death greatly affected Jack, who became increasingly hysterical and made it his mission to kill those responsible for her death by implementing horrific means of torture and killing.

2 Teri Bauer

Her death began a significant pattern for the remainder of the series.

The first use of 24's silent clock was in the last episode of season 1, marking the death of Teri Bauer, the wife of 24's protagonist, Jack Bauer. Teri was killed by a mole in the CTU, Nina Myers. The way Teri was killed isn't different from the many deaths that would occur throughout the rest of 24, but the significance it had on Jack and the series as a whole is what makes her death shocking. Teri's death quickly set the tone for the remainder of the series, as fans were now aware any character's death was possible.

In the back of Jack's mind remained the motive to kill Nina as a means of revenge for Teri.

Jack was emotionally distraught when he found Teri and held her dead body as he said his goodbyes. It took some time to emotionally recover after her death, but Jack eventually managed to get back to work. Though he was occupied with work, Jack never let Teri slip from his memory. In the back of Jack's mind remained the motive to kill Nina as a means of revenge for Teri, and he was finally able to do so in season 3.

1 David Palmer

He was killed at the beginning of Day 5.

24's season 5 is regarded by many as the best of the series, and it began with the death of former President David Palmer. David went through a lot of trouble, including an assassination attempt on his life, a family scandal, and being exposed to a dangerous virus that left his health in critical condition. By season 5, David was no longer president, but after discovering a conspiracy involving the current president, he wound up being shot by an assassin. The discovered conspiracy and David's death set up the rest of the season by driving the actions and motives of others.