Line #10 ComicBook/TheKiller


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_complete_the_killer.png]]
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3	''The Killer'' (Le Tueur) is a French neo-noir comic book series written by Alexis "Matz" Nolent and illustrated by Luc Jacamon and published 1998-2013. It follows an unnamed VillainProtagonist who makes his living as a [[ProfessionalKiller contract killer]].
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5	A [[LiveActionAdaptation live-action film adaptation]], ''Film/{{The Killer\|2023}}'', directed by Creator/DavidFincher and starring Creator/MichaelFassbender, released on Creator/{{Netflix}} in Fall 2023.
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7	Not to be confused with the Creator/JohnWoo [[Film/TheKiller1989 film of the same name]].
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9	!!Examples:
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11	* AssassinsAreAlwaysBetrayed:
12	** After a hit in Paris goes wrong, resulting in a carnage and him almost shooting a kid, the protagonist decides to retire as a professional killer. However, his trusted handler Edward tries to have him killed out of greed, but makes a pretty stupid error by getting a rookie to do the job, which ends in both their deaths when the target finds out.
13	** Averted by "El Padrino", the killer's later Colombian employer. He's fine with parting ways peacefully once the killer's debt is settled, although he later manages to convince him to come work for them again.
14	* BatterUp: The Killer's first kill was with a bat since he couldn't afford a gun.
15	* TheCartel: The protagonist's employers in several albums are members of a Colombian narco-cartel, who think he still owes them a favor after botching a previous hit in Paris (he did kill the intended target, but only after gunning down several other people).
16	* ColdSniper: The protagonist kills a lot of his targets with a sniper rifle; he notes that he would probably have made a good army sniper if he didn't hate following orders.
17	* ConspicuouslyPublicAssassination: The Killer is hired to assassinate a corrupt high-ranking French politician after he becomes a competitor to a Colombian drug kingpin for the same market. The kingpin specifically wants the assassination to be as public as possible to send a clear message, so the Killer opts to blow up his car along with his armed escorts.
18	* EveryCarIsAPinto: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] and [[DefiedTrope defied]]--the killer notes that unlike in the movies, cars don't just explode at the lightest scratch. The only way is to ShootTheFuelTank, and even that requires him getting armor-piercing incendiary rounds to have the kind of effect he wants.
19	* HitmanWithAHeart: The Killer slowly becomes more human over the course of the comic, developing a few genuine friendships and feeling deeply protective of his quiet girlfriend, whom he eventually decides to let in on his secret.
20	* JobTitle: Sure enough, the main character makes a living off of killing people.
21	* LazyAlias: The Killer complains about this when his employers give him a passport with the name "Labataille" for a particular job. They thought they were being cute, but he points out that it's [[PunnyName too obvious]], although he still manages to slip through customs.
22	* LeaveNoWitnesses: Averted, the Killer would rather Threaten the Witness by taking their [=IDs=] than outright killing them.
23	* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: The ProfessionalKiller protagonist often makes his assassinations look like either accidents or suicides to dissuade any further investigation that might ultimately lead to his capture.
24	* ProfessionalKiller: The comic centers around one. He's characterized as a stoic, reflective sort of person with deeply misanthropic tendencies, although he does object to killing people for any reason other than money.
25	* ShootTheFuelTank: The killer is hired to assassinate a powerful businessman in public, so he decides to attack his motorcade by blowing up the limo's fuel tank. He specifically has to get armor-piercing rounds to get the kind of effect he wants. The trope's page image shows him demonstrating this method to his employer in a junk yard.
26	* StrawNihilist: The protagonist justifies his own life as a contract killer to the reader by pointing to past atrocities and other injustices in the world, reasoning that him taking out a few lives here and there won't make a difference in the grand scheme of things.
27	* VillainProtagonist: The protagonist is a stoic, meditative contract killer.

Context ComicBook / TheKiller