2) Han Solo
WARNING: This entry contains references to popular fan theories which may be considered spoilers if they prove to be true.
It’s no secret that Harrison Ford isn’t anywhere near as passionate about Han Solo as the rest of us, so it’s not hard to imagine him being more than happy to kill the character off and be rid of him for good in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It’s also seems extremely likely that Ford’s surprising decision to return to the role would be for just the one movie rather than committing to another four or five years after this one.
Then there’s the upcoming spinoff movie for Han Solo to consider. Featuring a younger version of the character. Chances are that Disney would prefer not to have Ford still playing Han the year before and after that comes out in order to avoid comparisons. Taking that into account, there are a lot of arguments to be made in favour of the beloved space pirate being killed off, not least of which is a rumour that’s been doing the rounds for a while now.
How then can a character as great as Han Solo be killed off? Him dying at the hands of Kylo Ren seems the most likely outcome, a moment which will be all the more horrifying and upsetting if fan theories that Ren is Han and Leia’s son are correct. Just like Darth Vader taking out Obi Wan Kenobi expertly set him up as a despised villain in the original trilogy, Kylo murdering Han would do the same for him, especially as he’s killing someone who fans have so much history with. The death of Han would also serve to inspire the younger heroes moving forward and it might be just what’s needed to spur Luke Skywalker back into action.