History Main / NoManShouldHaveThisPower

* Invoked in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse/''Franchise/HarryPotter'' crossover "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/26698570/ Strange Potter]]" regarding the Resurrection Stone; after Strange and Wong find it while searching for Voldemort's horcruxes, Strange allows himself to use it to have one last talk with the Ancient One, and then lets Harry, Sirius and their family use it to talk with James and Lily, but makes it clear that he's only doing this once and then he'll put the Stone away somewhere safe.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' has this happen in [[GuestFighter Rambo]]'s arcade ending. After defeating Kronika and taking the power of the Hourglass, he has the power to see and correct all timelines that would lead to such bloody wars. He gives it up since that kind of power would make him no better than the politicians responsible for the Vietnam War, so he gives up all that godly power and walks the earth once again as a drifter.

** It has a villainous and justified version. The World Government would probably prefer to destroy the Poneglyphs that have the only known record of the Void Century inscribed on them, with the possible exception of the one describing the location of [[LostSuperweapon Pluton]]. Said Poneglyphs are frustratingly impervious to harm, so the Government resorts to killing anyone who can read them. At the same time though, Tom the shipwright had the blueprints to Pluton, which was passed down by each main shipwright of Water 7. Spandam knows this and tries everything he can to get the plans before getting Nico Robin, who is the only person left who can read the Poneglyphs. Iceberg and later Franky end up with the plans; here it's discovered the plans exist that in case someone discovered the weapons and resurrected it for misuse (including the World Government), the plans were made to counteract them [[TakesOneToKillOne since the only thing that could destroy a Pluton is another Pluton]]. Franky destroys them, saying that once the plans were known, they would have to be destroyed.

** It has a villainous and justified version. The World Government would probably prefer to destroy the Poneglyphs that have the only known record of the Void Century inscribed on them, with the possible exception of the one describing the location of [[LostSuperweapon Pluton]]. Said Poneglyphs are frustratingly impervious to harm, so the Government resorts to killing anyone who can read them. At the same time though, Tom the shipwright had the blueprints to Pluton, which was passed down by each main shipwright of Water 7. Spandam knows this and tries everything he can to get the plans before getting Nico Robin, who is the only person left who can read the Poneglyphs. Iceberg and later Franky end up with the plans; here it's discovered the plans exist that in case someone discovered the weapons and resurrected it for misuse (including the World Government), the plans were made to counteract them. Franky destroys them, saying that once the plans were known, they would have to be destroyed.

* ''Manga/ShonanJunaiGumi'': After seeing all the harm caused by fighting over [[spoiler:Masaki's coat]], Eikichi burns it so nobody can use it ([[spoiler:Masaki had asked him to keep his gang from re-forming anyway]]).

* ''FanFic/OldManHenderson'': After finishing the campaign, ''Waffle House Millionaire'' burned the 320 page backstory of doom he'd written for Old Man Henderson, saying it was too evil to exist.
* ''FanFic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness Act III'': Near the end of the act, it's revealed that Issa Shuzen collects rare magical spells and artifacts, though he never intends to actually use them. One of said spells/artifacts was the only copy of the [[TimeMaster chronoflies']] [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Chrono Displacement spell]], which Akua and Kahlua steal and give to Kiria so he can use it to change the outcome of the [[GreatOffscreenWar Battle of Kahdaln]], which forced the monsters to set up TheMasquerade in the first place, in favor of the monsters using Tsukune's [[SuperpoweredEvilSide inner ghoul]], effectively rewriting history so that humans are extinct and monsters rule the world; however, what Akua and Kahlua didn't know was that Kiria also planned to use the spell to send other [[PsychoSerum Blackheart]]-infected monsters to wipe out all of the Dark Lords and any other powerful beings who could possibly pose a threat to him, creating a timeline where [[InTheirOwnImage Kiria himself reigns supreme]]. During their attack on Kiria's HQ, Tsukune and co. agree that the Chrono Displacement spell is too dangerous for ''anyone'' to have and destroy the scroll so it can never be used again.

* ''FanFic/TheMetropolitanMan'': Motivated almost entirely by this trope. Lex Luthor actually takes little issue with Superman's crime-stopping proclivities, but reasons that since he could potentially end all life on the planet, then no matter how unlikely that outcome might be, he needs to dedicate himself completely to ending that threat.

* In ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', [[Comicbook/{{Batman}} Bruce]] invokes this trope in an attempt to justify to Alfred his belief that he needs to kill Comicbook/{{Superman}} to protect the human race.

* Near the end of ''[[Film/Overlord2018 Overlord]]'', Cpl. Ford orders Pvt. Bryce to blow the explosive charges they set up so that [[spoiler: the secret Nazi lab that's creating a serum, which Ford used on himself, to make [[{{Ghostapo}} super strong undead soldiers]], will be buried beneath the rubble, and ensure that not even the Allied forces can use and refine what was created down there.]]

* Averted so far in Creator/{{David Barnett}}'s ''Literature/GideonSmith'' series, after the BigBad of the first book recovers the Ancient Egyptian superweapon Apep, despite the heroes' efforts, and goes on a rampage with it - after they stop him, the heroes avoid destroying the weapon despite its power and ultimately keep it later on in the series. It's psychically connected to one of main characters who'd die if the weapon is destroyed and frankly, the weapon is simply too cool to ditch in an arbitrary "No Man Should Have This Power" statement.

* [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed Altair]] says this about the Pieces of Eden, and after beating the WellIntentionedExtremist BigBad, he announces that he intends to destroy it. [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope He can't bring himself to do it]]; the possibilities of all the knowledge it contains are too much for him to resist, and later games show that while he never got DrunkOnTheDarkSide as he made sure to only use as little as possible to gain knowledge, he did spend most of his life trying to learn its secrets]].

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** The relationship between Eternos and its allied nations Avion and Leviathae was damaged because King Grayskull refused to let the other nations use the Sigil of Hssss, an artifact capable of raising the dead as an undead army, and instead broke and hit the Sigil away.

** The relationship between Eternos and its allied nations Avion and Leviathae was damaged because King Grayskull refused to let the other nations use the Sigil of Hssss, an artifact capable of raising the dead as an undead armor, and instead broke and hit the Sigil away.

With Great Power ComesGreatResponsibility, but Power Corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Some powers -- and responsibilities -- are too great for ''anyone'' to be trusted with.

* The Marvel CrossOver ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet'' ended with Adam Warlock acquiring the eponymous gauntlet which granted the user god-like powers. Not soon after that, the Living Tribunal, a cosmic being meant to bring order to the cosmos, declared that the gauntlet's gems must never be used by a single person ever again. The gems were then scattered amongst Warlock's allies.
* In an annual for the ComicBook/XMen Wolverine managed to acquire the crystal that an alien villain had tricked them into acquiring for it after the alien had killed everyone (they got better), finding himself imbued with cosmic power that he realized while thinking of Jean (this was before her return in X-Factor) no one should have and destroyed the crystal. It proved to be a hidden test of character and any species that tried to exploit the crystal (the lines of statues depicting those who failed included a Kree and Skrull at the head of the line) would be locked into a genetic dead end unable to continue evolving further.

** In Creator/ElliotSMaggin's [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]] story ''Superman (Vol. 1) Annual #10: The Day the Cheering Stopped'', the Man of Steel gets a magical sword which was apparently created at the dawn of time. It gives him incredible power (even for Pre-[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]] Superman) and helps him defeat the villain. In the end he realizes the incredible power the sword will give him and feels that it will make him an all powerful protector. He decides he doesn't want this power and throws it into space. A voice (possibly the voice of God) tells him he did the right thing.

* Played somewhat for laughs in ''Film/TheGodsMustBeCrazy'', when a tribe of Kalahari bushmen find a bottle, and it proves to be so useful in their barren habitat that they are soon fighting over it. The conclusion is that it must be destroyed, which as far as they know is only possible by throwing it over the edge of the earth.

* At the end of a series 2 episode of Spooks the team catches a hacker who has a program which enables him to hack any computer connected to the internet (he worked with the people who designed the internet in the early days, and has a back-door essentially). After recovering the computer with the hacking program on it, and considering what the government and politicians will do with it the team chuck it in the Thames.

* In ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob,'' Galatea eventually reaches this conclusion about her indestructible force field device. She may or may not be right, but she's an impulsive sort, [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20101120.html as demonstrated here.]]

* In the finale of ''Series/PowerRangersBeastMorphers'', [[spoiler:after the fall of Evox, it was decided that Mayor Daniels' original assessment that it was too dangerous to harness the Morphin' Grid as a power source [[ProperlyParanoid was correct all along]], with the use of Morph-X being discontinued as a result]].

* Shulk does this in the end of ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}''. [[spoiler:He just killed Zanza by obtaining the same godlike power he had and was asked how he felt the world should be remade. His response was that it wasn't his decision to make which prompted him to relinquish his godhood and create a world where mortals were in control of their own destinies.]]

* Rodimus Prime proposed this in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' season 3 episode "Fight or Flee" when the Decepticons conquer an energy-rich, game-changing planet populated by pacifist robots. Although understandably reluctant, the pacifist residents, who had neither the skill nor the desire to fight a protracted war, agreed to the plan and eliminated their beloved home/galaxy-threatening weapon in one giant blast.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTalesTheMovieTreasureOfTheLostLamp'', Scrooge eventually comes to think this way of the Genie's power. After everything that's happened, he realizes that it's just too dangerous for anyone to have access to the lamp. He claims that he has to find a way to prevent the Genie's power from being abused, even if it means wishing the lamp was buried the center of the earth. The rest of the cast beg him not to do this since it would mean Genie would be trapped there forever. [[spoiler:Fortunately, Scrooge has already figured out a solution: he uses his last wish to make Genie [[BecomingARealBoy into a mortal boy]], [[IJustWantToBeNormal which is what Genie has wanted all along too]].]]

A character may realize this on his own -- perhaps the BigBad has just been defeated, and his AncientArtifact is now in TheHero's control. After contemplating all the good he could do, TheHero may realize that he can't take away people's free will. He may experience a "We're NotSoDifferent" moment, and gain some sympathy for his enemy.

** At the end of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', Harry decides this with the two of the three epynoumous Deathly Hallows, which have been proven to be [[ArtifactOfDoom Artifacts of Doom]]. The Elder Wand is reburied with Dumbledore and should Harry, its current master, die a natural death, the wand's powers would be broken. (In the movie, Harry simply [[CuttingTheKnot snaps the thing in half and throws it into a gorge]], guaranteeing that it can never be used again.) As for the Resurrection Stone, Harry leaves it where he dropped it in the Forbidden Forest. According to WordOfGod, a centaur stomps on it whilst coming to aid Hogwarts' defenders in the final battle against Voldemort. This buries it deep into the earth, presumably forever. Finally, Harry resolves to keep the third Hallow, the humble [[InvisibilityCloak Cloak of Invisibility]], which is also his family's AncestralWeapon, and eventually gives it to his older son, James.

* Near the end of ''[[Film/Overlord2018 Overlord]]'', Ford orders Bryce to blow the explosive charges they set up so that [[spoiler: the secret Nazi lab that's creating a serum, which he used on himself, to make [[{{Ghostapo}} super strong undead soldiers]], will be buried beneath the rubble, and ensure that not even the Allied forces can use and refine what was created down there.]]

* In ''Series/ElChapulinColorado'', the Samson's wig episode ends with the wig being cut up and Chapulin commenting that it's for the best so that no one will abuser its ability to give the wearer SuperStrength, but the archaeologist still laments that it is a great loss to academia.

* Spike Lee's biopic Malcolm X has a key and iconic scene where the Nation of Islam leader successfully obtains access to and subsequently medical help for a black man incarcerated (probably unjustly) by local police. This is accomplished by X heading up a veritable army composed of not only Nation of Islam members, but also black onlookers, creating a nevertheless peaceful (but determined) mob of perhaps a couple of hundred, spontaneously, and virtually in seconds. Once his goals are satisfied, X silences the crowd with a gesture, and disperses them with another, spurring the awed police chief to state "No one man should have such power!".