History Main / RevengeThroughCorruption

* In ''ComicBook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheSearch'', it's revealed that [[AbusiveParent Fire Lord Ozai's poor treatment of his son Zuko]] was mainly out of spite towards his wife Ursa for wishing that Zuko would never turn out like him [[spoiler:even going as far as claiming that Zuko was the bastard son of her ex-boyfriend]]. This mistreatment would continue through the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender animated series]] until Zuko [[spoiler:betrays [[MoralityPet his Uncle]] and allegedly kills the Avatar]]. Upon hearing the news, Ozai uncharacteristically praises his son with respect, proud that Zuko broke his mother's wishes by being like his father [[spoiler:([[HeelRealization a fact that Zuko greatly regrets for the rest of the series]] and tries to [[CallingTheOldManOut atone by turning against father]] once he had enough)]].

* In ''ComicBook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheSearch'', it's revealed that [[AbusiveParent Fire Lord Ozai's poor treatment of his son Zuko]] was mainly out of spite towards his wife Ursa for wishing that Zuko would never turn out like him [[spoiler:even going as far as claiming that Zuko was the bastard son of her ex-boyfriend]]. This mistreatment would continue through the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender animated series]] until Zuko [[spoiler:betrays [[MoralityPet his Uncle]] and allegedly kills the Avatar]]. Upon hearing the news, Ozai uncharacteristically praises his son with respect, proud that Zuko broke his mother's wishes by being like his father [[spoiler:[[HeelRealization a fact that Zuko greatly regrets for the rest of the series]] and tries to [[CallingTheOldManOut atone by turning against father]] once he had enough]].

* In ''ComicBook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheSearch'', it's revealed that [[AbusiveParent Fire Lord Ozai's poor treatment of his son Zuko]] was mainly out of spite towards his wife Ursa for wishing that Zuko would never turn out like him [[spoiler:even going as far as claiming that Zuko was the bastard son of her ex-boyfriend]]. This mistreatment would continue through the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender animated series]] until Zuko [[spoiler:betrays [[MoralityPet his Uncle]] and allegedly kills the Avatar]]. Upon hearing the news, Ozai uncharacteristically praises his son with respect, proud that Zuko broke his mother's wishes by being like his father [[spoiler:[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone a fact that Zuko greatly regrets for the rest of the series]]]].

* Demona is able to do this to Brooklyn in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' to get revenge against Goliath. She convinces Brooklyn that Goliath's belief in Gargoyles and Humans co-existing in peace is a pipe dream and she can cast a spell to force him deal with reality. Instead, she cast a control spell making Goliath her slave. Thanks to quick thinking by Elisa Maza, the spell gets broken, but it becomes a personal OldShame, and NeverLiveItDown moment for Brooklyn throughout the whole series and he never forgives [[ThisIsUnforgivable Demona]] for it.

* Inverted in ''Literature/TheScarletLetter''. Chillingworth comes to town to get revenge on Dimmesdale [[GoodAdulteryBadAdultery for having an affair]] [[YourCheatingHeart with Hester]]. He accomplishes this by [[FalseFriend befriending the man]] and indulging in a lot of not-so-accidental ObliviousGuiltSlinging to torture Dimmesdale's soul. This works brilliantly. When Hester finally confronts him and points out that surely he's had enough vengeance, he retorts that Dimmesdale "has but increased the debt", since Chillingsworth's [[RevengeBeforeReason pathological obsession with revenge]] has corrupted him, making him even ''more'' bitter and twisted, and [[EvilMakesYouUgly even affecting him physically]]. [[LockedOutOfTheLoop Poor Dimmesdale never even finds out what's going on.]]

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

* Shigaraki in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' [[spoiler:is the grandson of All Might's mentor Nana Shimura, who All For One took in and raised to be a villain. Both as a means of obtaining a successor and as a final insult to his old enemy. He reveals this to All Might during their final battle to torture him, momentarily causing him to suffer a HeroicBSOD.]]

* The same thing from ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' applies in ''FanFic/ConversationsWithACryptid'' with a twist since this trope is pulled by the heroes instead and sway the target of their influence into taking a morally-upright path. Toshinori/All Might managed to turn it right back at his nemesis by complete accident. [[spoiler: All for One is a WellDoneDadGuy, but his enmity with All Might forced him to abandon his family for years. Meanwhile, Toshinori met up with All for One's son Izuku and not only made him the successor to One for All, he became Izuku's [[ParentalSubstitute father in all but genetics]].]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
* Double-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. [[note]]Because the child is his.[[/note]] Then the bride comes, and since she's going to corrupt the kid anyway, ''he unloads a revolver in their general direction''. Possibly as a way of cutting ties before mommy dearest stabs out daddy's heart, but that's enough permanent psychological abuse to get her in the nuthouse.

* In both ''Film/WestOfZanzibar'' (1928) and the remake ''Film/{{Kongo}}'' (1932), the EvilCripple protagonist does this by taking the daughter of the man who stole his wife and crippled him, and turning her into an alcoholic prostitute. [[spoiler: Or so he thinks.]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* The same thing from ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' applies in ''FanFic/ConversationsWithACryptid'', only Toshinori managed to turn it right back at his nemesis by complete accident. [[spoiler: All for One is a WellDoneDadGuy, but his enmity with All Might forced him to abandon his family for years. Meanwhile, Toshinori met up with All for One's son Izuku and not only made him the successor to One for All, he became Izuku's [[ParentalSubstitute father in all but genetics]].]]

* ''Discworld/NightWatch'' - Carcer toys with the idea of doing this to Vimes' younger self.

* ''Literature/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.

* Satan in ''Film/DevilsAdvocate'' intends to undermine the law and let the criminals run unpunished ''"until the stench of it rises so high it chokes the whole fucking lot of them!"''

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'' - The Joker 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.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' - Sith seek to turn Jedi to their way of thinking and Jedi seek to turn Sith against one another. Neither side prevails for very long, and anyone trying to TakeAThirdOption (like [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicII Darth Traya]]) gets destroyed in the crossfire.

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

* ''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.

* ''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.

* In ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations'', Lex Luthor manipulates Joel Kent into hating his family by stoking the inferiority complex he suffers over being the {{Muggle}} son of Superman[[note]]Of course, Lex conveniently omits the fact that ''he's'' the reason Joel is powerless, having exposed a pregnant Lois Lane to Gold Kryptonite[[/note]]. [[spoiler:Joel ends up [[CainAndAbel murdering his sister Kara]] on her wedding day, thanks to a SuperEmpowering serum Luthor gave him...which was intentionally imperfect and results in Joel dying in his father's arms after Lex admits that [[ILied he'd been lying to the young man all along]].]]

* [[MagnificentBitch Tira]] of the VideoGame/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.]]

* ''Series/{{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.