Welcome Back, Traitor/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: Party member changes sides, then changes their mind and is welcomed back with open arms.

  • Straight: Markus reveals that he's actually an assassin from The Empire, backstabs Hiro, and takes off. Hiro and the rest track him down, beat him up, and welcome him back into their ranks.
  • Exaggerated: Markus killed Jackson and Aniline, torched Hiro's Doomed Hometown, and dropkicks Cuddlebun the Flaming Hare. Hiro still takes him back.
  • Justified: Markus has skills they need to take down The Empire.
  • Inverted: Reformed but Rejected.
  • Subverted: Hiro and the rest of the party take Markus back... Then turn him over to the authorities at their earliest convenience, or, if that's not possible, beat the crap out of him and leave him by the side of the road.
  • Double Subverted: Hiro leaves Markus on his own after refusing entrance to the team... But returns later, usually in a Big Damn Heroes moment, to accept him anyway.
  • Parodied: Andy backstabs Beth, then apologises. The team takes him back. Andy then backstabs Chris, and apologises. The team takes him back. Etcetera. Bonus points if Andy looks like Grima Wormtongue.
    • Or has a name like Grima Wormtongue.
  • Deconstructed: Markus's actions -- and the way the heroes accepted him back so easily -- reflect poorly on the party as a whole. Civilians who heard of his misdeeds distrust the team and are much less willing to help them out. Emperor Evulz takes advantage of this by claiming Markus was still working for him during a key battle, distracting the team with new waves of suspicion and distrust.
  • Reconstructed: After being Easily Forgiven, Markus works to prove himself worthy of that trust and becomes a faithful, loyal companion.
  • Zig Zagged: Hiro and Serah forgive him immediately, but Barbara, Candy and Cuddlebun don't, while Blazer and Wendy aren't sure what to think.
  • Averted: Markus doesn't want to come back, Hiro doesn't ask him.
  • Enforced: Wheel of Morality, turn turn turn, tell us the lesson that we must learn: Forgiveness!
  • Lampshaded: Hiro: "Markus, I have to welcome you back, because that's what heroes do. We forgive people. Now lets see if you can keep that forgiveness."
  • Invoked: Markus: "Hiro, please welcome me back! You have to, you're the protagonist of a childrens' show!"
  • Defied: Hiro: "Markus, I should let you rejoin us. I should forgive you, as it is the way of a hero... But I will never forgive you, you bunny-rabbit kicking son of a sandworm!"
  • Discussed: ???
  • Conversed:
  • Played For Laughs: ???
  • Played For Drama: The rest of the team deserts Hiro for welcoming back the traitor, and now Hiro is alone with someone he still doesn't trust.

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