History Main / TheManTheyCouldntHang

* The potential for this situation becomes a problem in ''Literature/TuckEverlasting'' after Mae Tuck [[spoiler:kills The Man In The Yellow Suit in self-defense to prevent him from obtaining the {{Immortality}} spring. Mae is sentenced to be hanged, but because the Tucks drank from that spring and cannot die their secret will get blown open if the attempted execution goes through and she doesn't die. They have to break her out of jail and run away, waiting at least decades before the incident is forgotten about before they can return.]]

** He eventually got RefittedForSequel in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. As the former [[TheDragon Dragon]] to the BigBad, Caesar, he was ''set on fire and thrown into the grand canyon'' in a truly epic example of YouHaveFailedMe. Rumor has it he didn't even scream on the way down. Naturally, his reputation as the ultimate ImplacableMan means there are ''still'' rumours that he's walking around somewhere - though Caesar's ban on speaking his name means he's generally known as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "The Burned Man"]]. [[spoiler:He eventually shows up in the DLC expansion ''Honest Hearts'', where it's revealed that his survival drove him to return to his hometown and become a [[HeelFaithTurn born-again Christian]] (well, Mormon). Of course, he still has some [[GeneralRipper anger issues]] from his time as TheDragon...]]

** In the Tsuranuanni Empire, any man possessing magic is automatically and immediately enrolled into the elite WizardingSchool regardless of prior circumstances. In one instance, a condemned criminal was about to be hanged and his powers awoke just as soon as the stool was kicked away, so he just hovered in midair.

* ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle'': In the Tsuranuanni Empire, any man possessing magic is automatically and immediately enrolled into the elite WizardingSchool regardless of prior circumstances. In one instance, a condemned criminal was about to be hanged and his powers awoke just as soon as the stool was kicked away, so he just hovered in midair.

-->-- '''Mule Jesse''', ''Series/KungFu'', "The Nature of Evil"

%%* The killer in the ''Series/KungFu'' episode, mentioned above.

* ''Creator/EdgarAllanPoe'''s "Loss Of Breath" features this. The protagonist loses his breath and essentially becomes a [[RevenantZombie sentient, intelligent zombie]] sans the appearance of one. Plenty of antics ensue including being sentenced to death by hanging. Having discovered that he is unable to die albeit still able to feel pain, he decides to fool the audience by faking convulsions and playing dead.

* ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle'': In the Tsuranuanni Empire, any man possessing magic is automatically and immediately enrolled into the elite WizardingSchool regardless of prior circumstances. In one instance, a condemned criminal was about to be hanged and his powers awoke just as soon as the stool was kicked away, so he just hovered in midair.

* In one of the war novels by Creator/SvenHassel, Porta tells the story of a sailor who can't be hanged because he virtually has no neck. In the end the hangman goes insane with frustration and demonstrates that his rope works perfectly on himself. The authorities decide to kill the condemned by other means, but fortunately he escapes. Admittedly Porta has a fondness for tall tales, so it's not certain if any of this is true.

* Tal from ''Literature/TheLicaniusTrilogy'' discovers his immortality this way. He tries more extreme methods, but still isn't able to die.

* ''Creator/EdgarAllanPoe'''s "Loss Of Breath" features this. The protagonist loses his breath and essentially becomes a [[RevenantZombie sentient, intelligent zombie]] sans the appearance of one. Plenty of antics ensue including being sentenced to death by hanging. Having discovered that he is unable to die albeit still able to feel pain, he decides to fool the audience by faking convulsions and playing dead.

* Bando from ''Manga/KenganAshura'' is a criminal on death row for raiding {{Yakuza}} offices and killing at least 17 of them. He has been hanged ''45'' times over the course of 25 years and has survived all of them. This is because of his [[spoiler:extremely flexible joints, which prevents his neck from breaking when he is dropped.]]

* Taken UpToEleven in ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'', where the {{Bandito}} Tuco survives being hanged at least three times thanks to Blondie's [[ImprobableAimingSkills ability]] to ShootTheRope.

* Played for laughs in ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'''s [[http://oglaf.com/fullthrottle/ "Full Throttle"]], which has the said hung man not even realize he's still hanging there as he attempts his escape. The executioners tell him to hurry up and die so they can use the equipment again, and [[KnowWhenToFoldEm eventually just decide]] to [[FailedExecutionNoSentence ask for a pardon]].

* ''Creator/EdgarAllanPoe'''s "Loss Of Breath" features this. The protagonist loses his breath and essentially becomes a [[RevenantZombie sentient, intelligent zombie]] sans the appearance of one. Plenty of antics ensue including being sentenced to death by hanging. Having discovered that he is unable to die albeit still able to feel pain, he decides to full the audience by faking convulsions and playing dead.

* ''Creator/EdgarAllanPoe'''s "Loss Of Breath" features this. The protagonist loses his breath and essentially becomes a[[RevenantZombie sentient, intelligent zombie]] sans the appearance of one. Plenty of antics ensue including being sentenced to death by hanging. Having discovered that he is unable to die albeit still able to feel pain, he decides to full the audience by faking convulsions and playing dead.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Samuel Joseph Samuel]] in Australia is the only other prisoner known to survive three attempts, and was granted a full pardon on the spot.

* The {{trope namer|s}} is an example from Britain, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Babbacombe_Lee John "Babbacome" Lee.]] He was sentenced to hang for allegedly murdering his old employer in 1885. He is quoted as having said God would not allow him to be hanged; his words were to prove prophetic. All three times they tried to hang him, the trapdoor mechanism would inexplicably jam, even though it worked perfectly when he wasn't standing over it. Why this happened is anyone's guess. Given a life sentence instead, he was eventually released in 1907, when the Home Secretary was persuaded that the "evidence" against him was circumstantial and all-around rather shoddy.
* And [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Samuel Joseph Samuel]] in Australia, who was granted a full pardon on the spot.
* In Imperial Russia one failed execution (e.g. due to gallows falling apart or guns misfiring) was enough to change the sentence to penal servitude or even release the convict. Only rarely, as with the Decembrists, the tsar ordered to repeat the hanging. Unofficially the tradition continued well into the Soviet times.
** Legend has it that the Decembrist leader made some wisecrack to the effect that the czarist regime was too incompetent even to pull off a simple hanging, and the Czar decided to prove him wrong.

A character who has survived a hanging. They will frequently sport a scarred or deformed neck as a result. This may just indicate that he is a [[{{Determinator}} real hard case]] and [[RasputinianDeath too tough to kill easily]], or it may be used to show what a [[MysteriousPast bad life he has led]] and to explain his hatred of the world. A BungledSuicide may also be involved.