History Main / ResignInProtest

* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': In the backstory, Picard was responsible for overseeing much of the evacuation of Romulus (whose star was about to go supernova) before Starfleet abandoned the effort because several species within the Federation threatened to secede and a group of [[RobotWar rogue synthetics bombarding Mars]] gave them the justification they needed. Picard resigned his commission as Admiral in protest as he considered this a betrayal of Starfleet's mission.

-->-- ''Series/TheExpanse''

* ''Webcomic/ClownCorps'': [[spoiler:Agent Binky]] quits the Clown Corps after the mayor decides to take direct control over it and fires the former director in order to put the son of one of his biggest donors in the director's chair. Since clowns don't have badges, [[spoiler:Binky]] hands in his red nose instead.

* In November 2023, this was the end result of ''Website/TheEscapist'' unfairly firing its editor-in-chief for not meeting their borderline-impossible standards, despite his best efforts (and the website having more to offer [[JustHereForGodzilla than just]] ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' for the first time in a long time). Every single content creator still with the website until then resigned en masse, resulting in ZP ending after 16 years, and ''Adventure is Nigh'' ending on a cliffhanger.

* During Creator/MarvelComics' ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' story, many characters on the Pro-Registration side of the conflict eventually wind up quitting or defecting out of disgust. In particular:
** Franchise/SpiderMan quits after learning that the Pro-Reg side is locking up ''fellow superheroes'' in a prison within ''The Negative Zone'' -- a dimension that is stated to instill feelings of anguish, fear, and dread within human beings -- and treating them as legal non-people.

* In a ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' story where Franchise/SpiderMan successfully saves Gwen Stacy's life, J. Jonah Jameson crashes their wedding to expose Peter Parker as Spider-Man. Robbie Robertson informs him that his little stunt just cost him a city editor.

** "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS04E13RumorsBargainsAndLies Rumors, Bargains and Lies]]" has as one of Ivanova's stories on "The Voice of the Resistance" the fact that President Clark's ''entire'' cabinet resigned after he ordered the bombing of civilian targets on Mars.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' two-episode special "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns Who Shot Mr. Burns?]]", Smithers finally refuses to go along with Mr. Burns' latest evil scheme: a device to block out the sun and force the town to use even more of the energy that the nuclear plant produces. This turns out to be just a step too far for Smithers, who had stood by Burns for years and through countless immoral schemes, and during that episode alone, Burns had stolen oil from a struggling elementary school, caused a sinkhole that destroyed the old folk's home, injured Bart's dog, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking kept forgetting Homer's name]]. [[note]]''Technically'' Mr. Burns beats him to the punch by firing Smithers before Smithers can formally tender a resignation, but Smithers had already said he wouldn't work for Burns for as long as the scheme went on, so it's more or less the equivalent of Burns saying "You can't quit, you're fired!"[[/note]]

** Designer Ana Arriola goes to work at Elizabeth Holmes's company, seeing something of herself in the young female CEO. At the time, she is unaware of Elizabeth's lies about the company's signature product. Eventually, she starts catching on. Finally, Elizabeth runs a trial on cancer patients even though the machine doesn't work and dismisses Ana's concerns by saying it was just a trial. In disgust, Ana quits on the spot, taking her whole design team with her.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Since the end of Volume 7, Marrow Amin, one of Ironwood's Ace-Ops, has shown increasing unhappiness with Ironwood's ruthlessly extreme actions and decisions. Late in Volume 8, Ironwood threatens to bomb the city of Mantle if the heroes don't bend to his will, ''after'' sabotaging their attempt to save it. This proves to be TheLastStraw for Marrow, and he declares that Ironwood is doing [[TheBigBad Salem's]] for her before turning his back on the tyrannical general. This would have gotten him ''shot'' by Ironwood, but he is saved by Winter, who pretends to arrest him so they can thwart Ironwood's plans together.

* From the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse

** In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', after believing that Lex Luthor was making a genuine effort to redeem himself,[[note]]He wasn't. [[RightForTheWrongReasons The whole affair was a gambit by Luthor to discredit Superman and the League]].[[/note]] and then getting into a verbal and eventually physical fight with ComicBook/{{Superman}} over the matter, [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]], now [[BrokenPedestal thoroughly disillusioned]] with Superman and the Justice League's [[HeWhoFightsMonsters increasing paranoia]], resigns from the League.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', after believing that Lex Luthor was making a genuine effort to redeem himself,[[note]]He wasn't. [[RightForTheWrongReasons The whole affair was a gambit by Luthor to discredit Superman and the League]].[[/note]] and then getting into a verbal and eventually physical fight with ComicBook/{{Superman}} over the matter, [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]], now [[BrokenPedestal thoroughly disillusioned]] with Superman and the Justice League's [[HeWhoFightsMonsters increasing paranoia]], resigns from the League.
-->"I guess I'm saying I like being a hero. A symbol. And that's why… I'm quitting the Justice League. You don't act like heroes anymore."

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode ''Prototype'', [[ComicBook/{{Steel}} John Henry Irons]] designs a suit of PoweredArmor that Lex Corp plans to supply the police, but Irons protests that the product is being rushed and in particular the neural interface for the suit hasn't been fully tested. After Luthor ignores his warnings and insists on starting production on the suit immediately, Irons resigns on the spot.

-->'''Captain Marvel:''' I guess I'm saying I like being a hero. A symbol. And that's why… I'm quitting the Justice League. You don't act like heroes anymore.

* ''Film/Murderat1600'': General Tully quits out of anger over how the president won't commit to rescuing the servicemen being held hostage in North Korea.

'''Admiral Souther:''' ''[furious silence]'' ... I step down as Fleet Commander. ''[rips off insignia of rank and tosses it on the table]''

Compare and contrast with TurnInYourBadge, ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight and ScrewThisImOuttaHere. ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules is closely related and may overlap if the job is a particularly cushy one or the person really needs the money. The person resigning may be hit with ResignationsNotAccepted in response. Often comes about after [[WontDoYourDirtyWork being forced to do someone else's dirty work one too many times]]. There's some overlap with TheLastDJ, who values their integrity and doing what's right over their job prospects and rising in rank, and is willing to defy their bosses over it, and RageWithinTheMachine, when someone begins doubting the organization they're a part of and first begins rebelling against it. (Or at least contemplating doing so.) An inverse is the InternalReformist, who decided to try to stay within the system and attempt to guide it to better things or reform it that way.

[[folder:Films - Live Action]]

* In ''Film/InTheLoop'', several figures in both the United States and United Kingdom governments are prepared to do this if their governments proceed to go to war based on a sketchy source that is supposedly supplying them with covert information but they strongly suspect to be false. [[spoiler:In the end only Karen Clarke (an Assistant Secretary of State for the US government) actually goes through with it, robbing the gesture of the meaning it would have had if they had all done it together. General Miller backs off at the last minute, rationalizing his decision by saying he'll be better able to help the soldiers under his command by remaining, and Simon is preemptively fired from his position in the UK Government and not allowed to even make a statement by resigning in protest.]]

--> ''' General Tully:''' Mr. President, I feel duty bound to tell you that your lack of action here borders on the criminal.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': [[spoiler: Detective Rosa Diaz quits the police after the murder of George Floyd, as she no longer wanted to be a part of a system that oppressed people of color.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' two-episode special "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns Who Shot Mr. Burns?]]", Smithers finally refuses to go along with Mr. Burns' latest evil scheme; a device to block out the sun and force the town to use even more of the energy that the nuclear plant produces. This turns out to be just a step too far for Smithers, who had stood by Burns for years and through countless immoral schemes, and during that episode alone Burns had stolen oil from a struggling elementary school, caused a sinkhole that destroyed the old folk's home, injured Bart's dog, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking kept forgetting Homer's name]]. [[note]]''Technically'' Mr. Burns beats him to the punch by firing Smithers before Smithers can formally tender a resignation, but Smithers had already said he wouldn't work for Burns for as long as the scheme went on, so it's more or less the equivalent of Burns saying "You can't quit, you're fired!"[[/note]]

** When Kell is ousted as C.E.O. of Herd Thinners after a hostile takeover by R.L., many of the employees who had preferred Kell's more ethical, forward-thinking, and tolerant management texted their resignations and followed Kell out the door. (Some self-preservation may also be at play, considering R.L. and more importantly, Angelique would have no qualms targeting anyone with a connection to Kell.) They would go on to be the main workforce for Kell's new company, Dewclaw's Fine Meats.
** Years later, after years of being under Angelique's ruthless thumb, quality control going downhill, and her taking ResignationsNotAccepted to the extreme of hunting those that tried to quit and forcing them back into the office on pain of death, the rest of the workforce quits en masse and leaves the hunting industry altogether, forcing Angelique to first negotiate with Kell, and then revive the insectivore division just to keep Here Thinners afloat.

** Years later, after years of being under Angelique's ruthless thumb, quality control going downhill, and her taking ResignationNotAccepted to the extreme of hunting those that tried to quit and forcing them back into the office on pain of death, the rest of the workforce quits en masse and leaves the hunting industry altogether, forcing Angelique to first negotiate with Kell, and then revive the insectivore division just to keep Here Thinners afloat.

Compare and contrast with TurnInYourBadge, ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight and ScrewThisImOuttaHere The person resigning may be hit with ResignationsNotAccepted in response. Often comes about after [[WontDoYourDirtyWork being forced to do someone else's dirty work one too many times]]. There's some overlap with TheLastDJ, who values their integrity and doing what's right over their job prospects and rising in rank, and is willing to defy their bosses over it, and RageWithinTheMachine, when someone begins doubting the organization they're a part of and first begins rebelling against it. (Or at least contemplating doing so.) An inverse is the InternalReformist, who decided to try to stay within the system and attempt to guide it to better things or reform it that way.