If a character becomes popular enough in an ongoing story that isn't complete upon its release, they are often preserved, because they are popular (as it becomes fiscally foolish to kill them off even if you originally intended to), sometimes even being brought back from (supposed) death, however, this also sets the precedent that if a character is popular, they are safe from death, which can detract from how surprising a story can truly be if you know certain people without a doubt can't die, even excluding the protagonists and even other main characters. ---
The only fool bigger than the person who knows it all is the person who argues with him. They're all complacent sheeple. Passion fights, but reason wins.