History Main / VillainByProxyFallacy

* ''Videogame/FalloutNewVegas'': The antagonist of the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC, Ulysses, hates [[PlayerCharacter the Courier]] because he blames them for a nuclear explosion that destroyed the Divide; it turns out the courier once delivered a package to the Divide which contained the nuke's launch codes. The Courier had absolutely no idea what was in the package when it was delivered, and [[ButForMeItWasTuesday can't even remember it clearly when Ulysses tells them what that package did.]]

** In another example, when CorruptCop Lieutenant Valchek becomes enraged that stevedores' union chief Frank Sobotka has gotten a coveted stained-glass window at their church before Valchek, he sends his officers to harass the entire union with selective enforcement. Later still, frustrated that the investigation he instigates has moved on from Sobotka and the union to chase international drug and human traffickers, he calls in the FBI knowing that they will focus on busting the stevedores' union first and foremost. By the end of the season, [[spoiler:the union is gone]], and by the end of the series [[spoiler:at least some of the members are homeless after losing their jobs.]] Really, it's safe to say that the world of ''The Wire'' runs on this trope.

* On ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Warren shoots and kills [[spoiler: Tara]] and is in turn apparently killed in revenge by [[spoiler: Willow]], after which [[spoiler: she]] also vengefully targets his former partners Jonathan and Andrew despite their lack of involvement in the shooting...and when Buffy and the Scoobies prevent these murders, [[spoiler: she]] blames and attacks ''them''!

** Ilon Tandro in the episode "Dax" is obsessed with finding and punishing the traitor who was responsible for the murder of his father, General Ardelon Tandro. He strongly suspects his father's friend Curzon Dax, who could have carried out the murder and was never able to provide himself an alibi, but since Curzon is dead, he decides to place the symbiotic lifeform that lived in his body, and its current host Jadzia Dax, on trial in Curzon's place. He (correctly) assumes he'll be the only one to see things this way and tries to straight-up kidnap Jadzia before demanding extradition when that fails, with Sisko basing his defense on this. When it turns out Curzon had an alibi after all, [[spoiler: being in the general's wife's bed at the time,]] the argument is abandoned.

** Part of the [[InherentInTheSystem utter, systemic failure]] of the drug war comes about because the police tend to treat anyone living near a drug-dealing operation with considerable brutality whenever one such operations harms or even simply embarrasses a police officer or a public official, and in turn most people living in drug-affected areas behave as if every police officer is a [[CorruptCop brutal thug or a corrupt cop]] because some of the police fit that description.
** In another example, when CorruptCop Lieutenant Valchek becomes enraged that stevedores' union chief Frank Sobotka has gotten a coveted stained-glass window at their church before Valchek, he sends his officers to harass the entire union with selective enforcement. Later still, frustrated that the investigation he instigates has moved on from Sobotka and the union to chase international drug and human traffickers, he calls in the FBI knowing that they will focus on busting the stevedores' union first and foremost. By the end of the season, [[spoiler: the union is gone]], and by the end of the series [[spoiler: at least some of the members are homeless after losing their jobs.]] Really, it's safe to say that the world of ''The Wire'' runs on this trope.
* ''CSINewYork'' : The Compass Killer. Driven insane from the grief and the brain damage that ensued from a madman entering his office and blowing away everybody inside with a shotgun (including his wife) before killing himself, architect Hollis Eckhart started killing everybody that had anything to do with it. The guy who sold the madman the gun, the shrink that didn't diagnose the shooter as an unstable man, the guard that didn't search the shooter thoroughly... and himself, for putting his wife in danger. It didn't helped in any way at all that the madness which made him decide to perform these acts also made him identify innocent people as those that were the targets of his vengeance.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', [[KnightTemplar Kore's]] FantasticRacism extends not only to members of the 'monstrous races', but also to members of the 'civilized races' who could potentially harbor sympathy for monsters. This results in him [[WouldHurtAChild executing a child]] whose 'crime' was being orphaned and RaisedByOrcs, while delivering a speech about how allowing the child to live would result in the potential for greater evil to exist in future.

** Ilon Tandro in the episode "Dax" is obsessed with finding and punishing the traitor who was responsible for the murder of his father, General Ardelon Tandro. He strongly suspects his father's friend Curzon Dax, who could have carried out the murder and was never able to provide himself an alibi, but since Curzon is dead, he decides to place the symbiotic lifeform that lived in his body, and its current host Jadzia Dax, on trial in Curzon's place.

* ''Film/LawAbidingCitizen'': Clyde Shelton's family are murdered during a burglary, and the District Attorney cuts a deal with the burglar who carried out the murders, offering him a lesser sentence in exchange for him testifying against his accomplice (which sends the latter to the death row). Shelton decides to take matters into his own hands, first by taking brutal revenge against both burglars, then by initiating a campaign of terror aimed at bringing down the entire justice system, who he sees as guilty of a miscarriage of justice.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' provides an inversion, where Sisko feels this way about ''himself'' after playing a part in tricking the Romulans into declaring war on the Dominion. This includes bribery, manufacturing evidence, covering up the murder of a high-profile Romulan ambassador and framing the Dominion for a crime they hadn't committed. It's easy to see his point, except he can live with it, if it meant preserving the Federation. [[YouKeepTellingYourselfThat At least, that's what he tells himself.]]

* A tendency for Double D in ''EdEddNEddy'', who is often punished along with the other Eds by the other vengeful kids, despite most inconveniences they make are caused by Eddy's callousness or Ed's oblivious stupidity. This usually counts as a non lampshaded MisplacedRetribution, though in at least one episode, Sarah points out that Double D probably didn't have any part in the Ed's antics, though decides to let him take the fall anyway.

* ''Film/LawAbidingCitizen'': Clyde Shelton's family are murdered during a burglary, and the Justice Department cuts a deal with the burglar who carried out the murders, offering him a lesser sentence in exchange for him testifying against his accomplice (which sends the latter to the death row). Shelton decides to take matters into his own hands, first by taking brutal revenge against both burglars, then by initiating a campaign of terror aimed at bringing down the entire Justice Department, who he sees as guilty of a miscarriage of justice.

* ''CSINewYork'' : The Compass Killer. Driven insane from the grief and the brain damage that ensued from a madman entering his office and blowing away everybody inside with a shotgun (including his wife) before killing himself, architect Hollis Eckhart started killing everybody that had anything to do with it. The guy who sold the madman the gun, the shrink that didn't diagnose the shooter as an unstable man, the guard that didn't search the shooter thoroughly... and himself, for putting his wife in danger. It didn't helped in any way at all that the madness which made him decide to perform this act also made him identify innocent people as those that were the targets of his vengeance.

* Notable aversion: in ''BatmanYearOne'', Bruce Wayne is turned off of studying the Law when he learns about Accessory[=/=]FelonyMurder laws, specifically a getaway-car driver being judged equally guilty of murder if his partner kills someone during a bank robbery even though the driver wasn't even in the bank and doesn't know it happened.

In the more sympathetic portrayals, the Karma Police actually has a legit beef with the Villain By Proxy ([[VillainHasAPoint who]] [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom may]] [[ButForMeItWasTuesday or may]] [[ShutUpHannibal not care]] either way), even if their methods can range from [[DisproportionateRetribution overzealous to cruel]]. The less savory examples operate under methods that come across as MisplacedRetribution, with a touch of EvilIsPetty, NeverMyFault or as a proponent of PoorCommunicationKills.

* ''LawAbidingCitizen'': Clyde Shelton's family are murdered during a burglary, and the Justice Department cuts a deal with the burglar who carried out the murders, offering him a lesser sentence in exchange for him testifying against his accomplice (which sends the latter to the death row). Shelton decides to take matters into his own hands, first by taking brutal revenge against both burglars, then by initiating a campaign of terror aimed at bringing down the entire Justice Department, who he sees as guilty of a miscarriage of justice.

* A major point of contention between the SpaceWolves and the Inquisition in Warhammer40K. After the First War for Armageddon, the Inquisition decided that the Guardsmen and civilians who'd fought might be corrupted by Chaos (or start [[ThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow talking about what they'd seen about Chaos]]), and enacted a mass sterilization and forced labor program for the civilians and shoot down the [[SinkTheLifeboats Guard transports]]. This did not sit well with the SpaceWolves, who had fought alongside these men and women, and took it upon themselves to rescue all those that they could without opening fire on Inquisitorial ships. The Inquisition failed to take the hint and almost started a civil war with the Wolves.
* In the first book of ''TheSaxonStories'', Ragnar tracks a man who betrayed him and attempted to murder his adopted son to a monastery. The bishop there tries to explain that the man is dying from his wounds and that anyone who seeks protection at a church is entitled to it. Ragnar grows more and more furious at the priest sheltering a man who betrayed his lord and attempted to murder a teenage boy, until he eventually decides that the priest and church must be evil if they allow evil men to take shelter, and slaughters the bishop, the rest of the monastery, and the man in question.

* Notable aversion: in ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'', Bruce Wayne is turned off of studying the Law when he learns about Accessory[=/=]FelonyMurder laws, specifically a getaway-car driver being judged equally guilty of murder if his partner kills someone during a bank robbery even though the driver wasn't even in the bank and doesn't know it happened.

* In ''Unforgiven'', the working girls put out a $1,000 bounty on the heads of two cowboys, Quick Mike and Davey Bunting. While this is understandable in Mike's case (he cut up one of the prostitutes pretty badly), Davey's only crime is his poor choice of friends.

* ''CSINewYork'' : The Compass Killer. Driven insane from the grief and the brain damage that ensued from a madman entering his office and blowing away everybody inside with a shotgun (including his wife) before killing himself, architect Hollis Eckhart started killing everybody that had anything to do with it. The guy who sold the madman the gun, the shrink that didn't diagnosed the shooter as an unstable man, the guard that didn't searched the shooter thoroughly... and himself, for putting his wife in danger. It didn't helped in any way at all that the madness which made him decide to perform this act also made him identify innocent people as those that were the targets of his vengeance.

* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'': After Rachel dies, Harvey confronts the people that he felt were responsible for her death, starting with TheJoker, the actual killer. The madman won the coin toss and got to live, so Harvey goes after everyone else from there. The last person he targets is Commissioner Gordon; he was a couple yards away from the building housing Rachel, but it exploded as soon as he got out of the car. Harvey threatens to kill his son on a coin toss, on the idea Gordon failed to save Rachel quicker.

* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' uses this trope to elevate Harvey Dent into one of its prime antagonists. After Rachel dies, Two Face confronts the people that he felt were responsible for her death, starting with TheJoker, the actual killer. The madman won the coin toss and got to live, so Harvey goes after everyone else from there. The last person Two Face targets is Commissioner Gordon; he was a couple yards away from the building housing Rachel, but it exploded as soon as he got out of the car. Two Face threatens to kill his son on a coin toss, on the idea Gordon failed to save Rachel quicker.

* ''Videogame/FalloutNewVegas'': The antagonist of the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC, Ulysses, hates [[PlayerCharacter the Courier]] because he blames them for a nuclear explosion that destroyed the Divide; it turns out the courier once delivered a package to the Divide which contained the nuke's launch codes. [[ButForMeItWasTuesday From the courier's point of view, that package was so ordinary they can't even remember it clearly.]]

* An unusual example occurs on ''Series/Angel'' with the VampireHunter Holtz, who seeks vengeance on Angelus for murdering his family and forcing him to stake his own daughter. In this case, Holtz comes after Angel even after acknowledging that Angel is essentially a different person than the soulless Angelus. The trope is played straight in that Holtz's vengeance also encompasses Angel's [[RevengeByProxy infant son]] and his allies in Angel Investigations. Holtz's assistant, Justine, is also a clearer example, int hat she hates all vampires because one of them killed her sister.

* ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising''
** Cyrus, who believes that ItIsBeyondSaving while the grid is under Clu's control and tried to eradicate everything, including the programs who don't support the occupation.
** Tesler was willing to tear Mara limb from limb simply because she happened to touch is chest when he was annoyed. Inexplicably, he included her friend Zed in that public execution, even though he was only there to see her touch Teslers chest.

* An unusual example occurs on ''Series/Angel'' with the VampireHunter Holtz, who seeks vengeance on Angelus for murdering his family and forcing him to stake his own daughter. In this case, Holtz comes after Angel even after acknowledging that Angel is essentially a different person than the soulless Angelus. The trope is played straight in that Holtz's vengeance also encompasses Angel's [[RevengeByProxy infant son]] and his allies in Angel Investigations. Holtz's assistant, Justine, is also a clearer example, int hat she hates all vampires because one of them [[DeadLittleSister killed her sister]].

* Notable aversion: in ''BatmanYearOne'', Bruce Wayne is turned off of studying the Law when he learns about Accessory[=/=]FelonyMurder laws, specifically a getaway-car driver being judged equally guilty of murder if his partner kills someone during a bank robbery even though the driver wasn't even in the bank and doesn't know it happened.

In the more sympathetic portrayals, the Karma Police actually has a legit beef with the Villain By Proxy ([[VillainHasAPoint who may]] [[ButForMeItWasTuesday or may]] [[ShutUpHannibal not care]] either way), even if their methods can range from [[DisproportionateRetribution overzealous to cruel]]. The less savory examples operate under methods that come across as MisplacedRetribution, with a touch of EvilIsPetty, NeverMyFault or as a proponent of PoorCommunicationKills.

* ''Videogame/FalloutNewVegas'': The antagonist of the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC, Ulysses, hates [[PlayerCharacter the Courier]] because he blames them for a nuclear explosion that destroyed the Divide; it turns out the courier once delivered a package to the Divide which contained the nuke's launch codes. [[ButForMeItWasTuesday From the courier point of view, that package was so ordinary they can't even remember it clearly.]]

* ''LawAbidingCitizen'': Clyde Shelton's family are murdered during a burglary, and the Justice Department cuts a deal with the burglar who carried out the murders, offering him a lesser sentence in exchange for him testifying against his accomplice (which sends the latter to the death row). Shelton decides to take matters into his own hands, first by taking brutal revenge against both burglars, then by initiating a campaign of terror aimed at bringing down the entire Justice Department, who he sees as guilty of a miscarriage of justice.

* ''LawAbidingCitizen'': Clyde Shelton's family are murdered during a burglary, and the Justice Department are forced to cut a deal with the burglar who carried out the murders, offering him a lesser sentence in exchange for him testifying against his accomplice. Shelton decides to take matters into his own hands, first by taking brutal revenge against the burglars, then by initiating a campaign of terror aimed at bringing down the entire Justice Department, who he sees as guilty of a miscarriage of justice.
* CSI: NY : The Compass Killer. Driven insane from the grief and the brain damage that ensued from a madman entering his office and blowing away everybody inside with a shotgun (including his wife) before killing himself, architect Hollis Eckhart started killing everybody that had anything to do with it. The guy who sold the madman the gun, the shrink that didn't diagnosed the shooter as an unstable man, the guard that didn't searched the shooter thoroughly... and himself, for putting his wife in danger. It didn't helped in any way at all that the madness which made him decide to perform this act also made him identify innocent people as those that were the targets of his vengeance.

** Cyrus, who believes that ItIsBeyondSaving while the grid is under Clus control and tried to eradicate everything, including the programs who don't support the occupation.
** Tesler was willing to tear Mara limb from limb simply because she happened to touch is chest when he was annoyed. Inexplicably, he included her friend Zed in that public execution, eve though he was only there to see her touch Teslers chest.

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* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' provides an inversion, where Sisko feels this way about ''himself'' after playing a part in tricking the Romulans into declaring war on the Dominion. This includes bribery, manufacturing evidence, covering up the murder of a high-profile Romulan ambassador and framing the Dominion for a crime they hadn't committed. It's easy to see his point, except he can live with it, if it meant preserving the Federation.