History Main / RedemptionEqualsDeath

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': The ambiguity of some of these changes of heart is exemplified when Dodge, who started out as a wannabe hero, turns on group of villains he gathered to get revenge on Robin. He specifically attacks the member that usurped Dodge's leadership position from him and threatened his family, and his immediate death means his it's never revealed if he ever moved past his IJustWantToBeSpecial and NeverMyFault motivations even though Robin chooses to have him remembered as a hero.

DeathSeeker and some types of the MartyrWithoutACause are characters most prone to believe this in universe. A possible end result of the RedemptionQuest.

* [[spoiler:Nega-Ki]] in ''Webcomic/GeneralProtectionFault'' attempts to surprise Nega-Nick when he is about to use Nick's MUTeX device to escape. She is mortally wounded when Nega-Nick shoots her with a laser welder, but her actions give Nick an opportunity to try to get the welder away from his counterpart, before Nega-Nick tries to teleport away, but Nick was CrazyPrepared and the lack of a critical part causes him to be warped to an unknown location, and possibly disintegrated.

*** The Penal legions are criminals on death row who are sent on [[WeHaveReserves suicide missions]]. If they live or (far more likely) die, their sins are forgiven.

* In ''Theatre/TheGentlemanRanker'', the disgraced Lieutenant Graylen rejoins the army as Private Smith. He finds himself under the command of his father, Colonel Graylen, who tells him IHaveNoSon. Smith volunteers to push through enemy lines to make contact with reinforcements. He makes it through, but dies of his wounds. Colonel Graylen acknowledges his son again, posthumously

** Jenny Shepard She dies in a shootout while trying to protect Gibbs from a woman she was supposed to have killed years before. She was apparently dying of ''something'' anyway. Fandom was just happy to see Paris flashbacks die with her.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anakinredeemed.jpg]]]]

** [[spoiler: Severus Snape]]. He spent his entire life [[spoiler:trying to make up for betraying Lily Potter, the love of his life, to Voldemort. He ends up giving Literature/HarryPotter just the information the boy needs to finally take down Voldemort.]] And then dies.

Compare VillainsDyingGrace when the villain is portrayed sympathetically as they are dying, DeathEqualsRedemption for when a dying villain chooses to do a final good act and AlasPoorVillain when the character's death (speech) provides a reason for the fans to feel sorry for them. See also HeelFaceDoorSlam, when the poor guy doesn't even get to redeem themself before dying. Non-protagonist [[TheAtoner atoners]] are especially likely to be hit by this trope.

* ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' features a subversion. About fifteen minutes towards the end of the movie, a reformed Diego takes a blow that Soto meant for Manny. Then he gets his own TearJerker death scene and everything. It isn't until the very end that we learn that it was a DisneyDeath. Interestingly, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Diego ''was'' originally going to die permanently,]] but test audiences found this unnecessary.

* In ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode [[Recap/CommunityS1E23ModernWarfare Modern Warfare]] Britta makes up for her attempt to double-cross Jeff by sacrificing herself to defeat Chang.

* In ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'', After breaking free of the mind control, [[{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] is offered the choice between stopping Superman and letting the nuke to kill all the metahumans, or leaving him and letting the metahuman war continue. Captain Marvel takes the third option, destroying the nuke and sacrificing himself in place of Superman.

* ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'' has a classic example. In this case, the improbability of [[spoiler:Korso]]'s sudden betrayal and total personality change, sudden redemption, and even suddener death really draws attention to this trope. It's even lampshaded. The hero hesitates to leave Korso to die, but Korso says, "Just go, it's easier this way."

* In ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven'', Lee, played by Robert Vaughn is a gunfighter who has lost his nerve and usually tries to hide from participating in any of the shootouts in order to avoid being killed. In the end though, Lee finally finds his courage in rescuing some townsfolk inside of a farmhouse from three banditos during the climactic final showdown between the Seven and the Banditos. [[spoiler: He's killed immediately after he walks out of the farmhouse.]]

** Over the course of''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'' Yondu admits to his mistakes and starts to attempt to remedy them, culminating in giving the only spacesuit he has to Peter so that his son can survive their exposure to space. The redemption is two-fold, as he not only redeems himself as a person, but also in the eye of the Ravagers.

** In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'', Yondu's first truly selfless act in his life, namely giving the only spacesuit he has to Peter so that his son can survive in space results in his death. The redemption is two-fold, as he not only redeems himself as a person, but also in the eye of the Ravagers.

* In Gav Thorpe's TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} [[TheLastChancers Last Chancer]] novel ''Annihilation Squad'', at the very end, Kage [[spoiler:is freed from a daemon's control, manages, with great effort, to remember what had happened while he was controlled, and realizes the value of sacrifice. He immediately drags the man they had come to assassinate over the cliff.]]

** From the second game, a deleted content where Atton dies after losing his fight against Darth Sion can be interpreted as this, considering his backstory [[spoiler:as a former Sith assassin]].

* In VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn King [[AFatherToHisMen Volechek]] unknowingly triggers the [[WhamEpisode Grave Eclipse]] in the [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone center of his city]]. The party next sees him when he [[HeroicSacrifice gives his life]] to end the Eclipse.

* In ''Warcraft 3'', at the end of the orc campaign, Grom Hellscream kills the demon who corrupted the orcs into AlwaysChaoticEvil berserkers originally at the cost of his life, freeing the orcs from the MindControl said demon put them under.

* The initial end goal of why Rachel seeks to die in VideoGame/AngelsOfDeath is this [[spoilers:for she discovered that the murders of her own parents and her own screwed personality to be sinful and unacceptable to 'God'.]] She still wishes to die after she has come to terms with it, but by then, she wanted to be killed by Zack out of her own desire rather than as some form of forgiveness.

->''"The problem with a 'redemption' gig is, well, no one wants to see it. They all want to believe in it, sure, but to do it... it's as good as signing your own death warrent. Audiences don't want to see you redeemed, living a normal life. They'll never truly forgive your for your flaws as long as you're alive."''