Would Not Shoot a Good Guy: Difference between revisions

Because [[Divided We Fall|they ought to be on his side]]. They're good guys, and he knows it.

 

 

 

It also may plant seeds of doubt when the character doesn't attack as violently as expected. Especially when [[The Hero]] refuses to [[Get It Over With]].

 

{{examples}}

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* In ''[[Busou Renkin]]'', this is why {{spoiler|Kazuki}} refused to kill the {{spoiler|Alchemist Warriors sent after him when he is about to go Victor.}}

* ''[[Transformers Cybertron]]'': When Starscream's army is spread out searching and the Autobots are working to try and beat them back, the US Military launches several remote-control drone jets to attack. They are unaware of the different factions at this time, and shoot at Autobot and Decepticon alike. But in spite of taking fire from two directions the Autobots only fire on the Decepticons. Col. Franklin observes this and points it out to [[Secret Keeper]] [[Hot Scientist|Lucy Suzuki]], assuaging her brief worry that the Autobots had been deceiving her. The episode comes off as something of a [[Take That]] to how Autobot-Human military relationships tend to go in the Transformers comics.

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* In an issue of [[Superman]] where he goes to Earth Prime, which is basically our world with all its mundanities, an army commander orders his men to shoot on Superman. They do so, thinking he's some sort of impostor or crazy person, but when the smoke clears and he's just fine, the men turn on their commander.

** They turn on their commander for ordering them to mildly inconvenience Superman?

* The final run of [[Garth Ennis]]' take on ''[[The Punisher]]'' involved Frank being in the sights of a cabal of Corrupt US Army Generals...who use their connections to send a group of special operations soldiers after him. [[Captain Obvious|Frank doesn't kill them]], but that doesn't mean he doesn't ''fight'' them...

** Note that this doesn't stop him shooting up Russian soldiers in a nuclear missile base.

*** That one gave him the excuse of working for the government, rather than killing to further his own goals.

** Also, Frank usually takes it easy on superheroes who get between him and his targets. Of course, "taking it easy" for Frank Castle still usually involves fisticuffs, non-lethal shootings, stabbings, and on one occasion, a ''steamroller''. In that particular story, he was fighting [[Wolverine]] and was allowed to go all out since [[Good Thing You Can Heal|Wolverine can always get better]].

 

* In ''[[Terminator]] 2: Judgement Day'', John Connor forbids the Terminator from killing the SWAT officers who are swarming the building. The Terminator follows orders, strictly speaking, but stops the cops anyway by [[Technical Pacifist|shooting them in their legs]].

* The heroes in the film version of ''[[RED]]'' go out of their way not to kill any of the police, feds or secret service agents trying to catch them, instead pinning them down with suppression fire and running away. The only people they ever do kill are the mercenaries and CIA spooks actively trying to kill them.

* In ''[[Rush Hour]]'', Lee is without his credentials and finds himself at gunpoint when he mentions the ambassador's daughter to some FBI agents. He disarms both (in trademark "[[Jackie Chan]]" style) and dismantles the guns.

 

* ''[[The Executioner]]'' novel series. Mack Bolan decided early on that he would not fire on police officers, even though being arrested would end his war against the Mafia (and result in his death once the Mafia got to him in prison).That may, however, have been pragmatism as much as anything. Bolan was savvy to the fact that as long as only bad guys died, the law would feel inclined to look the other way. As soon as innocents or cops start dying, the boys in blue will tear heaven and earth apart to find you.

* There's an odd example in ''[[X Wing Series|Solo Command]]''. Lara Notsil gets discovered to be the woman who caused the deaths of Talon Squadron, and she's well aware that the fact that she [[Becoming the Mask|became the mask]] and went through a [[Heel Face Turn]] doesn't change her history. Despite being shot at by her love interest, the only surviving member of Talon Squadron, all she does is flee. She goes to the enemy, Warlord Zsinj, as a [[Fake Defector]], and when she actually has to face the squadron she powers down her lasers. Suspecting the situation, Wedge Antilles orders that she isn't to be fired on.

* Disturbingly averted in the ''[[Death Merchant]]'' novel, "The Soul Search Project" where the protaognist and his team kill dozens of NYPD officers during a chase without blinking an eye and justify it by saying: [[You Can't Make an Omelette|"you have to break a few eggs to get an omelet"]]. Of course the titular Death Merchant is a [[Heroic Sociopath]] who won't think twice about averting [[Never Hurt an Innocent]] if it's the quickest way to accomplish a mission.

** The same author also wrote a series of books called ''C.O.B.R.A.'' in which this trope is inverted regularly as the protagonist, Jon Skul, frequently kills police and innocent bystanders in order to complete his missions, with zero remorse shown.

 

* [[Dexter]] wasn't willing to kill Doakes, instead keeping him held hostage for a couple episodes after the latter discovered that he was [[Serial Killer Killer|the Bay Harbor Butcher]]. Luckily (or Unluckilly), though, [[Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work|Lila came along]]... Though Dexter wasn't exactly grateful.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

* In ''[[Alpha Protocol]]'', Mike has one or two opportunities to shoot at police and other aggressors that are "just doing their jobs", mainly in Taiwan. Doing so will often score him negative points with his handler. Mina's opinion of you will drop by 1 point ''per kill'', making it possible to go from "best buds" to "worst enemies" faster than you can say "[[Instant Sedation|but I didn't have any tranquilizer darts]]!". Fortunately, both these sedative darts and non-lethal melee takedowns let you [[Take a Third Option]], albeit often painfully hospitalizing the target in the latter case. ''Additionally'', characters may remark on your lethality (or lack thereof) and appreciate that in later meetings, especially Albatross in regards to {{spoiler|infiltrating one of the G-22 facilities and engaging a number of soldiers there}}. The same goes for U.S. Marines. On the other hand, killing police, CIA agents, and Marines will also {{spoiler|help prove to Leland that you're a worthy asset, who is willing to get things done, and helps unlock the endings where either Mike goes to work for Halbech, or betrays Leland and proceeds to ''[[Take Over the World]]''.}}

* Discussed in Battlefield 3, as a GRU Spetsnaz team attempts to stop a terrorist plot to nuke Paris. The team leader points out that there will be no time to establish their credentials with French police, who won't see the difference between them and the terrorists, and that in the grand scheme of things, sacrificing a number of French cops to prevent a war in which ''millions'' of Russians die is no contest. He's clearly unhappy about doing this, however, but feels it has to be done.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Idealism Tropes]]

[[Category:Morality Tropes]]