Over the past 21 seasons, Grey’s Anatomy has loved and lost an abundance of characters. Whether they passed away in a major disaster or left Grey Sloan for greener pastures, these characters often leave a mark on the hearts and minds of the show’s most loyal fans. Yet, some fan-favorite characters make a grand return to Grey’s Anatomy, reminding fans of the good old days of the show.
However, there are some characters that fans were happy to see the back of. While Grey’s Anatomy places a lot of focus on more favorable figures like Miranda Bailey and Meredith Grey, it’s not afraid to cause a stir and introduce a few difficult personalities. As such, there are some doctors that fans pray will never step foot in the hospital ever again.
Preston Burke Broke One Too Many Hearts
Season 3, Episode 25, “Didn’t We Almost Have it All?”
Preston Burke wasn’t the most likable man on the planet, but that was the entire point of his character. While Derek Shepherd was quite content with being a piece of eye candy, Burke was keen to show off his skills and prove himself to his superiors. But when he left Cristina at the altar in “Didn’t We Almost Have It All?”, fans saw his true colors.
The fact that he broke Yang’s heart is one issue, but he never really explained why he made such an abrupt decision. When he returned, even for a brief moment, in Season 10, fans were furious and were nervous that Cristina would fall under his spell again. As such, Burke may be a talented surgeon, but fans see his actions as unforgivable.
Jackson Avery Deserved a Break
Season 15, Episode 3, “Gut Feeling”
Grey’s Anatomy’s Jesse Williams as Jackson Avery
Even though Jackson Avery only arrived on the show in Season 5, he, arguably, suffered more trauma than anyone else. After losing his son, divorcing his wife, and dealing with the stress of his career, it seemed that Jackson’s life couldn’t get any worse. But in Season 15, Jackson became much more spiritual and decided to take a leave of absence to explore this part of him.
While he is a beloved character, a lot of fans wish that Jackson had just stayed on holiday because as soon as he returned to Seattle, he experienced a ton of new problems. Arguably, Grey’s Anatomy struggles with characters like Jackson because, for the sake of creating tension, the writers just pour tons of trauma into their lives. Therefore, many fans wish that Jackson was still on his spiritual journey and had found a way to process his hardships.
Izzie Stevens Didn’t Face the Consequences of Her Biggest Mistake
Season 2, Episode 27, “Losing My Religion”
Izzie Stevens is crying over a deceased Denny Duquette on Grey’s Anatomy.Image via ABC
Although it happened almost 20 years ago, fans still can’t get over the fact that Izzie Stevens cut Denny Duquette’s LVAD to bump him up the transplant list. Not only was this incredibly reckless, but it was also quite selfish, because if Izzie hadn’t interfered, Denny might still be alive and well today. To make matters worse, Izzie wasn’t fired for her actions and was allowed to continue working at the hospital for another three years.
Although Izzie is now supposedly living a happy life with Alex and their children, fans don’t appreciate her character at all. Stevens suffered a lot during her time at the hospital, including an aggressive cancer diagnosis. However, Steven’s reckless behavior and immaturity only made fans more frustrated, and they now preferred to leave her in the past.
Addison Montgomery Was Finally on Track to Enjoy Her Life
Season 3, Episode 22, “The Other Side of This Life, Part 1”
Violet Turner, Jake Reilly, Samuel Bennett, Amelia Shepherd, Addison Montgomery and Naomi Bennett on Private PracticeImage via ABC
As a lot of fans probably already know, “The Other Side of This Life, Part 1” was designed as a backdoor pilot for Private Practice. Here, fans see Addison Montgomery flee Seattle for LA with hopes of starting up her own practice in a more relaxed part of town. Although Addison’s departure from Grey’s Anatomy was sad, it allowed her character to move on from Derek and experience a new life for herself.
But after getting married and living her best life in Private Practice, Addison Montgomery returns to Grey’s Anatomy looking extremelyglum. While Addison’s presence on the show was appreciated, a lot of fans felt that it completely rewrote everything they had seen in Private Practice. So, instead of being a successful surgeon and a wife, Montgomery went straight back to square one as a frustrated professional.
Stephanie Edwards Was a Vessel for Trauma
Season 13, Episode 24, “Ring of Fire”
After joining the show in Season 9, Stephanie Edwards quickly established herself as a hard-working surgeon who was keen to accept her failures and keep on pushing forward. In the Season 13 finale, she gets trapped in the hospital explosion and suffers immense burns all over her body. As expected, she uses this life-changing moment to quit her job and explore different ventures.
A lot of fans agree that this was a good point for Edwards to leave because, even in one episode, she had suffered too much. In the same vein as Jackson Avery, Edwards suffered a wealth of trauma and fans weren’t sure if they wanted to see such a beloved character suffer so much. In turn, a lot of fans hope that she’s living life to the fullest and never steps foot in Grey Sloan ever again.
Maggie Pierce’s Attitude Got Too Much to Handle
Season 16, Episode 2, “Back in the Saddle”
At first, Maggie Pierce was quite an endearing character, mostly because she was the love child of Ellis Grey and Richard Webber. But as soon as she split up with Jackson in Season 16, she turned really spiteful. A prime example of this is “Back in the Saddle,” where she claims that Jackson is only dating a firefighter because he feels more intellectually superior to her.
This is such a painfully awkward moment because it proves to the audience that Pierce isn’t a super-smart surgeon, but can actually be quite ignorant at times. She eventually left the show in Season 20, but fans had grown tired of her immaturity from that moment onwards. So, even when she strived not to be like her mother, many believed that she still had Ellis’ cold and nasty streak.
Erica Hahn Lost One of Her Biggest Supporters Because of Her Ignorance
Season 5, Episode 7, “Rise Up”
Although Erica Hahn’s intimate relationship with Callie Torres was a great form of LGBTQ+ representation back in the day, it eventually went down in flames. After having a few dalliances with Torres, Hanh quickly assumes that she must be gay. But, in “Rise Up,” Callie admits that she’s bisexual and has no plans to settle down with one woman.
Instead of taking Torres’ feelings into consideration, Hanh completely dismisses them and argues that her sexuality shouldn’t have a gray area. Overall, Hanh’s self-comments forced Torres away, meaning that Erica lost her only friend at Seattle Grace. Strangely, Hanh was never seen or spoken of again after this episode, but fans still hope that she isn’t going to return anytime soon.
Tom Koracick Ruined a Blossoming Relationship for His Own Gain
Season 16, Episode 21, “Put on a Happy Face”
Tom Koracick (Greg Germann) on Grey’s Anatomy
Usually, Grey’s Anatomy fans love a scandalous love triangle, but Teddy Altman’s affair with Tom Koracick was seen as a tad too spiteful. After sneaking off behind Owen Hunt’s back for years, the pair accidentally leave a voicemail of them having sex on Hunt’s phone. While it may seem quite tame for Grey’s Anatomy, Owen Hunt completely breaks down and wonders if he can ever look past this.
Admittedly, it takes two to tango and Altman is as much to blame as Koracick is. However, a lot of fans believe that Tom found it easy to manipulate Teddy, especially with his grand gestures and informal marriage proposals. Thus, fans see Koracick as a snake in the grass who wants nothing more than to tear Owen and Teddy apart for his own ego.
Cormac Hayes Broke the Rules for His Friend
Season 18, Episode 9, “No Time to Die”
After Owen Hunt admitted that he euthanized terminally ill soldiers in the past, Cormac Hayes felt as if he couldn’t keep such a massive admission a secret. Even though Hunt basically saved Hayes’ life, he couldn’t help but think that Owen deserved to be reprimanded for his actions. But in “No Time to Die,” Hayes decides to abruptly leave Grey Sloan, taking Owen’s secret with him.
Cormac Hayes is a very divisive character because, although fans adore his genuine charm, they don’t want him to return in case he reveals Hunt’s big secret. Although some agree that Hunt deserves to be punished, and in some instances, he has been forced to pay the price, many believe that Owen acted with his morals in this situation. So, if Hayes returned to the States, Owen Hunt would probably run for the hills.
Callie Torres Unknowingly Committed the Biggest Betrayal
Season 12, Episode 5, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”
In “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” a group of Grey Sloan’s best doctors gathers around to chew the fat. But the atmosphere gets toxic when Meredith discovers that Callie is dating Penny Blake, the doctor who was with Derek when he died. Although she wanted to get him a head CT, she was overridden by her superior, Paul Costello.
Admittedly, Callie didn’t know that Penny was involved in Derek’s death, but many fans can’t help but think that she must have known something. Torres worked at the hospital when Derek died, so she would have heard all about his time at Dillard Medical Center. Whether she meant to upset Meredith or not isn’t the point. What hurts fans the most is that she didn’t offer Grey a lot of sympathy, so fans feel that if she did return to her old stomping ground, there would be a lot of tension.
