History PlayingWith / WhatMeasureIsAMook

* '''Downplayed''': Alice did take efforts to avoid bloodshed, using stealth and non lethal weapons on various guards. Nonetheless she killed a number of them, with only vague regrets on how the violence reflected poorly on her. Once she confronts Evulz, she makes numerous offers to him to surrender peacefully, only to have Evulz [[DrivenToSuicide choose death over the shame of defeat]]. Alice spends multiple episodes angsting over the death of Evulz, despite being aware the world is a better place without him.

** The mooks [[ImmortalLifeIsCheap don't stay dead. Killing them is more morally equivalent to injuring them. Evulz and Alice lack that benefit so killing either one once is more morally significant. (Gratuitous cruelty like [[AndIMustScream repeatedly killing them is another matter morally.]])

** [[VillainProtagonist Emperor Evulz]] goes out of his way killing [[RedShirt red shirts]] left and right. But when he finally approaches [[HeroAntagonist General Hiro]], Evulz [[WeCanRuleTogether gives out a lengthy speech]] and [[PragmaticVillainy spares him out of pure hopes he can]] [[TheCorrupter turn Hiro]] [[FaceHeelTurn evil.]]

** [[VillainProtagonist Emperor Evulz]] goes out his way killing [[RedShirt red shirts]] left and right. But when he finally approaches [[HeroAntagonist General Hiro]], Evulz [[WeCanRuleTogether gives out a lengthy speech]] and [[PragmaticVillainy spares him out of pure hopes he can]] [[TheCorrupter turn Hiro]] [[FaceHeelTurn evil.]]

** The mooks are heinous {{CompleteMonster}}s who constantly KickTheDog while on screen. Bad Bob is an InternalReformist and a TechnicalPacifist. Despite this Alice and other "good guys" react like she killing the mooks was morally objectionable and allowing Bob to live when he [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere abandons the evil cause he was born into]] is a heinous act on her part.

** [[VillainProtagonist Emperor Evulz]] goes out his way killing [[RedShirt red shirts]] left and right. But when he finally approaches [[HeroAntagonist General Hiro]], Evulz [[WeCanRuleTogether gives out a lengthy speech]] and [[PragmaticVillainy spares him out of pure hopes he can]] [[TheCorrupter turn Hiro evil.]]

** What measure is a {{red shirt}}? [[VillainProtagonist Emperor Evulz]] goes out his way killing [[RedShirt red shirts]] left and right. But when he finally approaches [[HeroAntagonist General Hiro]], Evulz [[WeCanRuleTogether gives out a lengthy speech]] and [[PragmaticVillainy spares him out of pure hopes he can]] [[TheCorrupter turn Hiro evil.]]

* '''Inverted''': Alice goes through [[PacifistRun incredible lengths]] to ensure that none of the guards are fatally injured, but [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown cuts loose]] as soon as she starts to fight Evulz.

** The mooks are heinous {{CompleteMonster}}s who constantly KickTheDog while on screen. Bad Bob is TheInternalReformist and a TechnicalPacifist. Despite this Alice and other "good guys" react like she killing the mooks was morally objectionable and allowing Bob to live when he [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere abandons the evil cause he was born into]] is a heinous act on her part.
* '''Subverted''': Alice contemplates sparing Evulz, but instead decides to treat him the same way as his minions.

** The mooks are heinous {{CompleteMonster}}s who constantly KickTheDog while on screen. Bad Bob is TheInternalReformist and a TechnicalPacifist. Despite this Alice and other "good guys" react like she killing the mooks was morally objectionable and allowing Bob to live when he [[ScrewThisIAmOutOfHere abandons the evil cause he was born into]] is a heinous act on her part.

* '''Deconstructed''': Alice's lack of mercy towards the guards is [[StartOfDarkness a sign that]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters she's starting to become]] [[NotSoDifferent more like Evulz]].

* '''Parodied''': Alice proudly proclaims to Evulz that she would never kill anyone... while surrounding by the dying mooks she just cut through.
* '''Zig Zagged''':
** Alice's treatment varies per villain. For Awful Adam she refuses to harm his mooks even when they are hurting her. The reason she does so is because they are mind controlled innocents. However shows him no mercy when she finally reaches him. Baneful Bob and his [[SociopathicSoldier soldiers]] she slays with no second thoughts. Crazy Charlie's puppets get plowed through but is shown mercy. With Dark Dan, she cuts through his mooks and was going to spare him until he admitted how much he enjoyed killing her little sister.

** Alice has a dossier on all of Evulz's mooks, telling her which ones are [[PunchClockVillain just doing there jobs]] and which ones [[SociopathicSoldier enjoy them too much]]. She is still forced to kill a number of them she does not hate, and a few of the cruel ones surrender, forcing Alice to spare them, but plans to later put them before a war crimes panel.

** Emperor Evulz [[BreakThemByTalking breaks]] [[TheCape Alice]] [[HannibalLecture by pointing out that she's pretty much responsible for a mass murder]]. Alice may be convinced and corrupted, or [[ShutUpHannibal retort]] with one of the Justifications listed above.
* '''Conversed''': Bob and Dan watch a supehero movie featuring Super Alice mowing down mooks, and comment that that kind of behavior would be terrible in real life.
* '''Played For Laugh''': None of this is real — we're seeing Alice and Bob's gameplay, and, since Bob is in charge of Evulz's character and that those were, in a way, ''his'' mooks, he starts bickering with Alice about it.
* '''Played For Drama''': Alice is stated to have a mysterious entity watching over her, protecting her, and even raising her from the dead. This entity turns out to be the player themselves, meaning that any violence committed was never Alice's choice in the first place. During a cutscene Alice finally does have a choice, which is why she refuses to stoop the player's level of violence.

* '''Reconstructed''': However the treatment of the mooks turns out to be not [[PayEvilUntoEvil unjustified]] given that they commit countless war crimes for no reason other than their selfish enjoyment. Evulz, meanwhile, was a WellIntentionedExtremist.

* '''Downplayed''': Alice did take efforts to avoid bloodshed, using stealth and non lethal weapons on various guards. Nonetheless she killed a number of them, with only vague regrets on how the violence reflected poorly on her. Once she confronts Evulz, she makes numerous offers him to surrender peacefully, only to have Evulz [[DrivenToSuicide choose death over the shame of defeat]]. Alice spends multiple episodes angsting over the death of Evulz, despite being aware the world is a better place without him.