History Main / CradlingYourKill

'''As a DeathTrope, all spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.'''

* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', [[SpacePolice Signum]] does this to Zest Grangaitz after the latter performs a SuicideByCop through her. As the latter lies dying in Signum's arms, [[LastRequest he asks for her to take care of his charges and]] [[FallenHero to continue watching over the worlds that he and Regius had sworn to protect]].

* {{Downplayed|Trope}} with the ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' villain named the Queen. During her first fight with Spider-Man, she easily defeats the hero with her [[MakeMeWannaShout sonic scream]] while standing directly next to him, eventually causing him to black out from the pain. As he collapsed though, The Queen caught him in a hug, due to him having impressed her during their fight, and comforts him by telling him not to find shame in his defeat before [[ForcefulKiss forcing a kiss on him]].

* ''Film/TheMask'' parodies PietaPlagiarism and this trope when Jim Carrey/The Mask is shot by Darien's goons and collapses into one of the stunned henchman's arms. Carrey coughs out, "Hold me closer, Ed, it's getting dark," and rambles on until he appears to have died. The henchman, moved, starts weeping. The movie then BreaksTheFourthWall as an audience appears in the foreground. Carrey cries, "You love me, you really love me!" and [[AwardBait accepts an Oscar award]] as the villains in the shot look on self-consciously and smooth their hair. Of course, Carrey is unharmed and escapes moments later.

A character Cradling Their Kill might do so for various reasons, none of them good. If the killer is a good guy who was [[IDidWhatIHadToDo forced]] to [[ShootTheDog shoot the victim]], they'll cradle the victim out of love and guilt. Usually it's because of self defense, a MercyKill, or because of other forces beyond their control. Likewise, a HitmanWithAHeart may consider it a [[NothingPersonal professional courtesy]] to give their mark a personal send off, so that they don't fear DyingAlone. A NobleDemon who considers the murdered a WorthyOpponent may give their [[TheRival rival]] this treatment; worth noting is that the murdered can [[LawfulEvil usually]] extract a [[LastRequest deathbed promise]] from their killer. Another regretful murderer is the AntiHero, AntiVillain, or outright villain who has [[KickTheMoralityPet kicked the morality pet]] or killed their LoveInterest who will cradle their victim as the HeelRealization kicks in. If the cradling happens before the victim is completely dead, they may be forming a DyingTruce.

[[caption-width-right:299:[[PartlyCloudyWithAChanceOfDeath The rain]] [[HitmanWithAHeart can't wash away]] [[SplashOfColor all that red]].]]

* Defied in Franchise/FateSeries entries ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' and ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha''. At the end of [[Myth/ArthurianLegend the Battle of Camlann]], after Arturia/Saber strikes down Saber of Red/Mordred, Mordred uses her dying breath to ask her [[ItMakesSenseInContext "father"]] to [[FinalFirstHug hug]] her. Arturia refuses, although this was because Arturia believed [[ToughLeaderFacade showing emotion was unbecoming of a proper king]] and likely feeling too guilty to embrace her own "son" that she just killed (given that in ''Literature/FateZero'', Arturia doesn't say anything while Berserker/Lancelot apologizes to her after she is forced to kill him because she didn't want to make him feel any worse) rather than Arturia hating Mordred.

* ''Film/PromNight1980'': At the end of the film, [[spoiler:Kim strikes down the killer and realizes to her horror that it's her brother Alex. She catches Alex as he collapses, revealing that his victims killed their sister Robin years ago.]]

* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': A brief shot near the end of episode 7 shows Louis holding Lestat's body and screaming, after Louis himself slashes his throat.

* Defied in Franchise/FateSeries entries ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' and ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha''. At the end of [[Myth/ArthurianLegend the Battle of Camlann]], after Arturia/Saber strikes down Saber of Red/Mordred, Mordred uses her dying breath to ask her [[ItMakesSenseInContext "father"]] to [[FinalFirstHug hug]] her. Arturia refuses, although this was because [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask Arturia believed showing emotion was unbecoming of a proper king]] and likely feeling too guilty to embrace her own "son" that she just killed (given that in ''Literature/FateZero'', Arturia doesn't say anything while Berserker/Lancelot apologizes to her after she is forced to kill him because she didn't want to make him feel any worse) rather than Arturia hating Mordred.

* Downplayed in ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman''; [[Characters/SupermanJimmyOlsen Jimmy Olsen]] cradles Superman after being forced to fight him because he was exposed to black Kryptonite. Superman is beaten, maybe unconscious, nothing more.
* The ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' story "Two Of A Kind" features a reformed Two-face planning to get married. However, he ends up having an affair with his fiance's twin sister, who [[MurderTheHypotenuse murders her sister when he tries to end the affair]]. After killing her in revenge, Two-face holds her body in his arms and waits for Batman to come and take him back to the asylum.

* At the end of ''ComicBook/InnocenceLost'', ComicBook/{{X 23}} cradles Sarah Kinney in her arms as the latter dies. And oh yeah, Sarah was Laura's ''mother'', and she was forced to kill her via the trigger scent just as they were escaping the installation where Laura was bred, trained and tortured for thirteen years.
* Downplayed with the ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' villain, The Queen. During her first fight with Spider-Man, she easily defeats the hero with her [[MakeMeWannaShout sonic scream]] while standing directly next to him, eventually causing him to black out from the pain. As he collapsed though, The Queen caught him in a hug, due to him having impressed her during their fight, and comforts him by telling him not to find shame in his defeat before [[ForcefulKiss forcing a kiss on him]].

[[quoteright:300:[[Film/SinCity https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cradling_your_kill.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[PartlyCloudyWithAChanceOfDeath The rain]] [[HitmanWithAHeart can't wash away]] [[SplashOfColor all that red]].]]

[[quoteright:330:[[Film/SinCity https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DamnationInTheRain_2876.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:330:[[PartlyCloudyWithAChanceOfDeath The rain]] [[HitmanWithAHeart can't wash away]] [[SplashOfColor all that red]].]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/ErrantStory'' has a good example, as Sarine [[http://www.errantstory.com/2009-06-12/4169 does this]] [[http://www.errantstory.com/2009-06-17/4218 at length]] with the remains of her oldest friend Sarna, whom she has just killed in a fight (not exactly a [[DueltotheDeath Duel to the Death]], but close enough) she really, ''really'' didn't want to have.

* Happens on many [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Bugs Bunny]] cartoons. Elmer (or whomever is hunting Bugs at the time, but mostly Elmer) thinks he's killed Bugs and cradles him as he "dies" - only for Bugs to get the best of him now that his guard is down. "WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc" in particular is a good example.

* ''Film/TheProfessionals''. After Dolworth shoots [[ActionGirl Chiquita]], who used to be his former lover, he goes over to the dying woman to give her some water. While he's cradling her in his arms, she puts her revolver under his chin and pulls the trigger, but [[ItWorksBetterWithBullets the gun is empty]]. Neither of them take this personally, with Chiquita just saying it's not her lucky day.

* Light does this to L in ''Manga/DeathNote''.

* Depicted in Ilya Repin's painting [[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:REPIN_Ivan_Terrible%26Ivan.jpg "Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan"]].