Luther fans heartbroken after a major character is killed off

The hacker, who had been previously captured by gangster Cornelius, distracted an assassin holding Mark North (Paul McGann) at gun point by standing up and sacrificing himself instead.

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"Leave him be, none of this is his fault," Benny told the assassin, before describing the would-be killer's appearance for the benefit of Luther (Idris Elba), who was listening in on the phone.

https://twitter.com/BBCOne/status/1080947815579336704

"Boss, I need you to kill this p***k for me," he said. "White, six one, dark hair, brown eyes, muscular b—".

However, Benny didn't get to finish his sentence, as the assassin turned his gun on him, shooting Benny in the head and spraying Luther's nemesis Alice (Ruth Wilson) in Benny's blood.

Viewers took to social media to praise Benny for his final actions, dubbing him a "hero".

https://twitter.com/azulmeth/status/1080968782103891971

https://twitter.com/casie92/status/1080949315466657792

"Is it acceptable to take the day off work to mourn Benny?," one fan asked.

https://twitter.com/CharlesRoseWard/status/1081108834586894336

"NOT BENNY," another fan posted on Twitter, before adding: "And now, we riot."

https://twitter.com/misterjaydee/status/1080948122061340672

https://twitter.com/louisechelsea/status/1080954695869497344

The death came as a particular blow for fans still mourning the loss of Justin Ripley, shot dead by a vigilante killer in series three.

https://twitter.com/DrakesWriter1/status/1080949550989410304

https://twitter.com/NagsNavy/status/1080950252293840896

However, some viewers think that the nation's collective mourning may be little premature...

"I’m calling it now...Benny is fine and the blood was from Alice shooting the hitman with the gun Luther gave her," Lauren O'Kelly theorised.

https://twitter.com/laurenokelly/status/1080951065737154560

Darren Haley agreed, suggesting that either Alice or Benny had shot the hitman with the gun Luther had previously given Alice.

https://twitter.com/Dazzied/status/1080964411223957505

What do you think? Is Benny still alive after all?

This article was originally published on 4 January 2019