Born Just To Die

For this trope, the character is a Woobie that wanted nothing but acceptance and compassion, but was never afforded the opportunity since birth. They are tragic in nature. If they are a Tyke Bomb, expect a Trauma Conga Line and/or Sympathetic Sentient Weapon, as they are not only being used as a tool of latent destruction, but they are also being forced to fight the good guys who are also trying to stop them, out of fear of their Super-Powered Evil Side threatening to wreak havoc, be it intentional or not. They may have Ax-Crazy tendencies and are, as a result, doubly opposed by the heroes, in which they then become the Designated Villain, regardless of how misunderstood they are. It is also possible that they may be a Hero With Bad Publicity, which would lead to an extreme case of All Of The Other Reindeer, where they are not only ostracized for being different, but are actively hunted down for said difference. If they've been pushed over the edge, then they either become a Tragic Hero or a Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds bent on the destruction of humanity as prophesied. If they are on the Start of Darkness, then they will descend to become a Tragic Villain. If they are being opposed by both sides but have not yet been pushed over the edge, then they will be a Jerkass Woobie with a case of, but not limited to: Iron Woobie, Stoic Woobie, Hurting Hero, Knight in Sour Armor, Ambiguously Evil. In the end, this character may go down as a hero or a villain depending on just how far they have been pushed. If it ends tragically, it is an Alas, Poor Villain. If the character was able to avoid death but is still has a bounty over their head, then it is a Bolivian Army Ending (possibly a Downer Ending depending on the character and plot). If a Heroic Sacrifice was involved, then it is a Bittersweet Ending.

Is there an official name for this trope, where the character is born simply to be hunted down by a person, group, organization, or what have you because they harbor something (usually a latent power) that they either want for themselves, or want to dispose of to prevent a potential future catastrophe from happening? I see this kind of trope come up often in stories where a character or group of characters are made public enemy #1 for simply being brought into life. Reasons that are out of their control. The closest tropes I can think of that relates to this one is Offing The Offspring and Van Helsing Hate Crimes. The former trope involves the parent killing the child while the latter involves killing all the witches, even the good ones, because the rest are evil. Meanwhile, the trope I'm referring to neither requires a parent nor a sense of morality.

edited 27th Apr '17 4:20:16 AM by anon2357

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