History Main / TheNeedsOfTheMany

* In ''{{Watchmen}}'', [[spoiler: Veidt's]] final plan is to [[spoiler: kill millions of people in order to trick everyone else into world peace]].

* Parodied in ''{{Runaways}}'', where a villain is trying to justify an attempt to exterminate the entire human race "for the greater good," and quotes the StarTrek example as "proof." The heroine is not impressed and says "YoureInsane."

* In Crown of Slaves Berry Zilwiki risks her life to save the occupants of a captured slaver, reasoning that one life against several thousand is "no contest, the way I see things."

* In {{GurrenLagann}} using this trope as a mantra is why [[spoiler: Simon is happy with the series ending despite the heart rendingly painfull price he had to pay to save the universe. It perfectly shows how strong and heroic Simon has become.]] It's also extremely Japanese.

* This was Aang's final dilemma in the last episodes of ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'', when [[spoiler: Aang was distraught over the thought of having to kill Firelord Ozai[[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne in order to save the world]], even though his upbringing as a monk taught him [[ThouShaltNotKill to hold all life as sacred]], [[TurnTheOtherCheek even the lives of people who might be morally evil.]] However, not only are his friends telling Aang that he most likely will have to kill the Firelord: all of the past Avatars - including Avatar Yungchen, the Air Nomad avatar before him - pretty much tell Aang [[PrinciplesZealot that he has put his own principles and beliefs aside]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans for the sake of the world.]] Alas, this is, of course, averted, thanks to the [[TakeAThirdOption Turtle Island's]] [[DeusExMachina sudden appearance...]]]]

* This was Aang's final dilemma in the last episodes of ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'', when [[spoiler: Aang was distraught over the thought of having to kill Firelord Sozin [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne in order to save the world]], even though his upbringing as a monk taught him [[ThouShaltNotKill to hold all life as sacred]], [[TurnTheOtherCheek even the lives of people who might be morally evil.]] However, not only are his friends telling Aang that he most likely will have to kill the Firelord: all of the past Avatars - including Avatar Yungchen, the Air Nomad avatar before him - pretty much tell Aang [[PrinciplesZealot that he has put his own principles and beliefs aside]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans for the sake of the world.]] Alas, this is, of course, averted, thanks to the [[TakeAThirdOption Turtle Island's]] [[DeusExMachina sudden appearance...]]]]

* In the Videogame ''{{inFamous}}'' Cole is faced with the sadists choice of saving the one or the many; [[spoiler: his girlfriend Trish or half a dozen doctors who could save many lives themselves.]] It's a Karma-Moment, so the player gets to decide and is rewarded good or evil karma for a selfless or selfish decision respectively.

* This was Aang's final dilemma in the last episodes of ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'', when [[spoiler: Aang was distraught over the thought of having to kill Firelord Sozin [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne in order to save the world]], even though his upbringing as a monk taught him [[ThoughShaltNotKill to hold all life as sacred]], [[TurnTheOtherCheek even the lives of people who might be morally evil.]] However, not only are his friends telling Aang that he most likely will have to kill the Firelord: all of the past Avatars - including Avatar Yungchen, the Air Nomad avatar before him - pretty much tell Aang [[PrinciplesZealot that he has put his own principles and beliefs aside]] for the sake of the world. Alas, this is, of course, averted, thanks to the [[DeusExMachina Turtle Island...]]]]

Sometimes, there is no easy choice to make. No matter what you do, something is going to go badly for someone. The choice of who to save and who to let die often falls on TheHero, and when it does, there's only one choice to make. Whether he has to save the world, the country, or the city, he almost always has to let go of his best friend or LoveInterest in the process. However, this trope is averted nearly as often as it's played straight, especially among {{Anti Hero}}es who are willing to screw over the whole world for the ones they love.

* Spoken word for word by Sentinel Prime in ''[[TransformersFilmSeries Transformers: The Dark of the Moon]]''. [[spoiler: This time, though, it's in a much more sinister context. Essentially, Sentinel uses this as justification for enslaving mankind to rebuild Cybertron (by "the many" he means all Cybertronians; he could care less about humanity).]] Doubles also as an ActorAllusion, as Sentinel is voiced by Leonard Nimoy.

* Spoken word for word by Sentinel Prime in ''[[TransformersFilmSeries Transformers: The Dark of the Moon]]''. [[spoiler: This time, though, it's in a much more sinister context. Essentially, Sentinel uses this as justification for enslaving mankind to rebuild Cybertron.]] Doubles also as an ActorAllusion, as Sentinel is voiced by Leonard Nimoy.

* In {{GurrenLagann}} this trope is why [[spoiler: Simon is happy with the series ending despite the heart rendingly painfull price he had to pay to save the universe. It perfectly shows how strong and heroic Simon has become.]]

* In {{GurrenLagann}} this trope is why [[spoiler: Simon is happy with the series ending despite the heart rendingly painfull price he had to pay to save the universe.]]

* In {{GurrenLaghan}} this trope is why [[spoiler: Simon is happy with the stories ending despite the heart rendingly harsh price he had to pay to save the universe.]]

* In {{GurrenLaghann}} this trope is why (spoiler: Simon is happy with the ending despite the heart rendingly harsh price he had to pay to save the universe.))

** Tyranids: Subvert this by a longshot, lose billions but in the end they win and eat the planet dead and all.

* {{Mass Effect}} 2's ''Arrival'' DLC has Commander Shepard [[spoiler:ram an asteroid into a Mass Relay. The resultant explosion wipes out the entire system it's in, obliterationg 305,000 colonists. Justification? It delays a [[EldritchAbomination Reaper]] invasion, which would have wiped out all sentient life in ''the entire galaxy''.]]

* ''[[{{Ptitlej4gwd5cb}} Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'' is the TropeNamer, specifically the scene where Spock convinces Captain Kirk to leave him behind.

* In the Videogame ''{{imFamous}}'' Cole is faced with the sadists choice of saving the one or the many; [[spoiler: his girlfriend Trish or half a dozen doctors who could save many lives themselves.]] It's a Karma-Moment, so the player gets to decide and is rewarded good or evil karma for a selfless or selfish decision respectively.

* Parodied in ''{{Runaways}}'', where a villain is trying to justify an attempt to exterminate the entire human race "for the greater good," and quotes the StarTrek example as "proof." The heroine is not impressed and says "YoureInsane."

Compare HeroicSacrifice and SadisticChoice. If the protagonist is being asked to sacrifice ''themselves'', this is likely to be WhatIsOneMansLifeInComparison. For the more morally gray versions, compare UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans and AMillionIsAStatistic. Sometimes, TheHero may be able to TakeAThirdOption. See also FriendOrIdolDecision.

Keep in mind, "many" and "few" are relative. The most important part is just that someone has to be sacrificed to save significantly more. And although it is an old concept, the phrase itself is much NewerThanTheyThink, the TropeNamer being TheWrathOfKhan.

* [[{{Batman}} The League of Shadows]], led by Ra's Al Ghoul, has been around for centuries wiping out any civilizations that they think have become too corrupt, in order to stop them from spreading their corruption to the rest of the world.

** Another example from the StarTrekTheOriginalSeries episode ''The City On The Edge of Forever." In it, Kirk had to let Edith Keeler die to save his own timeline, because her peace efforts would have prevented the US from entering what would be World War II when they needed, and cause Hitler and Nazism to conquer the world by developing the atomic bomb first. To save all those of their future, Kirk must stop Dr. McCoy from saving Edith from getting killed in a car accident. Kirk can't speak when Bones asks "Jim! I could have saved her...do you know what you just did." Spock can only go "He knows, Doctor. Soon you will too. For what once was...now IS again." In James Blish's transcript in "The Star Trek Reader" Spock also comes across as trying to help Kirk rectify this. "No, you acted. Because no woman was ever loved so much, Jim. Because no woman was ever offered the universe for love."

* In {{Torchwood}}, [[spoiler: Jack (under emotional stress) agrees to sacrifice his grandson to save the 10% of Earth's children who would be killed otherwise.]]
* This is the choice given to Neo at the end of TheMatrix Reloaded. [[spoiler: he chooses the few. It ends up working out o.k. for everyone.]]

-->'''Wesley''': Yes, they are. ''{{Beat}}'' You try not to get anybody killed, you wind up getting everybody killed.
* The antagonist in [[TwentyTwelve 2012]] does this. It turns into StrawmanHasAPoint, considering that he believes some (or many) people can be sacrificed to save the human race.

* Parodied in {{Runaways}}, where a villain is trying to justify an attempt to exterminate the entire human race "for the greater good," and quotes the StarTrek example as "proof." The heroine is not impressed and says "YoureInsane."