Warning: As this is often a Death Trope, expect spoilers.
Those who remain Defiant to the End in Comic Books.
- Pictured on the main page: Blue Beetle. Ted Kord's last words? "Rot in hell, Max." He's referring to Maxwell Lord, the man who shot him, and who'd just given him the offer of Join or Die.
- In the Frank Miller comic The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Batman is captured by Lex Luthor and then proceeds to issue several insults to Luthor even though he's helpless. This is part of Batman's plan.
- In DC Universe: Rebirth #1, Pandora, the face of The New 52, spends her last moments screaming defiantly at Dr. Manhattan, proclaiming that the heroes of the universe will find the hope and strength to overcome and be the heroes they once were and that he was nothing more than a cruel and lonely monster before being blasted.
- Disney Ducks Comic Universe:
- One of the contests between Scrooge McDuck and archrival Flintheart Glomgold ended with Flintheart losing the bet between them. But the bet was that if Flintheart lost he would have to eat Scrooge's hat, and at that point, Scrooge's hat had been shrunk to toy size — "one small mouthful" as Flintheart smirks.
- Flintheart wasn't so lucky when they made a similar wager in DuckTales (1987). He had to eat his own hat, and it was full size. Scrooge told him, "Do you want it with or without mustard?" before he complied.
- In Empowered when Ninjette is captured and about to have her arms and legs cut off: "Fuck You." Emp and Thugboy pull off a Big Damn Heroes moment at the last second.
- The Final Crisis tie-in one-shot Requiem reveals the Martian Manhunter didn't go to his Comic Book Death when he was stabbed in the back by Libra's flaming spear but reveals that J'onn put up a fight in his escape attempt. Even after it failed, when he knew he'd die, he told Libra, "Your kind will fail. Your kind will always fail."
- In Gotham City Garage, James Gordon has been apprehended by Lex Luthor's enforcers and it's clear he's going to be killed off right after being interrogated in relation to his daughters:The Bat: How did you do it?
James Gordon: Ask your boss. He's the one who put source code in everyone's brains.
The Bat: You're saying you created her memories.
James Gordon: I'm saying go to Hell, Bruce. That's what I'm saying. - The Infinity Gauntlet: Thanos has just massacred almost all of the remaining heroes of Earth. The only one left standing is Captain America. It's clear that he doesn't stand a chance and Thanos will kill him in seconds. What's the last thing Steve lets out before the inevitable happens?As long as one man stands against you, Thanos, you'll never be able to claim victory.
- In Injustice: Gods Among Us, at one point it looks like Superman (who has gone insane and become evil in this alternate universe) is going to capture Batman. He fractures his spine similar to Bane and is vehemently questioning Batman as he lies on the floor while Superman applies pressure in an effort to get him to talk. Even while in great pain and seemingly on the cusp of defeat, Batman still refuses to tell Superman anything. Granted, he was likely just Holding the Floor to give the bat-computer enough time to finish scanning something that would turn the tide against Superman, but he had no way of knowing for certain (or at all) that someone would come to rescue him as soon as it was finished. Considering Batman is well known for being The Determinator, this is hardly surprising.
- Justice League of America: Batman's last words to Darkseid in a Bad Future where anti-life has won and he rules the world:"You always say you're surrounded by these 'worthless maggots'. Well, that's because you won, and did exactly what you said you'd do. You've recreated the whole world in your image; and what we see in it is your own ugly fa--."
- From Knightfall:Bane: (about to break the Bat) Beg for mercy! SCREAM MY NAME!!!
Batman: G-go... to hell... - In Marvel Zombies, Magneto goes down yelling and telling the zombies to choke on him.
- An astonishing case of Defiant Past The End, in the Saint of Killers miniseries companion to Preacher. The titular Saint is so full of hatred that when his soul arrives in Hell, Hell freezes solid. Satan himself is unable to drive the hate from him, and only the Angel of Death agreeing to give the Saint his power in exchange for the Saint leaving Hell allows things to thaw. Bonus points for the fact that the Saint immediately proceeds to kill Satan, almost as an afterthought, before leaving for Earth.
- Two examples in Red Sonja:
- Plaitius the stargazer's observations led him to a Copernican model of the solar system in defiance of religious teachings. Imprisoned and tortured, he refused to recant his theories even to save his own life.
- Later Sonja meets Death in her fever dream, who offers her a job as an immortal enforcer in thanks for all the people Sonja has killed. Sonja rejects the offer and defies Death's control over her, mostly just because she can.
- Rorschach's closing lines are a speech by Pontius Pirate in a movie the protagonist is watching:Pontius Pirate: Avast, mateys, it appears there may be a tad more of you than there are of me. A hundred to one is it, or do ye have more? Is it a thousand flying swords against my single blade? Hahaha, with those odds, if I fight, I cannot win - you will kill me! By all the wisdom of men and god, I should surely surrender and let you walk me off the plank and take me risks with the sharks! But (...) I never learned to care for the wisdom of gods and men! Have at ye then! Have at ye, bastards! Come and fight! If I die today, I die a pirate!
- In Secret Invasion, John the Skrull's comrades acknowledge that this was the only proper way for him to go.Captain Britain: Oh, no, John. How?
Pete Wisdom: Mocking them.
Captain Britain: Good. - In Frank Miller's Sin City when Marv is being executed via the Chair. After surviving the first jolt, he defiantly says to his executioners, "Is that the best you can do, you pansies?" The switch is thrown again and he is soon pronounced dead.
- And this was after interrupting the priest reading him his last rites with "Could you get a move on? I don't have all day!"
- In a Star Wars Legends short comic, Jobin Mothma, son of the famous Rebel Alliance leader Mon Mothma, is stationed on Hoth when the Imperials hit them. After doing his duty to the best of his ability, he falls back to the hangars with his few surviving men, only to run straight into Vader as the Falcon blasts away. While running to another hangar, Jobin is shot in the back. He orders his men to take off without him and proceeds to fire his blaster empty at Vader.Vader: Tell me where the rendezvous is, and I may perhaps be merciful.
Jobin: Save your mercy for someone else. *spits blood in his face* - Superman:
- In one instance, Lex Luthor is kidnapped by The Joker and tortured for the location of some of the Joker's meaner gadgets. Luthor's response? Tease the Joker about his obsession with Bats.
- The Black Ring: After he's badly mangled in the previous issue, Lex spends Action Comics #894 with Death of the Endless (DC's cheery, sweet Grim Reaper). As he tries several ploys to get her to revive him, she gently reminds him that death just isn't negotiable. With his options exhausted, he tells her to fuck off because one way or another, he will "find a way to beat [death]".
- In Red Daughter of Krypton, parasitic abomination Worldkiller-1 is going to absorb and take over Supergirl's body. Kara's words as he moves to do so?Supergirl: I hopes it chokes on my poisoned—
- In Many Happy Returns, Xenon is about to slay the latest Supergirl he has captured. Before being burned to ashes, the girl glares at him and tells him where he can go:Supergirl: You...
Xenon: Ah. It desires to be defiant.
Supergirl: You... can just go... straight to Hell.
Xenon: Oh, as if I haven't heard that before. - In Infinite Crisis, Superboy-Prime is about to kill Superboy (Conner Kent).Superboy-Prime: Your world is finished. I'll be the r-r-real Superboy again. I will! M-M-ME!
Superboy: Screw you, "Superboy".
- The Transformers (Marvel): In the UK version, the entire universe decides that the time-travelling Galvatron and his minions need to go back to where they came from and creates a vortex. Galvatron ends up just yelling at the vortex, trying to defy it even as he's ripped to shreds.
- Thunderbolts: When Zemo has managed to take control of a good chunk of the world, the Avengers and Fantastic Four included, he has Jolt at gunpoint and prepares to execute her, taking the time to note he'd hated her from the moment she joined up. Talie shoots back that he's a loser.
- Ultimate Marvel:
- Ultimatum: Wolverine is reduced to just a skeleton and some pieces of meat by Magneto, and yet he still manages to land a hit on Magneto before dying.
- The Ultimates:
- After the Liberators are defeated, Hawkeye finds Black Widow, who managed to sneak away while everyone else was busy and get to a hospital. Rather than ask for mercy, she goads him about the loss of his family, who she killed.
- The Wasp may be trapped and with nowhere to run when the Chitauri take over SHIELD, but she refuses to yield to Kleiser without a fight.
- After receiving a Curb-Stomp Battle from Lady Shiva, as she was paralyzed and Shiva was going for a killing blow to her throat, Cassandra Cain attempted to spit in her face. This act of defiance is implied to be why Shiva only knocks her out instead of killing her.
- In Usagi Yojimbo, Usagi had a situation where he was fighting a villain who had stolen his swords, a despicable insult to a samurai, and found himself disarmed and wounded against the villain. The villain suggests he may be merciful if Usagi got on his knees and begged. To that, Usagi stood upright in perfect defiant dignity saying, "Whatever fate I have, I will face it on my feet." Fortunately, he soon got the advantage to win the day.
- In V for Vendetta, Evey is imprisoned and tortured but is also inspired by Valerie's story and her lesson about the value of personal integrity, to choose to die behind the chemical sheds than bow to tyranny. At that stand on principle, Evey learns she is truly free as she discovers that the whole experience was V's effort to give her that kind of indomitable strength of character to continue his fight.
- X-Factor (2006): Issue #211 has Jamie, Guido, Theresa, Darwin, Longshot, and Shatterstar staring down an army of undead Vikings and refusing to back down. Fortunately for them, Thor comes to their rescue.
