History Main / RevengeThroughCorruption

* ''SpidermanTheAnimatedSeries'' - Tombstone forms a streetgang of teenage thugs to help him steal tech for the Silvermane family and makes a point of recruiting the son of Robbie Robertson [[spoiler:whom Tombstone blames for letting him get caught robbing a grocery store in their youth and taking the fall (starting him down a life of crime)]]. When Robbie confronts him, Tombstone takes great pleasure in showing him the video feed of his son robbing the facility and leaving his fingerprints everywhere.

* Manfred von Karma of the ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' series. His retaliation for getting a single penalty in his career as a prosecutor? [[spoiler:Kill the offending attorney, Gregory Edgeworth, then take said attorney's son Miles, who wanted to become a defense lawyer and twist him into a ruthless prosecutor who cares less about the truth and more getting any defendants he sees in the same courtroom as him guilty. And that's just ''one'' part of von Karma's revenge. Thanks to a certain blue-suited, spiky-haired attorney, von Karma's revenge fails and, come the next game and a year of soul-searching, Miles has cast aside years of von Karma's coaching and re-developed himself into a truth-seeking force of the law, something that would have von Karma groaning in his grave.]]

* Subverted by Bill in ''Film/KillBill'', who kidnaps the child of his recent ex-lover and leaves her for dead only to give the child a perfectly happy, normal upbringing.
** That's because the child is his.

* Invoked in ''Series/DoctorWho'' series 6, the villains [[spoiler: kidnap Amy and Rory's time-headed daughter when she's a baby with the intention of bringing her up to be a weapon effective against the Doctor]]. The success of this project is worryingly uncertain.
** Well, at least as of the the last episode of Series 6, [[spoiler: River Song]] seems to have pretty definitively decided she's not up for [[spoiler: killing the Doctor, since she essentially ripped time to shreds in order to avoid having to do so]].

* Subverted by Bill in ''KillBill'', who kidnaps the child of his recent ex-lover and leaves her for dead only to give the child a perfectly happy, normal upbringing.

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]

* One story from ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'' included Iolani Darkmoon, the abused human wife of a werewolf. No one in her community would help her (because they were all afraid of her werewolf husband), so when she got pregnant, she sought help from [[EvilCorporation Pentex]] and gave her child to the Black Spiral Dancers, evil werewolves who have been corrupted by [[BigBad the Wyrm]]. She knows that the Dancers will raise her son as one of them and he will become the enemy of everything the normal werewolves fight for. At this point, she believes its inevitable that he will end up fighting his father, and which ever of them wins, Iolani's revenge will be complete.

[[folder:Video Games]]

* One of the reasons Malak [[spoiler: turns Bastila into his [[TheDragon apprentice]]]] in KnightsOfTheOldRepublic.
* [[MagnificentBitch Tira]] of the SoulSeries actually gets a double on this trope, first using her nemesis Sophitia's MamaBear nature to manipulate her into serving [[ArtifactOfDoom Soul Edge]] because Sophitia's daughter Pyrrha will die without Soul Edge's power. [[spoiler: Sophitia is unable to prevent Siegfried from destroying Nightmare, Soul Edge's incarnation, and has to commit suicide to save Pyrrha with the last piece of Soul Edge lodged in her heart.]] Years later, Tira does it again by becoming an EvilMentor to Pyrrha, who goes on to willingly become the newest host of Soul Edge. [[spoiler: Strangely, the light novel that details Sophitia's demise leaves it ambiguous if Tira ignored Sophitia's last request to keep Pyrrha safe, or if she tried to make Pyrrha into an insanely powerful WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds as a way to honor that request.]]
* Manfred von Karma of the ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' series. His retaliation for getting a single penalty in his career as a prosecutor? [[spoiler:Kill the offending attorney, Gregory Edgeworth, then take said attorney's son Miles, who wanted to become a defense lawyer and twist him into a ruthless prosecutor who cares less about the truth and more getting any defendants he sees in the same courtroom as him guilty. And that's just ''one'' part of von Karma's revenge. Thanks to a certain blue-suited, spiky-haired attorney, von Karma's revenge fails and, come the next game and a year of soul-searching, Miles has cast aside years of von Karma's coaching and re-developed himself into a truth-seeking force of the law, something that would have von Karma groaning in his grave.]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' - "What is Life?" The Ice King tries to do this to Finn's RobotBuddy NEPTR.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'' - SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker kidnaps Tim Drake and turns him into a mini-Joker with the full intent of using him to torment Batman. He even implants a backup of his own personality on a magic micro chip implanted in Tim just so he can make a comeback forty years on.
* ''SpidermanTheAnimatedSeries'' - Tombstone forms a streetgang of teenage thugs to help him steal tech for the Silvermane family and makes a point of recruiting the son of Robbie Robertson [[spoiler:whom Tombstone blames for letting him get caught robbing a grocery store in their youth and taking the fall (starting him down a life of crime)]]. When Robbie confronts him, Tombstone takes great pleasure in showing him the video feed of his son robbing the facility and leaving his fingerprints everywhere.

* ''Literature/TheSilverChair'' - The Green Lady gets back at Narnia by brainwashing Prince Rilian.

* Manfred von Karma of the ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' series. His retaliation for getting a single penalty in his career as a prosecutor? [[spoiler:Kill the offending attorney, Gregory Edgeworth, then take said attorney's son Miles, who wanted to become a defense lawyer and twist him into a ruthless prosecutor who cares less about the truth and more getting any defendants he sees in the same courtroom as him guilty. And that's just ''one'' part of von Karma's revenge. Thanks to a certain blue-suited, spiky-haired attorney, von Karma's revenge fails and, come the next game and a year of soul-searching, Miles has cast aside years of von Karma's coaching and re-developed himself into a truth-seeking force of the law, his victory record be damned.]]

* ''TheDresdenFiles'' - A FallenAngel throws an ArtifactOfDoom where he knows the child of one of his enemies might pick it up. If the child were to pick it up, it would fall victim to DemonicPossession.
* ''HarryPotter'', Lupin says that he was turned into a werewolf by Fenrir Greyback, who had a feud with Lupin's father. Averted somewhat in that Lupin isn't evil unless he's actually a wolf.

* ''TheSilverChair'' - The Green Lady gets back at Narnia by brainwashing Prince Rilian.

* ''BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'' - SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker kidnaps Tim Drake and turns him into a mini-Joker with the full intent of using him to torment Batman. He even implants a backup of his own personality on a magic micro chip implanted in Tim just so he can make a comeback forty years on.

* ''TheHungerGames'' - the Capitol punishes the Districts by making their children killers (and praising them for it by turning them into celebrities!)

* Norman Osborn also seems to like this one.

RevengeThroughCorruption is a variant on RevengeByProxy and SinsOfOurFathers. SinsOfOurFathers refers to revenge against the descendants of someone that is dead or missing. RevengeByProxy refers to revenge by harming someone important to the living person instead of taking the option of going directly after the target of revenge. RevengeThroughCorruption can overlap either trope. What distinguishes this trope is the method of revenge. Instead of inflicting physical harm, the villain attacks the mind and soul. The intent is to get revenge on an enemy by making someone important to them evil, insane, under the control of the villain, hooked on drugs, or some other comparable effect. Victims may include friends, family, sidekicks, or even distant descendants.

A person that does this would probably be TheCorrupter. See FaceMonsterTurn and MindManipulation for a handy list of techniques that can be used to accomplish such an end. Compare RaisedByOrcs and WeUsedToBeFriends. Contrast EvilParentsWantGoodKids.
----
!Examples

[[folder:Comics]]
* Norman Osborn also seems to like this one.
* And it also happened to NickFury's son Mikel.
* Over at DCComics, [[JusticeSocietyOfAmerica Wildcat's]] enemy the Yellow Wasp kidnapped his son in order to do this, but ironically wound up alienating his own child, who allegedly killed them both.
* In ''ComicBook/TomStrong'', a Nazi villainess raises Tom's son -- fathered without his consent or knowledge -- as a racist psychopath. [[spoiler: Even worse, [[TheBadGuyWins it sticks.]]]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

* Played with in ''SkyHigh'' where the BigBad plans to turn the heroes themselves into children again and raise ''them'' to be evil.
* ''Film/TronLegacy'': Probably a factor in why Clu [[spoiler: decided to twist Tron into Rinzler instead of just kill him outright.]]. It might also explain the [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty "something special"]] in mind for Quorra.

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Discworld/NightWatch'' - Carcer toys with the idea of doing this to Vimes' younger self.
* ''TheDresdenFiles'' - A FallenAngel throws an ArtifactOfDoom where he knows the child of one of his enemies might pick it up. If the child were to pick it up, it would fall victim to DemonicPossession.
* ''HarryPotter'', Lupin says that he was turned into a werewolf by Fenrir Greyback, who had a feud with Lupin's father. Averted somewhat in that Lupin isn't evil unless he's actually a wolf.
** It's stated by Lupin that Greyback is quite fond of kidnapping children after biting them, then raising them to hate normal humans, so it's likely he's played the trope completely straight in some cases.
* ''TheHungerGames'' - the Capitol punishes the Districts by making their children killers (and praising them for it by turning them into celebrities!)

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': Centauri Emperor, who was being controlled by the [[TheRemnant Drakh]] through a PuppeteerParasite, gave President Sheridan a gift intended for Sheridan's future offspring. The gift had another Puppeteer Parasite hidden within it.
* ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' had a rather interesting variation. Piper's son Wyatt from the future turned evil and wanted to take his toddler self and raise him(self) evil.
* Invoked in ''Series/DoctorWho'' series 6, the villains [[spoiler: kidnap Amy and Rory's time-headed daughter when she's a baby with the intention of bringing her up to be a weapon effective against the Doctor]]. The success of this project is worryingly uncertain.

[[folder:Video Games]]

* One of the reasons Malak [[spoiler: turns Bastila into his [[TheDragon apprentice]]]] in KnightsOfTheOldRepublic.

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' - "What is Life?" The Ice King tries to do this to Finn's RobotBuddy NEPTR.
* ''BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'' - TheJoker kidnaps Tim Drake and turns him into a mini-Joker with the full intent of using him to torment Batman. He even implants a backup of his own personality on a magic micro chip implanted in Tim just so he can make a comeback forty years on.

* {{Babylon5}}: Centauri Emperor, who was being controlled by the [[TheRemnant Drakh]] through a PuppeteerParasite, gave President Sheridan a gift intended for Sheridan's future offspring. The gift had another Puppeteer Parasite hidden within it.
* {{Charmed}} had a rather interesting variation. Piper's son Wyatt from the future turned evil and wanted to take his toddler self and raise him(self) evil.

* ''BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'' - TheJoker kidnaps Tim Drake and turns him into a mini-Joker with the full intent of using him to torment Batman. He even implants a backup of his own personality on a magic micro chip implanted in Tim just so he can make a comeback forty years on.

* TronLegacy: Probably a factor in why Clu [[spoiler: decided to twist Tron into Rinzler instead of just kill him outright.]]. It might also explain the [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty "something special"]] in mind for Quorra.

* TronLegacy: Probably a factor in why [[spoiler: Clu decided to twist Tron into Rinzler instead of just kill him outright.]]. It might also explain the [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty "something special"]] in mind for Quorra.

* ''{{Hook}}'': Hook tries to punish Peter by turning Jack evil.

* ''WutheringHeights'' - Part of Heathcliff's revenge on Hindley Earnshaw includes treating Hindley's son Hareton exactly the way Hindley treated Heathcliff in hopes of making Hareton grow up as twisted as Heathcliff himself.

* ''{{Angel}}'': Holtz gets revenge on Angelus for turning his daughter into a vampire by kidnapping Angel's son Connor and raising him to believe his father is evil.

* In ''TomStrong'', a Nazi villainess raises Tom's son -- fathered without his consent or knowledge -- as a racist psychopath. [[spoiler: Even worse, [[TheBadGuyWins it sticks.]]]]

* ''{{Angel}}'': Holtz gets revenge on Angelus for turning his daughter into a vampire by kidnapping Angel's son Connor and raising him as a psychotic killer.

* ''TheSilverChair'' - The Green Lady gets back at Narnia by brainwashing Prince Rilian