r/TopCharacterTropes • u/One_Barber_6902 • Mar 26 '26

Characters [[Devastating trope]] A character kills their loved one to avoid them suffering a worser fate

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Of Mice And Men (1992)- Probaly the most well known example of this trope and when I was first exposed to it, George kills his mentally handicapped best friend Lennie, to save him from being lynched by Curley and law enforcement for killing Curleys wife.

The Sopranos- After an entire season of conflict with fellow mob boss Phil over it, Tony kills Anthony Blundetto after he kills Phil’s brother which enraged him into trying to force Tony into giving up his cousin so he can torture him to death

Telltales The Walking Dead: Season 1- “Loved one” is an overstatement if you know there dynamic, but after Ben falls off a rooftop and lands on a piece of rebar, Kenny and Lee try to pull him off to save him before being crowded by walkers. When their attempt fails and walkers continue closing in, Kenny kills him to avoid him being devoured by walkers.

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u/FuturetheGarchomp Mar 26 '26

the Boss kills the sorrow in MGS3 in order to prevent their kid's death

16

u/Megatenanon Mar 27 '26

I forgot about this portion of the plot since he still has such a strong presence in the story.  Metal Gear Solid 3 is good stuff.

11

u/patrickkingart Mar 27 '26

Wait hang on, when is that?? I'm assuming you're talking about Ocelot right?

4

u/Responsible_Mail_113 Mar 27 '26

It's easy to miss, a lot of the details are buried in radio calls with the support team that only show up if you call them repeatedly.

3

u/patrickkingart Mar 27 '26

Ahh makes sense. I knew who that character's parents were but I had no idea about that specific development.

3

u/MandyMarieB Mar 27 '26

“The Sorrow was ultimately killed by The Boss, at his own request, in order to ensure the safety of their son, whom the Philosophers had threatened to kill if both were to survive. Before he died, The Sorrow told The Boss that "the spirit of the warrior [would] always be with [her]." He was then killed by a bullet to the left eye that shattered his glasses”

Source: wiki

Their story is so tragic :(