History Main / WasItReallyWorthIt

* ''WebVideo/DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' ends this way for [[spoiler: Billy/Doctor Horrible]].

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. As detailed in Literature/ArchmaesterGyldaynsHistories is "The Dance of the Dragons". Over a century before the events of the main story (ASOIAF starts in 298 and TDOTD took place in 129-131), Viserys I wanted his daughter Rhaenyra to succeed ahead of his son from a later marriage despite the inheritance laws of most of Westeros favoring sons before daughters. However, after his death, his son was crowned Aegon II, leading to "The Dance of the Dragons", a major civil war in which most of the dragons and Targaryens were killed, including both claimants. Rhaenyra's son Aegon III then became King and shortly after this, the last of the line from Viserys' last marriage died out. Aegon suffered from depression, partially from seeing the death of his mother, and the dragons died out during his reign. To cap it all off, the stigma against females inheriting the Iron Throne remained, as when Aegon's sons died without issue, his brother Viserys II took the throne ahead of Aegon's daughters (Aegon and Viserys could claim male line inheritance due to their father being Viserys I's brother [[IncestIsRelative Daemon]]).

* ''Manga/{{InuYasha}}'': When Sesshomaru comes across Rin's dead body in the Underworld while undergoing his mother's test and discovers that the Tenseiga [[ItOnlyWorksOnce can't bring her back to life a second time]], he's so heartbroken that he promptly throws the sword to the ground and curses it, outright stating that ''nothing'' he could have gained was worth losing Rin. Once he's learned the [[ComesGreatResponsibility lesson]] his parents needed to teach him, Rin is resurrected to ensure she didn't have to suffer for Sesshomaru's mistakes.

* In an episode of ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'', [[EscalatingWar a series of ever escalating pranks]] lands Malcolm and Reese in the hospital after they tied in GameOfChicken with go-cars. When they're brought home, Hal grounds Malcolm and tells him to cancel the plans he had for his birthday. As they're about to get into another fight, Lois asks them what they remeber doing on past birthdays, only for them to sadly remeber having birthday party because they did something to the other to get grounded. Lois then asks them if their desire to get revenge for whatever little indiscretion was done to them is worth having nothing but miserable memories on what should be a happy ocassion. To drive the point home, to aplogize for missing Dewey's solo performance in the school play, Hal gives him Malcom's birthday present, a rare, and expensive, comic book. Dewey takes it and the video game they gave him, [[ABirthdayNotABreak and wishes Malcolm a happy birthday as he and Reese do menial work around the house]].

* ''Franchise/GreenLantern:'' [[spoiler:the Black Lantern Arin Sur asks her husband Sinestro this when they fight through the streets of Korugar, asking if he's happy with what he did to Korugar, and himself, in the name of peace.]] It's one of the few times Sinestro isn't capable of speaking, he can only stutter out "I... I don't...". It's hard to say if this is due to genuine doubt on Sinestro's end or [[spoiler: due to his wife being the one asking.]]

* ''ComicBook/VenomDonnyCates'': A flashback story shows a run-in between ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} and Venom. During their fight, Logan straight-up tells Eddie that his vendetta against Spider-Man wasn’t worth it and that he hasn’t accomplished a damn thing beyond mildly hurting Spider-Man’s feelings. This ends up being the epiphany that makes Venom become a “lethal protector” instead of just harassing Spidey.

* During the climax of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', major recurring villains [[spoiler:Ansem and Xemnas]] are finally KilledOffForReal. The former admits his heart wasn’t even in the FinalBattle and he’s been suffering from clinical depression ever since he figured out that he didn’t stand a chance this time around. The latter (who Sora actually invokes this trope to nearly word for word), confesses that he now regrets being such a BadBoss to his underlings that none of them are left to help him (nor would they want to), and that for all his work to gain his own heart, the pain of loneliness wasn’t worth it.

* ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'': A recurring theme throughout the series is the question of whether or not what Scrooge gains is worth what he gives up in exchange while pursuing his goals. His earlier escapades have him suffering for little if any substantial gain while his later endeavors showcase that the pursuit of wealth has directly cost him anyone to share his life with, be they family or friends. By the end of the series Scrooge has wound up as recluse who achieved his goal of becoming the richest in the world but has lived in complete isolation for years.

* In Donny Cates’s ''ComicBook/{{Venom}}'' run, a flashback story shows a run-in between ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} and Venom. During their fight, Logan straight-up tells Eddie that his vendetta against Spider-Man wasn’t worth it and that he hasn’t accomplished a damn thing beyond mildly hurting Spider-Man’s feelings. This ends up being the epiphany that makes Venom become a “lethal protector” instead of just harassing Spidey.

-->Danny Tripp: Was sleeping with him for that information really worth it?

* Parody/subversion in the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Casa Bonita", where Cartman effectively holds Butters hostage for over a week in order to take his place at Kyle's birthday celebration, which is being held at the eponymous establishment. In the final scene, a cop asks Cartman if it was worth making the town panic, alienating his friends, and going to juvenile hall. Cartman dreamily responds [[WorthIt "Totally." ]]

* At the end of ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'', after finally killing Dio, Jotaro tells Dio's dead body that the outcome could have been slightly different if Dio didn't go out of his way to piss Jotaro off while asking if the effort was worth it.[[labelnote:note]](said only in the dub)[[/labelnote]]

* In ''Series/BreakingBad'', Walter laments how working in the drug industry has caused his wife to fear him and keep their children away from him and says that the meth empire he's building is all he has left to be proud of. His partner, [[AntiVillain Jesse]], calls him out on this, but it doesn't work.

** A similar theme was used in [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the G1 cartoon]], when a beautiful woodland glen was wrecked when Autobots and Decepticons fought over possession of the pool of Blaster-reflecting electrum at its center. The final scene has the Autobot Beachcomber glumly viewing the devastation and saying "We won", in tones that embody this trope.

* Lunarian warrior Shoutoku is asked by [[FanFic/IcedFairysANewWorld Tenshi Hinanai]] if her revenge is worth the death of the Lunarian civilization, the attempted genocide of humanity and youkai, and most importantly, the murder of Tenshi's OnlyFriend. When Shoutoku admits the answer is no, and tries to kill herself, Tenshi decides to show her ''[[CruelMercy exactly]]'' what she thinks of her...

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* ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' ends this way for [[spoiler: Billy/Doctor Horrible]].

-->'''Phelps:''' No, it just got a whole lot harder. [[RealityEnsues Adrian Black -- you're under arrest for conspiracy and fraud. We'll see what the [=DA=] has to say about wasting police resources on a wild goose chase like this.]]

** Firelord Sozin asks himself at the end of his life if [[spoiler: making the world [[WellIntentionedExtremist a better place]] by [[WhiteMansBurden spreading Fire Nation culture]]]] was really worth the [[KillEmAll genocide]] [[PerfectPacifistPeople of the Air Nomads]], [[WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife the deaths of thousands of both his people and those of the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes in the war,]] [[spoiler: and betraying Avatar Roku, his best friend as he was growing up, leaving him to die when he could have saved him. He somberly concludes that it was not.]]
** Sozin's great-grandson, Zuko, spends the entire first half of Season 3 asking himself this question. After three long years, he's finally welcomed back to the Fire Nation, has his [[AbusiveParents father's]] approval, and pretty much everything he wanted all along. The only thing he had to do was betray his uncle who had given everything for him. After much soul-searching, [[spoiler:he comes to the same conclusion Sozin did. The big difference is Zuko has the opportunity to make things right and [[HeelFaceTurn he takes it]]]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' in one episode has Timmy Turner wish Vicky and her family's house destroyed as payback for all the abuse he got from Vicky over the years. Vicky and her family then move into the Turners' house and Timmy is literally thrown out of the house and forced to sleep in a doghouse in the cold rain and his food gets confiscated to make room and board for [[TheThingThatWouldNotLeave Vicky]].

* All but spelled out by ''VideoGame/NieR''[='s=] [[MultipleEndings endings A and C]], as [[spoiler:Nier tries to enjoy his life with Yonah, having sacrificed so much for her]] in the former, and mourns [[spoiler:Kainé's death]] in the latter. ''Heavily'' implied [[PlayingThePlayer to the player]] in Ending D.

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* Previously [[HoYay/ComicBooks very close]] teammates, the [[ComicBook/CivilWar last conversation]] between IronMan and ComicBook/CaptainAmerica has the latter in a cell, awaiting trial, and asking the former, "Was it worth it?" Later, an opportunistic villain assassinates Captain America on his way to trial, and Iron Man, confronted with his body, finally answers the question. Was it worth it? [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone No.]] [[PyrrhicVictory No, it was not.]]

* In Richard Holdstock's (as Richard Kirk) ''[[BarbarianHero Raven, Swordmistress of Chaos]]'' stories, the FramingDevice of each novel takes place AfterTheEnd, an elderly man with a mutilated hand and an old golden sword that's beyond the current age to make, wanders into a barely surviving settlement and in return for hospitality he tells a tale of Raven, the woman who ended the current age and unleashed the Age of Chaos. The Age of Chaos was to sweep away the previous age of tyrants and supernatural horrors that threaten humanity. It also saw the end of island of [[AncientOrderOfProtectors sorcerers who protect humanity]] at her hands and the falling out between Raven and her lover/companions Spellbinder. At the final book, the elderly man (who's an aged Spellbinder) laments the primitive conditions of this new age and wonders "Was it really worth it?" to the missing and presumed dead Raven (answer is yes... our world eventually emerges from their Age of Chaos).

* ''Fanfic/OneDayAtATime'': Richard Dragon is completely appaled to learn his EvilFormerFriend Sandra Wu-San threw her daughter away, letting the girl grow up mercilessly abused in the name of "strength". Shiva sneers she doesn't care about Dragon's outrage.

[[YourCheatingHeart And was she worth it]]\\
[[YourCheatingHeart Was she worth it?]]