Many fans fell in love with Brat Pack member Rob Lowe solely on his breakthrough performance in The Outsiders as Sodapop Curtis. Other members of the '80s classic include Ralph Macchio before The Karate Kid and Tom Cruise before Top Gun. Along with its main cast, the film also included several cameos. While Sodapop was nothing less than swoon-worthy, Lowe's character actually had one of the saddest stories. Its harrowing nature almost compares to Johnny Cade's heartbreaking fate.

The Outsiders was an overall faithful adaptation to S.E. Hinton's 1967 novel with the same title. That said, there were still several key differences between the book and the film. Viewers didn't witness much of Lowe's character's devastating backstory, and his fate after the film's ending was even more tragic.

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Johnny and Ponyboy talk to Dally in The Outsiders

Sodapop is the middle child of the Curtis family, with Ponyboy as a younger brother and Darry as an older brother. C. Thomas Howell plays Ponyboy, while Patrick Swayze before Road House appears as Darry. Soda dropped out of school at 16 years old and decided to work at the local gas station to fix cars with his friend Steve. All the girls, both Socs and Greasers, can't resist Sodapop's remarkable charm. They even travel to the gas station solely to see him. Ponyboy, who looks up to his brother, mentions that "he attracts girls like flies to honey."

At the beginning of the novel, it is revealed that Sodapop is madly in love with his girlfriend Sandy. Although, the young lovebirds suddenly break up after Sandy tells Soda that she cheated on him and is pregnant with another man's baby. Despite her pregnancy, Sodapop still proposes to her, but Sandy movies to Florida with her grandmother instead. Sandy's decision utterly crushed Soda, and she wasn't even physically in the Outsiders film.

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The Curtis brothers in the grass in The Outsiders

Along with his complicated relationship problems, Sodapop is frequently stuck in the middle when Darry and Ponyboy get into an argument. In addition to his differences with his brothers, Soda is also unlike most Greasers in one aspect. Soda has fun without even going near alcohol. His younger brother states that Soda "gets drunk on just plain living." Despite staying away from alcohol, the middle Curtis brother still enjoys racing, fighting and dancing.

Since The Outsiders was released, several details about Soda's life have come to light. For instance, Sodapop used to work at a stable when he was only 12 years old. One day, his favorite rambunctious horse named Mickey Mouse was sold. Soda cried all night after the incident. Although, this incident can't even compare to what happened years later in terms of devastation. According to IMDb, Lowe had asked Hinton during filming what became of Soda after The Outsiders. The author responded Lowe's character was drafted into the Vietnam War and died there. Hinton later confirmed that this shouldn't be considered canon since it's not in the book, but one could argue that Sodapop's proposed fate is just as, if not more, tragic as Johnny's.