History Main / RefuseToRescueTheDisliked

When this trope is applied specifically to a hostage situation, it's YouCanKeepHer. Contrast SaveTheVillain (a hero saves a villain) and VillainousRescue (a villain saves a hero). May lead to MurderByInaction. If they refuse to save someone because it's not their problem, it's BystanderSyndrome. Contrast ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike and UnwantedRescue.

It takes great compassion and moral character for someone to save someone's life, even if that someone in need of saving was unlikable. Unfortunately, when it comes to this trope, this isn't always the case.

* In ''[[Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction]]'', Optimus Prime claims he refuses to keep defending the humans like he did for the first three movies. He's started to become fed up with humans, claiming he won't forgive them for KSI, Cemetery Wind, siding with Lockdown at killing his friends, and building Galvatron. Ratchet and Leadfoot's deaths were what caused him to lead the Autobots to fight for themselves and not anyone else. Cade Yeager then pleads humans don't deserve to go extinct and that they make mistakes. By the end of the film, Optimus seems to have regained enough faith that he wants any future threats to leave Earth alone.

* In ''{{Transformers: Age of Extinction}}'', Optimus Prime claims he refuses to keep defending the humans like he did for the first three movies. He grows a burning hatred for humans claiming he won't forgive them for KSI, Cemetery Wind, siding with Lockdown at killing his friends and building Galvatron. Ratchet and Leadfoot's deaths were what caused him to lead the Autobots to fight for themselves and not anyone else. Cade Yeager then pleads humans don't deserve to go extinct and that they make mistakes.

** In the ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' episode, "Translate This", Tails invents the Universal Translator, or U.T. for short. U.T. reveals Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Sticks' inner thoughts, causing them to argue with each other. When Dr. Eggman finds out about this, he swaps the real U.T. out for an identical robot that deliberately says bad things about Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Sticks. Tails finds out about this, and tells his friends that they have to save the real U.T.. Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Sticks all refuse, remembering that all U.T. ever did to them was make them argue with each other, thus leaving Tails to resuce U.T. on his own. Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Sticks all decide to save Tails after U.T. sends them a message revealing that he needs their help.

* In ''{{Film/Transformers: Age of Extinction}}'', Optimus Prime claims he refuses to keep defending the humans like he did for the first three movies. He grows a burning hatred for humans claiming he won't forgive them for KSI, Cemetery Wind, bringing back Megatron by rebuilding him into Galvatron and working with Lockdown. Ratchet and Leadfoot's deaths were what caused him to command the Autobots fight for themselves and not anyone else. Cade Yeager then pleads humans don't deserve to go extinct and that they make mistakes.

* In episode 23 of ''Anime/CrossAnge'', civilization is falling into disarray following the disappearance of mana, and Ange has a run-in with a small band of citizens who are harassing Sylvia for help inside Misurugi castle. They then heckle Ange. That's right, Ange, the very person they discarded and whose execution they demanded, just because she was a norma. And they're expecting her unconditional help, because she was once a princess. But wait, wasn't she disinherited anyways? They go back to blaming her and the other norma for the norma fallout, proving just where they stand. Needless to say, after all the crap she's been put through, and their [[EntitledBastard hostility]], she remarks [[NoSympathy she doesn't give a lick]]. She then shoots the person who prepares to shoot her scaring the rest off, and spares as much compassion as she can towards her wayward sister by [[ToughLove harshly informing her that she could walk all along but was too lazy to try]], and tells her to fight to survive before leaving for good.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SonicSatam'' episode "Hooked on Sonic", Antoine ends up captured by Robotnik in a reckless stunt with a power ring. While the other Freedom Fighters are horrified, Sonic just snarks it's his own stupid fault and refuses to go on a rescue mission. When Sally's chiding doesn't budge him (even she can't earnestly suggest Antoine wouldn't do the same to him), he begrudgingly goes through with it after she points out the more pragmatic issue of Robotnik using his power ring against them.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheRugratsMovie''
** Tommy's younger brother, Dil, gets taken by a pack of runaway circus monkeys. Tommy sets off to rescue him, and asks Chuckie, Phil, and Lil if they're going to help him. Phil and Lil refuse, because they see Dil as nothing but a nuisance. Chuckie refuses to help Tommy by reminding him of all the times throughout the movie he didn't help him (because at those times, Dil needed his attention).
** This is repeated later in the movie, when Chuckie suffers a HeelRealization and insists they go back to help Tommy. Phil and Lil again refuse, reminding him he only cared about Dil's well being rather than his. Chuckie makes the meek reasoning "Well someone has to... don't they?". It seems to work.
* In ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', the main characters refuse to rescue Lotso from the garbage, having been already betrayed by him to the incinerator after they saved him a previous time. Only makes sense to ditch someone if they're clearly not gonna change for the better.

* The second issue of ''[[ComicBoook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel G.I.Joe: Special Missions]]'' has the Joe team having to disable a Nazi biological weapon. One team goes to South America to negotiate with the Nazi scientist who developed the toxin (which doesn't sit well with Clutch, who's Jewish) while another goes to the plane holding the toxin. After Recondo agrees that Joes will protect the scientist from the teams who have come to bring him to justice, Airtight manages to disable the toxin without his help and discovers the plane's journal. The journal reveals that the scientist betrayed the plane's crew for money before fleeing to South America. This angers the Neo-Nazis hired by the scientist as guards. The Joes then leave, pointing out they only agreed to protect the scientist from the hit squad, not his own men. In the last few panels, a gunshot is heard.

* In ''Fanfic/OriginStory'', Alex Harris plays this trope straight a couple of times. She's got plenty of time, for example, to fly Songbird to the hospital in time to keep her from dying, but simply doesn't, allowing Songbird to bleed out. Likewise, she displays a casual disregard about whether or not Reed Richards is going to be permanently injured when she freezes him in place with her super-breath. Mostly this is because she believes that people who attack her or Louise (something both Songbird and Richards did) deserve what comes to them.

* In ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', Not only does Quasimodo deliberately push Frollo off of the cathedral (and not even in self defense): when Frollo manages to cling to the building briefly and attempts to pull himself back up, the narration points out that Quasimodo could easily have reached out and helped him. Instead he just stands there and watches him fall.

This doesn't last long, however. The hero will eventually end up saving the villain, jerk, or annoyance, albeit with some great reluctance. Sometimes, it could be his [[ConscienceMakesYouGoBack conscience that caused him return to help him.]] Sometimes, he'll get called out by his friends, either being told that [[NotSoDifferent he's no better than the enemy]], that [[RousseauWasRight the villain/jerk isn't such a bad guy]], or that he's no [[IdealHero real hero]]. Villains who eventually save the life of those they don't like can be due to [[PragmaticVillainy pragmatic reasons]] or [[PetTheDog to show that he isn't that bad after all.]]

When this trope is applied specifically to a hostage situation, it's YouCanKeepHer. Contrast SaveTheVillain (a hero saves a villain) and VillainousRescue (a villain saves a hero). May lead to MurderByInaction. If they refuse to save someone because it's not their problem, it's BystanderSyndrome. The inverse of ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike.

[[AssholeVictim Que Orm falling to his doom]]

* On the cover of an issue of the Creator/DCComics comic ''The Outsiders'', we see ComicBook/TheJoker menacing ComicBook/LexLuthor as two heroes watch.[[note]][[CoversAlwaysLie This scene does not appear in the actual comic.]][[/note]]. The dialogue between the heroes reads:

* The ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' storyline "The Body Politic" opens with the Toughs deciding that they will ''not'' take a contract to rescue chronic antagonist General Xinchub (who has previously bullied, blackmailed, insulted and harassed the Toughs in innumerable ways). Not even when their trusted associate Petey offers them 20 times their normal rates to do so.

* On the cover of and issue of the Creator/DCComics comic ''The Outsiders'', we see ComicBook/TheJoker menacing ComicBook/LexLuthor as two heroes watch.[[note]][[CoversAlwaysLie This scene does not appear in the actual comic.]][[/note]]. The dialogue between the heroes reads:

Contrast SaveTheVillain (a hero saves a villain) and VillainousRescue (a villain saves a hero). May lead to MurderByInaction. If they refuse to save someone because it's not their problem, it's BystanderSyndrome. The inverse of ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike.

-->'''Piccolo:''' [After defeating a bunch of MechaMooks] Ok, time to go save Gohan.\\

-->--''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged''

It takes great compassion and moral character for someone to save someone's life, even if that someone in need of saving was unlikable. When it comes to this trope. Unfortunately, when it comes to this trope, this isn't always the case.

!!Examples

[[AC: {{Anime}} & {{Manga}}]]

[[AC: ComicBooks]]

* On the cover of and issue of the Creator/DCComics comic ''The Outsiders'', we see [[Comicbook/{{Batman}} the Joker]] menacing [[Comicbook/{{Superman}} Lex Luthor]] as two heroes watch.[[note]][[CoversAlwaysLie This scene does not appear in the actual comic.]][[/note]]. The dialogue between the heroes reads:
--> '''Nightwing''': The Joker is killing Lex!\\
'''Metamorpho''': Should we care?

[[AC: FanFiction]]
* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfiction ''Fanfic/ATasteOfTheGoodLife'' puts Scootaloo in this position with [[spoiler: her mother, Ebby]]. The latter has caused Scootaloo nothing but problems, most recently getting her removed from her current home by Foal Services. So when Scootaloo has the choice between saving the other pony's life or letting her fall down a cliff, Scootaloo realizes this is the chance to get her out of her life forever. The pony is rescued anyway, and Scootaloo is haunted by what she nearly let happen.
* In ''FanFic/OriginStory'', Alex Harris plays this trope straight a couple of times. She's got plenty of time, for example, to fly Songbird to the hospital in time to keep her from dying, but simply doesn't, allowing Songbird to bleed out. Likewise, she displays a casual disregard about whether or not Reed Richards is going to be permanently injured when she freezes him in place with her super-breath. Mostly this is because she believes that people who attack her or Louise (something both Songbird and Richards did) deserve what comes to them.

[[AC:Films - Animated]]

** This is repeated later in the movie, when Chuckie suffers a HeelRealization and insists they go back to help Tommy. Phil and Lil again refuse, reminding him he only cared about Dil's well being rather than his. Chuckie makes the meek reasoning "Well someone has to...don't they?". It seems to work.

[[AC: Films - Live Action]]

-->'''Batman''': I'm not going to kill you... but I don't have to save you.
* After defeating the terrorist villains in ''Film/DieHardWithAVengeance'', detective [=McClane=] ponders trying to rescue survivors from the burning wreckage. AntiHero Zeus Carver, a Bronx man through-and-through, snorts, "Fuck, let 'em cook."

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* Joe Cruz on ''Series/ChicagoFire'' spends a good portion of the first season trying to get his brother out of a gang called the Insane Kings. While fighting one fire, he comes across the leader of the Insane Kings, Flaco, trapped in the blaze. Being the only one who knows about him, Cruz leaves Flaco to die. However, he struggles with the guilt over this decision for quite some time.
* A downplayed example in the ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'' episode "Recap/ThunderbirdsS2E5Ricochet"; although Alan does go out to rescue disk jockey Rick O ‘Shea, he doesn't try to hide his dislike for the man and complains about having to rescue this guy, of all people.

[[AC:Webcomics]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* In ''Film/ToyStory3'', the main characters refuse to rescue Lotso from the garbage, having been already betrayed by him to the incinerator after they saved him a previous time. Only makes sense to ditch someone if they're clearly not gonna change for the better.

* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Ward is confronted with the fact that a runaway slave has hidden in his castle. He is asked to return the slave to Ladislaw, a noble he dislikes, because Ladislaw bought the slave from someone who didn't actually own her, and will get in big (maybe lethal) trouble if he doesn't give her back. Ward states that "There are no slaves in Hurog", and therefore, the slave is not a slave, and he won't deliver her to the noble. His uncle later asks him whether he made this decision out of principle, or whether he would have decided differently if he didn't dislike Ladislaw. Ward himself isn't quite sure about his reasons.

* In ''Film/SpiderMan'' Peter Parker lets a robber get away rather than chasing him down, after the robber stole money from the wrestling promoter who cheated Parker out of his take from surviving three minutes in the ring with Bonesaw. Later the same robber ends up killing Peter's Uncle Ben.

** In "Rock 'n' Roll" from ''Little Old Twins'', Rusty was called to help Duncan back on the rails, but refuses to do it because Duncan was rude to him and called him a "smelly old diesel". Skarloey then scolds Rusty for this and reminds him of the passengers and soon Rusty does so. In the end, Rusty and Duncan became good friends.