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{{trope}}{{Needs Image}}
{{quote|''{{'
Someone doesn't know that bad news. And you have to tell them.
When dealing with villains, may combine with [[You Have Failed Me...]], leading to [[Shoot the Messenger]].
When dealing with heroes, there is merely the horrible pain that you know you will inflict. In comic stories, it is often merely your imagination. In dramatic works, it is usually as bad, or worse, than you expect; the
Characters who frequently bring bad news may be blamed for it, and regarded as actively unlucky. [[Talk to the Fist]] is possible with hot-tempered recipients. If you're translating for such a character or a [[Bad Boss]] or [[Big Bad]] type, you might want to try to do a [[Tactful Translation]] in order to avoid the pain. Accusations of [[Malicious Slander]] may also follow.
The [[Herald]] and the [[Almost-Dead Guy]] are often
Often with a preamble of "You'd better sit down..." [[He Didn't Make It]] is one of the [[Death Notification|commonest]], and hardest.
A [[Super-Trope]] to [[Breaking Bad News Gently]], [[Bad News in a Good Way]], [[Good News, Bad News]]. Not to be confused with ''[[The Bad News Bears]]''.
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Anime]]
* In ''[[Monster (manga)|Monster]]'', Tenma finds himself having to meet up with his ex-fiancee to let her know that her current love interest {{spoiler|is dead}}.
* Subversion of sorts: Nobody in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' wants to be the one to tell the Elric brothers that {{spoiler|their friend, Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, has been brutally murdered}}. This is made even worse (for the reader) by juxtaposing scenes of the boys and their friend Winry laughing and having fun on a train at the same time that {{spoiler|the funeral is taking place}}. How do they finally find out? ''From the newspaper''.
* No one had the heart to inform Annerose von Grünwald about {{spoiler|Siegfried Kircheis's death}} in ''[[Legend of Galactic Heroes]]''. Fortunately for them, Oberstein had already done that. In general, with [[Anyone Can Die|the rate of death]] in the series, this happens often.
== [[
* The various Heralds of Galactus in [[Marvel Comics]] are constantly bringing bad news to people. Usually of the "your planet is going to be eaten by a space god" variety.
== [[Film]] ==
* In ''[[A League of Their Own]]'', a [[Obstructive Bureaucrat Western|Union man would have been the bearer]] (of {{spoiler|Betty's husband's death}}), but [[Rules Lawyer|he treats it so disrespectfully
* The premise of ''The Messenger'' (2009), about an American army officer whose job is to inform the relatives of soldiers that their loved ones have died in Iraq.
* The taxi cab driver in ''[[We Were Soldiers]]''. Mrs. Moore is not pleased when he scares her by coming to her door with the telegram, only to ask for directions to another house. He sadly replies that [[Tear Jerker|he didn't want that job, he's just trying to do it.]] <ref>
* This is one of the duties of Robert Sean Leonard's character in ''[[Swing Kids]]'', as part of his Nazi training. Thing is, he doesn't actually ''know'' that he's delivering bad news - he's just delivering boxes. When one of the recipients screams after opening hers, he opens the one he has yet to deliver and sees that {{spoiler|he's bringing Jewish widows - who had been ''unaware that they were widows'' - the ashes of their husbands}}.
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* In [[Dan Abnett]]'s [[Gaunt's Ghosts]] novel ''Only In Death'', when Ludd and Beltayn had just managed to secure the water they desperately needed, Rawne had had to break the bad news from the battle.
{{quote|''Ludd and Beltayn had been so proud of their achievement. Rawne had taken no pleasure in wiping the smiles off their faces and the triumph out of their hearts.''}}
* In [[J. R. R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', Grima Wormtongue dubs Gandalf "Lathspell"—ill
** He's also nicknamed "Stormcrow" due to his reputation for showing up just as things are about to get very bad.
*** Denethor also professes his dislike of Gandalf for the same reasons, though less aggressively
* There's also a true
{{quote|'''Galadriel:''' "Thy coming to us is as the footstep of doom." }}
* In [[James Swallow]]'s [[Warhammer
* In [[The Bible]], David gets word from his military that his rebellious son is dead, and goes into a [[Heroic Blue Screen of Death]]. The messengers repeatedly try to avoid the issue, afraid they'll be killed, but David just goes into mourning.
* In [[Sandy Mitchell]]'s [[Ciaphas Cain]] novel ''Death or Glory'', Kolfax comes to tell Cain that {{spoiler|the first possible waterhole has no water}} in person; Cain explicitly observes that he does not want to be the bearer of bad news over the vox.
* In Gav Thorpe's [[Warhammer
* In ''[[X Wing Series|Wraith Squadron]]'', Wedge Antilles has to compose and send a letter to Admiral Ackbar explaining that {{spoiler|his niece Jesmin Ackbar}} died in combat. He's shown agonizing over the phrasing of the opening line; among other things he rejects "I'm afraid this letter comes as the bearer of bad news". In the end Wedge spends the entire night on the letter, thinking with a faint pride that at least [[It Never Gets Any Easier]], because he [[The Chains of Commanding|never gets deadened to or glib about the deaths of his people]].
** Later in the series, [[The Dragon|General Melvar]] has to bring [[Big Bad|Zsinj]] some very bad news: not only has a deathtrap failed to kill Wraith Squadron (or even any of its members), but they have managed to take one of his key personnel alive. In a subversion of [[You Have Failed Me...]] (and an inversion of [[Shoot the Messenger]]), Zsinj has an epic [[Villainous Breakdown]] where he destroys practically everything in his office ''but'' the person who brought him the bad news.
{{quote|'''[[Deadpan Snarker|General Melvar]]:''' Will you be wanting your office restored, or do you wish to redecorate?}}
* In [[Wen Spencer]]'s ''Endless Blue'', Mikhail recognizes the bearers of bad news by their expressions. {{spoiler|They confirm that Turk was murdered, rather than dying in an accident.}}
* In [[Ben Counter]]'s [[Warhammer
* In [[James Swallow]]'s [[Warhammer
** Later, Stele brings Arkio news of why the power plant failed and warns him that it was hard. Arkio is angry that he tries to shelter
* In the [[Discworld]] book ''[[
** It's not much of a [[Noodle Incident]]; it's quite obvious what happened. Nobby shows up at the door to tell Mrs Jackson that her husband is dead and
* In [[Aaron Allston]]'s ''[[Galatea in 2-D]]'', Roger proves to Donna that she's not going insane, but this entails that her ex-husband is trying to drive her insane. She is angry about the news.
* In Andy Hoare's [[White Scars]] novel ''Hunt for Voldorius'', Skall is desperate to avoid this.
* From [[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]:
{{quote|Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws. The Hingefreel people of Arkintoofle Minor did try to build spaceships that were powered by bad news but they didn't work particularly well and were so extremely unwelcome whenever they arrived anywhere that there wasn't really any point in being there.}}
* Toward the end of the [[Elenium]] trilogy, Sparhawk dreads having to deliver the news of {{spoiler|his squire Kurik's death to his wife}}. He reaches the house only to find that she already knows, having received the information from another
* In the ballad ''Gorm Grymme'' by the German writer Theodor Fontane, king Gorm of Denmark loves his son Harald dearly and one yule day he tells his vassals that anyone who brought him the news of his son's death would die within an hour. So when Harald is killed in battle, nobody wants to inform the king. Queen Thyra then manages to convey the message to Gorm without words, by taking off her jewelry, dressing in black, lighting twelve candles and covering the great hall and throne with black drapes.
* In Teresa Frohock's ''[[Miserere: An
== [[Live
* In "Yankee White", the pilot episode of ''[[NCIS]]'', Gibbs finds out that Caitlin Todd's ex died shortly after meeting with her. He takes her aside and drops the news bluntly into the middle of their conversation, so that he can observe her reaction and gauge her guilt or innocence.
** Happens also when {{spoiler|Director Jenny Sheppard is killed}} and Ducky is told by phone, and then has to tell Abby and McGee. And again in season six, when Gibbs has to tell {{spoiler|Michelle Lee's daughter that Lee is dead}}.
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* In [[Stargate SG-1]] Major Paul Davis is nicknamed "Disaster Davis" by the fans, as he usually appears with bad news, sometimes at bad times with even worse news. This is justified by the nature of his character however, he's the liaison between the Pentagon and Stargate Command, so he is really only ever sent when the Pentagon has bad news.
== [[Music]] ==
* "Bad News and Bad Breaks" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones:
{{quote|Bad news, if he could choose,
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He's got an ugly job to do! }}
== [[
* ''[[The Wizard of Id]]''. The King, aware that his useless knight Sir Rodney is bringing news of his defeat, reminds him of the old Roman custom in which the bearer of bad tidings was put to death. A sweating Rodney replies with the 'joyous' news that one of the King's more awful provinces with its rebellious peasants, stinking swamps (etc, etc) has been given to the Huns to worry about.
== [[
* [[Rowan Atkinson]] in ''Pink Tights and Plenty of Props'', had the Bearer of Bad News, followed by the Bearer of Indifferent News, and then the Bearer of Bad News Who Thinks It's Good News.
* In [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Macbeth]]'', Ross must bring MacDuff the news that his wife and children were all killed. And Seyton brings Macbeth the news that his wife has killed herself.
* In [[Antony and Cleopatra]], a messenger has to tell Cleopatra that Antony has remarried. [[Shoot the Messenger|She is not happy]].
** An earlier scene has a messenger that lampshades this trope and foreshadows the beating that Cleopatra would give.
* This is the entire purpose of messengers in classical tragedy. And they're usually [[Spear Carrier
* Watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ei_hTwjAo=related this] (from 2:21) for some insight into the role of messengers in Elizabethan theatre. According to Rowan Atkinson.
* Subverted in George Bernard Shaw's ''Caesar and Cleopatra'', where the garrison of a border post receives a bearer of evil tidings with much fuss and honour. A Persian mercenary expresses surprise at this, and his commander explains:
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* [http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail126.html "I'm afraid I've got some bad news, boys...]
== [[Web
* Taylor, aka Labor Day, is this when he has tell the protagonist of [[Holiday Wars]] that the [[Easter Bunny]] is out to get her.
* In ''[[Something
* In ''[[Impure Blood]]'', [https://web.archive.org/web/20130608142704/http://www.impurebloodwebcomic.com/Pages/Issue05PAGES/ib109.html Jaem has to tell his mother and sister] that he's the [[Sole Survivor]].
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[Futurama
** [[Genre Savvy|Uh-oh, I don't like the sound of that...]]
* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender
* This is Butch's main role in ''[[Recess]]''
** Randall can do this sometimes
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Characters As Device]]
[[Category:Dialogue]]
[[Category:Sadness Tropes]]
▲[[Category:Bearer of Bad News]]
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