History HeartbrokenBadass / Literature

* Herald Vanyel in the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series. The love of his life commits suicide shortly after the near-fatal accident that turned Vanyel into a mage. He goes on to become one of the most powerful Herald-Mages adepts ever to live, yet to a large extent lives most of his life in mourning.

* KingArthur novels:
** OlderThanSteam: Sir Pelleas in ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''. Sir Gawain promises to help him win the heart of Ettarde, who finds him weak and doesn't return his feelings. Upon meeting her, Sir Gawain forgets his vow to Pelleas and ends up falling in love with her. Some time later, Pelleas comes across the two sleeping together and he struggles with himself whether to kill them. He decides against it and goes off, heartbroken. Soon he finds love with Nimue, and Ettarde is heartbroken.

* In Creator/EdMcBain's ''Literature/EightySeventhPrecinct'' novel ''Lady, Lady I Did It!'' Bert Kling is completely broken by [[spoiler:murder of his girlfriend Claire Townsend]]. It turns him not only to mere Heartbroken [=Badass=] but to real BadCopIncompetentCop. Despite his recovery from this, [=McBain=] made him constantly heartbroken because of [[spoiler:he is repeatedly kicked, cheated and betrayed by his girlfriends and wives]].

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* ''Literature/TheMentalState'' has Zack State, a SociopathicHero whose psychological dissorder was triggered by being forced to watch as his girlfriend was raped and then seeing the look of horror on her face when he took brutal revenge on those responsible. It is no wonder that he is the conniving, manipulative, ruthless man that he is.

* F. Scott Fitzgerald's ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'': Jay Gatsby, a genius from a humble background who, after returning from WWI to find his teenage crush married to a wealthier and hunkier man, turns himself into the richest and most popular playboy-gangster around. But of course, all he ever wanted was ''her''.

* KingArthur novels:
** OlderThanSteam: Sir Pelleas in ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''. Sir Gawain promises to help him win the heart of Ettarde, who finds him weak and doesn't return his feelings. Upon meeting her, Sir Gawain forgets his vow to Pelleas and ends up falling in love with her. Some time later, Pelleas comes across the two sleeping together and he struggles with himself whether to kill them. He decides against it and goes off, heartbroken. Soon he finds love with Nimue, and Ettarde is heartbroken.
** In ''Literature/IdyllsOfTheKing'', it's also implied that Pelleas subsequently becomes the Red Knight of the North, who ends up horribly mutilating a peasant, among other things.
* Surprisingly, Nick Chopper in ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz''. He's by far the best fighter in the party, and positively deadly with the axe when Baum still had death as part of Oz. Still, the whole reason he wants a heart? He wants to return to his girlfriend and be a proper husband for her. When he ''does'' find her again? It doesn't end well for Nick. One of his live-action counterparts had equally bad luck.
* In J.R. Ward's third entry in the ''Literature/BlackDaggerBrotherhood'' series, ''Lover Awakened'', [[spoiler: Tohrment]] falls victim to this [[spoiler: once he learns his most cherished wife, Weslie, and their unborn child, were viciously murdered.]]
* In Creator/EdMcBain's Literature/EightySeventhPrecinct novel ''Lady, Lady I Did It!'' Bert Kling is completely broken by [[spoiler:murder of his girlfriend Claire Townsend]]. It turns him not only to mere Heartbroken [=Badass=] but to real BadCopIncompetentCop. Despite his recovery from this, [=McBain=] made him constantly heartbroken because of [[spoiler:he is repeatedly kicked, cheated and betrayed by his girlfriends and wives]].
* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'': [[{{ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend}} Annabeth]] when her boyfriend [[{{TheHero}} Percy]] is kidnapped. Her few scenes show how distraught she is, knowing that even if he is still alive, his memory has probably been erased. [[spoiler: Thankfully this only lasts for the first book, the second book reveals he's alive and [[{{AmnesiaMissedASpot}} still remembers her]] and they reunite in the third book.]] The same thing goes for Nico who was in love with his friend [[spoiler: Percy]] who couldn't return his love.
* VampireHunter Aeneas in ''Literature/MidnightWorld'', after losing his wife. It took him more than 2 months to recover from HeroicBSOD, and 2 years to start a new romance... which caused a new heartbreak.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Robert Baratheon. After Lyanna died, Robert gained "200 stones", became an alcoholic, and generally lost his will to live.
--> '''Robert:''' I was never so alive as when I was winning this throne, or so dead as now that I've won it.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** Albus Dumbledore, who many decades ago had to defeat and help imprison the love of his young life, Grindelwald. Also, [[spoiler:Severus Snape, whose HeelFaceTurn and subsequent badassery were driven by the death of his childhood best friend, Lily. He was by no means a perfect person, but his drive to try and fight against his former friends in her memory is admirable ]].
** The supplementary website, Pottermore, has also revealed that Professor [=McGonagall=] is one. [[spoiler:She abandoned her Muggle fiancé because she couldn't part with the Wizarding World; something that her mother had done before her.]]

* Ripred, from ''The Underland Chronicles'' is revealed to be this in the final book. His entire family drowned in an attack and he was unable to save them, which made him suicidal (for a while). In particular, the loss of his young daughter Silksharp seems to have carried over into his "tender" and protective attitude towards Gregor's sister Lizzie.
* In'' [[Literature/TheHungerGames Catching Fire]]'', Katniss believes that Peeta will be able to make good use of this trope in the rebellion if [[spoiler:she dies in the Quarter Quell and he lives.]]

* Luke Skywalker in the later part of the ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' series; he's hit really hard when he loses his wife to, as he ultimately discovers, his own nephew.
* In the Literature/{{Honorverse}}, Eloise Pritchart loses the love of her life, Admiral Javier Giscard, at the Battle of Lovat. This doesn't stop her from getting even ''more'' badass as the series goes on, and she's strong enough (and has enough to live for) that it doesn't destroy her, but she [[TheMourningAfter never stops grieving him]]... and never stops loving him.
* Eurico in ''Literature/EuricoThePresbyter'' is a very skilled and badass knight in love with a noblewoman who is out of his league and [[ParentalMarriageVeto her father refuses to accept his marriage proposal to her]]. He opts to become a priest and devotes his life to God in an attempt to mitigate his heartbreak and forget her.

* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'': [[{{ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend}} Annabeth]] when her boyfriend [[{{TheHero}} Percy]] is kidnapped. Her few scenes show how distraught she is, knowing that even if he is still alive, his memory has probably been erased. [[spoiler: Thankfully this only lasts for the first book, the second book reveals he's alive and [[{{AmnesiaMissedASpot}} still remembers her]] and they reunite in the third book.]] The same thing goes for [[{{BadassGay}} Nico]] who was in love with his friend [[spoiler: Percy]] who couldn't return his love.

* ''Literature/TheMentalState'' has Zack State, a HeroicSociopath whose psychological dissorder was triggered by being forced to watch as his girlfriend was raped and then seeing the look of horror on her face when he took brutal revenge on those responsible. It is no wonder that he is the conniving, manipulative, ruthless man that he is.

* Luke Skywalker in the later part of the ''Literature/StarWarsLegends'' series; he's hit really hard when he loses his wife to, as he ultimately discovers, his own nephew.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': What [[BadassNormal Murphy]] has become in ''Literature/GhostStory'' following [[spoiler: Harry's death]]. A rare [[GenderSwap genderswapped]] version.
** This happens often to Harry, Susan being the cause on at least on occasion.

* VampireHunter Aeneas in ''MidnightWorld'', after losing his wife. It took him more than 2 months to recover from HeroicBSOD, and 2 years to start a new romance... which caused a new heartbreak.