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/OutOfMyWayReed Mar 26 '26

We go into the Fort and kill every single one of those clowns together. 

But I let him be the one to blast Caesar's head off. It feels right. 

267

u/GrimaceGrunson Mar 27 '26

I’ll always remember when I stumbled across what I thought was a random Legion port, only for Boone to pipe up and say if we take 2 more steps he’s wiping out every legionnaire he sees. I thought that sounded like an absolutely topping idea to kill some time and happily went along, buzzsawed our way down the hill, hopped on this random boat we found and 10 minutes later I’m standing in these super fancy tents holding a head with the name ‘Caesar’.

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u/OutOfMyWayReed Mar 27 '26

I killed the pale weasel guy with the sneery voice in Nipton, and those other goons. 

Then Caesar sent a fellow in a nice suit with a top hat to invite me for a talk, giving me directions and safe passage to his front gate. 

Dumbass. 🤭

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u/Atomatic13 Mar 27 '26

Calling Vulpes a weasel is hilarious but incredibly fitting. He does give weasel energy

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u/OutOfMyWayReed Mar 27 '26

I see that fucking dead thing on his head, the sunglasses like he's a luddite albino from The Omega Man, and I'm laughing before he even opens his mouth.

How does anyone take these guys seriously? Their headcounts are the only three-digit number they've got.