History Main / VillainsDyingGrace

-->-- ''Film/SpiderMan2''

* In ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', after getting two of his classmates killed in the previous chapter, [[spoiler: Kokichi Ouma]] ends up getting killed...but it turns out [[spoiler: he decided to die in a way that would result in a case that's impossible for Monokuma to know who died, thus ending the killing game and preventing [[ActionGirl Maki]] from becoming the blackened. This is especially notable as he went out of his way to paint himself as evil throughout the game, yet he ''hated'' the game, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone came to really regret orchestrating the deaths of Gonta and Miu]] and previously treated Maki with contempt for being a ProfessionalKiller.]]

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'', all three levels leading up to the last level have bosses like this; of course, [[NintendoHard they all fight tooth-and-nail]] before that point.

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Psycho Mantis, the Psychokinetic badass responsible for [[FourthWall smashing the fourth wall into thousands of teeny tiny pieces]], has one of these moments after you defeat him. He explains essentially, that his life is shit, everyone's life is shit, and we're all a bunch of horny buggers focused solely on doing the nasty. The only reason he wanted to join Liquid, was to find an excuse to kill as many people as he could. After reading Snake's mind and [[ChasteHero discovering that no naughty thoughts are going on in there]] he decides to help by levitating a bookshelf out of the way, allowing you to continue. As he takes his last breath he utters these final words "This was the first time I've ever used my powers to help someone. Funny... [[GoodFeelsGood It feels... kind of... nice]]."

* In ''VisualNovel/NewDanganRonpaV3'', after getting two of his classmates killed in the previous chapter, [[spoiler: Kokichi Ouma]] ends up getting killed...but it turns out [[spoiler: he decided to die in a way that would result in a case that's impossible for Monokuma to know who died, thus ending the killing game and preventing [[ActionGirl Maki]] from becoming the blackened. This is especially notable as he went out of his way to paint himself as evil throughout the game, yet he ''hated'' the game, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone came to really regret orchestrating the deaths of Gonta and Miu]] and previously treated Maki with contempt for being a ProfessionalKiller.]]

* At the end of the first arc of ''{{Manga/Naruto}}'' Zabuza, a wanted ninja who previously had both of his arms broken in a fight against Kakashi, decides to use his remaining strength to kill his sleazebag former employer. And his the majority of his gang. [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome With one kunai. In his mouth.]]

[[folder:Film — Animated]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox'', Rat tells the heroes where to find Kris just before he expires from electrocution. He also says that he never would have told them that if he hadn't been at death's door.

* At the end of the first arc of ''{{Manga/Naruto}}'' Zabuza, a wanted ninja who previously had both of his arms broken in a fight against Kakashi, decides to use his remaining strength to kill his sleazebag former employer. And his the majority of his gang.[[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome With one kunai. In his mouth.]]

* In Season 5 of ''Series/TheFlash2014'', the [[spoiler: 2049 version of Eobard Thawne]], who is imprisoned and appears to be on death row, claims this is his motivation for helping Nora. Whether or not he's telling the truth is unclear at best.

* At the end of ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', as ComicBook/{{Thanos}} watches his entire invasion force turn to dust following [[Film/IronMan Tony Stark]]'s snap, he just sits down and hangs his head in shame, knowing that he too will be dusted with everyone else and that there's nothing he can do to stop it.

* In the hour-long season finale of ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6TheSeries'', as his life’s work crumbles before his eyes, Obake’s last act is to release Baymax from his control to save Hiro, the only person he considered his equal, before resigning himself to his fate.
---> [[spoiler: [[FamousLastWords "I am satisfied with my care."]]]]

---> [[spoiler: "I am satisfied with my care."]]

* The Hellfire Club, in their early days, was presented as more amoral than evil, and it showed in the death of one of their Inner Circle. In battle with the ultimate Sentinel Nimrod, alongside their enemies the [=X-men=], Harry Leland of the Hellfire Club is pushed too far, and the overweight gravity/mass manipulator suffers a massive heart attack. He manages to hang on to life long enough to use his own teammate, invulnerable mutant Sebastian Shaw, as a human Kinetic Kill Weapon against Nimrod with his literal final efforts.

* The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants were close to assassinating anti-mutant Senator Robert Kelly until former Brotherhood member Pyro, dying of the Legacy Virus, stopped them. His actions forced Kelly to rethink his anti-mutant stance and probably prevented the disastrous age of Sentinels.
* Mimic, an occasional enemy of the original ComicBook/XMen, died after purposely absorbing too much of the Hulk's gamma radiation to both prevent the Hulk from further rampages and to "eliminate the menace the Mimic posed to the world."
** But then he was revived, rendering his sacrifice moot.
* ''Comicbook/{{Blacksad}}'': In "Somewhere Within The Shadows", after being fatally wounded by Blacksad, the lizard assassin tells him the name of his employer and Natalia's killer with his dying breath. As he admits, he always hated his boss anyway.

This isn't quite a HeroicSacrifice or RedemptionEqualsDeath -- they would have died anyway -- but at the least it shows they weren't completely evil and still retained a measure of nobility as a FallenHero, NobleDemon or AntiHero. Sadly, this is definitely not enough for RedemptionEarnsLife. In a best case scenario, they DiedHappilyEverAfter. It is one way to make characters and audience lament AlasPoorVillain.

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox'', Rat tells the heroes where to find Kris just before he expires from electrocution. He also says that he never would have told them that if he hadn't been at death's door.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''Series/KamenRiderFourze,'' BigBad Gamou's last act is to [[spoiler:use the Aquarius Switch to repair the broken Core Switch, which brings Kengo back to life]].
* ''Series/KamenRiderExAid''. [[TheDragon Graphite]] is incensed by the TimeStandsStill VillainousRescue by [[spoiler: [[BigBad Kamen Rider Cronus]], stating he'd been rightfully defeated by his longtime archrivals Hiiro and Taiga in a battle that lasted the entire night]]. Having grown powerful enough to resist the time freeze and with the last of his strength, [[spoiler: he sends Cronus flying, which undoes the freeze, and he properly takes the killing shot that was about to hit him, thereby allowing the heroes to advance further. He even gives a satisfied smile and farewell to his rivals and former allies present before exploding]].

** In the episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E7TheUnicornAndTheWasp "The Unicorn and the Wasp"]], a giant murderous alien wasp called a Vespiform dies by drowning, but due to a psychic connection it has with Creator/AgathaChristie (ItMakesSenseInContext), she is dying too. At the last moment, it releases its hold on her, saving her life.
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E5ThePoisonSky "The Poison Sky"]], the Doctor wakes up the real Martha Jones, causing the clone to die. As she dies, the real Martha begs her to reveal the Sontaran plan, which she eventually does. Martha thanks her, but her words fall on deaf ears.
* In ''Series/PersonOfInterest'', Terney, a member of [=HR=] (a group of corrupt policemen within the NYPD), is fatally shot by Carter. As he's rapidly bleeding out, she asks him to be a cop one last time and tell her who the head of [=HR=] is. And he does.
* In Season 2 of ''Series/TheLibrarians2014'', Moriarty, tired of being TheDragon to [[EvilSorcerer Prospero]], tries to get rid of him, only for Prospero to deal him a fatal blow. As Moriarty is dying, he tells the Librarians how to defeat Prospero.

* ''Series/KamenRiderExAid''. [[TheDragon Graphite]] is incensed by the TimeStandsStill VillainousRescue by [[spoiler: [[BigBad Kamen Rider Cronus]], stating he'd been rightfully defeated by his longtime archrivals Hiiro and Taiga in a battle that lasted the entire night]]. Having grown powerful enough to resist the time freeze and with the last of his strength, [[spoiler: he sends Cronus flying, which undoes the freeze, and he properly takes the killing shot that was about to hit him. He even gives a satisfied smile and farewell to his rivals and former allies present before exploding]].

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E7TheUnicornAndTheWasp "The Unicorn and the Wasp"]], a giant murderous alien wasp called a Vespiform dies by drowning, but due to a psychic connection it has with Creator/AgathaChristie (ItMakesSenseInContext), she is dying too. At the last moment, it releases its hold on her, saving her life.

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Psycho Mantis, the Psychokinetic badass responsible for [[FourthWall smashing the fourth wall into thousands of teeny tiny pieces]] has one of these moments after you defeat him. He explains essentially, that his life is shit, everyone's life is shit, and we're all a bunch of horny buggers focused solely on doing the nasty. The only reason he wanted to join Liquid, was to find an excuse to kill as many people as he could. After reading Snake's mind and [[ChasteHero discovering that no naughty thoughts are going on in there]] he decides to help by levitating a bookshelf out of the way, allowing you to continue. As he takes his last breath he utters these final words "This was the first time I've ever used my powers to help someone. Funny... [[GoodFeelsGood It feels... kind of... nice]]."

* In Season 5 of TheFlash2014, the [[spoiler: 2049 version of Eobard Thawne]], who is imprisoned and appears to be on death row, claims this is his motivation for helping Nora. Whether or not he's telling the truth is unclear at best.

* ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'': [[spoiler: John's]] death is this; he has a HeelRealization when [[spiler: the Hunger itself turns on him after starving for the Light of Creation for over a decade. Knowing he’s almost certainly about to die, John brings Merle to Parley to tell him how to defeat the Hunger and save the planar system.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout1}}'', if the Vault Dweller presents The Master with compelling evidence that his plan to "unify" the wasteland is doomed as the Mutants are all sterile, he'll self-destruct his own base (he cannot leave due to his own mutation) while giving the Dweller a chance to escape before it goes down.

* In VisualNovel/NewDanganRonpaV3, after getting two of his classmates killed in the previous chapter, [[spoiler: Kokichi Ouma]] ends up getting killed...but it turns out [[spoiler: he decided to die in a way that would result in a case that's impossible for Monokuma to know who died, thus ending the killing game and preventing [[ActionGirl Maki]] from becoming the blackened. This is especially notable as he went out of his way to paint himself as evil throughout the game, yet he ''hated'' the game, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone came to really regret orchestrating the deaths of Gonta and Miu]] and previously treated Maki with contempt for being a ProfessionalKiller.]]

This isn't quite a HeroicSacrifice or RedemptionEqualsDeath -- they would have died anyway -- but at the least it shows they weren't completely evil and still retained a measure of nobility as a FallenHero, NobleDemon or AntiHero. Sadly, this is definitely not enough for RedemptionEarnsLife. In a best case scenario, they DiedHappilyEverAfter. It is one way to make characters and audience lament AlasPoorVillain though not necessary.

This isn't quite a HeroicSacrifice or RedemptionEqualsDeath -- they would have died anyway -- but at the least it shows they weren't completely evil and still retained a measure of nobility as a FallenHero, NobleDemon or AntiHero. Sadly, this is definitely not enough for RedemptionEarnsLife. In a best case scenario, they DiedHappilyEverAfter.

* In ''Film/BladeRunner'', AntiVillain Roy has AntiHero[=/=]VillainProtagonist Decker in a literal cliffhanger but is dying himself. At the last moment, Roy saves Decker's life, and is rewarded with an ObiWanMoment, giving Decker this final speech before he goes: