History Main / CynicismCatalyst

** In ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', the ''fear'' of the loss of Padmé Amidala [[DeathByChildbirth by childbirth]] is what drives Anakin Skywalker over the edge to TheDarkSide. Before that, there was the death of his mother in ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' which started his descent. For extra irony, [[SelfFulfillingProphecy she dies from childbirth because she loses her desire to live after seeing the monster Anakin becomes in trying to prevent her death]].

'''Some of the examples that follow also fall under one or more {{Death Trope}}s. Most spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.'''

* ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': For [[Characters/MonsterVerseMarkRussell Mark Russell]], the main reason why he hates the {{Kaiju}} and thinks all of them instead of just some of them are monsters that should be killed is because he saw the destruction that the [=MUTOs=] and Godzilla's battle in [[Film/Godzilla2014 the first film]] caused, and his [[OutlivingOnesOffspring son]] died in the destruction. It's also revealed by the website promoting the film's release that [[Characters/MonsterVerseMonarch Griffin]] also saw the destruction in the first film and has since been skeptical of Serizawa's claims that humans can find ways to share the planet with the more benevolent monsters.

** Miles Edgeworth in the ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' series was an excitable and energetic child that strove to defend the innocent like his father was doing as a defense attorney. One day, Edgeworth's father was killed and he was taken in by Manfred von Karma, who raised him to be a ruthless prosecutor. Edgeworth grew up thinking defense attorneys were scumbags and the guilty should be punished. His personality also changed greatly where he is very stoic, rarely emotes, and always tries to keep up a professional front instead of just being himself. Edgeworth does lighten up a little bit after some CharacterDevelopment, but he's no longer the energetic and eager person he once was.

* The opening of ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'' reveals that seeing her best friend Peter Parker die at the school ball and being framed for his death by her own father is what led to her sarcastic nature and LoneWolf approach on superheroing.

-->-- '''Captain Malcolm Reynolds''', ''Film/{{Serenity}} RolePlayingGame''

* ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': For [[Characters/MonsterVerseMarkRussell Mark Russell]], the main reason why he hates the {{Kaiju}} and thinks all of them instead of just some of them are monsters that should be killed is because he saw the destruction that the [=MUTOs=] and Godzilla's battle in [[Film/Godzilla2014 the first film]] caused, and his son died in the destruction. It's also revealed by the website promoting the film's release that [[Characters/MonsterVerseMonarch Griffin]] also saw the destruction in the first film and has since been skeptical of Serizawa's claims that humans can find ways to share the planet with the more benevolent monsters.

* Eddie Valiant in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' was revealed to have held a bitter grudge against toons after his brother was murdered by one.

* Eddie Valiant in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' was revealed to have held a bitter grudge against the Toons after his brother was murdered by a toon.

* ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': For [[Characters/MonsterVerseFamilies Mark Russell]], the main reason why he hates the {{Kaiju}} and thinks all of them instead of just some of them are monsters that should be killed is because he saw the destruction that the [=MUTOs=] and Godzilla's battle in [[Film/Godzilla2014 the first film]] caused, and his son died in the destruction. It's also revealed by the website promoting the film's release that [[Characters/MonsterVerseMonarch Griffin]] also saw the destruction in the first film and has since been skeptical of Serizawa's claims that humans can find ways to share the planet with the more benevolent monsters.

* In ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'', one of the protagonists of the trio, Manny, was revealed to have his little son and wife killed by a group of Neanderthals.

* ''WesternAnimation/Tarzan'': After his biological son is killed by a [[CatsAreMean leopard]], the silverback gorilla Kerchak becomes much more sour and cold.

* Colonel O'Neil from ''Film/{{Stargate}}'' originally left the military and went basket case because his son accidentally killed himself with O'Neil's own gun. He only joins the mission to the alien planet (from which there is little chance of returning) because he's [[DeathSeeker downright suicidal]].
* ''Film/StreetAngel'': For Angela, her mother's death. For Gino, Angela disappearing without a word right after agreeing to marry him.
* ''Film/Underworld2003'': Selene's entire family was brutally murdered by Lycans, leading her to mercilessly hunt them once she became a vampire. Turns out Viktor, who turned her, was the one who actually killed her family.
* In ''A Short Film About Killing'' directed by Creator/KrzysztofKieslowski, the young man on death row espoused a life of crime because he was so haunted by his dead little sister's memory.
* In ''Film/TopGun'', Maverick's angst during the second half of the movie comes from his feeling of responsibility for his RIO Goose's death.
* Hannibal Lecter is given a dead little sister "Mischa" during ''Film/HannibalRising,'' causing a great deal of BadassDecay. Not enough to stop him from going on another killing spree, however.
* ''Franchise/StarWars''
** In ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', the ''fear'' of the loss of Padmé Amidala [[DeathByChildbirth by childbirth]] is what drives Anakin Skywalker over the edge to TheDarkSide. Before that, there was the death of his mother in ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' which started his descent. For extra irony, [[SelfFulfillingProphecy she dies from childbirth because she loses her desire to live after seeing the monster Anakin becomes in trying to prevent her death]].
** In ''Film/{{Solo}}'', the previously optimistic and happy-go-lucky Han Solo is abandoned and betrayed in quick succession by his new friend Lando, his mentor Beckett, and his love interest Qira. Dealing with these leaves him as the cynical mercenary of ''Film/ANewHope''.

* In ''Film/FaceOff'', Castor Troy's accidental murder of Sean Archer's son is a key event in the backstory of the two characters. Later in the film, Sean!Troy kills Castor!Archer's younger brother and partner-in-crime Pollux. Castor!Archer also killed his ex-girlfriend Sascha's brother Dietrich. When they confront each other in a church all three of them bring this up.
-->'''Castor:''' Look, your son's death was an accident. I wanted to kill ''you''. Why didn't you just let it go or kill yourself?\\
'''Sean:''' No father could.\\
'''Castor:''' No brother could either.\\
'''Sascha:''' Neither could a sister.
%%* In ''Film/{{Identity}}'', Edward Dakota was revealed to have left the LAPD after failing to stop the suicide of the Mexican girl who was pregnant and infected with AIDS.
* Eddie Valiant in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' was revealed to have held a bitter grudge against the Toons after his brother was murdered by a toon.

%% * The death of Joe Brody’s wife in ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'', which he is partially responsible for.

* ''Film/ManchesterByTheSea'': The death of his three children, which he accidentally caused, is what caused Lee to go from the outgoing and friendly guy shown in flashbacks to the depressed shell of a man he is in the present.

* In ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', Agent Washington was shown in the Project Freelancer sections to have been a fairly idealistic and warm guy. However, [[spoiler:having an AI go mad inside his head and show him all that had happened to the Alpha AI and the Director]] turned him into the bitter, cynical man he is in the present. [[CharacterDevelopment He's gotten much better (at least on the warm end) thanks to his interactions with the Reds and Blues]], but it's clear the man he used to be is ''gone''.

* Philip K. Dick's twin sister died when the two were only five weeks old. Being raised as a child with this knowledge (his mother allegedly claimed that the wrong child had died during an argument), the loss haunted PKD throughout his life. The figure of the mysterious, dark-haired, and unattainable woman that is prominent in so many of his works (especially "Flow My Tears, the Police Said") is said to be based on PKD's imaginings of what his sister would have been like had she lived.

* ''{{Film/Clara}}'': It's revealed that the source of Isaac's bitterness was his infant. Though not explicit, it's implied this is why he's an atheist and sees no meaning in the universe.

* ''Literature/{{Reds}}'': The United States entering the First World War much earlier, and seeing a significantly higher death toll as a result, was this for a great many Americans. The individual character most directly affected by this in the narrative is George Patton, of all people: The horrors of trench warfare were enough to throw cold water on even his BloodKnight tendencies, and the lack of any clear reason ''why'' this whole war started and what America is getting out of sending thousands of its young men to their deaths every day forced him to do some serious self-reflection about his PatrioticFervor and the gulf between the country the United States was and the country he wanted it to be. He returned home from the war a very changed man, [[TropesAreTools but not necessarily for the worse]]: [[TookALevelInCynicism Losing a lot of his idealism about his country]] was what prevented him being drawn into the proto-fascist movement that was developing around General [=MacArthur=].