History Main / Revenge

Sometimes, the people seeking revenge are doing so out of a [[CrusadingWidower subconscious sense of guilt and responsibility]], or to cover up some other emotion like SurvivorsGuilt (which often explains any DeathSeeker behavior). Sometimes they've placed RevengeBeforeReason. Bringing this out into the open can produce an interesting effect.

* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': 250-ish years before series 3, Angelus and Darla had not only killed [[HunterOfMonsters Holtz's]] wife and three children but turned his [[KickTheDog youngest daughter]] into a vampire just to leave him a message, [[OffingtheOffspring forcing him to kill her himself]]. [[CrusadingWidower Holtz]] initially went on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, taking out 378 vampires in 9 years as he [[ItsPersonal relentlessly]] [[TheHunterBecomesTheHunted hunted the pair]] across the whole of Europe. At times, he'd actually catch Angelus but never Darla and [[ColdBloodedTorture engage in torture]] just to see what would be left if he beat the demon out of the man. Angelus always escaped and the hunt would continue. Eventually, a demon told Holtz that if he didn't agree to travel 200+ years into the future he'd lose his chance to destroy Angelus and Darla forever. Holtz [[RevengeBeforeReason agreed]] in return for the promise that he'd show no mercy. When Holtz realised Angel [[TheAtoner now had a soul]] and Darla had [[ThePowerOfLove killed herself]] to save her son, his [[TheChessmaster plans]] [[BestServedCold changed]] to do to Angel what Angelus had done to him - [[RevengeByProxy take away the family he loved]]. He [[TheChainOfHarm stole Connor]], [[ConditionedToAcceptHorror raised him in a Hell dimension]] before sending him back to Angel [[RelativeButton full of hate]] and [[RevengeThroughCorruption groomed to kill his own father]], having [[ThePowerOfHate set up his own death]] to [[MoralMyopia make it look like]] Angel had killed him [[MoralEventHorizon just to make sure]] Connor would kill Angel in a [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Adopted Father]] fury. [[HeWhoFightsMonsters Holtz]] was [[YouAreWhatYouHate supposed to be]] a ''good guy''.

** Flit's revenge case got worse following the brutal murder of [[spoiler:Yurin L'Ciel]]. The second generation Flit is shown to have become nearly as [[HeWhoFightsMonsters nasty toward the UE]] as they are toward Earth, hating everything about them and openly stating that his life's goal is to [[KillEmAll see them annihilated.]]

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':
** Few of his enemies are obsessed with revenge against people who wronged him like one of his oldest, Adrian Toomes, the Vulture. The whole reason he ''became'' the Vulture was to seek revenge against Gregory Bestman, his embezzling business partner who had robbed him blind. Since then his schemes have revolved around revenge against people who have cheated or wronged him in some way, including Spider-Man himself, the Vegas crime boss Morris "the Snake" Diamond (who stole his blueprints for a special plastic compound), another mobster named Mr. Morgan (who hired the Hitman to kill Spidey before Toomes could do so), and ''especially'' crooks who copy his blueprints to try to duplicate his equipment. This has included "Blackie" Drago and the Vulturions. Not coincidentally, Toomes is currently the only man to call himself the Vulture.

* ''FanFic/ThePiecesLieWhereTheyFell'': [[spoiler:Sharp Point seeks out the group both because of this after their first encounter with him and how they later framed him for the fire at the old Museum of Victory, and for the money on their heads.]]

* Subverted in ''Fanfic/RiskItAll''. As much as Ren wants to stop Black Mask, he's not really in it to vent a grudge on him or to avenge Alice, [[WeHardlyKnewYe a woman he knew for barely a week before she's murdered]] He just doesn't like seeing people be killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time like he was.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' the Dwarfs have a serious problem with this. They're incapable of ever letting something go, and everything anyone does that displeases them is a deliberate, malicious strike against them. One instance involves a human fortress being razed because they hired dwarven engineers to help build it and shortchanged their payment by a handful of coins out of thousands. Instead of accepting that this was probably just a clerk miscounting or a ripped bag losing a few coins in transit and either brushing it off or sending someone to ''explain what the problem is'' and asking for the complete payment, they instead stewed on this vile theft for a century, assembled an army, and laid siege to the baffled fortress.

** The Invaders Space Marine chapter destroyed the Eldar Craftworld Idharae. The survivors of Idharae who joined Craftworld Alaitoc, returned the favor by destroying the Invaders fortress-monastery. The chapter is reduced to 300 marines, and lost many of their weapons.

'''Buzz Lightyear:''' ''[leans close to Woody]'' But we're [[ExactWords not on my planet...]] ''[grabs Woody's collar]'' ''are'' we?\\

Revenge at its core is a viciously personal form of [[PayEvilUntoEvil Paying Evil Unto Evil]]. [[KickTheDog Someone has done]] [[MoralEventHorizon something seriously bad]] to [[ItsPersonal another person or someone that person loves]], and for some reason, there's no justice to be had for the crime, so the characters set out to exact their own kind of justice upon the person or people responsible. Although, [[ItsAllAboutMe some characters]] may not care for justice or "getting even", but want the satisfaction that comes only from DisproportionateRetribution. This can be compounded when the harm is slight, like [[RevengeSVP not getting invited to a party]]. Avenging a death may be regarded as DueToTheDead -- and the [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost may agree]].

* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE'', both Grodek Ainoa and Flit Asuno desire revenge against the Unknown Enemies, who are responsible for killing their families.
** Flit's revenge case got turned UpToEleven following the brutal murder of [[spoiler:Yurin L'Ciel]]. The second generation Flit is shown to have become nearly as [[HeWhoFightsMonsters nasty toward the UE]] as they are toward Earth, hating everything about them and openly stating that his life's goal is to [[KillEmAll see them annihilated.]]

%%* Asura from ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' is [[UpToEleven the embodiment of vengeance]] and all related tropes!

** In the Season 6 finale, "To Where and Back Again", [[spoiler:after having not been seen in the show since the Royal Wedding, Queen Chrysalis and her Changeling Swarm return for revenge for that defeat by taking their previous plan UpToEleven with kidnapping all five Alicorn Princesses, Prince Shining Armor, Spike, and the Elements of Harmony, essentially decapitating Equestria's government and primary defenses in one fell swoop to clear the way for a full-scale invasion. However, thanks to Starlight Glimmer and Thorax, a traitor to the Swarm, the Swarm pulls a HeelRaceTurn and destroy Chrysalis' throne, free the ponies they kidnapped and cocooned, and effectively go from enemies to Equestria to one of their most powerful allies, except Chrysalis, who swears revenge again over losing everything and escapes to return in the future to take her vengeance on Starlight, then possibly the Royal Family and Mane Six again.]]

* ''Series/{{Tyrant}}'': Barry and Molly are consumed with the desire for this after [[spoiler: Emma]] is murdered by the Caliphate, forgetting any previous idealistic desire for democracy in Abuddin or concern toward its people.

Revenge at its core is a viciously personal form of [[PayEvilUntoEvil Paying Evil Unto Evil]]. [[KickTheDog Someone has done]] [[MoralEventHorizon something seriously bad]] to [[ItsPersonal another person or someone that person loves]], and for some reason, there's no justice to be had for the crime, so the characters set out to exact their own kind of justice upon the person or people responsible. Although, [[ItsAllAboutMe some characters]] may not care for justice or "getting even", but want the satisfaction that comes only from DisproportionateRetribution. This can be compounded when the harm is [[RantInducingSlight slight]], like [[RevengeSVP not getting invited to a party]]. Avenging a death may be regarded as DueToTheDead -- and the [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost may agree]].

'''Buzz Lightyear:''' ''[leans in, lowers to a whisper]'' But we're [[ExactWords not on my planet...]] ''[grabs Woody's collar]'' ''are we?''\\

* Detective Charlie Crews from ''Series/{{Life}}'' is something of a CloudCuckoolander thanks to his 12-years of wrongful imprisonment after being framed for several murders and discovering Zen Buddhism as a way to stay sane in prison. He's a great example of BewareTheNiceOnes, with a dark and dangerous streak running below his outwardly calm and friendly demeanor, but he's a firm believer in letting go of his anger instead of acting on it. But as he draws closer to finding the real killer, the man who murdered Charlie's best friend and his family, and the culprits of the frame-job that sent him to jail, Charlie is torn between the beliefs and ideals which saved his life and kept him sane in prison and the overwhelming desire for revenge. In the first season finale, he settles for justice instead ([[PerpSweating though he lets the killer ''think'' he's decided on revenge to coax a confession out of him]]).

* Revenge is a recurring theme in ''VideoGame/TheHex''. [[spoiler:The reason the characters and Reginald go through with opening the hex to get revenge on their creator Lionel for condemning them to fates they hated. Rust is the only one who doesn't do it out of revenge, as he genuinely seems to believe opening the hex will bring his son Rocky back.]]

* The show ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'' revolves entirely around this concept, exacted by a hilariously paranoid, quick-tempered Dan and his drag-along best friend Chris. His targets include cookie ninja, the wolfman, and the entire country of Canada.

Revenge at its core is a viciously personal form of [[PayEvilUntoEvil Paying Evil Unto Evil]]. [[KickTheDog Someone has done]] [[MoralEventHorizon something seriously bad]] to [[ItsPersonal another person or someone that person loves]], and for some reason, there's no justice to be had for the crime, so the character sets out to exact their own kind of justice upon the person or people responsible. Although, [[ItsAllAboutMe some characters]] may not care for justice or "getting even", but want the satisfaction that comes only from DisproportionateRetribution. This can be compounded when the harm is [[RantInducingSlight slight]], like [[RevengeSVP not getting invited to a party]]. Avenging a death may be regarded as DueToTheDead -- and the [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost may agree]].

An avenger has several options when pursuing his or her vendetta. He or she can devise a Machiavellian plan, [[TheChessmaster maneuvering things (and occasionally people) in place]] [[BestServedCold until the time of final vengeance is at hand]], which is the route taken by many classical revenge tales. Often the avenger takes steps to ruin the other guy's life in some manner before the final act, which may or may not end with the other guy's death. Another option, often chosen by {{action hero}}es or the more bloodthirsty avengers, is the RoaringRampageOfRevenge, where the avenger dispenses with this and goes straight for the bloodshed, hunting down everyone who had anything to do with the crime in question and eliminating them one by one, often in a GottaKillThemAll fashion, until they reach the BigBad behind it all and take their final vengeance.

Sometimes, the person seeking revenge is doing so out of a [[CrusadingWidower subconscious sense of guilt and responsibility]], or to cover up some other emotion like SurvivorsGuilt (which often explains any DeathSeeker behavior). Sometimes they've placed RevengeBeforeReason. Bringing this out into the open can produce an interesting effect.

On the other hand, revenge can also appear lighter in shade. If the provocation was extreme, and still more if the character is reacting ''quickly'' to circumstance, without time to think -- as in TheDogBitesBack -- the effect can be mostly sympathetic. It can also be softened by the character's being partly motivated by the knowledge that the villain will go on committing such crimes, and by taking care to ensure that only the guilty suffer, and suffer no more than they deserve.

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'''s first campaign has Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, the resident gunslinger of Vox Machina, who lost his family to Lord and Lady Briarwood and their people and was the only member of the family to escape alive. Percy swore vengeance and created his first gun with the help of [[spoiler:a smoke demon by the name of Orthax]]. When the Briarwoods resurface, Percy spends a good portion of the Briarwood Arc meting out vengeance to his tormentors with a ruthlessness and brutality.

Vengeance. You don't get much of it in real life, and the little you do get is cold, late, and adds up otherwise as having been a really bad idea. So you look for it in fiction. Where you find out that, seven times in ten, revenge was a really bad idea for your surrogate, too. The other three times ... well, hey, ''somebody'' had to get some, sooner or later. That, and the girl. And a pony. With a [[IWantMyJetpack jetpack]].

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'''s first campaign has Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, the resident gunslinger of Vox Machina, who lost his family to Lord and Lady Briarwood and their people and was the only member of the family to escape alive. Percy swore vengeance and created his first gun with the help of [[spoiler:a smoke demon by the name of Orthax]]. When the Briarwoods resurface, Percy spends a good portion of the Briarwood Arc meting out vengeance to his tormentors with a ruthlessness and brutality that resulted in him being [[FanNickname nicknamed]] "No Mercy Percy."

* In ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW'', [[spoiler:Queen Chrysalis]] is out for some against [[spoiler:Twilight]], as she was the one who proved instrumental in derailing the Changelings' plan to conquer Canterlot.]]

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'''s first campaign has Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, the resident gunslinger of Vox Machina, who lost his family to Lord and Lady Briarwood and their people and was the only member of the family to escape alive. Percy swore vengeance and created his first gun with the help of [[spoiler:a smoke demon by the name of Orthax]]. When the Briarwoods resurface, Percy spends a good portion of the Briarwood Arc meting out vengeance to all of his tormentors with a ruthlessness and brutality that resulted in him being [[FanNickname nicknamed]] "No Mercy Percy."

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'''s first campaign has Percival de Rolo, the resident gunslinger of Vox Machina, who lost his family to Lord and Lady Briarwood and their people and was the only member of the family to escape alive. Percy swore vengeance and created his first gun with the help of [[spoiler:a smoke demon by the name of Orthax]]. When the Briarwoods resurface, Percy spends a good portion of the Briarwood Arc meting out vengeance to all of his tormentors with a ruthlessness and brutality that resulted in him being [[FanNickname nicknamed]] "No Mercy Percy."

* In ''Film/NoobLeConseilDesTroisFactions'', Kavan Oberion is the SoleSurvivor of his battle unit and wants to avenge his fallen comarades.

On the other hand, revenge can also appear lighter in shade. If the provocation was extreme, and still more if the character is reacting ''quickly'' to circumstance, without time to think -- as in TheDogBitesBack -- the effect can be mostly sympathetic. It can also be softened by the character's being partly motivated by the knowledge that the villain will go on committing such crime, and by taking care to ensure that only the guilty suffer, and suffer no more than they deserve.

'''Buzz Lightyear:''' ''[leans in, lowers to a whisper]'' But we're not on my planet...''[grabs Woody's collar]'' ''are we?''\\

* In ''WesternAnimation/IceAge4ContinentalDrift'', Captain Gutt wants to take revenge on Manny for destroying and later stealing his ship.