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"Get Out of Jail Free" Card
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Heel face turners and Anti Heroes are often fascinating characters. They can add a level of grey, be someone who understands villain motivations, or provide a good source of angst. In a series with Cardboard Prison tendencies, it's a lot more of an effective way of ending a threat.
However, the writers eventually have to explain, at least on a Hand Wave level, why this person isn't in jail or otherwise punished. The Morality Pet is a type of "Get Out of Jail Free" Card, as heroes wouldn't want to punish them as well. Sometimes it's explained that their service is a mandatory replacement to incarceration. Other times, they're revealed to be one of The Chosen Ones.
The underlying logic to this trope is probably twofold: one, a character in prison isn't a potential cast member, and two, if the only reward for turning away from the path of evil and towards good is to be sent to prison and punished, then why would anyone ever abandon evil if they're going to be punished either way? In other words, being allowed to remain free- tormented or not- is almost like a karmic reward for the new hero's redemption, a second chance. That doesn't mean they necessarily feel good about it.
A subtrope of Saved by the Awesome. Contrast Karma Houdini, where no such explanation is given.
This is the opposite of the "Go to Hell, Go Directly to Hell, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200" Card.
Examples:
Anime and Manga
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha has the Time Space Administration Bureau justifiably arrest Fate Testarossa for her actions during the "Jewel Seed incident." However, seeing as Fate was a minor, acted on the orders of an abusive and insane parent, never personally committed a major crime, and had expressed remorse and a sincere desire to repent, sympathetic officers were more than willing to represent her at her trial and were able to get off with only community service (i.e. working for the Administration). Which she was more than willing to do. One of these officers later adopted her. Her familiar Arf received similar treatment.
- In the Oddly Named Sequel, the Wolkenritter get much the same treatment, as they were not responsible for the actions they were forced to undertake as slaves to an Artifact of Doom. They did get a much stiffer and longer sentence than Fate, though, because of their lengthy, unpleasant history with the Bureau, and their sheer power. It helped that they were now beholden to a moral little girl who was eager to join the Bureau. Oddly, in the third series their master Hayate would be blamed for the trouble caused by the "Book of Darkness," despite having been unwittingly and indirectly involved at most. Then again, the one doing the blaming was an unsympathetic General Ripper, who may or may not have simply disliked the fact that a "criminal" like Hayate was running a Mobile Unit and nosing around in his (illegal) affairs.
- It also helped that actually revealing the facts of the Book of Darkness incident would have revealed corruption and maverick behavior at the highest levels of the TSAB, so the whole thing got brushed under the rug.
- This escalating pattern of crime and consequence continues with the end of the third season, though it is no less tempered with mercy and love than the other occasions. Many of the younger Numbers Cyborgs who recognize their crimes and agree to seek rehabilitation are sent to a special ocean facility rather than prison, with Sein, Otto and Deed joining the Saint Church and Cinque, Nove, Dieci and Wendi joining the TSAB and being adopted by the Nakajima family. Agito gets a similar deal as Signum's new Unison Device, and only went to the rehabilitation facility to be with Lutecia.
- Then again, the TSAB seems understaffed (see A's sound stage 2), so skilled mages are always welcome.
- ViVid shows us one instance of a character who apparently refused the card; Lutecia is confined to what is probably the most luxurious Penal Colony in fiction, a bright and beautiful vacation world with no limits on communications, visitors, or delivered items. The only apparent restriction to her activities is that she's not allowed to leave the planet. Then again, Lutecia's circumstances were very similar to Fate's in the first season, having committed almost all of her crimes in the name of saving her mother and being told by a trusted adult that it was okay to do what she was doing.
- Ken, the ex-Digimon Kaiser/Emperor, falls under several of these. First, he was one of the Chosen Children. Second, he had a Morality Pet, Wormmon. Third, he was affected by a Dark Seed. Last, and most importantly, he became The Atoner afterwards, seeking absolution from the main characters and the world itself before he could become part of the True Companions. It does take a while for the rest to forgive him, though; particularly Iori, who distrusts him, and is wary of his ability to change for a long time... and takes much fandom hate for that.
- And also the fact that he never realized (at least in the dub) that the beings in the Digital World were real sapient creatures instead of just computer programs, he didn't know that he had actually been inflicting true harm instead of just playing a game.
- Who wouldn't be convicted of mass theft at the very least if their video game crimes were suddenly revealed to be real.
- In Spiral, Ayumu gains control of the tape with Rio confessing to murder, but Eyes threatens to tell the police about their criminal connections to his brother, Kiyotaka, if Ayumu tries to turn them in. Ayumu refuses, saying he'd prefer if it the entire world was after his brother so that he might actually, y'know, FIND him. Then Eyes points out that he might not mind, but isn't there someone else who would be deeply hurt by such a fiasco...? Not wanting to cause his sister-in-law any more pain, Ayumu reluctantly agrees.
- In the anime Trinity Blood, Leon Garcia (a convicted murderer) is let out of prison on a quite superficial Hand Wave, whereupon he joins the hero team.
- Justified by the Rule Of Cool and the Rule of Sexy?
- In the Manga and Novels, it's elaborated on, in that his sentance is ridiculously high, and he IS still in prison...but they let him out to carry out missions for him, and if he succeeds (read as live, the missions are pretty dangerous), his sentance is reduced. When he's not doing stuff for them, he sits around in prison doing very little.
- In Mahou Sensei Negima!, Kotaro has what amounts to a get out of jail free card after his second appearance. He helps Negi save the girls from Wilhelm, is granted his freedom, and proceeds to transfer to Mahora. Ironically, he had escaped from jail before he did this, so it was more of a Stay Out Of Jail Free Card.
- In the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, it is specifically stated when Scar has his Heel Face Turn that he will not get one of these; they make him swear that he will turn himself in and face judgment after everything is over. He agrees, swearing on the only thing they know is truly important to him. It ends up being played straight as he is declared legally dead during the climax and returns to rebuild Ishval.
- It's Roy Mustang in the first anime adaptation as his issues with Winry are never really resolved despite her forgiving him. He never forgives himself.
- The Chrono Crusade manga has Chrono, who—after flying into an Unstoppable Rage and charges after the Big Bad, tossing cable cars with people still inside at him, setting part of San Fransisco ablaze and actually killing some people in the process, is held captive by the Order for some time and actually ordered to be executed. He just barely manages to escape punishment because (1) he needs to help Rosette find her long-lost brother, (2) he's obviously repentant and (3) he's able to prove to Father Remington that he's learned to control his temper. However, Father Remington goes against orders to help him escape, and official records state that he was actually executed.
- Masao Kirishima, resident violent sociopath of Mars, can't be locked up for attempted murder in the end because he's still legally a minor and because he doesn't seem to have any memory of his victim.
- In the end of the second season of Ghost in the Shell:Stand Alone Complex Gouda thinks that he has one. Unfortunately, Aramaki does not accept it. And has the Major shoot him with a volley of exploding bullets from an assault rifle in the middle of a hallway.
- In Code Geass, Cornelia allows Villetta Nu to join the Black Knights since there are more important things to do than deal with her. It's never justified from the Black Knights' perspective, and seemingly the only reason she gets in is because she's hanging on Ohgi's arm.
- Lampshaded in Soul Eater with Crona. Sid suggested he/she shouldn't be exempted from the usual punishments for crimes just because his mother told him to do it. Lord Death's reply it pretty much "Yeah, I don't know, let's just put it off and let the kid join the academy in the meantime."
- The members of the Juppongatana who were captured during the Kyoto arc of Rurouni Kenshin were offered these in exchange for using their skills for the Meiji government. Most of them end up taking it.
Comic Books
- Subverted in Thunderbolts, about villains becoming heroes. MACH-1, previously the Beetle, learns that for the Thunderbolts to be allowed to continue functioning, he must go to jail for a murder he committed. He does so willingly, and even sabotages a break-out attempt that would have included him. He's eventually given expedited parole for helping save the world multiple times.
- Averted in the first run of Marvel Comics New Warriors. After Vance Astrovik, AKA Marvel Boy, is convicted of negligent homicide, he refuses to go along when his teammates try to break him out.
- Gloriously used and subverted at the end of the Buck Godot Gallimaufry Cycle. Buck returns home and meets with someone to negotiate his 'tax duty', a type of community service (and, to make sure people are prompt, the longer you wait to check in, the exponentially worse the duty gets... and Buck's been gone a while.) Buck offers up a 'note', which turns out to be a message from the Prime Mover, the most powerful being in the galaxy. The note explains what Buck had been up to all this time - from finding a religious artifact to preventing multiple intergalactic jihads to stopping a civil war in the seat of galactic government to saving humanity itself from extinction, and would he please let Buck off the hook, thank you very much. Too bad it doesn't work.
- In All Fall Down, Siphon gets one of these in the form of a Presidential Pardon.
Newspaper Comics
- Subverted in the comic strip Broom-Hilda, when Broom-Hilda was put on trial for her latest crime spree and found guilty. The complete idiot Irwin Troll, acting as Broom-Hilda's lawyer, tries to get her off by handing the judge a Get Out of Jail Free card. The trope is subverted when Irwin's ploy fails. Actually, the subversion is subverted, because this is just a dumb comic strip where no action has any real consequences ... so, in the next day's strip, Broom-Hilda is out of jail anyway.
Film
- The end of Serenity has The Operative taking Simon and River Tam off of the wanted list after fixing the Serenity, and letting the entire crew go after they had just committed everything from vandalism to treason, not to mention the fact that River was tortured and driven insane by the Alliance, who The Operative worked for, to be turned into a psychotic psychic assassin, which her brother had freed her from (getting them on the wanted list). So, less "GOFJF Card" and more Get Out Of Being Hunted card (as even The Operative couldn't kill River if she wanted him dead).
- In the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, there is never any suggestion that the "undead pirates" who have joined the heroes should be held accountable for any past crimes. This is despite the fact that the first movie suggested that Barbossa and his crew had made a habit of butchering and razing entire towns in order to find the Aztec coins to break their curse. Of course, the heroes who took them in aren't exactly law-abiding citizens either.
- The suggestion was also almost immediately subverted in the sentence after it was made. While they'd obviously been doing some raiding and pillaging... well, they're pirates. These things fall under "being defined as a pirate". Not doing so would put them in a different category altogether.
- Also, let's not forget the the "heroes" don't have time, couldn't care less, see the bigger picture, — as more important stuff is going on at any given moment — and, if they always inforced the law in these movies, everyone would've been put to death but Cutler Beckett.
- And did we mention "pirate"? Bar Will and Elizabeth, there's no one on the good-guy-side who would care.
- Though it is rather odd the way that Will immediately forgives Barbossa for killing his father.
- At the end of Shooter, Swagger is acquitted of the crime he was framed for, the assassination of an African archbishop, by proving that the murder weapon could not have been used, thus he could not have fired it. This seems perfectly logical, but no one, not even the incognito Big Bad who was sitting right next to the war council, seems to address the fact that Swagger killed probably hundreds of men and caused untold amounts of property damage between the beginning of the film and now in his quest for vengeance.
- Well, not hundreds. The ones he did kill were the ones torturing an FBI agent, mercenaries protecting a war criminal and assassin, and the ones on the glacier who were there to kill him. The ones at the end of the film qualify, but one gets the impression the government was quite willing to look the other way as he cleaned up some of their own garbage.
- They were authority figures who supported illegal and highly murderous ends in a supposed attempt to make a better world, so it is nicely ironic that they become fair game themselves. That's why Swagger says what he says before shooting the congressmen. If the lawmen himself becomes the vigilante...
- In the Star Trek film series, the crew commit numerous crimes to help resurrect Spock such as forcibly stealing the decommissioned USS Enterprise, sabotaging the USS Excelsior, later destroying the Enterprise. To that, the whole idea of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is to create a opportunity so spectacular for the crew to save Earth that they could get off easy for the above charges. As it is, the only punishment is a token one of Admiral Kirk to being demoted to Captain for insubordination, even while the authorities know full well that he preferred that lower rank.
- Clear and Present Danger: When Jack Ryan learns about Operation Reciprocity, an illegal war being fought in Columbia, he confronts Ritter with incriminating evidence. Ritter produces an "autographed get out of jail free card" in the form of written authorization from the President of the United States.
- The book makes it much more plausible (and Ritter less of an evil bastard): he's covered from prosecution because his operation was deemed necessary by the President to eliminate a "clear and present danger to national security" (hence the book's title). However, he discovers that covering his ass in this way has also locked him into a predetermined course of action; if he reveals the operation in an attempt to save the soldiers that have been abandoned, then he's guilty of treason at worst, subverting national security at best. He realizes the trap after the fact and is not happy about it.
- And unlike the movie, in the book when Ritter finds out what Ryan is doing, he backs his play to the best of his ability.
- Also, in the book it is clearly stated that the document is for the CIA, not just for Ritter. Because Ritter was operating under a presidential directive to run operations EAGLE EYE, SHOWBOAT, and RECIPROCITY, the people tapped by Ritter to do the field work were also operating under that directive, and are also protected by that document.
- Lord of War Yuri is let out because he has one from the US Government
- Gothika. Halle Berry's character wakes up in a mental hospital, with memory gaps, accused of murdering her husband. When we later find out that her husband had over the years abducted, raped and killed several young women from the area, and she murdered him upon finding out, she is set free. Despite having y'know, actually murdered her husband.
- Stripes: Even though John Winger and Russell Ziskey stole the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle on their own accord, they get heralded as heroes coming home, since they demonstrated its effectiveness against the Soviets when they rescued their comrades who originally went after them.
Literature
- In Tom Clancy's novels, John Clark manages to get an actual "Get Out of Jail Free" Card when the president of the United States pardons him. It seems that being a multiple murderer is ok, as long as your victims were drug dealers.
- It also helps when you have the National Security Advisor lobbying for you, on the grounds that you've spent 20+ years as America's top field agent under a false identity, doing things including helping save the world from nuclear war.
- The President can only pardon people for "Offenses against the United States"—FEDERAL CRIMES, something that does not apply to most murders in Maryland (or even the United States generally), which are violations of STATE LAW.
- The Get out of Jail Free card was just one part of Clark's escape. He also used a fake death and a professionally made, taxpayer-funded false identity. Those ARE valid in Maryland.
- The fake death and false ID work. The pardon would have NO legal effect for non-federal crimes.
- Dead or Alive takes this to an extreme where before leaving office, Jack Ryan Sr. signs 100 blank Presidential Pardons for use by "The Campus".
- In the Honor Harrington series, Kevin Usher, head of Haven's FBI-equivalent, asks for and receives a presidential pardon for any crimes one of his agents commits in running a "black" investigation of possible treason by the Secretary of State who manipulated diplomatic correspondence to engineer a crisis that would weaken the President as a rival but instead accidentally sent his country back to war against Manticore.
Live-Action TV
Tabletop Games
- The trope namer is Monopoly, which features two actual "Get Out Of Jail Free" cards. Oddly enough, this trope namer ends up subverting the trope - Monopoly jail is a Cardboard Prison that only requires you to roll doubles, pay $50, or use said card to get out. Furthermore, since people in jail can still collect rent and trade properties without fear of paying rent to others, staying in jail as long as possible is a good late-game strategy. In fact, players are required to leave jail after three turns whether they want to or not. (A common HouseRule is to disallow a player in jail collecting rent.)
Video Games
- Max Payne goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge in the first game of his series in which he guns down hundreds of assorted mafiosi and drug pushers. Not only does he not spend a single day in jail for any of this, but he's still on the NYPD payroll in the second game. It's implied that Alfred Woden and his "Inner Circle" pulled strings to keep Max a free man. Since Woden stands for Odin in the game's Norse mythology theme, it's no surprise that he's got the power to pull off such a feat. In the second game, Max is actually haunted by the fact that he escaped punishment.
- Subverted in '''The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. When the player character becomes Sheogorath, prince of madness, it is impossible for him to be imprisoned within the shivering isles; the guards will instead escort you outside the city limits and leave you to go off adventuring until you can pay the fine (or not). This sometimes leads to the less then amusing glitch of having a fine considered by the game to be too large to be payed off with no option to serve your sentence (that is, your crimes being so heinous the only option is immediate attempted execution by the arresting guard or jail.) making walking through most towns feel reminiscent of any given level from Splinter Cell.
- In the first Baldur's Gate, having Shar-Teel in your party guarantees you a "Get Out of Jail Free" Card from her father Angelo Dosan. You may be innocent.
- In the second Mass Effect game, one method you can use to "solve" a hostage situation is killing the hostage yourself in plain view of the local law enforcement. They don't react at all. Granted, you're a (possibly former) Spectre, basically a covert agent reporting directly to the highest level of government, but you're out of favor with them, and you'd expect security to at least react.
- As for the person who attempted to assassinate the hostage and took him hostage when that went south, you can convince the security leader to put him to work helping homeless kids on the Citadel rather than pressing charges which would almost certainly lead to jail time.
- In the Spyro the Dragon reboot trilogy, Cynder was the Big Bad that had inflicted massive amounts of pain and suffering on everyone and very nearly unleashed the Ultimate Evil. Once she turns good, she's not punished due to the justified reason she was Brainwashed and Crazy the entire time. However, its inverted because, while the dragons forgave her, most of the other types of creatures sharing the land don't and she even has a hard time forgiving herself.
- Red Dead Redemption has pardon letters, which are a Get Out Of Paying A Buttload Of Money Card.
- You can get one of these in Grand Theft Auto II by scrapping a police car, which lets you keep your weapons the next time you get busted.
- Fallout: New Vegas has this as a plot point. Before you hit the main plot of the game, you can gleefully set about killing members of both primary factions (Legion and NCR), which will naturally make them want to kill you. As soon as you reach the Strip and talk to Benny, both factions immediately pardon you of any crimes because you're an asset they want on their side.
Webcomics
- Averted in It's Walky!
 : at least two characters who could break out of any jail ever made with ease willingly submit to imprisonment for their anti-social actions.
- In Sinfest, Slick is gifted by Monique a "Get out of Hell free card" just before the Devil decides to take him. It actually gets him out of Hell, despite him having sold his soul to the prince of lies somewhere like 2,600 strips earlier.
- The Adventures of Dr. McNinja: Dr. McNinja made a deal with the state police because as a vigilante he has to do things prohibited by law. If he reaches his offices and declares "BASE!" he's immediately cleared of all charges.
- After Galatea make a brief but quite sincere attempt to conquer the planet Butane, Princess Voluptua pardons her (partly for helping to capture Riboflavin, and partly because Bob vouches for her) with the understanding that Bob will keep her out of further trouble.
- Referenced in this The Order of the Stick strip.
- When former-assassin Tanica in The Dragon Doctors is returned to human form from being stuck as a tree for years, she fully expects Inspector Blue to arrest her on the spot. Blue does show up almost immediately, but only queries Sarin about how Tanica once went after her with a knife; all other possible charges are dropped, as none of Tanica's previous assassination missions have any sustainable evidence or outside testimony linking her to them (the signature style of her cabal was to use invisibility suits and knives for maximum stealth).
Western Animation
- Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender: Several cards are considered after his Heel Face Turn when he applies for Sixth Ranger. Toph plays the Freudian Excuse Card ("Considering his messed-up family and how he was raised, he could have turned out a lot worse."), Zuko plays the Pet the Dog card ("I've done some good things. I could have stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free."), and Aang plays the Enemy Mine card from "The Blue Spirit". Katara, on the other hand, still doesn't trust him, because he has "struggled with doing the right thing in the past".
- A few weeks after the Heel Face Turn he takes the Fire Nation throne, so anyone outside the Gaang or the White Lotus that might have a grudge against him could do precious little about it.
- In a Family Guy episode, Brian held the mayor hostage after he outlaws gay marriage, and forced him to make it legal again. He succeeds, and he isn't even arrested. However the point of the episode was to show that gay marriages are right.
- Brian does get a nice big What the Hell, Hero?, though.
- Oddly enough, since he was dealing with Mayor West, he had to use a Get Out Of Jail Free...Key to a Volkswagen Scirocco.
- The alternative was letting Adam West get away with outlawing gay marriage in the first place just to distract the public from a budget scandal for which he was completely responsible. In fact, the reason West was so forgiving is precisely because Brian's actions provided a good distraction, rendering his initial one unnecessary.
- Averted hard in an episode of The Powerpuff Girls, in which Rainbow the Clown is accidentally bleached and becomes a mime who steals all the color and sound from the world. When the girls restore Townsville and convert him back to his happy self with a combination of The Power of Rock and Rule Of Cool, they still take him down violently and ship him to prison. The episode left a bad taste in the mouths of many fans.
- Averted in another episode where the Powerpuff Girls were arrested for crimes committed by crooks wearing Powerpuff Girls disguises. They break out of prison and beat up the criminals, then get congratulations from the Mayor - right before he says that they're going back to prison for breaking out of prison.
Announcer: "So, once again, the day is saved - thanks to The Powerpuff Girls! See you on visiting day, girls!"
- Wish Kid: Nick literally used that card to get out of jail. He used the card to reach a lock so he could open a door.
- Dumb and Dumber: Harry and Lloyd were about to be thrown at a volcano when Harry produced a "Get Out of Being Thrown At a Volcano Free" card. He was allowed to leave but Lloyd still needed rescuing.
Real Life
- This is an explicit power held by all Heads of State/Government. In the past, Kings and Emperors who held absolute powers (as opposed to the defanged constitutional monarchs of today) had as many "get out of jail free cards" as they wanted. Sort of Diplomatic Impunity in your own country, how's them apples?
- In America, it is common for outgoing presidents to issue a hurricane of pardons to protect their various friends from whatever nefarious deeds they committed during the president's term. Richard Nixon himself received a pardon from President Ford to protect him from prosecution for his nefarious deeds while in office. JFK also comitted some bad actions in his presidency, but wasn't punished for it because by the time these were exposed...he'd already been assasinated.
- Likewise I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was aided by President George W. Bush for what almost amounted to treason (outing an undercover CIA agent while she was still in service, although she wasn't in enemy territory at the time*
though, if you're one of her contacts who is in enemy territory... sucks to be you ). Officially, he was convicted of two counts of perjury, one count of making false statement, and one count of obstruction of justice in the Valerie Plame incident, and had his sentence commuted by the President. The other prime players in the incident were protected by various government agencies (particularly by the office of the Vice President and the Department of Justice) and never received indictments.
- Quite a few people think that many government officials from both the Clinton and the GW. Bush administrations got this card.
- Several staffers involved in the Iran-Contra affair got this treatment by George H.W. Bush upon his ascent to office, although they committed the crimes under Reagan. (Reagan was implicated and then cleared, so either he wasn't in the mood for pardoning the people who almost screwed him over or he didn't want to look suspicious for being lenient, depending on how much he actually knew about the proceedings, which is still unclear.)
- Charles Manson once no-showed at a parole hearing but sent the actual Monopoly game card to the parole board, instead. They didn't let him out of jail though. Of course since he is Charles Manson, he knows that the parole board will never ever let him out anyway so he amuses himself by acting like a jackass.
- If (in California at least) you are in jail and, included with your mail, you get a note saying something like 'game piece not permitted inside facility,' someone has tried to send you a Get Out Of Jail Free card.
- Apparently common in Ancient Greece. In the dialogue Crito, the title character points out that not only can he pay off the guard and let Socrates leave but that if he fails to do so people will consider him dishonorable for not rescuing his friend.
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