Actor Idris Elba, along with legions of fans of HBO's original series "The Wire," was shocked to discover that his character, a major role, has been killed off.

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Sunday night's episode of the program, both set and filmed in Baltimore, saw drug dealer Stringer Bell gunned down in a gristly ambush.

"When I first read the script I was like: 'What? No! This isn't supposed to happen,'" Elba said of his character's demise. "I was deeply disappointed. It was a surprise, a complete surprise."

"One of the themes of the show is that raw, unencumbered capitalism is not good for anyone," said David Simon, creator and mastermind of "The Wire.""You may get a short run, you may get a long run, but the drug trade is the only thing that's eternal."

Simon said Stringer's death was planned out two years ago. He said that although the character became a fan favorite, he and the show's producers decided not to change their plans. "Holding on to a character and then twisting the story to serve the character? There's no gratification in that for anyone. We're not doing a soap opera here," he said.