Line #27 Main/SurrenderBackfire


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4	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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7	[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bobby_65.png]]]]
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9	So, TheHero and his team are cornered by enemy forces on all sides. Do they fight their way out or at best make a LastStand? No. Somebody in the group suggests [[KnowWhenToFoldEm they willingly surrender]], claiming that this way, [[TacticalWithdrawal they'll live to fight another day]]. But what's this? Rather than being locked in [[CardboardPrison an easily escapable cell]], the heroes are either [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim executed on the spot]], [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed into new minions]] for the BigBad, or suffer a FateWorseThanDeath, or in this case, a fate worse than if they had fought back.
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11	The reason this can happen varies: the villain could either be wise to how dangerous the heroes are, they could find this too good an opportunity to do away with the heroes for good, they might despise those who won't fight to the end, seeing them as {{Dirty Coward}}s, they might promise to agree to the heroes' terms of surrender, only to reveal [[ILied they lied]] later on, or are just plain cruel and want to KickThemWhileTheyreDown.
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13	Needless to say, this is a NiceJobBreakingItHero moment for the one that suggested surrendering, usually the CowardlyLion. To rub salt in the wounds, it could be revealed later on that the heroes actually had a fighting chance, and in rare instances, [[StupidSurrender could've possibly won]] if [[GaveUpTooSoon they hadn't given up]].
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15	This can also apply to {{Hostage Situation}}s such as PutYourGunDownAndStepAway, HostageForMacguffin, and FriendOrIdolDecision, where the hero gives into the villain's demand, only to find the deal had some details that weren't mentioned and the villain didn't intend to honor his half of the bargain anyway.
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17	In some cases, the person who suggested surrendering was actually TheMole for the other side who had tricked the heroes into giving themselves up.
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19	In rare moments, a villain can be on the receiving end of this. In this case, it shows that the heroes [[HeWhoFightsMonsters have become just as bad as the villains]], especially if the villain in question [[HeelFaceDoorSlam wanted to defect to the good guys]]. The heroes may justify this as IDidWhatIHadToDo or that ARealManIsAKiller. Alternately, if the villain has a history of [[ISurrenderSuckers faking his surrenders]], the heroes may wise up and [[KarmicDeath decide to frag him anyway]]; if they couldn't trust the villain to honor their surrender before, why do so now?
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21	Similar to PacifismBackfire where trying to avoid a fight [[FromBadToWorse causes a confrontation to intensify]]. A rare moment where HonorBeforeReason is actually in the right. Not to be confused with ISurrenderSuckers or PoisonousCaptive where the one surrendering is doing so as part of [[GetIntoJailFree a]] [[BatmanGambit plan]], though the two can mix if the enemy sees through the scheme. Not the same as StupidSurrender, where one surrenders without realizing they didn't have to. Can be the [[LaserGuidedKarma karmic]] [[KarmicDeath fate]] of a DangerousDeserter who tried to pull a ScrewThisImOuttaHere, resulting in RewardedAsATraitorDeserves. Can go hand in hand with LeaveNoSurvivors. Compare RunOrDie or CapturedOnPurpose. Contrast DefiantToTheEnd, LastStand, and StandYourGround. YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo is similar where one makes a deal with the villain for the safety of their friends, [[ILied only for the villain to pull a double cross]]. For those who protest the notion of surrendering turn out to be in the right, see StrawmanHasAPoint. If the person who suggested the idea genuinely thought it was smart, that makes it ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime and NotQuiteTheRightThing. See also ViolenceReallyIsTheAnswer.
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23	!!Examples:
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25	[[foldercontrol]]
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27	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
28	* ''Manga/BlackLagoon'': One mook facing Revy throws down his gun and says "I give up!", and she sadistically replies "You give what?". When he sputters incoherently, Revy shoots him anyway while keeping her usual SlasherSmile.
29	* ''Manga/ChainsawMan'': When [[spoiler:Quanxi]]'s party run into [[TheDreaded Makima]], [[KnowWhenToFoldEm they immediately give up]], with their leader begging for mercy on the rest. Makima barely spares a word before [[OffWithHisHead decapitating]] all of them, [[spoiler:and for Quanxi [[BrainwashedAndCrazy even death wasn't an escape]]]].
30	-->'''[[spoiler:Quanxi]]''': I'll do anything to save their lives. Even lick your shoes.\
31	'''Makima''': [[BondOneLiner A corpse is talking.]]
32	* ''Manga/{{Remina}}'': When a bloodthirsty mob surrounds Yasumi's apartment, one cowardly member of Remina's group tries surrendering to them. He's promptly shot and killed by a member of the crowd, causing the others to flee.
33	* In ''Anime/MonsterRancher'', during the Searchers' first encounter with Pixie when she was one of [[QuirkyMiniBossSquad the Big Bad Four]], Pixie forced them to give themselves up because [[HostageSituation she had a hostage]]. The Searchers at first wanted to go out fighting, but Holly and Hare reasoned that it was their fault Pixie took a hostage. Reluctantly, the Searchers surrendered for now to come up with a new plan later... only for Hare, Tiger, Suezo, and Golem to be chained up so that they can be taken to Moo and turned into Baddies, [[PacifismBackfire much to Holly's shock]]. Even worse, [[ILied Pixie refused to release the hostage afterwards]].
34	-->'''Suezo''': [[SarcasmMode Great planning, Hare. Great planning!]]
35	[[/folder]]
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37	[[folder:Comic Books]]
38	* A villainous example of this was what instigated [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]]'s first and most notorious [[FallenHero fall from grace]] in ''Avengers'' #212. After a supervillain called Elfqueen attacked UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica managed to talk her down only for Hank to attack her anyway by mistake and almost ruin their chances at peace. This leads to the rest of the Avengers court-martialing him and temporarily suspending him from the team, and Hank has an emotional breakdown that leads to him trying to earn his place back through EngineeredHeroics as well as [[DomesticAbuse striking]] his wife ComicBook/TheWasp, [[NeverLiveItDown forever cementing his status in the public consciousness as a wife beater]].
39	* The page image comes from ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'' Volume 6 #24, where the villain Madcap infects [[PapaWolf Deadpool]] and cyborg S.H.I.E.L.D. agent [[MamaBear Emily Preston]]'s families with a deadly bioweapon, leading the two to go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against him and his Hydra {{mooks}}. Including the one that attempts to surrender, as you saw.
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42	[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
43	* In ''Film/ConAir'', the plot is triggered when Cameron listens to his stupid lawyer's advice to plead 'Guilty' to his CrimeOfSelfDefense, on the grounds that the judge [[GetOutOfJailFreeCard would show Cameron mercy]]. The judge then turned out to be a HangingJudge [[HollywoodLaw who decided to deem Cameron a "lethal weapon" because of his training]] and [[AllCrimesAreEqual punished him to the fullest extent of the law]].
44	* In Clint Eastwood's ''Film/LettersFromIwoJima'', a group of Japanese soldiers finally tire of the endless fighting and continuing calls for self sacrifice and surrender to an American patrol. The patrol doesn't want the hassle or additional danger (not to mention feeling very vindictive after a brutal battle against them) of escorting the prisoners back to their camp, decides to simply shoot the prisoners. Double backfire when the bodies are discovered by the Japanese, as they tell their men that surrender will simply get them shot, so the bitter war ultimately grinds on.
45	* ''Film/TheOutlawJoseyWales'' has a scene where a squad of Confederate rebels have surrendered, and a Union officer has them recite an oath renouncing their allegiance to the Confederacy, and also confess to being murderers. This proves to be meaningless, as a Gatling gun hidden in a covered wagon mows down the unarmed rebels on the spot.
46	* In ''Film/ThePatriot2000'', Colonel Tavington locks some people who've been supporting the revolutionaries into a church, demanding they reveal where Benjamin Martin is. At first no one says anything. Finally, one guy rushes forwards and blabs everything, believing the British will let everyone go if they get what they want. Tavington then burns the entire church down with the people inside.
47	* ''Film/AReasonToLiveAReasonToDie'': After most of his men have been massacred, Maj. Ward surrenders to Col. Pembroke; handing over his sabre to Pembroke and reminding him of the rules of war regarding the acceptance of surrenders. However, he has misjudged the level of Pembroke's personal hatred of him [[spoiler:and Pembroke stabs him with his own sabre]].
48	* In ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'', after Steamboat Willie attacks TheSquad and loses his men, he surrenders to the squad. Upham murders him in cold blood--because Upham was the one who insisted he be released before and this allowed him to rejoin the marching Nazi army... and ''back then'' he was going to be executed in cold blood after surrendering because the squad believed he was the one who killed Wade.
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51	[[folder:Literature]]
52	* In ''Literature/OttoOfTheSilverHand'', Baron Frederick is wounded in battle with Baron Conrad. As Frederick's soldiers flee, Frederick kneels before Conrad and asks for mercy. Conrad says, "Aye, thou shalt have such mercy as thou deservest," and kills him.
53	* While for the most part, in ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', officers who surrender are treated well, if not outright rewarded, there are exceptions. Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, two Shu officers, surrendered to Wu, which led to Guan Yu's death. When Liu Bei went on his RoaringRampageOfRevenge, Mi Fang suggested they kill their lead officer (who also had a hand in Guan Yu's death) and surrender back to Shu, despite Fu Shiren's warning that they'd be killed if they went back. Fu Shiren was soon proven correct, as their surrender was not accepted by Liu Bei and the two of them were executed immediately.
54	* In ''Literature/StarRiskLtd: The Doublecross Program'', M'chel Riss is leading local troops against PrivateMilitaryContractors, and accepts the surrender of an enemy unit [[MilitaryMaverick only to have her side machine-gun them against her wishes the minute they come out of hiding]]. Understandably, she later has to convince another enemy unit that [[IGaveMyWord she had intended to honor the surrender]] before they'll agree to do so.
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57	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
58	* In the second season premiere of ''Series/BlackSails'', the captain of a ship being boarded by pirates orders his crew not to fight back, figuring the pirates will be merciful if they don't. The pirate captain notes that, generally, he'd have been right, but in this case he feels the need to LeaveNoWitnesses to what he's taking, specifically [[spoiler:the daughter of the Carolina colony's governor]], and has the crew executed.
59	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
60	** In "[[Recap/DoctorWho2005CSTheChristmasInvasion The Christmas Invasion]]", the Tenth Doctor thwarts an AlienInvasion and convinces them to leave the Earth alone, but IronLady Prime Minister Harriet Jones blows them out of the sky as they're retreating. In spite of the fact that they were ScaryDogmaticAliens plotting to decimate the planet, the Doctor [[PrinciplesZealot is outraged by this]] even though [[{{hypocrite}} he himself said not to give second chances]].
61	** As the {{cliffhanger}} between the episodes of two-parter [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E5RiseOfTheCybermen "Rise of the Cybermen"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E6TheAgeOfSteel "The Age of Steel"]], the Doctor and his companions encounter the Cybermen alongside a small team of [[LaResistance freedom fighters]]. The Doctor, knowing that the Cybermen are ImmuneToBullets, convinces the group to surrender and be taken to become Cybermen ([[ISurrenderSuckers or rather escape before then]]). Unfortunately, the Cybermen have already determined them to be dangerous elements that are to be deleted immediately, despite the Doctor's protests that they surrendered willingly. Fortunately, they manage to escape before they could be executed.
62	* A villainous example occurs in ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'' when a member of the terrorist organization called the Flag Smashers tries to surrender to John Walker a.k.a. ComicBook/USAgent, who at the time was working as the official successor to ComicBook/CaptainAmerica. Unfortunately, John was [[TheBerserker blinded with rage]] at them killing his ally and he ignores his pleas for his life before brutally [[ShieldBash murdering him with the shield]]. [[ComicBook/TheFalcon Sam]] and ComicBook/BuckyBarnes have to break his arm just to get him to stand down, and the whole affair results in him being treated as a FallenHero as the once-adoring public now vilified him and he was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army as what he did technically constituted a war crime.
63	* In ''Series/GameOfThrones'', when the Ironborns try to surrender to the Boltons in exchange so they could leave the area unharmed, the Boltons end up killing or flaying them alive regardless.
64	* This happens OnceAnEpisode in ''Series/VRTroopers'' where JB will initiate the laser lance command, upon being ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice, the mutant [[IWillFightNoMoreForever stops charging/attacking]] [[VillainsWantMercy and immediately surrenders]], JB then ignores the surrender finishes off the mutant anyway. Some don't surrender and continue attacking, [[MortonsFork so ultimately their choice doesn't matter]].
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67	[[folder:VideoGames]]
68	* In ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber'', at the end of "Deathwish", [[spoiler:Tony]] surrenders to the police [[spoiler:after all of the other Fans are killed by the Son]]. Unfortunately, he surrenders to [[spoiler:Manny Pardo,]] a RabidCop, and [[BoomHeadshot gets brutally shot in the head]].
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71	[[folder:Web Comics]]
72	* ''WebComic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
73	** Towards the end of the first arc, after Xykon is ([[NotQuiteDead seemingly]]) destroyed, his goblin {{mooks}} attempt to surrender, but [[TokenEvilTeammate Belkar]] decides to keep picking them off for the [=XP=].
74	** A variation occurred when Roy and Belkar are arrested for [[TheIllegal not having papers to enter the Empire of Blood]]. The [[RunningGag two lawyers]] convince them to plead 'Guilty' so that they won't [[HangingJudge enrage the judge]] by [[DefiantToTheEnd being stalwart of their claim that they were innocent]]. However, this results in the judge [[FelonyMisdemeanor sentencing Roy and Belkar to gladiatorial prison for life]].
75	** After his attack on the Order of the Stick went south, Tarquin, attempting to maintain a vital role in Elan's plot, attempts to surrender to Elan so he can be taken prisoner and attempt to manipulate Elan from inside his cell. Elan doesn't accept his surrender, nor does he save his father from falling off the side of the airship, so Tarquin is left in the desert without [[FateWorseThanDeath knowing what role he plays in Elan's story]].
76	* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': All of Vampire's men who end up captured or surrender in the final moments of the Foi-Hellick Affair are put in the same cart, which then ends up immolated by [[spoiler:Lemuel]] to kill the one individual therein who killed his friend in battle and then taunted him. They all burn to death.
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79	[[folder:Web Original]]
80	* ''Website/SCPFoundation'', [[AC: [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2273 SCP-2273 ("Major Alexei Belitrov, of the Red Army's 22nd Armored Infantry Division")]] ]]. While on a mission inside American territory, SCP-2273 ordered its fellow troops to surrender to the Americans so they could become [=POWs=] and not have to fight any more. Instead, the Americans cold-bloodedly murdered the surrendering soldiers but kept SCP-2273 alive for some reason.
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83	[[folder:Western Animation]]
84	* In ''WesternAnimation/BlinkyBill'''s third season, the eponymous koala himself faces this dilemma when he has to choose between putting his friends and family in danger by staying in Greenpatch, or performing in the circus unwillingly under the orders of Basil Circus. He tries to get him to put out the fire he had started, but he lets it burn toward his home while Blinky is stuck in a cage. Thankfully, his step-sister Nutsy comes to the rescue.
85	* In ''[[WesternAnimation/DuckDodgersInTheTwentyFourthAndAHalfCentury Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24th and One Half Century]]'', after coming face to face with Gossamer, Dodgers willingly surrenders to Marvin the Martian. Unfortunately, Marvin isn't allowed to take prisoners (especially cowardly ones), and attempts to blast Dodgers if not for the Cadet.
86	* A PlayedForLaughs villainous example occurs in ''WesternAnimation/Invincible2021'' when [[StarterVillain Kill Cannon]] attempts to surrender to Mark in the middle of a fight, but Mark doesn't hear him and [[ButtMonkey smashes him into a truck]].
87	* In the first ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'' OVA, Count Harebourg captures most of the Brotherhood of the Tofu, but orders them left unharmed [[VillainousCrush as a favor to Amalia]]. Flopin and Elely attempt to rescue them, but their effort runs out of steam while attacking the mercenaries left as guards, and surrender on Evangelyne's advice. The mercenaries decide Harebourg's orders do not extend to the two siblings, despite being them being ''[[WouldHurtAChild children]]'', and attempt to throw them into a furnace.
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Context Main / SurrenderBackfire