Grey’s Anatomy

It feels likeGrey ’s Anatomyhas been on forever , and in a elbow room it has , with its 17th season presently airing and over 369 episode useable on streaming . While the premiss remain the same all these years by and by , a lot of characters have come and gone as meter has passed .

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When a character reference leave the medical dramatic event they are usually face with two likely fates : death , or a Modern caper so far away , they can never pop in to visit . While some of these departures from the ABC drama have made sense for the characters sports fan fell in beloved with , others have miss the sucker and left viewers enraged at the style they were written off .

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Reject: Lexie Grey & Mark Sloan

Lexie Grey and Mark Sloan were mean to be , but fans never get under one’s skin to see their lovemaking pan out due to their tragical endings .

Lexie perish as a result of a woodworking plane crash , but not before Mark professed his making love for her and declared that they were supposed to have a fantastic , well-chosen life together . He died concisely thereafter from injuries support from the clank . It was heartbreaking to see fan - favorites pass on the show ( peculiarly in such morbid style ) , and without ever properly reuniting as a duet .

In Character: Preston Burke

After being a primary eccentric for the first three season of the show , Preston Burke go out town on the day of his weddingafter leave his fiancé Cristina Yangat the communion table . He briefly reprised his function in Season 10 to declare oneself his ex-wife a Book of Job , a plot pointedness   that check out give the potential he consider in her as an intern .

Burke and Cristina never had what it have to be in it for the tenacious haul , and him realise that at the Lord’s table made perfect sense for how they usually cover their relationship ; with spontaneousness .

Reject: Derek Shepherd

Neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd died in the show ’s eleventh time of year after being stumble by a semi - truck and fail to receive a head CT at the hospital he was take to . After lay aside the lives of others that day , doc could not do the same for him and Meredith had to make the difficult conclusion to take him off animation backing .

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bear Derek suffer a tragical end was unjust to witness invested in Meredith and Derek ’s passion story . Not only did it check off another exit for Mer , it also meant that she ’d surely get a Modern passion interest in future seasons of the show .

Lexie, Derek, Cristina, and Alex before leaving Grey’s.

In Character: George O’Malley

George jumping in front of a passenger vehicle for a stranger was straight out of Seasons 1 and 2 O’Malley . The altruistic , goofy 007 intern his peers grew to lovewould do anything to protect others , even if he did n’t recognize them .

His decision to join the army seemed a little out of the blue , but after his divorcement from Callie and flunk relationship with Izzie , it made horse sense he might want to branch out and try something new . While it ’s unjust that he never aim to search outside of Seattle Grace , his demise was true to his persona and raise that he had the best heart .

Reject: Izzie Stevens

After surviving cancer , it just did n’t make sentience that Izziewould require to throw her marriage and friendships out . She got fired for her error in the midst of problem cut , but she had already done far sorry ( like cut Denny ’s L - VAD wire ) .

Izzie relied on the citizenry she met at Seattle Grace , and for her to just run away with so much as a proper goodbye was upsetting and unfortunate , especially when she send off Alex divorcement papers via mail .

In Character: Cristina Yang

Meredith ’s BFF and the Cardio God herself Cristina Yang left Grey - Sloan at the end of Season 10 . Her way out exhort her infamous , " He is not the sun , you are , " speech and left many rooter wondering how Meredith would go on without her individual .

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As far as Cristina ’s character spark pass though , her departure made sense . She was designate for bigger and good things , especiallyafter her divorce from coworker Owen Hunt . Additionally , Grey - Sloan was a hotspot for pop off Doctor of the Church , and nobody wanted Cristina to encounter the same fate as so many of her peer . It was a good thing she got out of there before more tragedy could strike .

Mark and Lexie

Reject: April Kepner

The end of Season 14 saw April and Matthew at the altar once again , only this time in reality following through with their nuptials .

Fans were saddened that April was departing the show , and even more upset that she and Jackson never found their way back to one another . Instead , April decided to pass foreverwith the guy she previously reject . Jackson and April fans lose hope after her exit , but can maybe depend ahead to areunion between the two in Season 17 .

In Character: Arizona Robbins

In the same episode that hear April leave alone Seattle behind , Arizona says goodbye to her friends to move across the country to be closer to her ( newly individual ) ex - wife .

Arizona ’s determination to stick to Callie to New York so they could co - parent Sofia together filled fans with joy . It meant that there was hope for an ( off - screen ) reconciliation between Callie and Arizona . There was nothing thatArizona fuck more than her daughterand , at one point , Callie so her heavy New York move made a lot of sense , even if she would be missed at Grey - Sloan .

Reject: Alex Karev

In Season 16 , Alex takes a leave from the hospital to seemingly call his female parent . However , it is later revealed he actually locomote to see Izzie , and their 5 - class - old twin he had recently learned about . rather of saying adieu , Alex write Jo and Meredith letters explaining his absence seizure .

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Alex leaving Jo for Izziein the same way that Izzie left him was completely out of character , and disregard all of the growth he had in seventeen seasons . Couple that with the fact that he is n’t even shown onscreen in his last episode , and it ’s safe to say that rooter were not pleased with the show ’s handling of Justin Chambers leaving .

Preston Burke leaving the altar.

In Character: Addison Montgomery

Addison entered Grey ’s as a would - be villain when she showed up at Seattle Grace as Derek Shepherd ’s estranged wife . She chop-chop became a fan - ducky , as her mien never really threatened Meredith and Derek ’s kinship . Instead , she was a wise man to the medical intern , a friend to Callie , and helped strengthen the relationship between other characters .

It only made sentiency that Addison should be the tip of her own telly show , and that ’s on the dot what happened when theGrey ’s spin - off , Private Practicewas developed . Addison , now in California , got to experience life as an OGBYN and divorcée and still made guest visual aspect in Seattle . It was the sound of both world .

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Meredith saying goodbye to Derek.

An image of George O’Malley in Grey’s Anatomy

Izzie Stevens leaving Meredith’s house.

Cristina Yang in her last episode before departing Grey-Sloan.

April Kepner saying goodbye to Jackson on Grey’s Anatomy

Arizona with her daughter, Sofia.

Alex and Izzie’s twins, and Jo reading the letter Alex sent her.

Addison on her own spinoff show, "Private Practice".