History Main / YouShouldHaveDiedInstead

* Xander implies this in a mild way when Andrew tells him that Anya saved his life, sacrificing herself in the process. "That's my girl...always doing the stupid thing".

* In the StarWarsExpandedUniverse, Han expresses this general sentiment, if not the exact words, to his son Anakin after [[spoiler: Chewbacca's death]].

* StephenKing's ''DumaKey'', features divorced wife Pam saying this to Edgar when their daughter is killed.
* Another StephenKing example comes in ''TheEyesOfTheDragon'' where the universally beloved Queen Sasha dies giving birth to the rather useless Prince Thomas. Thomas imagines that not only his father, but pretty much everyone in the kingdom is thinking, "We lost your mother and we got ''you'' instead?"

* ''{{Dexter}}'': Astor says this when she finds out [[spoiler: Rita's dead]].

* In ''[[DotHackGUGames .hack//G.U.]]'', this happens to [[spoiler:Sakubo's player Iori]], who is an IllBoy in real world. Frustrated at her son's condition, [[spoiler:Iori's]] mother wished the one who was alive was [[spoiler:Iori's stillborn twin sister, Sakura]].

** In ''Walk Hard: The Dewy Cox Story'', his own ''father'' tells him "The wrong kid died." Repeatedly. He visits Dewey in rehab just to reiterate this, he sings it as he does fieldwork...

* In a flashback in ''H2OFootprintsInTheSand'', Hinata's grandfather wishes that [[spoiler:Hotaru, whom we had known to this point as Hinata]], had died instead of [[spoiler:her sister]]. So much that he forces her to [[spoiler:steal her sister's identity and renounce her room, her hobbies, and anything that made Hotaru distinct from the real Hinata]]. No wonder it hurts when the townspeople gossip that it was better that Hinata survived and Hotaru died.
* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi'': This pushes [[spoiler:Shion]] over the edge in Meakashi-hen, when she thinks that [[spoiler:her {{yakuza}} family killed her boyfriend]] and wishes that it had been his little sister instead, whom she never liked anyway. When her RoaringRampageOfRevenge gets to the sister, we get the most disturbing murder scene in the entire series, followed by one of the biggest {{tearjerker}}s.

* Minagi Tohno in ''VisualNovel/{{AIR}}'' reveals she was going to have a [[spoiler:little sister (to have been named Michiru) but her mother miscarried]]. Her mother [[spoiler:calls Minagi "Michiru"]].

* ''{{Arago}}'': When Arago and Rio meet for the first time after Ewan's death, Rio quite explicitly expresses to Arago how she wishes that he would have died in Ewan's stead. This changes pretty quickly though.
* In the ''Manga/DeathNote'' manga, Light says this to Ryuk ([[BullyingADragon a God of Death]]).
-->'''Light:''' ''[[SurroundedByIdiots *sighs*]]'' I wish [[spoiler: Rem]] had survived instead of you.

[[folder: Comics ]]

* In ''Comicbook/{{Hellblazer}}'', John Constantine gets this a lot. A lot of times, the people saying it are right.

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* ''VorkosiganSaga'': After the birth of Miles, near the end of ''Barrayar'', Count Piotr says that he wishes that Mad Emperor Yuri's death squad had killed Aral, instead of his older brother. This is the final straw in their deteriorating relationship, leading to a 5 year estrangement.

* ''{{Soap}}'': Elaine Lefkowitz, Danny's first wife, had this ("Why couldn't it have been you?") said to her by her father. Ouch.
* ''Series/{{Lost}}'' : Benjamin Linus's father expressed these sentiments to Ben -- that he'd wished Ben had died rather than his mother.

* ''{{Dexter}}'': Astor says this when she finds out [[spoiler: Rita's dead]].

* In ''Series/{{Awake}}'' Rex says this of his father, though in a realistic spin, he's ashamed of it.

[[folder: Music]]

[[folder: Theater ]]

* In ''DaisyOwl'', [[http://daisyowl.com/comic/2008-07-06 a fly's memories]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Agnes Skinner says she wishes her son had died instead of their car. This is typical of their relationship.

* ''{{Legion}}'': Sandra pretty much says this to her daughter after Howard dies.

* ''[[NineteenEightyFour 1984]]'': At the end, Room 101's purpose, at least for Winston, is to make him truly wish the torture on his loved ones instead of himself.

* {{Stephen King}}'s ''DumaKey'', features divorced wife Pam saying this to Edgar when their daughter is killed.

* ''Series/{{iCarly}}''

* ''WesternAnimation/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', "Clams", when Mr. Krabs is eaten by a giant clam:

* ''BatmanForever'':

* In {{Kick-Ass}}:

* In ''{{Maus}}'', it's implied that this was Vladek's (and maybe Anja's) attitude about Richieu dying and Art surviving.

* ''{{Arago}}''. When Arago and Rio meet for the first time after Ewan's death, Rio quite explicitly expresses to Arago how she wishes that he would have died in Ewan's stead. This changes pretty quickly though.

* In ''TalesOfSymphonia'', during [[spoiler:Zelos' "night in Flanoir"]] scene, [[spoiler:Zelos]] reveals to you that [[spoiler:his mother]] was shot by an arrow that was meant for him. [[spoiler:His mother]] hits the point home with: [[spoiler:"You should have never been born."]]

On the other hand, if you, DirtyCoward that you are, survived by sacrificing the other character, expect no mercy. Compare IWishedYouWereDead.

* From Adeline Yen Mah's memoir ''Falling Leaves''. [[CompleteMonster Jeanne]] openly wishes that her daughter, Susan, had died instead of her favorite child, Franklin, a brat and a bully who died from bulbar polio contracted after gorging himself on unwashed strawberries. The resulting quarrel leads to Susan's banishment from the family.

* ''HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi'': This pushes [[spoiler:Shion]] over the edge in Meakashi-hen, when she thinks that [[spoiler:her {{yakuza}} family killed her boyfriend]] and wishes that it had been his little sister instead, whom she never liked anyway. When her RoaringRampageOfRevenge gets to the sister, we get the most disturbing murder scene in the entire series, followed by one of the biggest {{tearjerker}}s.
* ''{{Berserk}}'': Guts's adoptive father Gambino told him this word for word when [[AbusiveParents he tried]] [[OffingTheOffspring to kill him]]. He's referring to Sys, Gambino's lover, who died from the plague just three years after they took Guts in. He blames this on Guts due to a superstitious belief that his being born from a corpse makes him bad luck, which fueled a hatred that had previously led him to [[spoiler:sell the kid to one of his men as a child prostitute for three silver coins]].
* ''{{Shuffle}}'': Eight years prior to the story, both of Rin's parents and Kaede's mother are killed in a car accident. Kaede became traumautized from the incident, losing her will to live. Rin overhears the doctor say that she needs a reason, any reason, to live. Rin then goes to Kaede and tells her that on the night of the accident, he was lonely and phoned his parents, asking them to come back. Since his parents and Kaede's mother rode in the same car, he essentially told Kaede that it was his fault that her mother died. This causes Kaede to snap out of her stupor and she tries to strangle Rin to death.\\

* It's still a little unclear how the car accident death of [[Manga/SkipBeat Hizuri Kuon]]'s older friend Rick came about, sending him into an AngstComa, but a large part of the reason it hit him so hard is that a blonde woman attached to them both expressed this sentiment and called Kuon a murderer. Even if he was (illegally) driving the car, it would have been a completely accidental vehicular homicide, since Rick couldn't even get the kid to do violence to a chicken because of his excessive empathy. And it doesn't look like he was driving.

* JohnConstantine gets this a lot. A lot of times, the people saying it are right.

* ''{{Lost}}'' : Benjamin Linus's father expressed these sentiments to Ben -- that he'd wished Ben had died rather than his mother.
* ''{{iCarly}}''

* ''{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', "Clams", when Mr. Krabs is eaten by a giant clam (HeGotBetter):

* ''TheSimpsons'': Agnes Skinner says she wishes her son had died instead of their car. This is typical of their relationship.

* Minagi Tohno in ''{{AIR}}'' reveals she was going to have a [[spoiler:little sister (to have been named Michiru) but her mother miscarried]]. Her mother [[spoiler:calls Minagi "Michiru"]].

* Minagi Tohno in ''{{AIR}}'' reveals she was going to have a [[spoiler:little sister but the sister died unexpectedly]]. For a while, her mother continues to [[spoiler:call Minagi by the name of her dead daughter]].

* It's still a little unclear how the car accident death of [[SkipBeat Hizuri Kuon]]'s older friend Rick came about, sending him into an AngstComa, but a large part of the reason it hit him so hard is that a blonde woman attached to them both expressed this sentiment and called Kuon a murderer. Even if he was (illegally) driving the car, it would have been a completely accidental vehicular homicide, since Rick couldn't even get the kid to do violence to a chicken because of his excessive empathy. And it doesn't look like he was driving.

* In a flashback in ''H2OFootprintsInTheSand'', Hinata's grandfather [[spoiler:wishes that Hotaru, whom we had known to this point as Hinata, had died instead of her sister. So much that he forces her to steal her sister's identity and renounce her room, her hobbies, and anything that made Hotaru distinct from the real Hinata]]. No wonder it hurts when the townspeople gossip that it was better that Hinata survived and Hotaru died.
* ''HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi'': This pushes [[spoiler:Shion]] over the edge in Meakashi-hen, when [[spoiler:she thinks that her {{yakuza}} family killed her boyfriend]] and wishes that it had been his little sister instead, whom she never liked anyway. When her RoaringRampageOfRevenge gets to the sister, we get the most disturbing murder scene in the entire series, followed by one of the biggest {{tearjerker}}s.

* Minagi Tohno in ''{{AIR}}'' reveals she was going to [[spoiler: have a little sister but the sister died unexpectedly]]. For a while [[spoiler: her mother continues to call Minagi by the name of her dead daughter]].

* There is an old children's horror novel that this troper once read and can no longer remember the name of, but anyway...in the book, the main character's name is Matt, and his apparently perfect older sister, Penny, was murdered ten years ago. He often gets into trouble, and during one incident, his mother tells him, "And poor Penny's the one who had to die!" Later on she tries to make it up to him, but he never forgets how badly it hurt him to hear it. [[spoiler: Of course, it turns out that Penny [[BitchInSheepsClothing wasn't so nice and kind after all]], and actually died in the attempt to kill a four-year-old Matt...]]

* In ''TalesOfSymphonia'', during [[spoiler: Zelos' "night in Flanoir" scene, Zelos reveals to you that his mother was shot by an arrow that was meant for him. His mother hits the point home with: "You should have never been born."]]
* In ''[[DotHackGUGames .hack//G.U.]]'', this happens to [[spoiler:Sakubo's player Iori, who is an IllBoy in real world. Frustrated at her son's condition, Iori's mother wished the one who was alive was Iori's stillborn twin sister, Sakura]].

-->-- '''''TheLordOfTheRings'''''

*** His wording in the book is "Yes, I wish that indeed, for Boromir was loyal to me and no wizard's pupil... He would have brought me a mighty gift.". At least in the film, he hesitates to say this to Faramir, and his voice trembles. In the book he has no such hesitation.

* ''PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' Hades tells [[spoiler: Nico]] that he wishes that he died instead of [[spoiler: Bianca]].