A Messianic Archetype is expected to die and that would be in the hands of someone.
These characters would often be an antagonist and get karma treatment from their actions. Whether it's a death by their own fault, a conversion of sides, or something else that affects them greatly. Sometimes, they can even become a follower of the said Messiah.
May involve a long weapon or The Lance of Longinus, which features heavily in the legend.
Named after the Roman soldier, who was the one to have impaled Christ on the Crucifix, later converting to Christianity and becoming a saint. Contrast Don't Create a Martyr, when someone avoids killing the messiah figure to avoid them achieving their martyrdom.
Expect unmarked spoilers below.
Examples
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Anime and Manga
- Two of these in Code Geass:
- The beginning one is Lelouch, who kills the Messianic Archetype Prince Euphemina when Zero. A lot of shit happens to him involving the mess he created that leads to his Despair Event Horizon and eventual death.
- Suzaku also is this for killing Lelouch. But he already became the man he hated by then.
- In One Piece, it's revealed that Hody Jones was the one who killed Queen Otohime, not the suspected human (Hody and Otohime are members of the prejudiced Fishmen/Merfolk race). Hody has a very contrasting view on human-fishman relationship when compared to Otohime, and being an extremist that he is, not only did he kill her - years later, when he attempts a coup on Fishman Island, he ordered its inhabitants to commit Fumi-e (stepping on an image) on their late queen. The "karma" part comes when Jinbe orchestrated Luffy and co (who are a crew of humans, and a reindeer-man) to defeat Hody and his crew to symbolize that Hody's views are wrong.
- UQ Holder! has a direct reference to Judas' betrayal of Jesus and committing suicide afterwards. More specifically, Karin is actually a Gender Flip of Judas and she discovered her immortality while trying to hang herself (having been blessed by God so she could one day find redemption).
Comic Books
- Planetary: In one story, totally-not John Constantine discovers Thatcher's government has an invisible agent sent to murder a pregnant prostitute on the off-chance that it might be the Second Coming of Christ. He refers to himself as "this year's Herod", implying it happens every year, solely for the purpose of keeping Thatcher in power, and doesn't view the entire thing as anything but something his higher-ups told him to do. Jack Carter leaves the man trapped in an invisible box and lets him die in it.
- Finch in V for Vendetta is this for shooting V. At first, he is overjoyed, but this is after experiencing everything Norsefire has done and what drove V to a Roaring Rampage of Revenge. He leaves the regime's wing afterward as he decides it's no longer his place.
Film
- In Stranger Than Fiction the Messiah is Harold Krick, an otherwise ordinary tax man who hears a constant omniscient narrator who spoilers him on his upcoming death. Long story short, it's his author who will be his Longinus, and once she finds out he's real and she means to kill him... well, lets just say the though of killing someone she knew intimately hit her hard. She's been building him up as an example of a man who redeems himself from an unhappy life (and his death would involve a heroic sacrifice). In this case her spear is her typewritter. Ultimately subverted in that she decides that because her original story didn't have Harold know of his death, and since the "real" Harold did know and was still willing to die... He was precisely the sort of person you should try to keep alive.
Literature
- Casca: The Eternal Mercenary, in the eponymous book series. Obviously, since Casca is the first name of Casca Rufio Longinus.
- There is a short story called, appropriately enough, "Judas" by John Brunner (part of Harlan Ellison's Dangerous Visions), which is the memoirs of a man who destroyed an artificial intelligence that had become a Messiah to the world though its multiple world-changing decisions and high charisma. A-46 (the Android Jesus of the tale) was just the symbol of humanity's dependency on technology gone way too far.
Mythology And Religion
- The Bible
- "The Massacre of The Innocents" is Herod's attempt to kill the Messiah as a baby before he can ever threaten his position as King of the Jews. Key word being "attempt", as Jesus avoids being part of the massacre.
- While Jesus is executed by the state, it's his apostle Judas Iscariot who sells him out so he can be executed, and Pontius Pilate who authorizes the crucifixion. Depending on the gospel Judas may have been possessed by Satan, or was Driven to Suicide from the guilt of his role in Jesus' death.
- Some texts state legionary who delivered a mortal blow to Jesus on the cross by stabbing him in the side with a spear(others just have him pierce an already dead Jesus). A later legend names this Roman soldier as Longinus, who on stabbing Christ was struck by a spurt of blood which struck him in the face and healed an unspecified illness - generally agreed to be an eye defect of some kind. The legend says that Longinus realised the enormity of what he had done, and converted to Christianity by way of atonement, later becoming a martyred saint. In some stories, Longinus becomes the Wandering Jew, condemned to Walk The Earth until the Second Coming for his deicide. In some others the Wandering Jew is a different guy called Ahasuerus.
Video Games
- Kane of Command & Conquer: Tiberium Wars is the leader of the Brotherhood of Nod, a religious cult determined to spread Transhumanism through the Minovsky Particle / Alien Kudzu / Hostile Terraforming-agent that is Tiberium, and who is outright called "The Messiah" and "The Prophet" by Nod's followers - which encompasses most of the world's population. This puts them squarely against GDI who sees Tiberium as an ecological disaster and does everything to fight the Brotherhood. As a result of their decades of warring, GDI is in control of the areas not contaminated by Tiberium, while Nod and its prophet are the only saving graces in the Yellow Zonesnotenote . Over the course of the third Tiberium War, GDI pushes Nod back to its primary temple, believing Kane to be inside - But the Temple is surrounded by Deflector Shields that conventional weaponry cannot penetrate, so they resort to their Ion Cannon, which demolishes the temple and accidentally sets off a cache of Liquid Tiberium, resulting in an explosion that scours practically a quarter of the world. Kane can only chuckle from an undisclosed location far away from the blast that yes, the GDI leadership will be hailed as heroes by their Blue Zones for having supposedly killed the brotherhood's Dark Messiah.. but they are heroes that have no idea what they have just unleashed by causing an explosion visible from beyond the solar system.Alexa: You wanted GDI to use the Ion Cannon?!Kane: [The GDI leader] did exactly as I predicted, after all he is a politician - and as the killer of Kane he's now a 'hero'! A hero who has no idea what he has just unleashed.
- In the Dragon Age lore, the Tevinter Archon Hessarian was the one who convicted Andraste, the resident Messianic Archetype-slash-Jeanne d'Archétype, and ordered her burned at the stake (making him also a Pilate Archetype) but he was also the one who mercy killed her with a sword at the pyre and became the first ever convert to the Chant of Light, formed around her teachings.
