History Main / HeroKiller

** [[BigBad Megatron]] has a number of Autobot deaths under his belt back on Cybertron, two of the most prominent being Alpha Trion, one of the original Primes, and Sentinel Zeta Prime, the Autobot leader before Optimus. [[spoiler:During the final battle he manages to kill Lelouch, but he's resurrected moments later thanks to the Primes and Marianne.]]

** The Angelus kills [[spoiler:Jenny Calendar]], and his actions indirectly lead to the death of [[spoiler:regular Angel.]]

** Caleb. A fanatical, woman-hating defrocked preacher serving as The First Evil's right hand man. In his debut, a trap he laid for Buffy's friends at the Shadow Valley Vineyard in Season 7's "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E18DirtyGirls Dirty Girls]]", his rampage ends up killing two Potential Slayers -- Molly and an unnamed Potential. He also knocks out Buffy with one punch, overpowers Faith and Spike easily, breaks Rona's arm, and most infamously, gouges out Xander's eye with only his thumb, maiming one of the Scooby Gang's core members. It would take the combined efforts of both Buffy AND Angel to defeat him in later episodes.

** Even ''Harmony'' has one to her credit, killing Soledad. (Of course, it was [[LeeroyJenkins mostly Soledad's fault]], but the act ''did'' make Harmony a legit threat for quite a while, as it caused the a lot of negative PR for Buffy's group.)

** Ramsay Snow/Bolton outdoes his already terrifying book version, starting off by doing ''much'' worse to Theon Greyjoy than just killing him. He then nearly gets Theon's ActionGirl sister in Season 4 (despite Ramsay being half-naked, ambushed and post-coital at the time), and personally smashes King Stannis' army in Season 5. He becomes this trope in Season 6, though, when he remorselessly kills [[spoiler:his own father, stepmother and newborn baby brother. A couple of episodes later, he easily dispatches fan favourite Osha, too. This is followed by killing Rickon Stark and Wun-Wun the giant in the Battle of the Bastards.]] His kill count of unnamed characters is through the roof, and that's not even counting his offscreen destruction of the main characters' childhood home.
** Ser Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane is the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms and is deadly, bloodthirsty, and widely feared for it by other heavy hitters. He is notorious for raping and killing Elia Martell and her children during the Sack of King’s Landing. He’s also responsible for maiming and killing Ser Beric Dondarrion though [[BackFromTheDead he got better]] thanks to Thoros of Myr and slaying Ser Hugh of the Vale in a tournament. When Elia’s brother, Oberyn, dueled him in a TrialByCombat and nearly bested him, Gregor got the advantage to bring him down [[spoiler:and crushed his head]]. However, Gregor ended up braindead by Oberyn’s poison so [[MadScientist Qyburn]] turned him into some HumanoidAbomination who became Cersei’s loyal bodyguard. In Season 8, [[spoiler:he beheads Daenerys' close adviser, Missandei, and nearly kills his own brother, Sandor, by attempting to crush his head but Sandor stabs him in the eye and pushed him off the Red Keep along with himself]].
** [[HumanoidAbomination The White Walkers]] and their army of the wights, led by [[GreaterScopeVillain the Night’s King]]. At the start of the series, they demonstrate their [[TheDreaded dreadedness]] by killing two Night’s Watch rangers and turning them into wights. Later on, they raid Hardhome and slaughter many wildings. In Season 6, they kill several Children of the Forest [[spoiler:,Bran’s direwolf Summer, and Hodor]] with the Night’s King personally killing the Three-Eyed Raven. And by the end of Season 6, winter has finally come and the army of the dead marches south, ready to take out whatever’s left of the main cast. In Season 7, the Night King delivers a OneHitKill on [[spoiler:Viserion, one of Daenerys' dragons]] and destroys the entire [[spoiler:Eastwatch castle with the use of the undead Viserion so that his army of the dead can finally match towards the Seven Kingdoms]]. In Season 8, [[spoiler:while they're finally stopped at Winterfell, they kill [[ActionSurvivor Dolorous Edd]], [[LittleMissBadass Lyanna Mormont]], [[EmpoweredBadassNormal Beric Dondarrion]] and [[KnightInShiningArmor Jorah Mormont]] before being defeated, with the Night King personally killing [[TheAtoner Theon Greyjoy]] before going down]].

* In the series ''Series/{{Primeval}}'' [[AnyoneCanDie anyone can be killed]]. In most cases this is by a predator from prehistoric times (or from the future). However, there is also Helen Cutter, who became an antagonist over the course of the series, and kills her husband Nick Cutter and is indirectly to blame for Stephen Hart's death.

** The demon Meg is an example of this trope. In Season 1 alone, she was able to come dangerously close to killing Sam, Dean, and [[spoiler: John]], kill two hunters, and captured John. Next season she killed another hunter and almost succeeded in killing Dean and Jo. She was later responsible for the deaths of [[spoiler: Ellen and Jo]]. It is also worth noting that she was the first demon to successfully defeat an angel.

** In "The End", Lucifer crushes the head of a future version of [[spoiler: Dean Winchester]]. In "Swan Song", Lucifer blows [[spoiler:Castiel]] to smithereens with the snap of his fingers, telekinetically breaks [[spoiler: Bobby]]'s neck, and [[spoiler: in order to defeat him, Sam is forced to [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu sacrifice himself by jumping in the Cage.]]]]

* ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'' has the Huntsmen, which are specifically designed to hunt down and capture Changelings. They can remain indefinitely in the mortal world without difficulty and shift into any human form they like, they can craft snares that negate a changeling's ability to escape, and uniquely among Fae creatures they do not suffer from the bane of iron and can freely use it as a weapon. While they cannot actually ''break'' the protections granted by the seasonal Bargains, they know exactly how to exploit the chinks in those protections. And finally, a Huntsman's heart is not in his breast, but hidden within the dreams of some mortal. If you actually kill him, he will be reborn within a month so long as the Heart remains undisturbed.

* Though this trope in ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' is somewhat common, it's a massive shock when it happens in ''Franchise/PowerRangers''. So far, the only real major Hero Killer is Psycho Pink from ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'', who murdered the original Lost Galaxy Pink Ranger Kendrix Morgan.

This character usually invokes TheWorfEffect and is often a grim reminder that AnyoneCanDie if the work is dark. If the work was fairly light-hearted before this guy appeared, then he's a KnightOfCerebus. He is very often the "Goliath" in a DavidVsGoliath scenario. If he's very dogged in his pursuit of heroes he overlaps with ImplacableMan. In video games, contrast ThatOneBoss, which is when it is the ''player'' and not necessarily the characters that has difficulty beating an enemy. Contrast VillainKiller, a hero who specializes in killing villains or has a reputation for doing so.

** Vladimir Makarov in the VideoGame/ModernWarfare Trilogy. Every time he is encountered in the flesh, he ends up killing or critically wounding a PlayerCharacter. His victims are [[spoiler: Allen, Harkov, Soap, and Yuri (twice!). He also indirectly killed Jackson.]]

* Every time Vladimir Makarov from ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' appears in the flesh, without exception, a PlayerCharacter either dies or gets critically wounded, usually along with other important characters as well. He [[spoiler: exceutes Allen at the end of "No Russian"]]; [[spoiler:he guns down Harkov when hijacking the President's plane]]; [[spoiler:he sets up the ambush that kills both Kamarov and Soap]]; [[spoiler:he kills Yuri at the end of the third game]]. Basically, anytime Makarov appears, it is ''bad news''. In addition, [[spoiler:though he doesn't appear when he does it, he also detonates the nuke that kills Jackson and Vasquez in "Shock And Awe" and is responsible for the attack on London that kills the Davis family at the end of "Mind the Gap".]]

* ''Series/RobinHood'' [[PlayedStraight Played straight]] with [[spoiler:Isabella]], who deals a mortal blow to [[spoiler:her brother, Guy of Gisborne, after his HeelFaceTurn]] and poisons [[spoiler:Robin himself]].

** Azazel also has killed his share of hunters, most obviously [[spoiler:Mary Winchester]] and everyone who knew her. He also killed [[spoiler: John]] twice, and has indirectly killed both Sam and Dean temporarily. In fact, since it was because of his influence that Sam got the power to [[spoiler:kill Lilith and free Lucifer]], he's also indirectly responsible for the deaths of [[spoiler:Ellen and Jo]], and the temporary deaths of Bobby and Castiel.

** In "The End", Lucifer crushes the head of a future version of [[spoiler:Dean Winchester]]. In "Swan Song", Lucifer blows [[spoiler:Castiel]] to smithereens with the snap of his fingers, telekinetically breaks [[spoiler:Bobby]]'s neck, and [[spoiler:in order to defeat him, Sam is forced to [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu sacrifice himself by jumping in the Cage.]]]]
** Dick Roman introduces himself as this in his first appearance when he and his Leviathans tear [[spoiler:Castiel]] apart from the inside out. This is temporary, but he does end up permanently killing both [[spoiler:Frank Devereaux]] and [[spoiler:Bobby Singer]]. In the Season 7 finale, [[spoiler:the explosion created by his death drags both Dean and Castiel to Purgatory.]]

** [[GiantFlyer Birdon]] from ''Series/UltramanTaro'' is infamous for having brutally stabbed Taro ''and Zoffy'' to death with his massive beak (they did get better in the end). Like Zetton, he's also usually TheDreaded in reappearances, but is given a thankful AchillesHeel in the form of his wattle's venom sacs.

* [[WesternAnimation/SodorsLegendOfTheLostTreasure Sailor John]] in the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' DarkFic ''Fanfic/SodorsLegendOfTheLostTreasureBadEnding'' succeeded in killing Thomas the Tank Engine himself. He also indirectly has Gordon’s death on his hands as well. [[note]] His murder of Thomas caused the Fat Controller to resign as he [[ItsAllMyFault blamed himself]] for [[PartingWordRegret yelling at and scolding Thomas]] before his death, and before his resignation, he punished Gordon (also stricken with guilt for his earlier treatment of Thomas) by banning him from any work that isn’t pulling goods trains or shunting - permanently. [[HatedByAll Gordon became a hated pariah among the engines]], who blamed him for Thomas’ death, and he eventually got DrivenToSuicide. [[/note]]

* Adam Smasher in ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077''. He kills Johnny Silverhand [[spoiler:(but not really as he just defeated runner and brought him in to be experimented on by Arasaka)]] and can potentially kill [[spoiler:Rogue or Saul in the final assault on Arasaka Tower]]. In ''Anime/CyberpunkEdgerunners'', [[spoiler:he kills both Rebecca and David]], and in ''TabletopGame/Cyberpunk2020'' [[spoiler:he's the one who kills Morgan Blackhand on top of Arasaka HQ.]]

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!

'''Since this is a Death Trope''', '''''SPOILERS AHEAD'''''.

* [[KnightOfCerebus Malachite]] from ''WebVideo/SuburbanKnights''. Within his first scene he violently kills a man who annoys him, and his plot to destroy all technology in world is played much more seriously than [[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic Critic's]] [[WebVideo/TGWTGYearOneBrawl feud with the]] [[WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd Nerd]] or [[WebVideo/{{Kickassia}} the reviewers' attempt to invaded Molassia]]. Orlando Belisle's subtle acting marks a sharp contrast to [[Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses TGWTG's]] usual WorldOfHam. Also, he actually ''does'' kill [[spoiler:Ma-Ti]].

* As the GrandFinale for the ''WesternAnimation/DCAnimatedMovieUniverse'', ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDarkApokolipsWar'' sees ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} and his forces kill a ''lot'' of heroes. His forces kill Franchise/{{Green Lantern}}s Hal Jordan and John Stewart, ComicBook/{{Mera}}, ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}, the ComicBook/MartianManhunter, ComicBook/{{Shazam}}, ComicBook/{{Zatanna}}, most of the Franchise/TeenTitans, ComicBook/{{Steel}}, ComicBook/{{Batwing}}, ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}, ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}, ComicBook/BlackOrchid, ComicBook/{{Etrigan}}, the ComicBook/SuicideSquad, ComicBook/LoisLane, and ComicBook/LexLuthor, and Darkseid himself kills Franchise/{{Aquaman}}, much of the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, and ComicBook/{{Robin}}. [[spoiler:Robin's death didn't stick thanks to Raven; before that, Robin himself used a Lazarus Pit in an attempted to bring ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} back, but Dick was driven insane; and Mera, ComicBook/{{Starfire}}, Hawkman, and Martian Manhunter were resurrected as ''ComicBook/TheNew52FuturesEnd''-style cyborgs along with Franchise/WonderWoman, who didn't die, but did lose an arm thanks to the Paradooms.]]

** In Volume 3, [[TheHeavy Cinder]] [[PlayingWithFire Fall]] orchestrates [[RobotGirl Penny]]'s destruction, and personally kills Amber, [[BigGood Ozpin]], and [[TheAce Pyrrha]], the latter two within minutes of one another. In Volume 8, she kills the rebuilt Penny personally, this time for good, and drops most of the heroes into the VoidBetweenWorlds. They survived, but were presumed dead by almost everyone.
** [[AxeCrazy Tyrian]] [[ScorpionsAreScary Callows]] and [[TheBrute Hazel]] [[NobleDemon Rainart]] kill almost every [[HunterOfMonsters Huntsman]] in the Kingdom of Mistral with aid from [[MoleInCharge Leonardo Lionheart]].

* In the third SeasonFinale of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', [[spoiler:Cinder orchestrates Penny's destruction through Emerald and Pyrrha, and personally kills Amber, Ozpin and Pyrrha within minutes of one another.]]

* Every time Vladimir Makarov from ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' appears in the flesh, without exception, a PlayerCharacter either dies or gets critically wounded, usually along with other important characters as well. He [[spoiler: exceutes Allen at the end of "No Russian"]]; [[spoiler:he guns down Harkov when hijacking the President's plane]]; [[spoiler:he sets up the ambush that kills both Kamarov and Soap]]; [[spoiler:he kills Yuri at the end of the third game]]. Basically, anytime Makarov appears, it is ''bad news''. [[spoiler:In addition, though he doesn't appear when he does it, he also detonates the nuke that kills Jackson and Vasquez in "Shock And Awe".]]

* The ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' has some examples. The Dreamwalker, a weapon from the Great War, has power over someone directly proportional to their magical talent, with a few exceptions. He can brutally mind-rape (in every possible sense of the expression) sorceresses and (off-screen wizards), but he can barely touch any of the muggles (who all have some tiny amount of magical power anyway, only a few people in the world are truly devoid of any magic at all).

* Syndrome and his Omnidroid from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' are sort of a Hero-Killing team; Syndrome builds the robot, lures supers to his island, and repairs and upgrades the robot whenever it is defeated, while the Omnidroid does all of the actual killing as it was programmed. [[spoiler: Syndrome does this to eliminate competing supers so that he can exploit built-in weaknesses to publicly defeat the robot and look like a hero in the eyes of the people, but the Omnidroid [[AIIsACrapshoot figures out how to defeat Syndrome and tries to kill him too.]]]]

* Wrestling/MarkHenry in his heel turn. He took out Wrestling/TheBigShow and Wrestling/{{Kane}} by breaking their legs with a steel chair and a squash, leaving them out of action for weeks and a few months respectively. He even went to the point of even giving Wrestling/RandyOrton who was [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-h.html World Heavyweight Champion]] a hard time. The result at Night Of Champions? He becomes World Heavyweight Champion!
** Before that, he had taken out the like of Wrestling/KurtAngle, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, and Wrestling/{{Batista}}.
* Wrestling/BrockLesnar: 2014 is shaping up to be the former NCAA champion's greatest year in wrestling, and it's easy to see why. The Beast ended [[Wrestling/TheUndertaker the Undertaker's]] Wrestling/WrestleMania winning streak at 21, in arguably a hard-fought victory. But the greatest moment was yet to come, as he completely dismantled and dominated Wrestling/JohnCena to win the WWE World Championship at Wrestling/SummerSlam 2014; Lesnar rarely, if ever sold any of Cena's offensive moves while crushing the now former champion with 16 consecutive suplexes. After both matches, Lesnar's manager, Wrestling/PaulHeyman, used SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome promos to put over Lesnar as a conquerer who cannot be beaten and that the fans' heroes are not only ineffective but inept in taking down the Conquerer. Following this, Lesnar rarely loses any of his matches and went several years defeating other top stars.
* Wrestling/ZackSabreJr used the 2018 New Japan Cup to establish himself as this, reaching the finals by defeating crowd favorites Wrestling/TetsuyaNaito, Wrestling/KotaIbushi and SANADA and winning the whole thing by ''making'' ''Wrestling/HiroshiTanahashi'' ''submit''.

[[caption-width-right:350:"[[Film/AvengersInfinityWar I know what it's like to lose.]] To '''feel''' so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless. It's frightening... turns the legs to jelly. But I ask you, to what end? [[YouCantFightFate Dread it, run from it... destiny arrives all the same.]] And now, it's here. Or should I say: '''[[BadassBoast I am.]]'''"]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Film/AvengersInfinityWar "I know what it's like to lose.]] To '''feel''' so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless. It's frightening... turns the legs to jelly. But I ask you, to what end? [[YouCantFightFate Dread it, run from it... destiny arrives all the same.]] And now, it's here. Or should I say: '''[[BadassBoast I am.]]'''"]]

* Implied in the novelization of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'': the book discusses the trope. Not knowing that [[ImplacableMan Neme]][[SuperPersistentPredator sis]] is the name of the monster, Jill refers to it as the "S.T.A.R.S. killer". Fittingly too, as his EstablishingCharacterMoment involves killing Brad with his bare hands, turning to you, [[ItCanThink ominously growling "STARS..."]], and proceeds to [[ImplacableMan stop at absolutely nothing to kill you too]].
** In the main series Wesker is responsible for deaths of all S.T.A.R.S members with the five exceptions of Chris, Jill, Barry, Rebecca and Brad... the last of whom is killed by aforementioned Nemesis. In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' Wesker almost kills Chris in a FlashBack making Jill do HeroicSacrifice to stop him and Sheva tries to do the same before Chris saves her.

*** Bison’s proud NumberTwo F.A.N.G killed Rashid’s female scientist friend, killed März one of the Dolla and poisoned Rashid himself.

* ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'': The Big Bad Wolf [[spoiler: who is later revealed to be a physical manifestation of Death]] pursues Puss in Boots over the course of the movie. His only goal is to kill Puss, and he does not directly interact with any other character in the movie.