History Main / JoinOrDie

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': Samantha the bandit soceress tries to recuit Miko as a minion suing this method. Miko declines and kills Samantha instead.

--> [[PrecisionFStrike Go fuck yourself, Lucius.]]

* In ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'', [[ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes Mordru]] is putting together an army to destroy the Legion of Super-Heroes. He gives his prospect recruits one choice: follow him or die right away.

* A similar situation occurs in ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeContinentalDrift'':

* One villain does this to another villain in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie''. Unicron summons the dying Megatron while he's adrift in space and orders him to destroy the Matrix of Leadership for him. In return, Unicron offered to provide Megatron with a new body and new troops to command. Megatron then demanded ''more'' and defiantly denied that he belonged to Unicron now. Unicron then made it clear that if Megatron wouldn't serve him he'd be Unicron's snack and prepared to devour him. Megatron quickly decided Unicron's terms were acceptable after all.

* In ''Film/IronMan'', this is how the Nine Rings recruits. They attack villages and either kill or capture the men. Then, they take their women and children to an unknown location where they're used as collateral. The men are asked to join them, with their families' lives, as well as their own, on their line if they refuse. This is TruthInTelevision for many terrorist groups and militaristic regimes.

* After witnessing a fight with a faction she is [[TheMasquerade not even supposed to know exists,]] Zemelda Cleat of ''Literature/CiaphasCain'' is WelcomedToTheMasquerade by the Inquisitor Amberley Vail as part of her entourage - something that surprises Cain, who assumed she would simply be KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade. It is ''strongly'' implied that Amberley would have executed her on the spot if she had refused, however.

* Standard operating procedure for [[Literature/HarryPotter Lord Voldemort]]. This is how he got [[spoiler:Peter Pettigrew]] to defect to his Death Eaters. And it's said in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' that he killed James and Lily Potter because they refused to join him.

* In ''[[Literature/LegacyOfTheAldenata When The Devil Dances]]'', Mike O'Neal Sr is approached by an old acquaintance from his mercenary days, and offered a position in a shadowy KnightTemplar organization with access to Galactic technology. The acquaintance was about to kill O'Neal if he declined the offer for [[HeKnowsTooMuch knowing too much]] about the organization, until Mike was rescued [[spoiler:by his grand daughter]], the acquaintance's brains being [[BoomHeadshot ballistically scattered]] around the room.

* In ''Literature/ChristianNation'', the [=POWs=] that survived the CivilWar are given the option to become a believer in Christ and be part of the new American theocratic society within three years or die.

* ''Fanfic/CodePrime'': During his NewEraSpeech to the people of Earth in Chapter 35 of ''R1'', following his announcement of [[spoiler: [[EvilerThanThou the Decepticons' conquest of Britannia]]]], Megatron tells humanity to either surrender to him or be destroyed.

** "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderReturnToOmashu Return to Omashu]]": Azula invites Ty Lee to join her on her quest, and at first pretends to accept Ty Lee's refusal but says that she'll stick around the acrobatic performance. During the show, Azula demands the ringleader make the performance as dangerous and intimidating for Ty Lee as possible (first by setting the safety net on fire, and then releasing dangerous animals into the ring). Afterward, Azula tells Ty Lee that [[ImpliedDeathThreat she can't wait to see how she'll top herself the next night]]. Ty Lee then tells Azula she got the message "the universe" was sending her and joins Azula's team.

* On the ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'', [[Characters/DreamSMPDream Dream]] has this ultimatum for L'Manburg -- either cease fighting for independence or he'll utterly thrash them. They refuse as expected, Dream does exactly what he promised to.

* In ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', Gemini tries to force Ron Stoppable to join his terrorist organization of WEE by threatening him with a laser.
* In "Lucky Luke and the Ballad of the Daltons", the Dalton Brothers learned their Uncle Henry willed them his whole money [[OnOneCondition if they]] kill the jurors and the judge who sentenced him to death by hanging and ComicBook/LuckyLuke provides testimony confirming they did it. When they approached Lucky about it, Joe Dalton offered the following deal: if he agrees, they'll give him a share of the money; if he refuses, they'll kill him. (Actually, they intended to kill him once the YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness kicked in).
* In Book Four of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', this is [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraKuvira Kuvira's]] method of restoring the Earth Kingdom to order, though she doesn't threaten - technically - to do the actual killing. With bandits rampaging across the countryside and her military the only cohesive force large enough to provide much-needed protection and aid, governors are left with the choice of accepting her authority or watching their state utterly collapse. She also [[ChainedToARailway cuffs a group of captured bandits to a maglev railway]] and provides them with a "choice": either they pledge their allegiance to her, or she'll leave them for the next train.
* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. The Japanese commercial for "Mr. Sparkle" dishwashing powder has the eponymous mascot declare to a bunch of attractive models, "Join me or die! Can you do any less?" [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext He then uses his magic to turn them into sumo wrestlers, followed by making a two-headed cow crumble like shattered glass.]]

* Near the end of Season 2 of ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts'', Scarlemagne gives the Mutes from all corners of Las Vistas one of two choices: either join him in complete and utter fealty or be made into gold statues.