History Main / SelfMadeOrphan

* In ''[[WhosAfraidOfVirginiaWoolf Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]], [[spoiler: George killed both of his parents by accident]].

* The title character of ''Carrie'' killed her mother in self-defense as her mother was [[OffingTheOffspring trying to kill her]]. (At least in the original novel, Carrie's father died in a work-related accident before his daughter's birth.)

* In the soputh of the USA in the early XIX century, a teenage girl named Lotti was raised by her aunt and uncle and got along well with Anna, a family friend. [[YourCheatingHeart She once caught Anna kissing her uncle/dad]] and was emotionally crushed; then, she killed Anna by lacing her tea with poison so she wouldn't wreck her family. It turned out that Anna was actually her long-lost mother, who had her as a teenager and then left her in the care of her married sister and brother-in-law while asking them to not tell Lotti the truth. [[IronicHell Whoops.]] (Lotti herself was acquited, but [[GoMadFromTheRevelation went crazy]] and had to be commited to an asylum for the rest of her life. Her ghost supposedly haunts the house she used to live in, now an hotel once featured in ''Haunted Houses''.)

On subversion is to have this happen by accident and/or for the parents' death be ultimately caused by their own actions involving the child.

** Not the first of Batman's Rogue's Gallery to do so. Black Mask killed his parents in a fire to inherit their business and fortune. Unfortunately, he was a lousy businessman and when he tried to burn down the factory to cover his tracks, he wound up with the facial injury that gave him his villain name.

* It's implied in several stories that the PostCrisis [[{{Superman}} Lex Luthor]] murdered his own parents when he was just a child.

--> "Hah! That's rich. ''I'm'' the last Czarnian. * Aside* I fragged the rest of the planet for my high school science project. Gave myself an A."

* In {{Greek Mythology}}, the Greek hero Orestes was made to avenge the murder of his father Agamemnon by killing his mother Clytemnestra, who had done the deed in the first place. This, in turn, led the poor guy to be tormented by the Furies for slaying his mother. He got better, though, and in the process ended the curse on his family, the House of Atreus, which had caused the House to suffer a number of horrific crimes.
* Oedipus also killed his father Laius. However, he didn't know who it was and he was provoked.

* In the DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse, the {{Faction Paradox}} {{cult}} have this as part of their initiation ritual, served with a side order of TemporalParadox, in that you're sent back in time to off your ancestors... ''before you were born.'' Faction Paradox is ''[[MindScrew weird.]]''

* Treated in a bizarrely humorous way on ''{{Angel}}'' after Wesley shoots his father because his father was threatening Fred [[spoiler: though it was actually a robot hiding behind a glamour and with downloaded memories of Wesley's real father. Wesely was sure it was him, though, and that he would really do such a thing]]. Angel tries to comfort him.
--> '''Angel:''' You know, I killed my father. It was one of the first things I did after becoming a vampire
--> '''Wesley:''' I hardly see that's the same thing

--> '''Spike:''' Heard you offed your dad. You know I killed my mum, well I mean I'd already killed her but then she tried to shag me so I had to ''(mimes staking)''
--> '''Wesley:''' Thank you, I really don't need anymore comforting.

* Parker from Leverage certainly seems to be a case. In flashback, we saw her having a favored toy taken away by her (it's assumed) biological father. Next scene shows her holding the toy while walking down the driveway. Then the house explodes.

* In the ''{{Wanted}}'' movie, [[spoiler: Wesley unknowingly became one of these, killing his DisappearedDad because the Fraternity used him as a XanatosSucker -- the one person the rogue assassin who was decimating their ranks could never kill. Naturally, he was told that he was hunting [[YouKilledMyFather the man who killed his father]], instead.]]

* In {{Mikey}} the title character murders both sets of adoptive parents he gets.
* In {{MonstersvsAliens}} Gallaxhar mentions that he wiped out his entire planet starting with his parents.

* It's hard to believe that Arthas Menethil, of ''{{Warcraft}}'' fame, hasn't been mentioned yet. After [[FaceHeelTurn losing his soul]] to the runeblade Frostmourne, he returned to Lordaeron and [[spoiler:slaughtered everyone, up to and including dear old dad]]. In fact, the cinematic trailer for the [[WorldOfWarcraft Wrath of the Lich King]] expansion lays on the [[DramaticIrony irony]] by juxtaposing his dad's words of wisdom with the the now-Lich King commanding his vast undead armies.

On subversion is to have this happen by accident.

* Jackson Rippner [[SarcasticConfession plainly admits]] to having killed his parents in the film ''Film/RedEye'', out of annoyance that they had given him a MeaningfulName.

Contrast with EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas, which is based on the premise that [[EvenEvilHasStandards no one, no matter how bad, would act this way]]. If it happens before the murderer is born, this is the [[GrandfatherParadox]]

Contrast with EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas, which is based on the premise that [[EvenEvilHasStandards no one, no matter how bad, would act this way]].

* In ''{{Monster}}'', Johan kills his (adoptive) parents at a very young age. ''Repeatedly''.
** To clarify, he goes through several sets. He doesn't [[BeyondTheImpossible kill the same set repeatedly]].
*** Though, what with [[EnfantTerrible Johan]] being [[CompleteMonster Johan]], [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel no one could be blamed for making that assumption]].

** Lionel Luthor is a perfect example. His denying of responsibility for his parents' deaths fits perfectly well with his personality (he also denies the reponsibility for the way he treated Lex, Lillian, Lucas and his lover Rachel Dunleavy). The truth gas worked the same way on everyone, so unless one wants to suggest that Lionel Luthor was the only person who the gas forced to lie, the truth is that th did arrange his aprents deaths.