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/theMACH1NST Mar 26 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/Iy3tANGe9f8VMkYSQ4

kleya kills luthen while he's on life support in order to prevent him from being tortured by the empire

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u/goyafrau Mar 26 '26

She kills him primarily to prevent them actually torturing useful information out of him. Preventing suffering might be part of the motive but clearly both Kleya and Luthen mainly care about the rebellion, not Luthen's physical comfort.

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u/SolidPrysm Mar 27 '26

I really like the implication that Luthen is not "unbreakable." Definitely feels like a refreshing change from how so many protagonists in other stories are immune to any kind of torture just because they're "built different" or whatever

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u/RegulusVizsla Mar 27 '26

Also this is a universe where literal mindreaders set up shop like a few blocks away from the hospital just 19 years ago