History Main / SympatheticMurderBackstory

* In [[MetalGearSolid Metal Gear Solid,]] Snake is tormented by [[spoiler: his murder of Big Boss and especially Gray Fox.]] Significantly, it's when he describes to Naomi how [[spoiler: his murder of Gray Fox]] was done with professionalism and with no hatred, and that they loved beating each other to death ("like a sport"), that Naomi begins to realise that Snake is a [[GoodIsNotNice Good Is Not Nice]] and a Type III [[AntiHero Anti Hero]] instead of a [[CompleteMonster Complete Monster.]]

* In ''FalloutNewVegas'' Craig Boone and many other members of the NCR military were traumatized by the incident at Bitter Springs, [[spoiler: in which they were ordered to fire upon fleeing civilians due to a miscommunication.]]

** [[spoiler: He also had to kill his wife when she was captured by legion slavers to save her from a FateWorseThanDeath.]]

** [[MetalGearSolid3 Metal Gear Solid 3]] is basically the story of Big Boss's [[StartOfDarkness Start Of Darkness]] where he's [[spoiler: manipulated into killing his mentor and mother figure, as part of her and the Patriots' [[ZeroApprovalGambit Zero Approval Gambit]].]]

* In [[TerraNova Terra Nova]], Commander Taylor [[spoiler: killed his commanding officer when he arrived in alternate past earth to relieve him of command of the Terra Nova colony shortly after he learned the truth about the project. That those behind Terra Nova we tryng to find out how to make the portal go both ways so they can exploit the resources on the Terra Nova side.]]

Murder is serious business. Taking the life of a sentient being is a deeply ingrained taboo in the human psyche. In stories that do ''not'' frequently involve death (action, horror, thriller, etc.) the intentional extermination of another human being is a big [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] deal. Of all the troubled backstories Bob can have ([[DeceasedParentsAreTheBest dead]]/[[AbusiveParents abusive]]/[[ParentalAbandonment absent]] parents, [[DeadLittleSister dead little sister]], [[RapeAsBackstory ra]][[RapeIsTheNewDeadParents pe]], [[DoomedHometown doomed hometown]], etc.) revealing him to be a murderer simultaneously makes him a bad guy and the woobie. The revelation may make his friends question just what makes a 'bad guy' if someone can commit murder and still be a sane, whole person.

* In ''AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'', Daniel is [[spoiler: manipulated by Alexander into sacrificing what he thought were criminals. He is devastated after he was forced to kill a little girl, and nearly loses his sanity. He vows revenge on Alexander for that. Amongst the flashbacks in-game involve the cries of the lives he took (children's voices were amongst them).]]

* In [[SilentHill2 Silent Hill 2,]] James eventually discovers that [[spoiler: he smothered his wife to death out of misogynistic sexual frustration,]] this presumably being the reason the Town is tormenting him. Depending on the ending you get, this could serve to make him more sympathetic or to make him look like a monster though.

If Bob's reveal of his backstory comes with a {{flashback}}, expect it to take almost the [[DayInTheLimelight entire episode.]] It will likely go over Bob's every single option in the situation. You will watch as the victim pleads for his life, or, alternately, goads Bob. The eventual death will definitely be utterly heartbreaking. If the flashback continues after the murder, expect Bob to express [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone "My God, what have I done!"]] or at least [[TheseHandsHaveKilled stare down at his hands with horror.]] Extra {{angst}} and [[TheWoobie woobie]] points if he has to kill a parent/sibling/spouse/child/old friend/[[KickTheDog dog]].

Related tropes: [[FreudianExcuse Freudian Excuse]], [[TheseHandsHaveKilled These Hands Have Killed]], [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone My God What Have I Done]], etc. The ''people'' most commonly seen with such backstories: [[SympatheticMurderer Sympathetic Murderer]], [[ShellShockedVeteran Shell Shocked Veteran]], [[HitmanWithAHeart Hitman With A Heart]], etc.

* Also among the {{X-Men}}, Gambit was once "hired" by [[EvilutionaryBiologist Mr. Sinister]] to assemble a hit squad and lead them into the home of the Morlocks, a society of underground mutant refugees. Though he didn't personally kill anyone (in fact, he saved a few of the Marauders' intended victims!), the reactions of the X-Men when learning about this was virtually identical. His good name still hasn't fully recovered, in part because he can't seem to stop [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor switching sides.]]

* Also among the {{X-Men}}, Gambit was once hired by [[EvilutionaryBiologist Mr. Sinister]] to assemble a hit squad and lead them into the home of the Morlocks, a society of underground mutant refugees. Though he didn't personally kill anyone (in fact, he saved a few of the Marauders' intended victims!), the reactions of the X-Men when learning about this was virtually identical. His good name still hasn't fully recovered, in part because he can't seem to stop [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor switching sides.]]

* In ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', Edward Cullen confesses to murdering a whole bunch of people shortly after he was turned, and Bella narrates that it is perfectly reasonable.

* In {{South Pacific}}, "the Frenchman," Emile de Becque, had to flee his homeland because he killed a man. But it's okay because the victim was a bully!

[[folder:Video Games]]

* ''FearEffect'': ''Retro Helix'' reveals that [[spoiler: Glas had a brother named Drew. Drew shot him in the back, and would have murdered him for money and perceived betrayal that caused the loss of his right arm. A struggle broke out, Glas grabbed the gun and fired, killing his brother. There are hints that Jin AKA Yim Lau Wong (King of Hell) manipulated Drew into doing this. Unfortunately, one thing that ruins the scene is that Glas in unable to punch people out. He could have simply punched Drew out, which wouldn't have been too hard, considering the guy was unarmed and had only one arm]]!

* In [[AmnesiaTheDarkDescent Amnesia:The Dark Descent,]] Daniel is [[spoiler: manipulated by Alexander into sacrificing what he thought were criminals. He is devastated after he was forced to kill a little girl, and nearly loses his sanity. He vows revenge on Alexander for that. Amongst the flashbacks in-game involve the cries of the lives he took (children's voices were amongst them).]]
* In [[FalloutNewVegas Fallout New Vegas]] Craig Boone and many other members of the NCR military were traumatized by the incident at Bitter Springs, [[spoiler: in which they were ordered to fire upon fleeing civilians due to a miscommunication.]]

* One of [[SuikodenV Suikoden V's]] biggest [[TearJerker tear jerkers]] occurs when Lyon reveals [[spoiler: she was a former member of Nether Gate, an assassin's guild in service to Falena's royal family. They took her in while she was still a child an trained her. She was eventually rescued by the prince's father, Ferid, who gave her the name, Lyon. She goes on to become the prince's bodyguard as her way of repaying Ferid's kindness.]]

* {{Gravitation}}: [[spoiler: Yuki killed someone but it was in self-defense, they were trying to rape him.]] It ruined their life, so you will probably feel pretty sorry for them.
* In FullMetalAlchemist, [[spoiler: Roy Mustang was deeply affected by his part in the Ishvalan massacre.]]

* In {{Twilight}}, Edward Cullen confesses to murdering a whole bunch of people shortly after he was turned, and Bella narrates that it is perfectly reasonable.
* [[OnceUponATime Once Upon A Time]] tries to portray the Evil Queen this way when she has to sacrifice that which she loves most for her Curse. She tried her beloved and prized stallion; that didn't work. It turned out to be [[spoiler: her father, after whom she named the boy she adopted.]]

* In the [[StargateSG1 Stargate SG 1]] episode 'Collateral Damage', Cameron Mitchell recalls a mission during which he bombed what he believed to be enemy targets only to learn that they were innocent refugees.

* {{Rebecca}} definitely fits, and is in fact one of the most interesting examples of this trope. The reader discovers the title character was in fact a horrible person, whom [[spoiler: Maxim killed.]] It was definitely murder, and the reader is absolutely meant to sympathize with [[spoiler: Maxim.]]

* {{Rebecca}} definitely fits, and is in fact one of the most interesting examples of this trope. The reader discovers the titular character was in fact a horrible person, whom [[spoiler: Maxim killed.]] It was definitely murder, and the reader is absolutely meant to sympathize with [[spoiler: Maxim.]]

* In ''Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents,'' we learn that Maurice once [[spoiler: ate a talking rat. However, he was only a dumb animal at the time, and had no way of knowing until he gained his intelligence from said meal.]] The guilt is shown to be why he's so careful about what he eats.

* {{Gravitation}} Major spoiler [[spoiler: Yuki killed someone but it was in self-defense, they were trying to rape him,]] it ruined their life, so you will probably feel pretty sorry for them.

* The backstory for Storm has her killing a man who tried to rape her. And this is why she tries not to kill the rest of the time.

* {{Rebecca}} definitely fits, and is in fact one of the most interesting examples of this trope. The reader discovers the titular character was in fact a horrible person, whom [[spoiler: Maxim killed.]] It was definitely murder, and the reader is absolutely meant to sympathize with [[spoiler: Maxim.]] [[YourMilageMayVary YMMV]] as to how effective this is to a reader with modern sensibilities, which tend to be less accepting of [[spoiler: a husband's justification for murdering his wife]] (even if she was cruel, [[ManipulativeBitch manipulative]], and unfaithful.)

* In {{Drowtales}}, this happens to Ariel Val'Sarghress. She is [[spoiler: ordered to kill Mir'kin Vel'Vloz'ress, and then kills Yafein Val'Sullisin'rune's slave Maya in a fit of rage after he pushed her [[BeserkButton Berserk Button]].]] It's clearly hinted that the resulting [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone My God What Have I Done]] moment resulted in PTSD. It's particularly disturbing when you remember that due to her species' slow aging process, she was physically still a small child at the time.

Meet Bob. He's a member of the {{nakama}}, he has personality traits, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, and maybe even a romantic interest. After a few [[HaveAGayOldTime gay]] adventures with his friends, it's time to learn a bit about his past. As it turns out, the horrible secret he's been concealing all this time is... he once killed a man. The other characters are horribly shocked. While some will be able to look past his crime, a few may never forgive him and their relationship will become strained. To the viewer, Bob is obviously deeply emotional by what he's done; he probably still has nightmares about the murder, and he prays every day he could take it back. Bob continues to be the lovable (or [[TheScrappy not so lovable]]) character he always has been, but the audience henceforth views him in a newfound light. This, dear troper, is Murder as a Sympathetic Backstory.

* In [[SilentHill2 Silent Hill 2,]] James eventually discovers that [[spoiler: he smothered his wife to death out of misogynistic sexual frustration,]] this presumably being the reason the Town is tormenting him. Depending on the ending you get, this could serve to make him more sympathetic or to make him a [[CompleteMonster Complete Monster,]] though.

!!{{Anime}}

* {{Gravitation}} Major spoiler [[spoiler: Yuki killed someone but it was in self-defense, they were trying to rape him,]] it ruined their life, so you will probably feel pretty sorry for them.

!![[ComicBooks Comic Books]]

!!{{Film}}
* In the [[JodieFoster Jodie Foster]] film ''The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane'', protagonist Rynn hides the secret that [[spoiler: she poisoned her abusive mother.]] The details on just how she did this turn out to be significant for what happens in the rest of the movie, too.

!!{{Literature}}

* {{Rebecca}} definitely fits, and is in fact one of the most interesting examples of this trope. The reader discovers the titular character was in fact a horrible person, whom [[spoiler: Maxim killed.]] It was definitely murder, and the reader is absolutely meant to sympathize with [[spoiler: Maxim.]] [[YourMilageMayVary YMMV]] as to how effective this is to a reader with modern sensibilities, which tend to be less accepting of [[spoiler: a husband's justification for murdering his wife]] (even if she was cruel, [[ManipulativeBitch manipulative]], and unfaithful.)

!![[LiveActionTelevision Live Action Television]]

** There is also some fan speculation that this trope is being setup as the background for Tim Curran in following seasons. In the 1st season, he is sentenced to exile for a murder; later, he is recruited by Taylor to spy on the sixers.

!!{{Radio}}

** His backstory was changed for the TV version.

!!{{Theater}}

** What wasn't okay was him having had children with a South Pacific Islander, because [[DoubleStandard interracial marriage seemed worse]] to his [[LoveInterest Love Interest]] than murder.

!![[VideoGames Video Games]]

!!{{Webcomics}}
* In {{Drowtales}}, this happens to Ariel Val'Sarghress. She is [[spoiler: ordered to kill Mir'kin Vel'Vloz'ress, and then kills Yafein Val'Sullisin'rune's slave Maya in a fit of rage after he pushed her [[BeserkButton Berserk Button]].]] It's clearly hinted that the resulting [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone My God What Have I Done]] moment resulted in PTSD. It's particularly disturbing when you remember that due to her species' slow aging process, she was physically still a small child at the time.