As a corollary to that type of fictional world view; anyone can die, at any time, even the protagonists, because the bigger story isn't necessary dependant on t

As a corollary to that type of fictional world view; anyone can die, at any time, even the protagonists, because the bigger story isn't necessary dependant on them. It helps create some freshness in story writing. As it happens I am nearing the end of reading Brin's excellent Uplift series (spanning six books from the 80s and 90s), where the story often involves several groups of protagonists and antagonists acting in parallel. It makes for a nice change from the typical hero-driven stories that do appear to form the bulk of our fiction.