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11[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/VixenNYC https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vixen_lockup.png]]]]
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13->'''Mercenary:''' Give us the file.\
14'''Claire Mahoney:''' If I do, will you let me go?\
15'''Mercenary:''' If I said yes, would you believe me?
16-->-- ''Series/PersonOfInterest'', "Nautilus"
17
18Standard response to a bad guy going back on a promise that he had no intention of keeping.
19
20The use of this phrase comes in three tasty flavors:
21
22# Sometimes uttered by TheMole or a member of LesCollaborateurs upon discovering the BigBad's true, diabolical intentions for the captured heroes, DoomedHometown, {{Innocent Bystander}}s, or other recipients of impending [[KickTheDog canine soccer]] or [[MoralEventHorizon even worse]]. Usually, the speaker cut a deal with the villain to get the intended victims off easy, or simply hadn't seen the full extent of the EvilPlan. This is also likely to come from TheMole who has found himself [[BecomingTheMask sympathizing with the protagonists he's betraying]]. This is a clue that the TurnCoat might not be all bad, even though they've just sold the good guys out, or that they just discovered how EvilerThanThou their new boss really is. It's often {{Foreshadowing}} a HeelFaceTurn on the part of the traitor, though they are likely to receive RedemptionEqualsDeath as reward for their last-minute repentance.
23# Also frequently spoken by a captive good guy who has been convinced by the villain, in a HostageForMacGuffin scenario, to give him the [[Film/ANewHope location of the Rebel base]], SecretIdentity or AchillesHeel of the hero, or other plot-driving information in exchange for the safety or freedom of something or [[IHaveYourWife someone the captive cares deeply about]]. More rarely, spoken as "You said you'd let me go!" by a DirtyCoward ally of the heroes captured by the villain and tricked into squealing on them with a promise of mercy.
24# More rarely still, the "You said you'd let ''me'' go!" variation is spoken when a {{Mook}} or other underling is captured and threatened by a particularly [[DarkerAndEdgier unscrupulous or vengeful]] AntiHero and squeals on the bad guys in exchange for his life. This line is ''never'' uttered if the hero is actually intending to show mercy and let the badnik go. Simply hearing it said indicates the captive is about to discover just how ruthless their captor really is.
25
26In all of the above cases, the villain's response is ''always'' the same: '''"ILied."'''
27
28[[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter Somehow,]] the speaker is always surprised by this.
29
30Variants include "You said you were just going to scare him!" and "You said you'd only hurt them a little!", among others. Another variant is "You promised me mercy" / "And you shall have it" (shoots victim in head). By the standards of those who practice this variant, that '''is''' mercy.
31
32If the villain had no reason to not keep his promise (Say, releasing the girlfriend of a hero who only got into this to save her, and who has no interest in stopping his evil plan), then he may be carrying a VillainBall.
33
34When the villain follows through with the {{Exact Word|s}}ing of this agreement, it's either UnhandThemVillain or FalseReassurance. This is one case when the bad guy is exempt from VillainsNeverLie - revelations may be true. Promises may not. Compare/Contrast: IWillPunishYourFriendForYourFailure. May occasionally trigger heroic/villainous RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
35----
36!!Examples:
37[[index]]
38* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo/AnimeAndManga
39* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo/ComicBooks
40* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo/FanWorks
41* [[YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo/LiveActionFilms Films - Live-Action]]
42* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo/{{Literature}}
43* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo/LiveActionTV
44* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo/VideoGames
45* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo/VisualNovels
46* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo/WesternAnimation
47[[/index]]
48
49[[foldercontrol]]
50
51[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
52* A variation happens in ''WesternAnimation/{{Antz}}'' when General Mandible is interrogating Weaver for Z and Bala’s location. He reassures Weaver that he won’t hurt Z since "he’s not important". When Weaver still refuses to say anything, Mandible has his men torture Azteca, which finally makes Weaver relent. Mandible then orders Colonel Cutter to bring Bala back safely.
53-->'''Mandible:''' And as for Z... ''kill him''.\
54''(Weaver and Azteca gasp in horror)''\
55'''Weaver:''' But you said he didn't matter!\
56'''Mandible:''' It's for the good of the colony. You made the right decision.
57* In ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1'', after [[spoiler:Vector kidnapped the girls and holds them hostage in exchange for the moon]], Gru complies, but [[spoiler:Vector]] decided not to uphold his side of the bargain.
58* At the climax of ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeContinentalDrift'', Manny & the gang return to the continent, only to find Captain Gutt and his crew had beaten them there, having tied Ellie to a pillar, and Gutt holding a dagger near Peaches' neck. When Manny calls out to Gutt that he'd willingly turn himself in if Peaches was spared, Gutt dismisses this, but regardless allows Manny to board the next ship. When Manny goes aboard to exchange himself for Peaches' life, Gutt goes back on his word, stating that the mammoth took everything he had from him, and the evil captain intended to do the same.
59-->'''Manny''': Alright, let them go!\
60'''Gutt''': ''([[EvilLaugh chuckles darkly]])'' I don't think so. You destroyed ''everything I had''! I'm just ''returning the favor''.\
61'''Manny''': [[BigNO NO!]] ''(tries to charge at Gutt, but the crew rapidly lassoes him)''\
62'''Gutt''': I warned you...
63** [[spoiler:Louis, Peaches' best friend]] then steps up to the ape just as all seems lost.
64* ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'': when [[ExactWords Hook promises Tinker Bell that he wouldn't lay a hand or a hook on Peter...so he attempts to use a time bomb instead]].
65** This is repeated in the sequel ''WesternAnimation/ReturnToNeverLand'': Captain Hook states that he won't hurt a single hair on Peter Pan's head. When he captures Peter Pan he [[ExactWords pulls out the one hair he won't hurt and gives it to Jane]].
66-->'''Hook''': Here you keep it. The rest of him is MINE!
67* ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'': Jack is confronted by Pitch during his HeroicBSOD in the arctic, with the villain holds Baby Tooth hostage in exchange for Jack's staff. When Jack hands it over, he then demands Pitch let Baby Tooth go. Pitch's response? "No."
68[[/folder]]
69
70[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
71* In Fall Brawl 1997, after Wrestling/CurtHennig betrayed Wrestling/TheFourHorsemen and revealed himself to be TheMole for the Wrestling/NewWorldOrder, the rest of the nWo members handcuffed Wrestling/ChrisBenoit and Steve [=McMichael=] and proceeded to give Wrestling/RicFlair a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown until the other horsemen surrendered. When they dragged Flair to the cage door, Wrestling/KevinNash threatened that if they don’t surrender, Flair will have the cage door slammed on his head. [=McMichael=]'s response was, "You got to stop this, [[PrecisionFStrike god damn it!]]" After the nWo won, Curt Hennig slammed the door on Ric Flair’s head anyway.
72* On the last Wrestling/{{RAW}} of 2014, during the [[Wrestling/EdgeWrestler Cutting Edge]] [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} Peep Show]], Wrestling/SethRollins and Wrestling/BigShow threatened to paralyze Edge, who had retired three years prior due to neck issues, until Wrestling/JohnCena brought back Wrestling/TheAuthority. Realizing that he was in a no-win situation, Cena brought back the Authority. Seth’s response, "But damn you gotta know me better than that, I'm gonna kill him anyways." Cena successfully saved Edge, but got beat down by J&J Security, Big Show, and Seth Rollins.
73[[/folder]]
74
75[[folder:Radio]]
76* Inverted in the ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' audio play ''The Sirens of Time'': The Sixth Doctor threatens to release the Temperon if the Knights of Valeysha don't back off and release his fifth incarnation. They comply, at which point he releases him anyway.
77[[/folder]]
78
79[[folder:Theatre]]
80* In ''Theatre/AnneOfTheThousandDays'', Smeaton says at the trial that Cromwell promised him that he would be allowed to live if he confessed to carnal relations with the queen. Henry tells Smeaton that it was a lie and he's to die regardless of what he says.
81[[/folder]]
82
83[[folder:Webcomics]]
84* ''Webcomic/VixenNYC'': Mari's EvilUncle Mustapha Maksai kidnaps her parents with her magical totem as ransom. She brings him the Tantu Totem, only for him to order his henchmen to lock her up. Dismayed, she says that Maksai had promised to release them. [[spoiler:It's a ruse, as Mari had hoped to wind up with her parents so she could bust them out.]]
85[[/folder]]
86
87[[folder:Web Original]]
88* Mecha Sonic implies after defeating Yoshi in ''WebAnimation/SuperMarioBrosZ'' Episode 3 that he would have pulled the trope on Yoshi anyways had he simply given him the Chaos Emerald.
89* Variant 3 occurs in ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' when Nyx of the Slaughterhouse Nine, a violent serial killer and murderer with illusion powers, is caught by the [[KidHero Wards]] and [[NobleDemon Undersiders.]] Clockblocker, the Wards team leader, gives her his word as a hero that she'll live if she tells them where Jack Slash, the leader of the Nine, is, but after she does so both he and Grue agree that she can't be allowed to live, and Crucible incinerates her.
90[[/folder]]
91
92[[folder:Real Life]]
93* Richard Phillips, the captain who was held hostage on his cargo ship by Somali pirates in 2009. Using a series of mind games and ObfuscatingStupidity, he secretly communicated with his crew that allowed them to capture one of the pirates. This led to a trade: the captain for the captured pirate. The pirate was released first, but the captain wasn't. After his rescue by the Navy SEALS, Phillips said that he had learned never to make deals with pirates.
94* The Lindberg kidnapping case is an odd case of this trope. Some say [[ILied the kidnapper lied and killed the toddler anyway]]. Others say the Lindbergh baby was killed during the kidnapping by accident (falling from the arms of the man who had held him on the ladder going down from the window) and the kidnapper claimed that he was alive to collect the ransom.
95* This trope is part of why countries have a rule about never negotiating with terrorists: how do they know said terrorists won't just set off the bomb (or whatever they were going to do) anyway?
96[[/folder]]
97

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