History Main / DeathEqualsRedemption

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

* Precia Testarossa in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha TheMovie First''. In contrast to her TV version, who remained an EvilMatriarch when she died, this version of Precia [[FondMemoriesThatCouldHaveBeen realizes at the very end that she should have treated Fate as a second daughter instead of obsessing over the death of Alicia]].
--> '''Precia Testarossa:''' I've always been this way, haven't I? [[TearJerker I never notice things until it's too late.]]
* Souther/Thouzer in ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' acts out as a man who defies love all the time and prefers being an EvilOverlord all the time, until he's beaten out by Kenshiro and realize he'll die. In his last breaths, he recalled his love with his master Ougai, revealing his human side shortly before he dies with his crumbling Holy Cross Mausoleum.

* Kanna from ''Manga/InuYasha''. She tells Kagome through a small shard Naraku's AchillesHeel as a result of Naraku ordering her death.

* ''Franchise/XMen'':
** The early run of ''Uncanny X-Men'' had a villain called the Changeling, who did this when he realized he had six months to live. His character later became the inspiration for the character of [[WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries Morph.]]

* In ''ComicBook/{{Thorgal}}'': Ogathai. He recognizes Thorgal as his son in a brief moment of clarity after being fatally shot.
* In ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'' adventure ''Explorers on the Moon'', Wolff, the traitor of the story, finally sacrifices himself heroically to save the others. Deeply moved by his suicide note, the others consider him "a hero".

* In Part 2 of ''FanFic/ClashOfTheElements'': Smithy, who dies realizing that he managed to create a living weapon in the form of Gemini who has actually managed to overcome the desire to destroy lingering in his demonic heart and has become a force of good that he can be proud of before he finally falls into eternal slumber.

* Deconstructed and PlayedForLaughs in ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries''. Noah, the BigBad of season 3, is under the impression that sacrificing himself to save everybody from an oncoming missile makes up for all the atrocities he put Yugi and his friends through. Despite his efforts, [[ReformedButRejected everybody flat out rejects Noah]] (at first), especially considering the fact that it was ''him'' who launched the missile in the first place.

* Discussed in ''Fanfic/{{Risen}}''. Some X-Men believe Jean already redeemed herself when [[ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga she committed suicide]], but Jean herself doesn't believe her actions can ever be forgiven.

* ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox'': Rat

* Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin in the film version of ''Film/SpiderMan1'' unless you subscribe to the belief that it was just another trick, given that Peter not telling Harry the truth in order to spare his feelings like Norman asked of him ends up backfiring on him. [[spoiler: Both the death and the redemption get undone due to the events in ''Film/SpidermanNoWayHome'']].

* In ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' facing his imminent death is what gets Emperor Marcus Aurelius to reassess his life and legacy in which he fears that he, "brought the sword. Nothing more." Setting him on the trajectory of getting a suitable successor to purge the corruption that's been allowed to fester in the senate and then give power back to them and by proxy the people. However, this is also a case that dovetails into being an example of RedemptionEqualsDeath given that it is these pursuits that wind up getting him killed earlier by his son Commodus instead of the oncoming one from natural causes.

* Kenzotul of ''Literature/AnOutcastInAnotherWorld'' tries to go this route, begging Rob to kill him so that he can end his suffering and atone for the crimes he committed during The Scouring. Rob refuses to follow through, telling Kenzotul that true redemption would come from living despite the pain and working to make the world a better place.
* Erayk Dynnys, former archbishop of the ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' kingdom of Charis, rediscovered his faith while awaiting execution as a scapegoat by the [[CorruptChurch corrupt Church of God Awaiting]] in the second book, ''By Schism Rent Asunder,'' after having spent the first book a low-level SinisterMinister.
* In ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'', Jacob Marley becomes TheAtoner after death. His eternal punishment is to wander the Earth while having it hammered into him what a {{Jerkass}} he was when he was alive. The chains he wears are symbols of the kind of life he led, every link a sin he once committed (and he knows ''exactly'' which sinful act is represented by which link), but he tells Scrooge that the ''real'' pain of his existence comes from looking at all the living people who are suffering, being overwhelmed with compassion and sympathy for them, but being completely unable to do anything about their situations. Marley's afterlife is a HeelFaceDoorSlam of the cruelest variety. At least they let him help redeem Scrooge.
* Either this or RedemptionEqualsDeath in the ''Literature/PercyJackson and the Olympians'' series: Percy spends book two on distrusting Luke and basically calling him evil. It is only when Luke is already about to die that Percy trusts him enough to give him a weapon (leaving Percy defenseless) so that Luke can kill himself and take Kronos with him. Afterwards, Percy treats him like a hero instead of a villain.
** [[TearJerker "We need a shroud. A shroud for the son of Hermes."]]
** Silena's death could also count.

* When Ebenezer Rat is found in a MutualKill with a basilisk in ''Literature/TheBookOfTheDunCow'', [[TheHero Chauntecleer]] kisses and absolves him.

* A somewhat literal case with Gowron in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Jealous of Martok's popularity, he decides to take control of the Klingon fleet and squander lives in order to gain himself political glory until Worf challenges him to a duel to the death. Gowron meets this challenge head-on and dies an honourable warrior's death which Worf acknowledges by performing the [[DeathWail Klingon death roar]], meaning that Gowron will ascend to [[WarriorHeaven Sto-Vo-Kor]]. However, once the fatal blow is stuck against him, Gowron never undergoes a HeelRealization or repents his actions upon recognizing he's about to die; his last words being ''[[DefiantToTheEnd "You will not have this... day."]]''

* From ''[[Literature/TheFourGospels The Gospel of Luke]]'', we learn of the Penitent Thief, who repents just as he, along with another thief, is being crucified by the side of UsefulNotes/JesusChrist. Judging by the fact that the other Gospels mention ''both'' thieves mocking Christ, the repentance doesn't happen immediately, but at one point, when the second thief starts blaspheming, the Penitent Thief tells him that they are [[HeelRealization rightfully condemned for their crimes]] while Christ is innocent, and asks Christ to remember him in His Kingdom. He becomes the first soul to be admitted to Heaven since the fall of Adam and Eve.

* Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin in the film version of ''Film/SpiderMan1'' unless you subscribe to the belief that it was just another trick, given that Peter not telling Harry the truth in order to spare his feelings like Norman asked of him ends up backfiring on him. [[Spoiler: Both the death and the redemption get undone due to the events in ''Film/SpidermanNoWayHome'']].

* Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin in the film version of ''Film/SpiderMan1'' unless you subscribe to the belief that it was just another trick, given that Peter not telling Harry the truth in order to spare his feelings like Norman asked of him ends up backfiring on him.

* Can happen in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels, although the redemption generally happens after death, when the deceased has a chat with [[TheGrimReaper Death]]. Despite Death's CatchPhrase "There's no justice. There's just me.", this redemption does tend to avoid an IronicHell. Contrast the fate of Mr. Pin and Mr. Tulip in ''Literature/TheTruth''.

* In ''ComicBook/DarkNightsDeathMetal'', ''ComicBook/SuperboyPrime'' ends up battling the Batman Who Laughs and ultimately sacrifices himself to deal the beast a crushing blow that gives the heroes a fighting chance. The multiverse responds by resurrecting him on his Earth-Prime with his own Krypto and his villainous past erased, giving him a second chance.

* In ''{{LightNovel/Slayers}}'', Rezo the Red Priest's evil plan backfires on him and he is possessed by Shabranigdo the Dark Lord. However, in the end, Rezo's soul surpresses Shabranigdo's and gives Lina Inverse the chance to destroy him. As Rezo's soul departs to the afterlife, his voice thanks Lina.

** Liliana ''thought'' this would apply to her when she turned against Nicol Bolas during the War of the Spark, since her DealWithTheDevil would cause her to burn to death should Bolas decide so. She was therefore rather surprised [[spoiler:when Gideon takes the price of her betrayal upon himself, saving her life at the cost of his own]].

** For that matter, Kuja invokes this trope in the most poignant way, since his encroaching mortality is what drives him over the edge to try and destroy EVERYTHING, until the last second when he has been defeated and it is literally the only thing that spurs him to any degree of redemption (and possibly the only thing that ''could'' do so).

** The early run of ''Uncanny X-Men'' had a villain called the Changeling, who did this when he realized he had six months to live. His character later became the inspiration for the character of [[WesternAnimation/XMen Morph.]]

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': In other ''Zelda'' games, whenever Ganon/Ganondorf is defeated or fatally wounded, he would promise vengeance on Link and Zelda's descendants. But in ''The Wind Waker'', rather than cursing Link upon his imminent demise, Ganondorf simply smiles and weakly laughs that "The wind [is] blowing" around him. His last words refer to his speech prior to the final battle, where explains that [[FreudianExcuse his power-hungry nature]] is the result of living in the harsh Gerudo Desert and then seeing the lush lands of Hyrule, symbolized by the winds. ''[[AllThereInTheManual Hyrule Encyclopedia]]'' would later clarify that Ganondorf's death finally brought him peace, freed from his lust for the Triforce that clung to him like a curse.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': In other ''Zelda'' games, whenever Ganon/Ganondorf is defeated or fatally wounded, he would promise vengeance on Link and Zelda's descendants. But in ''The Wind Waker'', rather than cursing Link upon his imminent demise, Ganondorf simply laughs to himself and exclaims that "The wind [is] blowing" around him. His last words refer to his speech prior to the final battle, where explains that [[FreudianExcuse his power-hungry nature]] is the result of living in the harsh Gerudo Desert and then seeing the lush lands of Hyrule, symbolized by the winds. ''[[AllThereInTheManuel Hyrule Encyclopedia]]'' would later clarify that Ganondorf's death finally brought him peace, freed from his lust for the Triforce that clung to him like a curse.

In RedemptionEqualsDeath, a villain will make a HeelFaceTurn and then is killed off. In ''this'' trope, the order is flipped: the HeelFaceTurn happens ''because'' the villain knows that they are absolutely about to die. Usually, a character who undergoes Death Equals Redemption only lives long enough afterward to say something that shows they are no longer evil to the core, though some get to give a FinalSpeech, or even undergo a full-blown FreudianExcuse flashback. Essentially, while RedemptionEqualsDeath means a villain dies ''because'' they redeemed themselves, DeathEqualsRedemption makes dying in of itself the villain's redemption.

* In ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', Laertes. Once he gets poisoned, he realises how low he had gone in his quest for vengeance.

In RedemptionEqualsDeath, a villain will make a HeelFaceTurn and then is killed off. In ''this'' trope, the order is flipped: the HeelFaceTurn happens ''because'' the villain knows that he is absolutely about to die. Usually, a character who undergoes Death Equals Redemption only lives long enough afterward to say something that shows he is no longer evil to the core, though some get to give a FinalSpeech, or even undergo a full-blown FreudianExcuse flashback. Essentially, while RedemptionEqualsDeath means a villain dies ''because'' they redeemed themselves, DeathEqualsRedemption makes dying in of itself the villain's redemption.

Occasionally, the character goes through a moment of clarity just prior to death, finally noticing something he has overlooked for the whole story. Sometimes the death itself may be their redemption, if they die by sacrificing themselves. Other times the character realizes just how much being evil has lost him. And sometimes the character is trying to buy himself a way into heaven.

** Liliana ''thought'' this would apply to her when she turned against Nicol Bolas during the War of the Spark, since her DealWithTheDevil would cause her to burn to death should Bolas decide so. She was therefore rather surprised [[spoiler:when Gideon Nav takes the price of her betrayal upon himself, saving her life at the cost of his own]].

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Bontu sells out the rest of the gods of Amonkhet, which shouldn't be surprising [[AmbitionIsEvil given her nature]], and promptly gets [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves killed for it]]. Though it's worded ambiguously, it seems like her final act with her dying breath (so to speak) is to set the not-quite-dead Hazoret, whom she had just helped defeat, free from the prison trapping her that Bontu had just created so that at least ''one'' god could survive to take revenge.

Compare AlasPoorVillain and AlasPoorScrappy, in which the character is at least partially redeemed in the audience's eyes simply through the act of dying even though they stay a villain. DyingAsYourself, HeelFaceDoorSlam, and VillainsDyingGrace are all sometimes (but not always) [[SubTrope sub-tropes]]. Compare TheLastDance, which is when a character has a longer period before death.

* The original Green Goblin in the film version of ''Film/SpiderMan1''.

* ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' has [[spoiler:Black Widow, who in his previous movies discussed the "red on her ledger", performing an HeroicSuicide to be the sacrifice required to get the Soul Stone, required to restore all the life wiped out by Thanos.]]