Worthy Opponent: Difference between revisions

The equal and opposite enemy to the hero, who, save for the tragic circumstances of his life, upbringing, political ideology, or financial situation, might have been the hero's best friend. Unfortunately, though, he must be the hero's opposition. Evenly matched, with a sense of honor that allows the hero to trust him about a select few things, and an honest respect for the hero, the [[Worthy Opponent]] also fights to the same standards of fairness as the hero; he will not shoot you [[In the Back]], and may even prevent someone else from doing so; in military situations, he will obey [[Useful Notes/The Laws and Customs of War|The Laws and Customs of War]]. The [[Worthy Opponent]] will also do things like [[I Gave My Word|negotiate honestly]] or allow the wounded hero to escape to fight another day. He will invariably even the terms of a fight when he possesses a clear advantage, often being unwilling to fight an unarmed foe (either discarding his weapon or [[Give Me a Sword|allowing the protagonist to reclaim his own]]), and waiting until an unconscious enemy has woken and can engage in an honorable [[Duel to the Death]], because they must settle things [[Let's Fight Like Gentlemen|like gentlemen]]. He may not [[Kick Them While They Are Down|dispatch the wounded hero]] even when the hero tells him to [[Get It Over With]]. Sometimes found in the role of [[The Dragon]], but is almost never the [[Big Bad]]. If he's a commander, he may be [[A Father to His Men]]; indeed, [[The Men First|his men]] may prove a sticking point with the [[Big Bad]]. Assassins, manhunters, and various wandering duelists frequently invoke this trope, often choosing their profession to engage in a test of skill by [[Hunting the Most Dangerous Game]]. Such characters rarely share the same values as their employers and are often disparaged for fighting fair or letting the hero go out of respect.

* One of the first things the [[Israelis With Infrared Missiles|Israel Defense Forces]] did after the [[Useful Notes/Arab-Israeli Conflict|conquest of Jerusalem in 1967]] was to build a memorial to the [[Useful Notes/Warriors of Desert Winds|Jordanian Arab Legion]], who had defended East Jerusalem and the West Bank valiantly but suffered from a complete lack of air support (the IDF had taken out more or less the whole Royal Jordanian Air Force within 45 minutes of the opening of the war).

** Many upper intelligence officers and diplomats of both sides found a strange comfort in the certainties of the Cold War. The enemy was clearly defined, (mostly) equally armed, and, in many ways, [[Not So Different]]. After the Cold War, things went upside down and, suddenly, you have [[The War on Terror|a shadow whose existence you are unsure of but can hit you anywhere and hurt]], a [[China Takes Over the World|rapidly rising "Communist" superpower that practices Capitalism]] who [[Friendly Enemy|you can't live with but can't live without]], a [[Useful Notes/Russians With Rusting Rockets|bankrupt former-superpower who is now supposed to be your friend]] but [[Make the Bear Angry Again|is still feeling raw about what happened in the 90s]], and [[Eagle Land|a lone, seemingly-aimless superpower who is behaving in increasingly erratic ways]]. No wonder [[Why We're Bummed Communism Fell|people are bummed that communism fell]].