History Main / ThePawn

* In season 4 of ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'', [[spoiler: Garibaldi]] discovers too late that he has been {{brainwashed}} by [[MagnificentBastard Alfred Bester]] into betraying his friends and furthering Bester's own plans.
* In ''{{NCIS}}'', this is part of Director Vance's backstory. When he was a new agent, he was set up to be killed as part of a gambit to re-start the cold war, IIRC

* Raiden from ''MetalGearSolid 2''. He's been trained by the Patriots to trip up Snake, and his girlfriend and boss are both false constructs meant to deceive him.
** Also, Liquid to Solidus, and [[XanatosRoulette EVERYONE]] to Ocelot

* Perhaps the biggest PlayerCharacter example, however, stems from ''BioShock''. "Would you kindly...", indeed.

* In ''ResidentEvil5'', Albert Wesker discovers that he was this to Ozwell Spencer. Everything that made Wesker, well Wesker, was indoctrinated in him since childhood by Spencer. All part of Ozwell's plan to become the god of a superior breed of humans. However, Spencer was a powerless old man when the truth was revealed, making it easy for Albert to kill him and make a play for godhood himself.

* ''Film/TheTrumanShow'' is this trope as the entire [[TrumanShowPlot plot]].

* [[JukenSentaiGekiranger Rio, Rio, holy shit, RIO.]]

!!Examples

* The hero of ''JadeEmpire''. The PlayerCharacter is the LastOfHisKind, trained in martial arts under the tutelage of Master Li, and when Master Li is kidnapped by the Emperor's forces and his [[DoomedHometown dojo]] is destroyed, the PC swears to defeat the Emperor. And once he does, Master Li ''kills him''; everything -- from the genocide of his people to the destruction of the dojo -- was engineered so that the PC would kill the Emperor and deliver the throne to Master Li. Don't worry; he gets better.
* Another Player Character example ensues in ''CityOfVillains''. After being broken out of prison, your character is told by Arachnos that you could very well be the "Destined One." That destiny, however, serves as being a sacrifice to prolong the existence of Lord Recluse.
* Perhaps the biggest PlayerCharacter example, however, stems from ''BioShock''. "Would you kindly...", indeed.
* Raiden from ''MetalGearSolid 2''. He's been trained by the Patriots to trip up Snake, and his girlfriend and boss are both false constructs meant to deceive him.
** Also, Liquid to Solidus, and [[XanatosRoulette EVERYONE]] to Ocelot
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': When Niki and D.L. search for Micah, who's been kidnapped by Linderman, they find files that indicate their whole relationship was manipulated by Linderman to produce a child who could help him with his goals.
** Season three also reveals that [[spoiler: Nathan was given his power by his parents, but not in the DNA sort of way but by using him in a medical experiment.]]
* Fatale from ''SoonIWillBeInvincible''. After being nearly killed in a truck collision, she's turned into a cyborg by a SuperSoldier program that turns out to be a front. It's only after she joins the Champions, the world's greatest superteam, that Fatale realizes that the man behind the front was Doctor Impossible, whom they're currently chasing. Worst of all, she's a forgotten pawn; Doctor Impossible created her at some point as part of another of his plans, but abandoned her when someone ratted him out.
** Galacia was also this to Baron Ether, making this all the more sad as she used the bomb built within her to defeat the aliens on Titan.
* Conrad the Sailor, from the novel within a novel ''Eye of the Jack'', within ''The Devil's Playground''. He finds out not only was his master maniputlating him to kill his enemies, but the greek serial killer he was trying to catch was actually a "pulp hero" like Conrad used to believe he was, and his killings were all forged by the master. I guess you can't tell who's the killer based on what language the notes were written...

* On ObanStarRacers, Eva's entire life, including a [[MissingMom major traumatic event]] in her childhood, has been manipulated to make her a tool for the BigBad to become the new God of the galaxy.
* Droguza from ''VideoGame/ArcTheLad 4''. He believed that he was the last of the Niente tribe, but we find out that he was really made in a lab by Emperor Darkham's reseachers.
* [[JukenSentaiGekiranger Rio, Rio, holy shit, RIO.]]
* In {{Jekyll}}, Dr. Tom Jackman finds out that his entire life [[spoiler: has been engineered by the research institute he works at in order to facilitate the release of Hyde, up to and including meeting his best friend- a pawn of the institute the entire time- and cloning the love interest of the original Dr. Jekyll and arranging for Jackman to marry her.]] The biggest kicker? [[spoiler: The institute was run by the Hyde-persona of his MOTHER.]]
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2''. Xion and Roxas. Both of them. They end up Screwing Destiny in the worst way possible - Xion goes through with Xemnas' plan while hoping Roxas will destroy her, and Roxas does so.
* The end of ''{{killer7}}'', where Harman's younger self tells Garcian that he is actually Emir Parkreiner, and has been observed and controlled by the government all this time. [[MindScrew At least, we think that's what happens]].
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': [[BigBad Aizen]] has a hefty [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] complex and in chapter 396, announced that every one of Ichigo's battles has played right into his hand.
* In the ''Literature/NightWatch'' books, the Watch agents are well aware that their bosses have [[BatmanGambit complex plans]], though are still unaware of just how much, and to what end, they are being manipulated. The second book [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs]] this trope to an extent, as Edgar, and independently Anton and Igor, manage to work out some of what Gesar and Zabulon are plotting specifically by thinking about the situation in terms of a chess game. Rematerialisation is compared to castling, Anton figures he's a pawn, Igor is actually a rook who captured another piece but was then left vulnerable, and Svetlana is a pawn that managed to reach the end of the board and become a queen.
* In ''SuperRobotWarsZ'', it is revealed that Edel [[LadyOfWar Bernal]] and all her life desires, memories and personality traits were crafted by [[SpellMyNameWithAThe The Edel]] [[ForTheEvulz Bernal]]. And after revealing the truth, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he unceremoniously killed her]].
* [[spoiler:Both protagonists]] to an extent in ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''. [[spoiler:Revan]] faced the traditional TomatoInTheMirror with some AmnesiacDissonance, but [[spoiler:The Jedi Exile is heavily implied to be aware of this on some level from the start and simply can't escape it.]]
* In season 4 of ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'', [[spoiler: Garibaldi]] discovers too late that he has been {{brainwashed}} by [[MagnificentBastard Alfred Bester]] into betraying his friends and furthering Bester's own plans.

* The four in ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached''. They think they've been brought to the planet C'hou and empowered in order to undertake a quest to remove a curse on the continent of Ketafa. They were actually brought over as subjects in an undergraduate alien psychology class, and they were kind of shoehorned into the empowerment/quest, [[spoiler: which turned out to be fake anyway.]] They don't learn most of this.
* In ''TigerAndBunny'', Barnaby discovers a rather unsettling truth about his parents' murderer; [[spoiler:it just so happens to be the one person he always regarded as a trustworthy adviser, mentor and parental substitute since childhood, who also ended up being the employer he enthusiastically works himself to the bone for. Copious amounts of psychic brainwashing made it easy.]]
* ''BaldursGate'': In the first game, it turns out the PlayerCharacter is one of the children of the dead god Bhaal, who were all meant by him to raise his power again and effect his resurrection, dying in the process. Fortunately, Bhaal could not really control what his children would actually do after being born with his taint inside them, even if it did give them certain inclinations.
* In ''ResidentEvil5'', Albert Wesker discovers that he was this to Ozwell Spencer. Everything that made Wesker, well Wesker, was indoctrinated in him since childhood by Spencer. All part of Ozwell's plan to become the god of a superior breed of humans. However, Spencer was a powerless old man when the truth was revealed, making it easy for Albert to kill him and make a play for godhood himself.

* ''{{Bleach}}'''s BigBad has a hefty {{Chessmaster}} complex, and in chapter 396, announced that every one of Ichigo's battles has played right into his hand.

* In the ''NightWatch'' books, the Watch agents are well aware that their bosses have [[BatmanGambit complex plans]], though are still unaware of just how much, and to what end, they are being manipulated. The second book [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs]] this trope to an extent, as Edgar, and independently Anton and Igor, manage to work out some of what Gesar and Zabulon are plotting specifically by thinking about the situation in terms of a chess game. Rematerialisation is compared to castling, Anton figures he's a pawn, Igor is actually a rook who captured another piece but was then left vulnerable, and Svetlana is a pawn that managed to reach the end of the board and become a queen.
* In SuperRobotWarsZ, it is revealed that Edel [[LadyOfWar Bernal]] and all her life desires, memories and personality traits were crafted by [[SpellMyNameWithAThe The Edel]] [[ForTheEvulz Bernal]]. And after revealing the truth, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he unceremoniously killed her]].

* Princess Alais in TheLionInWinter: "[[ChessMotifs Kings, queens, knights everywhere you look]] and I'm the only pawn. I haven't got a thing to lose - that makes me dangerous."

* In ''NCIS'', this is part of Director Vance's backstory. When he was a new agent, he was set up to be killed as part of a gambit to re-start the cold war, IIRC

So, maybe you're an average Joe, or maybe you're an accomplished hero. Either way, you have your own life. You've got friends (whether they be your buddies at the bar or your {{Nakama}}), a job (be it accounting or kicking ass), and goals (be it retiring by 55 or defeating the evil overlord). Things are going well.

* TheTrumanShow is this trope as the entire plot.

* In ''FinalFantasyTactics'', almost everyone is this to Delita who turns out to be ''really'' good at being a ManipulativeBastard. The only people who become aware of this are Ramza and company and Ovelia. Ramza goes along with it because he's got much bigger fish to fry (DEMONIC fish at that) and Ovelia [[spoiler:''kills(?)'' Delita for it.]]

* In ''FinalFantasyTactics'', almost everyone is this to Delita. The only people who become aware of this are Ramza and company and Ovelia. Ramza goes along with it because he's got much bigger fish to fry (DEMONIC fish at that) and Ovelia [[spoiler:''kills(?)'' Delita for it.]]

* In ''TigerAndBunny'', Barnaby discovers a rather unsettling truth about his parents' murderer; [[spoiler:it just so happens to be the one person he always regarded as a trustworthy adviser, mentor and parental substitute since childhood, who also ended up being the employer he enthusiastically works himself to the bone for.]]

* ''KingdomHearts358DaysOver2''. Xion and Roxas. Both of them. They end up Screwing Destiny in the worst way possible - Xion goes through with Xemnas' plan while hoping Roxas will destroy her, and Roxas does so.

* Raiden from ''MetalGearSolid 2''. He's been trained by the Patriots to trip up Snake, and his girlfriend and boss are both false constructs meant to deceive him... [[OrIsIt or are they]]?

* In ''TigerAndBunny'', Barnaby discovers a rather unsettling truth about his parents' murderer: [[spoiler:namely, that he's been working for the guy.]]

* In SuperRobotWarsZ, it is revealed that [[LawfulEvil Edel]] [[LadyOfWar Bernal]] and all her life desires, memories and personality traits were crafted by [[SpellMyNameWithAThe The]] [[ChaoticEvil Edel]] [[ForTheEvulz Bernal]]. And after revealing the truth, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he unceremoniously killed her]].

* Droguza from ArcTheLad 4. He believed that he was the last of the Niente tribe, but we find out that he was really made in a lab by Emperor Darkham's reseachers.

The Pawn is a character who finds out that their goals have basically been subverted -- no, not subverted, often crafted from whole cloth -- by the villain. Everything they've done for the greater good has been meant to suit the villain's good. They are the UnwittingPawn writ large. A HeroicBSOD likely ensues, followed by ThePawn deciding to ScrewDestiny.

The Pawn is frequently set up by a TomatoInTheMirror scenario.

Note: As this is a trope that reveals the true motivations of several characters, '''THERE WILL BE GIGANTIC SPOILERS'''. This is your last warning.

Examples:

* The hero of ''Jade Empire''. The PlayerCharacter is the LastOfHisKind, trained in martial arts under the tutelage of Master Li, and when Master Li is kidnapped by the Emperor's forces and his [[DoomedHometown dojo]] is destroyed, the PC swears to defeat the Emperor. And once he does, Master Li ''kills him''; everything -- from the genocide of his people to the destruction of the dojo -- was engineered so that the PC would kill the Emperor and deliver the throne to Master Li. Don't worry; he gets better.

** Season three also reveals that[[spoiler: Nathan was given his power by his parents, but not in the DNA sort of way but by using him in a medical experiment.]]

* Droguza from arc the lad 4 he belived that he the last of the Niente tribe, but we find out that he was really made in a lab by Emperor Darkham's reseachers.
* [[JukenSentaiGekiranger Rio, Rio, holy shit, RIO]]

* ''KingdomHearts: 358/2 Days''. Xion and Roxas. Both of them. They end up Screwing Destiny in the worst way possible - Xion goes through with Xemnas' plan while hoping Roxas will destroy her, and Roxas does so.

The Pawn is a character who finds out that their goals have basically been subverted -- no, not subverted, often crafted from whole cloth -- by the villain. Everything they've done for the greater good has been meant to suit the villain's good. They are the XanatosSucker writ large. A HeroicBSOD likely ensues, followed by ThePawn deciding to ScrewDestiny.