History Main / DefectorFromParadise

!!Warning. As a possible DeathTrope, all Spoilers will be unmarked ahead.

* In ''Film/BigFish'', Edward comes across the idyllic town of Spectre, where everyone is friendly, [[DoesNotLikeShoes everyone is barefoot]] (so that they can't leave via the forest), and the culture is in eternal stasis. Edward eventually decides he can't stay here when there's so much else he wants to accomplish in life. A poet there, Norther Winslow, also leaves after he's realizing he hasn't been able to write a single decent poem since he arrived, and becomes a bank robber and then a businessman. [[spoiler:Years later, they return and use their fortune to save the town from bankruptcy]].

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* The domed city that was home to ''Axa'' by Avenell and Romero was depicted as little-work and mostly-play. Axa rebels against this, seeing her life there as nothing more than a baby factory. Most of her adventures occur outside the city, in a CrapsackWorld brimming with warlords, mutants and EverythingTryingToKillYou.

[[folder:{{Film - Live Action}}]]

* In ''Film/BigFish'', Edward comes across the idyllic town of Spectre, where everyone is friendly, [[DoesNotLikeShoes everyone is barefoot]] (so that they can't leave via the forest), and the culture is in an eternal stasis. Edward eventually decides he can't stay here when there's so much else he wants to accomplish in life. A poet there, Norther Winslow, also leaves after he's realizing he hasn't been able to write a single decent poem since he arrived, and becomes a bank robber and then a businessman. [[spoiler:Years later, they return and use their fortune to save the town from bankruptcy]].
* In ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'', we have the case of Jean-Luc Picard and Captain Kirk attempting to escape the Nexus. Kirk is reluctant to leave the Nexus at first, but soon realized that the ability to make a difference in the real world was more important to him than anything the Nexus could offer. [[spoiler:The tipping point is when he jumps a ravine with his horse, one he jumped numerous times in the real world, only to realize here that the element of danger which made it feel exciting when it was real is absent since he knows he's in the Nexus]].

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[[folder:{{Literature}}]]

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]

* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'': In "Eternity", Kahlan and Richard are trapped inside a magical land which has many immortals living happily without hunger or want. However, they break out in spite of the immortals urging the two to stay, because the world still will be destroyed otherwise.

* Tempus from ''Series/LoisAndClark'' came from an ideal future created by Superman and Lois Lane. As a sociopath Tempus found these conditions intolerable, and jumped at the chance to appropriate Creator/HGWells's time machine intending to wreak havoc in the past and undo his hated utopia.
* In ''Series/StargateSG1'', Daniel Jackson spends a season AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence. But he learns some things about the other ascended beings that makes him reject all that and go back to being human with most of his ascended knowledge erased. Some of the other Ancients also tread dangerously close to breaking [[AlienNonInterferenceClause the rules]], and at least one or two others chose mortality to help the lower beings face the threat of the Ori.

[[folder:{{Music}}]]

--> "God of ages, Lord of Time, mine is the right, right to be wrong.
--> Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs.
--> Jack rabbit mister spawn a new breed
--> of love-hungry pilgrims (no bodies to feed).
--> Show me a good man and I'll show you the door.
--> The last hymn is sung and the devil cries 'More.'"

[[folder:{{Mythology}} & {{Religion}}]]
* According to UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}}, there are enlightened figures known as Bodhisattvas who have chosen to forego entering into full Nirvana. They have taken special vows to help other sentient beings reach complete enlightenment before embracing Nirvana themselves. The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, was actually this according to Buddhist scriptures. After a reputed 49 days of meditation, at the age of 35, he attained Enlightenment and a state of supreme liberation, or Nirvana. The Buddha described Nirvana as the perfect peace of a mind that's free from ignorance, greed, hatred and other afflictive states of living. Immediately after his awakening, the Buddha debated whether or not he should teach the way to obtain Nirvana to others and eventually decided to leave the state of Nirvana to teach others the knowledge he attained.

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[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

* Remarked upon in an episode of Creator/HannaBarbera's ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'', wherein Professor Goodfellow creates a master computer that can regulate thousands of robots around the world, automating almost every human activity. He theorizes that this will spark a new Renaissance of human research and creativity. Instead, the professor is told that many citizens had resorted to [[GoneHorriblyWrong vandalism, fighting and anarchy]] because ''they had nothing else to do''. This is an [[InvertedTrope inverted case of this trope]], because of the occurrence of unrest and subsequent rebellion within a Utopian setting due to its idyllic nature instead of defection.
* Similar to the above example, ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'' had the episode "The Gripes of Wrath" where a supercomputer is accidentally inspired by Duckman's griping about crappy deodorant to take over the world and optimize it, creating a perfect utopia where the frustrating grind of everyday life is gone, and everyone is happy and fulfilled. That is, until two weeks later when said society crumbles out of nowhere, and people descend into fighting and anarchy. As Duckman points out (by complete accident in his ranting) with no jobs or chores to occupy themselves with, free time means nothing and made people even ''more'' bored and frustrated than they were before. Charles and Mambo summarizes it a bit more eloquently, explaining that it's an imperfect world that gives humans any productive drives at all.

* "The Reigning" story arc of ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'' series presents a massive version of this trope. The story arc featured a nigh-omnipotent Thor ruling over both Earth and Asgard as All-Father. His reign was characterized as having "solved all of humanity's ills", including war, disease, hunger, etc. However, the conflict of the story revolved around the idea that the "paradise" Thor had created wasn't earned by humanity and therefore wasn't real. Furthermore, Thor was also blamed for the fact that his adviser, [[PoisonousFriend Loki]], engaged in secret executions and other atrocities to silence dissension---something that Thor wouldn't have approved of if he had known about it. Almost all of Thor's old friends (Sif, Captain America, and others) formed a rebellion to reject the paradise world and take Thor down, which basically resulted in his perfect kingdom being utterly destroyed, everybody dying, and King Thor being forced to use all of his power to hit a ResetButton so that his younger self never came to rule.

What you're probably asking yourself is why would someone decide to leave such a utopian setting? Maybe [[DefectingForLove it's for a strong love of someone who is not in the same setting]]. Maybe [[NoPlaceForMeThere the ones who are leaving feel they have no place there]]. Maybe [[CrapSaccharineWorld there is a dark secret that keeps the setting so idyllic that the ones leaving just cannot tolerate]]. Or [[AllergicToRoutine maybe the setting is so sublime that it's just boring and lacks the thrills of cumbersome living]]. Who knows?

* In the TitleTrack of Music/{{Genesis}}' ''Music/ATrickOfTheTail'' album, a civilization of [[FaunsAndSatyrs satyr-like "Beasts"]] live in a utopian CityOfGold. However, one of them gets bored and leaves to explore the human realm. Once there, he's captured and imprisoned in a [[TheFreakshow freak show]], which teaches him to appreciate his world a little more. Fortunately, he escapes and is welcomed home.

-->'''Minrah:''' You are the best god ever.

** [[spoiler:Roy]] enjoys a peaceful afterlife with his family in Celestia following his untimely demise in battle. However, upon realizing that his allies have failed to resurrect him on schedule, he rushes off to search for answers rather than keep waiting in paradise.
** Much later, [[spoiler:Mirrah]] is granted the right to enter Valhalla. She chooses to go back, as he wants to help fight the Snarl instead of going to her reward right away. Although, Thor tells her nothing's preventing her from grabbing a beer in Valhalla while she waits for the Resurrection spell.
-->'''[[spoiler:Mirrah]]:''' You are the best god ever.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' [[spoiler:Roy]] enjoys a peaceful afterlife with his family in Celestia following his untimely demise in battle. However, upon realizing that his allies have failed to resurrect him on schedule, he rushes off to search for answers rather than keep waiting in paradise.

* Tempus from ''Series/LoisAndClark'' came from an ideal future created by Superman and Lois Lane. As a sociopath Tempus found these conditions intolerable, and jumped at the chance to appropriate Creator/HGWells's time machine to wreak havoc in the past and undo his hated utopia.

In comparison and contrast to a FallenAngel, the ones who leave paradise are not kicked out by some higher authority but leave of their own volition. However, if the one who becomes a Fallen Angel does so by choice then this trope still applies. Contrast EscapedFromHell.

* In ''Manga/MedakaBox'', a less broad home-based example is presented. It is eventually revealed that Medaka's older sister, [[spoiler: Naze Youka]] ran away from home at a young age because her home was too idyllic. She had wealthy supportive parents, an older brother and younger sister who loved her, and everybody was eager to help her make the most of her genius intellect. Her personal philosophy, however, boiled down to "[[MiseryBuildsCharacter Adversity Makes You Stronger]]", and the huge number of advantages she enjoyed got in the way of that. In the end, she not only abandoned wealth and privilege, she also concealed her beautiful face (to avoid preferential treatment based on looks), [[LaserGuidedAmnesia erased her own memory]] to avoid clinging to the past, and deliberately set herself up as a feared outcast in a new school. [[SelfMadeMan Only then could her genius TRULY blossom!]]

** Diana sometimes counts. She chose to leave Themyscira, an all-female utopia where women can practice a peaceful way of life and cultivate their minds, to become a worldwide superhero and diplomat in order to make the "Man's World" more like her home. However, this case is sometimes presented as an [[AvertedTrope aversion]], considering some stories present Themyscira as not being as perfect or flawless as previously believed... or present Diana still being able to visit home as she pleases.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Following Darkseid's attack, Hermes refuses to quit Earth like the other Olympians, and eventually joins Diana's (mostly mortal) supporting cast. At first it's pretty clear he's trying to have his cake and eat it too, zooming around and using his remaining powers to dazzle and bribe the PunyEarthlings into worshiping him, but he eventually undergoes some pretty brutal BreakTheHaughty moments and starts [[BroughtDownToNormal losing his powers entirely]].

* In ''Film/BigFish'', Edward comes across the idyllic town of Spectre, where everyone is friendly, [[DoesNotLikeShoes everyone is barefoot]] (so that they can't leave via the forest), and the culture is in an eternal stasis. Edward eventually decides he can't stay here when there's so much else he wants to accomplish in life. A poet there, Norther Winslow, also leaves after he's realizing he hasn't been able to write a single decent poem since he arrived, and becomes a bank robber then businessman. [[spoiler: Years later they return and use their fortune to save the town from bankruptcy.]]
* In ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'', we have the case of Jean-Luc Picard and Captain Kirk attempting to escape the Nexus. Kirk is reluctant to leave the Nexus at first, but soon realized that the ability to make a difference in the real world was more important to him than anything the Nexus could offer. [[spoiler:The tipping point is when he jumps a ravine with his horse, one he jumped numerous times in the real world, only to realize here that the element of danger which made it feel exciting when it was real is absent since he knows he's in the Nexus.]]
* In ''{{Film/Maleficent}}'', the three fairy godmothers of Aurora originally lived in the Moors, a very idyllic, beautiful place. They left to pay a visit to the human's king and accepted the job of raising Aurora in a remote house in the woods, resulting in them not being able to return to the Moors for sixteen years.

* The plot of ''Film/SoulCollector'' focuses on a soul collector, an angel who collects souls to take up to Heaven, sent to Earth to live as a human for thirty days on a Texas cattle ranch. There, he falls in love with the ranch owner, a widowed single mother, and influences the lives of her son and the ranch workers which convinces him to stay with them permanently.

* The classic Bavarian story ''Ein Münchener im Himmel'' (''A Man from UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} in Heaven'') by Ludwig Thoma has this plot: a grimy patriotic Bavarian working class guy dies from labouring too hard and ascends to heaven, only to realise that not ''only'' is it full of stuck-up Prussian snobs, and not ''only'' does God put him work for his eternal happiness, but they won't even grant him any beer. He proceeds to trick them into sending him back to Munich as a celestial messenger to the Bavarian government, from which he promptly deserts to the Hofbräuhaus for all eternity.
* The short story ''Literature/TheOnesWhoWalkAwayFromOmelas'' features the titular Ones. The Ones are people who choose to leave the perfect Utopian city of Omelas of their own free will because [[spoiler:Omelas' prosperity is PoweredByAForsakenChild]].
* Creator/SamuelJohnson's ''A History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia'' is a fictionalized account of the titular prince's despair at being kept in the Happy Valley and given everything he could ever want. [[spoiler: He eventually manages to escape his homeland and goes to Egypt]]. His dissatisfaction is best exemplified in the page's quote.

* ''Literature/TheCulture'' is a {{utopia}}, but its members generally avoid [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence subliming]] despite having the option.The civilization also has the StateSec Special Circumstances populated by those who instead of living a life of idle comfort, help protect and spread the Culture's ethos (often by [[DirtyBusiness any]] [[BewareTheNiceOnes means]] [[OmniscientMoralityLicense possible]]). Probably not coincidentally, one Culture LivingShip is called the Bodhisattva (see the Religion examples).

* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'': In "Eternity" Kahlan and Richard are trapped inside a magical land which has many immortals living happily without hunger or want. However, they break out in spite of the immortals urging the two to stay, because the world still will be destroyed otherwise.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', [[TheTrickster Puck]] had initially left Avalon because he viewed it as boring due to his thrill-seeking nature despite being a paradise for his kind. However, [[AvertedTrope his case is a bit of an aversion]] because he was visibly distraught when he was eternally banished from Avalon after hindering Oberon's plans to abduct [[HalfHumanHybrid Alexander Xanatos]] before accepting his fate.
* Remarked upon in an episode of Creator/HannaBarbera's ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'', wherein Professor Goodfellow creates a master computer that can regulate thousands of robots around the world, automating almost every human activity. He theorizes that this will spark a new Renaissance of human research and creativity. Instead, the professor is told that many citizens had resorted to [[GoneHorriblyWrong vandalism, fighting and anarchy]] because ''they had nothing else to do.'' This is an [[InvertedTrope inverted case of this trope]], because of the occurrence of unrest and subsequent rebellion within a Utopian setting due to its idyllic nature instead of defection.

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!!'''Warning. As a possible DeathTrope, all Spoilers will be unmarked ahead.'''