History Main / YouWillBeSpared

* In ''Website/TheOnion'''s "Literature/OurDumbCentury", this is the Nazis' response when (as the headline says) ''Non-white Japan allies with White Supremacist UsefulNotes/NaziGermany in Well-Thought Out Scheme''.

** The USSR and Nazi Germany were also aligned at the start of the war in their interests, with Stalin and Hitler agreeing to divide up Eastern Europe between them; the Soviets and Nazis jointly kicked off the war in Europe by invading and annexing Poland and brutally massacring people there. The Soviets had secret agreements with the Nazis about who would get what, and the Soviet Union attempted to formally join the Axis in 1940. However, Stalin demanded too much territory, and Hitler figured after the poor performance of the Soviets during the Winter War versus Finland that [[{{YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness}} they had outlived their usefulness]] and chose to invade them as well, only to find out that the Soviets were ultimately EvilerThanThou.

** Ironically enough, UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan had notions of racial purity and superior bloodlines which, if not as consuming as that of the Nazis, was a significant part of their cultural ideology. Basically, both countries were willing to make a deal with what they considered an inferior race for the sake of gaining power over their enemies.

* For ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'s'' Ladd Russo and Lua Klein, nothing says [[MadLove love]] like "I'll kill you last." Ladd also says something along those lines to Graham Spectre ("No, I won't...I like brazen and impudent guys that only I'm able kill"), at which point Graham [[HoYay starts fanboying him like nobody's business]].

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation:'' Under the "Broken Masquerade"[[note]]Where the Foundation is exposed to the public.[[/note]] section of the Tales heading, a little boy writes a letter to 682 asking it all sorts of questions about its powers, and [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter claiming that 682 is his "hero"]]. 682 ''actually responds'', harshly at first, and then with this trope:

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', BigBad OmnicidalManiac Omega discussing his plans to conquer the universe with MissionControl Vic.

Part of a villainous stock phrase that usually goes "When I TakeOverTheWorld, you will be spared." The other variations are "I think I'll kill you last" and "Your death will be quick and painless."

** [[spoiler: After bumping Lily and her family to the top of Voldemort's hit list, Severus Snape begged him to spare her (though ''not'' James, whom he hated, or Harry, who was Voldemort's primary target and had no chance of being spared), in part due to his unrequited love for her. It almost worked; Voldemort did offer Lily the chance to step aside, but since she insisted on protecting Harry, he ended up killing her anyway. When Dumbledore found out about this, he ''royally ripped Snape a new one'' for apparently thinking he could pull some manner of ComfortingTheWidow on Lily after being complicit in the deaths of her husband and child. On the other hand, the fact that she had a choice is what powered the protective magic which shielded Harry from Voldemort after her death - so in an indirect, unintentional way, Snape saved Harry's life]].

** Add to that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Bloch the physician]] who looked after Hitler's mother, who also happened to be Jewish. Hitler, who adored his mother, granted him special protection out of gratitude for his work.

* One of the reasons Guy Fawkes' plot to blow up the parliament failed was that many of the plotters had friends in Parliament and wanted to warn them not to go.

* ''Webcomic/VGCats'' plays with this [[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=199 here]] with the [[PathOfInspiration The Church of the]] OneWingedAngel [[Franchise/FinalFantasy of Latter-Day Summons]].

* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' has [[FoeYay Sylar informing Mohinder]], "I wasn't begging for my life... I was offering you yours."

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* The BigBad of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' didn't ''say'' anything until he'd [[BatmanGambit already made his move]], but once they're the only two left alive he gives something along the lines of this trope to Van Hohenheim, "in gratitude for giving me life." Poor man had had [[GenreBlindness no inkling]] Homunculus was evil until then, and they had even established in conversation that he was basically his father. This might help explain his somewhat ambivalent attitude toward his [[HotBlooded second]] and [[GentleGiant third]] sons. After one goes all OmnicidalManiac on you and [[WhatHaveIBecome turns you into]] an [[IAmAMonster immortal]] [[CatchPhrase monster]]...
* In ''Anime/AuraBattlerDunbine'', when the bad guys arrive on Earth announce their plan to conquer it, they say they will spare the city of Boston out of respect for one of their pilots who came from there.

* In one ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'' story, Jei, the Blade of the Gods, comes across a group of bandits robbing a peasants' hut. He slaughters them, and then turns his eyes towards the lone survivor the bandits' raid- a girl called Keiko. Instead of killing her, he decides she's "innocent" and leaves. Keiko then decides to travel with her new "Uncle".

-->'''Light''': [[FriendlyEnemy You're not trying to do something stupid are you?]]

* Though he never actually tells her, Cat R. Waul of ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest'' planned on sparing Tanya Mousekewitz after he and his gang killed and ate every mouse in town, because he liked her singing voice.

* ''Film/ThePatriot'': After Colonel Tavington finds proof that Anne's village is helping Benjamin and his militia, he has the whole town rounded and says they'll be "forgiven their treason" if they tell him where Benjamin is. One guy eventually caves, [[spoiler: [[KickTheDog and Tavington burns the whole village alive anyway]]]].

* During a flashback in ''Film/SecondhandLions'', Hub has The Sheik, who has tried to kill him on several occasions, defenseless, and at his mercy. He decides to spare him, and leaves him with this.

--> '''Wicked Witch''': The last to go. She'll see the first three go before her.

-->'''Harvey:''' Sundance; when we're done, if he's dead, you're welcome to stay.\\

--->I do not know... I have never died.
** [[spoiler: After bumping Lily and her family to top of Voldemort's hit list, Severus Snape begged him to spare her (though ''not'' James, whom he hated, or Harry, who was Voldemort's primary target and had no chance of being spared), in part due to his unrequited love for her. It almost worked; Voldemort did offer Lily the chance to step aside, but since she insisted on protecting Harry, he ended up killing her anyway. When Dumbledore found out about this he ''royally ripped Snape a new one'' for apparently thinking he could pull some manner of ComfortingTheWidow on Lily after being complicit in the deaths of her husband and child. On the other hand, the fact that she had a choice is what made the protective magic work that shielded Harry from Voldemort after her death, so in an indirect, unintentional way Snape saved Harry's life]].

* ''Literature/JasonWood'': Inverted by Virigar [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent the Werewolf King]] in ''Digital Knight'', when he tells Jason Wood, "I'm minded to let you live for a while.... So you will suffer all the more while everything you value is destroyed before your very eyes!"

* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' has [[FoeYay Sylar informing Mohinder]] "I wasn't begging for my life... I was offering you yours."

* Another OlderThanFeudalism heroic one is in ''Literature/TheBible''--Rahab is told that she and her family will be spared after hiding the Hebrew spies from the soldiers of Jericho but only if they were in Rahab's dwelling at the time of the attack.

** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' we learned that [[spoiler:a certain amount of people would be spared. [[FateWorseThanDeath Though they]] [[SlaveMooks probably will]] [[AndIMustScream wish they hadn't.]]]]

* Right before the FinalBattle of ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', Giygas offers to spare Ninten, and ''only'' Ninten, and take him back to Giygas' world [[spoiler:out of lingering sentimentality for Ninten's great-grandmother Maria who was Giygas' ParentalSubstitute when he was a baby]]. Ninten of course refuses, and the battle commences.

-->''"Oh no, you'll still die...but '''faster.'''"''

** In "Petarded", Peter says "When we retarded guys take over you will beg for mercy, and we will consider it".
* ''WesternAnimation/FilmationsGhostbusters'': Two kids unwittingly released a ghost bent on revenge against the family of one of them. He spared the kid as thanks.

** Robot Santa proclaimed his intention to kill the entire Planet Express team ... except Zoidberg, who hadn't been naughty and got a pogo stick instead.

* On ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'', because he defeated someone who was a nuisance to it the Entity ''does'' save Linkara for last and lets him run and hide after [[spoiler: it absorbs everyone else]] - but it's waiting when he comes back out.

** Add to that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Bloch the physician]] who looked after Hitler's mother, who also happened to be Jewish. Hitler granted him special protection out of gratitude for his work.

** Hitler also made offers of this kind to the UK during the early phase of the war, generally along the lines of "[[WeCanRuleTogether Britannia can rule the waves and Germania the earth]]." This seemed natural to Hitler, who was mystified as to why the UK wouldn't want to purge itself of the impure and unite with him against the "Jewish Bolsheviks". The UK ignored them (they didn't even acknowledge they had received them), which is essentially a diplomatic way of saying, "f*** off."

** Brooks Brown wouldn't be the only person spared by the two shooters. While potentially dozens of people the shooters saw that day were not fired upon for reasons unknown, two people they encountered that day were explicitly spared from death or injury. The first being John Savage, whom was instructed by Dylan Klebold to leave the school during the shooting, the other being Evan Todd, whom Dylan Klebold intimidated and taunted, but did not shoot.

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* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': In the Shadow of Revan expansion, [[OmnicidalManiac Emperor]] [[EldritchAbomination Vitiate]] makes this promise to the Sith Warrior, letting you know in no uncertain terms that when his time comes you will be forced to watch the entire galaxy die for your betrayal.

* In ''Webcomic/{{PvP}}'', after horrifying him by StoryboardingTheApocalypse, Scratch reassures a quivering Skull that ''his'' death will be painless.
* ''Webcomic/VGCats'' plays with this [[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=199 here]] with the [[PathOfInspiration The Church Of The]] OneWingedAngel [[Franchise/FinalFantasy Of Latter-Day Summons]].

* Webcomic/BobAndGeorge [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/041121c For being entertaining opponents]]
* [[http://buttersafe.com/2009/02/12/children/ This]] Buttersafe.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[https://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2009-01-08 a succubus to Criminy]].
-->''I think I'll let you live.''

If said to a hero, it may because they're {{Friendly Enem|y}}ies. An OmnicidalManiac may either express a desire to preserve one person or event that they like, or say that it's the one thing they'll miss after destroying the world. If they believe the person or people they spare have some sort of UniquenessValue, that's SparingTheAces. If they deliberately spare someone to have the person suffer from guilt, that's CruelMercy. If the villain doesn't even feel the need to deal with the individual, they're NotWorthKilling.

* How Alquist ended up as [[LastOfHisKind the last human]] in ''Theatre/{{RUR}}''. In the world of the play, robots did all the manual labor, but Alquist started building walls as a hobby. After the robots took over the factory where he worked, he was dragged before the one in charge, the usually human hating Radius, who took one look at him and told the other robots to leave him be because 'he works with his hands like a robot'.

->"''You're a funny guy, Sully, I like you. That's why I'm going to kill you last.''"
--> -- '''John Matrix''', ''Film/{{Commando}}''[[note]][[ILied He lied.]][[/note]]

* Subverted with Kai in ''Film/KungFuPanda3'', when Po is the only one to recognize Kai by his titles, Kai admits that it ''almost'' makes him want to spare the panda’s life.

* How Alquist ended up as [[LastOfHisKind the last human]] in ''Theatre/{{RUR}}''. After the robots took over the factory he was dragged before the one in charge, the usually human hating Radius, who took one look at him and told the other robots to leave him be because 'he works with his hands like a robot'.