History PlayingWith / VillainousValour

'''Basic Trope''': Villains display admirable([[EvilVirtues not necessarily redeeming]]) qualities, such as bravery, in a life-threatening situation.

'''Basic Trope''': Villains display admirable ([[EvilVirtues not necessarily redeeming]]) qualities, such as bravery, in a life-threatening situation.

* '''Straight''': [[TheDragon General Drake]] sincerely offers to hold the heroes off as they move to kill [[BigBad Overlord Evulz]].
* '''Exaggerated''': Evulz declines and insists they share their LastStand together. The two proceed to use their skills and cunning to give the FiveManBand an incredibly difficult battle, severely wounding almost all of them before finally being killed.

** Heroic characters [[DirtyCoward fight without honour or skill]], [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere abandon the battlefield when things get tough]] and are [[PragmaticHero generally pragmatic]] at best.

'''Basic Trope''': Villains display admirable (not necessarily redeeming) qualities, such as bravery, in a life-threatening situation.

** Drake surrenders himself to the heroes and undergoes a HeelFaceTurn.

'''Basic Trope''': Villains display admirable (not necessarily redeeming) qualities in a life-threatening situation.

'''Basic Trope''': Villains display admirable qualities in a life-threatening situation.

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

** Heroic characters [[DirtyCoward fight without honour or skill]], [[ScrewThisImOuttaHereabandon the battlefield when things get tough]] and are [[PragmaticHero generally pragmatic]] at best.

** Heroic characters fight without honour or skill, abandon the battlefield when things get tough and are generally pragmatic at best.

* '''Deconstructed''': General Drake [[TheSpartanWay was brought up in a warrior culture]] that idealized fighting to your very last breath as the most noble death imaginable, and the society that shaped him was structured to send many of their citizens to this sort of demise. Drake's guardians, in particular, wanted him to go out swinging so badly that they neglected other important parts of his development, like his empathy and sense of justice, and shaped him into the sort of man who would work for an evil overlord while also being fearless in the face of certain defeat. Sure, he's genuinely brave and resourceful enough to fight on while outnumbered and outgunned, but the events that led to this lopsided battle have left him an incomplete human being.

* '''Reconstructed''': General Drake comes from a relatively normal background and suffers a near-death experience that establishes his healthy fear of dying. This makes it all the more shocking when he offers to help his lord escape at his own expense. He is clearly hesitant when he makes the offer, and in the ensuing battle, he pulls out every trick in the book to keep the heroes' attention away from Evulz and onto him. Despite being clearly frightened of what might happen to him, it becomes clear that Drake has moved past his fears for the sake of his emperor and his mission.

* '''Deconstructed''': General Drake [[TheSpartanWay was brought up in a warrior culture]] that idealized fighting to your very last breath as the most noble death imaginable, and the society that shaped him was structured to send many of their citizens to this sort of demise as possible. Drake's guardians, in particular, wanted him to go out swinging so badly that they neglected other important parts of his development, like his empathy and sense of justice, and shaped him into the sort of man who would work for an evil overlord while also being fearless in the face of certain defeat. Sure, he's genuinely brave and resourceful enough to fight on while outnumbered and outgunned, but the events that led to this lopsided battle have left him an incomplete human being.

* '''Deconstructed''': General Drake offering to hold the line against the heroes despite his massive disadvantage would seem courageous coming from another villain, but Drake has crossed so many {{Moral Event Horizon}}s that it just comes off as a complete lack of disregard for the current situation and another instance of his inhumanity. Instead of going out begging for his life, he instead tells the heroes killing him won't erase his slow, painful, and gruesome murder of their friends, laughing as they deal the final blow to him.
* '''Reconstructed''': General Drake was previously shown to have a healthy fear of death, which makes his offer to his lord rather shocking. He is clearly reluctant when he goes forward to hold the heroes off and [[TryingToCatchMeFightingDirty pulls out every dirty trick in the book]] to keep the heroes' attention on him and minimize damage to himself. In the end, he is bested and slain, but his last thoughts are of his overlord's safety and the hope that the cause he fights for will succeed, and he dies having overcome his fear for the sake of what is precious to him.

%%* '''Reconstructed''': ???

%%* '''Deconstructed''': ???

* '''Inverted''': Heroic characters fight without honour or skill, abandon the battlefield when things get tough and are generally pragmatic at best.

* '''Averted''': ???

* '''Discussed''': ???

* '''Lampshaded''': ???

* '''Enforced''': ???

Back to [Trope]

* '''Inverted''': ???
* '''Subverted''': ???
* '''Double Subverted''': ???

* '''Exaggerated''': Evulz declines and insists they share their LastStand together. The two proceed to use their skills and cunning give the FiveManBand an incredibly difficult battle, severely wounding most of them before finally being killed.

* '''Exaggerated''': Evulz declines and insists they share their LastStand together.
* '''Downplayed''': ???
* '''Justified''': Drake and Evulz have a VillainousFriendship. ThePowerOfFriendship cuts both ways.

(Template Incoming)