Line #85 Main/CruelMercy


1	%%
2	%%
3	%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!
4	%%
5	%%
6	%% Image chosen per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1604602901067259100
7	%% Previous IP thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1411248003079807900
8	%% Do not remove or replace this image without starting a new Image Pickin' thread.
9	%%
10	[[quoteright:349:[[ComicBook/ThanosRising https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thanos_mercy_350px.png]]]]
11	%%
12	->''"I want him to live a long life alone with his cowardice."''
13	-->-- '''Westley''', ''Film/ThePrincessBride''
14
15	Some work towards crushing their opponents. Others, though, prefer to just step back and watch them live on. This is "Cruel Mercy" -- sparing one's enemy (or, in some examples, even actively keeping them alive) as a punishment rather than a reward.
16
17	Heroes rarely kill their enemies: they either practice ThouShaltNotKill or have a [[TheHeart moral friend]] remind them "IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim" if they ever get too tempted. However, some heroes are creative. Much like a torturer using a CoolAndUnusualPunishment, the hero does {{forgive\|ness}} the villain, or at least spare his life, but does so only to inflict suffering and/or enact some poetic justice.
18
19	Villains will also do this. If they are [[RevengeByProxy doing it for revenge]], their aim will be to make the hero feel what they've gone through. Some are mental -- rather than wishing to hear SoProudOfYou, it's their arch-enemy's disapproval they start to crave. Other villains are trying to make the character break down -- they [[BreakTheCutie subject them to a series of]] {{Mind Rape}}s and [[ForcedToWatch make them watch]] as they destroy what's precious to them, all in an attempt to push them beyond the DespairEventHorizon. Maybe they want to see [[HeroicBSOD the heroes cry]], or [[StartOfDarkness bring them]] [[FaceHeelTurn over to]] TheDarkSide. Some villains delight in showing the hero to be NotSoStoic, or they wonder what will happen if they TeachHimAnger... or they just enjoy ignoring the hero's repeated pleas to GetItOverWith.
20
21	There is no typical Cruel Mercy; each is tailored to the person for maximum effect. However, there are a few repeating variations. Sometimes, one is just allowed to live, especially if he believes MightMakesRight and AsskickingLeadsToLeadership, and now that he isn't the strongest, his self-esteem is non-existent. Similarly, some villains lose it because GoodHurtsEvil and EvilCannotComprehendGood, so the hero's mercy is a kind of BrownNote. For others, the hero may force them into a mundane life where they go through a daily mental HumiliationConga. Still, more might refuse to take a life themselves but [[ThrowEmToTheWolves won't deny others]] -- [[DoWithHimAsYouWill especially those who have been wronged by the villain]] -- their own chance. In some situations, the hero may decide that being left to [[ThePunishmentIsTheCrime live with the consequences of his actions]] is the most fitting punishment for the villain. And sometimes, if the villain is too dangerous to let free, he is trapped in a TailorMadePrison along with the people he hates most in the world, or with a view of something he despises or which upsets him...
22
23	Usually, the villain or one of the hero's friends will ask "[[NoNonsenseNemesis Why did you let me/him live?]]" Expect the hero to give a [[ToThePain vivid description]] of how they believe they are being [[FateWorseThanDeath much crueler this way]]. Might also overlap with NotWorthKilling if the intended message is used to insult the value of the person being spared.
24
25	See also BaitTheDog. Not to be confused with VillainsDyingGrace. Contrast MercyKill, which aims to do the exact opposite, DoWithHimAsYouWill, where the hero only spares the villain to let others kill him, and SparingTheFinalMook, where the hero grants mercy to a usually harmless ordinary mook after defeating others. Contrast GoAndSinNoMore, where the villain is grateful for the hero's mercy. Inverse of CruelToBeKind, where the act is hurtful but will ultimately benefit the victim. If the Mercy is genuine and the Cruelty perceived, it's DontYouDarePityMe. May be part of AndIMustScream or overlap with FateWorseThanDeath.
26
27	----
28	!!Example subpages:
29
30	[[index]]
31	* CruelMercy/AnimeAndManga
32	* CruelMercy/ComicBooks
33	* CruelMercy/FanWorks
34	* CruelMercy/{{Film}}
35	* CruelMercy/{{Literature}}
36	* CruelMercy/LiveActionTV
37	* CruelMercy/VideoGames
38	* CruelMercy/WesternAnimation
39	[[/index]]
40
41	!!Other examples
42	[[foldercontrol]]
43
44	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
45	* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'': PlayedForLaughs in the [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1999/09/04 September 4, 1999 strip]]:
46	-->'''Spider:''' "I just lost my job. I'm here to end it all. Go ahead. Swat me."\
47	'''Garfield:''' (smirking) "No."\
48	'''Spider:''' "Oh, you '''are''' cruel."
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Myths and Religion]]
52	* The idea of eternal suffering for those who are sent to Hell in Christianity can be seen as this, as God would most likely in that scenario let them suffer in eternity without doing anything to make it worse or better for them.
53	* Another motivation for "turning the other cheek" can be found in Romans chapter 12. Not avenging yourself heaps coals on your enemy's head, ensuring that if they do not repent of their sins in this life, their punishment in the afterlife will be far greater, because they'll be judged as a cowardly bully who continued to take advantage of the goodwill and benevolence shown by others.
54	* ''Literature/TheBible'':
55	** When Cain murdered his brother Abel out of jealousy, God cursed Cain by having him wander forever. When Cain, ashamed of his sin, thought his punishment would result in someone killing him, God replied that the one who killed Cain would suffer a far worse punishment, as he wanted Cain to forever live with the guilt of his crime. And God even put a mark on his forehead to let everyone know not to touch him.
56	** In [[Literature/BooksOfKings 1 Kings Chapter 2]], after David dies, Solomon becomes king over Israel. Abiathar the priest is relieved of duty and forced to resign from the priesthood for participating in Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne. Instead of immediately executing Abiathar, Solomon allows him to retire to his fields in Anathoth in recognition of his service to King David.
57	** Shimei is restricted to a house in Jerusalem and is not allowed to cross the Brook Kidron under penalty of death. After three years, two of Shimei's servants run away to Gath, and Shimei goes to Gath to retrieve them. Afterward, Solomon has Shimei executed.
58	** Paul the Apostle's ministry starts off as this, as God having him suffer for the torment he had caused (albeit in ignorance) upon God's servants when he was still Saul the Pharisee. However, over time Paul realizes the grace and mercy he has been given and even rejoices in his suffering for the Gospel's sake.
59	* In one version of a famous [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek myth]], Arachne is a skilled weaver who credits herself for her weaving abilities instead of the gods. Athena comes down and challenges Arachne to a weaving contest. Athena's weaving depicts the fates of mortals who considered themselves equal to the gods; Arachne's weaving depicts the alleged faults and shortcomings of the gods, and their alleged ill treatment of mortals. Athena is so infuriated by Arachne's weaving that she tears it to shreds. Arachne attempts to hang herself in shame, only for Athena to prevent it, transforming Arachne from a human into a wretched spider.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Podcasts]]
63	* In ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'', the main ethos behind [[spoiler: Wonderland.]] In order to [[spoiler: maximize the amount of [[EmotionEater suffering they consume]], Edward and Lydia keep participants alive.]] For example, [[spoiler: Cam has been kept alive for several years now as a disembodied head.]]
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Radio]]
67	* In the GrandFinale to the [[AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho New Eighth Doctor Adventures]] the Dalek Time Controller tells the Doctor he will be left on Earth and watch as it becomes a plague planet. Due to being a Time Lord, he will survive long enough to see humanity die out.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Theatre]]
71	* And once again in Shakespeare's ''Theatre/{{Cymbeline}}'' by Posthumous Leonatus to Iachimo who had just confessed to masterminding a plot which caused Posthumous to order his wife murdered.
72	--> "The power that I have on you is, to spare you;\
73	The malice towards you to forgive you: live,\
74	And deal with others better."
75	* In ''[[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc Danganronpa the Stage]]'', [[spoiler:[[TheHero Makoto Naegi]] [[SparedByTheAdaptation stops]] [[BigBad Junko Enoshima's]] [[DrivenToSuicide suicide by execution]] for this very reason. Since Junko is only capable of feeling pleasure from despair, be it from others or herself, the worst thing Makoto can do to her is save her life]].
76	* ''Theatre/TheLaramieProject''. Based on the real-life trial following the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard, the victim's father says that while their family believes in the death penalty, they ask the jury to instead give the murderers consecutive life sentences to honor their son and show the killers the mercy that they didn't show. The father's ending monologue nearly matches word-for-word what the real Dennis Shepard stated in court.
77	--> "May you have a long life. And may you thank Matthew every day for it."
78	* In ''Theatre/LesMiserables'', as in the novel, Valjean has the chance to kill InspectorJavert and instead lets him live.
79	--> ''Damned if I'll live in the debt of a thief!\
80	Damned if I'll yield at the end of the chase!\
81	[[IAmTheNoun I am the Law]], and the law is not mocked!\
82	[[DontYouDarePityMe I'll spit his pity right back in his face!]]\
83	There is nothing on earth that we share! It is either Valjean or Javert!\
84	...\
85	It was my right to die as well,\
86	instead I live, but live in Hell!''
87	* In Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/MeasureForMeasure'', the Duke does not kill Lucio as threatened but forces him to marry the whore who bore his child. "Marrying a punk, my lord," Lucio laments, "is pressing to death, whipping, and hanging."
88	** Depending on how you interpret it, the BigBad Angelo suffers this as well. The Duke doesn't have him killed but forces him to wed a wife he didn't want and live after having his crimes revealed publicly. His original plan was to have him marry her and then be killed, but he ultimately changes his mind.
89	* The ancient Greek play ''Theatre/{{Medea}}'' has this as the crux of the title character's plan; after being betrayed by Jason (who she sacrificed everything for), she kills their kids ''and'' his new girlfriend, specifically ''not'' doing anything to him because she wants him to live with the pain. Her RevengeByProxy scheme is so impressive that even Hera, Jason's divine patron (who he also pissed off with his betrayal of Medea) can add nothing to it, so she just lets Medea's punishment stand.
90	* ''Medieval Times'' ends with the champion of the knight's tournament defeating the [[BigBad Herald of the North]] in what the latter intended to be a DuelToTheDeath. However, the King of Spain -- as a way of "honoring" the Herald's valor -- opted not to execute him, instead sentencing him to life imprisonment.
91	* In Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'', Antonio insists on Shylock, a Jew, converting to Christianity as punishment for what he's done. For a Jew, that's... let's just say bad. In Yiddish, the word for "Jew", "yid", is used as a synonym for "person". As a former Jew, he'd be neither accepted by the Jewish community nor the Christian one. And as what's a pitiful parting shot in comparison, Antonio takes some of his money and forces him to bequeath his estate to his runaway daughter and son-in-law in his will.
92	** Even worse, [[ValuesDissonance in Shakespeare's time]], this would have been considered a ''happy ending'', in much the same way as execution was better than excommunication. Sure, he'd be shunned by his community, but to Shakespeare's Christian audience, this would mean that he would also be considered saved and get to go to heaven ([[FairForItsDay and acknowledges Shylock as a person who could be saved]]). It's only when ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' began to be performed for more secular audiences that people began focusing on the downsides of the forced conversion.
93	** Worth noting that the contemporary parallel play, ''Theatre/TheJewOfMalta'', involves the eponymous Jew dying by being boiled in a pot of oil. shrug FateWorseThanDeath versus CruelAndUnusualDeath...
94	* Yet another Shakespeare example: In ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', Romeo murders Tybalt, a fellow aristocrat of Verona, and as Tybalt's aunt says, the punishment for this is death. But the Prince of Verona tempers the sentence to exile because Tybalt killed Mercutio (the Prince's cousin) and Romeo avenged his friend's death. When he hears this news, however, Romeo hears it as Cruel Mercy, declaring exile to be a FateWorseThanDeath because it means separation from Juliet, and threatens to kill himself. Friar Lawrence proceeds to [[WhatTheHellHero chew him out]] over all the {{Wangst}}ing he's been doing.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
98	* Zigzagged in ''TabletopGame/TheDarkEye'' by the Trollzacker barbarians. Due to their religious belief that every suffering in life lessens the unavoidable suffering in the afterlife, their worst punishments involve banishment and painless forms of death. If on the other side, a captured fighter is regarded as a WorthyOpponent, he will be tortured to death in days-long rituals as [[ValuesDissonance a token of respect and mercy]].
99	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', it's a common habit among the Infernal Exalted. Indeed, there's a Kimbery charm that ensures this is the only kind of mercy you can show without spending willpower.
100	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'', the baernoloths (mysterious fiends believed to have created the yugoloth race) can heal any wound upon a creature that they have personally inflicted. Typically, they only do this to a captive victim while sadistically torturing it so that the victim won't die quickly.
101	* As many stories in the ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' setting have proven, may the gods help you (hah, we're kidding, there are no gods here) if you try to cheat, con, steal from, or harm the Vistani. They are notorious for [[GypsyCurse inflicting dark and horrible curses]] on anyone who does, and victims of such often wish they were never born.
102	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'':
103	** The Dark Eldar, arguably the evilest faction in the game (an impressive feat given the setting), once rescued Craftworld Iyanden from Chaos. The Craftworld had resorted to taking souls from the Infinity Circuit to power Wraith Constructs, something Craftworld Eldar revile as necromancy. The Dark Eldar saved their Craftworld cousins just to ensure they would be forced to live with what they had done.
104	** Chaos Dreadnoughts, much like their Loyalist counterparts, are armored life-supporting MiniMecha equipped with heavy weapons that can keep a mortally-wounded SpaceMarine alive indefinitely. Unlike their Loyalist counterparts, they don't sleep during the centuries between battles, instead spending the time chained to a wall with their legs and weapons switched off.
105	-->'''Khalos the Ravager:''' No. NO! Not the sarcophagus! Khorne damn you, you disloyal curs, just kill me! JUST KILL ME!
106	* In the ''[[TabletopGame/YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' TCG, there are a few cards that prevent your opponent's monsters from being destroyed by battle, such as Underworld Dragon Dragonecro and Serpent Suppression. However, this is not to help your opponent stand up better to you. The first one, while keeping the monster it battles alive, drains away its ATK points (and soul, in the manga), leaving only a 0 ATK point carcass instead, and even creates a token for its controller with the drained ATK as its Attack points. As for the second one, it is seen in Reptilliane decks, which focus on making the ATK of opponent monsters 0. Combined with this card, they can relentlessly keep attacking the weakened monsters, who, despite not being destroyed, are still inflicted with damage that their controller takes. Some Combos are even famous, such as using a card that prevents destruction by battle on an opponent monster and keeps attacking it with a monster with the ability to attack multiple times, such as the infamous Chimeratech Overdragon, Great Poseidon Beetle, and Number C107: Neo Galaxy-eyes Tachyon Dragon.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
110	* The final choice of the case "Farewell, My Turnabout" of the second ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' game offers you the chance to dish this out. [[spoiler:After a nerve-wracking few days, in which Phoenix's assistant Maya has been held captive by Shelley de Killer, a ProfessionalKiller who's threatened to kill her unless Phoenix gets his newest client a "not guilty" verdict, Phoenix discovered all too late that his client, Matt Engarde, was TheSociopath who really is guilty because he hired de Killer to kill his business rival. Prosecutor Franziska von Karma and Detective Gumshoe [[BigDamnHeroes finally pull through with the evidence Phoenix needs at the last second]], and Phoenix manages to let de Killer know (via a radio conversation) that Engarde betrayed him by filming the murder, intending to use that as blackmail. de Killer, who values the trust between himself and his clients above all else, releases Maya and vows to hunt Engarde to the ends of the earth. Engarde's ego [[BreakTheHaughty immediately deflates]], and he begins sweating bullets from the realization that a world-class assassin is now after his head. You're presented with the choice to switch your plea to guilty, which will convict Engarde and send him to prison right there. However, you can continue to have Phoenix plead not guilty for Engarde, which means Engarde will be marked for death the moment he steps foot out of the courtroom, with Phoenix rubbing it in Engarde's face that this "mercy" is anything but merciful.]]
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Web Animation]]
114	* WebVideo/TheDebbieAndCarrieShow: Sandy Smith had Rev. Dave Owen arrested for disturbing the peace at her restaurant, the Tuscany Tavern, but then bailed him out of jail after only a few hours because she realized he had done it as a publicity stunt, and her freeing him would ruin his own credibility. Then she and several others proceeded to give him versions of TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. Her ploy worked, because Rev. Owen was soon fired by his own church for his stunt and how it had backfired so badly.
115	* ''WebAnimation/{{HFIL}}'': Cell ''could'' reveal to Freeza's underlings that he was killed not by Goku, but Vegeta's son Trunks, but chooses not to because a) unlike Freeza he actually is trying to get out of HFIL, and b) ''not'' revealing it is much funnier cause it angers the hell out of Freeza more than revealing it ever would be.
116	* ''WebAnimation/MinecraftEndventures'': Wrecker left the RebelLeader alive after killing his family during his first encounter with him to "let his sorrow consume him".
117	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
118	** When [[BigBad Salem]] attempts to trick the God of Darkness and the God of Light into bringing a dead man back to life, the divine brothers punish her with immortality. [[spoiler:Because she was unable to accept the death of her lover, they punish her with being [[BarredFromTheAfterlife unable to reunite]] with him in death; this results in her being [[CompleteImmortality completely immune]] to any form of death. Seeking vengeance, she raises an army against the gods; the God of Darkness wipes out the whole of humanity, asking her if she thought she could not be punished any further than she had already been. The two gods then abandon Remnant, leaving Salem to live alone on an empty world, unable to die. The gods eventually bring humanity back, but by this time, Salem has been driven mad and consumed with hatred, so she aims to wipe it out herself.]]
119	** When Maria was young, she lost her eyesight in battle against an assassin called Tock. Although Tock had been hired to kill her, she felt that she had met the terms of her contract by blinding Maria. She therefore admits that she's tempted to let Maria live, knowing that her eyesight is forever lost. [[spoiler:Maria possessed silver eyes and had mastered the power that came with them. Tock was hired by an unknown client to kill Maria to put an end to the power of her silver eyes. However, blinding Maria achieved the same goal, which is why Tock toyed with allowing her to live.]]
120	* ''WebAnimation/WalrusGuy'': In "One More Final: I Need You(tube Poop)", Link attempts jumping off a cliff after Zelda overdoses, but accidentally ends up landing on Yoshi and injuring him severely. After Yoshi's death, Luigi decides to take revenge by shooting Link but changes his mind when Link tells him to go ahead.
121	-->'''Link''': "Go ahead, shoot! I wanna die!"
122	-->'''Luigi''': "...no."
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Webcomics]]
126	* Parodied in ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' when Black Mage [[{{Briarpatching}} desperately tries to convince]] [[spoiler:Sarda]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/09/22/episode-1175-the-best-revenge/ to employ this trope]]. Played straight when [[spoiler:Sarda]] agrees.
127	-->'''[[spoiler: Sarda:]]''' Oh, I wanted to kill you the [[Really700YearsOld first billion, billion and a half years]], but then... it just wasn't enough anymore. Besides, killing you started to lose its novelty [[DeathIsCheap after the first few times]]. [Zaps all the Light Warriors] See? I barely cracked a smile over that one.
128	-->'''Red Mage:''' I wish he'd stop making incredibly painful points with our corpses.
129	* Su Lüxia of ''Webcomic/CheatingMenMustDie'' sometimes uses this tactic to get revenge on her [[MediaTransmigration host characters']] cheating lovers.
130	** Her fiancé Su Youji and his new lover Wei Na are allowed to leave their families to start a new life together, with Su Lüxia knowing full well that [[spoiler:the two {{Spoiled Brat}}s won't be able to live comfortably without their financial safety nets and that their lack of common sense and the resulting poverty will lead to a bitterly unhappy marriage]].
131	** She gives in to Bai Ting and Liang Qun, agreeing to divorce Liang Qun so the two can marry. However, [[spoiler:by this point, Liang Qun has already seen Bai Ting's true colours and no longer wants to be with her, but Su Lüxia later manipulates events to force them to marry and see her revenge through]].
132	* At the end of Chapter 49 of ''{{Webcomic/Drowtales}}'', Minka Dutan'vir sees former Kyorl'solenurn Holy Mother Valla'drielle, who earlier in the chapter had ordered the reclaimed tower of his people dropped and many of them killed, then tried to burn Minka himself at the stake as an example only to be interrupted by a peaceful protest led to by the intended Holy Mother of the clan, Anahid. He chases and corners her and begins to choke her, but remembers and echoes Anahid's words that forgiveness is true strength and lets Valla'drielle go. Valla'drielle simply spits FantasticRacism at him and is left to live and fade away in ignominy as the KnightTemplar attitude she embodies will soon be a thing of the past.
133	* Done in a social way for humor in ''Webcomic/EerieCuties'', to set up for its spin-off, ''Webcomic/MagickChicks''. After the Hellrune Coven has tried to use a gender-bending magical orb for a small plan that turned into a fiasco that left one boy stuck as a girl, they're called in front of the headmistress. Since they're also the [[AlphaBitch "Queen Bees"]] of their school, they're told protocol would demand they be expelled. However, the headmistress believes that would let them off TOO easily. So she talked with the head of Artemis Academy to get them transferred over there as part of an exchange program, forcing them to start all over without any social benefits from their soon-to-be-former school. To a young girl who fought a lot of her high-school life to be popular, losing your status and being "socially dead" is worse than physical death.
134	* Done in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius''. After Dr. Beetle dies, Baron Wulfenbach tells Dr. Merlot that for his part in the incident, he'll be put in charge of the city of Beetleburg...after Dr. Beetle has been given a hero's funeral with full honors, and the full details of Dr. Beetle's death, including the fact that Dr. Merlot's theatrics were the direct cause of it, have been released to a public that loved and respected Dr. Beetle.
135	** Also, Merlot's punishment for his first screw-up on the new job? Sent to join the repair teams in [[AIIsACrapshoot Castle]] [[ComedicSociopathy Heterodyne]].
136	* Thaco in ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'' [[spoiler:destroyed Dellyn Goblinslayer's carefully-constructed legacy, leaving his elite guards dead, his prisoners escaped, and his reputation in Brassmoon ruined. When Dellyn finally faced Thaco and was defeated, he expected to be killed and earn a place in the legends of goblins as their racial nemesis until Thaco told him he was [[NotWorthKilling not worth the XP to kill]]]].
137	-->'''Complains''': "You fought [[spoiler:the Goblinslayer]]? Did you kill him?"\
138	'''Thaco''': "No. I destroyed him."
139	* [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus Aran]] uses this as a ''threat'' in ''Webcomic/CaptainSNES'': [[http://www.captainsnes.com/2002/11/28/236-the-interrogation/ "I will not permit you to die."]]
140	* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
141	** When defeating Samantha and her father, Roy decides not to kill them, just leave them there. He argues that after disbanding the bandits, they won't be able to cause more trouble in the future. Then Belkar points out that it is this trope, leading to the trope-naming line of YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame.
142	** PlayedForLaughs: After Redcloak delivers a scathing NotSoDifferentRemark-themed TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to the (currently trapped in a forcecage) paladin Miko, Xykon comments that he ''was'' just going to kill her, but now thinks it'd be crueler to let her live and think about what Redcloak said. Subverted in that she reacts to Redcloak's speech with a blasé, [[IronicEcho "Meh. As indignant speeches go, I've heard better."]] Also subverted in that it was Redcloak's plan from the beginning to let her escape so he can scry on her when she gets home, providing intelligence for the upcoming attack.
143	** Tarquin is dealt with in this way. [[spoiler:Rather than slaying him in an epic showdown like Tarquin wants, Elan simply ditches his father in the middle of the desert, thereby giving their story an unsatisfying and anticlimactic end, something that the [[WrongGenreSavvy drama-obsessed]], [[ItsAllAboutMe self-absorbed]] Tarquin finds utterly unacceptable.]]
144	---> "'''This is a terrible ending!!!'''"
145	* In a twisted form of charity, [[spoiler:Brain]] from ''Webcomic/SamAndFuzzy'' offers to let Fuzzy go [[spoiler:after Fuzzy has inadvertently helped him find The Pit]] instead of killing him -- [[MindRape but after deleting all his memories]] and causing him a DeathOfPersonality. Given that Fuzzy has an extremely sore spot about his already existing LaserGuidedAmnesia [[spoiler:and the fact that 'he' went through it once before as Eric and left Fuzzy severely traumatized]], the 'offer' becomes this.
146	* Horribly/Hilariously {{Subverted\|Trope}} in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' after Kevyn captures an alien warlord who had just executed one of his squad members simply to test a theory and was about to do the same to his LoveInterest before he intervened. Rather than take his revenge on the warlord ("I know he murdered our friend, but [revenge] will take you into a very dark place, Nick"), he opts to turn him in to the proper authorities... who will then kill him and [[ImAHumanitarian eat him]] ''[[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20070502.html a little bit at a time!]]''
147	-->'''Nick:''' Your place sounds darker, sir.
148	-->'''Kevyn:''' It has the advantage of being legal.
149	[[/folder]]
150
151	[[folder:Web Original]]
152	* ''Literature/ChakonaSpace'': Allen Fesler's character, Neal Foster has pulled this off a few times.
153	* ''Roleplay/InkCity'': [[WesternAnimation/AeonFlux Trevor]] pulls this on [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Mew]], with a [[ManipulativeBastard twist of manipulation]]: originally, he was poised to take his revenge on ''[[AlternateDimension another]]'' [[GenkiGirl Mew]] who had just arrived. He waited until [[TheAtoner Mew]] publicly confessed before informing her he wasn't going to seek his pound of flesh; watching her live as an outcast would be ''far'' more satisfying.
154	* Creator/JonBois' ''Pretty Good'' categorizes one incident that happened during [[CurbStompBattle the most lopsided college football game ever]] (Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0). At halftime, Cumberland's already down triple-digits and their coach begs Georgia Tech's coach John Heisman[[note]]Yes, the man whom the trophy for best college football player of the year is named after[[/note]] to [[MercyKill just end the game then]]. Heisman agrees to shorten the game...by five minutes.
155	-->''"Sometimes, a weak expression of pity is the deepest act of cruelty."''
156	* ''Literature/LoomingGaia'': In "Red Orchid" the Freelance Good Guys find Orchid, who sexually assaulted Isaac and tried to feed him to an anthousai, pinned to a tree and being eaten by western greenworms, and decide to leave her there to suffer a long death instead of killing her.
157	* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic: The Devil's daughter Evilina thinks that it would be crueler to leave the Critic alive to suffer the pain after reviewing ''Film/SonOfTheMask'', despite him wanting to be killed.
158	* ''Literature/{{Twig}}'': Sanguine, the last of a unit of experimental assassins that were killed by the Lambsbridge Gang, decides to let two members of the gang live after he's determined that one is infected with an incurable plague, satisfied that they've suffered enough and his dead fellows would be content with that punishment.
159	* In the YouTubePoop "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OVCpD-7nI4 One more Final: I need you(Tube Poop)]]" After Zelda's death, Link tries to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff but ends up landing on Yoshi, injuring him and eventually killing him. Luigi heads to Link with a gun but ends up refusing to kill him despite his pleadings, preferring to let him live with the misery of Zelda's death.
160	[[/folder]]
161
162	[[folder:Real Life]]
163	* One of the many, many arguments thrown about between pro-death penalty/anti-death penalty groups is the theory that spending the remainder of one's life in prison is a [[FateWorseThanDeath harsher sentence than being executed]]. But a common counterargument is that there are people like [[TheSociopath true psychopaths]] (as noted a few times above) who will ''never'' see it that way; as long as they're ''alive'', they'll never stop conspiring to win: be it by trying to break out, by trying to corrupt the prison, or by ''any'' other way they can devise. In which case, DeathIsTheOnlyOption.
164	** This is practically the argument of philosopher Michel Foucault in his book ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discipline_and_Punish Discipline and Punish]]'': someone who went into prison and served their sentence, more often than not, will find it far harder to integrate back into normal society, essentially being marked wherever they go.
165	** Invoked some time ago in Italy by some lifer prisoners who requested the death penalty to be restored, because they found spending the rest of their lives in prison an excessive punishment.
166	** When Communism fell, the Russian Federation abolished capital punishment. Anyone convicted of murder after that point would be sentenced to life in prison, and anyone who was previously on death row had their sentence commuted to twenty-five years from that point, regardless of how long they had already been in prison. Many former death row inmates, who had spent years or decades awaiting execution, killed themselves, unable to face even more prison time.
167	** Suicidal death row inmates are put on suicide watch. Let that sink in for a minute[[labelnote:note]]The death penalty means that you will die at the hands of ''the state'', which is enacting the penalty against you; essentially, you have your life ''taken'' from you for your crimes. Killing yourself, while achieving the same ultimate end, does not serve as a penalty [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled because you are taking your life into your own hands]] ''after'' the state has stated you do not have that option anymore[[/labelnote]].
168	** Even the most merciful form of punishment, rehabilitative justice, still addresses that criminals must have their personality completely changed in order to be reintegrated back into society (assuming this is possible, given the aforementioned psychopaths). Compounding this is [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone the everlasting guilt]] [[RetiredOutlaw of reformed criminals]], as well as [[ReformedButRejected the stigma that will follow them well beyond their sentence]].
169	** Dennis Shephard, father of [[Theatre/TheLaramieProject Matthew Shepard]], invoked this during [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech a statement in court]] to one of his son's murderers.
170	---> Mr. [=McKinney=], I am going to grant you life, as hard as that is for me to do so, because of Matthew. Every time you celebrate Christmas, a birthday or the 4th of July, remember that Matt isn't. Every time that you wake up in that prison cell, remember you had the opportunity and the ability to stop your actions that night. Every time that you see your cell mate, remember that you had a choice, and now you are living that choice. You robbed me of something very precious, and I will never forgive you for that. Mr. [=McKinney=], I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives. May you have a long life, and may you thank Matthew every day for it.
171	** ''Website/TheOnion'' referenced this in their video "[[https://youtu.be/Hyph_DZa_GQ Supreme Court: Death Penalty Is 'Totally Badass']]," with the dissenting Supreme Court justice arguing that life in prison is even more hardcore than execution.
172	* Turkish Sultan Alp Arslan did this to the captured Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV after crushing his army in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manzikert Battle of Manzikert]]. [[DecadentCourt Romanos' own court]] quickly deposed him, and later [[EyeScream had him blinded]].
173	* [[AncientRome Julius Caesar]] specialized in this, often showing clemency to defeated rivals especially in Rome's civil wars, which, under the rules of Roman high society, left them permanently beholden to him because [[IOweYouMyLife they owed him their lives]]. Cato the Younger [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled actually killed himself]] to avoid this.
174	* This is one aspect of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_coup Counting Coup]] practice among the Great Plains Indians. It sends the message, "I can lay my hands on you and there's not a damn thing you can do to stop me. You are so far below me that you are NotWorthKilling."
175	* In pre-modern times, [[TheExile exile]] was this. Being kicked out of your country's borders with no way home, no support network, and a strong likelihood of being unable to speak the local language or know the way to civilization, much less a friendly one.
176	** Marooning, the naval practice of abandoning someone on a beach, is a variation of this. Ironically, the stereotypical desert island was a kinder punishment than a location with food and potable water: even assuming the latter scenario wasn't a HungryJungle, the poor mapping and navigation of the era meant discovery was virtually impossible, and the marooned sailor would GoMadFromTheIsolation. This is why pirates tended to LeaveBehindAPistol when marooning someone.
177	** Another variation is excommunication from a religious institution. Execution is kinder, as it still grants rites that allow the dead to go to their proper place in the afterlife. Excommunication means both being cut off from your social support network in this life and damnation in the next one[[note]]This is why in the 11th to the 16th century, excommunication was the ''preferred'' method of dealing with a terrible enemy. Many a bribe passed into Papal hands to ensure that the proper judgment was rendered[[/note]]. Even more so with shunning, or being treated as an {{unperson}}, which happens to transgressors among insular religious circles like the UsefulNotes/{{Amish}}.
178	** Similarly, being declared an {{outlaw}}. Make yourself annoying enough to those in power by not following the laws, and rather than seek you out and cast you into a dungeon, the King declares you literally "outside the law"; if you refuse to obey the laws, [[ScrewTheRulesTheyBrokeThemFirst you also don't receive their protection]], and anybody may rob, beat up, and even murder you without any penalty.
179	* A popular internet meme is the phrase "May my haters live long to see my success."
180	** Ninja from the band Music/DieAntwoord has a tattoo of a similar line: "May my enemies live a long time so they can see me progress."
181	** This is one half of the sentiment behind the old aphorism, "living well is the best revenge". (Along with the idea that stronger forms of {{revenge}} [[PyrrhicVictory aren't usually]] [[VengeanceFeelsEmpty worth it]].)
182	* Many, ''many'' examples from warfare. One noteworthy tactic is wounding enemy soldiers instead of killing them because wounded soldiers take up more resources. For instance, small land mines (nicknamed "toe-poppers"), used in [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam]] against American soldiers, would horribly wound but not kill, forcing the entire squad to withdraw and call for medivac, rather than mark the location of a corpse to be picked up later, and continue with the mission.
183	* After winning the Battle of Kleidion against Bulgaria, Byzantine Emperor Basil II, rather than kill all 15,000 of his prisoners, instead ordered that 99 out of every 100 prisoners be [[EyeScream blinded,]] with the 100th left with one functioning eye to guide the others home. The idea was that having to take care of people who could no longer contribute back to their communities would cripple the enemy far more than simply killing them would.
184	[[/folder]]
185

Context Main / CruelMercy