History Main / YouWillBeSpared

--> -- '''John Matrix''', ''Film/{{Commando}}''[[labelnote:* ]][[ILied He lied.]][[/labelnote]]

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': In [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E19ZeroHour "Zero]] [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E20ZeroHourPartII Hour"]], the ReverseMole, [[spoiler:Kallus]], is unmasked, and subsequently held hostage by [[MagnificentBastard Grand Admiral Thrawn]]. Thrawn says he won't stop until the last rebel falls, so it's an implied "I'm saving you for last" — [[spoiler:Kallus]] will definitely be the last. [[spoiler:However, this winds up giving Kallus all the time he needs to plan his escape, and when he gets the chance to escape he takes it, so he survives anyway.]]

** Also it was a lot less of an alliance then often shown, and more a vague We are fighting roughly the same enemies and currently have no conflicting interests so let's help each other out a bit deal. Japan had a non aggression pact with Russia, which allowed Russia to resist the Germans much easier, while Germany was happily aiding China in it's struggle against Japan.

* 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.
* As recounted by David Cullen, immediately before the [[{{UsefulNotes/Columbine}} Columbine High School massacre]] began this happened:

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.

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', Stain the HeroKiller will spare a hero if said hero has proven themselves to be heroic, even if he has them at his mercy. So far, only Izuku has proven to match his standards of what being a hero is aside from All Might himself. This even extends to [[spoiler: saving Izuku when a Nomu has grabbed Izuku and attempts to fly off with him.]]

'''Tavington:''' And indeed you may! [[spoiler: But that's between you and God]].

* ''Film/TransformersFilmSeries''

* The first scene of the ''Series/{{Blade}}'' pilot subverts the trope after Blade chases down a vampire in Russia and acquires some information from him at swordpoint.

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E11BoomTown "Boom Town"]]: {{Discussed}} and {{Deconstructed}}. The main villain, a surviving Slitheen from a previous episode, spares a nosy journalist despite her getting dangerously close to uncovering her evil plan because the journalist is pregnant. When the Doctor takes Margaret the Slitheen prisoner with the intent to send her back to her home planet so she can put on trial for her crimes, Margaret brings up her flash of mercy as a sign that she is capable of redemption. The Doctor coldly rebukes this as a typical example of a killer justifying themselves, but Margaret responds in equal measure that only a killer would know that. And in the end, while Margaret technically does take a last chance at redemption, she still proceeds to threaten the entire planet by ripping open a rift in spacetime.

* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' has this exchange from Phoebe: ''When the revolution comes, I will have to destroy you all... except you, Joey.''

* ''Series/{{Lost}}'' inverts the "I'll kill you last" variety. Said by Ethan to Charlie, this is a ''threat'': Charlie will see all his friends die before he's killed.

* In the Season 2 finale of ''Series/TheMentalist'', series BigBad Red John kills two college kids who were making a slasher film based on his work, but spares the life of a third kid who they forced to help them by [[IHaveYourWife kidnapping and threatning his mother]].

* 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.
* At the conclusion of ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs'''s main story, the new [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Sun On Yee]] Dragon Head [[spoiler:"Broken Nose" Jiang]] informs her advisor that [[spoiler:the protagonist Wei Shen]] is to be spared [[spoiler: [[TheMole despite having been an undercover cop who'd infiltrated his way to "Red Pole" -- and thus one of her peers]], since while he had abetted [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Sonny Wo]]'s arrest he also had defended her and his own gang when rival triads attacked, and in decimating Henry "Big Smile" Lee's gang and killing him Wei had cleared the way for her own ascension.]]

* In Quan Chi's ending in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'', this is his "reward" for helping Shinnok. He does not take it well and challenges the fallen elder god. [[spoiler:[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu He actually WINS]]]].

* [[Webcomic/CuantaVida "You're a crazy bastard, yes? You, I like. I'll kill you last."]] Though considering the speaker's ''[[FateWorseThanDeath modus operandi]]'', this is probably of no consolation to the guy who ''really'' doesn't like seeing his friends killed.

* Webcomic/GirlGenius:

** Castle Heterodyne eventually uses the "I like you, so I will kill you ''quickly''" line on [[spoiler:Professor Tiktoffen, while crushing him to death.]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3047 a succubus to Criminy]].

-->'''uu:''' THE DEATH I WISH ON HIM DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ESPECIALLY PAINFUL. IT COULD BE LIKE. GOING TO SLEEP. WITH MAYBE ONLY A SHORT SCREAM.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''
** Stewie has said this to Peter (Your death shall be quick and painless) when he turned off the mind-numbing ''Series/{{Teletubbies}}'' show, and again to Flappy (Good news! I've decided not to kill you!) to let him know that his pancakes were satisfactory.

-->'''Bender:''' ''"Whenever I said '{{Kill all humans}}', I'd whisper to myself '...except for one'. [[RobotBuddy He was the one!]]"'' [=* bursts into tears* =]

* In the fourth episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Amon ambushes Korra and has a golden opportunity to [[spoiler:take her bending away]], but doesn't take it because [[spoiler:that would make her a martyr]]. Instead he gives a BreakingSpeech explaining that he'll save her for last.

* In ''Website/TheOnion''`s "Our Dumb Century", this is the Nazis' response when (as the headline says) ''Non-white Japan allies with White Supremacist Nazi Germany in Well-Thought Out Scheme''.
* Dane Cook has a stand-up act about [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe befriending]] the [[LonersAreFreaks creepy loner]] in your office so that this happens when he inevitably snaps and goes on a rampage with a shotgun.

* In ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'', the hacker that is trying to get people to stop playing MMORPG says he'll leave the main guild alone due to them indirectly helping him with all the disasters they cause or a negociated immunity from his business partner among them depending on the media. Another implied reason is that they frequently GoKartingWithBowser.

** Ironically enough, Imperial Japan 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.
** Also it was a lot less of an alliance then often shown, and more a vague We are fighting roughly the same enemies and currently have no conflicting interests so let's help each other out a bit deal. Japan had a non agression pact with Russia, which allowed Russia to resist the Germans much easier, while Germany was happily aiding China in it's struggle against Japan.

* 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.

** Castle Heterodyne eventually uses the "I will kill you quickly" line on [[spoiler:Professor Tiktoffen, while crushing him to death.]]

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

* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Arena", the Gorn captain promises Kirk a quick death if he surrenders.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': In ''Discworld/{{Wintersmith}}'', the titular AnthropomorphicPersonification offered to spare Tiffany and the Chalk (where she came from); the rest of the Disc would remain frozen forever.

-->'''Bender:''' ''"Whenever I said [[CrushKillDestroy 'Kill all humans']], I'd whisper to myself '...except for one'. [[RobotBuddy He was the one!]]"'' [=* bursts into tears* =]

'''Sully:''' That's right, Matrix, ''you did!''\\

'''Sully''': Yes. That's right, Matrix, you did!\\
'''Matrix''': ILied. ''(Drops Sully to his death.)''

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* UrExample: In ''Literature/TheOdyssey'', when Odysseus gives his name to the Cyclops as "Nobody", the Cyclops says that he will eat "Nobody" last out of thanks for giving him the wine. (It may or may not have been the giant's sick idea of a joke.) This also doubles as a [[KickTheDog kick the dog moment]] to make him evil enough that the audience can enjoy him getting brutally blinded later. Capturing, enslaving and killing intruders wouldn't make him particularly bad in the eyes of Homer's audience (eating them is a bit over the top, though). Deliberately insulting the laws of SacredHospitality by expressly making this Odysseus' "guest gift" is sacrilege though, and that's a completely different matter.
* Bagheera does this in ''Literature/TheJungleBook''. During the water peace (when he is not allowed to hunt) he absent-mindedly says he wishes he could eat grass. A young animal from one of his prey species quips: "So do we". Everybody laughs and Bagheera makes an effort to memorize this animal's appearance so he can remember not to eat the animal that made him laugh next time they meet.
* A rare heroic version in Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/HaveSpaceSuitWillTravel'': just before HumanityOnTrial, Kip is assured that he and Pee-wee will be allowed to live out their lives. Kip asks that they be returned to Earth if humanity loses, which may have been a factor in deciding to spare humanity for now -- although they intend to re-evaluate later.
* In ''Discworld/{{Wintersmith}}'', the titular AnthropomorphicPersonification offered to spare Tiffany and the Chalk (where she came from); the rest of the Disc would remain frozen forever.
* Inverted by Virigar [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent the Werewolf King]] in Creator/RykESpoor's ''[[Literature/JasonWood 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!"

--> I do not know... I have never died.

* 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.
** According to Jewish tradition, the only two Egyptian firstborn who didn't die in the final plague were Pharaoh (because God already had other plans for him) and Batya, the princess who raised Moses and thus earned God's favor.
** When the Israelites were about to conquer the Promised Land, ten of their spies said that it would be impossible, despite having {{God}} on their side; the people crossed the DespairEventHorizon and [[RageAgainstTheHeavens Raged Against the Heavens]]. God was so angry that He declared that forty years would pass before they could enter the land, and in that time, every man over the age of 20 would die. The only exceptions were Joshua and Caleb, the two spies who had gone against the majority and kept their faith in God's power.

* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' has this exchange from Phoebe: ''When the revolution comes, I will have to destroy you all... except you, Joey.''
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' has [[FoeYay Sylar informing Mohinder]] "I wasn't begging for my life... I was offering you yours."
* Because they had an unwitting hand in his genesis, a BigBad tells the Series/{{Lexx}} crew that they will be [[OmnicidalManiac the last in the universe to die]].
--> '''Mantrid:''' That will be my thank you.
* On ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', the demons assisting Lucifer will be killed as soon as Lucifer is finished with the humans and angels if not sooner. Any demon caught assisting Team Free Will will be granted [[WhoWantsToLiveForever immortality]] [[AndIMustScream instead]].
* ''Series/{{Lost}}'' inverts the "I'll kill you last" variety. Said by Ethan to Charlie, this is a ''threat'': Charlie will see all his friends die before he's killed.
** "What They Died For" plays it straight with the Man in Black offering to spare Penny if Widmore tells him what he needs to know.
* ''Series/YoungDracula'': Ingrid tells her therapist this after the therapist helps her get past her VillainousBSOD. The therapist believes that her ability to make such jokes is a good sign.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', season 6: While drowning sorrows and bemoaning their (lack of) love lives together, Spike tells Anya that she's the only one he wouldn't bite if he didn't have his RestrainingBolt. He respects women who say exactly what's on their minds (even if they happen to be off their rocker like Drusilla).

* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E16TheWatersOfMars "The Waters of Mars"]], The Doctor meets a woman in 2059 whom he knows is critically important to history. She reveals that the reason she's in space is because she was spared by a Dalek [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth during their invasion of Earth fifty years earlier]]. She never knew why, but The Doctor knows that it's because of her importance to the future; she's a "fixed point in time", and even the Daleks know better than to mess with those.
** This was actually forced on the Doctor during the Time War. When the War Doctor was contemplating using the Moment to destroy both the Time Lords and Daleks, it told him that his punishment would be that he would be the only one to survive it, forcing him to live with the guilt for eternity.

** In a flashback in "Hermanos," it's revealed that while Gus Fring's old partner Max was killed, Gus was spared from being killed by Don Eladio because Eladio knows who Gus really is.

* In ''Series/PersonOfInterest'', Root tells her psychiatrist she's deciding whether or not to kill him. She ultimately decides [[spoiler:to spare him, thus playing the trope straight]].
* In the ''Series/{{Haven}}'' episode "Speak No Evil", Mara tricks Vickie into helping her open a portal to another dimension. Mara says as thanks, she will spare her life once she gets what she needs, comes back, and basically conquers the world. When the portal closes before she can pass through, Mara angrily shoots Vickie with a taser, but doesn't kill her.

* How Alquist ended up as [[LastOfHisKind the last human in R.U.R.]] 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'.

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--> '''Shinnok:''' As payment for your loyal services, Quan Chi, I grant you the gift of your existence.
--> '''Quan Chi:''' My existence?
--> '''Shinnok:''' Understand, sorcerer, I consume all energies, including the life forces of all that live. But I shall spare you.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': In [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E19ZeroHour "Zero]] [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E20ZeroHourPartII Hour"]], the ReverseMole, [[spoiler:Kallus]], is unmasked, and subsequently held hostage by [[MagnificentBastard Grand Admiral Thrawn]]. Thrawn says he won't stop until the last rebel falls, so it's an implied "I'm saving you for last" -- [[spoiler:Kallus]] will definitely be the last. [[spoiler:However, this winds up giving Kallus all the time he needs to plan his escape, and when he gets the chance to escape he takes it, so he survives anyway.]]

* In the GunpowderPlot, an attempt to warn off potentially sympathetic members of the House of Lords led to the plot being uncovered.

* In ''Film/{{Hellboy}}'', Rasputin says "It will be quick" to Professor Bruttenholm right before he kills him. It appears to be true.

* On ''[[WebOriginal/{{Lolcats}} I Can Has Cheezburger?]]'': [[http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/08/12/funny-pictures-i-eets-yoo-last/ A promise made by a cute little tiger cub.]]

An alternative reason for a villain to invoke this trope is to leave behind a witness to tell of their misdeed, intending for it to have a demoralizing effect on the villain's enemies.

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', Stain the HeroKiller will spare a hero if said hero has proven themselves to be heroic, even if he has them at his mercy. So far, only Izuku has proven to match his standards of what being a hero is aside from All Might himself. This even extends to [[spoiler: saving Izuku when a Noumu has grabbed Izuku and attempts to fly off with him.]]

** Also, upon stumbling upon the Dark Warriors trying to steal the {{Cosmic Keystone}}s to defeat him and gain ultimate power, Sarda asks them if they even know how to use them. Bikke tosses his keystone at Sarda, becoming the first person in the series to land any sort of hit on him:

* In Quan Chi's ending in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'', this is his "reward" for helping Shinnok. He does not take it well and challenges the fallen elder god. [[spoiler:[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulu He actually WINS]]]].

Contrast IllKillYou!

-->'''Jean Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg''': You saved my life, and in return I'll spare yours...for now.

* ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'': Peter and Kitty Pryde hit the mall on their first date and joke about the modern miracle that is the corn-dog on a stick. Kitty quips that when the mutants take over the world, the inventor of the corn-dog will be spared. She has to explain she was kidding when Peter looks nervous. [[{{Foreshadowing}} Little did they know....]]

* UrExample: In ''Literature/TheOdyssey'', when Odysseus gives his name to the Cyclops as "Nobody", the Cyclops says that he will eat "Nobody" last out of thanks for giving him the wine. (It may or may not have been the giant's sick idea of a joke.) This also doubles as a [[KickTheDog kick the dog moment]] to make him evil enough that the audience can enjoy him getting brutally blinded later. Capturing, enslaving and killing intruders wouldn't make him particularly bad in the eyes of Homer's audience (eating them is a bit over the top, though). Deliberately insulting the holy laws of hospitality by expressly making this Odysseus' "guest gift" is sacrilege though, and that's a completely different matter.
* Bagheera does this in the Book of the Jungle by Kipling. During the water peace (when he is not allowed to hunt) he absent-mindedly says he wishes he could eat grass. A young animal from one of his prey species quips: "So do we". Everybody laughs and Bagheera makes an effort to memorize this animal's appearance so he can remember not to eat the animal that made him laugh next time they meet.