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Is there a worse job to have than being a messenger for a major villain? The hours are long, the pay is low, your boss thinks that the world revolves around him, and likes to abuse his men for fun, and remember that dental plan that made you join in the first place? Yeah, that got canceled last year.
And then there's the very worst part of being a Big Bad's messenger: bring him a message with bad news, any bad news, (even just something small like that his mother is running 10 minutes late for the party) and he'll flip out, fly into a rage, and kill you. Why? Because you're the closest thing to him when he gets the bad news, and you're expendable. Maybe it's time to see if the heroes need some extra help or sidekicks.
The origin of the trope leads back to ancient Greece at least. One possible theory (besides the king being affected with Pride) is that the messenger was a defeated or losing general's son, and that his death was punishment for failure. It's also such a common cliche that the Evil Overlord List took time to specifically mention it, as evidenced by the page quote. Its depressing regularity in the ancient world led to the first rule of international law: Diplomatic Immunity. In the end, everyone (even Genghis Khan, who destroyed multiple empires) thought it was just a little unfair to the messengers.
By the way, remember when we told the worst was bringing your master a bad news? We lied. The worst is bringing someone else a message from your master. Such as an ultimatum. The recipient is guaranteed to reply, in a non-ambiguous way, that he will have none of it; and by "non-ambiguous", we mean by sending your head back. Without the rest of your body. Also note that even the "good guys" might do this, especially Anti Heroes.
When villains do this, it is generally done as a subtrope of You Have Failed Me and Bearer of Bad News, and is a way to Kick the Dog. And if you're in a story featuring Black and Grey Morality, do whatever it takes to get out of delivering a message, since your life expectancy is slightly shorter than that of a guy standing on top of skyscraper in a thunderstorm saying " What's the worst that could happen?" It's also usually a subtrope of Aggressive Negotiations. Guys, the messengers are coming in peace.
When heroes do this, it's because the messenger was a bad guy anyway, so why not murder him when he isn't making any threats? Some shows make the messenger look particularly evil to avoid the negative aspects of this trope.
"I'm just the messenger" is a stock phrase used to remind people that this trope isn't really fair, and is fairly likely to work.
Not to be confused with Please Shoot the Messenger, where the recipient is actively instructed by the message to kill the person who delivered it. Compare Offing The Mouth, which would be something like "Shoot the Deadpan Snarker".
Examples:
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Anime and Manga
- In Dragon Ball Z, a henchman of Frieza's arrives to announce that the Ginyu Force has arrived. As soon as he's finished, Frieza promptly vaporizes him with eyebeams. The worst part for this poor messenger was that the arrival of the Ginyu Force was good news for Frieza, seeing as they were his men. His most elite warriors, at that.
- Dragon Ball Abridged put a twist on that same scene. The henchman comes in, reports on the arrival of the Ginyu Force, and Frieza seems content to let him be, but then the henchman also announces that due to the tendency of Frieza's men to be killed off by Frieza, the rest of his men have decided to form a union. Frieza says that decision is "Adorable" in a mildly amused voice, then promptly kills the henchman without even turning to face him.
- Asobi Ni Ikuyo does this in the first episode when Aoi shoots a messenger... or, rather, shoots in the general direction of a messenger. He purposely missed, just because he felt like scaring the crap out of the dude.
- In Hellsing, Alucard blasts Schrödinger when he comes as a messenger to a Hellsing conference (of course, Schrödinger survives that, thanks to his "quantum physics" abilities).
Comic Books
- In Astérix and the Goths, Metric tells his interpreter that if their Gaulish captive, Getafix, will not show them magic, the interpreter will be killed as well. When Getafix refuses, the interpreter lies, not realizing that Getafix speaks Gothic.
- In the Belgian series Papyrus, poor Papyrus learns this the hard way when the pharaoh sends him on a mission to announce a string of bad news to the king of Crete: his son died and the Cretan diplomatic envoy perished in a sea storm, along with a sacred bull given as an offering. Off to the arena.
- Subverted in The Sandman. Morpheus sends a messenger to Lucifer that he intends to travel To Hell and Back to free Nada's soul. Knowing that Lucifer will Shoot the Messenger, he sends the Biblical Cain as his envoy, since Cain is marked by God and not even the forces of Hell can kill him. Lucifer still manages to hurt and terrify Cain despite that.
- Donald Duck once took a job as a messenger and the first person he delivered a message to was so furious she started throwing stuff at him. It wasn't the matter of the news being good or bad. She just hated the sender and took it out on Donald.
- In issue 10 of the IDW Popeye series, Wimpy goes to tell Popeye that Olive Oyl and Toar may be having an affair, but before he can do so, Popeye, who was earlier blown off by Toar and Olive, says, "Lissen— I ain't got no pals an' I ain't got no sweetie! An' th' next swab what brings me bad news is goner get a punch in the kisser!" Wimpy wisely chooses not to say anything.
- In Black Moon Chronicles, Fratus Sinister and his corrupt cronies at the head of the order of the Knights of Justice shoot (with arrows) upwards of 20 imperial messengers one after the other. A variation in that they're shot before they even deliver the message, as Sinister want to keep plausible deniability as to why he didn't commit his forces to the absolutely massive battle taking place against the Big Bad's decoy forces (he wants to take over the Empire, see). This bites him in the ass later on, as the savvy emperor isn't fooled, and Fratus gets a humiliating demotion from the Empire's aristocratic pecking order.
Fan Fic
Film
Literature
- Happens so many times in Romance of the Three Kingdoms that it's eventually Lampshaded when Liu Bei writes a letter to Guan Yu to inform him of where he was, "but there was no one to take it." Then there's this exchange years and many chapters later...
"When two countries are at war, their emissaries are not slain," said Lu Su. "Messengers are slain to show one's dignity and independence," replied Zhou Yu. The unhappy bearer of the letter was decapitated, and his head sent back to Cao Cao by the hands of his escort.
- In a Wing Commander novel, Prince Thrakhath forced a messenger to commit ritual suicide. Semi-justifiable because the reason was not because of the bad news, but the way the messenger delivered it, running through the ship and looking distressed, which would cause rumors and morale problems. Once Fridge Logic kicks in though, you wonder why a messenger is needed on a space ship rather sending the message electronically, and realize the scene exists solely to show that Thrakhath is the type to Shoot the Messenger.
- Averted in the Island in the Sea of Time series by S. M. Stirling. Magnificent Bastard William Walker is approached by a nervous messenger who's clearly bringing news of disaster. Walker calmly explains to the messenger that he's not going to harm him, but when something bad happens he's got to know right away, or else it's like being blind.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Voldemort responds to the news that Potter has stolen a Horcrux from a supposedly impregnable vault by having a Villainous Breakdown and killing not only the messenger, but everyone in the room (though this was also to keep knowledge of the Horcrux secret).
- But in Order of the Phoenix, before Voldemort started to lose his cool, he responded to the news that his plan to steal a prophecy from the Ministry of Magic could not have worked by thanking the messenger and promising to keep him in confidence. The man who furnished him with flawed information, however...
- This is taken to the next level in the backstory of the first book of the Chalion series; a crazy enemy general tells the messengers that one of them will have to kill the other. Cazaril refuses to take part, denying the villain his fun, but the other messenger, Dondo, tries to go through with it. The general stops it, and releases them both, knowing that Dondo's frantic attempts to hide the truth of his cowardice will do more to Cazaril than he could.
- In Ravenloft novel Knight of the Black Rose, Strahd and a rival Dark Lord send servants that they are displeased with to carry messages to each other, knowing that the messengers will be tortured horribly and eventually executed by the other dark lord.
- In Manzoni's The Betrothed, the Podestà and Count Attilio have an argument about chivalry, Attilio thinks it's legal and moral to beat a messenger who carries bad news, especially if the message is the challenge to a duel.
- Close to the end of The Pilo Family Circus, the accountant makes the mistake of delivering a letter to Kurt Pilo during his Villainous Breakdown. Ironically, the note was actually good news, containing the names of all the members of the Freedom Movement, but Kurt wasn't in the mood to read it until after he'd ripped the accountant's head off.
- Towards the end of the WarCraft novel Rise Of The Horde, one of Thrall's human spies arrives to Orgrimmar to bring news of the arrival of the draenei. While pondering the (terrible) news, Thrall notices that the man is shaking in fear and realises he is afraid of getting killed. He orders his guards to get him food and water while musing about how unwise killing messengers is for it only causes people to hide the bad news until too late. Granted Thrall isn't a villain but most orcs are seen as such by humans.
- Magatha, on the other hand, plays this straight in The Shattering Prelude To Cataclysm, killing the orc who brought her a message from Garrosh saying that he won't support her because he found out that she poisoned his weapon during his duel with Cairne. She even seizes the letter rather than let him read the letter aloud after the first indication of Garrosh's refusal.
- The Wheel of Time:
- After getting news from a minion that her ex-lover had slept with someone else, Lanfear tears the messenger's skin off and goes on a magical rampage.
- Inverted when a messenger from Sammael hears Rand say no to an offer of truce. The messenger then starts oozing blood from every pore and dies. One person wonders how the bad guy will know what Rand's answer was, another says, "Very likely how he died will let him know."
- Chevette Washington, a bicycle messenger in William Gibson's Bridge Trilogy, mentions this trope frequently. She's never shot, but she clarifies that the basic idea- blaming a messenger for her message- is true.
- In The Sword Of Truth Prince Harold is killed for delivering the message that his sister the queen intended her country remain neutral. By the good guys, of course. And his half-sister thanked her allies for doing it, because they can't show mercy to their "enemies".
- In one of Stephen King's more down to earth short stories, a rival gang leader sends a messenger to insult another's gang leader by taunting his sister (who's obese) so they can draw him out. The messenger is obviously scared to the point of tears while saying 'yo mama' jokes right in the man's face, but luckily is not killed but the gang leader still got himself killed rushing recklessly into the open to kill the sender (which prompts his sister to go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge
- Subverting the trope further, said obese sister later gets revenge on the message sender himself by killing him slowly with a metal wire through the eye.
- In Patrick O Brian's Aubrey Maturin series, this is inverted in that messengers bearing good news will be "much caressed" by the Powers That Be back in England. (Given how the series works, that makes this Truth in Television.) Stephen Maturin then uses his powers of persuasion to see to it that Aubrey, though screwed of his victory by a spotlight-stealing admiral, still gets chosen as the messenger and thus gets a plum command.
- Wess Roberts, PhD. wrote a non-fiction business advice book, "Business Secrets of Attila the Hun", which included this nugget; "A wise chieftain does not kill the messenger who delivers bad news. He kills the messenger who fails to deliver bad news."
- Inverted in Solo Command. General Melvar has to bring Zsinj some very bad news: not only has a deathtrap failed to kill Wraith Squadron (or even any of its members), but they have managed to take one of his key personnel alive. Zsinj has an epic Villainous Breakdown where he destroys practically everything in his office but the person who brought him the bad news.
General Melvar: Will you be wanting your office restored, or do you wish to redecorate?
- Towards the end of Eldest, the second book in Inheritance Cycle, a messenger arrives from The Empire's troops and orders the members of the Varden to surrender or "suffer the doom of your herald," then presents the severed head of the Varden's messenger. Eragon asks Nasuada if he should kill him, but Nasuada replies that she will not violate the sanctity of envoys, even if the Empire has. Shortly after, Eragon's dragon Saphira lets loose a mighty roar and the Empire's messenger is knocked off his steed, then roasted in a burst of flame that erupts forth from the Burning Plains.
- The Phantom of the Opera: In the original book, the standard method of solving any problem by the Opera administrators, PointyHairedBosses Richard and Moncharmin is to fire those employees involved in it (including those that informed of the problem). Only those with enough influence can escape.
- Animorphs: Visser Three, all the goddamn time.
- Subverted in The Dresden Files novel Ghost Story by a Fomorian servitor named Listen. He expressly demonstrated awareness of this trope and gave zero fucks about either outcome. The mad necromancer to whom he was delivering the message let him live precisely because he genuinely didn't care whether he lived or died.
- In The Otherworld Series, Queen Lethesanar rips out the hearts of some messengers who report a prisoner's escape.
- In Sandy Mitchell's Ciaphas Cain novel The Greater Good, Cain is stopped on the battlefield by a tau soldier to carry a message. He's glad that he'll survive since they are unlike to shoot their messenger — now he just has to worry about whether the general to receive it will. (Not for bad news, this time; for treason.0
Live Action TV
Music
- In his song "Message Boy", Charlie Peacock contends that as a messenger it is his job to deliver both good news and bad news. A line from the song is "all I ask is remember, I am only the message boy."
Mythology
- Apollo turning the raven black because it brought him bad news in Greek mythology. Except on those websites which say it was Athena.
Newspaper Comics
- Parodied in an early Dilbert strip. Prior to giving his presentation, one of Dilbert's superiors assures him that they "don't shoot the messenger". Dilbert then proceeds to tell them the bad news that their idea is doomed to failure with Brutal Honesty, adding that they will probably be mocked for their stupidity and fired. One of them actually pulls out a machinegun begging to be allowed to wing Dilbert, but is reminded that they "don't shoot the messenger". Instead, they tar and feather him.
- Also referenced in a comic strip involving a "Scape Goat", literally. He is shot by the PHB, who clarifies he was aiming for the messenger. Dilbert suggests it was the Scape Goat's fault for standing there.
- Subverted in a regularly recycled Beetle Bailey gag: The officers receives a written order from the general, and it has one obvious spelling error that changes the meaning completely. Someone will point out what the general probably meant to say, but then someone else will always ask: "But who dares to tell the general that he did a mistake?" While the general probably wouldn't shoot anyone for pointing out one little spelling error (probably...), the answer is always the same: Nobody dares to tell the general that he did a mistake. They prefer to follow out the order, exactly the way it's written, and look like idiots, rather than telling the general to make a correction.
- In a Calvin And Hobbes strip: Calvin lampshades this trope when he is sent to the principal's office for shouting "BORING!" to his teacher's lecture.
Real Life
- In an Inversion, by Napoleonic times, the bearer of news of a victory was automatically promoted when they reported in with the news. Generals would put some thought into whom they wanted to make the trip back to Parliament, or to the Emperor.
- The Mongol Empire destroyed the Abbasid Caliphate over exactly that. The Abbasids abducted a caravan belonging to the Mongol Empire, and executed the Mongol emissaries who came seeking reparations. The Mongols subsequently destroyed them, doing damage to Baghdad that the region still hasn't recovered from.
- Also done famously to Khwarezmid a few years earlier. The Mongols sent not one, but TWO diplomatic caravans to Khwarezmid, and in both cases the messengers were either executed or publicly humiliated and sent packing. The Mongol response was to erase Khwarezmid from the face of the earth.
- The Mongols were actually one of the major forces that prompted this to really become as discredited as it became and diplomatic immunity as respected as it did in the Medieval world, since their response was always but *ALWAYS* disproportionate. They also respected the diplomatic immunity of foreign messengers carrying messages to them.
- Vlad III of Wallachia (better known as Dracula) once recieved some Ottoman emmisaries, who due to their religion, refused to remove their turbans. he made certain they could never take them off; nailing them to their heads.
- Those in the island city of Tyre (no longer an island) threw the messengers of a general who really did not wish to spend resources conquering them (he wanted them to ally with him). this general, being Alexander III of Macedon, didn't take kindly to this.
- Specifically, he laid siege, built a peninsula out to the city, and razed it to the ground.
- Admit it, at some point, you've yelled at a cashier or a waitress for something that was very likely management's fault.
- Any weather reporter or meteorologist has to be prepared for this, especially in the media. Be kind to them.
Theater
Toys
Video Games
- In Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, the three-country Laguz Alliance sends a messenger to the Begnion senators demanding answers to a crime they are accused of namely, the Serenes Massacre. This trope, then big war.
- In the Telltale Games version of Back To The Future, George Mc Fly implies delivering bad news to Citizen Brown is a very bad idea. However, given that even in an Orwellian timeline he's still incorruptibly good, it's highly unlikely he'd take any steps past yelling without good reason.
- In the first Shogun: Total War, if the rival faction you're sending an emissary to really hates your guts, your emissary may come back to you missing everything from the neck down.
- In the game Castles 2 you can do this to any messenger of any count (and the Pope). Killing them got you into bad blood with the opposite party, but threatning to kill them and then letting them go lets you off scott free.
- A Team Fortress 2 comic reveals that the RED team is rather guilty of this;
'The Administrator: First off gentlemen, let me thank you for shooting yet another messenger. And when you kill the messengers, they can't return their miniature televisions, which it may surprise you to learn don't grow naturally on their chests. I have to buy them.
- Averted in Final Fantasy IV. When Kain delivers the message to Cecil that Golbez will trade the Earth Crystal for Rosa's life, the messenger is allowed to leave unharmed, and before that, the white flag raised by the enemy airship is respected.
- Prosecutors from the Ace Attorney series have a habit of punishing the salaries of police officers who bring them bad or unwanted news — sometimes even just for bothering them at all when they're busy. Series Butt Monkey Detective Gumshoe has the loss of his ever dwindling salary and resulting Perpetual Poverty as a Running Gag.
- A hilarious variation in Dawn of War, as seen here
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Bale: Dispose of this idiot.
Cultist: Why? How have I failed?
Sindri: You were stupid enough to personally deliver ill news to Lord Bale. And we cannot abide stupidity.
Webcomics
Western Animation
- The Simpsons did it in the episode "Margical History Tour".
- Popeye once got a furlough from Navy duties and spent it with his nephews. Their antics were so unbearable that, when he got news about a new furlough, he reacted by shooting the messenger. Literally.
- In the Justice League Unlimited episode "Chaos At The Earth's Core", Evil Overlord Deimos disintegrates a minion who reports that the heroes have arrived.
Web Original
- Interesting variation in The Salvation War: Armageddon. A demon bringing bad news typically isn't shot: he's eaten by the demon he brought the news to. Not surprisingly, the priority of these messengers is try and avoid getting offed. Whether or not the one they report to is hungry seems to be part of the equation, however.
- Also inverted with Yahweh, wherein his general Michael-Lan deliberately attempts to phrase the bad news he gives in such a way so as to cause Yahweh to throw the most spectacular temper tantrums possible, complete with multi-colored flashes of lightning that rip the marble facing from the walls (though they never actually seem to kill anybody, Michael included). It's made clear that Michael quite enjoys these displays and is the only one who isn't afraid of them.
- When Satan sends his Heralds to Earth to deliver the scrolls proclaiming their damnation, mankind generally responds to their arrival with violence. This has less to do with actually shooting the messenger and more "Holy shit there's a fifteen-foot tall demon coming this way KILL IT!" Except in Singapore, where the police shot the messenger dozens of times and beat it to death with the butts of their guns for littering when it threw the message scroll on the pavement.
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