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Basic Trope: A family member threatens the suitor of a relative.

  • Straight: Bob is about to marry Alice. Her brother, Charlie, walks up to Bob on the eve of the wedding and tells him that if he ever harms her in any way, he'll kick Bob's ass.
  • Exaggerated:
    • Bob glances at Alice, and Charlie delivers his ultimatum.
    • Charile makes ridiculous threats to Bob if he should even hold her hand.
  • Downplayed:
    • All Charlie ever says is that he expects Bob to treat Alice well.
    • Bob figures he better treat Alice well because he knows Charlie can seriously kick butt; however, Charlie himself doesn't threaten this.
    • Charlie invokes the trope, but he's joking.
  • Justified:
    • Alice's previous boyfriend left her, which caused her a great deal of trauma. Charlie knows this and wants her to avoid it.
    • Alice's previous boyfriend abused her.
    • Alice is terrified of men.
    • Bob is known to have a Hair-Trigger Temper.
  • Inverted:
    • Bob leaves Alice at the altar...and Charlie gives him a high five.
    • Charlie warns Alice not to break the heart of his best friend, Bob, or she'll pay for it.
    • Bob warns Charlie he'll beat him up if he mistreats his sister.
  • Gender Inverted: Roberta is marrying Alfred. His sister Charlotte tells her that if Al ever comes to harm, she'll kick Roberta's ass.
  • Subverted: Charlie walks up to Bob with a scowl. Bob cringes, expecting the threatening speech...but Charlie just shakes his hand.
  • Double Subverted: And then with a cheerful smile quietly explains that he knows people who can dispose of bodies with minimal fuss.
  • Parodied: Charlie calls Bob every morning to remind him that he'll kick his ass if he hurts Alice.
  • Zig Zagged: Charlie's level of concern varies.
  • Averted:
    • Charlie doesn't deliver a threat at all.
    • Charile doesn't care about who Alice marries.
  • Enforced: "We need this older brother to show that he's overprotective!"
  • Lampshaded: "If you ever do anything..." "Yeah, yeah, if I ever do anything to hurt her, blah blah blah..."
  • Invoked: Charlie sees Bob being a little overly flirtatious at his bachelor party. He realizes that Bob needs to know that it won't be tolerated.
  • Exploited: Dave tells Charlie about Bob's past philandering, so he'll threaten Bob and leave Alice open for Dave to date.
  • Defied: Charlie doesn't threaten Bob because he knows Bob doesn't need it.
  • Discussed: "There goes Charlie. He's probably going to give the traditional 'older brother' speech."
  • Conversed: "Wow, that character is one overprotective brother."
  • Deconstructed:
    • Charlie's threats scare Bob which makes family reunions uncomfortable.
    • Bob tells Charlie that his actions are unacceptable for someone who is marrying his sister. Not only is he not respecting his sister's decisions, but he is committing a felony by threatening him. Furthermore, he is creating a very antagonistic atmosphere that could cause problems for the family for years to come.
  • Reconstructed:
    • Bob is scared of Charlie, but realizes that he's just being a big brother and accepts the threat.
    • After Charlie cools down and apologizes, Bob mentions that he knows his heart is in the right place and promises he will treat Alice well.
    • While it causes a rift between them when Alice hears about the threat, Charlie is justified in his concern. Bob turns out to be a Prince Charming Wannabe who blatantly cheats on and abuses Alice. Rather than leaving Bob, Alice becomes an increasingly broken Love Martyr insisting I Can Change My Beloved. Charlie makes good on his threat for the sake of his sister, even knowing he'll probably be caught and sent to prison, and that Alice will probably hate him even more afterward.
  • Played For Laughs: Charlie, a 98 pound weakling, gives a long speech about the brutality he will visit upon the man-mountain named Bob. Bob is forcing himself not to laugh.
  • Played For Drama:
    • Alice and Bob broke up. Perhaps it was her fault, more likely it was amicable, but Charlie does not see it that way....
    • Alice was murdered by her former abusive boyfriend, causing her brother Charlie to become a Mad Scientist and devote his wealth discovering a way to clone her. When he finally clones Alice, she falls in love with Bob, but Charlie has become suspicious of all men around Alice and warns Bob that if he hurts her, he will not only kill Bob, but clone him over and over again for the sake of torturing and killing as a punishment.


I swear, If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her..., I'll...well, go back to that page and you'll see just what I'll do.

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