History Main / ReconcileTheBitterFoes

* ComicBook/{{Asterix}} in the Corsica album. As the Corsican chief stated: "Defeating the Romans is nothing special, but making two foes reconcile definitely is!" (paraphrased)

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "A Taste of Armageddon." The planets Eminiar 7 and Vendikar have been at war for 500 years. However, for most of this time, the conflict has been completely simulated on computers. When the computers tell the inhabitants of the planets that they've been "killed", they obediently file into [[DisintegrationChamber disintegration chambers]] and are destroyed. Captain Kirk sabotages the computers running the conflict after they target his ship, which will force the two planets to fight their war for real if they want to continue. He figures that the horror of possible planetary obliteration will cause the two populations to seek peace instead. He turns out to be right - the planets do start negotiating.
* In the [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E5LoudAsAWhisper "Loud as a Whisper"]], after fifteen centuries of war between two factions on their planet, the Solari calls for Riva to lead the peace negotiations. Riva a deaf-mute, but gets around this by having a "chorus," three people wh can read his mind and speak for him, each covering a different aspect of him.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode [[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS2E14Alliances "Alliances"]], Captain Janeway tries to act as this between the Kazon and their former rulers, the Trabe. Unfortunately, the Trabe can't resist an opportunity to take out the major clan leaders.
* On ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', [[TheCaptain Captain Archer]] plays this for the Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites. It ends up laying the groundwork for TheFederation.

* In the Skypiea arc ''Manga/OnePiece'', the centuries-long war between the natives of Skypiea and the tribal Shandians finally reaches a peaceful resolution after God Eneru nearly destroys everything and is defeated by Luffy. Luffy wasn't actually ''trying'' to do this, though; it was just a consequence of his actions.

* In a ''Manga/OnePiece'' arc, the centuries-long war between the natives of Skypeia and the tribal Shandians finally reaches a peaceful resolution after God Eneru nearly destroys everything and is defeated by Luffy. Luffy wasn't actually ''trying'' to do this, though; it was just a consequence of his actions.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. Captain Janeway tries to act as this between the Kazon and their former rulers, the Trabe. Unfortunately, the Trabe can't resist an opportunity to take out the major clan leaders.

Compare YoungLoveVersusOldHate, which can overlap with this (cf. ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'') but not necessarily, and VelvetRevolution, when a conflict that started off violently immediately winds down peacefully. Contrast MediationBackfire.

* The episode "Targets" of "WesternAnimation/YoungJustice" had Lex Luthor do it with North and South Rhelasia, which were expies of the Koreas.

Two groups have been locked in a ForeverWar for a long, long time. Then, a third party (like TheHero) comes along and wants something from both of them. But first, he has to play the peacemaker and stop the senseless bloodshed for them to work together with each other and with him.

Setting the stage can vary in method: sometimes all that's needed is a PatrickStewartSpeech to invoke a HeelRealization in the groups. In more cynical works, the hero could outright ''demand'' a ceasefire and threaten to kick both side's asses unless they throw down their weapons and talk it out. Success usually results in a very, very awkward but hopefully honest (just how awkward and honest will depend on whether OntologicalInertia factors in or not) [[PeaceConference handshake between the two leaders]] and a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for TheHero.

* The episode "Targets" of "WesternAnimation/YoungJustice" had Lex Luthor do it with North and South Rhelasia, which were expies of Korea.

Compare YoungLoveVersusOldHate, which can overlap with this (cf. ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'') but not necessarily, and VelvetRevolution, when a conflict that started off violently immediately winds down peacefully.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "A Taste of Armageddon." The planets Eminiar 7 and Vendikar have been at war for 500 years. However, for most of this time, the conflict has been completely simulated on computers. When the computers tell the inhabitants of the planets that they've been "killed", they obediently file into [[DisintegratorRay disintegration chambers]] and are destroyed. Captain Kirk sabotages the computers running the conflict after they target his ship, which will force the two planets to fight their war for real if they want to continue. He figures that the horror of possible planetary obliteration will cause the two populations to seek peace instead. He turns out to be right - the planets do start negotiating.

* A large portion of ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions'' revolves around Neo traveling to the Machine City to call for an end to the war between humans and machines, [[spoiler:in order to allow him to stop [[BigBad Agent]] [[AGodAmI Smith]] from destroying both races]].

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* Parodied in ''Webcomic/{{Wondermark}}'' -- [[http://wondermark.com/657/ page #657, "The Negotiator."]]

Two groups have been locked in a ForeverWar for a long, long time. Then, a third party (like TheHero) comes along and wants something from both of them. But first he has to play the peacemaker and stop the senseless bloodshed for them to work together with each other and with him.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "A Taste of Armageddon." The planets Eminiar 7 and Vendikar have been at war for 500 years. However, for most of this time the conflict has been completely simulated on computers. When the computers tell the inhabitants of the planets that they've been "killed", they obediently file into [[DisintegratorRay disintegration chambers]] and are destroyed. Captain Kirk sabotages the computers running the conflict after they target his ship, which will force the two planets to fight their war for real if they want to continue. He figures that the horror of possible planetary obliteration will cause the two populations to seek peace instead. He turns out to be right - the planets do start negotiating.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. Captain Janeway tries to act as this between the Kazon and their former rulers, the Trabe. Unfortunately the Trabe can't resist an opportunity to take out the major clan leaders.

* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Discworld/{{Thud}}'', it turns out that the most infamous event in the thousand-year war between dwarves and trolls started with a huge misunderstanding. The dwarves said that trolls ambushed them at Koom Valley, the trolls say the dwarves ambushed them. In reality, [[spoiler: a sudden fog that fell over what was supposed to be a peace-talk lead to panic on both sides, and the ensuing battle was interrupted by a flash flood that wiped out everyone left.]] The discovery of a secret message from B'hrian Bloodaxe, former king of the dwarves, and the [[RevealingCoverUp clumsy attempts by some extremist dwarves to cover it up]] leads to the truth finally coming out and the beginning of a true peace between trolls and dwarves.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'': Nero, refusing to lose anyone else close to him [[MyGreatestFailure as he did Credo]], plants himself right in the center of [[CainAndAbel Dante and Vergil's fight]] and demands an end to the feud.

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* Parodied in ''Webcomic/{{Wondermark}}'' -- [[http://wondermark.com/657/ page #657, "The Negotiator."]]

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Success usually results in a very, very awkward but hopefully honest (just how awkward and honest will depend on whether OntologicalInertia factors in or not) [[PeaceConference handshake between the two leaders]] and a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for TheHero.

* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Discworld/{{Thud}}'', it turns out that the most infamous event in the thousand-year war between dwarves and trolls started with a huge misunderstanding. The dwarves said that trolls ambushed them at Koom Valley, the trolls say the dwarves ambushed them. In reality, [[spoiler: a sudden fog that fell over what was supposed to be a peace-talk lead to panic on both sides, and the ensuing battle was interrupted by a flash flood that wiped out both sides.]] The discovery of a secret message from B'hrian Bloodaxe, former king of the dwarves, and the [[RevealingCoverUp clumsy attempts by some extremist dwarves to cover it up]] leads to the truth finally coming out and the beginning of a true peace between trolls and dwarves.

* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Discworld/{{Thud}}'', it turns out that the thousand-year war between dwarves and trolls started with a huge misunderstanding. The dwarves said that trolls ambushed them at Koom Valley, the trolls say the dwarves ambushed them. In reality, there was just a natural disaster.