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Redemption Failure

151 statements
27 feature instances
29 referencing feature instances

Redemption Failure	type	FeatureClass
Redemption Failure	label	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure	page	RedemptionFailure
Redemption Failure	comment	After undergoing a genuine Heel–Face Turn (often after a "My God, What Have I Done?" experience), the formerly-evil but now honestly good character is forced by the circumstances (usually a great injustice done to him or the death of his loved one) to revert to his evil and violent ways again, losing everything good that he earned during his benevolent phase. A form of Tragic Monster. The Aesop being: Being Good Sucks but Being Evil Sucks even more and circumstances will conspire to tempt you from one to the other. Compare Chronic Villainy, where the ex-baddie has an inner compulsion to commit evil again (rather than being forced into it by external circumstances); Reformed, but Rejected, where everyone thinks that he will revert even though he does not; and Heel–Face Door-Slam, where an evil character wants to go clean but is not even allowed to start. Contrast Heel–Face Revolving Door, where the bad guy changes alignment so often, it's hard to speak of any redemption in his case. Compare and contrast Trapped in Villainy, where someone may wish for redemption or to abandon some evil deed, but are unable to do so, often because either they or their loved ones will be killed if they should try. May be a motive of an Accuser of the Brethren, especially when he's not convinced of The Atoner's sincerity.
Redemption Failure	fetched	2023-08-13T06:12:50Z
Redemption Failure	parsed	2023-08-13T06:12:50Z
Redemption Failure	processingComment	Dropped link to AndThenWhat: Not an Item - FEATURE
Redemption Failure	processingComment	Dropped link to CentralTheme: Not an Item - FEATURE
Redemption Failure	processingComment	Dropped link to DayInTheLife: Not an Item - FEATURE
Redemption Failure	processingComment	Dropped link to DiscOneFinalBoss: Not an Item - FEATURE
Redemption Failure	processingComment	Dropped link to Expy: Not an Item - FEATURE
Redemption Failure	processingComment	Dropped link to FramingDevice: Not an Item - FEATURE
Redemption Failure	processingComment	Dropped link to TheGodfatherPartIII: Not an Item - UNKNOWN
Redemption Failure	processingComment	Dropped link to WhiteDwarfStarlet: Not an Item - FEATURE
Redemption Failure	processingUnknown	TheGodfatherPartIII
Redemption Failure	isPartOf	DBTropes
Redemption Failure / int_2212773a	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_2212773a	comment	Lindsey on Angel becomes a Heel–Face Revolving Door as he abandons his evil employer but can't manage to not return, once it seems he finally has he comes back anyway plotting against Angel out of jealousy, after failing he agrees to team up with Angel again, but with the realization that he will turn on the team again when things go bad, Angel has Lorne, a member of his team eliminate him.
Redemption Failure / int_2212773a	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_2212773a	featureConfidence	1.0
Angel	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_2212773a
Redemption Failure / int_2357c1bf	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_2357c1bf	comment	Hemlock Grove: In the second season Olivia Godfrey starts to regain her emotions and tries to make amends for what a horrible person she's been when she learns that she's dying, even deciding to give up her own life so her daughter Shelley can be happy. Nobody buys it, and her lover Norman is so livid when he discovers that Olivia killed his wife that he decides to rub her miserable fate in her face. Olivia then decides to screw over everyone out of spite and go back to being the same murderous, cold-hearted bitch she was before.
Redemption Failure / int_2357c1bf	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_2357c1bf	featureConfidence	1.0
Hemlock Grove	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_2357c1bf
Redemption Failure / int_261c8d3f	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_261c8d3f	comment	In The Simpsons, Marge tries to help an inmate rehabilitate by getting him a job. However, after Skinner allows him to take all the blame for a poorly received mural (which Skinner had suggested) the inmate snaps and burns both the mural and Skinner's car.
Redemption Failure / int_261c8d3f	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_261c8d3f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Simpsons	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_261c8d3f
Redemption Failure / int_2a8943c0	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_2a8943c0	comment	Miraculous Ladybug: After getting her hands on the Bee Miraculous, Chloé becomes Queen Bee... and immediately reveals her Secret Identity to all of Paris. When this doesn't immediately land her the praise and adulation she craves, she attempts some Engineered Heroics. Still, Chat Noir convinces Ladybug to give her another shot, letting her remain one of their temporary holders. Unfortunately, everyone still knows who Queen Bee is, and while Chloé makes some token efforts to become kinder, she's still very much a Spoiled Brat who expects special treatment. After Hawkmoth and Mayura nearly manage to get their hands on the Bee, Ladybug decides it's too dangerous to entrust Chloé with it any longer. Hawkmoth then convinces her to work with him by offering the power and recognition she desires. This results in a chain of events that leads to all of the other temporary heroes being forcibly retired after Chloé exposes all of their identities to the villains. Ladybug then makes it clear that she's off the team FOR GOOD, with everyone else in Paris now refusing to give her another chance.
Redemption Failure / int_2a8943c0	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_2a8943c0	featureConfidence	1.0
Miraculous Ladybug	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_2a8943c0
Redemption Failure / int_2db74939	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_2db74939	comment	Ray McCall in Call of Juarez is a criminal who became a priest after killing his brother but takes up his guns again when his other brother is murdered.
Redemption Failure / int_2db74939	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_2db74939	featureConfidence	1.0
Call of Juarez (Video Game)	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_2db74939
Redemption Failure / int_39e3b5ff	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_39e3b5ff	comment	The plot of Kill Bill plot is driven by this trope. The Bride faces a major Redemption Failure at the very beginning of the film: in the little chapel of Two Pines (Texas), the rehearsal of her wedding is ruined by former friends from her former assassin's life. They kill everybody in the chapel but miss The Bride, who, although very badly hurt, survives. The last three and half hours of film depict her vengeance. A vengeance that feeds on what she wanted most to forget about: her mind-blowing killing-machine skills. During their final confrontation, Bill uses a Truth Serum to force her to admit that she really enjoyed it and states that her effort to blend in, no matter how well-intentioned, was doomed to failure even if he hadn't committed that massacre. The Bride herself cannot dispute this.
Redemption Failure / int_39e3b5ff	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_39e3b5ff	featureConfidence	1.0
Kill Bill	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_39e3b5ff
Redemption Failure / int_3ddddb25	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_3ddddb25	comment	An episode of Xiaolin Showdown featured Jack Spicer going through such an event, with hints of Reformed, but Rejected from almost everyone except Omi.
Redemption Failure / int_3ddddb25	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_3ddddb25	featureConfidence	1.0
Xiaolin Showdown	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_3ddddb25
Redemption Failure / int_4139b0e7	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_4139b0e7	comment	William Munny in Unforgiven is a former badman, who tried to make a go at being a farmer. When his farm fails he decides to take just one more job and for a time goes back to his old ways. (Although it's hinted at at the end that he eventually returned to a mundane life once more.)
Redemption Failure / int_4139b0e7	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_4139b0e7	featureConfidence	1.0
Unforgiven	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_4139b0e7
Redemption Failure / int_41b0198a	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_41b0198a	comment	Thomas Raith in The Dresden Files becomes a Vegetarian Vampire after nearly killing his love interest but reverts to a full-on vamp after being tortured and forced to lethally feed on humans by a resident Eldritch Abomination. Still, even as he announces his return to full vampirism he doesn't deny that he still cares for his loved ones, and he claims he won't fatally feed on people. The reasons he gives for this fall into the Pragmatic Villainy category, but it's ambiguous whether he really means it or is simply trying to convince himself that he's going to be a Pragmatic Villain rather than a true good guy. As of the end of Cold Days, his personality doesn't seem to have changed all that much, and his refusal to willingly kill innocent people, his tear jerking reaction to Harry's death and return and his absolute joy at being able to reunite with the woman he loves suggests that his self-proclaimed Redemption Failure was more of a short-term reaction to his horrible trauma than a true shift in personality. He was never truly evil to begin with, and was at worst a Noble Demon with Morality Pets, so it's difficult to tell how much of a change there really was.
Redemption Failure / int_41b0198a	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_41b0198a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Dresden Files	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_41b0198a
Redemption Failure / int_4320d945	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_4320d945	comment	The Wrestler: Randy is a middle-aged, washed-up wrestler whose Glory Days are long behind him. He tries to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter Stephanie and becomes romantically involved with Cassidy, an aging stripper with a heart of gold who is clearly considering settling down with him. He fails at both by not showing up for dinner with his daughter because he was experiencing a hangover, then alienates Cassidy as well by continuing a wrestling match that could kill him because of his heart problems. In the end, it's strongly implied that Randy dies in the ring.
Redemption Failure / int_4320d945	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_4320d945	featureConfidence	1.0
The Wrestler	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_4320d945
Redemption Failure / int_5fe76d21	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_5fe76d21	comment	The Venom symbiote is cleansed of its hatred and rage in Guardians of the Galaxy and becomes a heroic Agent of the Cosmos... only to have its cleansing undone by Mercurio in Venom: Space Knight and has a momentary and unwilling return to villainy, before reuniting with his former host, Eddie Brock and staying as a benevolent, if very violent hero.
Redemption Failure / int_5fe76d21	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_5fe76d21	featureConfidence	1.0
Venom (Comic Book)	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_5fe76d21
Redemption Failure / int_6cd3b44f	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_6cd3b44f	comment	Roberta in Black Lagoon quits the Professional Killer business to become an simple maid, only to resort to massive violence again after her master is thought to be killed. Though she is stopped and it is shown that she may resume retired life.
Redemption Failure / int_6cd3b44f	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_6cd3b44f	featureConfidence	1.0
Black Lagoon (Manga)	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_6cd3b44f
Redemption Failure / int_72262aee	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_72262aee	comment	Played with in Avatar: The Last Airbender; Prince Zuko finally gives up on being bad, understanding that it really hasn't worked out for him, and seems content to live peacefully. However, in one of the series' most famous moments, when the opportunity to return to his old ways in such a way that he will likely be successful, he embraces it, though he later does a complete and permanent Heel–Face Turn. The ambiguity here is that his personality during his temporary Heel–Face Turn is so radically different from his previous one that it seems likely that he's putting it on, (even if the falsehood is only subconscious and he genuinely did think he had changed). This is supported by the fact that during his later permanent redemption he is still just as brooding and hot-tempered as before, he simply became an Anti-Hero rather than an Anti-Villain. There is also the fact that, though his recidivism was brought on by outside events, they did not compel him in any way, and merely offered him the chance to fulfill his villainous goals.
Redemption Failure / int_72262aee	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_72262aee	featureConfidence	1.0
Avatar: The Last Airbender	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_72262aee
Redemption Failure / int_7daba321	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_7daba321	comment	In Chisum, Billy the Kid is taken in by Henry Tunstall, who believes he can give up his outlaw ways, but when Tunstall is murdered, Billy goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the murderers.
Redemption Failure / int_7daba321	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_7daba321	featureConfidence	1.0
Chisum	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_7daba321
Redemption Failure / int_8b5820ed	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_8b5820ed	comment	In Red Dead Redemption, John Marston quits the life of an outlaw after his "friends" leave him to die, but The Government kidnaps his wife and son and orders him to dispose of his old comrades. He is forced to go back to his bad ways and although the player largely determines whether he becomes evil again, even with a good karma he still kills an awful lot of people on the way.
Redemption Failure / int_8b5820ed	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_8b5820ed	featureConfidence	1.0
Red Dead Redemption (Video Game)	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_8b5820ed
Redemption Failure / int_90b916ba	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_90b916ba	comment	This was a recurring theme in Batman: The Animated Series: Harley Quinn in "Harley's Holiday" is pronounced sane and release from Arkham, and plans to live as a law-abiding citizen. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding while purchasing clothes make her think she's being arrested even when she's doing nothing wrong, and she goes on an actual crime spree to avoid getting caught. Another episode, "Birds of a Feather", had the Penguin be released from prison turning over a new leaf. A gold digger dates him for the publicity, but soon starts to grow fond of him. It crashes down when her motives are revealed.
Redemption Failure / int_90b916ba	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_90b916ba	featureConfidence	1.0
Batman: The Animated Series	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_90b916ba
Redemption Failure / int_af566418	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_af566418	comment	In Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Charmcaster undergoes a Heel–Face Turn once she is returned to her home dimension and is able to liberate it from its tyrannical overlord. But once this only creates a power vacuum that causes everyone she freed to fight a war over the throne, she crosses back into villainy, after which she remains in the Heel–Face Revolving Door for the remainder of the following series.
Redemption Failure / int_af566418	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_af566418	featureConfidence	1.0
Ben 10: Ultimate Alien	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_af566418
Redemption Failure / int_bc810180	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_bc810180	comment	In 52, the very Anti Heroic, if not outright villainous, Black Adam decides to start flying straight under the influence of his two new Morality Pets and turns his dominion Kahndaq into a rather utopian place. Then, both Morality Pets are killed by the Intergang. And one of them suffers a Heroic BSoD on top of that, instructing Adam to go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge. Which he does, becoming the most wanted mass-murderer on the planet for a while.
Redemption Failure / int_bc810180	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_bc810180	featureConfidence	1.0
52 (Comic Book)	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_bc810180
Redemption Failure / int_c58bb13f	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_c58bb13f	comment	In Elena of Avalor, when Esteban's past betrayal that he had kept secret out of shame and self-preservation is revealed, he desperately tries to genuinely apologize but keeps excusing his actions. No one buys it. His reaction to his sentence (which was originally much harsher, for the record) being to break out of jail before he can be transferred and also freeing a bunch of supervillains to protect him soon leads to both parties essentially telling him to stop trying to hold back and be good because it won't matter either way to his now-estranged family.
Redemption Failure / int_c58bb13f	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_c58bb13f	featureConfidence	1.0
Elena of Avalor	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_c58bb13f
Redemption Failure / int_c75d67d	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_c75d67d	comment	This happens in one episode of Person of Interest, with a One-Shot Character. The character in question being a former safecracker for a team of thieves. Near the end, the safecracker is tempted to kill his employer, but Reese manages to talk him down to avoid his sentence being more severe than it already will be. He gets off with only probation while the rest of the team goes to jail, and returns to his old life.
Redemption Failure / int_c75d67d	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_c75d67d	featureConfidence	1.0
Person of Interest	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_c75d67d
Redemption Failure / int_c7f1fdfe	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_c7f1fdfe	comment	In American History X, some alternative endings have Danny's murder cause Derek to revert back to his old, racist ways.
Redemption Failure / int_c7f1fdfe	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_c7f1fdfe	featureConfidence	1.0
American History X	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_c7f1fdfe
Redemption Failure / int_cc1ec7ec	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_cc1ec7ec	comment	Daredevil enemy The Gladiator (no relation to the X-Men character) had redeemed himself for a time, but between the manipulations of Alexander Bont and Mr. Fear, his original Heel–Face Turn was undone after Melvin is forced back into a life of crime by the former threatening his family and the latter driving him insane with his fear chemicals.
Redemption Failure / int_cc1ec7ec	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_cc1ec7ec	featureConfidence	1.0
Daredevil / Comicbook	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_cc1ec7ec
Redemption Failure / int_ce2b5aba	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_ce2b5aba	comment	Hitman contains an Anti-Hero (or possibly Anti-Villain) example. In Silent Assassin, 47 abandons the life of crime to become a gardener for a priest, yet he's forced back into it when his employer is kidnapped. In the end, he realizes that, being essentially a Super Soldier, he can't turn his back on the business of death and goes back to being an assassin.
Redemption Failure / int_ce2b5aba	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_ce2b5aba	featureConfidence	1.0
Hitman	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_ce2b5aba
Redemption Failure / int_ce50887e	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_ce50887e	comment	In Dragon Ball Z, Buu is convinced to stop his rampage by Mr. Satan/Hercule for a time, but after a criminal shoots his pet puppy and wounds Mr. Satan, Buu's destructive nature breaks free and takes control. Fortunately, after Buu's evil side is destroyed, his innocent half is spared and is allowed to live on Earth.
Redemption Failure / int_ce50887e	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_ce50887e	featureConfidence	1.0
Dragon Ball (Manga)	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_ce50887e
Redemption Failure / int_e144ba19	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_e144ba19	comment	Dragon Age II has two examples, both of them party members. After killing (or nearly killing) an innocent girl in Act 2, Anders realizes that he's losing control over his body to Vengeance and resolves to stop working with the mage underground because he is so furious about the oppression of mages that he fears what he'll do if he stays with the cause. But by Act 3, as the mage/Templar conflict escalates and Knight-Commander Meredith has most of the mages killed or imprisoned in solitary confinement, he's back with what little is left of the underground, more fanatical and furious than ever, and eventually blows up the Chantry to incite mage revolution. Sebastian's previous character development had him realize that Revenge Before Reason is a bad idea, but if you refuse to kill Anders at this point, Sebastian (who was a brother in the destroyed Chantry and lost his beloved mentor in the attack) not only vows revenge on Anders and Hawke, but vows to completely destroy the city of Kirkwall before leaving. This trope fits well into the game's recurring theme of people doing terrible things for understandable reasons.
Redemption Failure / int_e144ba19	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_e144ba19	featureConfidence	1.0
Dragon Age II (Video Game)	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_e144ba19
Redemption Failure / int_eedac02b	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_eedac02b	comment	Throughout the first half of Durarara!!, we see reference to the original leader of the Yellow Scarves abandoning the gang after a turf war went bad. Then, in part 2, Masaomi Kida is revealed as that same original leader when he retakes control of the group to defend themselves from The Dollars and The Slasher. While he was never evil, per se, he treats it like an example of this.
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Redemption Failure / int_eedac02b	featureConfidence	1.0
Durarara!!	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_eedac02b
Redemption Failure / int_fb2991d8	type	Redemption Failure
Redemption Failure / int_fb2991d8	comment	In Justified, Boyd Crowder tries to go straight but circumstances keep pointing him back toward a life of crime.
Redemption Failure / int_fb2991d8	featureApplicability	1.0
Redemption Failure / int_fb2991d8	featureConfidence	1.0
Justified	hasFeature	Redemption Failure / int_fb2991d8

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

Redemption Failure	processingCategory2	Cynicism Tropes
Redemption Failure	processingCategory2	Heel/Face Index
Redemption Failure	processingCategory2	Index Failure
Redemption Failure	processingCategory2	Morality Tropes
Hack/Slash (Comic Book) / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Nightwing (Comic Book) / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Preacher (Comic Book) / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
The Batman Adventures (Comic Book) / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Venom: Space Knight (Comic Book) / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
X Lives and X Deaths of Wolverine (Comic Book) / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Avenger of Steel (Fanfic) / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Maverick Solutions (Fanfic) / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Unite Descent: A Siri Tachi Tale (Fanfic) / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
American History X / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Psycho II / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
St. Elmo's Fire / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
The Wrestler / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Unforgiven / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
X-Men: Apocalypse / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Durarara!! / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Durarara!! / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Illuminated / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
The King of Fighters: A New Beginning (Manga) / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
A Korean Odyssey / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Justified / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Hamlet (Theatre) / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Ben 10: Ultimate Alien / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Steven Universe: The Movie / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure
Xiaolin Showdown / int_a8bfbd9a	type	Redemption Failure

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