History Main / RedemptionFailure

* ''Film/TheWrestler'': Randy is a middle-aged, washed-up wrestler whose GloryDays are long behind him. He tries to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter Stephanie and becomes romantically involved with Cassidy, an aging [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold 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 [[CasualtyInTheRing Randy dies in the ring]].

[[folder:Film]]

* William Munny in ''Film/{{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.)

* In Sukhinov's ''Emerald City'' series Corina, the DiscOneFinalBoss, starts helping the the protagonist Ellie mid-series, and even starts bonding with her. But when they are captured by BigBad's forces and threatened with AFateWorseThanDeath, Corina caves in and declares allegiance to BigBad, thus becoming evil character again.

* This happens in one episode of ''Series/{{Person Of Interest}}'', with a OneShotCharacter. The character in question being a former safecracker for a team of thieves. [[spoiler:Near the end, the safecracker is tempted to kill his employer, but Reese manages to [[BullyingTheDragon 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]]

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' has two examples, both of them [[spoiler:party members. After killing (or nearly killing) an innocent girl in Act 2, Anders realizes that he's losing control over his body to [[DemonicPossession 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 RevengeBeforeReason 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.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Chloe gets convinced to start taking a level in kindness in season two, with the end result being her becoming a superhero. But since she decided to blab her identity on the news, Ladybug refuses to trust her with her powers again, which leads to [[BigBad Hawk Moth]] convincing her to join him merely by offering her those powers that Ladybug defied her. And after that defeat, which [[PyrrhicVictory causes all the other heroes in the show to be forcefully retired]], Ladybug makes it clear that she is off the team FOR GOOD, with everyone else in the city [[HatedByAll now refusing to give her a chance]].

-->--'''Winston''' to '''John Wick''', ''Film/JohnWick''

* Throughout the first half of ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'', we see reference to the original leader of the [[{{Delinquents}} Yellow Scarves]] abandoning the gang after a turf war went bad. Then, in part 2, [[spoiler: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.

* The plot of ''Film/KillBill'' plot is driven by this trope. [[Creator/UmaThurman 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. [[spoiler: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.

* ''Film/TheWrestler'': Randy is a middle-aged, washed-up wrestler whose GloryDays are long behind him. He tries to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter Stephanie and becomes romantically involved with Cassidy, an aging [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold 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 [[FatalMethodActing Randy dies in the ring]].

* ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} enemy The Gladiator ([[NamesTheSame no relation to the]] ''Franchise/XMen'' [[NamesTheSame character]]) had redeemed himself for a time, but between the manipulations of Alexander Bont and Mr. Fear, his original HeelFaceTurn 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.

Compare ChronicVillainy, where the ex-baddie has an inner compulsion to commit evil again (rather than being forced into it by external circumstances); ReformedButRejected, where everyone ''thinks'' that he will revert even though he does not; and HeelFaceDoorSlam, where an evil character ''wants'' to go clean but is not even allowed to start. Contrast HeelFaceRevolvingDoor, where the bad guy changes alignment so often, it's hard to speak of any redemption in his case. Compare and contrast TrappedInVillainy, 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.

* Roberta in ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' quits the ProfessionalKiller business to become an simple maid, only to resort to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge massive violence]] again after her master is thought to be killed. [[spoiler: Though she is stopped and it is shown that she may resume retired life.]]

* Since he's something of an {{Expy}} of Creator/ClintEastwood's characters, Saint of Killers in ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' gets a backstory about his life as a retired outlaw and gunslinger. Things rapidly go awry in fashion very similar to what befalls Eastwood's character in ''Film/{{Unforgiven}}''. See the Film section for more details.

** "Puppet Show": The Ventriloquist finds work as a puppeteer in a kids' show and even has Croaky, a frog puppet who supports and encourages him to get straight, but a WhiteDwarfStarlet DepravedKidsShowHost knows about his past, and [[TheCorrupter tries to tempt him…]]

* William Munny in ''Film/{{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.)

* The plot of ''Film/KillBill'' plot is driven by this trope. [[Creator/UmaThurman 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. [[spoiler: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.
* In ''Film/{{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 RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the murderers.

* Lindsey on ''Series/{{Angel}}'' becomes a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor 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, [[spoiler:Angel has Lorne, a member of his team eliminate him.]]
* ''Series/HemlockGrove'': 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 [[spoiler:Olivia killed his wife]] that he decides to [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown 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.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' has two examples, both of them [[spoiler:party members. After killing (or nearly killing) an innocent girl in Act 2, Anders realizes that he's losing control over his body to [[DemonicPossession 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 RevengeBeforeReason 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.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', 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.
* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''; [[spoiler:Prince Zuko]] finally gives up on being bad, [[BeingEvilSucks 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, [[spoiler:though he later does a complete and permanent HeelFaceTurn]]. The ambiguity here is that his personality during his temporary HeelFaceTurn 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). [[spoiler: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 AntiHero rather than an AntiVillain]]. 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.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' featured Jack Spicer going through such an event, with hints of ReformedButRejected from almost everyone except Omi.

* In Sukhinov's ''Emerald City'' series Corina, the DiscOneFinalBoss, starts helping the the protagonist Ellie mid-series, and even starts bonding with her. But when they are captured by BigBad's forces and threatened with AFateWorseThanDeath, Corina caves in and declares allegiance to BigBad, thus becoming evil charachter again.

* In ''Manga/DragonBall Z'', Buu is convinced to stop his rampage by Mr. Satan/Hercule for a time, but after a criminal [[KickTheDog shoots his pet puppy]] and wounds Mr. Satan, Buu's destructive nature [[EnemyWithout breaks free]] and takes control.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', 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 recieved mural (which Skinner had suggested) the inmate snaps and burns both the mural and Skinner's car.
* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''; [[spoiler:Prince Zuko]] finally gives up on being bad, [[BeingEvilSucks 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, [[spoiler:though he later does a complete and permanent HeelFaceTurn]]. The ambiguity here is that his personality during his temporary HeelFaceTurn 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). [[spoiler: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 AntiHero rather than an AntiVillain]]. 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 fulfil his villainous goals.

* WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug: Chloe gets convinced to start taking a level in kindness in season two, with the end result being her becoming a superhero. But since she decided to blab her identity on the news, Ladybug refuses to trust her with her powers again, which leads to [[BigBad Hawk Moth]] convincing her to join him merely by offering her those powers that Ladybug defied her. And after that defeat, which [[PyrrhicVictory causes all the other heroes in the show to be forcefully retired]], Ladybug makes it clear that she is off the team FOR GOOD, with everyone else in the city [[HatedByAll now refusing to give her a chance]].

* WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug: Chloe gets convinced to start taking a level in kindness in season two, with the end result being her becoming a superhero. But since she decided to blab her identity on the news, Ladybug refuses to trust her with her powers again, which leads to [[BigBad Hawk Moth]] convincing her to join him merely by offering her those powers that Ladybug defied her. And after that defeat, which [[PyrrhicVictory causes all the other heroes in the show to be forcefully retired]], Ladybug makes it clear that she is off the team FOR GOOD, with everyone else in the city [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating now refusing to give her a chance]].

* WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug: Chloe gets convinced to start taking a level in kindness in season two, with the end result being her becoming a superhero. But since she decided to blab her identity on the news, Ladybug refuses to trust her with her powers again, which leads to [[BigBad Hawk Moth]] convincing her to join him merely by offering her those powers that Ladybug defied her. And after that defeat, which [[PyrrhicVictory causes all the other heroes in the show to be forcefully retired]], Ladybug makes it clear that she is off the team FOR GOOD, with everyone else in the city [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating now refuses to give her a chance]].

* The ComicBook/{{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 [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Mercurio]] in ''ComicBook/VenomSpaceKnight'' and ultimately return to villainy.

* WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug: Chloe gets convinced to start taking a level in kindness in season two, with the end result being her becoming a superhero. But since she decided to blab her identity on the news, Ladybug refuses to trust her with her powers again, which leads to [[BigBad Hawk Moth]] convincing her to join him merely by offering her those powers that Ladybug defied her. And after that defeat, which [[PyrricVictory causes all the other heroes in the show to be forcefully retired]], Ladybug makes it clear that she is off the team FOR GOOD, with everyone else in the city [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating now refuses to give her a chance]].

* ''Series/HemlockGrove'': 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 [[spoiler: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 cold-hearted monster she was before.

** "Study Hall": After subjecting himself to an AndThenWhat, Scarecrow escapes Arkham to become a SaveOurStudents teacher in a university. When a JerkJock {{Date Rape}}s his favorite student, Crane reverts to type and becomes the ultimate SadistTeacher

* The plot of ''Film/KillBill'' plot is driven by this trope. [[UmaThurman 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. [[spoiler: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.

** Harley Quinn in "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE16HarleysHoliday Harley's Holiday]]", though because it is PlayedForLaughs, this is a borderline HeelFaceDoorSlam example, too.

* [[spoiler:Thomas Raith]] in TheDresdenFiles becomes a VegetarianVampire 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 EldritchAbomination. 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 PragmaticVillainy 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. [[spoiler: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 jerk|er}}ing 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 RedemptionFailure 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 NobleDemon with {{Morality Pet}}s, so it's difficult to tell how much of a change there really was.

** "Going Straight": FramingDevice where Batman investigates Roxy Rocket, a criminal escape artist that Batman was sure was reformed, but who seems to have come back to crime. Roxy claims to be framed and insists to ClearMyName.
** "Puppet Show": The Ventriloquist founds work as a puppeteer in a kid’s show and even has Croaky, a frog puppet who supports and encourages him to get straight, but a WhiteDwarfStarlet DepravedKidsShowHost knows about his past, she will [[TheCorrupter try to tempt him…]]
** "24 hours": A DayInTheLife of Harley Quinn, the day she is released from Arkham and wants to go straight right until she meets the Joker again... only two pages long, maybe a PoorlyDisguisedPilot for [[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE16HarleysHoliday "Harley's Holiday"]].
** "Study Hall": After subjecting himself an AndThenWhat, Scarecrow escapes Arkham to become a SaveOurStudents teacher in a university, but when a JerkJock has a DateRape with his favorite student, Crane will become the ultimate SadistTeacher…