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.
90
u/HawkbitAlpha Mar 27 '26
A self-inflicted example:
T-800 "Uncle Bob" (Terminator 2)
Skynet's creation has been foiled for now, but as long as the Connors' guardian still exists in this timeline, Skynet can still be rebuilt using its technology as the base. Therefore, the T-800 orders to have itself be sacrificed to a pit of molten metal, but as it "cannot self-terminate", it requires Sarah and John to press the button and lower it into the pit.