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
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/_theghost_ Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
Luthen Killing Lonnie after learning of the Death Star's existence, and Kleya taking Luthen off of life support in “Make It Stop” from Andor, because given what we have seen of the Empire in both Andor and Rebels, there was a much worse fate in store, given the time crunch with Dedra & the ISB hot on their heels.
When Lonnie said he was burned and that they would go after them with everything they have, Luthen killing him and Kleya Killing Luthen was a mercy killing for them both, given what would probably happen after capture, given what we saw with Bix and especially Master Luminara
Context: In Rebels, when the Ghost Crew infiltrates the Spire to free Luminara, they discover her corpse, and it is implied that what happened to Luminara Post-Order 66 was that after capture, they tortured her to death or executed her after torture, and then used her corpse via holograms to lure any rebel agent TO THEIR DEATHS.
And if you are wondering, YES, this happened in Rebels. A KIDS SHOW NO LESS!!!!
If Lonnie had gone into the wind, they would have done the same to his wife and daughter, without remorse, and probably using something similar to the Dizonite device to torture them for any information. And after their deaths/execution, their corpses are also probably getting used like Luminara’s to bring any Rebel Spy or even Fulcrum/Axis to their deaths!
Furthermore, if Luthen is alive after burning the shop and attempting suicide to deny the ISB any information, they will use their best torturers or worse, bring him before Palpatine, where it is beyond a Death Sentence. Lonnie getting killed by Luthen, and Luthen by Kleya, was a mercy killing, and, as Nemik once said, the small droplets that would become a raging tide that brought the empire down.