History Main / WouldNotShootAGoodGuy

* In ''Film/MinorityReport'', Anderton must first dispatch a group of his own pre-crime teammates, and then with a number of FBI agents. Though law enforcement is already mostly geared toward non-lethal weapons in this universe, Anderton takes more care to make sure none of his comrades are hurt too extensively. At one point, he makes sure one of the pre-cops has a good, secure grip on a fire escape before he steals the cop's jetpack. This is averted in the video game adaptation for the UsefulNotes/XBox, UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube.

** Completely thrown out the window in ''Double Agent'', where you're undercover as a member of a domestic terrorist group, and can kill prison guards, security guards, and Mexican marines at your leisure (although doing so drops your NSA trust meter, which can lead to a game over if you overdo it). The UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube and 6th Generation versions ''forced'' you to avert this trope at times. There was only [[YouLoseAtZeroTrust one trust meter]], which went back and forth between NSA and JBA. Sometimes you had no choice but to gun down a couple of security guards or police if you were leaning too close to the former.

* Series/{{Dexter}} wasn't willing to kill Doakes, instead keeping him held hostage for a couple episodes after the latter discovered that he was [[SerialKillerKiller the Bay Harbor Butcher]]. Luckily (or Unluckilly), though, [[BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork Lila came along]]... Though Dexter wasn't exactly grateful.

* Downplayed in ''Film/BirdsOfPrey'': While Harley does shoot some cops at one point, she deliberately uses a non-lethal "confetti gun", whereas she has no problem just offing criminals and other bad people.

* In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', Batman is forced to non-lethally disable a SWAT team that has [[DisguisedHostageGambit mistaken the hostages for armed hostage-takers, a plan of the Joker meant to cruelly force this trope to its darkest possible outcome]]. Granted, Batman never intentionally kills people, but he's noticeably more careful in that scene and doesn't brutalise or cripple them either.
** Later, it does indeed all go downhill for him in the eyes of the law and the public when he [[spoiler: takes the blame for the death of Harvey Dent (and the murders ''he'' committed).]]

* In ''Film/MinorityReport'', Anderton must first dispatch a group of his own pre-crime teammates, and then with a number of FBI agents. Though law enforcement is already mostly geared toward non-lethal weapons in this universe, Anderton takes more care to make sure none of his comrades are hurt too extensively. At one point, he makes sure one of the pre-cops has a good, secure grip on a fire escape before he steals the cop's jetpack.
** Contrast this with the UsefulNotes/XBox/UsefulNotes/PlayStation2/UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube video game adaptation, which throws this trope entirely out the window, along with a dozen or so honest cops trying to do their jobs. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk6OWFi9__U Spoony's review]] of it calls it out on how horrifying and ridiculous it is to insist your innocence of one murder while performing a hundred more.

* Averted in the ''Literature/DeathMerchant'' novel, ''Literature/TheSoulSearchProject'' where the protagonist and his team kill dozens of NYPD officers during a chase without blinking an eye and justify it by saying: [[YouCantMakeAnOmelette "you have to break a few eggs to get an omelet"]]. Of course, the titular Death Merchant is an AntiHero who won't think twice about averting NeverHurtAnInnocent if it's the quickest way to accomplish a mission.
** The same author also wrote a series of books called ''C.O.B.R.A.'' in which this trope is inverted regularly as the protagonist, Jon Skul, frequently kills police and innocent bystanders in order to complete his missions, with zero remorse shown (and in fact on one occasion an ally attempts to pull a WhatTheHellHero on Skul, only to be shouted down.

* In the original ''VideoGame/SplinterCell'', killing CIA security forces while trying to break into CIA Headquarters resulted in an instant mission failure.

* The final run of Creator/GarthEnnis' ''Comicbook/ThePunisherMAX'' involved Frank being in the sights of a cabal of Corrupt US Army Generals...who use their connections to send a group of special operations soldiers after him. Frank doesn't kill them, but that doesn't mean he doesn't ''fight'' them. This would appear to only apply to ''American'' soldiers, too; he doesn't hesitate to shoot Russian soldiers in a nuclear missile base. Frank also usually takes it easy on superheroes who get between him and his targets. Of course, "taking it easy" for Frank Castle still usually involves fisticuffs, non-lethal shootings, stabbings, and on one occasion, a ''steamroller''. In that particular story, he was fighting ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} and was allowed to go all out since [[ImmortalLifeIsCheap Wolverine can always get better]].

* Omar Little in ''Series/TheWire'' would never put the gun to a civillian. He ends up shooting Brother Mouzone due to false information provided by Stringer, but as it becomes clear Mouzone had nothing to do with Brandon's death, Omar calls 911 to the Motel room and leaves.

* Omar Little in ''Series/TheWire'' would never put the gun to a civillian. He ends up shooting Brother Mouzone due to false information provided by Stringer, but as it becomes clear Mouzone had nothing to do with Brandon's death, Omar calls 911 to the MOtel room and leaves.

* Totally and completely {{averted|Trope}} in the first season of ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex''. After [[spoiler: the whole of Section 9]] is falsely accused of a crime, you would need an accountant to keep track of the dead among the black-ops military team sent to ''arrest'' them. They even finished off soldiers who had already been neutralized as a threat.

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]

* The final run of Creator/GarthEnnis' ''Comicbook/ThePunisherMAX'' involved Frank being in the sights of a cabal of Corrupt US Army Generals...who use their connections to send a group of special operations soldiers after him. Frank doesn't kill them, but that doesn't mean he doesn't ''fight'' them. This would appear to only apply to ''American'' soldiers, too; he doesn't hesitate to shoot Russian soldiers in a nuclear missile base. Frank also usually takes it easy on superheroes who get between him and his targets. Of course, "taking it easy" for Frank Castle still usually involves fisticuffs, non-lethal shootings, stabbings, and on one occasion, a ''steamroller''. In that particular story, he was fighting ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} and was allowed to go all out since [[GoodThingYouCanHeal Wolverine can always get better]].

* In an issue of {{Superman}} where he goes to Earth Prime, which is basically our world with all its mundanities, an army commander orders his men to shoot on Superman. They do so, thinking he's some sort of impostor or crazy person, but when the smoke clears and he's just fine, the men turn on their commander.

* The heroes in the film version of ''{{Film/RED}}'' go out of their way not to kill any of the police, feds or secret service agents trying to catch them, instead pinning them down with suppression fire and running away. The only people they ever do kill are the mercenaries and CIA spooks actively trying to kill them.

* Averted in the ''DeathMerchant'' novel, "The Soul Search Project" where the protagonist and his team kill dozens of NYPD officers during a chase without blinking an eye and justify it by saying: [[YouCantMakeAnOmelette "you have to break a few eggs to get an omelet"]]. Of course, the titular Death Merchant is an AntiHero who won't think twice about averting NeverHurtAnInnocent if it's the quickest way to accomplish a mission.

** Contrast this with the UsefulNotes/XBox video game adaptation, which throws this trope entirely out the window, along with a dozen or so honest cops trying to do their jobs. [[http://spoonyexperiment.com/2013/06/10/minority-report-everybody-runs/ Spoony's review]] of it calls it out on how horrifying and ridiculous it is to insist your innocence of one murder while performing a hundred more.

* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' features this in the episode "The Lost Heir Job" after Parker is framed for shooting a police officer. Eliot claims that he isn't going to hit the cops that are following them. Fortunately, Parker is more willing to use StunGuns on them.

[[folder:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

[[folder:Live Action Television]]

** Completely thrown out the window in ''Double Agent'', where you're undercover as a member of a domestic terrorist group, and can kill prison guards, security guards and Mexican marines at your leisure (although doing so drops your NSA trust meter, which can lead to a game over if you overdo it). The UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube and 6th Generation versions ''forced'' you to avert this trope at times. There was only [[YouLoseAtZeroTrust one trust meter]], which went back and forth between NSA and JBA. Sometimes you had no choice but to gun down a couple of security guards or police if you were leaning too close to the former.

Compare ThouShallNotKillMuggles.

On high stakes missions, [[IDidWhatIHadToDo a character may have to kill such men to keep his mission going]]. This trope comes into play if it results in DirtyBusiness, no matter how high the stakes. (Such as, all the guards will die if he doesn't defuse the bomb, and so he ''has'' to get past them.) This tends to push things toward cynicism.

See also ApologeticAttacker.

** In ''Blacklist'', this extends to the American soldiers while [[spoiler:breaking out of the Guantanamo Bay prison]] and Indian soldiers in one mission of the co-op campaign. For a certain definition of good guys,[[spoiler:the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps]] gets no such protection in ''Blacklist'' despite [[spoiler:Iran being framed and actually attempting to apprehend one of the villains involved with the attacks.]] This is likely because the country is an adversary state to the US, [[spoiler:and the IRGC is listed as a terrorist organisation, even if they are innocent of backing the Engineers.]]

* During the Heavenly Emperor Arc in ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', Kenshiro comes to realize that Falco and his soldiers are honorable good people, so he avoids fighting them while figuring out why they seem forced to do evil deeds. Ultimately, Falco joins Kenshrio after killing Jakoh, his superior, who is actually very, very evil, unlike them.

* During the Heavenly Emperor Arc in ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', Kenshiro comes to realize that Falco and his soldiers are honorable good people, so he avoids fighting them while figuring out why they seem forced to do evil deeds.

Policemen often fall under this if TheHero is accused of a crime, especially with the better sort of VigilanteMan. (WrongfulAccusationInsurance not withstanding -- and it does make ClearMyName much easier if he doesn't do this.) Sometimes overlaps with ArrestedForHeroism.

* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' plays with averting this trope as Katniss continually has to remind herself that she might have to kill sympathetic competitors such the child, Rue, or her friend Peeta in order to survive the game. Ultimately, [[spoiler: she doesn't have to kill any sympathetic characters, however in the third book of the trilogy, ''Mockingjay'', the trope is finally averted when she cold-bloodedly shoots an innocent bystander during the final battle.]]

* The ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' has the titular sword magically enforce this trope - the wielder physically cannot harm someone they ''believe'' to be innocent. Of course, that necessitates that only incredibly perceptive and quick-thinking people are qualified for the position, because there's a deep gulf between belief and fact. [[spoiler: Richard discovers that the restriction only applies when the sword is powered by anger. When it's powered by love, it's no-holds-barred. Interestingly, this turns out to ultimately be the key to the power of Orden - being able to unlock the love mode and do what has to be done, regardless of the cost. YMMV.]]
* Averted in the ''DeathMerchant'' novel, "The Soul Search Project" where the protagonist and his team kill dozens of NYPD officers during a chase without blinking an eye and justify it by saying: [[YouCantMakeAnOmelette "you have to break a few eggs to get an omelet"]]. Of course the titular Death Merchant is a AntiHero who won't think twice about averting NeverHurtAnInnocent if it's the quickest way to accomplish a mission.

* In season four of ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' the ISA send a team to obtain a virus that our heroes are also after. Devon Grice, one of the ISA operatives, gets the chance to shoot Shaw and take the virus, but instead lets her go.

** In ''Chaos Theory'' you could kill U.S. National Guard forces while sneaking around New York, but it'd automatically drop your mission score to 0%. The same applies to the ROK soldiers during the Seoul mission. In the final mission, killing JSDF personnel while breaking into a Japanese base results in an instant mission failure (although it's more due to political consequences rather than moral considerations). Towards the end of that mission though, lethal force is authorised when it is clear who are the real enemies.

* In ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII'' one of the missions has the player in the role of the mole in [[BigBad Menedez's]] organisation who has no choice but to kill any Yemeni soldiers who gets in his way for self-defence and to keep his cover.

* In ''Manga/BusouRenkin'', this is why [[spoiler: Kazuki]] refused to kill the [[spoiler: Alchemist Warriors sent after him when he is about to go Victor.]]