History Main / YouCouldHaveUsedYourPowersForGood

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'': Megamind is outraged when he finds out that Titan has turned to petty crime after being granted the power of a superhero. The {{irony}} is lost on [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain him]]. Though Megamind has a [[ThenLetMeBeEvil good reason]] for being a villain, while Titan is given every chance to take a path of good and rejects it. By the end of the movie, [[spoiler:Megamind has understood this and [[HeelFaceTurn actually does start using his abilities for good.]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' sees Cyborg infiltrate the HIVE Academy as TheMole, where he quickly rises in popularity amongst the student body. When Cyborg finally breaks ranks after it looked for a moment that [[ArcVillain Brother Blood]] had successfully turn-coated him via MoreThanMindControl, Jinx (who [[LovesMyAlterEgo developed a crush on his disguise]]) has this exchange with him.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|1985}}'', after Lion-O narrowly defeats [[BloodKnight The Demolisher]], Lion-O tries to persuade Demolisher to join the good guys and put his great strength and skill to use doing good instead of pointless fights (The Demolisher fights any strong opponent, not caring about their alignment). Demolisher gets very offended and leaves the planet. Lion-O comments that it is a shame that such a fine warrior would waste his talents like that.
* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' when Aqualad finally blows his cover as TheMole, his father Black Manta is left agape and asks how he could betray him like that. Aqualad retorts that, despite [[BecomingTheMask being conflicted]] and having genuinely come to admire Black Manta's [[NobleDemon noble qualities]], he simply cannot be on his father's side so long as the man continues to waste his talents on villainy.

* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'']]

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':

** During "Dark Reign" it is revealed Norman Osborn ''has'' discovered the cure for cancer... when he weaponizes it in an attempt to kill Deadpool.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' uses this a lot. The Doctor's most common target is probably the Master, but the Rani and any number of villains of the week get it as well. For instance, from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]]:
-->"You're a genius, you're stone-cold brilliant, you are, I swear, you really are. But you could be so much more. [[FoeYay/DoctorWho You could be beautiful.]]"

--->'''Moss:''' I would have used ''my'' robot hand for ''good!''

* In the ending of ''VideoGame/MegamanBattleNetwork3WhiteAndBlue'', a data version of Tadashi Hikari respects [[BigBad Dr. Wily's]] abilities as a scientist while lamenting his FaceHeelTurn. This is justified because they worked on the Soulnet together, so he knows what Wily would be capable of if he used his skills for good. [[spoiler:In the NA version of the sixth game, Wily does end up turning back to good to work on improving Internet security.]]

* In ''Franchise/StarWars Episode III: Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', Obi-Wan Kenobi laments to Anakin Skywalker when the latter turns to TheDarkSide, stating that he was supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them. Then again, this is Obi-Wan misinterpreting the prophecy, which merely suggested that Anakin would bring the Force back into balance. This can have any number of interpretations.[[note]]For example: Pre-Anakin, lots of Jedi, two Sith (Sidious and Maul). Post-Anakin's HeelFaceTurn, two Jedi (Obi-Wan and Yoda), two Sith (Sidious and Vader), which actually seems a lot more "balanced," at least numerically.[[/note]] It also didn't say [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi when he would do that]] or that the Dark Side [[Film/TheForceAwakens wouldn't then come back anyway]].

** In the 28th issue of [[ComicBook/TheSupermanAdventures the comic based on]] ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', after a feud that's become ''de rigeur'', and the latest, more-personal-than-ever plan comes close to killing them both, Superman snaps at Luthor and [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech spells out how Luthor is a horrible person for wasting his genius on plots to kill Superman instead of using his gifts to actually benefit society]]. (On the page that follows, Mercy Graves, who was ''also'' in danger when it went wrong, noticeably doesn't seem to disagree, and is startled when her boss just angrily doubles down.)

** In the 28th issue of [[ComicBook/TheSupermanAdventures the comic based on]] ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', after a feud that's become ''de rigeur'', and the latest, more-personal-than-ever plan comes close to killing them both, Superman snaps at him. (On the page that follows, Mercy Graves, who was ''also'' in danger when it went wrong, noticeably doesn't seem to disagree, and is startled when her boss just angrily doubles down.)

** In [[ComicBook/TheSupermanAdventures the comic based on]] [[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries the animated series]], after a feud that's become ''de rigeur'', and the latest, more-personal-than-ever plan comes close to killing them both, Superman snaps at him. (On the page that follows, Mercy Graves, who was ''also'' in danger when it went wrong, noticeably doesn't seem to disagree, and is startled when her boss just angrily doubles down.)

* ''Literature/DarthPlagueis:'' Inverted, unsurprisingly. Plagueis tells a crooked gambler and potential apprentice of Venamis that he would respect him more (and allow him to continue his scam unhindered) if the man was doing something more bold and far-reaching with the money, like funding terrorism.

* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'', Touma often asks the bad guys, if they're relying on a DarkAndTroubledPast or FreudianExcuse to justify their actions, [[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse why they don't use their talents to make the world a happier place instead of lashing out at it]].

* In the final ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' novel, Sōsuke thinks this towards [[spoiler:the corpse of Leonard Testarossa]]: "Why couldn't you have done something else when you had so much power? You should have been able to find other options..."

** {{Played with}} as Wasp chases Whirlwind for stealing some scientific equipment, she rattles off some possible ways he could have used his cyclones to ''help'' people. Those "possible ways" include cooling peoples drinks.
** Henry Pym says this to Graviton upon his defeat. Made ironic because Graviton is a possible case of ThenLetMeBeEvil.

* In ''VideoGame/LaytonsMysteryJourneyKatrielleAndTheMillionairesConspiracy'', Katrielle says this about the BigBad, Lord Adamas([[spoiler:in reality, Katrielle's assistant, Ernest Greeves]]), who concocted a {{revenge}} plot against the Seven Dragons for supposedly causing his family to fall into financial ruin since she believes that there are better uses for his talents. [[spoiler:She's well aware of what he can do since he was her assistant for the entire game]].
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', a Commander Shepard who follows the Paragon route invokes this whenever they talk to the Illusive Man (the Renegade options have the same gist, they're just blunter). In the ''Citadel'' DLC, the Mysterious Figure [[spoiler:aka Shepard's evil clone]] gets similar treatment.
** James is, like everyone else, horrified by the truth behind [[spoiler:Sanctuary]], but still acknowledges the end results were impressive. After the mission is over, he'll muse "[The Illusive Man]'s crazy, but damn imagine if he was on our side."

** Enforced in the case of the Demiurge Jadis, who in a flashback avowed that after inheriting that power from her tyrannical father, she would use it to become a ''benevolent'' god-queen who improves the lives of her subjects.
However, after [[GoMadFromTheRevelation witnessing the truth of the universe]], she fell into despair and lost interest in doing anything whatsoever, as [[StrawNihilist it all comes to nothing in the end]].

* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': A repeated theme in the comic: No-one in TheMultiverse practices WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility, [[CrapsackWorld and that is not a good thing]]. It is outlined specifically by [[TheHero Allison]] in ''Wielder of Names'' when she pokes holes in [[GodEmperor Mottom's]] claims that [[ForcedIntoEvil she has no choice in being a horrific]] [[PlanetLooters World-Eater]] who constantly opens new worlds, colonizes them and strips them to the bone over luxuries and gifts to her DecadentCourt. The sword-sage Meti ten Ryo, in a flashback, specifically calls out how the Demiurges fight and kill each other for selfish gain, using the limitless powers of creation they possess the same way anyone could use a particularily sharp rock.

* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': A repeated theme in the comic: No-one in TheMultiverse practices WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility, [[CrapsackWorld and that is not a good thing]]. It is outlined specifically by [[TheHero Allison]] in ''Wielder of Names'' when she pokes holes in [[GodEmperor Mottom's]] claims that [[ForcedIntoEvil she has no choice in being a horrific]] [[PlanetLooters World-Eater]] who constantly opens new worlds, colonizes them and strips them to the bone over luxuries and gifts to her DecadentCourt. The sword-sage Meti ten Ryo, in a flashback, specifically calls out how the Demiurges tend to use the limitless powers of creation the same way anyone could use a particularily sharp rock.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In ''Fanfic/AGladDay'', Bulma tries to convince Jeiyce to let go of his hatred for the Saiyans and start a new family on another world. Jeiyce is similarly perplexed as to why Bulma has so much sympathy for the Saiyans and wonders why she didn't use her great intelligence to destroy them.

* Inverted in the ''Fanfic/JWITCHSeries''. When Hak Foo learns that his fellow {{Arrogant Kung Fu Guy}}s in the Ice Crew were trained by the monks of the Zu Monastery who are among the world's greatest martial artists, he expresses a belief that they would be the most lethal of assassins if they weren't preaching about the way of peace.

* Inverted in ''Fanfic/JWITCHSeason1''. When Hak Foo learns that his fellow {{Arrogant Kung Fu Guy}}s in the Ice Crew were trained by the monks of the Zu Monastery who are among the world's greatest martial artists, he expresses a belief that they would be the most lethal of assassins if they weren't preaching about the way of peace.

* In ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Gundam ZZ]]'', Judau Ashta says this almost word-for-word about the dying [[spoiler:Haman Karn]]: "Why didn't you use your power in a better way?!"
* In ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny Gundam SEED Destiny]]'', [[spoiler:after fleeing from ZAFT]], all of Athrun's fights with Shinn have him trying to convince Shinn to make a HeelFaceTurn. This culminates in [[spoiler:causing Shinn to suffer a HeroicBSOD in the last episode, enabling him to disable the Destiny.]]
* In ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'', this is why Jake Martinez has contempt for the [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual NEXT heroes]] of ''[[ShowWithinAShow HeroTV]]'' despite being a NEXT supremacist: in his eyes, they've turned themselves into dancing monkeys for the people that used to subjugate them, and are thus no better.
* In the manga-only Jinchu Arc of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'', we have [[TheDragon Gein]] who fights using [[BambooTechnology giant puppets controlled from within]]. Kenshin tells him he should use his technological skills for good, to which his opponent retorts that that would be a waste of his talents and that Kenshin might as well tell a master blacksmith to make shaving razors instead of swords. [[note]]This is almost literally the history of the Wilkinson Sword company, which made weapons during WWII and switched to production of stainless steel razor blades in the '60s.[[/note]]

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':

* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', Makarov praises the power of fellow Wizard Saint Jose Porla as they duel at the climax of the Phantom Lord arc, noting that despite his youth he was very much worthy of the title the Magic Council granted him and that he could have been an incredible role model for the youth and Magic world rather than the bad one he chose to become. Jose, overcome by his {{pride}}, jealousy and hatred of Fairy Tail, and own greed, can only see Makarov's words as an insult and lecture, refusing to surrender to Makarov until Makarov stops holding back and takes him and his [[LivingShadow Shade army]] out with [[HolyHandGrenade Fairy Law]], stating that the Magic Council will deal with his transgressions. Jose ultimately loses his guild and title as a result of instigating a guild war.
* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', Present Mic angrily calls out [[spoiler:[[MadScientist Kyudai Garaki]] for having Quirk replication technology and using it to enhance twisted monsters when he could revolutionize medicine by applying the [[HealingFactor hyper-regeneration Quirks]] he produces to health care.]]

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':
** In one issue, Spidey tells [[ComicBook/NormanOsborn Green Goblin]] that with his intelligence he "could have cured cancer by now if [he] hadn't been wasting time with this Green Goblin crap!" Gobby's response? "I don't give a rat's ass." The tragedy is that once upon a time, when Norman was a good (or at least less evil) man, he fought desperately to cure his beloved wife's illness. By the time he finally had the money, tech, and know-how to make a real difference in the world, he had already let his callousness and greed take him over. And that was ''before'' he had an experimental serum blow up in his face and drive him completely insane...
** During "Dark Reign" it is revealed Norman Osborn ''has'' discovered the cure for cancer... when he weaponizes it in an attempt to kill Deadpool.
** Parodied in ''ComicBook/SpiderManAndTheXMen'' (as seen in the page picture):
--->'''Sauron:''' With the DNA we liberated from the '''grave desecration''' you call a '''museum''', I have perfected the saurianization process. You rice paper puppets will be given forms befitting Earth's dominant species.\\
'''Spider-Man:''' You can rewrite DNA on the fly, and you're using it to turn people into '''dinosaurs?''' But with tech like that, you could cure '''cancer!'''\\
'''Sauron:''' But I don't '''want''' to cure cancer. I want to turn people into dinosaurs.
* Volume 6 of ''ComicBook/AtomicRobo'' has the protagonist facing off against [[spoiler:an automatic intelligence like him named Alan, who had vast computing power and the ability to predict outcomes and determined that he could use the Cold War to build himself an Orion class spaceship. He did, but this made Robo realize something -- with this ability and success, Alan could have used his power to stop the Cold War, to bring about a more stable and peaceful world.]]
-->'''Robo:''' You could have ''helped'' them.\\
'''[[spoiler:ALAN:]]''' [[EvilCannotComprehendGood I don't understand. Why?]]
* In "The Human Flea" storyline in a ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' comic. A guy running a flea circus along with his grandfather is struggling financially. He ends up going off to rob various places to make ends meet using a flea costume, and a resin he created to allow him to leap great distances and evade both the police and Batman. When Batman finally catches him and listens to his story, Batman points out he could have patented the resin, sold it to the military, and [[CutLexLuthorACheck made a fortune]]. He never thought of that.

* {{Deconstruction}} in a ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureau'' story called ''A Beacon of Hope''. The Newfoal known as Socrates the Wise was a philosophy teacher with the [[EasyEvangelism ability to convince groups of people easily]] who preached against Equestrian values because of their CondescendingCompassion, when [[CreateYourOwnVillain Celestia ponified him and asked him to use his talents for the good of Equestria]] he [[FreakOut suffered a breakdown]] and [[FromNobodyToNightmare founded his own nation]] based on DeliberateValuesDissonance, and you've got someone who is inherently [[ShutUpKirk immune to this argument]].
* ''Fanfic/MyMirrorSwordAndShield'': A lot of people on the Japanese side are extremely disappointed by Suzaku, who is the first Japanese person to become a Knight of the Round and is part of the Emperor’s inner circle. A lot of people were hoping that Suzaku would be an InternalReformist and advocate for Japanese rights or be TheMole for the Japanese resistance. To their disappointment, Suzaku is genuinely loyal to the Emperor and doesn’t do anything because as a time traveler, he knows that they will work it out on their own.

* The Elites in ''Fanfic/DearDiary'' note how Blair's skill and determined ambition could have made him a great trainer, had he not taken the path he did.
* ''Fanfic/TheVastoOfWhite'': [[KnightTemplar From his own twisted point of view]], Yamamoto comments it is a shame that Shirou's soul was turned into a Hollow, as he might have been an "unparalleled Shinigami".
* ''Fanfic/LostToDust'': Blake Belladonna tells Melanie and Miltia Malachite that they could do a lot of good if they became Huntresses instead of hired goons. They refuse, saying they don't feel like helping people and they don't want media attention.
* In ''Fanfic/MastermindStrategistForHire'', Principal Nedzu briefly laments that it's a shame that Mastermind's skills and smarts are being used for villainy instead of heroism, and he wishes he could have met whoever Mastermind was before becoming a villain because Nedzu would have gladly taught and nurtured his brilliant mind.
* In the Episode 60 Epilogue of ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' Trunks has a brief moment of telling 17 and 18 how they could have ended up so differently, seeing how they ended up making a HeelFaceTurn in the 'prime' timeline. 17 and 18 just end up offended that he called them 'androids'.

* ''Fanfic/IWillNotBow'': In chapter 60, Kirito says something to this effect to [=PoH=] during their fight.
-->'''Kirito:''' It's a shame you wasted your talents as a [=PKer=], [=PoH=]. You could have done great things with the assault team.
* Inverted in ''Fanfic/JWITCHSeason1''. When Hak Foo learns that his fellow {{Arrogant Kung Fu Guy}}s in the Ice Crew were trained by the monks of the Zu Monastery who are among the world's greatest martial artists, he expresses a belief that they would be the most lethal of assassins if they weren't preaching about the way of peace.
* Grace Monroe realizes this near the tail end of ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail''. She created the Apex as a way to protect kids taken onto the Train to protect themselves. And by "protect', we should mean "raiding cars, burning things, stealing others, tearing families apart, wheeling denizens because they're lesser beings than humans and also torturing other passengers who ruin their fun" all because she's too proud to admit that she needs work and that she's a "master" of the Train. After AwfulTruth upon AwfulTruth about what the Train is like and what happens if you ''die'' on it -- not to mention [[spoiler:seeing the heroine of the tale die by her closest friend and the Apex ''not giving a fuck about it'']] -- she glumly admits that if she swallowed her pride sooner and thought about the children getting home, the Apex could've been a beneficial group to help passengers who were also separate for years.
* In ''Fanfic/TheAwakeningOfAMagus'', Voldemort is really displeased at how Draco, instead of serving him and possibly becoming his heir, is wasting his potential by joining the Light.
* In ''Fanfic/TheWeaverOption'', Taylor confronts and kills [[spoiler:Drazhar]], confirming he was once [[spoiler:Phoenix Lord Arhra]]. She then thinks about how he and the rest of [[spoiler:the Drukhari]] had all the tools and opportunities to make the galaxy a better place but instead chose to become one of its most depraved and vile scourges instead.

-->'''David:''' We can all work together! Protect each other. Put our powers to some decent use.
-->'''Drak:''' [[AxeCrazy I like this use.]]

* Played with in Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/WitchesAbroad''. Granny Weatherwax despises her sister for being evil... because it meant ''she'' had to be good! And she would have been much, much [[GoodIsNotNice better at evil]] than her sister ever was... Her sister Lily, meanwhile, thinks she ''is'' using her powers for good. Which is one of the reasons Granny thinks she'd be better at it -- at least she'd realize she was evil and could have had ''[[EvilIsHammy fun]]'' with it.

* In the ''Franchise/SherlockHolmes'' story "The Final Problem", Holmes meditates on the career of one Professor James Moriarty, a wunderkind who wrote an acclaimed thesis which earned him a mathematics chair at his university, all at age 21. However, his tenure was marred by such vile rumors that he resigned in disgrace and wound up eking out a living as a tutor. This later proved to be an ideal front, as no one would have suspected this wizened old math teacher was involved in London's most intricate crime ring--much less the ''head'' of it. Later stories expanded on Moriarty's prestige, specifically his ground-breaking book ''Dynamics of an Asteroid'', which ''should'' have squared him away in terms of fame and capital. Holmes took this story as proof that intelligence does not alter the potential for sadistic behavior; a similar observation is made concerning Charles Augustus Milverton, a rich aristocrat who spends his days blackmailing people for vast sums, only to spill the secrets anyway once they've gone broke.
* In one of Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Free Bards'' omnibus collection of the ''Literature/BardicVoices'' novels, a free bard and a guild bard both take this perspective: "it's a shame your talent is wasted complying with guild rules" vs "it's a shame your talent is wasted playing for commoners with no taste". Compared to most free/guild interactions, this is a show of respect.
* Gary Seven tries to make Khan into an agent in ''Literature/StarTrekTheEugenicsWars''. Khan's murderous tendencies, unpredictable nature, and ego shoot this down spectacularly.
* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'': ''[[Recap/WarriorCatsTheDarkestHour The Darkest Hour]]'', after [[spoiler:[[BigBad Tigerstar]]]]'s death, [[spoiler:[[TheHero Firestar]]]] reflects on how [[spoiler:Tigerstar]] could have been one of the greatest leaders the Clans had known, but that he'd misused his skill and natural abilities in his quest for power and that it had eventually led to his end.
* Jan Van Eck says this of Kaz in ''Literature/SixOfCrows'', remarking that with Kaz's intellect, he could have built great things as a member of the merchant class. Instead, he joined a gang and set his mind to cons and crimes. [[spoiler: Than again, Jan ain't exactly a stunning example of good]].

* Played for laughs on ''Series/TheITCrowd'' when Douglas gets a robot hand replacement and laughs maniacally as he wrecks his office with it.
--->'''Moss:''' I would have used ''my'' robot hand for ''good!''

* Often found in Light Side vs. Dark Side fights in ''Franchise/StarWars''.
** Such as in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', when [[spoiler:Light Side Revan]] apologizes to Darth Malak for leading him on the path to the Dark Side, but reminds him that it was Malak who chose to follow that path to the end.
** And Kreia delivers a somewhat twisted version of this trope to [[spoiler:a Dark Side Exile during the climax]], in a combination with YouHaveFailedMe, WhatTheHellHero and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. Notably, it's not so much because [[spoiler:you could have followed the Light Side instead of the dark side so much as the whole part that you have severed yourself from the Force, made a comeback,]] and still not realized any of the implications behind it. If [[spoiler:the Exile is Light Side]] the speech gets delivered to [[spoiler:the Jedi Council instead -- just before she kills them all for sticking to their outdated dogmas even in the face of evidence that life without the Force is possible and they are wrong.]]
** In ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'', the mortally wounded Shaak-Ti tells Starkiller, "You are Vader's slave, but your power is wasted with him. You could be so much more." Starkiller eventually does pull a HeelFaceTurn.
* In ''VideoGame/SagaFrontier'', after the final battle with [[WorthyOpponent Metal Black]], Alkaiser says to the defeated villain that he could have used his powers for good.
* In ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'', you can tell this to the BigBad. He responds by claiming that he would find that a waste of his talents.
-->'''The Player Character:''' You were a great [[spoiler:teacher]]. Your skill was wasted on evil ambition.\\
'''[[spoiler:Master Li]]:''' I am not satisfied with helping others surpass me. I quickly tired of elevating [[spoiler:my brother]], and I will not learn to serve you.
* Members of the various evil teams in the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games will often comment how the player's skill and strength could have made him/her a powerful ranking member of their organization.
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', a Commander Shepard who follows the Paragon route invokes this whenever they talk to the Illusive Man (the Renegade options have the same gist, they're just blunter). In the ''Citadel'' DLC, the Mysterious Figure [[spoiler:aka Shepard's evil clone]] gets similar treatment.
** James is, like everyone else, horrified by the truth behind [[spoiler:Sanctuary]], but still acknowledges the end results were impressive. After the mission is over, he'll muse "[The Illusive Man]'s crazy, but damn imagine if he was on our side."

* If you contact Otacon after defeating Psycho Mantis in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', he laments that Mantis could have used his exceptional psychic powers for good if he [[FreudianExcuse didn't have the shitty life]] that made him AxCrazy. If his backstory is true, allegedly he was an [=FBI=] investigator; that is he ''did'' try to use his powers for good until he got too far into the mind of a killer and became just like him.

* In ''VideoGame/{{GoldenEye|1997}}'', during the finale on the Cradle, Janus delivers the "for evil" version when he chides Bond for choosing to side with "the pen-pushers" instead of joining him.

* In ''Videogame/DiabloIII'', the Demon Vidian uses the evil variant, mocking [[PlayerCharacter The Nephalem]] over the fact that, by the time they meet him, they have amply demonstrated that they are powerful enough that they could conquer and rule Hell itself... and instead, they simply use their powers to protect the weak and serve as a lackey to a FallenAngel.
* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', one of the whispers of the Old God Y'Shaarj mocks you for still following other people's orders like a lap dog after all you've done for Azeroth. It intends to make you succumb to your pride and [[EmotionEater feed it]].
-->'''Y'Shaarj:''' All that you have accomplished, all that you have won, [[EvilLaugh he he he he]]. Yet still you lick the boots of kings.

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', Edelgard says this about Miklan, the disowned elder son of Margrave Gautier who formed a gang of bandits and stole the Lance of Ruin, saying that an individual as talented as him could have accomplished much if he had not been judged unworthy of inheriting House Gautier due to not having a Crest.
* In ''VideoGame/LaytonsMysteryJourneyKatrielleAndTheMillionairesConspiracy'', Katrielle says this about the BigBad, Lord Adamas([[spoiler:in reality, Katrielle's assistant, Ernest Greeves]]), who concocted a {{revenge}} plot against the Seven Dragons for supposedly causing his family to fall into financial ruin since she believes that there are better uses for his talents. [[spoiler:She's well aware of what he can do since he was her assistant for the entire game]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|1985}}'', after Lion-O narrowly defeats [[BloodKnight The Demolisher]], Lion-O tries to persuade Demolisher to join the good guys and put his great strength and skill to use doing good instead of pointless fights (The Demolisher fights any strong opponent, not caring about their alignment). Demolisher gets very offended and leaves the planet. Lion-O comments that it is a shame that such a fine warrior would waste his talents like that.

* In the OriginsEpisode of ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', it's stated that the source of Hawk Moth's powers, the Butterfly Miraculous, was intended to transform people into heroes by empowering them.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/OhYeahCartoons'' short "Super Santa: Vegetation", Santa tells Dr. Carmine Miranda that he could've used his horticultural knowledge for good when confronting the villain.
* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures'': In "Escape to Questworld", Race Bannon points out Surd could've used his abilities to help mankind and Surd asks why he should care.

* {{Deconstruction}} in a ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureau'' story called ''A Beacon of Hope''. The Newfoal known as Socrates the Wise was a philosophy teacher with the [[EasyEvangelism ability to convince groups of people easily]] who preached against Equestrian values because of their CondescendingCompassion, when [[CreateYourOwnVillain Celestia ponified him and asked him to use his talents for the good of Equestria]] he [[FreakOut suffered a breakdown]] and [[FromNobodyToNightmare founded his own nation]] based on DeliberateValuesDissonance. Compare that to [[ShadowArchetype Starlight Glimmer]] below and you've got someone who is inherently [[ShutUpKirk immune to this argument.]]

** Not mentioned, but the main reason why the Mane Six [[spoiler:end up bringing in the HeelFaceTurn-inflicted Starlight Glimmer into the fold]] in the Season 5 finale -- [[spoiler:despite her misguided ways, she's an incredibly powerful unicorn and with her unhinged and friendless, the Mane Six just couldn't possibly let her go (incarcerating her like every other villain is inexplicably off the table).]]

Contrast: ThenLetMeBeEvil, where villains ''attempt'' to use their powers for good, only for their treatment by others to cause them to turn to evil; also ComesGreatResponsibility, WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity, and WithGreatPowerComesGreatPerks, where power changes a character's disposition all by itself. Also, the StockPhrase: "Aren't you glad I use my powers for good than evil?", often humorously, and often for a mundane skill rather than an actual superpower.

* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': A repeated theme in the comic: No-one in TheMultiverse practices ComesGreatResponsibility, [[CrapsackWorld and that is not a good thing]]. It is outlined specifically by [[TheHero Allison]] in ''Wielder of Names'' when she pokes holes in [[GodEmperor Mottom's]] claims that [[ForcedIntoEvil she has no choice in being a horrific]] [[PlanetLooters World-Eater]] who constantly opens new worlds, colonizes them and strips them to the bone over luxuries and gifts to her DecadentCourt. The sword-sage Meti ten Ryo, in a flashback, specifically calls out how the Demiurges tend to use the limitless powers of creation the same way anyone could use a particularily sharp rock.

** Parodied in ''[[http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Spider-Man_and_the_X-Men_Vol_1_2 Spider-Man and the X-Men]]'' (as seen in the page picture):

* Franchise/{{Superman}}:
** After Superman returns during ''ComicBook/SupermanUpUpAndAway'', he chides ComicBook/LexLuthor that, despite having said he could solve all the world's problems if Supes weren't around, he spent the year he was absent coming up with new plans to destroy Superman, because he was convinced that Superman's disappearance was an elaborate plot against him.