1 | '''Basic Trope''': A story of how the villain [[FaceHeelTurn became evil]] in the first place. |
2 | * '''Straight''': Alex sees his girlfriend, Betty, get killed and becomes a murderer to avenge her death. |
3 | * '''Exaggerated''': |
4 | ** Alex is forced to kill Betty, the only person who cares about his existence, and as a result, goes on a rampage around the world. |
5 | ** By just killing Betty, Alex has already crossed the MoralEventHorizon. |
6 | * '''Downplayed''': Alex's girlfriend Betty dies of an incurable disease. This made Alex not a murderer, but an unpleasant and callous {{Jerkass}}. |
7 | * '''Justified''': |
8 | ** [[RousseauWasRight No one is born evil, after all]]. Something had to [[MoralEventHorizon change]] Alex into a villain. |
9 | ** Alternately, Alex, who originally had [[WellIntentionedExtremist good]] or [[PunchClockVillain neutral]] intentions, has been working for the BigBad for so long that he lost all of his original morals and descended into a state of apathy toward his work, allowing him to do things which he once would never have considered without a twinge of guilt or remorse. |
10 | ** Alex is portrayed as experiencing SanitySlippage as a result of losing Betty, leading him to commit ever more depraved acts. |
11 | * '''Inverted''': |
12 | ** The story is about Alex, a CardCarryingVillain who spends his days [[PokeThePoodle poking poodles]] and [[KickTheDog kicking dogs]], and [[HeelFaceTurn discovers]] that he is GoodAllAlong. |
13 | ** Alice saves Alex, a CardCarryingVillain, who from then on steadily acts more morally [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe thanks to Alice's kindness]]. Eventually [[HeelFaceTurn becoming one of the good guys]]. |
14 | ** We see a FlashBack or the BackStory of Alex that's meant to show why he became TheHero in the first place and his ascent into goodness. |
15 | * '''Subverted''': |
16 | ** Alex is [[PerspectiveFlip telling the story himself]], and he [[UnreliableNarrator isn't exactly being honest]]. |
17 | ** Alex sees his girlfriend get killed and kills the murderer, witnessing how horrible it is to be evil and swears to [[ThouShaltNotKill never kill again]]. |
18 | ** Alex seems like he's going to be come the villain everyone knows -- but he's actually a DecoyProtagonist. The ''real'' villain is someone else altogether, he's just a guy with an uncanny resemblance. |
19 | * '''Double Subverted''': |
20 | ** However, he is in fact [[VillainsNeverLie telling the truth]]... [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality as he sees it, of course]]. |
21 | ** Because he [[KnightTemplar despises evil]] so much, Alex decides that [[StartXToStopX killing may be a viable way to prevent more killing]], backtracks on his personal oath and gets used to committing atrocities. |
22 | * '''Parodied''': |
23 | ** Alex, upon capturing TheHero, reveals [[ShaggyFrogStory a ridiculously nonsensical backstory]] [[TheUnreveal that doesn't really explain anything]] about Alex or [[FaceHeelTurn how he became evil]]. |
24 | ** It is revealed that Alex decided to become evil after learning [[FelonyMisdemeanor someone ate the last Tasty Snack in the fridge]]. |
25 | * '''Zig Zagged''': Alex tells TheHero that the reason that he became a psychopath is to avenge the death of Betty, [[LoveMakesYouEvil who he loved]]. However, TheHero later learns that Alex [[ILied lied]] about his FreudianExcuse. He recaptures Alex and is told a completely different story altogether. |
26 | * '''Averted''': |
27 | ** The reason why Alex is evil or amoral is never revealed. |
28 | ** Alex had a normal background. He became evil for simple reasons, like [[{{Greed}} wanting money]]. |
29 | ** Alex becomes evil [[FortheEvulz just for the sake of evil itself]]. |
30 | * '''Enforced''': "We really ought to explain why Alex does what he does. Otherwise he'll just look like just another CardCarryingVillain." |
31 | * '''Lampshaded''': "You don't know why I'm this way, do you? This looks like a good time for me to tell you my tragic and unhappy backstory." |
32 | * '''Invoked''': "All right, Alex, tell us what made you the slime you are!" |
33 | * '''Exploited''': AmoralAttorney Dewey uses Alex's backstory to create sympathy in the jury at the murder trial. |
34 | * '''Defied''': Alex outright refuses to explain his StartOfDarkness, with the rationalization that it doesn't change the fact that he's a villain now. |
35 | * '''Discussed''': "Why is Alex evil, anyway? [[FreudianExcuse Childhood trauma]]? [[LoveMakesYouEvil The tragic death of a loved one]]? ParentalAbandonment? [[RaisedByOrcs His upbringing]]? [[ForTheEvulz Just because he could]]?" |
36 | * '''Conversed''': "What made Alex so utterly heartless?" "[[FreudianExcuse Bad parenting]]." |
37 | * '''Deconstructed''': Alex's reasons for becoming evil, although true, are not the reason he became evil - he was a JerkAss long before Betty was killed. |
38 | * '''Reconstructed''': However, Betty was Alex's MoralityChain and, with her dead, Alex has crossed the MoralEventHorizon. |
39 | ---- |
40 | Return to StartOfDarkness... And be sure to watch the path... |
41 | ---- |
42 | %% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion: |
43 | %% |
44 | %%* '''Implied''': ??? |
45 | %%* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': ??? |
46 | %%* '''Played For Laughs''': ??? |
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