History Main / LooksWorthKillingFor

A SuperTrope of VainSorceress and BloodBath. SisterTrope to ImmortalityImmorality.

** Inverted by Lucius the Eternal of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'''s Emperor's Children. He used to be the [[PrettyBoy most beautifyl]] of them all, but after two fights broke his nose and scarred him, he started scarring his own face before every battle, and these days [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/File:Luciusart.jpg is absolutely hideous]]. He also slowly reincarnates into whoever killed him.

* Creator/JunjiIto's horror manga, "Flesh-colored Horror", has Chikara's mother and her macabre sense of beauty that she tries to inflict on her son. Her husband, now deceased, created a serum that causes the flesh to cleanly separate from the muscle and she becomes obsessed with this "perfect" new aesthetic. She tricks her sister into using the serum and then demands they treat Chikara as well. While his aunt sabotaged the formula to protect him, he's still regularly subjected to the grueling treatment process, turning the boy into a sullen, violent, diseased-looking wreck. The removable skin must be treated with brine to stay fresh and it must be worn like a jumpsuit to prevent damage to the muscle.
* In the ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' 2003 anime, BigBad [[spoiler:Dante]] personifies this trope, willing to sacrifice thousands of people's souls just to stay young and good-looking for a few more years. On top of that, she uses {{body surf}}ing to take other women's bodies when [[spoiler:her currently possessed bodies fall apart]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'', Mother Gothel psychologically abuses Rapunzel so she will stay voluntarily in the tower, then becomes a KnifeNut when she escapes--all because she needs the magic in Rapunzel's hair to stay eternally youthful.

** Inverted by Lucius the Eternal of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'''s Emperor's Children. He used to be the most {{bishonen}} of them all, but after two fights broke his nose and scarred him, he started scarring his own face before every battle, and these days [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/File:Luciusart.jpg is absolutely hideous]]. He also slowly reincarnates into whoever killed him.

* The Dark Eldar of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' have resorted to drinking the souls of their victims (Whom they usually torture to death for their own pleasure) in order to preserve their youth and, in effect, prolong their lifespans to avoid feeding Slaanesh.
** Inverted by Lucius the Eternal of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'''s Emperor's Children. He used to be the most {{bishonen}} of them all, but after two fights broke his nose and scarred him, he started scarring his own face before every battle, and these days [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/File:Luciusart.jpg is absolutely hideous]].

* The book ''Literature/{{Fairest}}'' is basically all about this trope. Ivi, the new queen of Ayortha, basically blackmails the main character Aza into being her singing voice (as a beautiful singing voice is one of the most important things to Ayorthaians). And if her ''physical'' beauty is threatened in any way, you'd better watch out....

-->--'''Yzma, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=374xW4zZbZA Snuff Out the Light,]]''' ''[[Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove Kingdom of the Sun]]''

* In ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'', Mother Gothel psychologically abuses Rapunzel so she will stay voluntarily in the tower, then becomes a KnifeNut when she escapes--all because she needs the magic in Rapunzel's hair to stay eternally youthful.
* As shown by the page quote, Yzma from ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' originally acted like this before her role was retooled, committing "murder, treachery, and lying" in order to find a potion that would give her eternal youth. She even wants to ''block out the sun'' in revenge for how it shriveled her skin and aged her.

-->--'''Yzma, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=374xW4zZbZA Snuff Out the Light]]''', ''[[Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove Kingdom of the Sun]]''

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E12TheRoyale The Royale]]", fictional gangster Mickey D namechecks the trope after killing a lovestruck bellboy.
-->'''Mickey D:''' You shoulda listened to me, kid. No woman's worth dying for. Killing for. Not dying for.

* In the ''Series/TwilightZone'' episode "Queen of the Nile", Pamela uses a scarab to suck the life force out of men and transfer it to herself to maintain eternal beauty.

->''"I've really stopped at nothing,
->Murder, treachery and lying.
->Whatever it takes to keep my looks--
-->You really can't blame a girl for trying."''

----

* JunjiIto's horror manga, "Flesh-colored Horror", has Chikara's mother and her macabre sense of beauty that she tries to inflict on her son. Her husband, now deceased, created a serum that causes the flesh to cleanly separate from the muscle and she becomes obsessed with this "perfect" new aesthetic. She tricks her sister into using the serum and then demands they treat Chikara as well. While his aunt sabotaged the formula to protect him, he's still regularly subjected to the grueling treatment process, turning the boy into a sullen, violent, diseased-looking wreck. The removable skin must be treated with brine to stay fresh and it must be worn like a jumpsuit to prevent damage to the muscle.

* JunjiIto's horror manga, "Flesh-colored Horror", has Chikara's mother and her macabre sense of beauty that she tries to inflict on her son. Her husband, now deceased, created a serum that causes the flesh to cleanly separate from the muscle and she becomes obssessed with this "perfect" new aesthetic. She tricks her sister into using the serum and then demands they treat Chikara as well. While his aunt sabotaged the formula to protect him, he's still regularly subjected to the grueling treatment process, turning the boy into a sullen, violent, diseased-looking wreck. The removable skin must be treated with brine to stay fresh and it must be worn like a jumpsuit to prevent damage to the muscle.
* In the ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' 2003 anime, BigBad [[spoiler:Dante]] personifies this trope, willing to sacrfice thousands of people's souls just to stay young and good-looking for a few more years. On top of that, she uses {{body surf}}ing to take other women's bodies when [[spoiler:her currently possessed bodies fall apart]].

* For a while in the late 1990s, ''ComicBook/{{Spider-Man}}'' villain the Vulture used advanced technology to steal the youth and vitality of others in order to restore and maintain his own.

* This is the motivation that drives the plot in DeathBecomesHer.

* In the ''TwilightZone'' episode "Queen of the Nile", Pamela uses a scarab to suck the life force out of men and transfer it to herself to maintain eternal beauty.
* In the ''{{Smallville}}'' episode ''Redux'', the heroes discover that Chrissy Parker has been draining the life force from her victims in order to stay young, and has been doing so for 80 years.
* An episode of ''{{CSI}}'' featured a sufferer of a rare disease who ate other people's organs so she wouldn't be disfigured by it (it's left ambiguous as to whether it makes any difference). It's made clear she was using it to preserve her looks rather than her health to avoid making her UnintentionallySympathetic.

* The Dark Eldar of ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' have resorted to drinking the souls of their victims (Whom they usually torture to death for their own pleasure) in order to preserve their youth and, in effect, prolong their lifespans to avoid feeding Slaanesh.
** Inverted by Lucius the Eternal of ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'''s Emperor's Children. He used to be the most {{bishonen}} of them all, but after two fights broke his nose and scarred him, he started scarring his own face before every battle, and these days [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/File:Luciusart.jpg is absolutely hideous]].

* The ''TwistedMetal'' reboot's version of Dollface will kill anyone she fears might be considered a more beautiful model than her. She even killed a doctor who fixed her face after an accident...because he left a minor, tiny and superficial scar.

* In ''DannyPhantom'', Penelope Spectra is a ghost who becomes Amity Park High's school counselor and purposely lowers the students' self-confidence, then uses their negativity to keep herself beautiful.
----

* In ''{{Tangled}}'', Mother Gothel psychologically abuses Rapunzel so she will stay voluntarily in the tower, then becomes a KnifeNut when she escapes--all because she needs the magic in Rapunzel's hair to stay eternally youthful.

-->--'''Yzma, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=374xW4zZbZA Snuff Out the Light]]''', ''[[{{TheEmperorsNewGroove}} Kingdom of the Sun]]''

* As shown by the page quote, Yzma from ''TheEmperorsNewGroove'' originally acted like this before her role was retooled, committing "murder, treachery, and lying" in order to find a potion that would give her eternal youth. She even wants to ''block out the sun'' in revenge for how it shriveled her skin and aged her.

* The book ''{{Fairest}}'' is basically all about this trope. Ivi, the new queen of Ayortha, basically blackmails the main character Aza into being her singing voice (as a beautiful singing voice is one of the most important things to Ayorthaians). And if her ''physical'' beauty is threatened in any way, you'd better watch out....

* The book ''Fairest'' is basically all about this trope. Ivi, the new queen of Ayortha, basically blackmails the main character Aza into being her singing voice (as a beautiful singing voice is one of the most important things to Ayorthaians). And if her ''physical'' beauty is threatened in any way, you'd better watch out....

[[AC:Real Life]]
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bathory Countess Elizabeth Bathory]] is alleged to have bathed in virgin's blood in the belief that it would keep her looking young.

* Reaver in ''FableII'' has made a DealWithTheDevil with The Shadow Court, rendering him immortal and perpetually young in exchange for him providing them with {{Human Sacrifice}}s.

* For a while in the late 1990s, ''ComicBook/{{Spider-Man}}'' villain The Vulture used advanced technology to steal the youth and vitality of others in order to maintain his own.

* ''ComicBook/{{Spider-Man}}'' villain The Vulture uses advanced technology to steal the youth and vitality of others in order to maintain his own.

* In ''{{Flare}}'', the Tigress claims to have done this periodically over thousands of years. Her latest victim is [[http://heroicmultiverse.com/flareonline/?id=171 prison psychiatrist Katherine Kaat]].

->''"I've really stopped at nothing,\\
Murder, treachery and lying.\\
Whatever it takes to keep my looks-\\
You really can't blame a girl for trying."''

* JunjiIto's horror manga, "Flesh-colored Horror" has Chikara's mother and her macabre sense of beauty that she tries to inflict on her son. Her late husband created a serum that causes the flesh to cleanly separate from the muscle and she becomes obssessed with this "perfect" new aesthetic. She tricks her sister into using the serum and then demands they treat Chikara as well. While his aunt sabotaged the formula to protect him, he's still regularly subjected to the grueling treatment process, turning the boy into a sullen, violent, diseased-looking wreck. The removable skin must be treated with brine to stay fresh and it must be worn like a jumpsuit to prevent damage to the muscle.
* In the ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' 2003 Anime, BigBad [[spoiler:Dante]] personifies this trope, willing to sacrfice thousands of peoples' souls just to stay young and good-looking for a few more years. On top of that, she uses [[BodySurf body surfing]] to take other women's bodies when [[spoiler: her currently possessed bodies fall apart.]]

[[AC: ComicBooks]]
* ''{{Spiderman}}'' villain The Vulture uses advanced technology to steal the youth and vitality of others in order to maintain his own.

[[AC: Film]]
* In ''{{Tangled}}'', Mother Gothel psychologically abuses Rapunzel so she will stay voluntarily in the tower, then becomes a KnifeNut when she escapes- all because she needs the magic in Rapunzel's hair to stay eternally youthful.

* The book ''Fairest'' is basically all about this trope. Ivi, the new queen of Ayortha, basically blackmails the main character Aza into being her singing voice (as a beautiful singing voice is one of the most important things to Ayorthaians). And if her ''physical'' beauty is threatened in any way, you'd better watch the fuck out....

* In the ''{{Smallville}}'' episode ''Redux'' they discover that Chrissy Parker has been draining the life force from her victims in order to stay young and has been doing so for eighty years.

* The TwistedMetal reboot's version of Dollface will kill anyone she fears might be considered a more beautiful model than her. She even killed a doctor who fixed her face after an accident...because he left a minor, tiny and superficial scar.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bathory Countess Elizabeth Bathory]] is alleged to have bathed in virgin's blood in the belief it would keep her looking young.