History Main / WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds

As James Baldwin once said, society's deadliest creation is a person with nothing left to lose.

-> ''"Evil is just a word. Under the skin, it's simple pain."''
--> -- '''Eleanor Lamb''', ''VideoGame/BioShock2''

As [[Creator/JamesBaldwin James Baldwin]] once said, society's deadliest creation is a person with nothing left to lose.

JustForFun/NotToBeConfusedWith MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds, where a bumbling but otherwise nice person accidentally [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroys actual worlds]], leading to WhatTheHellHero and NiceJobBreakingItHero moments.

%% Image kept on page per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1662616790019831500

[[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_0za2pyndamsflxywycgyz_zhcxcb0yxi7m4arh_0svi.png]]
[[caption-width-right:325:[[RussianReversal In Soviet Russia]], [[BreakTheCutie the cutie breaks YOU]].]]

This is a character with {{omnicidal|Maniac}} and/or AxCrazy tendencies, or a character who wants to destroy everyone in the story, and is suddenly in a position to do so (on a small or large scale); but in contrast to other characters, he/she has some plausible, outright [[TragicVillain tragic]] reason to do so. In some cases, the other characters outright [[SympathyForTheDevil sympathize with this one]] (whether or not the audience does too is out of the equation here), all the while accepting that they must be stopped. Sometimes, the character is even portrayed as ''likeable'', just... not with the right mindset.

[[caption-width-right:325:[[RussianReversal In Soviet Russia]], [[BreakTheCutie cutie breaks YOU]].]]

[[caption-width-right:325:[[RussianReversal In Soviet Russia]], [[BreakTheCutie cutie break YOU]].]]

This trope is less about the SlidingScaleOfVillainThreat and more about how much a character has been broken -- physically, mentally, and emotionally -- before they finally snap and blame the whole world for all the crap they have been through. Of course, they must crack and pose a sudden threat of ''some'' sort, to the characters and/or the setting. And [[TheDogBitesBack some of them]] ''do'' [[SpannerInTheWorks get their]] [[WhosLaughingNow finger on the nuke trigger]]. In a few extreme cases, [[PersonOfMassDestruction they themselves are the nuke]].

%% Picture chosen in Image Pickin' forum. Please stop by there to discuss any changes.%%
%% ''Inyouchuu'' has been removed from the wiki for violating the site's policies against prurient works.
%% Please do not pothole the pic.

[[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_0za2pyndamsflxywycgyz_zhcxcb0yxi7m4arh_0svi.png]]
[[caption-width-right:325:[[RussianReversal In Soviet Russia]], [[BreakTheCutie cutie break YOU]].]]

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Not to be confused with MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds, where a bumbling but otherwise nice person accidentally [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroys actual worlds]], leading to WhatTheHellHero and NiceJobBreakingItHero moments.

This is a character with {{omnicidal|Maniac}} and/or AxCrazy tendencies, or well, a character who wants to destroy everyone in the story, and is suddenly in a position to do so (on a small or large scale); but in contrast to other characters, he/she has some plausible, outright [[TragicVillain tragic]] reason to do so. In some cases, the other characters outright [[SympathyForTheDevil sympathize with this one]] (whether or not the audience does too is out of the equation here), all the while accepting that they must be stopped. Sometimes, the character is even portrayed as ''likeable'', just... not with the right mindset.

May overlap with DeathSeeker, if they want to die, but intend to [[TakingYouWithMe make sure]] that [[SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum everyone else goes first]]. Likely to be a DracoInLeatherPants for some of the audience. Compare SympatheticSentientWeapon when they're in employ of someone/some group rather than acting on their own.

!!Examples

As James Baldwin once said, society's deadliest creation is a person with nothing left to lose.

This is a character with {{omnicidal|Maniac}} and/or AxCrazy tendencies, or well, a character who wants to destroy everyone in the story, and is suddenly in a position to do so (on a small or large scale); but in contrast to other characters, he/she has some plausible, outright tragic reason to do so. In some cases, the other characters outright [[SympathyForTheDevil sympathize with this one]] (whether or not the audience does too is out of the equation here), all the while accepting that they must be stopped. Sometimes, the character is even portrayed as ''likeable'', just... not with the right mindset.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds/WebComics