History Main / ImmortalsFearDeath

* ''Literature/TressOfTheEmeraldSea'': The villain might be a [[TheDreaded globally dreaded]], [[TheAgeless ageless]] SorcerousOverlord with horrifically powerful WrongContextMagic, and an ocean's worth of personal defenses, but she got that way by not risking her own neck. [[spoiler:When she's confronted by people who ''might'' be able to hurt her in a fight, she [[KnowWhenToFoldEm gives up and leaves the planet]].]]

* ''Literature/TressOfTheEmeraldSea'': The villain might be a [[TheDreaded globally dreaded]], [[TheAgeless ageless]] SorceressOverlord with horrifically powerful WrongContextMagic, and an ocean's worth of personal defenses, but she got that way by not risking her own neck. [[spoiler:When she's confronted by people who ''might'' be able to hurt her in a fight, she [[KnowWhenToFoldEm gives up and leaves the planet]].]]

*** The "[[BrownNote Dragonrend]]" [[LanguageOfMagic Thu'um]] [[MakeMeWannaShout Shout]] (Joor Zah Frul, which translates to Mortal, Finite, Temporary), specifically exploits this trope to MindRape dragons. Dragonrend forces the concept of mortality onto a dragon's mind, and being so powerful and ancient, they grow confused and disoriented and become unable to fly or attack for a time. The Dragonborn's title as TheDreaded is "The One They Fear", because the Dragonborn is the lone mortal who can kill a dragon for good. Dragons that get dialogue tend to be obviously panicked when they realize they're fighting the Dragonborn, and even [[BigBad Alduin]] loses his composure as the Dragonborn gets the upper hand in their fight.

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Immortals have a form of ResurrectiveImmortality called "resetting", which reverts them back to a base (but still adult) version of themselves. But all their accumulated power and experiences do die with their previous self (They retain vague connections to important people in their lives, but they don't know who or what they were to them, other than "important"). Pandora was terrified of this, because it meant [[spoiler: she'd forget her husband, a mortal knight killed by bandits, and their son, for whom she vowed to make the world a better place.]]

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': The homunculi have been alive for centuries and they show fear once near death. The most notable ones are Envy and Pride, who spend their final moments screaming while begging for their lives. The first homunculus and father to all the others is primarily motivated by a desire to escape this fear through the accumulation of power. Subverted by Van Hohenheim who upon death wishes he had more time with his loved ones, but ultimately concedes that forming families and building up others is a far more worthwhile pursuit than individual immortality.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': [[Characters/AmphibiaTheCore The Core]] uploaded themselves into a mechanical MindHive in order to avoid death, and have spent a thousand years hiding in the royal castle in Newtopia to preserve themselves until the Box returned.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' finale "[[Recap/GravityFallsS2E20WeirdmageddonPart3TakeBackTheFalls Weirdmageddon Part 3]]", [[Characters/GravityFallsBillCipher Bill Cipher]], a being who has been stated to have lived for at least a ''trillion'' years, [[VillainousBreakdown completely and utterly breaks down]] when [[spoiler:the heroes finally find a way to kill him, reduced to [[VillainsWantMercy begging for his life and offering them anything in return for letting him go]]. [[ApocalypseHow Considering the shit he pulled on them]], they don't [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu buy it]]]].

** The ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' villain Annihilus was, for the longest time, so terrified of dying that [[OmnicidalManiac he wanted to kill everything that wasn't him]] [[TheParanoiac just so nothing could kill him first]]. [[spoiler:Then his latest incarnation discovered an interesting quirk about the Negative Zone: death is immediately followed by resurrection. He quickly grew disenchanted with the endless cycle of death and resurrection and actually ''wanted'' to die.]]
** Referenced in Creator/KieronGillen's ''ComicBook/IronMan'' run. Malekith of TheFairFolk offers to briefly join forces with Tony because his life is in danger, which he outright says is a much bigger deal for ''him'' than some short-lived mortal.
** Moira [=MacTaggart=] of ''ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge'' has been revealed to be a mutant all along, one that has a combination of ResurrectiveImmortality and GroundhogDayLoop as her power. While she hates the repeating of her life from a baby to whenever she got killed, she fears true death even more. Which is why when she was depowered and infected with an artificial cancer she went to all kinds of lengths to get her current robotic body. Nightcrawler notes her fear of death and is able to threaten her into helping him in ''[[ComicBook/JudgmentDayMarvelComics Judgment Day]]''

* In ''Literature/TheSecondApocalypse'', the Inchoroi were an immortal race of aliens with {{Biotech}} so advanced it was [[MagicFromTechnology indistinguishable from magic]]. They're also AlwaysChaoticEvil sex criminals and serial killers who live in a universe that has an objective morality, which means a special place in Hell for them. So frightened are they at this prospect that they're trying seal way the Outside, the realm of the gods.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' finale "[[Recap/GravityFallsS2E20WeirdmageddonPart3TakeBackTheFalls Weirdmageddon Part 3]]", [[BigBad Bill Cipher]], a being who has been stated to have lived for at least a ''trillion'' years, [[VillainousBreakdown completely and utterly breaks down]] when [[spoiler:the heroes finally find a way to kill him, reduced to [[VillainsWantMercy begging for his life and offering them anything in return for letting him go]]. [[ApocalypseHow Considering the shit he pulled on them]], they don't [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu buy it]]]].
* An interesting variation in ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': At first [[spoiler:[[GooGooGodlike The Collector]]]] acts completely nonchalant about others showing worry that he might kill them in his "games", claiming that "Toys break all the time, you just repair them". But later, when [[spoiler: Luz performs an HeroicSacrifice to shield him from Belos' attack]], he tries to bring her back with a snap of his fingers, to no effect. At this point it dawns of him what dying actually means and he becomes completely terrified at the idea that any of his other friends could be killed.
* In ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', [[MadeOfEvil Aku]] is an [[TheAgeless ageless part of an ancient evil]] that was destroyed by the gods. Normally indestructible, Aku's only weaknesses are [[HolyBurnsEvil divine items]], which include Jack's sword. Naturally, he goes to great lengths to avoid being on the wrong end of the sword, preferring to send out various mooks to deal with Jack rather than confront him personally. [[spoiler:After 50 years in the future, Jack finally succeeds in returning to the past. Future Aku's reaction is [[OhCrap absolute horror]], knowing he's about to [[RetGone cease to exist]] and there's nothing he can do about it. Past Aku spends the last few minutes of his existence running for his life from the 50 years stronger and more experienced Jack, a look of terror on his face.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'': Back when [[LadyOfWar Moon]] first became Queen of Mewni, an army led by Toffee was trying to conquer the Kingdom and they took victory for granted because [[HealingFactor they can regrow any body parts they lose]]. Moon learns [[DarkMagic a spell]] from [[AmbiguouslyEvil Eclipsa]] that can kill members of their species; though she fails to kill Toffee, she permanently blasts off one his fingers, which scares the army enough to disband and Toffee enough that he spends the next few decades on a quest to destroy magic.

* ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'': while Puss is not fully immortal, due to [[CatsHaveNineLives having 9 lives]], he had never contemplated his mortality and acquired a reputation for "[[ArcWords laughing in the face of death]]". When Puss realizes that he has foolishly wasted 8 lives already and is confronted by a mysterious [[SavageWolf lupine]] BountyHunter [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter who has his number in combat]], Puss becomes [[{{Pun}} deathly]] terrified as he realizes that the Reaper is getting too close for comfort - [[spoiler:'''literally''', since the wolf is actually [[TheGrimReaper Death itself]], having finally grown sick and tired of his shenanigans]].

* ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'': while Puss is not fully immortal, due to having 9 lives, he had never contemplated his mortality and acquired a reputation for "[[ArcWords laughing in the face of death]]". When Puss realizes that he has foolishly wasted 8 lives already and is confronted by a mysterious [[SavageWolf lupine]] BountyHunter [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter who has his number in combat]], Puss becomes [[{{Pun}} deathly]] terrified as he realizes that the Reaper is getting too close for comfort - [[spoiler:'''literally''', since the wolf is actually [[TheGrimReaper Death itself]], having finally grown sick and tired of his shenanigans]].

* Implied with [[spoiler:Davey Jones]] in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd''. After giving his catchphrase "Do you fear death?", Jack retorts "Do ''you''?" [[spoiler:when he's about to stab his heart]].

* In ''Literature/TheSecondApocalypse'', the Inchoroi are an immortal race of alien scientist-sorcerers. They're also AlwaysChaoticEvil sex criminals and serial killers who live in a universe that has an objective morality, which means a special place in Hell for them. So frightened are they at this prospect that they're trying to remake the cosmos.

** Moira [=MacTaggart=] of ''ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge'' has been revealed to be a mutant all along, one that has a combination of ResurrectiveImmortality and GroundhogDayLoop as her power. While she hates the repeating of her life from a baby to whenever she got killed, she fears true death even more. Which is why when she was depowered, her deal with Orchis was to grant her a new immortal robot body. Nightcrawler notes her fear of death and is able to threaten her into helping him in ''[[ComicBook/JudgmentDayMarvelComics Judgment Day]]''