History Main / IronWoobie

* ''Literature/AesirCrossWars'': Leon Hardrada[=/=][[spoiler:Azrael]]. All at the ripe old age of 14, Leon gets beaten up and robbed by his friends, whom he trusted. He is heavily implied to be an orphan. Later on that day, his brother got murdered. The next day, he received an invitation to go to the City of Light, only for the event to get hijacked by resident GodOfEvil Loki. He locks him in Helheim with 10 other children, but half of them die right in front of him. In particular, Aria Lockhart,a girl he had a crush on, had one of the most brutal deaths in the story (Impaled on spears multiple times, then has her soul ripped out of her body.). When the survivors escaped, Leon goes home, only to find his parents have been slaughtered by Loki. After he meets up with the other 5 survivors, they are being confronted by Loki, who wants to sacrifice one of them, and then Leon [[TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth volunteers to die to keep the others alive]]. If not for the other gods taking action by [[spoiler:reincarnating him as the Angel Azrael]], he'd be too dead to make this trope. Despite all this, he is a NiceGuy who always gives second chances, and strongly believes RousseauWasRight.. In fact, now that he can fight, he never kills if it can be avoided. He is a happy, kind boy who was even willing to forgive and reform Loki's fanatical priests and followers.

%% Please see thread to discuss a new image.

%%%

%%%

[[quoteright:350: [[ComicBook/SpiderMan https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0adc3e123a9d24c6dcbb8867fb0c9247.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[BeingGoodSucks Sometimes, responsibility can be too much.]]]]

!!Example Subpages:

!!Other Examples:

** [[LadyOfBlackMagic Princess Winter Opera]] is an illegitimate daughter of [[RottenRockAndRoll War Rock]], which earned her nothing but scorn for much of her life. Almost everyone (including [[WhatTheHellHero some superheroes]]) expected her to follow in her father's hoofsteps due to her relations, and as she told [[EvenEvilHasStandards a horrified and disgusted Queen Eclaira]] millennia later, her beauty got her painted as a [[HornyDevils Succubus]] that seduced colts and stallions alike. When she discovered her true parentage, she felt so angry and bitter that she [[TheRunaway ran away from home]]. Fortunately, she would meet caring people who helped her achieve her dream of becoming a musician, but even then she still suffered, including [[BucketBoobyTrap having a bucket of blood dumped on her]] mid-concert for an extremely cruel prank, fending off villains who wanted to recruit her for her skill in dark magic, and facing accusations of [[ItsAllAboutMe wanting to be worshiped forever]] after becoming an Alicorn. And on top of that, she nearly lost one of her beloved mentors, Blue Suede Heartstrings, who snapped from three Ages worth of abuse and trauma and nearly became a corrupted Alicorn. The only reasons why she keeps going at all despite her hardships is her desire to defy public expectations of her and the positive influence of those who genuinely want to see her succeed.

* [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]]. Abused as a child, turned into a green monster, endured the death of ''three'' wives, chased around the world by the Army, shot into space, enslaved by an alien empire, loses the empire once he conquers it, has his RoaringRampageOfRevenge crushed by a HeelRealization, and fails to save one of his troubled sons. Man it ''SUCKS'' to be a big green badass.

** And, oddly enough, the Hulk himself, as depicted in "The End".

** [[{{Determinator}} Ruby Rose]]. During the Vytal Festival tournament, she watched a close friend gruesomely dismember another friend, knowing both had been manipulated by the villains but unable to intervene in time to save them. This triggers a cascade of trauma that eventually leads to her apologising to Jaune to for dragging him into everything; Jaune tells her that she's actually a source of inspiration and bravery for others because she keeps on fighting even when she's lost so much. However, it's Oscar who later forces her to admit how she really feels and how she keeps going despite it. [[spoiler:Volume 3 involves a battle where she sees her school destroyed, her sister lose an arm, Pyrrha murdered in front of her eyes, and her entire team be disbanded. This leaves her experiencing nightmares of Pyrrha's voice, hinting at SurvivorGuilt. This becomes more obvious when her uncle Qrow intervenes to help her fight Tyrian; when she keeps helping Qrow despite his protests, he has to save her from his own Semblance, allowing Tyrian to poison Qrow. Volume 7 hints at her trauma over her mother's death when she collapses after Salem implies she killed Summer, but she's back on her feet minutes later when she realises how much danger Mantle is in.]]

** Leia, so so much. Biological mother dead in childbirth, and her twin brother taken away for decades. Tortured by her biological father after he'd massacred her ship's crew (thought she didn't know his true identity at the time). Saw her homeworld blown up along with her foster parents by a smirking Imperial. Harried across much of the galaxy, with trusted Rebel allies dying all the while. Watched the guy she's falling for get frozen alive, not knowing if he'll live through it. Captured and dressed up like a sex slave by a revolting slug gangster. Found out her friend is her long-lost brother just in time to watch him go off and potentially get killed. Had to accept that her ''torturer'' was her biological dad. Gave birth to a son who turned to the Dark Side, causing her husband and brother to leave in grief and/or shame. Kicked out of politics when her status as Darth Vader's daughter got leaked to the public. Saw the star system where nearly all of her allies lived blown up. Force-felt her son '''murder her husband'''. Lost virtually every surviving ally to yet another harrying enemy force, while narrowly escaping dying in the vacuum of space. Finally gave up hope that her son could ever be redeemed. Force-felt a loved one's death '''again''' when her long-lost brother expired from exertion. How is this woman ''even sane''?!

* ''Comicbook/{{Empowered}}'''s titular character. After the events in volume one alone, most people would have given up on superheroing for good. Emp's eleven volumes in and counting. Pain, humiliation, mortal terror, repeated failure, and the constant verbal abuse of her teammates do not stop her. It's either noble dedication or the worst case of ChronicHeroSyndrome ever. She could walk away at any time. No one would blame her. [[{{Determinator}} She doesn't. She never will]].
* [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]]. Abused as a child, turned into a green monster, endured the death of ''three'' wives, chased around the world by the Army, shot into space, enslaved by an alien empire, loses the empire once he conquers it, has his RoaringRampageOfRevenge crushed by a HeelRealization, and fails to save one of his troubled sons. Man it ''SUCKS'' to be a big green badass.
** How bad does Banner's life suck? In ComicBook/{{Immortal Hulk}} one issue of the series draws direct parallels between Bruce and Job. You know, the guy in Literature/TheBible whose life God absolutely and completely destroyed (Home destroyed, livelihood destroyed, family destroyed, riddled with ailments, etc.) as a test proposed by Satan to prove Job's loyalty to God was not bought. Yes, Bruce's life is so awful and absolutely f*#@ed that he can be compared to a guy who is the posterchild for human misery and being a CosmicChewToy.

* Some incarnations of [[Comicbook/IronMan Tony Stark]] qualify especially if he's being TheDeterminator and disregards his health.
* Comicbook/MartianManhunter has one of, if not the most tragic backstory of the heroes of the DCU, and that's saying a lot. J'onn watched his entire species (including his wife and daughter) die a fiery death at the hands of his brother, only survived by cutting himself off from his species, wandered alone over the barren world of Mars for an untold amount of years and was abruptly transported to an alien world. Despite all this, J'onn retained his sanity and remains a noble, wise hero.

* Shinji Ikari in ''FanFic/{{The Second Try}}'' '''invoked it willingly'''. After 3rd Impact and [[spoiler: losing his (and Asuka's) child because they traveled back time to do the whole damn story again]], he keeps on keeping on so he can prevent 3rd Impact and create a better future. Since Asuka is slowly giving into depression (and CharacterDevelopment during 3rd Impact) he is the only thing [[OnlySaneMan keeping them both on track.]]

* Sweetie Belle from the RecursiveFanfiction ''FanFic/TheSweetieChroniclesFragments''; the fic starts with her mentor Twilight Sparkle getting crystallized and blown up in a magic accident, with Sweetie stuck hopping across TheMultiverse trying to put her back together. From there she's been attacked by werewolves, Fallout ghouls, psychopaths, and other monsters, killed several times by an insane shard of Twilight, watched an alternate universe Rarity cut down one of her best friends in cold blood, been physically and psychologically tortured by TheFairFolk until she became a living statue, got roped into a war between ponies and Changelings despite her calls for peace, and she gets the occasional vision of how her absence has emotionally destroyed her universe's Rarity. Yet she keeps moving on, in the hope that her journey will end and she and Twilight can go home.

* The human incarnation of [[{{WebAnimation/RWBY}} Penny Polendina]] in ''FanFic/WithPearlAndRubyGlowing''. She starts out with birth defects, requiring several organ transplants and a pacemaker, is bullied in school for her odd behaviour and when she [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} transitions to female]], and then she survives a White Fang subway bombing, is raped by one of them, and is so badly injured she ends up with [[AnArmAndALeg all four limbs being amputated]]. Her father builds hi-tech artificial limbs and she gets around just fine, and she seems remarkably upbeat.

* Chiaroscuro Themyst from Roleplay/SinaiMuck is a cute mongoose character who got trapped in another world, has to deal with a constant buzzing noise in his head, originally speaks in broken English and gets mistreated because he's often mistaken as a kavi yet he seems to function rather well. He crosses the line from Iron Woobie to pure {{Woobie}} in [[http://sinai.critter.net/log.php?title=The+Trial+of+Envoy this log]] though.

* Ryuuguu Rena in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi'' evolves into this in several paths, to the point that [[spoiler: in one of them, she laughs and mocks the BigBad right before being shot to death.]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''WebComic/CriticalMiss'' strip [[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/10452-Full-Metal-Genesis "Full Metal Genesis"]] uses this trope as a TakeThat contrast between [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Alphonse Elric]] and [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]].

* Yuri Hasagashi, aka "WebComic/IronVioletTheShyTitan" is a very shy and insecure girl. AbusiveParents has been implied to be the source of this. Despite this past trauma (and other referenced moments of bullying), Yuri is a sweet, caring girl who uses the vast superhuman strength she developed to protect others instead of lashing out with them. It's a wonder how she would have turned out if not for the kindness and care of her loving best friend and caring father figure...

* Eddy from WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy. It is revealed in [[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow the movie]] that he was only [[HiddenHeartOfGold pretending to be a jerk]] as a desperate cry for friendship after years of abuse from his older brother. It is especially hard to stomach considering all the times Eddy is beaten, humiliated and punished throughout the series, as well as being pratically raped by Lee Kanker on a daily basis.

** [[UpToEleven And]] ''[[UpToEleven then]]'' there's Flash "[[OneManArmy Agent]] [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} Venom"]] Thompson. Who's been through an abusive childhood, [[WarIsHell his legs getting blown off in war]], DemonicPossession, a messy breakup, and a constant fight for control against the [[PuppeteerParasite Venom Symbiote]], yet still fights without complaining [[AscendedFanboy because that's what Spider-Man would do.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'' takes this trope ''beyond'' eleven. [[spoiler:We have Héctor, the estranged music man who went on a music tour and was never heard from by his family again, who was murdered by his best friend for wanting to return home and spent 96 years trying to see his daughter Coco before he was completely forgotten. Not only did his family refuse to remember him, when his wife Imelda died, she refused to listen to his desperate attempts at apologizing, and it was only through Miguel mistakenly believing his best friend to be his great-great-grandfather that he learned the truth of how he died, got his chance to reunite with his family, and finally see Coco without being forgotten.]]

* Butters Stotch from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has AbusiveParents who tend to [[YouAreGrounded ground him]] [[DisproportionateRetribution over such trivial matters]] and a grandmother who terrorizes him, and is also constantly humiliated by the boys (mainly Cartman). Despite all this, he never loses his good nature.

Different from the StoicWoobie in that while this character doesn't complain about their misfortune, they don't have to hide the majority of their feelings. The Iron Woobie still can show many emotions such as happiness or grief. They probably won't even mention how the universe makes them a CosmicPlaything.

* ComicStrip/{{Nodwick}} has died [[http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/gamespyarchive/index.php?date=2009-08-17 538 times]], usually because his employers are too lazy to pick up a 10-foot pole. Many of these deaths have been slow and painful. He hardly complains, and when the forces of goodness offer to remove him from all this he turns them down (after seeing what this does to his companions or replacement). He still saves the world every other plotline.

* [[{{Determinator}} Ruby Rose]]. During the Vytal Festival tournament, she watched a close friend gruesomely dismember another friend, knowing both had been manipulated by the villains but unable to intervene in time to save them. This triggers a cascade of trauma that eventually leads to her apologising to Jaune to for dragging him into everything; Jaune tells her that she's actually a source of inspiration and bravery for others because she keeps on fighting even when she's lost so much. However, it's Oscar who later forces her to admit how she really feels and how she keeps going despite it. [[spoiler:Volume 3 involves a battle where she sees her school destroyed, her sister lose an arm, Pyrrha murdered in front of her eyes, and her entire team be disbanded. This leaves her experiencing nightmares of Pyrrha's voice, hinting at SurvivorGuilt. This becomes more obvious when her uncle Qrow intervenes to help her fight Tyrian; when she keeps helping Qrow despite his protests, he has to save her from his own Semblance, allowing Tyrian to poison Qrow. Volume 7 hints at her trauma over her mother's death when she collapses after Salem implies she killed Summer, but she's back on her feet minutes later when she realises how much danger Mantle is in.]]
* [[BeneathTheMask Nora Valkyrie]] spent her childhood as an orphan StreetUrchin, often having to steal food from the garbage in order to feed at all, being bullied by other kids, she was alone when the Nuckelavee attacked the village, being stuck below a house until Ren saves her, she then goes on to survive with him by her side, deciding to suppress her feelings for him. [[spoiler:Way later, she faces the death of her good friend Pyrrha, and to find answers, she agrees to leave everything behind and go with Ren, Jaune and Ruby to Haven, at which point, she has to face with the Nuckelavee again, in a battle that almost costs Ren's life due to his own UnstoppableRage, until she has to snap him back to sanity. Despite having a hard life, she keeps her cheerfulness, bravery and keeps the spirits high in her team; it fuels her passion and rage to help Mantle in Volume 7, challenging General Ironwood's hurtful policies when even the other heroes don't.]]
* [[GuiltComplex Ozpin]] has... [[DarkAndTroubledPast had a rough existence]]. He was originally a great hero who rescued an imprisoned, lonely girl named Salem. The two fell in love, but he soon fell ill and died. His lover tried to bring him back by asking the gods to revive him, but her methods triggered a war that turned the gods against humanity. The God of Light asked him to guide humanity to salvation, but he would be forced to keep reincarnating until this day came and, if he fails, the gods will destroy humanity once and for all. [[spoiler:Although reincarnation reunited him with Salem, her method of helping unite humanity eventually made him realise how dangerous she had become. Trying to save their children from her machinations led to a terrible confrontation between them that got their children killed, causing him to spend many lifetimes [[DrowningMySorrows reeling with grief]] until he was able to pull himself back together and return to his divine mission. He has spent thousands of years trying to unite humanity, such as creating the Huntsmen Academies to teach humanity the value of team-work and cooperation while also teaching them how to fight the Grimm. However, Salem's quest to destroy everything he ever achieves and to divide humanity makes his task impossible while she lives; but she cannot be destroyed, forcing him to keep fighting an InvincibleVillain with no end or resolution in sight. After having experienced too many times how the truth about Salem's immortality turns people against him by destroying their hope through fear, he has created such a web of deceit to protect humanity from despair that he has lost sight of who he used to be and struggles to retain his ability to believe in the best of people. Despite this, he keeps struggling onwards and trying to put a brave face on things, no matter how terrible things become, how many mistakes he makes, or how alone he feels.]]
* [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne Oscar Pine]]. A small boy, living with his aunt on a dirt farm in bumblesquat nowhere, finds his mind invaded by the soul of an ancient, horrifyingly powerful man, suddenly has memories he didn't have before, loses all sense of privacy, and starts going insane before Ozpin gets the explanation through to him. A sense of moral obligation - and Ozpin's pestering - force him to abandon his aunt without warning, then charge through the rain to a train station, where he can't afford a ticket. He gets spooked by a member of Salem's group, then has to make his way to Mistral, all the while Ozpin floods his mind with knowledge of the ancient conflict between himself and Salem. By the time he finally meets Qrow and team RNJR, he's scared, alone, and confused. Luckily, he does gain some confidence later on, until he figures out the extent of Ozpin's deceit, forcing him to fight Ozpin for control over his own body just to warn the heroes what's happening. [[spoiler:Not only is Oscar now aware of how hopeless the quest he was drafted for is, but he is facing the potential loss of his entire identity as he merges into the gestalt entity the heroes know as "Ozpin". And, as the physical vessel of Ozpin, Oscar discovers that if anyone becomes violently upset with Ozpin, the person they're actually punching or slamming into walls is him. Despite this, he vows to keep going and tells the heroes that he intends to help them against Salem for whatever time he has left. Even when he is shot and send tumbling down Atlas to Mantle below without any Aura to protect him, he doesn't allow panic to overwhelm him, which enables him to discover the power he needs to unlock to save himself. Instead of being left shaken by the near-death experience, he simply picks himself up and ''orders'' Ozpin to help him save Atlas next. Despite being tortured by Salem in Volume 8, he never gives in, turns some of Salem's subordinates against her, then single-handedly nukes the monster that is destroying Atlas, putting Salem out of commission just long enough for the heroes to save the kingdom's people.]]

* Ruby Rose by the end of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}''[='s=] third volume: [[spoiler:thanks to the actions of [[BigBad Cinder Fall]], Beacon Academy is destroyed, the headmaster who put her there is MIA, she watched the death of two of her dearest friends -- Penny and Pyrrha -- and was unable to save them, had her CoolBigSis Yang mauled and driven into a HeroicBSOD, Blake disappeared for places unknown without saying goodbye or saying why, Weiss was dragged back to Atlas and she's come to find out that she's a special breed of person, one who lives for battle and has special powers. Despite all of this, Ruby ended up picking herself back up and allied with the remains of Team JNPR to find Cinder Fall and pay her back for the harm she caused, her desire to be TheHero never wavering.]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}''. Where to begin? His mother leaves when he is a baby, his father constantly pushes him to succeed so he can have a better life, he is blinded by chemicals and his father is murdered by the mob. Oh and the super senses? Matt can't turn them off and They make life nearly unbearable. In ''ComicBook/DaredevilBornAgain'', his ex-girlfriend sells his identity to the mob, he loses his legal license, he has all his money taken away and is reduced to living on the streets. Then in ''Shadowland'', he is demonically possessed and forced to do horrible things. Lets just say life sucks for Matt Murdock. And yet he never gives up and becomes a stronger person for it.

* ''Film/{{Dragonheart}}'' and its sequels/prequels: The dragon race as a whole, they swore to protect and guide mankind and yet they would end up being persecuted, hunted and driven to near-extinction by those they had sworn to protect, despite all of this they kept to their oath, down to the last dragon.

* ''Film/Dragonheart'': The dragon race as a whole, they swore to protect and guide mankind and yet they would end up being persecuted, hunted and driven to near-extinction by those they had sworn to protect, despite all of this they kept to their oath, down to the last dragon.

* ''Film/Dasgonheart'': The dragon race as a whole, they swore to protect and guide mankind and yet they would end up being persecuted, hunted and driven to near-extinction by those they had sworn to protect, despite all of this they kept to their oath, down to the last dragon.

* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}''. Where to begin? His mother leaves when he is a baby, his father constantly pushes him to succeed so he can have a better life, he is blinded by chemicals and his father is murdered by the mob. Oh and the super senses? Matt can't turn them off and They make life nearly unbearable. In ''Born Again'', his ex-girlfriend sells his identity to the mob, he loses his legal license, he has all his money taken away and is reduced to living on the streets. Then in ''Shadowland'', he is demonically possessed and forced to do horrible things. Lets just say life sucks for Matt Murdock. And yet he never gives up and becomes a stronger person for it.

* Butters Stotch from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has AbusiveParents who tend to [[YouAreGrounded ground him]] [[DisproportionateRetribution over such minuscule things or stuff beyond his control]] and a grandmother who terrorizes him, and is also constantly humiliated by the boys (mainly Cartman). Despite all this, he never loses his good nature.

Oftentimes the Iron Woobie is also a {{Determinator}}, though this isn't an essential part of the character. The chief difference is that a {{Determinator}} usually has a specific reason, where as the Iron Woobie can be anyone who bears up gamely to things that happen to them for no discernable reason. Be that as it may, they stubbornly insist on walking the same misfortune-laden path they were on before, and won't give up their personal ethical code just because things continue to go poorly for them.

* ComicBook/SpiderMan:
** Spider-Man takes more crap, deals with more tragedy, [[MyGreatestFailure blames himself]] for his shortcomings, and gets less credit than almost any other A-list superhero, all while constantly taking immense beatings by going up against threats way beyond his power level, but he [[{{Determinator}} never lets it break his spirit.]]
** [[UpToEleven And]] ''[[UpToEleven then]]'' there's Flash "[[OneManArmy Agent]] [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} Venom"]] Thompson. Who's been through an abusive childhood, [[WarIsHell his legs getting blown off in war]], DemonicPossession, a messy breakup, and a constant fight for control against the [[PuppeteerParasite Venom Symbiote]], yet still fights without complaining [[AscendedFanboy because that's what Spider-Man would do.]]

* [[GentleGiant Colossus]] from the X-Men is a very [[ChromeChampion literal]] example. He's seen his brother "die", come back after many years, and exile himself from this realm. He's seen his sister die from the Legacy virus. He then sacrificed his own life to find a cure for said virus. An alien resurrected and imprisoned him, tortured him for two years, and shortly after he was freed, his girlfriend disappeared in space. She came back recently... only to discover that she was trapped in her intangible form, and unable to interact with the rest of the world, including Colossus. And he's still one of the noblest of the X-Men. Later, Colossus's sister also [[CameBackWrong came back]]. She may or may not be a [[DamagedSoul soulless abomination]]. Regardless, she acts more emotionless and detached than before, and endangered the entire world for her own vendetta. Colossus still stands by her. Much later, he took the mantle of the [[TheJuggernaut Juggernaut]], which makes him even more mentally unstable.
* Mother of Champions from Franchise/TheDCU's ''Great Ten''. Essentially being prostituted by her country to strange men so that her [[ExplosiveBreeder special gift]] can be exploited is bad enough, but the children that result from these unions have a lifespan of roughly ''one week''. She had never given birth before she had her first 25 boys, and eight days later they were all dead. The fact that she remains the picture of motherly dignity and poise is a testament to her emotional strength. The "strange men" part is occasionally changed; she's slept with most of the male members of her team, though her heart belongs to Socialist Red Guardsman alone.

** His clone/daughter, Laura Kinney AKA ComicBook/{{X 23}}, as well. Bred and raised to be an assassin-for-hire under incredibly abusive and brutal conditions, (she was exposed to lethal doses of radiation at ''age seven'' to forcibly activate her HealingFactor, and having her claws surgically removed to be coated in adamantium in the most painful process possible) forced to kill her mother through her conditioning to enter an UnstoppableRage when exposed to a trigger scent, giving up the only family she's ever known to protect them from her abusive handler--who periodically catches up to her ''just'' to make her life a living hell--all the while struggling to control her berserker rage and come to terms with all the death on her hands. She doesn't even have the benefit of Logan's swiss cheese memory to ease the trauma, and remembers ''all of it''. Laura ''wants'' [[IJustWantToBeNormal to be normal]], but she ''will'' keep fighting because, as she once told Daken, she's fighting for something bigger than herself.
* Franchise/{{Batman}}:
** Batman is the definition of the Iron Woobie. His parents were cruelly gunned down by a mugger when he was eight years old, and that's just the beginning. He's had one of his allies crippled by the Joker, then lost his adopted son to the very same man in the course of a year. To make matters even worse he had his spine broken once and then had aforementioned adopted son return to life, now permanently blaming him for his first death. Yet despite this he has NEVER broken his moral code and has never used a gun. [[spoiler: ([[BatmanGrabsAGun However, he made a "once-in-a-lifetime exception"]] in ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' when he shot {{ComicBook/Darkseid}} with a bullet made of Radion (the kryptonite equivalent of the New Gods and ironically, the same one Darkseid used to kill Orion). He did this to poison him and give time for Superman to finish the job. By that point though, [[GodzillaThreshold everything was going to hell as Darkseid was wrecking the ''Multiverse'' so things have gotten ''that'' bad.]]]] His refusal to break it, even in the face of the Joker (who Batman would like to kill but won't), is the reason he remains a highly prominent A-List superhero and the world's best detective.
** [[ComicBook/{{Batwoman}} Kate Kane]] started out similar to Batman: she, along with her mother and twin sister, were kidnapped, and she was left the only survivor of the operation sent to rescue them. Years later, she finds out her twin is not only alive, but has returned as a psychopathic cult leader. Her sister eventually jumps from a plane before her eyes. After this Kate gets [[MindRaped mind-raped]] by a supernatural being and almost drowns, her cousin is almost killed while out crimefighting, she's blackmailed into working for a shady government organization in order to protect her father, she finds out her sister is ''still'' alive, she gets dosed with a hallucinogen and beaten up by a relatively sub-par villain, she breaks up with her girlfriend as a way to get her girlfriend's ex-husband to drop his custody battle for their daughter, and gets hypnotized by a vampire and becomes her sex slave. While she has a naturally stoic personality, she does exhibit anger and sadness from all this. However, even at her lowest point she never considers abandoning her role as a vigilante, and actually makes some progress through her issues after seeing a psychiatrist, becoming stronger for it.
* Comicbook/MartianManhunter has one of, if not the most tragic backstory of the heroes of the DCU, and that's saying a lot. J'onn watched his entire species (including his wife and daughter) die a fiery death at the hands of his brother, only survived by cutting himself off from his species, wandered alone over the barren world of Mars for an untold amount of years and was abruptly transported to an alien world. Despite all this, J'onn retained his sanity and remains a noble, wise hero.
* [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]]. Abused as a child, turned into a green monster, endured the death of ''three'' wives, chased around the world by the Army, shot into space, enslaved by an alien empire, loses the empire once he conquers it, has his RoaringRampageOfRevenge crushed by a HeelRealization, and fails to save one of his troubled sons. Man it ''SUCKS'' to be a big green badass.
** How bad does Banner's life suck? In ComicBook/{{Immortal Hulk}} one issue of the series draws direct parallels between Bruce and Job. You know, the guy in Literature/TheBible whose life God absolutely and completely destroyed (Home destroyed, livelihood destroyed, family destroyed, riddled with ailments, etc.) as a test proposed by Satan to prove Job's loyalty to God was not bought. Yes, Bruce's life is so awful and absolutely f*#@ed that he can be compared to a guy who is the posterchild for human misery and being a CosmicChewToy.
** And, oddly enough, the Hulk himself, as depicted in "The End".
--->'''Hulk''': [[spoiler: For years... forever... Hulk has listened to Banner, and Banner's friends, talking about how Hulk ruined Banner's life! Hulk made Banner's life! Banner was nothing before Hulk... nothing!...Hulk doesn't want friends, because friends will hurt him. Everyone hurts him. Everyone hurts Hulk.]]
* Some incarnations of [[Comicbook/IronMan Tony Stark]] qualify especially if he's being TheDeterminator and disregards his health.
* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}''. Where to begin? His mother leaves when he is a baby, his father constantly pushes him to succeed so he can have a better life, he is blinded by chemicals and his father is murdered by the mob. Oh and the super senses? Matt can't turn them off and They make life nearly unbearable. In ''Born Again'', his ex-girlfriend sells his identity to the mob, he loses his legal license, he has all his money taken away and is reduced to living on the streets. Then in ''Shadowland'', he is demonically possessed and forced to do horrible things. Lets just say life sucks for Matt Murdock. And yet he never gives up and becomes a stronger person for it.
* ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures'': when [[OurVampiresAreDifferent the alien Evronians]] invaded Xadhoom's planet, she lost her boyfriend, and entire race. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge she resolved to exterminate them for it]]. The real kicker? ''She accidentally caused that invasion.''
* Johnny Alpha of ''ComicBook/StrontiumDog'': Born mutated, to a father running for high public office on an anti-mutant platform. Abused constantly throughout his childhood. Ran away and became a child soldier at age 12. General Armz second-in-command at 17. Watched the deaths of hundreds of his comrades-in-arms in the assault on Westminster. Lived the rest of his life as a bounty hunter. Estranged from his sister, who considered Johnny a threat to her family (not without reason). Watched several friends die. Killed his father and brother. Was cheated out of countless bounties. Faced constant anti-mutant discrimination. And soldiered on. If you don't want to buy the man a beer and give him a hug, you have no heart.
* ComicBook/{{Mockingbird}}, AKA Bobbi Morse. In chronological order, she's been framed, shot, caught in an explosion, beaten, raped, killed said rapist, saw her marriage break down, was abducted by aliens and forced to fight for survival, killed a Skrull that took the form of the man she loved, eventually returned but was then haunted by the ghost of her rapist, had her relationship with Hawkeye break down once more, her mother was shot and her brother disowned her, got shot again and turned into an immortal super soldier, then got left behind enemy lines with no memory, had serious MindRape that revealed she had a second personality, left with broken memories and shot at, then finally killed the man responsible for the mind rape before being lost, now missing with no one knowing where she is. All that, you'd think she'd give up, right? Well, she doesn't. She just faces down the problem with a smirk and a sarcastic one-liner.
* Franchise/{{Superman}} himself. He lost his homeworld, in all continuities, one or both of the Kents die, and he has to live with the knowledge that he is different from the humans he protects and will never truly belong. His ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'' adaptation is even a HeroWithBadPublicity at the start of his career. And yet he never stops being an IdealHero. UpbringingMakesTheHero indeed.
** ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}. Compared to Kara, Kal's woobieness is miniscule. He may have lost his planet, but was a baby when it happened and was raised by the loving Kents, while Kara (especially in New Earth) remembers her planet pre-destruction and '''her parents being vaporized and planet being destroyed were the last thing she saw before the suspended animation of her ship kicked in.''' She has to deal with having the memory of what she's truly lost - family and friends alike, and has survivor's guilt because of it, but still tries to live up to the responsibilities of the S. Batman has told her that, unlike Clark, Kara knows what it's like to be like him because she knew what it was like to see your parents die in front of your eyes and be helpless to stop it.
* [[ComicBook/WonderGirl Donna Troy's]] journey during the ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'' period, which lead to her [[ContinuitySnarl/DonnaTroy Continuity Snarl]] due to the amount of time warping, multiple lives, and memory altering done to her by Dark Angel in order to force her to live out multiple nightmarish existences with tragic ends one after the other with her friends and family (outside Wally and Diana) forgetting she'd ever even lived. Even before Dark Angel started messing with the timeline to torture Donna her marriage failed, and then her ex-husband and young children died in a car accident. Then, once she'd finally been restored to herself and gotten an appartment with her sister Diana she was killed in ''Graduation Day''.

** [[VideoGame/StoryOfTheBlanks Mitta]] has a truly horrifying backstory. Born in Sunnytown, she was one of the lucky few to survive a deadly bout of Cutie Pox with her entire family intact. But when Mitta's younger sister, Ruby Heart, earned her Cutie Mark by helping a neighbor find a misplaced gift, Grey Hoof formed a lynch mob and [[WouldHurtAChild burned the filly to death]] ''in her family's own fireplace''. Mitta and her parents tried to save Ruby Heart, but they were talked into letting it happen by Grey Hoof. Then [[TricksterGod Pakak]] happened to be there, and what he saw ''enraged'' him into cursing all of Sunnytown with zombification, including Mitta. Since then, Mitta was made a prisoner and psychologically abused by her neighbors for centuries, all to keep her from interfering while they hunt down innocent Ponies with Cutie Marks. Then young Apple Bloom is targeted, forcing Mitta to acknowledge her mistakes while empowering her to finally retaliate against her abusers by unleashing her 'Special Talent' - the ability to [[GreenThumb control plants]]. Mitta has come a long way since then, but she still has a lot of baggage from her experiences that many benevolent deities are helping her recover from.

** High King Bogolenya probably has it worst of his siblings. A prophetic vision of mortal Deerkind being led into a GoldenAge by a great Deer King motivated Bogolenya's father, Irminsul, to purify his son of his inner flaws and evil so he would be turned into a perfect ruler and god. ''[[WouldHurtAChild While still in-utero]].'' This not only defiled and killed Bogolenya, but split him up into Belyolen and Temnobog. This led to Bogolenya's halves being mistreated in different ways - Belyolen is lavished with love and praise for being born good and pure, while Temnobog is shunned, bullied, and abused for being born evil and corrupt regardless of what he actually did. And thanks to Irminsul's hypocritical, bigoted, and toxic teachings, Belyolen and Temnobog [[CainAndAbel clashed with each other]] for a long time until they learned the truth of their existences and reconciled. Despite the trauma his halves went through, Bogolenya nonetheless finds love and support in the Bogolenya Deer Pantheon, and even helps out in the 'Final Ragnarok' arc after Belyolen and Temnobog [[FusionDance fuse]] to save an ally from the Shadowed Ones... but not before giving Irminsul a well-deserved TheReasonYouSuckSpeech for how selfishly and vicariously he treated his children.

* Elissa, in the ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' story ''Fanfic/ShadowAndRose'', is very much this. Her entire family is murdered, then she's one of only two Grey Wardens to survive a massacre of a battle. She and her fellow Warden are then [[HeroWithBadPublicity blamed for all the deaths in that battle]] and hunted relentlessly while they try to rally forces to help them save the country. All the while, she picks up new friends who each have their own personal demons that she must help them overcome. She can't give up or her country is doomed, so all she can do is continue to fight - and occasionally find a reason to smile.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'' takes this trope ''beyond'' eleven. [[spoiler:We have Héctor, the estranged music man who went on a music tour and was never heard from by his family again, who was murdered by his best friend for wanting to return home and spent 96 years trying to see his daughter Coco before he was completely forgotten. Not only did his family refuse to remember him, when his wife Imelda died, she refused to listen to his desperate attempts at apologizing, and it was only through Miguel mistakenly believing his best friend to be his great-great-grandfather that he learned the truth of how he died, got his chance to reunite with his family, and finally see Coco without being forgotten.]]

* Sarah Connor of the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' movies bears traces of this. In ''Film/TheTerminator'', she loses her roommate and best friend, her mother and the love of her life. By ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', she has been committed to an asylum, and has not seen her son in years. Despite all this, she never loses sight of her responsibilities, and remains determined to mold John into the leader humanity needs him to be. And then comes ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate''. [[spoiler:In this timeline, SKYNET's creation had been averted in the second film, but multiple T-800s had already been sent back into the past. One of these Terminators found them and murdered John right in front of her, carrying out a mission from a future that no longer existed. She spent the following decades tracking down and destroying these remnant Terminators with help from an anonymous informant, only to later find that another young woman like her past self was being targeted by Legion, another evil supercomputer that was built in SKYNET's absence. On top of that, she finds out that the informant who had been helping her over the years was the very same T-800 that killed her son, seeking [[TheAtoner to atone]] after living without orders. By the end of the film, she joins up with the young woman to keep fighting the future and try to avert the new Judgement Day.]]
* Lawrence Talbot, Universal Studios' ''Film/TheWolfMan1941'', is depicted as this in his later appearances, once he resigns himself to never finding a cure and starts making the best of it by becoming TheAtoner, siccing his monstrous side [[SerialKillerKiller on other monsters]]. Given that he can't ever keep ''himself'' dead when he attempts suicide, becoming an Iron Woobie is really his only alternative.
* Knives Chau in ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld''. Though an ActionGirl in both the [[ComicBook/ScottPilgrim comic book]] and the [[TheFilmOfTheBook film]], the film incarnation truly makes the transition to Iron Woobie and is a deciding factor in Scott's final victory against the BigBad. In the comics, Knives instead sheds much of her woobie status by realizing that Scott is something of a JerkAss where relationships are concerned, and actively decides to move on for her own good.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** Obi-Wan Kenobi. His master gets killed before his eyes while he is powerless to prevent it, he becomes a master long before he is ready, he winds up fighting in a war that goes against all he believes in, his HeterosexualLifePartner turns to the Dark Side and massacres the only family Obi-Wan has, he's forced to fight said former friend to the death, he lives in exile for nineteen years and then is killed by the same old friend he couldn't bring himself to kill years before. And that's not even mentioning the ExpandedUniverse. But he'll never compromise his principles, retaining his status as TheParagon through all the hardship. At the most, he'll [[DeadpanSnarker snark]] about things, and [[StoicWoobie it takes a heck of a lot to get him to show any negative emotion.]]
** Leia, so so much. Biological mother dead in childbirth, and her twin brother taken away for decades. Tortured by her biological father after he'd massacred her ship's crew (thought she didn't know his true identity at the time). Saw her homeworld blown up along with her foster parents by a smirking Imperial. Harried across much of the galaxy, with trusted Rebel allies dying all the while. Watched the guy she's falling for get frozen alive, not knowing if he'll live through it. Captured and dressed up like a sex slave by a revolting slug gangster. Found out her friend is her long-lost brother just in time to watch him go off and potentially get killed. Had to accept that her ''torturer'' was her biological dad. Gave birth to a son who turned to the Dark Side, causing her husband and brother to leave in grief and/or shame. Kicked out of politics when her status as Darth Vader's daughter got leaked to the public. Saw the star system where nearly all of her allies lived blown up. Force-felt her son '''murder her husband'''. Lost virtually every surviving ally to yet another harrying enemy force, while narrowly escaping dying in the vacuum of space. Finally gave up hope that her son could ever be redeemed. Force-felt a loved one's death '''again''' when her long-lost brother expired from exertion. How is this woman ''even sane''?!

* ''Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle'': Tauriq Jackson has been harassed his whole life- Harold finds him in jail accused of robbery- but has learned a long time ago not to get riled up (and to be happy about his large penis). [[spoiler: It pays off when he sues the department and has the racist cops thrown in the can]].

** And then there's Kaldor Draigo. He's [[BrokenBase hated by a lot of players]] [[CanonSue because of his lore]] - he's a member of the [[KnightTemplar Grey Knights]], who are already badass compared to the other badasses of the 40K universe. They face the greatest horrors of the Warp, fighting [[EldritchAbomination daemons and spawns of Chaos]], which would normally leave a normal person insane. He gets the even shorter end of the stick - he gets sucked into the Warp itself, and he's mostly trapped in it. He, however, [[TheDeterminator refuses to surrender]]; even if all the victories he manages to win inside the Warp are fleeting since the daemons just reform elsewhere, he keeps on fighting alone, walking the Warp.

* Adamant caste Alchemical TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}. Their duty is to keep the Eight Nations safe without the Octet ever finding out they exist. They spend most of their time in the dark, alone except for a tide of horrible monsters. They wait, and they watch, but if they do break protocol and reveal themselves to a small group of mortals or an assembly of Alchemicals, thanks to their anima effect it's likely their contacts will never remember who they are. Yet most of them keep carrying the torch of Autochthon's will into the darkness and use it to burn gremlins for people who will never know what they go through.
* In ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'' the Iotes have this as their [[PlanetOfHats hat]]. Bombed back into the stone age in aeons past, the Iotes have degenerated from being beautiful and graceful creatures to hideous and disease ridden. Living on a irradiated rock with limited resources and constant warfare, they have been forced to have an amazing level of emotional resistance and tend to accept even the worst turns of events as a natural part of life.

* Ryuuguu Rena in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi'' evolves into this in several paths, to the point that [[spoiler: in one of them, she laughs and mocks the BigBad right before being shot to death.]]

* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'':
** Makoto Naegi was literally BornUnlucky. He has [[NotMyLuckyDay the worst day ever]] before he receives an invitation to attend Hope's Peak Academy, which sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime...only to then be thrust into a killing game with 14 other students. The girl he has a crush on [[spoiler: dies after attempting to frame him for murder]], the other students [[spoiler: almost get him wrongfully executed]], and to top it all off, [[spoiler: when he and the five survivors finally escape, the outside world is revealed to be a hellhole of despair]]. Yet in spite of it all, Makoto remains a forgiving NiceGuy, still believes the best in people, and encourages his friends not to lose hope. He's such a believer that RousseauWasRight that [[spoiler: when given the chance to kill the fanatical followers of the person who put him and his friends through hell, he instead decides to give them all a second chance through rehabilitation in the Neo World Program]]. It's no wonder he earns the title of [[HopeBringer Ultimate Hope]].
** [[BookDumb Aoi Asahina]], also known as Hina, hangs out with fellow tomboy and MMA master, Sakura Ogami, whom many people, Kiyotaka included, thought was a guy at first until they found out her gender. Hina starts off as a talented swimmer until the apocalypse outside Hope's Peak Academy and the headmaster sealed her inside along with the other students. She woke up two years later forgetting of the times she got to know everyone, and at first, forgets Makoto's name, forcing him to repeat it to her three times. Hina was one of the people who didn't think Makoto killed Sayaka, as she found out Sayaka was planning to kill someone. She finds out her family was killed with possible including of her little brother who looked up to her but is one of the only students to never commit murder or be a victim. She does, however, discover Alter Ego after a mental breakdown of not wanting to kill anyone. Chapter 4 utterly breaks her as she finds out Sakura seemingly killed herself because of the surviving students, and blames them for her best friend's death, attempting to commit SuicideByCop by misleading the investigation and getting everyone killed. However, she does feel horrible for this when Monokuma reveals Sakura's real intention was to stop them from killing each other. In the bad ending, she ends up giving [[BabiesEverAfter birth]] to the children of Makoto, Yasuhiro, and Byakuya living in fear, but deluded happiness, being the only surviving female. In ''Anime/Danganronpa3'', she is supposedly murdered but survives as it was just a prank one of the antagonists played on her. Ultimately, despite being seemingly bubbly and cute, she's got a tough exterior but weak interior, and like quite a few of the class, is very tragic.
* ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateNinjaShadow'' has its PlayerCharacter, Saori Shishido. She's a PluckyGirl ActionSurvivor who not only loses her beloved brother at the start of the game, but must carry on with his mission on top of hiding her true self (and not just because of the SweetPollyOliver disguise she has to [[DeadPersonImpersonation take on]]). And yet she's kind to a fault and never gives up on her goals.

* Ruby Rose by the end of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}''[='s=] third volume: [[spoiler:thanks to the actions of [[BigBad Cinder Fall]], Beacon Academy is destroyed, the headmaster who put her there is MIA, she watched the death of two of her dearest friends - Penny and Pyrrha - and was unable to save them, had her CoolBigSis Yang mauled and driven into a HeroicBSOD, Blake disappeared for places unknown without saying goodbye or saying why, Weiss was dragged back to Atlas and she's come to find out that she's a special breed of person, one who lives for battle and has special powers. Despite all of this, Ruby ended up picking herself back up and allied with the remains of Team JNPR to find Cinder Fall and pay her back for the harm she caused, her desire to be TheHero never wavering.]]
* Katy Towell's ''WebAnimation/ChildrinRSkary'' has a few examples, most notably the titular Ida from "Ida's Luck", who is tormented and finally almost killed but who still manages to muster the energy to fend off monsters. The protagonist of "The Mockingbird Song" also fits this trope by the end.

* ComicStrip/{{Nodwick}} has died [[http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/gamespyarchive/index.php?date=2009-08-17 538 times]], usually because his employers are too lazy to pick up a 10-foot pole. Many of these deaths have been slow and painful. He hardly complains, and when the forces of goodness offer to remove him from all this he turns them down (after seeing what this does to his companions or replacement). He still saves the world every other plotline.

* Mecha Maid aka Marilyn Seong from ''Webcomic/{{Spinnerette}}'' has this in spades. She has, at most, ''three years to live'' thanks to ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). She can barely speak without technological assistance and is only mobile in a wheelchair or her [[PoweredArmor battlesuit]]. Yet she gets into the Mecha Maid suit and goes out to punch supervillains anyway. (Admittedly, part of this may be that the armour's systems allow her to actually ''walk''.)
* O-Chul of ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' is an example MadeOfIron. Blasted through the air from the losing end of a brutal battle, captured and tortured by Team Evil, given half a chance to escape he takes the opportunity to strike out at Xykon and Redcloak, no matter how many times he's humiliatingly beaten down for the effort. O-Chul maintains his code of honor without complaint, and can even show consideration for others through the worst of his torments. His resilience and compassion throughout his imprisonment may also have laid the groundwork for a HeelFaceTurn on the part of Xykon's most powerful minion (which could very well save the world at some crucial point down the line).
* ''WebComic/CriticalMiss'' strip [[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/10452-Full-Metal-Genesis "Full Metal Genesis"]] uses this trope as a TakeThat contrast between [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Alphonse Elric]] and [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]].

* The titular WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack went through hell in his quest to return to his native time, and [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption never even achieved his final goal]]. 50 years later and despite a significant uptick in cynicism and ennui, Jack is still surviving. He almost dies several times and is almost DrivenToSuicide, but he keeps going out of sheer stubbornness and [[spoiler: finally makes it back to the past to kill Aku once and for all]].
* Eddy from WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy. It is revealed in [[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow the movie]] that he was only [[HiddenHeartOfGold pretending to be a jerk]] as a desperate cry for friendship after years of abuse from his older brother. It is especially hard to stomach considering all the times Eddy is beaten, humiliated and punished throughout the series, as well as being pratically raped by Lee Kanker on a daily basis.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheHuckleberryHoundShow'': Huckleberry Hound spends the majority of his appearances playing ExtremeDoormat and taking slapstick abuse from the universe around him, however his mellow, easy going nature rarely fades, even when he's indented into a nearby wall.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': Luna Loud is the third oldest of the Loud siblings and a lover of Rock and Roll. In "L is for Love" the siblings find a secret admirer letter addressed to L Loud. While the others give signs to their crushes, Luna chickens out thinking Sam wouldn't be into her. After the last letter seems to be for her, she and her siblings rush to the restaurant it said to meet at. Only to find it was from their mother to their father. However, inspired by her mother's story Luna decides to give Sam a letter to tell her about her feelings. In "Really Loud Music" Luna enters a music competition but decides to use a safe bubblegum pop song after she doubts her old one. After getting in, the hosts try to model into someone else. However, in the end, Luna decides to play her old song and manages to win over most of the crowd.

* Butters Stotch from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has AbusiveParents who tend to [[YouAreGrounded ground him]] [[DisproportionateRetribution over such minuscule things or stuff beyond his control]], a grandmother who bullies him, and is often humiliated by the boys (mainly Cartman). Despite all this, he never loses his good nature.

* ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'':
** PM was originally just a mail carrier, and was tasked with delivering a package to John. After a whole lot of things go wrong, she winds up [[spoiler:appointed queen of the Exiles, only to see all of her friends/subjects murdered when [[BigBad Jack Noir]] comes out of nowhere, destroying what little they had managed to rebuild. He only didn't kill her because he didn't think she posed a threat. But then she finds the [[RingOfPower White Queen's Ring]] that WV had been carrying, and [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge follows Jack to kick his ass]] as Prospitian Monarch]]. The [[OhCrap look on Jack's face]] when he realizes how badly he underestimated her is glorious.