Line #76 Main/DyingDealUpgrade


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8	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries and poorly written examples have been commented out. If you want to re-add an example, please provide context that explains how the trope is used in this work.
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12	People die. Sometimes though they're not quite ready to do so yet and strike a deal with a [[PowersThatBe higher power]] to escape their fate -- be it by being [[DeusExMachina rescued against all odds]] or [[BackFromTheDead actually dying but coming back]]. In addition, their deal includes some kind of PowerUp: They come back as [[CameBackStrong more than they were before]].
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14	It doesn't matter if the dying person [[TerrifyingRescuer asked for the rescue]] and/or their new powers. They may get [[DeusExMachina just what they need to finish off whoever caused their death in the first place]], or they may be BlessedWithSuck or CursedWithAwesome. Maybe their new powers [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway really aren't worth the price]], but in some way, they got an upgrade.
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16	This can happen anywhere in a story, or maybe it's just the [[DeathByOriginStory backstory]] of a character. The resurrected may be a hero or a villain (but rarely neither). They may [[FaustianRebellion turn against the higher entity that saved them]], but just as often they follow them loyally.
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18	Can involve ReforgedIntoAMinion and/or [[ResurrectedForAJob a job to be done by the now resurrected guy]], but doesn't necessarily have to. An EmergencyTransformation and/or WorkingForABodyUpgrade may or may not be involved.
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20	SisterTrope to DealWithTheDevil and BargainWithHeaven, as well as BackFromTheDead. {{Subtrope}} of CameBackStrong. Compare DeathActivatedSuperpower when there's no middleman involved.
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24	!Examples
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26	[[foldercontrol]]
27
28	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
29	* {{Downplayed\|Trope}} in the first episode of ''Anime/CodeGeass''. Lelouch is cornered by security personnel who are about to kill him, and right before he's about to die, he's contacted telepathically by [[MysteriousWaif C.C.]], who offers him a [[DealWithTheDevil deal]] if he wants to survive. He accepts and is granted his [[MagicalEye geass]], which he then uses to [[PsychicAssistedSuicide make the soldiers kill themselves]].
30	* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' [[FirstEpisodeTwist opens with]] Seras Victoria getting shot and being resurrected as a vampire. [[spoiler:It turns out that Alucard himself, upon his execution by his enemies, made a deal of his own to become a vampire.]]
31	* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', Mami Tomoe's backstory involves her being caught in a fatal car accident. In her dying moments, Kyubey appears before her to allow her to make a wish to survive in exchange for becoming a magical girl.
32	[[/folder]]
33
34	[[folder:Comic Books]]
35	* In ''[[ComicBook/AngelIDW Angel: After the Fall]]'', the [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness Senior Partners]] resurrect [[spoiler:Wesley]] to work for them, and in the process make him [[CursedWithAwesome incorporeal]].
36	* Wonder Man started off as TheMole in ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' before he died. ([[{{Retcon}} He was actually just in suspended animation, but nobody knew that at the time]].) While he was dead, the evil robot Ultron stole [[BrainUploading a copy of his brain patterns]] to put in ComicBook/{{the Vision}}, [[HeelFaceTurn who is convinced to turn against his creator]].
37	* ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'': A young lady named Hope is [[BurnTheWitch accused of witchcraft and sentenced to burning at the stake]]. As the flames begin to consume her, she recites an incantation she overheard from her father, which results in a demon being summoned and [[DealWithTheDevil offering her a deal to avert death and serve Hell]]. Thus, Lady Death is born.
38	* {{Subverted\|Trope}} in ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' when [[spoiler:Cassidy]] makes a downgrade deal before he dies: [[spoiler:he arranges for himself and Jesse to die (forcing [[EldritchAbomination Genesis]] to leave Jesse's body), but for the both of them to be restored as normal, non-powered humans]]. However, as he knows what he did to the others is unforgiveable, he does not make himself known after this. [[spoiler:And unbeknownst to Cassidy or God, the Saint of Killers used the opportunity to storm the gates of heaven and take God's place on the Throne of Paradise, wait for God to return, and kill him.]]
39	* At the end of the first volume of ''ComicBook/ProjectSuperpowers'', Fighting Yank dies but agrees to take his cursed ancestor's place in Hell in exchange for being granted sufficient power to save his friends from an ambush.
40	* ''ComicBook/ThePunisherBorn'': Frank Castle's start down the road to being ComicBook/{{the Punisher}} is during a massive Vietcong attack on his base, at which point he makes a DealWithTheDevil to continue his war forever. He's left the only survivor, discovered still standing and holding the mauled remains of his rifle, surrounded by hundreds of corpses. When he returns, the voice that offered him the deal tells him that his family is the price he has to pay.
41	[[/folder]]
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43	[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
44	* A heroic example occurs in ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife'' when [[spoiler:Manolo seeks death at the hands of Xibalba to spend eternity with Maria. When it turns out that she isn't dead because Xibalba cheated]], Manolo makes his way through a heroic ordeal and makes a bet [[spoiler:to get his life back. Xibalba tries again to stack the deck in his favor, but Manolo wins, so he goes from dead skeleton boy to living human boy and gets all of his dead family temporarily restored to the real world (still dead) to help fight off the living world's BigBad]].
45	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}: The Legend'', Stampede finds a cruel prospector who became the victim of his own greed. Stampede saves him and in doing so gives him magical powers.
46	* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersTheMovie'', Megatron is mortally wounded. As he's dying, Unicron offers to save him in return for his service. Megatron actually tries to negotiate the terms until Unicron angrily reminds him that he's not in a position to bargain -- after he accepts, he is upgraded into Galvatron.
47	[[/folder]]
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49	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
50	* {{Discussed\|Trope}} in ''Film/TheBermudaDepths''. One young zoology student meets a charming young woman named Jennie Haniver. Doctor Paulis, the veteran oceanologist, recounts the myth of Jennie Haniver: she was a bride betrothed to wealthy merchant across the sea. When the ship ferrying Jennie to her groom started to sink during a fierce storm, Jennie prayed to the Devil to spare her life. Her prayer was answered: she became an immortal mermaid, cursed forever to lure able sailors to their doom. The zoology student subsequently drowns.
51	* ''Film/GhostRiderSpiritOfVengeance'': The Devil hires some goons to watch Danny, but they prove no match for the Rider. When the leader dies, the Devil resurrects him and gives him [[MakeThemRot 'the power of decay']], turning him into Blackout.
52	* The Scorpion King in ''Film/TheMummyReturns'' makes a deal with Anubis for a new army after his first one is defeated (as opposed to, say, a deal with Set or Apep).
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Literature]]
56	* Valgaav from ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' was originally an Ancient Dragon named Valteria. He was mortally wounded in a civil war between dragons, in which the Golden Dragons slaughtered the Ancients. When he was dying, Gaav (a demon lord and archdevil) appeared and offered Valteria to be reborn as a half-demon and Gaav's apprentice. He took the offer and became the demon-dragon Valgaav.
57	* ''Every'' servant in ''Literature/TheZombieKnight'' starts out this way; they die, and then a Grim Reaper offers them [[TheAgeless eternal life]] and [[MagicAndPowers superpowers]] in exchange for becoming the reaper's servant. Most of them are non-villainous examples, unless the reaper is a member of [[ReligionOfEvil Abolish]].
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
61	* ''Series/ForeverKnight'': In a {{Flashback}} to when Nick was turned, he ends up in an AfterlifeAntechamber, and is given the option of dying or coming back as a vampire.
62	* {{Downplayed\|Trope}} in an episode of the series ''G vs E''. The Morlocks make Faustian deals with people who are on the verge of death, but there's no inherent upgrade, simply "your soul for continued life". Particularly effective since when mortals who make bargains do eventually die, they become Morlocks themselves. The only way to avoid that fate is to renounce the deal (in this case, killing the mortal).
63	* The second season finale of the Israeli sci-fi teen drama ''[=HaShminiya=]'' ends with the revelation that [[spoiler:Amos, the father of two of the main protagonists, did this with a cult leader who could help him treat his terminal cancer in exchange for his rejuvenation machine, and that cult leader later became that season's BigBad]].
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Mythology]]
67	* ''Literature/GestaDanorum'': Sigurd, son of Ragnar Lodbrog, is severely wounded in the first battle he fights in, and it looks like he is going to die. A strange, very tall man who calls himself Roftar appears and promises Sigurd that he will cure him, if Sigurd in turn agrees to "consecrate unto him (i.e. Roftar) the souls of all whom he (i.e. Sigurd) should overcome in battle". When Sigurd agrees, Roftar instantly heals his wound by a touch of his hand, and at the same time makes little snakes appear in Sigurd's eyes. Sigurd, now called Sigurd Snake-Eye, later becomes a great warrior-king. We are expected to understand that "Roftar" was Odin.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
71	* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': The Abyssal Exalted gain their powers through deathbed [[DealWithTheDevil deals with the deathlords]]. They live again and gain a host of death-themed powers in exchange for a promise to work towards the end of all things. And if they try to go back on that promise, their [[WalkingWasteland resonance]] will simply destroy things for them.
72	* ''TabletopGame/GeistTheSinEaters'': Sin-Eaters gain their powers in this fashion- when they are about to die, they strike a bargain with a geist, who saves their lives and gives them cool powers. The downside is that the sin-eater and the geist are stuck together for the rest of the sin-eater's life, which can be quite long indeed, since [[ResurrectiveImmortality a geist can keep bringing the sin-eater back from death]]... [[BalancingDeathsBooks for a price]].
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75	[[folder:Toys]]
76	* ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'': Vultraz is saved from death by Gorast in a deal that would make him a test subject to make him the first Shadow Matoran.
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78
79	[[folder:Video Games]]
80	* {{Subverted\|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1'': When Dante mortally wounds Griffon, he prays to his master, Mundus, for a final burst of strength so that he might finish Dante off before he dies. Mundus appears in the sky but declares that [[YouHaveFailedMe his servant has failed him and executes Griffon himself]].
81	* ''VideoGame/{{Elsword}}'': This is part of Raven's backstory. After he and his mercenary group had been betrayed by his country's troops and he's left for dead, someone offers him recuperation and empowering; and he agreed. Said someone turns out to be the Nasod King, who then gave him a special left arm (to replace his missing one) and made him his underling.
82	* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarI'', Kratos served in the Spartan army when he led his men against a barbarian invasion. Heavily outnumbered, the Spartans were all but [[CurbStompBattle massacred]] by the barbarians. When the Barbarian King was about to finish him off, Kratos called out to [[WarGod Ares]] and offered his life in exchange for the destruction of his enemies. In response, Ares obliterated the barbarian army and bound Kratos to the Blades of Chaos, which he promptly used to decapitate the Barbarian King. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor It all went downhill from there]].
83	* The Wise One does this to your Proxinian antagonists in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'', though in this case the heroes might be the ones to lose, since the game continues on either way. Regardless, if you defeat them at the Jupiter Lighthouse, they'll show up later in the Mars Lighthouse, having been [[OneWingedAngel turned into powerful Flame Dragons]] by the Wise One.
84	* In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', after you defeat your [[ArchEnemy Nemesis]] for the third time during the Nemesis Quest, they call out the name of a demon lord and unlock a OneWingedAngel form which they use for the fourth and final battle. [[spoiler:You can later use that name during a demon summoning ritual, to learn that your nemesis hated you so much they pledged their soul to the demon lord of revenge in order to defeat you.]]
85	* ''VideoGame/TheLastStory'': The Guraks give Jirall a cursed sword to help him consummate his revenge against Zael, but at the cost of destroying his sanity in the process.
86	* ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' sees Galactus make this offer to Thor, Amaterasu or Shuma-Gorath, should he defeat one of them.
87	* In ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'', [[TheStarscream Black Garius]] and his priests are killed about halfway through the second act but are resurrected as Shadow Reavers by the [[BigBad King of Shadows]] and serve as his EliteMooks for the rest of the game.
88	* In ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2008'', the Warrior is a TragicMonster who almost died fighting to protect his kingdom but, at that very moment, traded his soul to [[GodOfEvil Ahriman]] for power. He saved his people, but they rejected him, throwing him in despair.
89	* [[HeroicMime Nanashi]] dies shortly after the start of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' and makes a deal with the god Dagda to be restored to life in exchange for becoming his [[KillTheGod Godslayer]]. Nanashi comes back three levels stronger, with demon summoning powers, a Centaur to fight with, and ResurrectiveImmortality. Much later in the game, [[spoiler:PluckyGirl Asahi dies in a HeroicSacrifice. If the player chooses the Bonds route or chooses the Massacre route and decides to resurrect her, she comes back to life with greatly enhanced healing magic. Unlike Nanashi, she never gets a choice.]]
90	* ''VideoGame/{{Splatterhouse}}'' begins with a mortally wounded Rick being approached by the Terror Mask and offered a deal to be revived with immense power at the cost of becoming the Terror Mask's host -- which he desperately accepts. The same applies for its VideoGameRemake.
91	-->'''The Terror Mask''': What do I want? Ah, same with any God: a little faith. For without faith, I am nothing, and without me, you're fucked.
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Webcomics]]
95	* Caera from ''Webcomic/GenocideMan'' is hit with GM neurotoxin, and even though she manages to take the antidote in time, she's still left crippled. Then a non-rogue Genocide Man offers her a job.
96	-->'''Caera:''' This isn't survival. They say that after months of therapy, I might walk again. But I'll never be what I was. I'll never again be useful to my people.\
97	'''Kevin:''' What if I told you I could cut those months of rehabilitation... down into weeks? And at the end, you'll be faster, stronger, and harder to kill than ever before? \
98	'''Caera:''' I would say, draw my blood... fill a pen... and show me where to sign.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Western Animation]]
102	* In ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002'', we learn that Skeletor was originally a blue-skinned humanoid named Keldor, who when mortally wounded begged his master Hordak to save his life. Which Hordak did, at the cost of Keldor being mutated into Skeletor.
103	* In the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "Devil's Feud Cake", WesternAnimation/YosemiteSam goes to Hell, where Satan lets him return if he can get him a certain [[WesternAnimation/BugsBunny wascawwy wabbit]]. The premise was expanded upon in the compilation feature ''Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie''.
104	* ''WesternAnimation/Primal2019'': After losing a battle with Spear and Fang, [[spoiler:including losing his son, the chieftain is brought to a large horned creature deep underground, and given a chance for revenge, being turned into a huge fire creature]].
105	* Trigon from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' does this for Slade in the fourth season, giving him a number of demonic abilities while [[DemotedToDragon Demoting him to Dragon]].
106	[[/folder]]

Context Main / DyingDealUpgrade