Murder Is the Best Solution: Difference between revisions

* The ''[[Alex Rider]]'' book series has [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] and [[Big Bad]] of the fourth book {{spoiler|Damian Cray}}, who, after petitioning and protesting against a laboratory testing its products on animals, came to realize that [[Murder Is the Best Solution]]. [[Ax Crazy|And]] [[Chaotic Evil|it]] [[Complete Monster|all]] [[Nuke'Em|went]] [[Apocalypse How|downhill.]]

* [[Harry Potter|Lord Voldemort]] falls afoul of this trope in ''Deathly Hallows''. Despite knowing full well that the Elder Wand can be taken without killing its previous owner - in fact, he's met and interrogated two people who lost it and lived - he thinks the sensible solution is to kill his trusted lieutenant. [[Anvilicious|Because he's evil (seriously, by DH it was like Avada Kedavra was the only spell he knew any more).]]

* ''[[In Death]]'': Hoo, boy. Since the main character is a Homicide detective, this trope comes up more often than not. For example, in ''Born In Death'', two people named Natalie and Bick apparently discovered something big, because the villain first attempted bribery and then murdered them. Eve and Roarke point out that whoever did this made a bad move, because there are ways to handle snoopers without getting the attention of the police by murdering them.

* ''Sisterhood'' series by [[Fern Michaels]]: Played with. The book ''Sweet Revenge'' has Rosemary Hershey seriously think about murdering Isabelle Flanders, only to decide against it, because she has the deaths of three people preying on her mind, and she doesn't want to have more people on her mind. The book ''Lethal Justice'' has Arden Gillespie seriously consider murdering both her partner Roland Sullivan and the woman she framed Sara Whittler or Alexis Thorne, only for both her and Roland to get drugged, incapacitated, and arrested by Alexis before she can even attempt it.

* Corsus, general of the [[The Empire|Witchland]] in E. R. Eddison's ''[[The Worm Ouroboros]]'', will opt for murder in a tight spot: Thus, he poisons King Rezedor of Goblinland, stabs his second-in-command Gallandus for fear of mutiny, and, finally, {{spoiler|poisons the whole remaining elite of Witchland}} in an effort to save his skin. Each time, it backfires on him and leaves him off worse than before.

 

* One of the stories during an episode of ''[[Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction?]]'' had an elderly couple who ran a diner murder homeless people that they periodically brought in so the couple could "relieve them" of their suffering.

* In ''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'' Damon's normal reaction to anyone (besides Stefan and Elena) causing a problem is to try and kill them. Unsurprisingly this creates a lot more problems than it solves, especially because of his habit of overlooking factors like whether he's actually capable of killing them, whether anyone besides him wants them dead, whether they are actually the source of the problem, or whether they have friends who'll come looking for revenge.

* Seems to be the policy of Manny Horvitz from ''[[Boardwalk Empire]]''. It doesn't matter how much of a likable [[Alter Kocker]] he comes off as, you ''do not'' want to get him angry. The cold-blooded and ruthless Jimmy has to restrain him because, as Jimmy puts it "You can't kill everyone, Manny. [[Pragmatic Villainy|It's not good business]]."

* {{spoiler|Head!Amber}} in [[House (TV series)|House]] swings this way occasionally.

== Theater ==

* ''[[Arsenic and Old Lace]]'': Two [[Beneath Suspicion|nice old ladies]] advertise a boarding house for elderly men. Unfortunately, their solution for relieving these men of their loneliness is to serve them homemade elderberry wine laced with arsenic. It's one of their "charities". Johnny's first solution is often murder or violence too... maybe it runs in the family (or rather gallops).

{{quote|''Perhaps it's time he disappeared

He would never be missed

** In ''[[Dragon Age]]'' ''Origins'' this role is filled by Shale, whose stated solution to pretty much everything is 'crush it'. [[Token Evil Teammate|Sten and Morrigan]] also espouse the more violent or 'evil' solutions, usually losing you influence by being selfless unless you Persuade them otherwise, but their examples are less [[Played for Laughs]].

* In ''[[Nanashi no Game]]'', this plays a key role in ''why'' the [[The Most Dangerous Video Game|cursed RPG]] is cursed.

* The ''[[Portal (series)|Portal]]'' universe's backstory reveals that this was the conclusion that [[Master Computer]] GLaDOS came to literally [[AI Is a Crapshoot|picoseconds after being switched on]]. Prior to the events of the first game, she had already killed all the scientists in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center with a [[Deadly Gas|deadly neurotoxin]], and now amuses herelf by parading an endless stream of [[Human Popsicle]] test subjects through a [[Death Course]] of test chambers. Those who succeed... she murders anyway. [[For Science!]].

** And in the second game {{spoiler|she subverts it. Killing Chell is actually [[Determinator|pretty hard,]] so she ends up letting her go.}}

 

== Web Comics ==

** Also [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/01/20/episode-798-the-lefein-redemption/ this].

{{quote|'''Black Mage:''' That's not exactly what I was thinking. Necessarily.

*** While it's no doubt funny, Cartman ''was'' entirely serious and later attempts to kill him - with a wiffle bat.

** In "Pinewood Derby", representatives from countries around the world decide the best way to deal with Finland is [[Nuke'Em]].

* The 8-year-old children on ''[[Home Movies]]'' recommend murder to solve far too many problems.