In The Supergirl from Krypton (2004), Batman threatening to destroy Apokolips if Darkseid does not free Kara grudgingly earns him the tyrant's respect.
Darkseid: Well played. Had the Kryptonian or the Amazon taken this gamble, they would have lost. They do not have the strength of character it would take to destroy an entire planet to achieve success. But...you. A human. You kill your own kind to win battles. It is...an admirable quality.
The trope description says "Contrast Your Approval Fills Me with Shame, where a villain praises the hero for a negative trait or action and the hero feels disgusted as a result", and I feel like telling Batman "Yes, I totally believe that if you lost, you'd kill everyone out of spite because Humans Are Bastards, and I respect that" kind of qualifies there.
Not sure about this:
The trope description says "Contrast Your Approval Fills Me with Shame, where a villain praises the hero for a negative trait or action and the hero feels disgusted as a result", and I feel like telling Batman "Yes, I totally believe that if you lost, you'd kill everyone out of spite because Humans Are Bastards, and I respect that" kind of qualifies there.
Edited by DaibhidC