11 Fictional Characters That Caused Real-World Harm

Fictional works allow us to explore all kinds of worlds from the safety of our couches. We’re really hoping the words “fictional” and “safety” stuck out in that sentence, because in some unsettling cases, crossing the line between reality and fiction led to horrific consequences. 

We've all heard about the dark side of fandoms. The personal security industry is booming because of it. Those obsessed superfans latched on to a celebrity and felt like they just needed to be a part of their lives. A superfan latching onto a fictional character is an obsession like no other. We’d like to hope they’ve chosen a heroic character and are now out there helping the cause, but for whatever reason, these people were captivated by the bad guys.

Even if the fictional story is particularly gruesome, the creator isn’t some dastardly villain hoping their fans will take their work and run with it. So everybody calm down and just keep chompin’ chips on the couch! Don’t be like these 11 do-badders who were inspired by fictional characters to cause real-world harm.

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