History Main / TerminallyIllCriminal

** "[[Recap/NCISS19E18 Last Dance]]": Convicted arms dealer Reymundo Diaz bribing his way out of prison and [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge going on a bloody rampage with his henchmen across the US seeking revenge on the two people who put him away six years ago]], Carlos Salazar (who happens to be one of Torres's undercover aliases, but Diaz never learned his real name) and his own cousin Maria (whom Torres convinced to testify). However, he shows no interest in rebuilding his empire. It's because Diaz is dying from a rare and deadly cancer, and he's hellbent on making sure [[TakingYouWithMe Torres and Maria die with him]]. He fails, as Diaz is shot in the head by Torres during their shootout.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'': The Clown Prince of Crime, learns that he´s dying due to long-term exposure to his own laughing gas. As a result, he lashes out against the doctor who diagnosed him and sets to strike down Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. His [[LegacyCharacter son]] is the one who stages the attack but he does so under his father's orders.

* ''Literature/MrMonkGetsEven'':. The guy behind three recent murders turns out to be Cleve Dobbs, who was just apparently murdered by his wife. He wasn't; it was suicide dressed up to look like murder. The whole thing started because Dobbs found out he had Lou Gehrig's disease and chose to get revenge for perceived slights before killing himself.

%% The examples have been alphabetized. Please put any new example in its proper place in the folder rather than at the end.
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[[AC:As this can be a potential DeathTrope, beware of unmarked spoilers.]]

* ''Series/{{Boomtown}}'': {{Discussed}} and {{invoked}} in the episode "Home Invasion". A gang are breaking into family homes, torturing, sexually assaulting, and murdering [[FamilyExtermination whole families.]] The patriarch of the next family has terminal cancer, which results in him still being at home during the break-in. He delivers an AgonizingStomachWound to the would-be perpetrator and contemplates killing him. He and Joel discuss that he would still be in prison, which he says doesn't matter as he'll be dead anyway, but is reassured by the pain of the wound and the risk of infection, so he puts the gun down.

** Midway through the first season, Berlin, the one who commands the heist team inside the Royal Mint of Spain, is revealed to have an unspecified illness that is mentioned to give him around two years of remaining life. Because of this, [[ConvenientTerminalIllness he's prompted]] to [[TheLastDance die as heroically as possible]] while fending off the armored police team pursuing the escaping robbers at the end of the second season, so as the make sure that the public remembers him well. [[PosthumousCharacter Flashbacks featuring him]] in the following seasons delve further into how the illness motivated him to plan the (ongoing in the present) Bank of Spain heist with Palermo, and spend his life to his fullest while not engaging in any criminal activity, even if it involves questionable choices like constantly marrying a number of women.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'': Deconstructed. Walt learns he has terminal lung cancer and chooses to manufacture crystal meth to leave enough money to support his family, reasoning he will be dead before he can be investigated or face any legal repercussions. His plan spirals out of control into murder and chaos almost immediately, and becomes even more complicated when a treatment he was talked into actually puts him in remission... and ironically makes it more likely he'll be caught. In the end, Walt [[NotTheIllnessThatKilledThem dies via his own stray bullet instead of from cancer]].

* ''Series/SquidGame'': The host of the unnamed annual contest the series revolves around, Oh Il-nam, is an [[EvilOldFolks elderly]] hyper-rich capitalist dying of a brain tumor. Well before he was diagnosed, he spent years running the clandestine contest, where hundreds of financially troubled people compete in a DeadlyGame in which [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne only one can come out alive and win]], for the entertainment of the world's wealthiest men, motivated by him growing jaded by his immense wealth and trying to prove [[HumansAreBastards his misanthrope beliefs]]. In the final year he's set to headline (which is when the series happens), he instead decides to compete in the games himself, out of a faint hope that he can relive his childhood and finally feel alive again, even if he's at risk of dying with the other players along the way. In the one-year TimeSkip at the final episode, he dies once and for all when he calls Gi-hun, the winner of the last year, to meet him, at which his view on humanity is disproven to him in his last seconds of life.

** Midway through the first season, Berlin, the one who commands the heist team inside the Royal Mint of Spain, is revealed to have an unspecified illness that is mentioned to give him around two years of remaining life. Because of this, he's prompted to [[TheLastDance die as heroically as possible]] while fending off the armored police team pursuing the escaping robbers at the end of the second season, so as the make sure that the public remembers him well. [[PosthumousCharacter Flashbacks featuring him]] in the following seasons delve further into how the illness motivated him to plan the (ongoing in the present) Bank of Spain heist with Palermo, and spend his life to his fullest while not engaging in any criminal activity, even if it involves questionable choices like constantly marrying a number of women.

* ''Film/GodBlessAmerica'': Frank is diagnosed with incurable brain cancer early in the film and sets out on a killing spree, targeting people he considers detrimental to society. {{Subverted}} later on when his doctor discovers that he has misdiagnosed him and Frank has been healthy the whole time. By that time, though, Frank is too far gone and sets up an elaborate SuicideByCop at the set of the talent show he most despises.]]

* In Joan Hess's ''Dear Miss Demeanor'', the culprit in two murders among a high school's faculty is discovered to be a terminally-ill teacher who'd been outraged at the principal's and custodian's corruption and sexual exploitation of students for years. Three of her colleagues are suspected of being an accomplice to the latter murder, but there's no proof of which one, and no evidence they'd known ''for sure'' that the food she'd dosed was poisoned.

* In ''Trial and Error'' by Anthony Berkeley, the protagonist, Lawrence Todhunter, learns he has a terminal heart condition and decides to do the world one last service by murdering someone who, in his view, truly deserves it. Then the police arrest someone else for the crime and Todhunter has to call on the services of amateur sleuth Ambrose Chitterwick to prove that he actually is the guilty party.

** The trope is exploited in "[[Recap/DiagnosisMurderS6E9MurderXFour Murder X 4]]", in which a string of murders is committed by people with seemingly no connection to their victims, a pattern only being found later that the killers are terminally ill. It is revealed that a computer consultant for Community General runs a sort of [[MurderInc assassination service]] out of a company of his known as Montana Mutual Insurance. He travels around different hospitals finding people who need someone dead, then find terminally ill patients to kill the target, promising full benefits to their families for the job.

* ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'': John Kramer is a colon cancer patient who had developed an inoperable frontal lobe tumor by the time of the main films, and this is part of his motivation for putting ruined people through the wringer as a the Jigsaw Killer. Being forced to confront his own mortality, he became obsessed with helping society and forces people to appreciate their lives by torturing them. Given his occasional moments where he defies this reasoning, though, it's implied that his tumor clouded his judgment and made him unable to grasp morality anymore up until his death in ''Film/SawIII'' ([[NotTheIllnessThatKilledThem which wasn't because of his cancer]], but rather a SlashedThroat done by [[KarmicDeath his latest victim by then]]).

* ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'': John Kramer is a colon cancer patient who had developed an inoperable frontal lobe tumor by the time of the main films, and this is part of his motivation for putting ruined people through the wringer as a the Jigsaw Killer. Being forced to confront his own mortality, he became obsessed with helping society and forces people to appreciate their lives by torturing them. Given his occasional moments where he defies this reasoning, though, it's implied that his tumor clouded his judgment and made him unable to grasp morality anymore up until his death ([[NotTheIllnessThatKilledThem which wasn't because of his cancer]], but rather a SlashedThroat done by [[KarmicDeath his latest victim by then]]).

* ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'': John Kramer is a colon cancer patient who had developed an inoperable frontal lobe tumor by the time of the main films, and this is part of his motivation for putting ruined people through the wringer as a the Jigsaw Killer. Being forced to confront his own mortality, he became obsessed with helping society and forces people to appreciate their lives by torturing them. Given his occasional moments where he defies this reasoning, though, it's implied that his tumor clouded his judgment and made him unable to grasp morality anymore up until his death ([[NotTheIllnessThatKilledThem which wasn't because of his cancer]], but rather a SlashedThroat done by his latest victim by then).

* ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'': John Kramer is a colon cancer patient who had developed an inoperable frontal lobe tumor by the time of the main films, and this is part of his motivation for putting ruined people through the wringer as a the Jigsaw Killer. Being forced to confront his own mortality, he became obsessed with helping society and forces people to appreciate their lives by torturing them. Given his occasional moments where he defies this reasoning, though, it's implied that his tumor clouded his judgment and made him unable to grasp morality anymore up until his death ([[NotTheIllnessThatKilledThem which wasn't of natural causes from his cancer]]).

* ''Series/BreakingBad'': Deconstructed. Walt learns he has terminal lung cancer and chooses to manufacture crystal meth to leave enough money to support his family, reasoning he will be dead before he can be investigated or face any legal repercussions. His plan spirals out of control into murder and chaos almost immediately, and becomes even more complicated when a treatment he was talked into actually puts him in remission... and ironically makes it more likely he'll be caught. In the end, Walt dies via his own stray bullet instead of from cancer.

* ''Series/SquidGame'': The host of the unnamed annual contest the series revolves around, Oh Il-nam, is an [[EvilOldFolks elderly]] hyper-rich capitalist dying of a brain tumor. Well before he was diagnosed, he spent years running the clandestine contest, where hundreds of financially troubled people compete in a DeadlyGame in which [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne only one can come out alive and win]], for the entertainment of the world's wealthiest men, motivated by him growing jaded by his immense wealth and trying to prove [[HumansAreBastards his misanthrope beliefs]]. In the final year he's set to headline (which is when the series happens), he instead decides to compete in the games himself, out of a faint hope that he can relive his childhood and finally feel alive again, even if he's at risk of dying with the other players along the way. In the one-year TimeSkip at the final episode, he dies once and for all when he calls Gi-hun, the winner of the latest year, to meet him, at which his view on humanity is disproven to him in his last seconds of life.

* ''Series/SquidGame'': The host of the unnamed contest the series revolves around at the time of its events, Oh Il-nam, is an aged hyper-rich capitalist dying of a brain tumor. Well before he was diagnosed, he spent years running an annual clandestine contest, where hundreds of people compete in a DeadlyGame where [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne only one can come out alive and win]], for the entertainment of the world's wealthiest men, motivated by him growing jaded by his immense wealth and trying to prove [[HumansAreBastards his misanthrope beliefs]]. In the final year he's set to headline (which is when the series happens), he instead decides to compete in the games himself, out of a faint hope that he can relive his childhood and finally feel alive again, even if he's at risk of dying with the other players along the way. In the one-year TimeSkip at the final episode, he dies once and for all when he calls Gi-hun, the winner of the latest year, to meet him, at which his view on humanity is disproven to him in his last seconds of life.

* ''Series/SquidGame'': The host of the unnamed contest the series revolves around at the time of its events, Oh Il-nam, is an aged hyper-rich capitalist dying of a brain tumor. Well before he was diagnosed, he spent years running an annual clandestine contest, where hundreds of people compete in a DeadlyGame where [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne only one can come out alive and win]], for the entertainment of the world's wealthiest men, motivated by him growing jaded by his immense wealth and trying to prove [[HumansAreBastards his misanthrope beliefs]]. In the final year he's set to headline (which is when the series happens), he instead decides to compete in the games himself, out of a faint hope that he can finally feel alive again, even if he's at risk of dying with the other players along the way. In the one-year TimeSkip at the final episode, he dies once and for all when he calls Gi-hun, the winner of the latest year, to meet him, at which his view on humanity is disproven to him in his last seconds of life.

* ''Series/SquidGame'': The host of the unnamed contest the series revolves around at the time of its events, Oh Il-nam, is an aged hyper-rich capitalist dying of a brain tumor. Well before he was diagnosed, he spent years running an annual clandestine contest, where hundreds of people compete in a DeadlyGame where [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne only one can come out alive and win]], for the entertainment of the world's wealthiest men, motivated by him growing jaded by his immense wealth and trying to prove [[HumansAreBastards his misanthrope beliefs]]. In the final year he's set to headline (which is when the series happens), he instead decides to compete in the games himself, out of a faint hope that he can finally feel alive again, even if he's at risk of dying with the other players along the way. In the one-year TimeSkip at the DistantFinal, he dies once and for all when he calls Gi-hun, the winner of the latest year, to meet him, at which his view on humanity is disproven to him in his last seconds of life.

* ''Series/SquidGame'': The host of the Squid Games, Oh Il-Nam, is an aged hyper-rich capitalist dying of a brain tumor. His final year is spent running an annual game where hundreds of people die for the entertainment of the world's wealthiest men. A complete misanthrope at heart who's grown jaded by his immense wealth, he runs and competes in the games out of a faint hope that he can finally feel alive again, even if others are going to die along the way.

* ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'': John Kramer is a colon cancer patient who had developed an inoperable frontal lobe tumor by the time of the main films, and this is his motivation for putting ruined people through the wringer as a the Jigsaw Killer. Being forced to confront his own mortality, he became obsessed with helping society and forces people to appreciate their lives by torturing them. Given his occasional moments where he defies this reasoning, though, it's implied that his tumor clouded his judgment and made him unable to grasp morality anymore up until his death ([[NotTheIllnessThatKilledThem which wasn't of natural causes from his cancer]]).

* ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'': John Kramer is a colon cancer patient who had developed an inoperable frontal lobe tumor by the time of the main films, and this is his motivation for putting ruined people through the wringer as a the Jigsaw Killer. Being forced to confront his own mortality, he became obsessed with helping society and forces people to appreciate their lives by torturing them. Given his occasional moments where he defies this reasoning, though, it's implied that his tumor had been clouding his judgment and making him unable to grasp morality anymore up until his death ([[NotTheIllnessThatKilledThem which wasn't of natural causes from his cancer]]).

* ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'': John Kramer is a colon cancer patient who had developed an inoperable frontal lobe tumor by the time of the main films, and this is his motivation for putting ruined people through the wringer as a the Jigsaw Killer. As he was forced to confront his own mortality, he became obsessed with helping society and forces people to appreciate their lives by torturing them. Given his occasional moments where he defies this reasoning, though, it's implied that his tumor had been clouding his judgment and making him unable to grasp morality anymore up until his death ([[NotTheIllnessThatKilledThem which wasn't of natural causes from his cancer]]).