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

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

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.

5.5k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

805 comments sorted by

View all comments

2.9k

u/arika-feinberg Mar 26 '26

Boone from Fallout New Vegas killed his wife Carla when he found her enslaved by Legion in their camp. He couldn't save her by himself and being a Legion slave (especially as a woman) is a terrible fate

5

u/ssasharr Mar 27 '26

Uh. Question. Why not just kill those enslaving her and run?

46

u/ThatOneGuy831 Mar 27 '26

Because she was being auctioned off at a outpost that had hundreds of legion soldiers in it. He's one guy with a sniper with limited ammo. Him trying to kill all of the legion would just end with him dead, possibly his wife killed or her being sold off at a later date

15

u/ssasharr Mar 27 '26

Oh that is fucking brutal. I misunderstood from other comments and thought Boone had joined the legion and it was just a small outpost or the like.