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{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Luke''': So... you got your reward and you're just leaving then?
'''Han Solo''': That's right, yeah. I got some old debts I've got to pay off with this stuff. Even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, do you? Why don't you come with us? You're pretty good in a fight. We could use you.
'''Luke''': Come on. Why don't you take a look around? You know what's about to happen, what they're up against. They could use a good pilot like you. You're turning your back on them.
'''Han Solo''': What good's a reward if you ain't around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station ain't my idea of courage. It's more like... suicide.
'''Luke''': All right. Well, take care of yourself, Han. I guess that's what you're best at, isn't it?
''[starts to storm off]''
'''Han Solo''': Hey, Luke... may the Force be with you.
''[Luke exits. Chewie growls]''
'''Han Solo''': What're you lookin' at? I know what I'm doin'.
|''[[Star Wars]] : [[A New Hope]]''}}
Fairly often in fiction, [[I Work Alone|a Dedicated Loner]] character will appear. He (or more rarely, she) is [[Ineffectual Loner|pretty useless]], evil, or just [[Loners Are Freaks|a little strange]]. However, sometimes these Switzerland types are in possession of just enough power to sway the final battle, should they choose to get involved. If they do, the chances are excellent that they'll end up [[Neutral No Longer|throwing in with the Good Guys]] [[Changed My Mind, Kid|at the very last minute]] and providing the decisive element in the victory over evil. [[Awakening the Sleeping Giant|Sometimes they provide a little more decisive element than necessary]].
[[I Work Alone|These unaffiliated loners may initially refuse to join a side for many reasons]]. They may not care about the conflict in question ("Eh, meet the new boss, same as the old boss"), or may not care enough to consider it worth risking their own precious skins ("I'm not stupid, [[Red Shirt|I'm not expendable]], and I'm not going,") or may have reasons to hate both sides of the fight equally ("A plague on both your houses; I hope you annihilate each other completely and leave the world a better place.") Generally, they relish their uninvolved status, although you may see them randomly helping out the Good Guys (or even the Bad Guys) once or twice just because it livens up a dull day.
Occasionally, this particular loner gets stuck with what might be called a "destiny choice", especially if he appears in [[Epic Fantasy]]
If you want to bring one of these guys over on to your team, there are a couple of simple suggestions you might want to follow:
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'''If You Are The Good Guys''': Don't attempt to bribe him through false displays of affection. He'll see right through it and scorn you for the attempt. Bribing with cold hard cash or other valuable commodities might work, but make sure the bribe is of an appropriate size; these guys ''never'' come cheap. They will be offended if the offered price undervalues their worth. Generally, trying to guilt them into helping you out won't work either, although there are [[Star Wars|exceptions]]. Your best bet is to win them over with a genuinely unforced gesture of [[Power of Friendship|friendship]] or [[Power of Love|affection]], with no agenda behind it. Picking an attractive member of the appropriate gender to offer this gesture may be effective, but again, don't pander or it ''will'' backfire. You can also try reason: "Do you want to live in the kind of world the [[Big Bad]] is going to create? No? Then make yourself useful!" The odds are in your favor if you don't mess it up by being too obvious.
'''If You Are The Bad Guys''': Whatever you do, do not choose this character as a subject to [[Kick the Dog|randomly display how evil you are.]] If he wasn't inclined to help those ''other'' twits out at first, dropping him into a tank of flesh-devouring blood eels to prove your villain credentials won't help. He'll [[Mistreatment
Note that this is '''not''' the same as either a [[Heel Face Turn]] or a [[Face Heel Turn]]. Someone who Defaults To Good was neither a Heel nor a Face to begin with; they are affiliated with neither of the main sides until some critical point very late in the story. For most of the tale, they are only on their ''own'' side, although they may have an affiliation with a [[Hidden Elf Village|third]] [[Hufflepuff House|group]] that is not taking an active part in the main conflict.
{{examples
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Subverted, then played straight by Rabat in ''[[Vandread]]'' flees before the final battle at the end of season 1. Despite pleas from the crew of the Nirvana, he never comes back. {{spoiler|Then at the end of season 2, he not only fights in the final battle, but brings a whole ''fleet'' with him!}}
* Averted like hell with Amon Garam in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]''. After being neutrally helpful (but manipulative!) throughout the first arc of season three and then showing his own goals in the second (but still a bit helpful, if distant), you get to {{spoiler|the spot right after Haou has been defeated, where he steps up and sacrifices the woman who loves him and that he loves back in order to control Exodia.}} Then, he starts his plan to become king of the world. {{spoiler|But then it's double subverted (without being subverted in the first place, get over it) when he reveals himself as a [[Well
== [[Film]] ==
* As noted in the starting quote, [[Star Wars|Han Solo]] is the most famous example of this trope. While he certainly wasn't the first to pull this move, people of a certain generation will never forget "YAHOOOOO! You're all clear, kid. Now let's blow this thing and go home."
** From the ''[[Star Wars Expanded Universe]]'', Talon Karrde, Mara Jade, and the rest of the Smugglers' Alliance in ''[[The Thrawn Trilogy]]''. Took a [[Mistreatment
* The real ur-example has to be Rick, the original Mr. "I stick my neck out for no one," from ''[[Casablanca]]''. He pulls it off so well he gets Captain Renault to turn right after him.
* Happens a couple of times in [[Michael Clayton]] to two different characters.
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* Gabriel winds up doing this in [[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]. He helped advance the villain's agenda in his second appearance on the show, and tried to advance it in his third, because he thinks the whole destined mess should be gotten over with as quickly as possible, but he doesn't actively back either side. His official story is he doesn't care; it's pretty clear he doesn't want to be responsible for either side losing because he cares about them ''both'', but then:
{{quote|
'''Lucifer:''' Brother, don't make me do this.
'''Gabriel:''' No one makes ''us'' do anything. }}
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* In [[David Eddings]]' ''[[Malloreon]]'' {{spoiler|Cyradis, explicitly described as the incarnation of [[True Neutral]], has the sole purpose of deciding whether the Child of Light or the Child of Dark won. It's described as being as random as a coin flip, but needless to say, she picks good. It helps that the forces of Dark blatantly tried to cheat.}}
** Well, the good also cheated {{spoiler|by removing her blindfold, which led to her losing her prophetic powers.}}
* Subverted, like so many things, in [[George
* Riana, The One Immortal, in the novel ''Lord Brother'' by Carolyn Kephart. A very powerful magic-user but chronically neutral, she's initially only concerned with lounging around and having sex with the main character or whatever other gorgeous man might come her way. By the end, she's {{spoiler|moved to provide what is almost a [[Deus Ex Machina]] to help the good guys.}}
* In [[Garth Nix]]'s ''[[Old Kingdom]]'', this role falls to {{spoiler|Yrael, also called Mogget}}.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* Subverted in an episode of ''[[She
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