Bounty Hunter: Difference between revisions

Sometimes, the '''Bounty Hunter''' captures criminals and brings them back to face trial (which is how real bounty hunters operate nowadays). But other times, especially in Westerns, the bounty hunter's reward is of the "Dead or Alive" variety, and many bounty hunters of the latter type kill their bounties rather than let them [[Run for the Border]]. These kinds of bounty hunters are often called "bounty killers," or more pejoratively, "assassins" or "headhunters." This has almost never been [[Truth in Television]], though that problem can be [[Hand Wave]]d if the bounty in question is put out by a criminal or a corrupt, tyrannical or failed state.

Sometimes the '''Bounty Hunter''' is a villain, a sadist who profits off the death and suffering of others. Sometimes he's a [[Glory Seeker]] who wants to bring down the toughest targets. More often, though, he is a just a working stiff who tries to do the right thing—or something close to it. Buried deep within his grizzled, world-weary exterior is still an idealist with a heart of gold. Because there is nothing that prevents a '''Bounty Hunter''' from taking both legal and shady bounties, this character is usually a [[Lawful Neutral]].

The '''Bounty Hunter''' is increasingly popular in [[Speculative Fiction]] ever since [[Star Wars|Boba Fett]] made it cool. It helps that space is thought of as ''another'' [[The Final Frontier|"frontier"]], and Western tropes [[Space Western|go well with science fiction]]. And since it's so cool, most often bounty hunters in fiction are depicted as extremely skilled individuals and will prove a challenge for the main characters unless they are either there just to show us how overpowered our hero is or if the bounty hunters are themselves the main character(s).

* Sam leapt into a Bounty Hunter in onethe third-season episode "A Hunting We Will Go" of ''[[Quantum Leap]]''.

* ''[[Law & Order|Law and Order]]'' devoted an episode to bounty hunters; the hunters in question were violent thugs though.

* The Ambis Empire in the comic ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20130719183412/http://www.drunkduck.com/Jix/ Jix]'' has a lot of bounty hunters, however the only two seen are Pratos (who is really named Aranis, Jix's cousin), and Maricax. Both of which hunted the main characters.

* Sadly, today, Bounty Hunting is only legally practiced in the United States [well, for the most part], and the Philippines. This made both American and Filipino bounty hunters worried, fearing that eventually, bounty hunting itself would be illegal worldwide, [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/us/29bail.html but for now, there are many criminals to hunt down.] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/us/29bail.html

*** ''When bail is given, the principal'' [the criminal] ''is regarded as delivered to the custody of his sureties'' [the bail bondsmen/bounty hunter].'' Their dominion is a continuance of the original imprisonment. Whenever they choose to do so, they may seize him and deliver him up in their discharge'' [turn him over to the police]''; and if that cannot be done at once, they may imprison him until it can be done. They may exercise their rights in person or by agent. They may pursue him into another State; may arrest him on the Sabbath; and if necessary, may break and enter his house for that purpose. The seizure is not made by virtue of new process. None is needed. It is likened to the rearrestre-arrest by the sheriff of an escaping prisoner. ...It is said: "The bail have their principal on a string, and may pull the string whenever they please, and render him in their discharge."''

* Bounty hunters do exist somewhat like they are portrayed in fiction over in the middleMiddle east, most of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay came from these guysEast. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15361458/page/2/\ Most of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay came from these guys.]