History Main / RedemptionEqualsDeath

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* Happens in {{WebAnimation/RWBY}} to [[spoiler: Hazel, who defects from Salem and sacrifices himself to buy the heroes time.]]
[[/folder]]

'''Naturally, this is a {{Death Trope|s}}. Expect unmarked spoilers ahead. You have been warned.'''

* Lampshaded in ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'', where Rodimus thinks that sacrificing oneself is a cheap way to gain redemption, particularly since [[spoiler:he was the one who put AxCrazy Overlord onto their ship in the first place]]. He believes that redemption has to be earned by making amends past mistakes.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Violine}}'', [[spoiler:Muller]] attempts to do this after his HeelFaceTurn to save Violine. However, he is saved just before he can be killed.

[[folder:FanWorks]]
* Parodied in ''Fanfic/{{XSGCOM}}''. When [[spoiler:Jonas Quinn]] dies and is brought back to life, O'Neill fires off a quip about this.
* [[spoiler: Barley]]'s final act in FanFic/TheTaintedGrimoire was to try and save [[spoiler:Cid]]. Ewen had him killed for that.
* ''FanFic/AceCombatTheEquestrianWar''. Played straight in Axe's case, but averted for [[spoiler:Black Star]].
* In ''FanFic/{{Fractured}}'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[=/=]''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover crossover]], the Siren Lilith, having become addicted to PsychoSerum, realizes what a mess she is after one insult too many from her deranged commander. She asks for (and receives) help from the heroes, culminating in her piloting a doomed ship on a deliberate collision course with Pandora's north pole in the hopes that a chain-reaction combining her Siren powers with Eridium will defeat the Reapers once and for all. It works, at the cost of Lilith's life, though that doesn't stop her from becoming a bit of a SpiritAdvisor later, in ''Fanfic/{{Origins}}''.
* In FanFic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed, the rebellious General Thunderhide receives a sort of redemption before his death in explaining his motives in the Fillydelphia Trials. His death was hinted to be purposefully set-up to be suspicious even if Celestia had nothing to do with it, possibly to ensure his own [[InspirationalMartyr martyrdom]].
* ''FanFic/TheImmortalGame'': Minor character Coconut Crunch only joined [[LesCollaborateurs the Royals]] because she honestly believed that [[LaResistance the Loyalists]] had no chance of defeating [[BigBad Titan]]. When she's captured by the Mane Six and realizes that [[HopeBringer Twilight Sparkle]] is still alive, she quickly defects... and by the end of the chapter is brutally killed by [[TheDragon General Esteem]].

* Subverted in the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' fanfic ''Fanfic/FlightOfTheCondor''. The fugitive Richard Beckwith is killed saving [[spoiler: Edith Keeler's life]]. However, [[spoiler: Keeler]] later becomes involved in [[spoiler: UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, changing who lives and who dies, causing Earth to be populated by different people for the next three hundred years, preventing the existence of the Federation and the ''Enterprise'']].
* [[spoiler: Kiba]] in the crossover fic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10527530/1/Ninja-of-Santoryu Ninja of Santoryu]] acts like an asshole for the first part of the story, only to mellow out once Naruto saves his life from the Akatsuki, even gaining a love interest. [[spoiler: He's then unceremoniously killed off by [[Franchise/FullmetalAlchemist Shou Tucker]] in battle.]]
* In ''FanFic/TheBridge'' spin-off ''Shimmer in the Dark'', Countess Mircalla intended this to be the case and made peace with her end. She'd pulled a HeelFaceTurn, destroyed the bomb threatening Canterlot, ensured the Nightmare Army was no more and Nightmare Moon could never return, and kept Mizu from harming Sunset Shimmer. She gives Sunset Shimmer a silver sword and tells her how the death of Sunset's mother was an AccidentalMurder, but she doesn't expect forgiveness. [[spoiler: Sunset Shimmer decides there had been enough bloodshed and forgives her.]]

** Similarly, [[spoiler:Chuck]], who [[spoiler: testified against and got his best friend Fooker convicted of murder, and was responsible for hitting Ki's father with a car]] while under Trudy's control, finally rebels after Ki gets him to come to his senses. He saves Fooker, but Trudy activates a device that causes him pain, turns it to its maximum setting and causes his death.
* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' plays with this here and there, but thoroughly averted with [[spoiler:Miko Miyazaki]], though. Burlew even says in the graphic novel that [[spoiler:Miko]]'s death was meant to show that not everyone gets a chance to redeem themselves after fucking up royally in the real world, and we should all be mindful of our actions.
** Whether intentional or not, [[spoiler:Miko]] does redeem [[spoiler:her]] character to some extent. She does, after all, finally accept a compromise (seeing Windstriker again, even if she couldn't become a paladin again). Also, [[spoiler:Miko]] was widely hated by the fanbase but still gets redeemed enough in the fans eyes to get a tear jerker ending.
** [[spoiler:Therkla]] from the Kubota arc. [[spoiler:Originally an assassin hired by Kubota to kill Elan and Hinjo so Kubota could take the throne of Azure City, Therkla instead ends up falling in love with Elan, causing her to turn against Kubota, who promptly poisons her to death.]]

** This seems to be the case with [[spoiler: Sasha, the utterly amoral mole and infiltrator]] who ends up at the wrong end of [[spoiler:Oasis's knives]] following [[spoiler: her claim that she really does love Riff and wants to make amends]]. But then [[spoiler: it turns out that she deliberately sacrificed herself for Hereticorp, planting nanotech trackers on Riff and Oasis by coming in physical contact with them]].
* [[spoiler:Vriska]] from ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''. After crossing her MoralEventHorizon by brutally murdering one of her friends in cold blood, she then starts talking to [[spoiler:John]] about how [[PetTheDog she regrets all the murders she's committed, announces her intention to take him on a date]] [[spoiler:and decides to challenge the BigBad to a duel she'll almost certainly lose]]. And then [[spoiler:Terezi]] kills her in order to stop her from compromising the rest of the {{Troll}}s.
** A case could be made for [[spoiler: Equius]] as well. He's a JerkJock, a {{bowdlerize}}r and a [[FantasticRacism racist]], but he's genuinely sweet to [[spoiler:his moirail, Nepeta]]. The exchange between the two of them before he's brutally murdered by [[spoiler: Gamzee]] verges on being a TearJerker moment, especially since he makes peace with [[spoiler: his romantic feelings for Aradia, despite her being the lowest troll on the hemospectrum]] right before he dies.

* [[spoiler:Mako]], a mind-clone of a government wet-worker, gets this in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' after exposure to Sorlie's far more morally upright approach to government service during an EnemyMine. Eventually, [[spoiler:Mako]] serves as spotter for a weapon that can pass through matter, being vaporised in the blast but taking out an army of suborned security officers trying to sabotage the Dom Atlantis central reactor, and leaves a note begging Sorlie not to go down the same dark path...and if she could kindly kill the original wet-worker that'd be peachy.

* In ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'', minor character [[spoiler: Anna Grout]] [[DrivenToSuicide kills herself]] out of guilt after accidentally slicing off [[spoiler: Dane Zygmunt's arm]] and causing his subsequent death by blood loss. One of the reasons mentioned is offering his family some sort of redemption.
* [[spoiler:Dr. Griffin]] of ''WebVideo/KateModern'' is strangled by the Shadow after providing the heroes with the information they need to defeat his former associates in the Order.
* [[spoiler: Link]] in the final episode of ''WebVideo/ThereWillBeBrawl''. It could actually count as a DoubleSubversion, since he had an apparent HeelFaceDoorSlam in the previous episode, thanks to Zelda's (quite literal) backstabbing. However, he gets better just long enough to face down Ganondorf one final time as a true hero.
* [[spoiler: Inverted in]] ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'', when Penny's death causes Dr Horrible's [[spoiler:final damnation]].

Often, when a character who has done something [[KickTheDog bad]] or [[MoralEventHorizon evil]] sees the error of their ways and does a HeelFaceTurn in the course of fighting to [[MustMakeAmends undo the damage]], their redemption comes at the cost of their [[HeroicSacrifice own life]].

[[caption-width-right:350:"[[FamousLastWords Tell your sister...]] ''[[FamousLastWords you were right]]''."]]

* [[BewareTheSuperman Anissa]] in ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' was initially a cruel [[TheSocialDarwinist social Darwinist]] who [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raped Mark]] out of a desire to produce a pureblooded [[SupermanSubstitute Viltrumite]] child. Later on she has a HeelFaceTurn after falling in love with a human man and starting a real family, and expresses regret for her past actions before dying helping to protect the Earth.

** A case could be made for [[spoiler: Equius]] as well. He's a JerkJock, a BluenoseBowdlerizer and a [[FantasticRacism racist]], but he's genuinely sweet to [[spoiler:his moirail, Nepeta]]. The exchange between the two of them before he's brutally murdered by [[spoiler: Gamzee]] verges on being a TearJerker moment, especially since he makes peace with [[spoiler: his romantic feelings for Aradia, despite her being the lowest troll on the hemospectrum]] right before he dies.

* RedemptionEqualsDeath/{{Film}}

* [[BewareTheSuperman Anissa]] in ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' was initially a cruel [[TheSocialDarwinist social Darwinist]] who raped Mark out of a desire to produce a pureblooded Viltrumite child. Later on she has a HeelFaceTurn after falling in love with a human man and starting a real family, and expresses regret for her past actions before dying helping to protect the Earth.

* Henry Pym was one of the founding members of ComicBook/TheUltimates, and became universally hated when he commited DomesticAbuse of his wife. However, in ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}'' he died by attracting the attack of several Multiple Men, saving the Triskelion. When Captain America woke up from a coma and mentioned him in disdain (ignoring what he just did), he was told to shut up.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': After betraying Hippolyta the power hungry Antiope redeems herself by sacrificing her own life in battle to save Hippolyta's.

!!Other examples

* In ''FanFic/{{Fractured}}'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[=/=]''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover crossover]], the Siren Lilith, having become addicted to PsychoSerum, realizes what a mess she is after one insult too many from her deranged commander. She asks for (and receives) help from the heroes, culminating in her piloting a doomed ship on a deliberate collision course with Pandora's north pole in the hopes that a chain-reaction combining her Siren powers with Eridium will defeat the Reapers once and for all. It works, at the cost of Lilith's life, though that doesn't stop her from becoming a bit of a SpiritAdvisor [[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins later...]]

* The FanWebcomic ''Webcomic/{{Roommates}}'' gave us this lampshade-tastic [[http://asherhyder.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=168#/d12p906 conversation]] about the trope itself. [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Jamie]] knows what he is talking about "been there and done that"... and this is a comic where NobodyCanDie.

# It could be that there is no [[NoPlaceForMeThere place in the world]] for them. Sure, the redeemed villain going off to a happy little life with BabiesEverAfter is heartwarming, but it might just not be possible if they're especially infamous with the general public. Even if the heroes are willing to forgive the ex-villain it doesn't always mean that the Muggles will comply. In this case death by HeroicSacrifice may actually be a happier end for the character than being [[TorchesAndPitchforks strung up]] by an angry mob. If subverted the character may end up having to hide their identity or go into exile otherwise the heroes may end up having to [[ShamingTheMob plead the villain's case]].

# It may be that the bad guy is just so bad that it's hard to accept the idea that they get a happy ending even if they've sincerely changed their ways, and so they have to die to make things seem right. Sometimes ExecutiveMeddling forces this so as not to cross MoralGuardians who will object if the ex-villain suffered another suitable punishment. See DoNotDoThisCoolThing.

# It could be that there is no [[NoPlaceForMeThere place in the world]] for them. Sure, the redeemed villain going off to a happy little life with BabiesEverAfter is heartwarming, but it might just not be possible if they're especially infamous with the general public. Even if the heroes are willing to forgive the ex-villain it doesn't always mean that the muggles will comply. In this case death by HeroicSacrifice may actually be a happier end for the character than being [[TorchesAndPitchforks strung up]] by an angry mob. If subverted the character may end up having to hide their identity or go into exile otherwise the heroes may end up having to [[ShamingTheMob plead the villain's case]].

[[caption-width-right:350:"[[FamousLastWords Tell your sister... ''you were right'']]."]]

-->-- '''James Norrington''', ''{{Webcomic/Roommates}}'', "Redemption"

->''"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 warrant. 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."''

* Played for laughs in''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' where, on a mission to Apokolips, Dr. Light declares that from now on he's going to be a hero only to be shot down by Parademons the moment he tries to contribute.

[[caption-width-right:350:"Tell your sister... ''you were right''."]]

%% Image kept on page per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1461169217081717600

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vaderredemptionunaltered.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Tell your sister... ''you were right''."]]

!!Examples:

* {{RedemptionEqualsDeath/Film}}
* {{RedemptionEqualsDeath/Literature}}