History Main / TheVillainMustBePunished

As a potential {{Ending Trope|s}}, '''bewere of unmarked spoilers below.'''

Stopping the villain's EvilPlan, saving the DamselInDistress, or even ''[[SaveTheWorld saving the world]]'' just isn't enough anymore. For this to count as a victory, this villain ''must'' be humiliated, punished and/or killed. [[ExitVillainStageLeft An escape]] or evasion of [[KarmaHoudini consequences]] would make the heroes feel just as [[TheBadGuyWins hollow or defeated]] as if the EvilPlan were never stopped in the first place. Either because the villain themself is so dangerous that their mere existence leaves everyone in danger, or because the heroes' personal sense of justice or belief in right-and-wrong cannot handle someone this evil not being given a fitting punishment. ThePunishmentIsTheCrime? [[DefiedTrope Not in]] ''this'' story it isn't!

* ''Fanfic/ConnectingTheDots'': This is a source of conflict between the Justice League and the heroes of the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' universe. The former have a rule against killing, while the latter come from a universe where killing villains is the norm and are surprised by how lax the League are when it comes to punishing villains. [[spoiler:This gets brought up in aftermath of the final battle with Luthor where Sasuke tries to kill him after he has been stripped of his powers]].

* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'': Calvin Candie is apparently willing to sell Brunhilde to Schulz and Django... except that he insists that Schulz, who is utterly disgusted by his brutality and racism, shake his hand on the deal. Schulz refuses to let Candie get away with his monstrous actions and [[spoiler:shoots him dead, leading to Django and Brunhilde nearly getting killed and the eventual mass murder by Django of all Candie's surviving relatives and employees, plus Steven. According to WordOfGod, Calvin genuinely wasn't planning any further treachery and would have allowed Django, Schulz and Brunhilde to leave peacefully.]]

* ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'', ''Film/WarForThePlanetOfTheApes'': Even after Caesar is able to free the apes from the Alpha-Omega slave camp and knowing the Colonel is being pursued by the Army, Caesar stays behind to execute the Colonel himself in revenge for his family's deaths; [[spoiler:subverted when he discovers the Colonel has been infected with simian flu and is mentally degrading. Caesar instead allows him to commit suicide.]]

* Discussed in ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast''. Bolivar Trask has already killed several mutants (Professor Charles Xavier's first students from [[Film/XMenFirstClass the previous movie]], no less) with his experiments, so Mystique insists he needs to pay with his life for what he's done. But Xavier tries to dissuade her from killing Trask because he's learned (thanks to a time-traveling Logan) that it will do more harm than good. [[YouCannotKillAnIdea Killing Trask will make him a martyr, seemingly legitimize his paranoia against mutants]], and ultimately lead to a BadFuture where killer robots are driving mutantkind to extinction. [[spoiler:At the climax, Mystique finally comes around to Xavier's point of view and spares Trask's life at the last minute. Then she finds another way to punish and ''discredit'' him: getting him arrested for trying to sell his technology to North Vietnam.]]

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/FeetOfClay'', Commander Vimes despairs of the true culprit behind the book's main crime, [[spoiler:the vampire historian, Dragon King of Arms]] ever seeing justice, eventually electing to [[spoiler:indulge in a bit of light arson, burning the family trees and coats of arms that represented ''centuries'' of obsessive passion for the vampire, hurting him in ways far beyond what mere physical harm could do.]]

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': Most {{Loyalty Mission}}s invoke this trope, as the entire point of them is that there is some sort of unresolved issue that is preventing a squadmate from focusing entirely on the mission, such as a loved one that needs help, an old nemesis that needs to be dealt with...or both. Of special note is Garrus, whose {{Loyalty Mission}}s in both ''[[VideoGame/MassEffect 1]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MassEffect2 2]]'' involve bringing to justice a criminal whom Garrus utterly despises. In both cases, however, the Paragon option is to prevent Garrus from killing the perp (and in the latter case, said perp [[spoiler:has already had a HeelFaceTurn and promises to make amends, which he does in the third game]]).

** Videogame/Persona4'': In the game's bad ending, the Investigation Team manage to rescue [[spoiler:Nanako]] from the TV World, but in critical and worsening condition. The culprit who tossed her into the world, [[spoiler:Taro Namatame]] has also been captured and is recovering himself. The Team is ''so angry'' about what said culprit has seemingly done, not just to [[spoiler:Nanako]], but to all of the other victims (including most people on the Team themselves) that they decide to invoke brutal, fatal justice themselves because even though the case is "solved", they refuse to let him live. And [[spoiler:Nanako]] herself unfortunately dies as well. Averted if the player rejects the idea and then makes correct dialogue options, whereupon [[spoiler:Nanako turns out okay, and the Team realizes that there must be another culprit since the facts don't add up.]]

* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'': [[spoiler:Calvin Candie is apparently willing to sell Brunhilde to Schulz and Django... except that he insists that Schulz, who is utterly disgusted by his brutality and racism, shake his hand on the deal. Schulz shoots him dead, leading to Django and Brunhilde nearly getting killed and the eventual mass murder by Django of all Candie's surviving relatives and employees, plus Steven. According to WordOfGod, Calvin genuinely wasn't planning any further treachery and would have allowed Django, Schulz and Brunhilde to leave peacefully.]]

!!Examples

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'': During the final battle against the mechanical Ultron, both Tony and Vision repeatedly remind their teammates that they have to destroy ''every'' Ultron body, not even letting a single one escape. Because even a single Ultron is too dangerous to leave alive (for example, he could still find a way to launch Earth's nuclear missiles and eradicate the human race). Fortunately for the heroes, when one last Ultron robot does manage to sneak away, the robotic Vision knows about it and tracks it down...destroying it and ending the threat once and for all.

* ''Film/RoboCop1987'': After remembering who he really is, the title character tracks down the gang that murdered him, arresting all of them until he learns that Dick Jones was [[BigBad the mastermind]] behind the gang's crimes. Failing to arrest Jones thanks to [[ObstructiveCodeOfConduct his fourth programmed directive prevents him from arresting a senior OCP officer]], Jones manages to free them all and then send them to kill him, Robocop instead kills each of them one-by-one and explicitly tells Clarence Boddicker after he attempts a [[ISurrenderSuckers fake surrender]] that he refuses to arrest him again. He then tracks down Jones again, exposes his crime in front of the OCP Board, and then kills him after the Old Man fires him.
* ''Film/StarWarsEpisodeIIIRevengeOfTheSith'': Zigzagged. Anakin wants Palpatine to face trial, partly because he wants him alive to save Padme. Mace Windu and the rest of the Jedi are adamant to have Palpatine killed because it's too dangerous to keep him alive, with his war crimes and absolute control over the Republic.

* ''Film/WarForThePlanetOfTheApes'': Even after Caesar is able to free the apes from the Alpha-Omega slave camp and knowing the Colonel is being pursued by the Army, Caesar stays behind to execute the Colonel himself in revenge for his family's deaths; [[spoiler:subverted when he discovers the Colonel has been infected with simian flu and is mentally degrading. Caesar instead allows him to commit suicide.]]

* In the Discworld novel ''Literature/FeetOfClay'', Commander Vimes despairs of the true culprit behind the book's main crime, [[spoiler:the vampire historian, Dragon King of Arms]] ever seeing justice, eventually electing to [[spoiler:indulge in a bit of light arson, burning the family trees and coats of arms that represented ''centuries'' of obsessive passion for the vampire, hurting him in ways far beyond what mere physical harm could do.]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E9TheFamilyOfBlood The Family of Blood]]", Ten, who is usually a very pacifistic Doctor loathing pointless violence, holds ''nothing'' back when punishing the Family. As they hunted him and Martha across the universe and attacked a school of innocent boys, turned said boys into unwitting soldiers, and destroyed his one chance at living a normal human life, he wasn't exactly feeling lenient. As a result, after he defeated them all, he punished them all by subjecting each of them to a FateWorseThanDeath, giving them eternal life in a torturous scenario. Sister, for example, was forced to live a lonely existence trapped behind every single mirror ''in existence''.

* ''Videogame/Persona4'': In the game's bad ending, the Investigation Team manage to rescue [[spoiler:Nanako]] from the TV World, but in critical and worsening condition. The culprit who tossed her into the world, [[spoiler:Taro Namatame]] has also been captured and is recovering himself. The Team is ''so angry'' about what said culprit has seemingly done, not just to [[spoiler:Nanako]], but to all of the other victims (including most people on the Team themselves) that they decide to invoke brutal, fatal justice themselves because even though the case is "solved", they refuse to let him live. And [[spoiler:Nanako]] herself unfortunately dies as well. Averted if the player rejects the idea and then makes correct dialogue options, whereupon [[spoiler:Nanako turns out okay, and the Team realizes that there must be another culprit since the facts don't add up.]]
* ''VideoGame/Persona5'': Joker and Ryuji are hesitant to act against Kameshida because they're worried about the effects that stealing his Treasure will have on him. But once a female student that Kameshida abused ([[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil and possibly raped]], though the game doesn't explicitly confirm it) [[DrivenToSuicide tries to kill herself]] in front of the whole school, they decide that Kameshida needs to be punished for what he's done, not just stopped. Ann even goes so far as to consider deliberately killing him, though she stops [[CruelMercy because she decides that being forced to live with the knowledge and guilt of his crimes would be worse]].

-->'''Eggman:''' How dare you, Sonic! You continue to always, always, ''always'' stand in my way! And this time you destroyed the Egg Carrier, you defeated Chaos, and now you're even leading my base into ruin! In that case, I'll show you the ace in my sleeve...''This time'' you're finished, Sonic!
-->'''Sonic:''' ''This time'' I'll make you realise...that no matter how many times you try, NO WAY! You will always ''fail''!
* ''VideoGame/SniperEliteIII'': During the final mission, Karl manages to blow up Project Seuche and destroy the entire facility where the superweapon is being built. The BigBad, General Franz Vahlen, is revealed to have survived the facility's destruction, albeit injured and buried under a heavy pile of rubble. [[VillainsWantMercy Knowing he's pretty much beaten, he asks Karl to help him out and take him prisoner.]] Karl, [[RogueSoldier having read what he had planned on doing]] and [[BadBoss how he had killed his own men for petty reasons]], elects to shoot the General with a bullet that belonged to his late friend Brauer instead, with Karl still clearly grieving over his friend's death earlier in the campaign.

* At the midpoint of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', Hamlet has a chance to kill Claudius at prayer while he's vulnerable and unaware, avenging Claudius's murder of his father. Instead, he worries that killing him while he's praying would only send Claudius's soul straight to heaven despite his crimes, and [[TheDitherer decides he has to wait]] until he can be certain Claudius will go to hell. This proves to be his TragicMistake.

[[folder:Videogames]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In "Family of Blood", Ten, who is usually a very pacifistic Doctor loathing pointless violence, holds ''nothing'' back when punishing the Family. As they hunted him and Martha across the universe and attacked a school of innocent boys, turned said boys into unwitting soldiers, and destroyed his one chance at living a normal human life, he wasn't exactly feeling lenient. As a result, after he defeated them all, he punished them all by subjecting each of them to a FateWorseThanDeath, giving them eternal life in a torturous scenario. Sister, for example, was forced to live a lonely existence trapped behind every single mirror ''in existence''.

* ''Film/{{Robocop 1987}}'': After remembering who he really is, the title character tracks down the gang that murdered him, arresting all of them until he learns that Dick Jones was [[BigBad the mastermind]] behind the gang's crimes. Failing to arrest Jones thanks to [[ObstructiveCodeOfConduct his fourth programmed directive prevents him from arresting a senior OCP officer]], Jones manages to free them all and then send them to kill him, Robocop instead kills each of them one-by-one and explicitly tells Clarence Boddicker after he attempts a [[ISurrenderSuckers fake surrender]] that he refuses to arrest him again. He then tracks down Jones again, exposes his crime in front of the OCP Board, and then kills him after the Old Man fires him.

Stopping the villain's EvilPlan, saving the DamselInDistress, or even ''[[SaveTheWorld saving the world]]'' just isn't enough anymore. For this to count as a victory, this villain ''must'' be humiliated, punished, and/or killed. [[ExitVillainStageLeft An escape]] or evasion of [[KarmaHoudini consequences]] would make the heroes feel just as [[TheBadGuyWins hollow or defeated]] as if the EvilPlan were never stopped in the first place. Either because the villain themself is so dangerous that their mere existence leaves everyone in danger, or because the heroes' personal sense of justice or belief in right-and-wrong cannot handle someone this evil not being given a fitting punishment. ThePunishmentIsTheCrime? [[DefiedTrope Not in]] ''this'' story it isn't!

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'': A key reason the Urpneys constantly tried to back out of Zordrak and Urpgor's schemes is that they knew the heroes had a GoodIsNotSoft disposition towards stealing the stone, often beating them up, pranking them, or sending Albert onto them no matter if they are defeated, retreating or surrendering. Perhaps because the Urpneys [[HarmlessVillain often proved more eager about quitting than doing any actual villainy]], later episodes tended to subvert this treatment, along with at least one instance it backfired on the heroes and let the Urpneys get some payback on them.
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': In the episode "Twilight", the League has barely escaped a trap set by [[BigBadDuumvirate Darkseid and Brainiac]], with Brainiac set to detonate and take everything in the vicinity with him. Darkseid tries to make his escape but is cut off by Superman, who tells him that he intends for Darkseid to die in the explosion. The two fight until Batman arrives and tries to convince Superman to flee, but Superman knocks Batman away and makes it clear he intends to [[TakingYouWithMe stay and ensure Darkseid dies]]. Batman then uses a Mother Box to pull himself, Superman, and Orion to safety, as Superman shouts [[BigNo "NO!"]]; back on Earth, Batman tries to assure an angry Superman that Darkseid [[NoOneCouldHaveSurvivedThat couldn't have survived that blast]], but Superman bitterly tells Batman that he's "not always right".[[note]]This is also in reference to the fact that Batman and the rest of the League decided to help Darkseid against Brainiac earlier against Superman's protests, only to find out that the two villains were leading them all into a trap.[[/note]]

* ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'': In the Dark World timeline, Twilight tries to talk down Angry Pie while fighting her, but gets her horn smashed to bits and her Element of Magic ripped out. She nearly dies and is only saved because she was lying next to Trixie's grave which held a spare Element. After reviving herself, Twilight is consumed with rage, stops holding back and starts beating Angry Pie to death while screaming about punishing her for her many crimes, killing her over and over and nearly vaporizing her with a Destruction spell before her friends talk her down and convince her to try getting through to Angry Pie again.

* ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'': In the Dark World timeline, Twilight tries to talk down Angry Pie while fighting her, but gets her horn smashed to bits an her Element of Magic ripped out. She nearly dies and is only saved because she was lying next to Trixie's grave which held a spare Element. After reviving herself, Twilight is consumed with rage, stops holding back and starts beating Angry Pie to death while screaming about punishing her for her many crimes, killing her over and over and nearly vaporizing her with a Destruction spell before her friends talk her down and convince her to try getting through to Angry Pie again.

* ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'': In the Dark World timeline, Twilight tries to talk down Angry Pie while fighting her, but gets her horn smashed to bits, her Element of Magic ripped out, nearly dies, and is only saved because she was lying next to Trixie's grave which held a spare Element. After reviving herself, Twilight is consumed with rage, stops holding back and starts beating Angry Pie to death while screaming about punishing her for her many crimes, killing her over and over and nearly vaporizing her with a Destruction spell before her friends talk her down and convince her to try getting through to Angry Pie again.

* ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'': In the Dark World timeline, Twilight tries to talk down Angry Pie while fighting her, but gets her horn smashed to bits, her Element of Magic ripped out, nearly dies, and is only saved because she was lying next to Trixie's grave which held a spare Element. After reviving herself, Twilight is consumed with rage, stops holding back and starts beating Angry Pie to death, killing her over and over and nearly vaporizing her with a Destruction spell before her friends talk her down and convince her to try getting through to Angry Pie again.

[[folder: Fan Works]]

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

Stopping the villain's EvilPlan, saving the DamselInDistress, or even ''[[SaveTheWorld saving the world]]'' just isn't enough anymore. For this to count as a victory, this villain ''must'' be humiliated, punished and/or killed. [[ExitVillainStageLeft An escape]] or evasion of [[KarmaHoudini consequences]] would make the heroes feel just as [[TheBadGuyWins hollow or defeated]] as if the EvilPlan were never stopped in the first place. Either because the villain themself is so dangerous that their mere existence leaves everyone in danger, or because the heroes' personal sense of justice or belief in right-and-wrong cannot handle someone this evil not being given a fitting punishment. ThePunishmentIsTheCrime? [[DefiedTrope Not in]] ''this'' story it isn't!

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'': After Terry foils The Joker's plans, an annoyed Joker bemoans that the "fun's over" and disheartedly tries to leave, telling Batman "see you around". However, Terry refuses to let the Joker go and says it's not over until he takes the Joker in. Joker, still seeing Terry as a pretender to the Batman title and not a threat, merely laughs and knocks Terry around a bit, deciding to humor him with a fight. Terry locks the two of them inside the room and [[IShallTauntYou throws the Joker off his game]] by trading barbs and insults, which the original Batman never did. Once Joker has become blinded by rage and thinks he has Terry at his mercy, Terry takes one of Joker's own joybuzzers and electrocutes him, destroying the mind-control chip that allowed Joker to possess Tim Drake, thus not only only ending the Joker's threat (seemingly for good) but finally allowing the traumatized Tim a chance at some closure.

* ''Film/StarWarsEpisodeIIIRevengeOfTheSith'': Zigzagged. Anakin wants Palpatine to face trial, partly because he wants him alive to save Padme. Mace Windu and the rest of the Jedi are adamant to have Palpatine killed, because it's too dangerous to keep him alive, with his war crimes and absolute control over the Republic.

* Discussed in ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast''. Bolivar Trask has already killed several mutants (Professor Charles Xavier's first students from [[Film/XMenFirstClass the previous movie]], no less) with his experiments, so Mystique insists he needs to pay with his life for what he's done. But Xavier tries to dissuade her from killing Trask, because he's learned (thanks to a time-traveling Logan) that it will do more harm than good. [[YouCannotKillAnIdea Killing Trask will make him a martyr, seemingly legitimize his paranoia against mutants]], and ultimately lead to a BadFuture where killer robots are driving mutantkind to extinction. [[spoiler:At the climax, Mystique finally comes around to Xavier's point of view and spares Trask's life at the last minute. Then she finds another way to punish and ''discredit'' him: getting him arrested for trying to sell his technology to North Vietnam.]]

* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'': Discussed in the conclusion of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOFAzkaban''. Sirius becomes furious that Harry would let Pettigrew go instead of letting Sirius kill him, reminding Harry that the entire reason Harry is an orphan in the first place is Pettigrew selling out Harry's parents to Voldemort. Harry agrees, but says killing him isn't what his father would have wanted and letting him go is more of CruelMercy. Dumbledore also says Harry did the right thing even though it resulted in Pettigrew's escape, as this has created a magical bond between Harry and Pettigrew that backfires on Voldemort later.

* ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'': After beating Gruntilda in a quiz, the witch releases Tootie. However, even though Grunty's plot to steal her beauty has been thwarted and the heroes returned home to relax, Tootie demands Banjo and Kazooie to march back up and defeat the witch once and for all. After beating Gruntilda and trapping her under a boulder, that's when the heroes are allowed to relax until [[VideoGame/BanjoTooie the sequel]].

* ''Videogame/Persona4'': In the game's bad ending, the Investigation Team manage to rescue [[spoiler:Nanako]] from the TV World, but in critical and worsening condition. The culprit who tossed her into the world, [[spoiler:Taro Namatame]] has also been captured and is recovering himself. The Team is ''so angry'' about what said culprit has seemingly done, not just to [[spoiler:Nanako]], but to all of the other victims (including most people on the Team themselves) that they decide to invoke brutal, fatal justice themselves because even though the case is "solved", they refuse to let him live. And [[spoiler:Nanako]] herself unfortunately dies as well. Averted if the player rejects the idea and then makes correct dialogue options, whereupon [[spoiler:Nanako turns out okay, and the Team realizes that there must be another culprit, since the facts don't add up.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'': A key reason the Urpneys constantly tried to back out of Zordrak and Urpgor's schemes is because they knew the heroes had a GoodIsNotSoft disposition towards stealing the stone, often beating them up, pranking them or sending Albert onto them no matter if they are defeated, retreating or surrendering. Perhaps because the Urpneys [[HarmlessVillain often proved more eager about quitting than doing any actual villainy]], later episodes tended to subvert this treatment, along with at least one instance it backfired on the heroes and let the Urpneys get some payback on them.
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': In the episode "Twilight", the League has barely escaped a trap set by [[BigBadDuumvirate Darkseid and Brainiac]], with Brainiac set to detonate and take everything in the vicinity with him. Darkseid tries to make his escape but is cut off by Superman, who tells him that he intends for Darkseid to die in the explosion. The two fight until Batman arrives and tries to convince Superman to flee, but Superman knocks Batman away and makes it clear he intends to [[TakingYouWithMe stay and ensure Darkseid dies]]. Batman then uses a Mother Box to pull himself, Superman and Orion to safety, as Superman shouts [[BigNo "NO!"]]; back on Earth, Batman tries to assure an angry Superman that Darkseid [[NoOneCouldHaveSurvivedThat couldn't have survived that blast]], but Superman bitterly tells Batman that he's "not always right".[[note]]This is also in reference to the fact that Batman and the rest of the League decided to help Darkseid against Brainiac earlier against Superman's protests, only to find out that the two villains were leading them all into a trap.[[/note]]

This trope is the opposite of RevengeIsNotJustice, as it makes it clear that one does not have the right to do cruel things to cruel people. If an audience feels this has gone too far, see KarmicOverkill.

This trope can be considered the opposite of RevengeIsNotJustice, as it makes it clear that one does not have the right to do cruel things to cruel people. If an audience feels this has gone too far, see KarmicOverkill.

Compare and contrast RevengeIsNotJustice. If an audience feels this has gone too far, see KarmicOverkill.

* ''Manga/DragonBall'': After foiling Frieza's attempts at taking the Dragon Balls and wishing for immortality, a very, ''very'' enraged Super Saiyan Goku tells his friends to leave him on the dying planet Namek with Frieza so that the two can finish their cataclysmic fight. Goku makes it clear that merely thwarting Frieza isn't enough for him anymore, nor is merely winning the fight. He ''must'' fight the [[FantasticRacism racist]], [[SmugSnake smug]], completely heartless dictator while at the peak of their powers to prove to Frieza just how inferior he really was. Frieza himself feels the same way; when Goku is convinced that Frieza has run out of steam and now poses no threat to him whatsoever, Frieza makes several attempts to kill Goku, as his pride cannot allow the Saiyan to live anymore. Not only do his attempts fail, but [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Frieza cuts himself in half with his own attacks]] and [[VillainsWantMercy has to beg for his life]]...and even ''then'' makes one last attempt to kill Goku, forcing Goku to blast him with enough energy to ''almost'' kill Frieza before trying to find a way off of Namek before it explodes.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': In the episode "Twilight", the League has barely escaped a trap set by [[BigBadDiuumvirate Darkseid and Brainiac]], with Brainiac set to detonate and take everything in the vicinity with him. Darkseid tries to make his escape but is cut off by Superman, who tells him that he intends for Darkseid to die in the explosion. The two fight until Batman arrives and tries to convince Superman to flee, but Superman knocks Batman away and makes it clear he intends to [[TakingYouWithMe stay and ensure Darkseid dies]]. Batman then uses a Mother Box to pull himself, Superman and Orion to safety, as Superman shouts [[BigNo "NO!"]]; back on Earth, Batman tries to assure an angry Superman that Darkseid [[NoOneCouldHaveSurvivedThat couldn't have survived that blast]], but Superman bitterly tells Batman that he's "not always right".[[note]]This is also in reference to the fact that Batman and the rest of the League decided to help Darkseid against Brainiac earlier against Superman's protests, only to find out that the two villains were leading them all into a trap.[[/note]]

Stopping the villain's EvilPlan, saving the DamselInDistress, or even ''[[SaveTheWorld saving the world]]'' just isn't enough anymore. For this to count as a victory, this villain ''must'' be humiliated, punished and/or killed. [[ExitVillainStageLeft An escape]] or evasion of [[KarmaHoudini consequences]] would make the heroes feel just as [[TheBadGuyWins hollow or defeated]] as if the EvilPlan were never stopped in the first place. Either because the villain themself is so dangerous that their mere existence leaves everyone in danger, or because the heroes' personal sense of justice or belief in right-and-wrong cannot handle someone this evil not being given a fitting punishment.

* Despite Sonic (seemingly) defeating Eggman's latest scheme using Chaos and the Egg Carrier a few points early in his campaign in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', he still pursues Eggman all the way to his Final Egg base for one last showdown. Some unused dialogue before the Egg Viper boss makes clear Sonic is out to make sure Eggman goes down and ''stays'' down this time, a sentiment quite mutual with Eggman, who is still fuming from all of Sonic's previous interferences (an exchange that was paraphrased in the ''Sonic X'' adaptation).
-->'''Eggman:''' How dare you, Sonic! You continue to always, always, ''always'' stand in my way! And this time you destroyed the Egg Carrier, you defeated Chaos, and now you're even leading my base into ruin! In that case, I'll show you the ace in my sleeve...''This time'' you're finished, Sonic!
-->'''Sonic:''' ''This time'' I'll make you realise...that no matter how many times you try, NO WAY! You will always ''fail''!

Many examples may also include a PlotIrrelevantVillain, whose plots and schemes don't actually affect the main conflict or help the BigBad at all, but the heroes see as more deserving of punishment as the main villain themselves.

* A key reason the Urpneys constantly tried to back out of Zordrak and Urpgor's schemes in ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'' is because they knew the heroes had a GoodIsNotSoft disposition towards stealing the stone, often beating them up, pranking them or sending Albert onto them no matter if they are defeated, retreating or surrendering. Perhaps because the Urpneys [[HarmlessVillain often proved more eager about quitting than doing any actual villainy]], later episodes tended to subvert this treatment, along with at least one instance it backfired on the heroes and let the Urpneys get some payback on them.