39,327
edits
Immortal Assassin: Difference between revisions
m
Mass update links
m (Mass update links) |
m (Mass update links) |
||
Line 8:
This character shows up frequently in works of fantasy and science fiction, as well as comic books. The professional killer who themselves cannot be killed. Either they are straight-out indestructible, or they possess a [[Healing Factor]] that lets them recover from any injury. Why they hire themselves out as hitmen vary from character to character.
Depending on the universe, the Immortal Assassin may have been given their immortality through supernatural or technological means. Often, Immortal Assassins are [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old|much older than they appear]], not able to die of natural causes, and as such can have a bad case of [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|"immortal angst."]] If they hail from a time and place before gunpowder was invented, they may prefer [[Elegant Weapon for
Many Immortal Assassins consider themselves absolute professionals, devoted to the job at hand. They see killing as an art form, and make a serious effort to be as close to perfect as they can get. They may adhere to their own version of a "warrior's code," with a strong sense of personal honor. Often, this is because they come from [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|ancient cultures]] that put a great emphasis on honor and martial prowess, and they see their careers as an extension of that.
Of course, there are exceptions. Some Immortal Assassins are sadists who kill out of pleasure or out of boredom. Being unable to die has left them so [[We Are
Most of the time, the [[Immortal Assassin]] is the villain of the story. They can be a [[Knight of Cerebus]], brought in by the [[Big Bad]] when all other plans have failed, a genuine unstoppable [[Badass]] more dangerous than any our heroes have yet faced. Or a [[Diabolus Ex Nihilo]], particularly if they're so unstoppable that making them a regular character would ruin the drama. Alternatively, they may be a sympathetic character, particularly if whatever circumstances led to their becoming immortal or an assassin (or both) are tragic enough. On occasion, they will even do a [[Heel Face Turn]], join the heroes, and become [[The Atoner]], although that may not last. If part of an ensemble, they may even be used for comic relief: since [[Immortal Life Is Cheap]], the Immortal Assassin can suffer truly horrific injuries and shrug them off.
There may be ways in-universe to defeat the Immortal Assassin. The Assassin may have a carefully-guarded [[Achilles Heel|weak spot]], or they may be injured so greviously that their healing factor simply may not be able to compensate. Another option is total physical destruction of the Assassin's body, so that there is nothing left for the healing factor to regenerate. Use of [[Applied Phlebotinum]] may kill them, or [[Brought Down to Normal|deprive them of their immortality]]. Alternatively, the Assassin may be neutralized without being killed, imprisoned somehow, or even become [[Sealed Evil in
There may be overlap with the [[Implacable Man]], particularly if the Immortal Assassin isn't entirely human.
Line 31:
== [[Fan Fiction]] ==
* The focus of the ''[[Ranma One Half|Ranma 1/2]]'' story ''[http://www.talesfromthevault.com/relentless/ Relentless]'', though the killer is a [[Our Demons Are Different|demon]] (or even [[Eldritch Abomination]]) known as the ''Reikoku'', sent to perform an assassination, rather than a normal assassin who happens to be immortal. Its weaknesses: it takes a day to come back to life, and if a single person can kill it three times, it will be banished back to its home dimension. Unfortunately, each time it comes back to life, it will have developed an impenetrable defense against any attacks used against it the previous time, plus it will have developed brand new attacks, including tailor-made [[Flaw Exploitation]] attacks. It might [[It Seemed Like a Good Idea At
== [[Film]] ==
* Many characters in the ''[[
* Most [[Terminator|Terminators]] are specifically designed to be unkillable killers; the only way to make [[Made of Iron|the T-800]] in ''Terminator 2'' seem vulnerable was to create an even deadlier Terminator: [[Made of Air|the T-1000]].
Line 45:
== [[Mythology]] ==
* [[The Iliad
** The heel is a much later Roman addition to the myth. In the Iliad, he didn't have the heel issue, because he was ''just that good''.
Line 51:
* The television show ''[[Lexx]]'' has an immortal assassin, Kai, as one of its main characters. He literally is unkillable and one of the subplots is him finding a way to die.
* [[Warehouse 13]] features Marcus Diamond, [[The Dragon]] to Season 3's [[Big Bad]]. Technically he can't be killed because {{spoiler|he was already mortally wounded a long time ago, and he's using an artifact that rewound time for his body to just before his death. He's literally living on borrowed time.}}
* The ''[[Highlander (TV series)|Highlander]]'' series featured several. [[Monster Clown|Christoph]] [[Enemy Mime|Kuyler]] claimed to be the most prolific assassin in history, as well as the less theatrical Anthony Galen and Kamir, the last of the thuggee assassins.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* From the point of view of the enemies, ANY player character is one of these. Even if they manage to kill you, you just resurrect at the nearest save point and keep on coming. A few examples below are justified since their means of resurrection are actually addressed within the narrative of the game:
* Raziel from the [[Legacy of Kain]] series. Killed and resurrected twice already before the events of [[Soul Reaver]], by the time the player meets him he is a soul-devouring revenant animated by an [[Eldritch Abomination]] for the sole purpose of bringing down Kain and his empire. His physical body is essentially a half-rotted corpse, without skin, internal organs, or even a lower jaw. And if this body takes too much damage, he simply shifts to the spectral plane until he builds up enough life energy to return. And since time stops on the material plain when this happens, from anyone else's perspective he just pops out of existence and then immediately back in again at full strength. The Elder God specifically says he is "beyond death." He can't be killed because there is simply nothing left of him that's killable.
* Jack and Subject Delta from the [[
== [[Web Original]] ==
| |||