History Main / ShootTheMessenger

* ''Series/Daredevil2015'':

** "Reunion": Wilson Fisk beats one of his own dirty FBI agents to death for telling him that Ray Nadeem has gone rogue and helped Karen Page escape from Dex.

** There's a sketch where courtiers are forced to carefully tiptoe around Henry VIII when it comes to matters like his latest marital issues. Two courtiers have found out about Catherine Howard's infidelities. Knowing that they can be put to death if Henry is in a bad mood, they have Will Somers, the court jester, break the news in the form of a comedy routine. When he comes back out, he says it should be effective in three, two, one... cue Henry calling for the courtiers to fetch his executioner.

Not to be confused with PleaseShootTheMessenger, where the recipient is actively instructed by the message to kill the person who delivered it. AggressiveNegotiations may well include this trope as part of said "negotiations". Overlap with OffingTheAnnoyance is likely. Compare OffingTheMouth, which would be something like "Shoot the DeadpanSnarker". Contrast MookDepletion, where the villain can only afford to have one messenger.

* In Manzoni's ''Literature/TheBetrothed'', the Podest&atilde&; and Count Attilio have an argument about chivalry, Attilio thinks it's legal and moral to beat a messenger who carries bad news, especially if the message is the challenge to a [[SwordFight duel]].

* In ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}} and the Goths'', Metric tells his interpreter that if their Gaulish captive, Getafix, will not show them magic, the interpreter will be killed as well. When Getafix refuses, the interpreter lies, [[BilingualBackfire not realizing that Getafix speaks Gothic]].

* Regularly {{Averted}} in ''ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}'': no matter how bad the news given to Diabolik and Eva, the two {{Villain Protagonist}}s won't take it out on the messenger unless the messenger is actually and willfully responsible for it. Best shown when Diabolik had been blinded in an explosion and the doctor Eva had kidnapped to cure him said he couldn't be cured, as Eva simply let him go... Until she discovered the man held Diabolik responsible for his brother's suicide, at which point she interrogated until TruthSerum, found out he could have cured him with a corneal implant, and [[AFateWorseThanDeath made]] ''[[AFateWorseThanDeath him]]'' [[AFateWorseThanDeath the donor]].

* During a storyline in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' comic continuation taking place in 10th century Scotland, Constantine has a messenger from the Grim's opposing army killed, in blatant defiance of the rules of war. Given that the messenger wasn't even delivering bad news, merely giving the time the Grim's forces would meet them for battle, it seems [[ForTheEvulz he did this for little reason more]] [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem than to throw his weight around as king]].
* A running theme for years was goons working for ComicBook/TheKingpin were in mortal fear of having to deliver bad news to their boss, as Wilson Fisk was infamous for killing anyone at the slightest provocation.

* In the 11th issue of ''[[ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures PiKappa]], an Evronian idiom by the great WarriorPoet Zartas says "The ambassador of my enemy is my enemy,why spare him?" Which says a lot about the Evronian race as a whole.
* In the Belgian series ''ComicBook/{{Papyrus}}'', the Pharaoh sent the titular character to announce a string of bad news to the King of Crete: his son died and the Cretan diplomatic envoy perished in a sea storm, along with a sacred bull given as an offering. Angered and outraged, the King punished Papyrus to [[GladiatorGames the arena]].
* In Issue 10 of the IDW ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'' series, Wimpy goes to tell Popeye that Olive Oyl and Toar may be having an affair, but before he can do so, Popeye, who was earlier blown off by Toar and Olive, says, "Lissen -- I ain't got no '''pals''' an' I ain't got no '''sweetie!''' An' th' next swab what brings me '''bad news''' is goner get a '''punch in the kisser!'''" Wimpy wisely chooses not to say anything.
* Defied in ''ComicBook/TheSandman''. Morpheus sends a messenger to [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]] that he intends to travel ToHellAndBack to free Nada's soul. Knowing that Lucifer will Shoot the Messenger, he sends the Biblical Cain as his envoy, since Cain is marked by God and not even the forces of Hell can kill him. Lucifer still manages to hurt and terrify Cain, but notes that anyone else would have returned "with his liver in his mouth".
** Death, personally, dislikes this trope, feeling that on the long run, it only means less mail.
* In the ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'' adventure ''The Crab with the Golden Claws'', the villain Allan punches a sailor to the floor when he reports finding the radio operator bound and gagged — assaulted by Tintin and Captain Haddock so that they could send a distress call before fleeing the ship.
* ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen:'' In Annual #5 the Badoon King shoots a goon dead for coming to inform him their troops have been routed by the X-Men and a local uprising.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Battletech}}'': During the First Succession Wars, the upper echelons of [[TheEmpire the Draconis Combine]] found themselves in the position of [[BearerOfBadNews having to report the assassination of Coordinator Minoru Kurita]] to his AxCrazy eldest son Jinjiro. The task of informing him went down the ranks, until a suitably brave sergeant called Richard Tobiason [[GotVolunteered was volunteered to inform the new Coordinator]]. Jinjiro is said to have listened to the news in utter silence, then called his NumberTwo, General Sorai, to his office. Jinjiro left his quarters alone a few minutes later, ordering his staff to promote Tobiason to the rank of colonel and for someone to clean up the mess in his office. [[SubvertedTrope In it, the staff found Tobiason, still alive]], and the beheaded and disemboweled corpse of Sorai -- Jinjiro had ordered the latter to commit ''seppuku'' for not having the guts to tell him in person and had personally acted as Sorai's ''kaishakunin''.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Battletech}}'': During the First Succession Wars, the upper echelons of [[TheEmpire the Draconis Combine]] found themselves in the position of [[BearerOfBadNews having to report the assassination of Coordinator Minoru Kurita]] to his AxCrazy eldest son Jinjiro. The task of informing him went down the ranks, until a suitably brave sergeant called Richard Tobiason [[GotVolunteered was volunteered to inform the new Coordinator]]. Jinjiro is said to have listened to the news in utter silence, then called his NumberTwo, General Sorai, to his office. Jinjiro left his quarters alone a few minutes later, ordering his staff to promote Tobiason to the rank of colonel and for someone to clean up the mess in his office. [[Subverted Trope In it, the staff found Tobiason, still alive]], and the beheaded and disemboweled corpse of Sorai -- Jinjiro had ordered the latter to commit ''seppuku'' for not having the guts to tell him in person and had personally acted as Sorai's ''kaishakunin''.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Battletech}}'': During the First Succession Wars, the upper echelons of [[TheEmpire the Draconis Combine]] found themselves in the position of having to report the death of Coordinator Minoru Kurita to his AxCrazy eldest son Jinjiro. The task of informing him went down the ranks until a suitably brave sergeant called Richard Tobiason was found to inform the new Coordinator. Jinjiro is said to have listened to the news quietly, then called his NumberTwo, General Sorai, to his office. Jinjiro left his quarters alone a few minutes later, ordering his staff to promote Tobiason to the rank of colonel and for someone to clean up the mess in his office. [[Subverted Trope In it, the staff found Tobiason, still alive]], and the beheaded and disemboweled corpse of Sorai -- Jinjiro had ordered the latter to commit ''seppuku'' for not having the guts to tell him in person and had personally acted as Sorai's ''kaishakunin''.

* ''Webcomic/GenocideMan'': At one point, the head of the Genocide Project, Kevin (who is also [[SuperSoldier a Genocide Man himself]]), killed a scientist with his bare hands for bringing him bad news before tea, with Lola only finding out when she asks why exactly they're taking vital strategic information to her instead. [[spoiler:This is the last straw for her, and she decided Kevin had [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlived his usefulness]], taking him out immediately afterwards]].

* ''Film/LaraCroftTombRaiderTheCradleOfLife''. Jonathan Reiss gets Chen Lo to steal the orb map showing the location of the [[DoomsdayDevice doomsday plague]] he's after. Lo's minion shows up with a crate, but when Riess opens it there's no orb; just a mobile phone. Riess has the minion killed on the spot and uses the phone to call Lo.

--->'''[[DeadpanSnarker General Melvar]]:''' Will you be wanting your office restored, or do you wish to redecorate?