History Main / TranshumanTreachery

If this FaceHeelTurn is too quick, it gives the impression that some other trope is at work, like TheDarkSide, or WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity. However, this trope may be {{justified|Trope}} a couple of ways. First, if TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody, then it doesn't matter that vampire Dan doesn't want to drink human blood, [[SlidingScaleOfVampireFriendliness he has to]], and trying to be [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire friendly]] won't last. Second, someone seeking the CurseThatCures may make the painful choice to switch sides to save their life. Third, If the setting has an ongoing "[[FantasticRacism race war]]" against what the character has become if they don't join their new race they'll quickly face death. Fourth, the character made the choice to become a monster and then betray humanity because they are a MisanthropeSupreme who hates humanity, which naturally means that they’ll happily betray their race to side with the monsters. Of course, in that instance, the opportunity for the misanthrope to become something other than human would probably be too good to pass up. However, most of the time the switch in alliances comes about with alarming speed and lack of concern. At best you'll see these {{Big Bad Friend}}s offer the transformation to a friend or loved one... and kill them if they refuse. TheDarkSide, [[EvilTastesGood they have cookies.]] The justification may be simply that vampires, etc., are AlwaysChaoticEvil, though many people don't see the concept of AlwaysChaoticEvil itself as justifying things because they think it's unrealistic or a lazy way to characterize evil vampires.

[[quoteright:310:[[ComicBook/{{Peculia}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/peculia2.png]]]]

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/{{Peculia}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/peculia2.png]]]]

[[quoteright:310:[[ComicBook/{{Peculia}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/peculia2.png]]]]

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/{{Peculia}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/peculia_vampire_vampire_women.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Hey, they may be hapless victims turned bloodlusting walking corpses, but living forever in eternal beauty is a great health benefit!]]

* VideoGame/StringTyrant requires this for two hidden endings. A doll Mary with [[spoiler:her mind]] can still use the "transform" command. Dolls are immortal so it might be a blessing. Hope you don't feel too bad about having to [[spoiler:sacrifice Jessie/Lauren.]]

** In fact, it gets a lampshading/explanation in Book 1...there's debate over whether someone being turned is murder, as the victim is still around, but the personality changes are severe.

* ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'': Kerrigan is Queen Bitch of this trope. At first, she's somewhat mind controlled, yes, but also fairly autonomous. And then she's entirely autonomous and sells out the human race to lead the Zerg. She seemed slightly sad about trying to kill Raynor, but she got better. [[AllThereInTheManual Apparently]] tied to the ''very'' nasty [[FreudianExcuse mental conditioning and childhood]] she had.
** When she infests [[spoiler: Ethan Stewart]], he becomes an intelligent and fairly free-willed Zerg-Terran (and she knows it, so she threatens him if he ever turns against her). He immediately falls in love with her and follows her orders and does everything to gain her approval. [[spoiler: It doesn't work.]] ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' goes into a bit more detail, and the Zerg Campaign will likely go into more...
** By the end of the plot of ''[[VideoGame/StarCraftIIHeartOfTheSwarm Heart of the Swarm]]'', it's become complicated. [[spoiler: The [[{{Precursors}} Xel'Naga]] began molding both the Protoss and the Zerg into what they are now, apparently because it's just how their species perpetuate themselves. But their work on the Zerg was subverted by Amon, the Dark Voice, who gave the Zerg a biological imperative to obey him and destroy the Protoss. The Overmind freed the Zerg from that by [[ThanatosGambit getting himself killed]] so Kerrigan could take over. But it turns out that even when freed from Amon's influence, the Zerg are still a HordeOfAlienLocusts. Once freed, Kerrigan is relatively humane and an AntiVillain, but still more inhuman than she was before.]]

* ''VideoGame/Prototype2'' has this in spades, for all major Infected characters. When it comes to the Evolved, a super-strain of infected that retain their intelligence and "humanity" while gaining combat and infiltration skills. Later in the story, a chemical has a chance to turn those nearby into Evolved if released, and those transformed will turn on their former allies. These even applies to [[KnightTemplar Blackwatch soldiers]], who take containment beyond seriously.
* [[spoiler:Averted]] in ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown''. [[spoiler:The Volunteer is pretty much a PhysicalGod by the end, and could have saved himself/herself and ruled the rest of the galaxy as a God. Instead they choose to sacrifice themselves to save Earth after the Temple Ship goes critical.]]
* Sephiroth from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' conforms to the general idea, though his origin story is a bit more complicated: [[MegaCorp Shinra]] tried to create a human with the abilities of [[ThePrecursors the Ancients]] by infusing an unborn child with the cells of a specimen known as Jenova. Unfortunately for everyone, Jenova was not a real Ancient, but what had destroyed the Ancients, a malevolent StarfishAlien become HumanoidAbomination. During the main timeline in the game, Sephiroth returns after having figured this all out and seems to have AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence, but a totally psychopathic one where the only other subject he kind of acknowledges is "mother" Jenova. His plan is to [[OmnicidalManiac wound the Planet fatally]] so that he can absorb TheLifestream into himself and become a god.
* In ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth'', [[HumanityIsSuperior Purity]]-aligned factions see [[{{BioPunk}} Harmony]] and [[{{Cyberpunk}} Supremacy]] factions as a bunch of transhumanist nutbars who are tossing away their humanity - as well as the needy humans back on Earth - to run off and turn themselves into freaky half-alien mutants and cyborgs, respectively. [[GreyAndGrayMorality However]], Purity factions may or may not be simply ANaziByAnyOtherName if some of their flavour quotes are any indication, so there is room for this trope to be {{Inverted|Trope}}. That said, even pure Harmony and pure Supremacy think the followers of the Harmony-Supremacy hybrid affinity are going too far.
** The Supremacy faction is especially guilty, as the victory condition associated with them involves ''invading Earth with their military and forcing the humans to evolve against their will.'' The Harmony faction, by contrast, merely wants to cooperate with the [[GeniusLoci living planet]] they reside on.
* ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'': While most of the Earthrealm heroes [[ReforgedIntoAMinion turned revenants]] retain their original memories, they were brainwashed by {{Necromancer}} Quan Chi to the point of extreme hatred and rage, causing them to align more with the Netherrealm during the 25-year gap. [[EvilFeelsGood They don't feel bad committing evil deeds]] in the name of BigBad Shinnok, with [[spoiler:Liu Kang and Kitana being the worst examples, as they felt disillusioned by the thunder god who condemned to their fates at the end of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', and so, they decide to become CoDragons to Quan Chi and Shinnok]]. While Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Jax are restored to the side of good by Raiden, the remaining revenants aren't so lucky, as Scorpion couldn't contain his RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Quan Chi and kills him off without realizing why the sorcerer was needed, thereby condemning them to a FateWorseThanDeath. Also, with Shinnok and Quan Chi gone for good, [[spoiler:Liu Kang and Kitana voluntarily decide to become the Netherrealm's new rulers, thereby shaping them up to become future villains.]] Kung Lao's and Kung Jin's ''MKX'' arcade endings show [[spoiler:while ''it is'' possible for a revenant to overcome the corruption that bound them to the Netherrealm via HeroicWillpower and embracing positive emotions, the revenants were brainwashed to the point of extreme hatred, making this a long road to recovery, should they ever find redemption.]] Intros with Sub-Zero, Jax, and Scorpion show that even after being restored to life, their experiences as revenants has left them traumatized and psychologically scarred to the point they either self-isolated themselves or contemplated suicide.
** [[APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil Frost]], upon allying with BigBad Kronika and becoming a cyborg in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' also dips into this. She's always been [[EntitledBitch entitled]] and [[ArrogantKungFuGuy arrogant]], but here it's cranked up to eleven, to the point where she even [[UnwillingRoboticization turns her defeated opponents into robots]].
* Arguably the root of everything that goes wrong in ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}''. The Byrgenwerth scholars that cracked open the Pthumerian tombs, their Healing Church {{Spiritual Successor}}s, and most of all the School of Mensis, all wanted to transcend mortality and humanity. Their obsession and inter-faction conflict encapsulate pretty much everything that went wrong with Yharnam before or after the spread of the Beast Scourge.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' if an Ishgardian drinks the blood of a dragon, they themselves will turn into a dragon. Nidhogg, the leader of the dragons who are hostile to humanity and has an outlook of RevengeBeforeReason encourages this practice among the heretics who side with him over their countrymen, as he delights in seeing them so consumed by hatred and vengeance they'll forsake their mortal forms for a draconic one. [[spoiler:This is because of a different type of transhuman treachery, from the founders murdering the dragon Ratatoskr in cold blood to eat her eyes for power to transcend their mortal limits, and it's stayed in their blood ever since.]]
* The Vanu Sovereignty of ''VideoGame/{{Planetside}}'' are ScaryDogmaticAliens minus the being aliens part, a crazed cult of scientists and tech-heads who have been "touched" by {{Precursor|s}} technology and are out to [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence "enlighten"]] humanity whether it wants to be or not. A possible explanation is the Vanu technology's neural interfaces, not designed to work with human minds, have driven the people of the Sovereignty insane.
* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': While nearly everyone is transhuman by the start of the game (and none more than the player characters), the Grineer and the Corpus are still worth noting. The Grineer are clones with failing genetics who think everyone else is inferior, while the Corpus routinely brainwash civilians and even force them to take on cybernetics that make them easier to control--including full cybernetic ''heads''. The Infested, while primarily mindless, are also quick to turn on their former allies in the rare instances where they retain their minds.

* [[spoiler:Durkon Thundershield]] of ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' is a [[DoubleSubversion double subversion]] when forcibly turned into a vampire. [[spoiler: When he is freed from his sire's thralldom, he viciously attacks his sire's killers, suggesting that he's succumbed to vampires' [[AlwaysChaoticEvil intrinsically evil natures]]. He doesn't deny the evil part but subverts it by saying that he's still committed to the Order and their quest. It's later revealed that undead "Durkon" is a spirit created by Hel, the goddess of the dishonored dead, and is stealing memories from Durkon's [[AndIMustScream trapped soul]] to impersonate him while he advances Hel's agenda. Inverted when Durkon forces the vampire spirit to experience enough of his memories, and the emotional growth that came from them, to turn it into himself.]]

-->'''Bart''': Come join us Lisa, it's so cool. You get to stay up all night drinking ''blooood''.\\

** [[APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil Frost]], upon allying with BigBad Kronika and becoming a Cyborg in ''VideoGame/Mortal Kombat 11'' also dips into this. She's always been [[EntitledBitch entitled]] and [[ArrogantKungFuGuy arrogant]], but here it's cranked up to eleven.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'': While most of the Earthrealm heroes [[ReforgedIntoAMinion turned revenants]] retain their original memories, they were brainwashed by {{Necromancer}} Quan Chi to the point of extreme hatred and rage, causing them to align more with the Netherrealm during the 25-year gap. [[EvilFeelsGood They don't feel bad committing evil deeds]] in the name of BigBad Shinnok, with [[spoiler:Liu Kang and Kitana being the worst examples, as they felt disillusioned by the thunder god who condemned to their fates at the end of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', and so, they decide to become CoDragons to Quan Chi and Shinnok]]. While Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Jax are restored to the side of good by Raiden, the remaining revenants aren't so lucky, as Scorpion couldn't contain his RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Quan Chi and kills him off without realizing why the sorcerer was needed, thereby condemning them to a FateWorseThanDeath. Also, with Shinnok and Quan Chi gone for good, [[spoiler:Liu Kang and Kitana voluntarily decide to become the Netherrealm's new rulers, thereby shaping them up to become future villains.]] Kung Lao's and Kung Jin's ''MKX'' arcade endings show [[spoiler:while ''it is'' possible for a revenant to overcome the corruption that bound them to the Netherrealm via HeroicWillpower and embracing positive emotions, the revenants were brainwashed to the point of extreme hatred, making this a long road to recovery, should they ever find redemption.]]
Intros with Sub-Zero, Jax, and Scorpion show that even after being restored to life, their experiences as revenants has left them traumatized and psychologically scarred to the point they either self-isolated themselves or contemplated suicide.
** Frost, upon allying with BigBad Kronika and becoming a Cyborg in "VideoGame Mortal Kombat 11" also dips into this. She's always been [[EntitledBitch entitled]] and [[ArrogantKungFuGuy arrogant]], but here it's cranked up to [[Pun eleven]].

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'': While most of the Earthrealm heroes [[ReforgedIntoAMinion turned revenants]] retain their original memories, they were brainwashed by {{Necromancer}} Quan Chi to the point of extreme hatred and rage, causing them to align more with the Netherrealm during the 25-year gap. [[EvilFeelsGood They don't feel bad committing evil deeds]] in the name of BigBad Shinnok, with [[spoiler:Liu Kang and Kitana being the worst examples, as they felt disillusioned by the thunder god who condemned to their fates at the end of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', and so, they decide to become CoDragons to Quan Chi and Shinnok]]. While Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Jax are restored to the side of good by Raiden, the remaining revenants aren't so lucky, as Scorpion couldn't contain his RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Quan Chi and kills him off without realizing why the sorcerer was needed, thereby condemning them to a FateWorseThanDeath. Also, with Shinnok and Quan Chi gone for good, [[spoiler:Liu Kang and Kitana voluntarily decide to become the Netherrealm's new rulers, thereby shaping them up to become future villains.]] Kung Lao's and Kung Jin's ''MKX'' arcade endings show [[spoiler:while ''it is'' possible for a revenant to overcome the corruption that bound them to the Netherrealm via HeroicWillpower and embracing positive emotions, the revenants were brainwashed to the point of extreme hatred, making this a long road to recovery, should they ever find redemption.]] Intros with Sub-Zero, Jax, and Scorpion show that even after being restored to life, their experiences as revenants has left them traumatized and psychologically scarred to the point they either self-isolated themselves or contemplated suicide.

If this FaceHeelTurn is too quick, it gives the impression that some other trope is at work, like TheDarkSide, or WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity. However, this trope may be {{justified|Trope}} a couple of ways. If TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody it doesn't matter that vampire Dan doesn't want to drink human blood, [[SlidingScaleOfVampireFriendliness he has to]], and trying to be [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire friendly]] won't last. Alternately, someone seeking the CurseThatCures may make the painful choice to switch sides to save their life. If the setting has an ongoing "[[FantasticRacism race war]]" against what the character has become if they don't join their new race they'll quickly face death. However, most of the time the switch in alliances comes about with alarming speed and lack of concern. At best you'll see these {{Big Bad Friend}}s offer the transformation to a friend or loved one... and kill them if they refuse. TheDarkSide, [[EvilTastesGood they have cookies.]] The justification may be simply that vampires, etc., are AlwaysChaoticEvil, though many people don't see the concept of AlwaysChaoticEvil itself as justifying things because they think it's unrealistic or a lazy way to characterize evil vampires.

A possible cause of BewareTheSuperman, this is the third sin in the ScaleOfScientificSins. Compare SheepInWolfsClothing and SpeciesLoyalty. Contrast MonstersAnonymous. May lead to forming an AntiHumanAlliance. Can overlap with SuperSupremacist. Contrast ProHumanTranshuman or HumanityIsInfectious, depending on the details.

* The short-lived series ''Series/{{Prey}}'' has a new species [[HollywoodEvolution evolving]] from humanity and living in secret among us. These Homo Dominants (as they're named later) lack any emotions and have an instinctive desire to dominate and/or destroy humans, believing that, otherwise, the much more numerous humans will destroy them just like we killed the Neanderthals. They are stronger, faster, and smarter than most humans (one episode shows they have mastered [[{{Nanomachines}} nanotechnology]]). The protagonists are a group of scientists who discover the existence of the Dominants and fight to stay alive and reveal the truth to the world (with the help of a Dominant who has seconds thoughts). After the revelation, the government, as expected, starts trying to eliminate the threat to humanity by striking first. Peace talks between human and Dominant representatives are disrupted by radical elements. Both sides attempt to figure out ways of turning one species into another (humans try it with a drug, while Dominants create a nanovirus that rewrites DNA).

* Inverted by Myria Lejean in ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'': rather than a human made into a monster choosing to be a monster, she is something inhuman made into a human that ends up choosing humanity's side. (HumanityIsInfectious, but the other incarnating Auditors merely go insane from it).

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has the sadistic human-hating werewolf Fenrir Greyback, who kills and eats people [[ImAHumanitarian even when not transformed]], and who aims to infect as many humans as he can with lycanthropy. He takes a special interest in [[ChildEater infecting children]] and grooming them to hate normal wizards, and yes, it's as creepy as you think.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has the sadistic human-hating werewolf Fenrir Greyback, who kills and eats people [[ImAHumanitarian even when not transformed]], and who aims to infect as many humans as he can with lycanthropy. He takes an especially creepy interest in [[ChildEater infecting children]] and raising them to hate normal wizards.

But then there's times that a transformation ''doesn't'' {{brainwash|ed}}, [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul de-soul]], [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity drive insane]], or [[DemonicPossession demonically possess]] the victim. Other times the ViralTransformation causes changes that are purely cosmetic, granting [[{{Transhuman}} amazing abilities]] albeit [[PowerAtAPrice at great cost]] and (usually) a [[PowerUpgradingDeformation horrifying appearance]]. So what do these unwilling tranformees do? Become {{Phlebotinum Rebel}}s or {{Vampire Refugee}}s and use their powers to fight these monsters? Nope. They engage in Transhuman Treachery.

* In ''LightNovel/KumoDesuGaNaniKa'' three humans reborn as monsters show little to no regard for the lives of humans and a newly-turned vampire has a similarly skewed morality.

* ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'': Tania has a quick and jarring her personality shift upon becoming a Contractor. Originally, she was a kind person. She immediately becomes cold towards her friends and by the third episode is really enthusiastic about the idea of selling her friends out to an intelligence agency for a chance for promotion. [[spoiler: she even brutally kills her childhood friend/crush Nika]]. The series also has several examples of Contractors who don't turn on their loved ones, so it's possible that kind people like Tania are actually more liable to turn to brutality and coldness upon suddenly becoming detached from their emotions, while a person who was already detached may not have quite as jarring a shift.

* [[spoiler:Durkon Thundershield]] of ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' is a [[DoubleSubversion double subversion]] when forcibly turned into a vampire. [[spoiler: When he is freed from his sire's thralldom, he viciously attacks his sire's killers, suggesting that he's succumbed to vampires' [[AlwaysChaoticEvil intrinsically evil natures]]. He doesn't deny the evil part but subverts it by saying that he's still committed to the Order and their quest. It's later revealed that undead "Durkon" is a spirit created by Hel, the goddess of the dishonored dead, and is stealing memories from Durkon's [[AndIMustScream trapped soul]] to impersonate him while he advances Hel's agenda.]]

* This happens in the anime ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' as soon as a Yoma Hunter loses control of her demonic powers and transforms into an [[FaceMonsterTurn Awakened Being]]. The Awakened Beings maintain some semblance of human intelligence but are quickly driven insane by HorrorHunger and/or ThePowerOfHate, as the mutations screw with their emotional states. [[spoiler:It turns out ALL Yoma hosts are like this; Yoma are gut parasites that concentrate on the Hunger part in their victims until they turn into sociopaths who can only think about how to hunt their next meal, but are still otherwise the same people they were before being infected. This becomes a plot point when the ultimate Awakened Being is revealed to have realized that the Yoma who looked like her father was actually her father on Yoma Crack, and developed a Yoma-empowering type of insanity as a result]].