History BewareTheNiceOnes / Literature

* ''Literature/FellowMan'', written in Norway in 1929 has the protagonist ''Ragnhild'', a housewife and mother seemingly not capable of thinking a bad thought, and known to be kind to everyone. When the antagonist of the story, the MagnificentBastard Didrik pushes her too far, after she has tried to redeem him a number of times, [[AnAxeToGrind she conveniently kills him with an axe]]. Being the benevolent heroine, she immediately goes to face the consequences and gives herself up.

* ''Literature/TheCityOfBrass'': Muntadhir is a pleasant MrViceGuy who enjoys good food, good wine, and [[ReallyGetsAround good company]], but shocks even his brother with how ruthless he can be in fulfilling his duties as Crown Prince. His sanguine nature becomes outright nasty when he feels wronged: when he's estranged from Ali, he deliberately sabotages Ali's attempt to defuse a deadly race riot, just to spite him.

* [[spoiler:The Mule]] from ''Foundation and Empire''

* [[spoiler:Ashfur]] from ''Literature/WarriorCats'' began literary life as a sweet, shy young apprentice. Then he became the series's most shining example of BreakTheCutie when [[spoiler:his best friend is abducted by humans (though only temporarily), his mother is brutally murdered, his father (if you believe the family trees) is killed in battle, he loses the love of his life to the son of the cat that killed his mom, and finally is forced to mentor their kit.]] He'd always been sweet, gentle, and friendly, but then in Book 5 of the Third Series, he [[spoiler:goes insane and tries to kill all three main characters, one of which is his own apprentice]]. No wonder his fangirls were upset.

* William "Collie" Collins from ''Literature/AfterDarkMySweet'' is a seemingly scatterbrained and gentle man who is polite to everyone around him and just wants to be treated nicely in return. However, he's secretly an escaped mental patient with [[HairTriggerTemper a truly violent temper]], and anyone who pisses Collie off is very sure to receive a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown or worse in retaliation.

** This trope is very prevalent in Christie's novels. An extreme example occurs in ''Literature/DeathComesAsTheEnd''. Yahmose is initially the kindest and most patient son of the family, but he has been repressing his anger and resentment for several years. [[spoiler: He goes from being kind to being a serial killer who starts killing indiscriminately.]]

--> “Don't worry, I can turn white”

* The Literature/CharlieParkerSeries has two notable examples:

* Karl Sadeghi, from the Series/DoctorWho Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures book ''The Year of Intelligent Tigers'', is a shy male BespectacledCutie, who occasionally [[SpeechImpediment stutters]]. He's a musician and a generally sweet guy, and although the Doctor knows how to annoy him (because they're [[HoYay so close]], and the Doctor really is very annoying), it seems his record for getting angry is a [[SarcasmMode whopping]] page and a half. Then he gets kidnapped and mistreated by [[TalkingAnimal talking tigers]]. So [[spoiler:he intentionally opens up a dam to drown a whole bunch of the poor, sapient tigers. To be fair, the tigers killed several people, but not all the ones he killed were dangerous]].

* The main theme of [[Creator/RudyardKipling Rudyard Kipling's]] poem "Et Dona Ferente" is "Do not piss off an Englishman." Because these stuffy, well-mannered, almost-comically polite guys who'd rather do their fighting with words than swords and guns? Well, they can afford to be this way for a reason.

** In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows The Deathly Hallows]]'', shortly after [[spoiler: [[TearJerker the death of Mrs. Weasley's son Fred]],]] [[TheDragon Bellatrix Lestrange]] makes the fatal mistake of threatening Molly's daughter, Ginny. Cue a MamaBear moment.

* Nick Chopper (the TinMan) in [[Literature/LandOfOz Baum's Oz]] novels. He is, hands-down, the sweetest, kindest guy you will ever encounter. He cried himself rusted after accidentally stepping on a bug because he regretted taking innocent life. When it comes to creatures ''threatening'' innocent lives, or those of his TrueCompanions? The axe comes out and heads start rolling. Baum even lampshades it in the second book by stating that Nick "fights like a Roman Gladiator."

** Creator/StephenKing excels at this trope; ''Literature/{{Cujo}}'' was another example, and Jack Torrance (though he did have a history) in ''Literature/TheShining''. Not movie Torrance, though. We all know he was [[AxCrazy crazy from the start]]. He's played by Creator/JackNicholson, that should be a warning sign.

* ''Literature/ReignOfTheSevenSpellblades'': Main character Oliver Horn is a NiceGuy who is normally cool as a cucumber under pressure. He's also a MasterSwordsman and a fairly accomplished mage by first-year student standards. While it's hard to arouse him to real anger, a word to the wise: [[BerserkButton don't bully his friends to their faces]]. [[spoiler:And he goes full PayEvilUntoEvil when it comes to the seven mages who [[YouKilledMyFather tortured and murdered his mother in the prologue]].]]

** And then there's Ozma, supposedly the Empress of Oz whom the books were written about. She is unfailingly polite at all times and prefers to solve problems by serving tea. She is also an accomplished SorcerousOverlord who ruled the Land of Oz (which is apparently far darker than the books portrayed) for over a hundred years. Her go-to method of eliminating threats is to [[BalefulPolymorph turn them into a hat]] (the most disturbing part is that her victims ''enjoy'' [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody being a hat]] while transformed, less so when they're turned back), but she's not shy about resorting to more lethal methods. She also animated a doll for the sole purpose of acting as her spy and assassin, and secured Grendel's services by promising vengeance against the person who killed Grendel's family, and then once she found that person she immediately provided Grendel every tool she could to kill him.

* Cassie from the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' series. Sure, she might be in a war, but only reluctantly (and she's usually the one pushing for 'plans other than kill them all'). But if you piss her off, heaven help you. Just ask Davis, who made the mistake of calling her the n-word]] -- whereupon she turned into a polar bear and pinned him to a wall.

** In Creator/AgathaChristie's ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'', Vera Claythorne appears to be a [[NaiveEverygirl very sweet, sensible person]]... at first. [[spoiler: And if you're not scared by the fact that [[{{Yandere}} she killed her former pupil so her lover could inherit the child's estate]] four years before the events of the novel, just wait and see what [[MindRape four days of psychological torture]] does to her...]] The reason she is [[spoiler:the last person to die]] was that [[spoiler:the killer thought this seemingly sweet, sensible person was the worst criminal on the island, and he wanted her to suffer for as long as possible.]]

* In the first book of Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts's ''[[Literature/TheRiftwarCycle Empire Trilogy]]'', the basically sweet and gentle Mara, who has had the position of ruler thrust upon her, marries a young man who [[spoiler:starts abusing her on their wedding night. In response, she [[MagnificentBastard manipulates him]] into a position where he's forced to commit ritual suicide]].

* Cassie from the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' series. Sure, she might be in a war, but only reluctantly (and she's usually the one pushing for 'plans other than kill them all'). But if you piss her off, heaven help you. Just ask Davis, who made the mistake of [[BerserkButton calling her the n-word]] -- whereupon she turned into a polar bear and pinned him to a wall.

* Sadrao from ''Literature/BlackDogs'' is probably the kindest, politest, most caring, and definitely the most loyal character in the whole series. [[BerserkButton Don't ever threaten any of his wards or former wards, though...]] In the act of defending and protecting Lyra, he literally bites off a bandits face, tears apart an entire church, and is completely unapproachable by anyone. Even the person he's trying to protect has to take caution not to get caught in his berserker rage.

** Interestingly enough Literature/CiaphasCain (of all people) has a similar BerserkButton:

** In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows The Deathly Hallows]]'', shortly after [[spoiler: [[TearJerker the death of Mrs Weasley's son Fred]],]] [[TheDragon Bellatrix Lestrange]] makes the fatal mistake of [[BerserkButton threatening Molly's daughter, Ginny.]] Cue a MamaBear moment.

* [[TheHero Mediochre himself]] in the ''Literature/MediochreQSethSeries'' is [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold pretty grumpy]], but he's a thoughtful enough guy, and unlike [[TheLancer Joseph Carrion]] he prefers to solve problems [[GuileHero with words]] [[NonActionSnarker rather than fighting]]. He doesn't even pick up a weapon until the end of the first book, and then it's only to [[spoiler: threaten [[ArchEnemy Maelstrom]] into surrendering]]. [[BerserkButton Then Maelstrom tries to destroy a dragon egg in front of him]]. [[spoiler: Joseph has to [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom punch him across the cavern]] just to make him ''stop shooting''.]]

* Michael Hosea of ''Literature/RedeemingLove'' is a polite, easygoing gentleman who has his opinions but isn't the type to get up in anyone’s face about them…until he catches you hitting Angel and/or naked on top of Angel, in which case you’d best hope he’s just too [[BerserkButton blinded by rage]] to hit you straight.

* Stephen King and Peter Straub's collaborative novel ''Literature/TheTalisman'' gives us Wolf, a [[GentleGiant friendly]] and [[NiceGuy sweet]] (if a bit slow) young shepherd of the Territories who immediately takes to twelve-year-old Jack and adopts him as his new "herd". He's also a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolf]]. And ''god help you'' if you decide to [[BerserkButton hurt]] [[PapaWolf Jack]].

* In Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's ''Literature/TheCaskOfAmontillado'', Montresor claims that he patiently bore a "thousand injuries" from Fortunato until Fortunato finally went too far, driving him to scheme a terrible revenge. Of course Montresor may not be the most reliable narrator.

** In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows The Deathly Hallows]]'', shortly after [[spoiler: [[TearJerker the death of Mrs Weasley's son Fred]],]] [[TheDragon Bellatrix Lestrange]] makes the mistake of [[BerserkButton threatening Molly's daughter, Ginny.]] Cue a MamaBear moment.

* Under normal circumstances, Azusa of ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesForThreeHundredYearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'' would rather ''not'' use her absurd levels of power, to avoid causing collateral damage and attracting yet more trouble from the aftermath. When push comes to shove, however, she will deliver a CurbStompBattle to anyone and everything she needs to.

* Karl Sadeghi, from the Series/DoctorWho Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures book ''The Year of Intelligent Tigers'', is a shy male {{Meganekko}}, who occasionally [[SpeechImpediment stutters]]. He's a musician and a generally sweet guy, and although the Doctor knows how to annoy him (because they're [[HoYay so close]], and the Doctor really is very annoying), it seems his record for getting angry is a [[SarcasmMode whopping]] page and a half. Then he gets kidnapped and mistreated by [[TalkingAnimal talking tigers]]. So [[spoiler:he intentionally opens up a dam to drown a whole bunch of the poor, sapient tigers. To be fair, the tigers killed several people, but not all the ones he killed were dangerous]].

** [[EccentricMentor Dumbledore]] is about the nicest old professor you could hope to meet as well as being [[OldMaster the single most powerful wizard on Earth]], not to mention a highly-skilled MagnificentBastard.

** Secretary of Human Resources Angelo Frigipani spends most of the book as a humble and pleasant supporter of the president, albeit in a SlaveToPR fashion. Then, in the final act, [[spoiler: he votes to invoke the 25th amendment, but only because he knows that Speaker of the House Frenlingheusen has the votes to stop impeachment once it gets to Congress. He then helps mastermind the plan to get Ericson and Nichols to both resign while tricking Bannerman into thinking that Frenlingheusen will make him the new Vice President, when in fact, Frigipani is the first choice to become the new VP, something which Frigipani might have even been gambling on the whole time.]]* ''Literature/GriffinRanger'' has a couple of griffins that fit this to a T.

* [[Literature/TortallUniverse Daine]] is a nice young girl from the mountains with frizzy hair and a good hand with animals. Then tell her [[spoiler:that her beloved teacher is murdered. She'll reanimate dinosaur fossils, tear down a palace, specifically destroy tax rolls and imperial records to make the damage ''last'', and get the entire nation's rats to infest the ruins for a year and a day.]] In the next book, when she finally corners the man responsible, [[spoiler:not that Numair actually died, but still: She goes after him [[FullFrontalAssault buck-ass naked with a badger claw]] and ''tears his throat out''.]]

* Tom Clancy's [[Literature/JackRyan Ryanverse]] has John Clark, an ex-Navy Seal and Intelligence operative. He is normally a nice guy, but if you mess with him or anyone close to him, you will know pain. In ''Without Remorse'', after the accidental death of his wife, his next girlfriend is a former prostitute/drug mule. When her former employers kill her, John Clark then proceeds to kill every one of them, and torture the worst of them with a pressure chamber. In ''The Sum of All Fears'', some neighborhood punks harass a local convenience store owner under his protection; he and his CIA protege beat the living snot out of them.
** He is best summed up by:

* [[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Percy Jackson]]'s mother Sally is the ideal mom. She always makes him feel good, and both of them find it impossible to stay angry at the other for long. But just about anyone would snap from year after year being married to an abusive asshole like Smelly Gabe. And when she gets her hands on Medusa's head...[[TakenForGranite well, you can pretty much guess what happens]]. She goes back to her normal self after this, though. But in Book 5, she (and her second husband, Paul Blofis) fight ferociously to defend New York from Kronos and his armies.

* [[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Percy Jackson]]'s mother Sally is the ideal mom. She always makes him feel good, and both of them find it impossible to stay angry at the other for long. But just about anyone would snap from year after being married to an abusive asshole like Smelly Gabe. And when she gets her hands on Medusa's head...[[TakenForGranite well, you can pretty much guess what happens]]. She goes back to her normal self after this, though. But in Book 5, she (and her second husband, Paul Blofis) fight ferociously to defend New York from Kronos and his armies.

* Roald Dahl's ''Literature/{{Matilda}}'' is one of the nicest children you could wish to meet - as long as you don't make her mad. Before she got her powers, she pulled creative pranks to get back at her vicious parents, such as substituting her mother's (very strong) hair for her father's tonic, using just enough of the tonic so the color looks close enough. And when she ''did'' get her powers -ooo boy.

* Roald Dahl's ''Literature/{{Matilda}}'' is one of the nicest children you could wish to meet - as long as you don't make her mad.