History Main / InspirationalMartyr

* ''Film/TheAvengers2012'': [[spoiler:S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson]]'s murder by Loki moves the superheroes to finally come together as a team, as well as giving [[ItsPersonal new meaning]] to their codename.

It isn't a requirement to die, although the term "living witness" may be used instead of Martyr, in that case. Many times, the martyr's enemies will give them one last chance to refute their belief, just before killing them. If the martyr dies reasserting their belief, the crowd is often inspired by their death. If the martyr does refute their belief, the crowd's inspiration may be destroyed (which is why the enemy is trying this at all). If the crowd loses their inspiration, this is a subverted trope. If the crowd hears the martyr disown their beliefs, and ''still'' remains inspired by their example, it's a DoubleSubversion.

** Ironically, Amon himself could've been one after he was defeated by Korra and knocked into the bay, if not for over-the-top use of his hidden bending.

* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' has to go over the top every time, and this is no exception. Kamina, DecoyProtagonist of the series, dies as his team is attempting to capture the Dai-Gurran. The morale is crushed, so WordOfGod is that he came BackFromTheDead to inspire his team to continue fighting. His dream of all children being able to look up without fear is the dream that drives everyone to save humanity. After his death, flashbacks and DeadPersonConversation allow him to remain an inspiration to his team.

* By the time of the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series, humans have grown tired of the seemingly endless RobotWar that ravaged their world, that most of them wanted nothing more to do with Reploids anymore. However, it was Zero's actions (most especially his HeroicSacrifice, saving a human colony from a ColonyDrop) that opened the way for the humans to accept Reploids again, and culminated in a peaceful era that lasted at least a century.

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* Defied by Amon ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' as he knew that debending the Avatar too soon before his following had grown strong enough would rally every bender in the world against him.

A martyr (from Greek word ''mártys'', "witness") is a person who is suffering (or has suffered) persecution for their beliefs, and has inspired other people through their behaviour. The most frequent assumption in popular culture, is that the martyr has died because of their belief in their cause.

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** In the ''Literature/LegendsOfDune'' prequels by Brian Herbert, the death of Serena Butler's infant son at the manipulators of the robot Erasmus set off the Butlerian Jihad. Later Serena was set up to become a martyr herself by the Jihad's leaders.

-->'''Andy Wachowski:''' ...at this point, it's Martyr time. Now that may work in a movie, but in a video game, the Jesus thing is, well...
-->'''Larry Wachowski:''' Lame.
-->'''Andy Wachowski:''' ''Really'' lame.

** A variation: Living Saints are Sisters of Battle who are martyred by the various enemies of the Imperium, their images and backstories used to boost morale. Unlike most examples, they ''come back''- as glowing-eyed, angel-winged incarnations of His wrath with six-foot flaming broadswords.

* ''Franchise/TheMatrix: Path of Neo'' {{avert|edTrope}}s this trope by diverting from the movie's events in favor of a more action-packed finale.

* ''OnePiece'':

* AmazingGraceAndChuck: The film's villain [[spoiler:has Amazing killed in a plane crash]], but rather than intimidating them into ending their anti-nuclear movement as he'd hoped, it instead inspires them to kick it up a notch with a protest of ''silence'' that spreads among children across the globe.

** Ironically, Amon himself could've been one after he was defeated by Korra and knocked into the bay, if not for over the top use of his hidden bending.

* ''''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': A young boy was found in the Empire believed to be the reincarnation of Sigmar, TheEmpire's deified founder. As the boy was brought to the capital, where it was believed the current Emperor Karl Franz would step down from the throne, he was found murdered with a Skaven dagger.

Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease - the term has been linked to politics these days and we know what that entails.

*** The ''Dune/Encyclopedia'' offers a differing, though similar, explanation of a forced abortion of Jehanne Butler's unborn daughter Sarah, which would have bore the Kwisatz Haderach. It is at that point that some humans feel that the machines have too much control. The Jihad in this instance wasn't a RobotWar but a religious movement against the use of machines.

Compare AsLongAsThereIsOneMan and YouCannotKillAnIdea (both are about how the cause shall stay living), MartyrdomCulture (a culture that encourages meaningful deaths), FailureGambit (the martyr may use one of those to invoke this trope), DoomedMoralVictor (which doesn't necessarily move people to the cause), ThanatosGambit and MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning (who intentionally dies to further a plan, but not necessarily involving a cause). Compare also TheParagon whose goal is the same (being an inspiration for people), but doesn't involve suffering (at least, not as much as this trope).

Be wary of people who understand well the symbolism and effect of this trope - for those people, see DontCreateAMartyr.

* ''ThreeHundredRiseOfAnEmpire'': Leonidas' heroic death at the Battle of Thermophylae in the first movie is exploited by Themistocles to try to unite Greece against Persia.
* In the StarWarsExpandedUniverse the destruction of Alderaan was followed by an upwelling of support for the Rebellion.

* ''''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': A young boy was found in the Empire believed to be the reincarnation of Sigmar, TheEmpire's deified founder. As the boy was brought to the capital, where it was believed the current Emperor Karl Franz would step down from the throne, he was found murdered with a [[RatMan Skaven]] dagger.

* In [[FanFic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed Equestria: A History Revealed]], it is hinted that the rebellious General Thunderhide may have purposefully set up his own death to seem suspicious to ensure his martyrdom, and to strengthen his legacy of the growing pegasi nationalism movement.

* "The Martyr" is one of the three predefined world templates in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', which you can select if you don't [[OldSaveBonus import]] a ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' save: it depicts the Warden (PlayerCharacter of ''DAO'') as a young, idealistic Dalish Elf girl who fought for justice and ultimately gave her life to defeat the Archdemon (Dalish Elves being pretty much the most downtrodden minority in Thedas). It has since been confirmed to be the default canon for ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' (if you don't import a save), which features a Dalish elf uprising as a major conflict.

* ''Warhammer40K'' has a variation: Living Saints are Sisters of Battle who are martyred by the various enemies of the Imperium, their images and backstories used to boost morale. Unlike most examples, they ''come back''- as glowing-eyed, angel-winged incarnations of His wrath with six-foot flaming broadswords.

* {{Warhammer}}: A young boy was found in the Empire believed to be the reincarnation of Sigmar, TheEmpire's deified founder. As the boy was brought to the capital, where it was believed the current Emperor Karl Franz would step down from the throne, he was found murdered with a [[RatMan Skaven]] dagger.

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* Joan of Arc ''VideoGame/AgeofEmpiresII'' in her campaign, she is captured and burned by the English. Despite her death the French continued their war in memory of Joan, they soon won the war in the end.

* In the ''Literature/LegendsOfDune'' prequels by Brian Herbert, the death of Serena Butler's infant son at the manipulators of the robot Erasmus set off the Butlerian Jihad. Later Serena was set up to become a martyr herself by the Jihad's leaders.