History Main / ThePunishment

Which may [[FridgeLogic prompt the audience to wonder]] "Wait... they're ''giving'' him magic powers and immortality as a ''punishment''?! Is this CursedWithAwesome or not?" The answer, is, of course, "[[MathematiciansAnswer Yes.]]" So now the punishers must face a supernatural being, in as much pain as possible, who ''hates them even more than before''. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Good move, geniuses.]] They now have to keep them [[SealedEvilInACan locked away somehow]], but this usually doesn't bite them in the ass. At least, not them. No... it's the present generation's problem. More often than not, the result of a [[NeglectfulPrecursors Neglectful Precursor]]'s bad parenting. If you're lucky, there will be an AchillesHeel that can break the Punishment.

* Klingsor from Creator/RichardWagner's opera ''{{Parsifal}}'' became this through self-mutilation.

* All [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demons]] in [[NexusWar Nexus Clash]] are shades of this trope to some degree or another. [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity Namm]], the angelic Elder Power of justice and Law, cursed them with twisted and [[NoCureForEvil unhealable]] forms and banished them to FireAndBrimstoneHell, but player-character Demons are able to harness the curse to become just as powerful as the Angels, who really should have seen this coming. As the [[AllThereInTheManual manual]] puts it:

* Zig-zagged with Witches in ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''. They are terrifying, fantastically powerful [[spoiler: former Magical Girls who succumbed to despair]], and they are described as "spreading their curses throughout the world". However, they're more {{TragicMonster}}s than anything else, as [[spoiler: even the [[AllLovingHero kindest and nicest]] Magical Girl can be corrupted into one over time]]. Instead, they are described by [[spoiler: Kyuubey]] as being [[spoiler: the logical end of ''any'' wish that is made]]. In that light, their "sin" is seen [[spoiler: by the Incubators]] as [[spoiler: having made the wish that turned them into Magical Girls in the first place]]. There is a reason that [[spoiler: Kyuubey]] and [[spoiler: its people]] are almost universally reviled by the fandom.

* Creator/MarvelMax minisseries ''ComicBook/ThorVikings'' has a textbook example with Harald Jaekelson and his crew being cursed by a wizard for torching his village and slaughtering its people. They are turned into unstoppable zombies, capable of throwing down with not only Thor (one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe), but also the Avengers (comprised of Captain America, Iron Man, Vision and Scarlet Witch) and the US Marines (whose heads are placed on spikes). They unleash such vicious carnage over New York that they reduce the city to a death camp in just three days without anyone being capable of stopping them, making [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the wizard who cursed responsible for this action]].

** Baphomet, the Demon Prince of Beasts was once mortal and was turned into a demon as punishment for transgressions he commetted against the gods. He reveled in the savage power his new form gave him and went on to become one of the greatest powers in the Abyss.

* Subverted by Karin in ''Manga/UQHolder''. She has immortality and is unable to be injured due to having betrayed a great man that she followed ([[spoiler:implied to be Jesus]]). When it's first revealed, it's assumed that it's a curse, but she says that it was actually meant as a blessing so that she might one day find redemption.

* Penance (different Penance) used to be Speedball, a FunPersonified character you've probably seen elsewhere on TVTropes, until he caused a major accident resulting in multiple deaths, so he inflicts this upon himself. No one really got it. He's been restored to being Speedball, though the survivor's guilt that fueled his Penance persona is still there.

** Although most of Dr. Weil's antics in the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series are "merely" facilitated by the fact that his is immortal - ie, he is still around after 100 years of bitter punishment, and eventually proves [[HealingFactor very difficult to kill]] - at the ''very end'' of the series it goes FromBadToWorse. He figures out a way to use the technology that made him immortal - more commonly known to the players as Biometal - to [[EvilMakeover become superpowered]], [[PowerCopying channel the powers of his deceased minions]], harness the raw energy powering his KillSat, and generally kick ass. Zero manages to [[SuperPowerMeltdown kill him]] in this form, but that only solves the problem temporarily, as, again due to [[CursedWithAwesome the Awesome he was Cursed with]], he eventually resurfaces in the MegaManZX series as something akin to [[TheLordOfTheRings Sauron]].

* {{Dracula}}'s origin in some versions of his story, most notably the film ''Film/BramStokersDracula}}''.

* Every enemy in ''VideoGame/SilentHill'' seems to be under some forced punishment from the town. Especially the second game. Monsters in straight jackets of their own flesh, monsters built into rusty cages... While these are [[spoiler:mostly various characters' nightmares given physical form,]] the film version decided [[spoiler:they were the actual townspeople twisted into monsters as part of Alessa's revenge]].

** Although most of Dr. Weil's antics in the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series are "merely" facilitated by the fact that his is immortal - ie, he is still around after 100 years of bitter punishment, and eventually proves [[HealingFactor very difficult to kill]] - at the ''very end'' of the series it goes FromBadToWorse. He figures out a way to use the technology that made him immortal - more commonly known to the players as Biometal - to [[EvilMakeover become superpowered]], [[MegaManning channel the powers of his deceased minions]], harness the raw energy powering his KillSat, and generally kick ass. Zero manages to [[SuperPowerMeltdown kill him]] in this form, but that only solves the problem temporarily, as, again due to [[CursedWithAwesome the Awesome he was Cursed with]], he eventually resurfaces in the MegaManZX series as something akin to [[TheLordOfTheRings Sauron]].

* Raziel from ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' was cast into the abyss (apparently for the crime of [[OurVampiresAreDifferent evolving faster than his lord Kain]]), and after an eternity-long PainfulTransformation he came back as a NobleDemon with the power and motivation to destroy Kain. In his first game he was also bound to the [[EldritchAbomination Elder God]] who (allegedly) resurrected him, and thus could not die. An unusual example because [[spoiler: Kain not only knew this would happen thanks to seeing the future during TimeTravel, but actually ''wanted'' Raziel to [[CameBackStrong Come Back Strong]] and start a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against him, as part of the ridiculously complex GambitPileup that makes up the series' plot]].

* {{Dracula}}'s origin in some versions of his story, most notably the film ''Bram Stoker's {{Dracula}}''.

** The ''OldWorldOfDarkness'' RPG game ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'' (seen on TV in ''KindredTheEmbraced'') takes this a step further and makes Cain(e) the first vampire.

* ''Film/TheMummyTrilogy'': Subjected to Imhotepd, the eponymous mummy. Particularly bad FridgeLogic too, because the people who cursed him in the first place had to spend the rest of their lives guarding him, as well as pass that on to all their future generations. Meanwhile, the title character attains immortality, has enough power to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, and can essentially try as many times as he wants to bring his former lover back from the dead. In other words, the mummy was CursedWithAwesome and his punishers got nothing out of the deal to make it worth it.

* ''Film/SupermanII'': General Zod and his henchmen are a variation. The PhantomZone protects them from Krypton's destruction, renders them immortal, and eventually it indirectly gives them powers by drifting too close to the yellow sun (and a convenient nuclear explosion).

* [[http://kyrio.deviantart.com/art/CharCole-129-138692226 Maoh]] from ''{{Charcole}}'', assuming AllMythsAreTrue, has been cursed with [[WhoWantsToLiveForever immortality]] for the last 2000 years. For attempted petty theft.

* {{Unishment}}, where the intended "punishment" is actually something the character enjoys or wanted all along.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever (what the punisher hopes will happen)
* LivingForeverIsAwesome (what the punished sometimes discovers)

* EvilMakesYouMonstrous, where the character gets superpowers ''because'' they were super evil.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In the series ''Anime/HellGirl'', Enma Ai is cursed for [[spoiler:taking violent revenge on the townspeople who killed her]]. Her punishment: to become the Hell Girl, bringer of revenge. She offers a service for people with bitter grudges they can't do anything about. She'll take the hated target to hell immediately; in exchange, the contractor will also go to hell upon dying. Thus Ai's "punishment" is a much greater punishment to mankind -- her service keeps the vengeance and bitterness flowing.
** That was kind of the point - it's implied that her employer is [[{{Satan}} the Devil]].
** She can only use her powers to avenge others; if she tries to send someone to hell without making a deal with someone else ([[spoiler:like when she figured out that annoying reporter and his daughter were descendants of her cousin]]) she is sent to hell instead.

* In the {{DCAU}}, Jason Blood's binding to ComicBook/{{Etrigan}} was punishment for betraying King Arthur and letting Camelot fall. Said punishment consists of becoming immortal and getting a SuperpoweredEvilSide. Of course, you may say that being eternally bonded to a demon (even a [[AntiHero noble one]]) that hates your guts is a form of punishment too, especially since Jason [[TheAtoner appears to be seeking redemption for his acts]] but aware he will never get it.

* [[Creator/DCComics Superman-Prime]]: At the end of his first storyline as antagonist, he was imprisoned within the main GreenLantern battery by the Guardians Of Oa, themselves. Not only does [[CardboardPrison he escape in short order]], but his method of escape (absorbing enough of the battery's energy to break free) temporarily left him with supercharged power levels - strong enough to fly between dimensions, destroy planets on a whim and slap around [[LiteralGenie Mr. Mxyzptlk]].
** Being NeglectfulPrecursors of the highest order, this wasn't even the first time the Guardians of Oa had tried The Punishment and seen it blow up in their faces. They once imprisoned Sinestro in the central power battery, forgetting they'd already stuck the [[EldritchAbomination living personification of fear]] inside there - which Sinestro quickly awakened. The resulting clusterfuck ended up killing all but one of the Guardians, reducing the number of Green Lanterns in existence from 3,600 to 1, and technically [[ComicBook/ZeroHour destroyed the universe]]. The lesson: the [[SealedEvilInACan Can you Seal Evil In]] and the CosmicKeystone that is the very heart of your power should be two different things.

* Vampirism in the MarvelUniverse was a cabal of Atlantean sorcerers' attempt to punish their foes with a FateWorseThanDeath using a spell from the [[TomeOfEldritchLore Darkhold]]. It backfired, like most spells from the Darkhold. The first vampire, Varnae, was ''very'' powerful. Fortunately, he eventually grew weary of his existence and immolated himself in sunlight...but not before passing on most of his power to a fledgling Dracula.

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/SupermanII'': General Zod and his henchmen are a variation. The PhantomZone renders them immortal, and eventually it indirectly gave them powers by drifting too close to the yellow sun (and a convenient nuclear explosion).

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Buffy|the Vampire Slayer}}'' backstory: For over 100 years, the vampire Angelus was a heartless killing machine. When he finally chose the wrong victim, a young gypsy girl, her tribe took swift revenge: they cursed him with a soul that felt the torment and guilt of all his sins. That much was a good idea. To twist the knife a bit more, the curse was designed to end if the newly moral Angel felt a moment of pure happiness. That wasn't a bad idea either, as it meant that if having a soul ever became a good thing for him, he'd lose it. No, the bad idea was ''not telling Angel that!'' Unaware of the "escape clause", Angel had that happy moment, and Angelus was unleashed on the world again.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'' backstory: To punish [[spoiler:Anubis]] for tricking [[spoiler:Oma Desala]] into ascending him, the Ancients partially descended him, allowing him to keep some but not all of the Ancient knowledge. The ''latter'' was punished by allowing him to wander free so she could witness the destructive power she gave him. She ended this by eventually taking matters into their own hands and fighting the former in [[SealedEvilInADuel eternal battle]].

[[folder: Mythology ]]

* In ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'', God punished Caine for killing Abel by turning him into a vampire and cursing him. Now, humanity is plagued by legions of the literally damned undead, which have magic powers, eat people, and secretly pull the strings of many political and financial institutions. Great.
** Somewhat ameliorated in the Time of Judgment book "Gehenna". In the first scenario, God decides humanity's carried this burden on their own long enough and takes direct action against all vampires.

** Strahd von Zarovich. In life he was a warrior who spent over 20 years fighting to free his homeland from foreign invaders. Suffering over a youth spent in battle, he eventually fell in love with his younger brother's fiance, Tatyana. On the eve of their wedding, Strahd makes a pact with a monster to gain everlasting life and Tatyana's love. He is transformed into a vampire and murders his brother to have her. At the same time, a GambitRoulette by a rival lord kills off most of Strahd's retainers. During the ensuing battle, Tatyana leaps over the castle ramparts in despair over her dead love. Since then, Strahd has enjoyed everlasting life and absolute control over his homeland, though every generation, Tatyana is reborn among the populace, where she inevitably attracts Strahd's attention, is courted for a brief period, and is killed in some gruesome fashion without fail.

** Lord Soth, described above, had the chance to prevent a [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt world-shattering cataclysm]] but did not do so out of pride and jealousy. Since then, he had spent the next three hundred years listening to his banshee servants sing the songs of his failures. Eventually, he was transported to the Land of Mists and given an exact copy of his former castle, perfect in every detail... Except the architecture keeps changing, which drives Soth - accustomed to rigid military order - crazy.
*** It's interesting to note, though, that out of all Dark Lords, Soth's Punishment in ''Ravenloft'' was barely worse than what he already suffered in his native setting of ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}''. That's probably why he was sent back to Krynn (the world of ''Dragonlance''), from both an in-story perspective (his torment probably wasn't satisfying enough for the Mists) and from a meta perspective (he really wasn't that interesting as a Dark Lord).
** Vlad Drakov, originally from the Dragonlance setting, spent his free time as a mercenary general who won many wars but was constantly looked down upon by his clients as he yearned for a country to call his own. The Dark Powers provided in their own unique fashion, giving him a domain fashioned in a fascist dictatorship centered around a permanent police state and military government. Drakov was delighted at first, until he discovered that for all his new status, his new country was a backwater tract of mud surrounded on all sides by more advanced and prosperous domains. Which he tried to invade. [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption Over and over and over again]], each defeat replacing more of his reputation as a ruthless if successful general with one as a bumbling idiot.

** Pharaoh Anhktepot, ''Ravenloft's'' primary mummy darklord, suffered the Punishment ''twice''. First, Ra punished him for his hubris by making his touch lethal, so he started killing his own subjects until the survivors murdered him. Then the Dark Powers got wind of his misdeeds, and confined this once-mighty king in a tiny domain with just a few hundred inhabitants; now undead, Anhktepot can become alive for a day by sacrificing one of its residents, but he knows that doing so too often means he'll run out of subjects and be alone forever.
** Alfred Timothy was the neglected son of Nathan Timothy, himself a former Darklord. Puny and weak, he was scorned by his father and eventually fell in with a cult worshipping a Wolf nature god hoping to gain enough strength and confidence to be accepted by his father as an equal. Eventually he succeeded and was transformed into a full-fledged werewolf, with the power to tear his enemies to shreds and command respect from his lessers. He was then cursed to transform back to human form if he ever lost control of his emotions. He would love nothing more than to give in to his bloodlust and kill and rape at will, but even as a monstrous beast he is forced to be careful and dispassionate in all things lest he reveal himself as a weakling and be himself killed.

** There's also ''Ravenloft's'' version of Literature/{{Bluebeard}}, who was married several times, kept demanding complete, utter and unquestioning loyalty from his wives, and when they inevitably failed, [[DomesticAbuse brutally murdered them]]. Now as a Darklord he keeps falling in love, again and again... but every time he does so, he sees his new lady love as one of his dead wives. [[NightmareFuel Rotting flesh, dripping maggots, and all]].

** If you're a D&D drow and Lolth gets annoyed at you, she's liable to turn you into a drider, though that particular example of the Punishment doesn't exist in 4e, for the curious. The games designers took a long look at the powers the drider gained (more innate spells, increased toughness, better combat ability), their similarity to the spider (a holy creature in drow society and by Lolth's religious tenets), and the fact that the drider form is generally based off of one of Lolth's own avatars, and asked themselves: "why is this supposed to be a punishment, again?" Being a drider is now a ''blessing'', instead of a curse. As of 3.5e, a more correct punishment appeared in the Fiend Folio supplement in the form of the Chwidencha, a near-mindless flesh-eating mass of spider legs. Drow who failed Lolth's tests would be transformed into these creatures. Originally, (1e), Lolth would test drow who got to 6th level. Those who passed were allowed to continue to rise in power. Those who failed got turned into driders - and their advancement frozen because of it. In other words, those drow who would be more useful at a higher level were allowed to get to high level, and those who weren't got CursedWithAwesome. [[XanatosGambit Win Win]] for Lolth.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' Princess Celestia and Princess Luna defeated King Sombra by "turning him to shadow and banishing him to the ice of the arctic north". Unfortunately when he came back he had [[LivingShadow effectively weaponized the curse and was more dangerous than ever]]. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Good job, your majesties!]] Admittedly, it is implied Sombra was already a very powerful SorcerousOverlord before this (he did keep the entire Crystal Empire in his thrall, and must somehow have been able to stave off the grasp of the frozen North '''without''' the usage of the Crystal Heart), so the shadow form, as formidable as it was, ''may'' have legitimately been a downgrade.
** In [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW the comics]] continuity, on the other hand, Sombra's shadowy form is actually his ''true form''.

[[folder:Other]]
* Klingsor from Creator/RichardWagner's opera ''{{Parsifal}}'' became this through self-mutilation.
* Venomstripe from ''WarriorCatsRPG'' was punished for her evil acts by being granted telepathy...very painful, semi-uncontrollable telepathy, but telepathy all the same.
[[/folder]]

* The {{Wendigo}} from [[MarvelUniverse Marvel Comics]], itself based on Native American myths; according to the folklore, those who resorted to cannibalism in times of famine would be transformed into giants with hearts made of ice and an insatiable desire for human flesh.
* [[DCComics Superman-Prime]]: At the end of his first storyline as antagonist, he was imprisoned within the main GreenLantern battery by the Guardians Of Oa, themselves. Not only does [[CardboardPrison he escape in short order]], but his method of escape (absorbing enough of the battery's energy to break free) temporarily left him with supercharged power levels - strong enough to fly between dimensions, destroy planets on a whim and slap around [[LiteralGenie Mr. Mxyzptlk]].

* ''Film/TheMummyTrilogy'': The eponymous mummy. Particularly bad FridgeLogic too, because the people who cursed him in the first place had to spend the rest of their lives guarding him, as well as pass that on to all their future generations. Meanwhile, the title character attains immortality, has enough power to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, and can essentially try as many times as he wants to bring his former lover back from the dead. In other words, the mummy was CursedWithAwesome and his punishers got nothing out of the deal to make it worth it.

** ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'': Captain Barbossa & his crew from stole cursed gold and were turned into a literal "skeleton crew" because of it. While they could not get any pleasure from anything, they ended up being far more formidable foes, as they couldn't be killed. Jack actually [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy catches on to this]] and [[spoiler: gets himself cursed just long enough to survive the fight against Barbossa.]]

** ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'', penned in the 8th century, describes the monster Grendel as a descendant of Cain.

* More generally, if you're a D&D drow and Lolth gets annoyed at you, she's liable to turn you into a drider.
** That particular example of the Punishment doesn't exist in 4e, for the curious. The games designers took a long look at the powers the drider gained (more innate spells, increased toughness, better combat ability), their similarity to the spider (a holy creature in drow society and by Lolth's religious tenets), and the fact that the drider form is generally based off of one of Lolth's own avatars, and asked themselves: "why is this supposed to be a punishment, again?" Being a drider is now a ''blessing'', instead of a curse.
** As of 3.5e, a more correct punishment appeared in the Fiend Folio supplement in the form of the Chwidencha, a near-mindless flesh-eating mass of spider legs. Drow who failed Lolth's tests would be transformed into these creatures.
** Originally, (1e), Lolth would test drow who got to 6th level. Those who passed were allowed to continue to rise in power. Those who failed got turned into driders - and their advancement frozen because of it. In other words, those drow who would be more useful at a higher level were allowed to get to high level, and those who weren't got CursedWithAwesome. [[XanatosGambit Win Win]] for Lolth.
** Especially because she believes in constantly testing the drow for hardiness and ruthlessness, the losers being eaten. Their transformation is a punishment for failure, but it's a spider because they've become an instrument for Lolth's will.

* Creator/MarvelMax minisseries ''[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor: Vikings]]'' has a textbook example with Harald Jaekelson and his crew being cursed by a wizard for torching his village and slaughtering its people. They are turned into unstoppable zombies, capable of throwing down with not only Thor (one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe), but also the Avengers (comprised of Captain America, Iron Man, Vision and Scarlet Witch) and the US Marines (whose heads are placed on spikes). They unleash such vicious carnage over New York that they reduce the city to a death camp in just three days without anyone being capable of stopping them, making [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the wizard who cursed responsible for this action]].

* The Oathbreakers from ''Film/LordOfTheRings'' are an example of the Punishment done smartly -- they get undead immortality as part of the curse for betraying Isildur, but become bound to serve his descendants if they ever need to call on them, and the only real power they get is the ability to inspire unnatural terror (shared by all Middle-earth undead). This is also a true punishment, as in Middle-earth the mortal soul wants to leave the world after the span of a lifetime and is in agony if it cannot.