History PlayingWith / ProtagonistCenteredMorality

* '''Played For Laughs:''' Hawkeye realizes he should reevaluate his friend policy as he and Leo run from two federal agencies, the army, a coke dealer, and three assassin's guilds.
* '''Played For Drama:''' Hawkeye's insistence on this leads him to alienate Suzy and destroy his public image as Leo's misdeeds grow in magnitude. Leo kills Suzy for leaving Hawkeye for Redd, forcing the rivals to team up to take him down. Redd does a FaceHeelTurn over the tragedy, vowing to destroy the society that allows the wicked to prosper at the righteous' expense.
* '''Plotted A Good Waste:''' Telling the story from Hawkeye's point of view, the author intentionally used this to illustrate that Hawkeye's FatalFlaw is his MoralMyopia; as the series progresses, the disconnect deliberately grows worse and worse and it becomes clear that Hawkeye is unknowingly setting himself up for a ''major'' fall.

** Leo decides to do Hawkeye a favor and MurderTheHypotenuse, attacking Redd. Redd successfully fights back and winds up slaying him; since Leo was such a horrible person, Redd is hailed as a hero while Hawkeye develops an even deeper grudge against him. Suzy grows tired of Hawkeye's MoralMyopia and leaves him; Hawkeye also blames this on Redd.

%%* '''Implied''': ???

** Redd [[BitchInSheepsClothing is actually a huge]] {{Jerkass}} when in private and Leo has an HiddenHeartOfGold, but the audience doesn't know that yet until TheReveal. Hawkeye's ProtagonistCenteredMorality is therefore meant as {{Foreshadowing}} to the [[BeneathTheMask true selves]] of both characters.

** Redd [[BitchInSheepsClothing is actually a huge]] {{Jerkass}} when in private and Leo has an HiddenHeartOfGold, but the audience doesn't know that yet until TheReveal. Hawkeye's seeming ProtagonistCenteredMorality is therefore meant as {{Foreshadowing}} to both character's [[BehindTheMask true selves]] rather than bad writing.

** Redd [[BitchInSheepsClothing is more evil then we know]]. Leo, while a jerk, isn't.

Back to ProtagonistCenteredMorality.

* '''Plotted A Good Waste:''' Telling the story from Hawkeye's point of view, the author intentionally used this to illustrate that Hawkeye's FatalFlaw is his MoralMyopia; as the series progresses, the disconnect deliberately grows worse and worse and it becomes clear that Hawkeye is unknowingly setting himself up for a ''major'' fall.

* '''Zig Zagged''': Hawkeye really is self-centered in who he likes, but it's because he doesn't really know what Leo and Redd do, except he does and doesn't care.

'''Basic Trope''': Characters are judged as good or evil based solely on their actions towards the protagonists, rather than their actions as a whole.

* '''Straight''': [[TheHero Hawkeye's]] best friend is [[TheLancer Leo]], a former bandit who's implied to have done some pretty questionable things in his past and isn't afraid to lie, cheat, steal and manipulate to get what he wants -- but they're [=BFFs=], so that's okay. [[TheRival Redd]], meanwhile, is a charming, compassionate young guardsman working to protect their community... Unfortunately, he's also caught [[SatelliteLoveInterest Suzy]]'s interest, so Hawkeye, and the readers, hates his guts.

* '''Inverted''': Hawkeye holds his friends to a stricter moral standard than anyone else.

* '''Downplayed''': Leo has LooseLips and often plays mean-spirited practical jokes on Hawkeye, while Redd often as not goes out of his way to cross Hawkeye's path in advance of him, just to neutralize traps that are in his way.

* '''Justified''': Hawkeye is an UnreliableNarrator telling the story from his own [[MoralMyopia warped perspective]].
* Redd [[BitchInSheepsClothing is more evil then we know]]. Leo, while a jerk, isn't.

* '''Exploited''': ???

* '''Exaggerated''': Leo is an [[AxeCrazy insane]], murderous bastard who regularly makes a game of seeing how long he can keep his victims alive... but they're not anyone Hawkeye knows, so he's cool with it. Redd is Leo's polar opposite, an upstanding fellow in all regards -- but since Suzy has a bit of a crush on him, ''[[DieForOurShip he must die]]''.

* '''Downplayed''': ???

* '''Invoked''': The Redd tries to replace Leo as Hawkeye's best friend by painting their relationships as this trope, and trying to frame Leo with misdeeds.

* '''Justified''':
** Leo is a ''reforming'' bandit [[ReformedButRejected rejected by others]], and Hawkeye is helping him out; Redd uses a [[BitchInSheepsClothing Nice Guy Facade]] and loves picking on "acceptable targets" (which includes Hawkeye).
** Leo DOES have morals, but they would appear skewed because of how he grew up. He always cheats when he plays card games... but he never plays with anybody he doesn't KNOW is a crook. Not only that, he sees everybody as a unique individual, and would never manipulate somebody he likes but those he doesn't are fair game. Redd, on the other hand, is a good boy but only in following rules. Suzy is well aware that he only wants her because everybody else does, and he does have a history of wanting what others do so nobody really takes too kindly to him in the first place.

* '''Justified''': Leo is a ''reforming'' bandit [[ReformedButRejected rejected by others]], and Hawkeye is helping him out; Redd uses a [[BitchInSheepsClothing Nice Guy Facade]] and loves picking on "acceptable targets" (which includes Hawkeye).

* '''Deconstructed''': Leo decides to do Hawkeye a favor and MurderTheHypotenuse, attacking Redd. Redd successfully fights back and winds up slaying him; since Leo was such a horrible person, Redd is hailed as a hero while Hawkeye develops an even deeper grudge against him. Suzy grows tired of Hawkeye's MoralMyopia and leaves him; Hawkeye also blames this on Redd.
** Alternately, Leo successfully kills Redd -- and since Redd was so well-liked and he already had a record, he becomes a public enemy and the subject of an angry manhunt. Hawkeye attempts to protect him, but Suzy [[WhatTheHellHero calls him out]] and "betrays" them, leading to Leo's arrest and execution.
* '''Reconstructed''': Redd killing his best friend ''does'' give Hawkeye a perfectly valid reason to despise him. The fact that he killed Leo is also used as {{Foreshadowing}} that Redd has a dark side of his own.
** Additionally, Leo ''was'' trying to help in a very warped way, showing that he indeed has a ''brighter'' side of his own.

* '''Discussed''': "He may be a HeroicSociopath, but dammit, he's ''our'' TokenEvilTeammate!", "He may be all heroic and super and such, which I respect, but that doesn't mean I have to ''like'' him."

* '''Played For Laughs:''' Hawkeye realizes he should reevaluate his friend policy as he and Leo run from two federal agencies, the army, a coke dealer, and three assassin's guilds.
* '''Played For Drama:''' Hawkeye's insistence on this leads him to alienate Suzy and destroy his public image as Leo's misdeeds grow in magnitude. Leo kills Suzy for leaving Hawkeye for Redd, forcing the rivals to team up to take him down. Redd does a FaceHeelTurn over the tragedy, vowing to destroy the society that allows the wicked to prosper at the righteous' expense.

----

* '''Straight''': [[TheHero Hawkeye's]] best friend is [[TheLancer Leo]], a former bandit who's implied to have done some pretty questionable things in his past and isn't afraid to lie, cheat, steal and manipulate to get what he wants -- but they're [=BFFs=], so that's okay. [[TheRival Redd]], meanwhile, is a charming, compassionate young guardsman working to protect their community... Unfortunately, he's also caught [[ShallowLoveInterest Suzy]]'s interest, so Hawkeye, and the readers, hates his guts.

* '''Straight''': [[TheHero Hawkeye's]] best friend is [[TheLancer Leo]], a former bandit who's implied to have done some pretty questionable things in his past and isn't afraid to lie, cheat, steal and manipulate to get what he wants -- but they're [=BFFs=], so that's okay. [[TheRival Redd]], meanwhile, is a charming, compassionate young guardsman working to protect their community... Unfortunately, he's also caught [[ShallowLoveInterest Suzy]]'s interest, so Hawkeye hates his guts.

* '''Exaggerated''': Leo is an [[AxeCrazy insane]], [[CompleteMonster murderous bastard]] who regularly makes a game of seeing how long he can keep his victims alive... but they're not anyone Hawkeye knows, so he's cool with it. Redd is Leo's polar opposite, an upstanding fellow in all regards -- but since Suzy has a bit of a crush on him, ''[[DieForOurShip he must die]]''.

* '''Parodied''': Hawkeye defends Leo's actions as not so bad to Suzy, while trying to paint Redd as ThePaolo. Meanwhile, Leo engages in an increasingly ridiculous killing spree in the background while Redd runs around trying to save the {{Innocent Bystander}}s. When Suzy points this out, Hawkeye [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking lamely points out he at least didn't set the dog on fire.]] So of course Leo thanks him for the suggestion.

* '''Parodied''': Hawkeye defends Leo's actions as not so bad to Suzy, while trying to pain Redd as ThePaolo. Meanwhile, Leo engages in an increasingly ridiculous killing spree in the background while Redd runs around trying to save the {{Innocent Bystander}}s. When Suzy points this out, Hawkeye [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking lamely points out he at least didn't set the dog on fire.]] So of course Leo thanks him for the suggestion.

* '''Zig Zagged''': Hawkeye really is self centered in who he likes, but it's because he doesn't really know what Leo and Redd do, except he does and doesn't care.

* '''Enforced''': The work is a KafkaKomedey; HumansAreBastards, and nobody is expected to choose strangers over friends.

* '''Enforced''': Hawkeye is so HotBlooded and [[{{Fellowship}} loyal]] he can't see past a first impression, so he's actually a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter.

* '''Exaggerated''': Leo is an [[AxeCrazy insane]], [[CompleteMonster murderous bastard]] who regularly makes a game of seeing how long he can keep his victims alive... but they're all "bad guys", so Hawkeye's cool with it. Redd is Leo's polar opposite, an upstanding fellow in all regards -- but since Suzy has a bit of a crush on him, ''[[DieForOurShip he must die]]''.

* '''Defied''': Hawkeye makes sure he has [[TheSpock detached]] and [[TheMcCoy compassionate]]] observers around to make sure his judgement isn't being affected from realizing what his friends and enemies do.