"In my youth, I witnessed William's rise to power, and his transformation into the Nemesis who laid waste to Nosgoth. Years later, I stumble upon a chance to journey back in history, unaware that the entire affair has been orchestrated by Moebius. In my wisdom, I seize this opportunity to murder the young king before he can ravage Nosgoth... and thereby provide the catalyst Moebius needs to ignite a genocidal war against our race. This one reckless act unravels the skein of history. The Nemesis never becomes the Nemesis; William dies a martyred saint. I, the vampire assassin, become the author of my own species' destruction. And Moebius profits from it all. I destroyed a tyrant only to create one far worse."
Evil-Lyn: The people wait for He-Man. They believe he will return to lead them. For you to rule completely he must be destroyed.
Skeletor: If I kill him, I make him a martyr, a saint. No, I want him broken first!
Skeletor: If I kill him, I make him a martyr, a saint. No, I want him broken first!
"Assassination isn't worth the trouble. It took me two years to find Sirhan. Three to find Oswald. The King job alone cost me over twenty million dollars. And what do we get for our pains? Saints. Martyrs to the cause."
—Red Skull, Captain America (1990)
"Our showdown, while inevitable, is premature. Although it would be the simplest thing for me to take away your bending right now... I won’t. You’d only become a martyr. Benders from every nation would rally behind your untimely demise. But I assure you, I have a plan. And I’m saving you for last. Then, you’ll get your duel, and I will destroy you."
—Amon, The Legend of Korra, "The Voice in the Night"
"You were captured. So were most of our followers. They could have killed you. But that would have given the Cause a martyr. So instead they put you into intensive therapy. They erased areas of your mind, they implanted new ideas. They literally took your mind to pieces and rebuilt it. And when they'd finished, they put you up and you confessed. You said you'd been "misguided." You appealed to everyone to support the Administration, hound up the traitors. Oh, they, they did a good job on you. You were very convincing. And then they took you back and erased even that."
— Blake's 7, "The Way Back"
Alex Krycek: If Mulder is such a threat, why not eliminate him?
Cigarette Smoking Man: That's not our policy.
Alex Krycek: It's not? After what you had me do?
Cigarette Smoking Man: Kill Mulder and you risk turning one man's religion into a crusade.
Cigarette Smoking Man: That's not our policy.
Alex Krycek: It's not? After what you had me do?
Cigarette Smoking Man: Kill Mulder and you risk turning one man's religion into a crusade.
— The X-Files, "Ascension"
