History Characters / Deathwish

* EarnYourHappyEnding: By the end of the fifth and final movie, he finally manages this, avenging his murdered fiance Olivia and saving her daughter Chelsea, regaining custody of her, before vanishing into the night with a promise to a sympathetic detective that he will [[AlwaysWithYou return if he is ever needed again]].

%%* BadassLongcoat

* FromNobodyToNightmare: A more AntiHero example. Started out a mild mannered liberal pacifist and conscientious objector who didn't like guns, until the rape of his daughter and murder of his wife, setting him on an escalating trajectory to ultimately becoming the [[TheDreaded scourge of God]] against America's criminal underworld as a famous, legendary VigilanteMan waging a one man war on crime.

* RevolversAreJustBetter: His weapon of choice in the first film is a .32 caliber nickel Colt Police Positive revolver.
* TheStoic: He's a man of few words and not very emotional, letting his actions do the talking for him.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: By the end of the fifth and final movie, he finally manages this, avenging his latest girlfriend and saving her daughter, regaining custody of her, before vanishing into the night with a promise to return [[AlwaysWithYou if he is ever needed again]].

->''"I mean, if we're not pioneers, what have we become? What do you call people who, when they're faced with a condition or fear, do nothing about it, they just run and hide?"''

* FromNobodyToNightmare: A more AntiHero example. Started out a mild mannered liberal conscientious objector who didn't like guns, until the rape of his daughter and murder of his wife, setting him on a trajectory to ultimately becoming the [[TheDreaded scourge of God]] against America's criminal underworld as a famous, legendary VigilanteMan waging a one man war on crime.

* OneManArmy: What he ultimately becomes over the course of the movies, and all the experience he gets hunting and killing criminals.

%%* UnwittingPawn: In the fourth film.

* VillainKiller: He makes it a point to subtract baddies. After his wife is killed and his daughter raped into a vegetative state, Kearsey goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge on the punks responsible, plus quite a few other nasty no-goodniks in the process. His WhyDontYouJustShootHim approach to street crime makes Kearsey into TheDreaded among Chicago's hoodlums. Several criminal organizations fall because of him.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: By the end of the fifth and final movie, he finally manages this, avenging his latest girlfriend and saving her daughter, regaining custody of her, before vanishing into the night with a promise to return [[AlwaysBeWithYou if he is ever needed again]].

[[quoteright:293:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bronsDWIV2_2857.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:293:''"It's like killing roaches. [[GottaKillThemAll You have to kill 'em all]], otherwise what's the use?"'']]

An architect and UsefulNotes/KoreanWar veteran from New York who started killing criminals after his wife and daughter were attacked inside his own apartment. He started his vigilante career by killing small-time bad guys (muggers, rapists etc.), moved to street gangs and by the end of the series takes on heavily armed mafiosos.

[[caption-width-right:293:''"It's like killing roaches. You have to kill 'em all, otherwise what's the use?"'']]

* FromNoobodyToNightmare: A more AntiHero example. Started out a mild mannered liberal conscientious objector who didn't like guns, until the rape of his daughter and murder of his wife, setting him on a trajectory to ultimately becoming the [[TheDreaded scourge of God]] against America's criminal underworld as a famous, legendary VigilanteMan waging a one man war on crime.

* FromNooneToNightmare: Started out a mild mannered liberal conscientious objector who didn't like guns, until the rape of his daughter and murder of his wife, setting him on a trajectory to ultimately becoming the [[TheDreaded scourge of God]] against America's criminal underworld as a famous, legendary VigilanteMan waging a one man war on crime.

->[-'''Played by:''' John P. Ryan-]

* TheDreaded: What he becomes over the course of the first film, making criminals frightened of running in to him.

* AdptationNameChange: In addition to the change in her last name, in the book, she was married and took her husband's last name "Tobey".

* CoolGuns: Kersey's WeaponOfChoice in the third movie is the .475 Wildey Survivor.

* AdaptationalJobChange: An accountant in thwe book, but a architect in the films.

* CoolOldGuy: Charles Bronson was already in his fifties when he first played the role and Paul is roughly the same age, with an adult daughter and son in law, and he only gets cooler and tougher as the films go on, ending the series in his seventies.

%%* TheStoic

* BadassMustache: The trademark Bronson 'stache.

* BadassMustache: It's even better than Kersey's, and he's one of the most dangerous opponents Kersey's gone up against.

* AdptationNameChange: In the book, she was married and took her husband's last name "Tobey".

* BerserkButton: While Paul kills all crooks equally, he gives far worse punishments to rapists, muggers and drug addicts, all of whom were responsible for his greatest tragedies.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Who'd thought that some nebbish architect guy would end up taking down several criminal organizations?
* CartwrightCurse: No woman is safe from harm around Paul, least of all his family. Except for Geri, who left him due to his violent lifestyle.