History Main / TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget

* In ''{{Pinky and the Brain}}'' [[spoiler: a psychologist determines through hypnotism that Brain's desire to rule the world was actually created in him subversively and accidentally by the scientists at his lab. What Brain ''really'' wanted was to go back to his family, who lived in a can with a picture of the world on it. But his mind was warped by the experimentation to the point that all he could remember was his desire for the image.]] Brain considers the possibility, but ultimately dismisses it and goes on as planned.

* This recently happened to [[DisContinuity Jacen Solo]] in the ''StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse -- [[WallBanger as a result of the philosophical growth he went through that was necessary]] [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop to save the galaxy without committing genocide]].

* ''StarTrekGenerations''. Soran. He lost his family to the Borg, and eventually ended up killing hundreds of millions of beings just to enter The Nexus. When Picard tried to use the memory of his family to convince Soran to stop his plan, he merely [[SmugSnake smirked]] and replied, "Nice try."

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

* ''{{Gungrave}}'''s Harry MacDowell. Played to full, [[TearJerker tear-jerking]] effect.

*** Gul'dan didn't have any noble goals in turning to the fel; he was just a powerhungry jerk who sold out his race to obtain that power, making him one of the few true {{Complete Monsters}} in the setting as he has apsolutely no sympathetic qualities to him. His teacher Ner'zhul, on the the other hand, did turn to the fel to help his people, but also had certain selfish motivations.

** Arguably, it "started" with the RoaringRampageofRevenge against the Sand People in Attack of the Clones.

* ''StarWarsGenerations''. Soran. He lost his family to the Borg, and eventually ended up killing hundreds of millions of beings just to enter The Nexus. When Picard tried to use the memory of his family to convince Soran to stop his plan, he merely [[SmugSnake smirked]] and replied, "Nice try."

** It's a little worse than it sounds; [[spoiler: He didn't just decide one day to let a demon into his head. After the second battle he was bleeding out and about to die, cursing himself for being unable to avenge Miluda. Only then does the Zodiac stone offer him another chance by accepting it's power, and he takes it; he was never told the stone held a demon.)

* Los Magnificos, the heroic defenders of Mexico City, made a deal with the Garodillos crime family to turn a blind eye to certain crimes in exchange for the crime family's assistance in policing the barrios they controlled of its more extreme elements, because the problems faced by those areas were too much for the heroes to handle on their own. And it worked, for a while. Sure, there was still drug-trafficking, but murders and rapes went down. Eventually, however, the members of Los Magnificos were little more than a superhuman enforcement arm for the Mexican mafia.

* Los Magnificos, the heroic defenders of Mexico City, made a deal with the Garodillos crime family to turn a blind eye to certain crimes in exchange for the crime family's assistance in policing the barrios they controlled of its more extreme elements. And it worked, for a while. Sure, there was still drug-trafficking, but murders and rapes went down. Eventually, however, the members of Los Magnificos were little more than a superhuman enforcement arm for the Mexican mafia.

** Also interpreted as never having actual good intentions, just shallow petty ones (boredom + superego + self-righteousness) without the same level of evil he later achieved.
** Or perhaps he holds onto his intentions the whole time - to kill evil (or whatever he saw as evil) and make a better world. He never puts his original intentions second to something else.
** Or perhaps the perfect student and aspiring police detective cracked under the strain of learning he'd just murdered two men to appease his boredom.
*** Well, no. He went from "Gosh, what a mighty power to effect good!" to cackling murderous megalomania in about an episode and a half, in a classic case of JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope.
** YourMileageMayVary.

* In Robert Jordan's ''{{Wheel of Time}}'', the dark mage Ishamael became so evil that he allegedly forgot his old life and even his original name. (For the record, his name was Elan Morin Tedronai. Not to be confused with [[OrderOfTheStick the other Elan]].)

Often averted by DarkIsNotEvil. May be the lead up from KickTheMoralityPet. A justification for JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope.

* Possibly [[spoiler:Gin Ichimaru]] form {{Bleach}}. It seems he originally started to [[spoiler:plotting to kill Aizen as revenge for his underlings attacking Rangiku in her youth.]] Now over a century later [[spoiler: he still tried to kill Aizen, but not only he was willing to wound Rangiku to accomplish that, he seems would have continued Aizen's plan destroy of Karakura town if he had managed to kill.]]

* In the ''{{City of Heroes}}'' back story, Vanessa [=DeVore=] used Giovanna Scaldi's SoulJar mask to help fight off the [[AlienInvasion Rikti]]. Unfortunately, the power – and Scaldi's evil influence – corrupted her, leading her to form the [[CircusOfFear Carnival of Shadows]] enemy group.

* While only "evil" in a tongue-in-cheek way, Artefact of SankakuComplex was not always a depraved anime-yellow-journalist-slash-pornoblogger. His earlier writings were more gushing and humble in tone (in contrasts with his signature witty DeadpanSnarker style), recommending [[YotsubaTo Yotsuba&!]] for learning Japanese, as well as promoting artists, works, or stores he likes. Compare old titles like "Yotsuba-to! – Ideal manga for learning Japanese?" to the typical "Ichiban Ushiro no Dai-Maoh Bukkake Milking Anime" common nowadays. [[YourMileageMayVary This may or may not be a good thing]].

* In the ''{{City of Heroes}}'' back story, Vanessa [=DeVore=] used Giovanna Scaldi's SoulJar mask to help fight off the [[AlienInvasion Rikti]]. Unfortunately, the power – and Scaldi's evil influence – corrupted her, leading her to form the [[CircusOfFear Carnival of Shadows]] enemy group.

* While only "evil" in a tongue-in-cheek way, Artefact of SankakuComplex was not always a depraved anime-yellow-journalist-slash-pornoblogger. His earlier writings were more gushing and humble in tone (in contrasts with his signature witty DeadpanSnarker style), recommending [[YotsubaTo Yotsuba&!]] for learning Japanese, as well as promoting artists, works, or stores he likes. Compare old titles like "Yotsuba-to! – Ideal manga for learning Japanese?" to the typical "Ichiban Ushiro no Dai-Maoh Bukkake Milking Anime" common nowadays. [[YourMileageMayVary This may or may not be a good thing]].

** It's more apparent in the novel, but Palpitine has been grooming Anakin since he was a padawan to be his Dragon. And his start of darkness actually begins (again, in the novel) right after the opera scene. It just takes him longer to really get going.

** Then again, many of the factions of WH40k who haven't fallen to the side of Chaos still uses almost identical justifications to [[KnightTemplar commit]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans horrible]] [[FantasticRacism atrocities]].

** This is even implied to happen to BigBad Morgoth and [[TheDragon his majordomo]] Sauron: The former started out just wanting to create something of his own, and the latter felt the world would be a better place with the imposition of his order.