You Have Failed Me.../Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: Minion fails his task. Villain kills the minion for that.

  • Straight: Stellof Fladovski, an Evil Overlord, is informed that one of his Mooks has failed his task to capture a hero. Stellof kills that minion.
  • Exaggerated: Stellof is informed that one of his Mooks has failed one of his tasks. Stellof becomes so enraged that he kills everyone in the briefing room.
  • Justified: The Mook was planing to betray Stellow and had intentionally screwed up.
    • The Mook's screw-up proved to be so astronomically costly, he deserved to get whacked.
    • Stellof had given the Mook three chances already, and he's blown every single one. When he screws up for the fourth time, Stellof finally runs out of patience.
  • Inverted: Stellof is informed that one is his Mooks has failed one of his tasks. The Mook kills Stellof instead.
    • Alternatively, the Mook has succeeded capturing the hero and gets promoted.
    • Alternatively, the Mook has failed his task but it's a Career-Building Blunder: he's promoted because of it.
    • Alternatively, Stellof realizes that the Mook's talents could be used more constructively elsewhere. He reassigns the Mook to another position in the organization, and the Mook turns out to be much better at this job.
  • Subverted: Stellof Fladovski, an Evil Overlord, is informed that one of his Mooks has failed his task to capture a hero. Stellof draws out a gun and points at Mook, saying "You promise me that you won't do that again".
    • Alternatively, Stellof tries to kill the Mook with a gun after failing his task, but the Mook manages to narrowly escape.
    • Stellof carries a gun full of blanks and gives all his Mooks squibs. He feels that pretending to shoot his Mooks has wonderful stress-removing properties.
    • Stellof initially looks like he's about to kill the Mook for failing him, but proceeds to kill one of the Mook's subordinates.

Mook: (grovelling and wailing piteously) "Forgive me, milord. I-I'll do better next time, I swear..."
Stellof: "Silence, You Fool. Yes, you failed. But; you were never meant to succeed. I chose you because you are incompetent. Let's hope this little exercise motivates you to better yourself. Now, get out."

Stellof: "Pffffffft... Ha! Ha ha ha! You should have seen your face when I pulled my gun! It's not even loaded! Haaa ha ha!"

    • Stellof is angry at the Mook's failure, but isn't about to demoralize the rest of his minions by killing him. Instead of killing the Mook, Stellof humiliates him by demoting him within the organization, which costs him money, prestige and privileges. Stellof then appoints his most successful lower-ranking henchman to take the Mook's place, with the understanding that he'll suffer the same fate as the first Mook if he screws up.
  • Double Subverted: Stellof is informed that one of his Mooks has failed his task to capture a hero. Stellof draws out a gun and points at Mook, saying "You promise me that you won't do that again," the Mook says "I promise" but Stellof still shoots him.
    • Stellof initially looks like he's about to kill the Mook for failing him, but proceeds to kill one of the Mook's immediate subordinates. The subordinate Mook was the one actually to blame, however.
  • Parodied: Stellof goes to a restaurant where the waiter gives him the wrong order, so Stellof tells him "You have failed me" and kills him.
  • Deconstructed: Stellof becomes powerless since he has killed the best of his minions and others are turning against him and preforming Heel Face Turns in fear of getting killed by him.
  • Reconstructed: Stellof only executes his minions for mistakes that were the result of gross incompetence, not of simple misfortune.
  • Zig Zagged: Stellof tells the mook he has failed and draw his gun. He tells the mook not to let it happen again, turns to the man who hires mooks and shoots him for hiring incompetent staff.
  • Averted: Stellof's Mook has failed his task but Stellof just berates him without physical threats.
  • Enforced: "We have to make sure everybody knows Stellof is evil, so let's have him be just as evil to his followers as he is to his opponents."
  • Lampshaded: "That guy killed his own minion. If he keeps that up, he'll destroy his forces for us!"
    • "I assume that he fails to complete the mission, he'll be testing the death ray." "Naturally."
  • Invoked: The Genre Savvy hero knows that he can't take out the Mook by himself, so he makes sure that the Mook at least fails to capture him so Stellof would kill the Mook.
  • Defied: The Mook, knowing that he has failed his task and what Stellof would do to him after that, abandons everything related to Stellof.
  • Discussed: "We can't go back without the MacGuffin! He'll go 'You have failed me for the last time!' and throw us in the shark tank!"
  • Conversed: "Must you kill every one of your men who screws up on a job, Stellof?"

Back to You Have Failed Me...


Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/You_Have_Failed_Me.../Playing_With?oldid=1516992"