History Main / TookALevelInCynic

* {{Batman}} made it his life-long mission to personally fight crime because of his parents' murder, which he witnessed as a child. Depending on continuity, this causes Child!Wayne to [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids "grow up in a big hurry"]] into different degrees of cynicism:
** TheDarkKnightReturns being one of the more extreme versions where not a day passes that his EideticMemory doesn't show him his mother's pearl collar shattering.
** In AllstarBatmanAndRobin he attempts to ''[[DrillSergeantNasty induce]]'' this on Dick Grayson, with the purpose of [[MiseryBuildsCharacter hardening him]], as a part of "drafting" him into his "war" after his parents' death.

Contrast TheAntiNihilist and SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers.

* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' and his brother Mycroft appear to have had such a moment very early in their childhoods, where they interiorized that "caring is not an advantage", to the point that they both think of themselves as sociopaths (which they aren't). It takes Sherlock a lot of time, and being given a lot of love, to learn to allow himself to care about others again.

** While present! Molly is mostly her hyperactive, happy to face the universe self, future! Molly from ''ComicBook/BattleOfTheAtom'' hits the DespairEventHorizon after [[spoiler:President Dazzler is killed]] and [[spoiler:becomes evil, abandoned her childhood believe she could be a hero and save everyone despite who her parents were]].

!!Examples:

[[AC: Anime and Manga]]
* In ''CodeGeass'', Lelouch acquires this at age eight, when his mother is murdered in what may be a court intrigue, about which his father the Emperor does nothing. When Lelouch [[CallingTheOldManOut calls him out on this]], his response is to send the kid over to an enemy country as a hostage and bargaining chip. Not long after, he invades the country that is hosting his own child, in a very bloody war. No wonder the kid ends up the way he does.
* Flashbacks reveal that Homura from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' started the series as cheerful, klutzy, and a WideEyedIdealist. [[spoiler: Repeated failures to save Madoka in timeline after timeline]] caused her to slowly withdraw her faith in the world, turning into TheStoic character she is today.
* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', Sasuke Uchiha ends up taking several of these, falling all the way down to omnicidal insanity and looping back into being an AntiHero and wishing to become the ruler/protector of the village, deciding that he will do better than his callous, brutal predecessors.
* All three of the main cast in ''CowboyBebop'' had such an event horizon long before the plot starts; they were all betrayed by a close friend or a romantic partner, and as a result have closed themselves up to the world. It takes them a long time to learn to care about each other, but, in the end, that's not enough to save them.
* Ciel Phantomhive from ''Manga/BlackButler'' was a CheerfulChild when younger, but after his parents died and became enslaved for a year, he became grim and brooding just like in the present day. He's basically Bruce Wayne if Alfred were a demon [[spoiler:and the Waynes were a Black Ops. dynasty.]]
* ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'''s [[DysfunctionJunction entire cast have had theirs before the plot even starts]] (well, almost; one of them gets it over the course of the series, and the resulting change in loyalties is crucial to the ending of the story). Some of the relevant moments were revealed in-story, others [[AllThereInTheManual in supplementary materials]].
* ''Manga/KazeNoStigma'': Following the [[spoiler: [[CynicismCatalyst Death of his love interest]] as a sacrifice for a demon]], Kazuma Yagami went from being a NiceGuy to being a cold and brutal AntiHero who wouldn't allow anyone to get close to him emotionally, even his own [[MoralityPet younger]] [[MoralityChain brother]].

[[AC:Comics]]
* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' This happens to just about everyone (except Gert who was a horrible cynic from day one).
** Nico goes from being naive and trusting of just about everyone to very closed off, cautious, and suspicious. She also becomes progressively more [[DeadPanSnarker snarky]] as the series goes on.
** While Chase always had some issues to begin with, he still managed to come across as an irrelevant JerkJock and when paired with his cynical girlfriend, came out looking like the positive one. His world view becomes less bright when [[spoiler:grieving Gert]] and in ''ComicBook/AvengersUndercover'' [[spoiler:goes back on his promise not talk about the events of ''ComicBook/AvengersArena'' because everyone knows what happened anyways and from where he was standing that meant Arcade already won]]
** While present! Molly is mostly her hyperactive, happy to face the universe self, future! Molly from ''ComicBook/BattleOfTheAtom'' hits the DespairEventHorizon after [[spoiler:President Dazzler is killed]] and [[spoiler:becomes evil, abandoned her childhood believe she could be a hero and save everyone despite who her parents were]].
** Karolina is ''mostly'' unchanged, but more willing to acknowledge anyone is cable of evil or having bad things happen to them and is, like her teammates, much less naive and trusting than at the beginning of the series.
* {{Batman}} made it his life-long mission to personally fight crime because of his parents' murder, which he witnessed as a child. Depending on continuity, this causes Child!Wayne to [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids "grow up in a big hurry"]] into different degrees of cynicism:
** TheDarkKnightReturns being one of the more extreme versions where not a day passes that his EideticMemory doesn't show him his mother's pearl collar shattering.
** In AllstarBatmanAndRobin he attempts to ''[[DrillSergeantNasty induce]]'' this on Dick Grayson, with the purpose of [[MiseryBuildsCharacter hardening him]], as a part of "drafting" him into his "war" after his parents' death.

[[AC:Film]]
* Inverted in ''Film/ManOfSteel'': Franchise/{{Superman}} being obliged by circumstances to [[spoiler:kill the last of his Kryptonian brethren]] only results in him adopting a ThouShallNotKill code and becoming ''more'' idealisitic and [[TheFettered fettered]].
* Though overworked and underpaid as a waitress, Sarah Connor still harbored hopes for a brighter future in ''Film/{{Terminator}}''. Then Kyle Reese spelled out a horrid, brink-of-doom future with the Terminator as proof. Sarah develops enough cynicism to stockpile weapons and munitions galore in caches dotting the Western seaboard for her son John to use against Cyberdyne's machines.
* ''Film/TwelveYearsASlave'''s protagonist, Solomon, takes one level after another, often one with every unfair, brutal beating. Most of his fellow slaves are already over the DespairEventHorizon. But he keeps a sliver of hope, [[ForegoneConclusion and it pays off]], as the people who knew him and cared about him went to great lengths to rescue him. Nevertheless, the fact that [[KarmaHoudini he never obtains reparation for the horrible suffering he's been dealt]], cannot possibly have helped his view of this world.

[[AC:Literature]]
* [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Arya and Sansa]] Stark from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' starts the series as naive and idealistic, but [[spoiler: their father's beheading]] only kickstarts chains of events that will result in disappointment after disappointment for both of them. By the fourth book they've both acquired JadeColoredGlasses. The result? Having both given up on their initial idealism, [[spoiler: Sansa is now learning to manipulate people in order to come out on top, while Arya is graduating to ProfessionalKiller levels]].
* In ''{{Discworld}}'', this trope probably happened to every character in their earliest childhood, except ''maybe'' for Captain Carrot, and some [[DumbIsGood nice characters who are too dumb to know better]]; everyone takes an extremely cynical view of the people around them, and the ways to prosper in this world, and the straight heroes usually range from GoodIsNotNice to KnightInSourArmor to DirtyCoward-CowardlyLion to outright PragmaticVillainy, which in a world of StupidEvil comes off as actually benevolent. This is interesting because the stories themselves are very idealistic, with few if any KarmaHoudini, and fair retribution to all good and evil deeds.


[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' and his brother Mycroft appear to have had such a moment very early in their childhoods, where they interiorized that "caring is not an advantage", to the point that they both think of themselves as sociopaths (which they aren't). It takes Sherlock a lot of time, and being given a lot of love, to learn to allow himself to care about others again.
* In ''Series/BreakingBad'', this is all part of [[TheWoobie Jesse Pinkman]]'s TraumaCongaLine, on one hand, and Walter White's [[TookALevelInBadass increasing acquisition of badass credentials]], although his StartOfDarkness was much earlier than that.
* In ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' Gwen is recruited in part because she's TheHeart and spends her first few episodes [[WhatTheHellHero calling her teammates out because they really don't seem to care about the human aspect of their cases]] and [[GenreBlindness ignorantly believing]] EverybodyLives is [[DarkerAndEdgier a possibility]]. By ''Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth'' a good portion of the team [[spoiler:is dead]], she's pretty quick to catch on that HumansAreBastards, and she believes [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]] [[SupermanStaysOutOfGotham won't show up to save them]] because sometimes he must look at Earth and turn away in shame.
* {{Subverted}} in ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures''. When we first catch back up with Sarah Jane on ''Series/DoctorWho'' she's still a bit bitter about the Doctor leaving her behind and is no longer the wide eyed, impressionable young women she was in the classic series. This manifest in the first episode of SJA as her being really cold to her new neighbors and coming across a straight up DistaffCounterpart to the Doctor. At the end of the episode she softens, noticeably regaining her humanity by adopting Luke and accepting her neighbor Maria's help. She stays OlderAndWiser, but becomes a bit more open with people and shares a very idealistic view of the wonders of the universe and the creatures that inhabit it.
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', the nicer and more benevolent TheNthDoctor is, the more the universe tends to test him with BreakTheCutie {{Trauma Conga Line}}s: the Fifth and Eighth doctors are especially egregious examples. The Time War, however, may have been ''the'' most traumatic event for him, but it's not clear whether the trope is played straight or subverted: he becomes more jaded, but ''also'' feels a stronger obligation to help others and do the right thing. There's also the matter of the TimeyWimeyBall involving some changes in how things were experienced. And, well, he's the Doctor; an enigmatic MoodSwinger, it's often frankly hard to tell how he feels about stuff.
* In both the Comics and Television adaptation, the main group of survivors in ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' gradually become more and more dehumanized as the apocalyptic crisis becomes the new norm and find that the greatest threat to their survival are [[HumansAreBastards other Humans]] rather than the undead.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'': John Reese wasn't exactly an optimist in the first place, but he still believed in the work he was doing and found life-affirming purpose in saving others... Until a dear friend of his was killed, and he went from that to thinking all his efforts were just delaying the inevitable.

[[AC:Video Game]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''TheBoondocks''' protagonist Huey Freeman starts off very cynical, but also proactive and hopeful in improving things for the better. By the third season, though, it's clear that he's given up hope, and he's resigned himself to let the rest live on in [[IgnoranceIsBliss blissful ignorance]].
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirBender'': [[TheHeart Katara]] spends the first two seasons giving inspirational speeches about hope and love. After Prince Zuko royals betrays them by claiming to be a better person only to [[spoiler:let Azula hit Aang with what should have been a fatal shot of lightning, betray his uncle, and rejoin Fire Nation nobility]], she is the last to trust him when he claims to have made a HeelFaceTurn for real this time and [[spoiler:almost kills the man that killed her mother in cold blood]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': When Reverend Lovejoy first showed up in Springfield he was a go-getting down to earth pastor who wanted to "rap" with his parishoners. Then Ned Flanders started bugging him all the time, wearing him down until he just stopped caring about anybody. "Luckily, by then it was TheEighties, so no one noticed."

[[AC:RealLife]]

The character gave the world their love, their care, their trust, and, in return, was somehow back-stabbed, deceived, taken advantage of, used. Some of their old optimism breaks, and they take it to heart that they should not trust others so easily. There is, however, a '''readjustment in expectations on how the world works towards the pessimistic''', not [[DespairEventHorizon an outright surrender]], and not necessarily a [[ShootTheDog change]] [[IDidWhatIHadToDo in methods]] either (an {{incorruptible| Pure Pureness}} character may choose to be a DoomedMoralVictor rather than adjust their methods) or even a change in attitude (ThePollyanna is perfectly aware of living in a CrapsackWorld, yet refuses to let it bring them down), let alone a HeelFaceTurn, as any AntiHero can attest.

* Inverted in ''Film/ManOfSteel'': {{Superman}} being obliged by circumstances to [[spoiler:kill the last of his Kryptonian brethren]] only results in him adopting a ThouShallNotKill code and becoming ''more'' idealisitic and [[TheFettered fettered]].

The character gave the world their love, their care, their trust, and, in return, was somehow back-stabbed, deceived, taken advantage of, used. Some of their old optimism breaks, and they take it to heart that they should not trust others so easily. There is, however, a '''readjustment in expectations on how the world works towards the pessimistic''', not [[DespairEventHorizon an outright surrender]], and not necessarily a [[ShootTheDog change]] [[IDidWhatIHadToDo in methods]] either (an [[IncorruptiblePurePureness incorrupt ible]]character may choose to be a DoomedMoralVictor rather than adjust their methods) or even a change in attitude (ThePollyanna is perfectly aware of living in a CrapsackWorld, yet refuses to let it bring them down), let alone a HeelFaceTurn, as any AntiHero can attest.

-->-- '''George Carlin'''

[[redirect:TookALevelInCynicism]]

->''"In every cynical person there is a disappointed idealist."''
-->-- '''George Carlin'''

The character gave the world their love, their care, their trust, and, in return, was somehow back-stabbed, deceived, taken advantage of, used. Some of their old optimism breaks, and they take it to heart that they should not trust others so easily. There is, however, a '''readjustment in expectations on how the world works towards the pessimistic''', not [[DespairEventHorizon an outright surrender]], and not necessarily a [[ShootTheDog change]] [[IDidWhatIHadToDo in methods]] either (an [[IncorruptiblePurePureness incorrupt ible]]character may choose to be a DoomedMoralVictor rather than adjust their methods) or even a change in attitude (ThePollyanna is perfectly aware of living in a CrapsackWorld, yet refuses to let it bring them down), let alone a HeelFaceTurn, as any AntiHero can attest.

A BrokenPedestal can result in this; in a meta sense, the character percieves all of humanity to have failed to live up to his expectations, and revises them accordingly. The cause of the event is the CynicismCatalyst. The result is usually the acquisition of JadeColouredGlasses. Can result in a BrokenBird, or, worse yet, a DespairEventHorizon. See also SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids.


----
!!Examples:

[[AC: Anime and Manga]]
* In ''CodeGeass'', Lelouch acquires this at age eight, when his mother is murdered in what may be a court intrigue, about which his father the Emperor does nothing. When Lelouch [[CallingTheOldManOut calls him out on this]], his response is to send the kid over to an enemy country as a hostage and bargaining chip. Not long after, he invades the country that is hosting his own child, in a very bloody war. No wonder the kid ends up the way he does.
* Flashbacks reveal that Homura from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' started the series as cheerful, klutzy, and a WideEyedIdealist. [[spoiler: Repeated failures to save Madoka in timeline after timeline]] caused her to slowly withdraw her faith in the world, turning into TheStoic character she is today.
* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', Sasuke Uchiha ends up taking several of these, falling all the way down to omnicidal insanity and looping back into being an AntiHero and wishing to become the ruler/protector of the village, deciding that he will do better than his callous, brutal predecessors.
* All three of the main cast in ''CowboyBebop'' had such an event horizon long before the plot starts; they were all betrayed by a close friend or a romantic partner, and as a result have closed themselves up to the world. It takes them a long time to learn to care about each other, but, in the end, that's not enough to save them.
* Ciel Phantomhive from ''Manga/BlackButler'' was a CheerfulChild when younger, but after his parents died and became enslaved for a year, he became grim and brooding just like in the present day. He's basically Bruce Wayne if Alfred were a demon [[spoiler:and the Waynes were a Black Ops. dynasty.]]
* ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'''s [[DysfunctionJunction entire cast have had theirs before the plot even starts]] (well, almost; one of them gets it over the course of the series, and the resulting change in loyalties is crucial to the ending of the story). Some of the relevant moments were revealed in-story, others [[AllThereInTheManual in supplementary materials]].
* ''Manga/KazeNoStigma'': Following the [[spoiler: [[CynicismCatalyst Death of his love interest]] as a sacrifice for a demon]], Kazuma Yagami went from being a NiceGuy to being a cold and brutal AntiHero who wouldn't allow anyone to get close to him emotionally, even his own [[MoralityPet younger]] [[MoralityChain brother]].

[[AC:Comics]]
* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' This happens to just about everyone (except Gert who was a horrible cynic from day one).
** Nico goes from being naive and trusting of just about everyone to very closed off, cautious, and suspicious. She also becomes progressively more [[DeadPanSnarker snarky]] as the series goes on.
** While Chase always had some issues to begin with, he still managed to come across as an irrelevant JerkJock and when paired with his cynical girlfriend, came out looking like the positive one. His world view becomes less bright when [[spoiler:grieving Gert]] and in ''ComicBook/AvengersUndercover'' [[spoiler:goes back on his promise not talk about the events of ''ComicBook/AvengersArena'' because everyone knows what happened anyways and from where he was standing that meant Arcade already won]]
** While present! Molly is mostly her hyperactive, happy to face the universe self, future! Molly from ''ComicBook/BattleOfTheAtom'' hits the DespairEventHorizon after [[spoiler:President Dazzler is killed]] and [[spoiler:becomes evil, abandoned her childhood believe she could be a hero and save everyone despite who her parents were]].
** Karolina is ''mostly'' unchanged, but more willing to acknowledge anyone is cable of evil or having bad things happen to them and is, like her teammates, much less naive and trusting than at the beginning of the series.
* {{Batman}} made it his life-long mission to personally fight crime because of his parents' murder, which he witnessed as a child. Depending on continuity, this causes Child!Wayne to [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids "grow up in a big hurry"]] into different degrees of cynicism:
** TheDarkKnightReturns being one of the more extreme versions where not a day passes that his EideticMemory doesn't show him his mother's pearl collar shattering.
** In AllstarBatmanAndRobin he attempts to ''[[DrillSergeantNasty induce]]'' this on Dick Grayson, with the purpose of [[MiseryBuildsCharacter hardening him]], as a part of "drafting" him into his "war" after his parents' death.
* ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'': Ratchet, who was originally shown with a bad case of ChronicHeroSyndrome, has become this, what with the events of the last several years, and the fact that his hands are beginning to seize up. He's become much grouchier and snarkier as a result.

[[AC:Film]]
* Inverted in ''Film/ManOfSteel'': {{Superman}} being obliged by circumstances to [[spoiler:kill the last of his Kryptonian brethren]] only results in him adopting a ThouShallNotKill code and becoming ''more'' idealisitic and [[TheFettered fettered]].
* Though overworked and underpaid as a waitress, Sarah Connor still harbored hopes for a brighter future in ''Film/{{Terminator}}''. Then Kyle Reese spelled out a horrid, brink-of-doom future with the Terminator as proof. Sarah develops enough cynicism to stockpile weapons and munitions galore in caches dotting the Western seaboard for her son John to use against Cyberdyne's machines.
* ''Film/TwelveYearsASlave'''s protagonist, Solomon, takes one level after another, often one with every unfair, brutal beating. Most of his fellow slaves are already over the DespairEventHorizon. But he keeps a sliver of hope, [[ForegoneConclusion and it pays off]], as the people who knew him and cared about him went to great lengths to rescue him. Nevertheless, the fact that [[KarmaHoudini he never obtains reparation for the horrible suffering he's been dealt]], cannot possibly have helped his view of this world.
* In the [[Film/{{Transformers}} first]] [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen trilogy]] [[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon of the]] Franchise/TransformersFilmSeries, [[BigGood Optimus Prime]], the leader of the Autobots, was a firm believer in humanity's potential for good, and held a strict ThouShaltNotKill policy towards them, even if they antagonized him and his team. By ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'', years of his kind being hunted down by humans has caused Optimus to lose much of his faith in them, to the point where he will not hesitate to kill humans in self-defense.

[[AC:Literature]]
* [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Arya and Sansa]] Stark from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' starts the series as naive and idealistic, but [[spoiler: their father's beheading]] only kickstarts chains of events that will result in disappointment after disappointment for both of them. By the fourth book they've both acquired JadeColoredGlasses. The result? Having both given up on their initial idealism, [[spoiler: Sansa is now learning to manipulate people in order to come out on top, while Arya is graduating to ProfessionalKiller levels]].
* In ''{{Discworld}}'', this trope probably happened to every character in their earliest childhood, except ''maybe'' for Captain Carrot, and some [[DumbIsGood nice characters who are too dumb to know better]]; everyone takes an extremely cynical view of the people around them, and the ways to prosper in this world, and the straight heroes usually range from GoodIsNotNice to KnightInSourArmor to DirtyCoward-CowardlyLion to outright PragmaticVillainy, which in a world of StupidEvil comes off as actually benevolent. This is interesting because the stories themselves are very idealistic, with few if any KarmaHoudini, and fair retribution to all good and evil deeds.


[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' and his brother Mycroft appear to have had such a moment very early in their childhoods, where they interiorized that "caring is not an advantage", to the point that they both think of themselves as sociopaths (which they aren't). It takes Sherlock a lot of time, and being given a lot of love, to learn to allow himself to care about others again.
* In ''Series/BreakingBad'', this is all part of [[TheWoobie Jesse Pinkman]]'s TraumaCongaLine, on one hand, and Walter White's [[TookALevelInBadass increasing acquisition of badass credentials]], although his StartOfDarkness was much earlier than that.
* In ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' Gwen is recruited in part because she's TheHeart and spends her first few episodes [[WhatTheHellHero calling her teammates out because they really don't seem to care about the human aspect of their cases]] and [[GenreBlindness ignorantly believing]] EverybodyLives is [[DarkerAndEdgier a possibility]]. By ''Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth'' a good portion of the team [[spoiler:is dead]], she's pretty quick to catch on that HumansAreBastards, and she believes [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]] [[SupermanStaysOutOfGotham won't show up to save them]] because sometimes he must look at Earth and turn away in shame.
* {{Subverted}} in ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures''. When we first catch back up with Sarah Jane on ''Series/DoctorWho'' she's still a bit bitter about the Doctor leaving her behind and is no longer the wide eyed, impressionable young women she was in the classic series. This manifest in the first episode of SJA as her being really cold to her new neighbors and coming across a straight up DistaffCounterpart to the Doctor. At the end of the episode she softens, noticeably regaining her humanity by adopting Luke and accepting her neighbor Maria's help. She stays OlderAndWiser, but becomes a bit more open with people and shares a very idealistic view of the wonders of the universe and the creatures that inhabit it.
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', the nicer and more benevolent TheNthDoctor is, the more the universe tends to test him with BreakTheCutie {{Trauma Conga Line}}s: the Fifth and Eighth doctors are especially egregious examples. The Time War, however, may have been ''the'' most traumatic event for him, but it's not clear whether the trope is played straight or subverted: he becomes more jaded, but ''also'' feels a stronger obligation to help others and do the right thing. There's also the matter of the TimeyWimeyBall involving some changes in how things were experienced. And, well, he's the Doctor; an enigmatic MoodSwinger, it's often frankly hard to tell how he feels about stuff.
* In both the Comics and Television adaptation, the main group of survivors in ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' gradually become more and more dehumanized as the apocalyptic crisis becomes the new norm and find that the greatest threat to their survival are [[HumansAreBastards other Humans]] rather than the undead.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'': John Reese wasn't exactly an optimist in the first place, but he still believed in the work he was doing and found life-affirming purpose in saving others... Until a dear friend of his was killed, and he went from that to thinking all his efforts were just delaying the inevitable.

[[AC:Video Game]]
* VideoGame/DevilMayCry: The death of their mother had a very polarizing effect on the Sons of Sparda. While Dante eventually becomes more of a KnightInSourArmor, Vergil plays this trope straight adopting the belief that [[BadassCreed "Might controls everything. And without strength, you cannot protect anything. Let alone yourself."]]
* This is kind of a game mechanic in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'': at different points of the plot, you can choose to "harden" your two token idealistic [[NonPlayerCompanion companions]], Alistair and Leliana, via dialogue, which makes them much more tolerant towards more amoral actions you can take later on (and incidentally, makes Alistair [[spoiler:a better king]]). In both cases, the catalyst is a betrayal, by family and by a mentor, respectively. Of course, you can just as well reaffirm their inherent idealism instead.

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/LookingForGroup'': Cale is very idealistic, innocent, and naive at the beginning of the comic, but he starts to become more cynical after he's forced to kill a child in the past to maintain a StableTimeLoop. Similar events that come afterward only serve to make him become more and more on the cynical side on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism as the comic continues.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''TheBoondocks''' protagonist Huey Freeman starts off very cynical, but also proactive and hopeful in improving things for the better. By the third season, though, it's clear that he's given up hope, and he's resigned himself to let the rest live on in [[IgnoranceIsBliss blissful ignorance]].
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirBender'': [[TheHeart Katara]] spends the first two seasons giving inspirational speeches about hope and love. After Prince Zuko royals betrays them by claiming to be a better person only to [[spoiler:let Azula hit Aang with what should have been a fatal shot of lightning, betray his uncle, and rejoin Fire Nation nobility]], she is the last to trust him when he claims to have made a HeelFaceTurn for real this time and [[spoiler:almost kills the man that killed her mother in cold blood]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': When Reverend Lovejoy first showed up in Springfield he was a go-getting down to earth pastor who wanted to "rap" with his parishoners. Then Ned Flanders started bugging him all the time, wearing him down until he just stopped caring about anybody. "Luckily, by then it was TheEighties, so no one noticed."

[[AC:RealLife]]
* RealLife: This trope might as well be called "Loss Of Innocence"; there's a concerted effort to create a protected environment around children where the adults at least appear to be trustworthy. Then puberty and adulthood hit, and things are not so simple any longer. It can be quite a struggle, to keep one's spark bright through all that.
----

* In both the Comics and Television adaptation, the main group of survivors in TheWalkingDead gradually become more and more dehumanized as the apocalyptic crisis becomes the new norm and find that the greatest threat to their survival are [[HumansAreBastards other Humans]] rather than the undead.

* ''Film/TwelveYearsASlave'''s protagonist, Solomon, takes one level after another, often one with every unfair, brutal beating. Most of his fellow slaves are already over the DespairEventHorizon. But he keeps a sliver of hope, [[ForegoneConclusion and it pays off]], as the people who knew him and cared about him went to great lengths to rescue him. Nevertheless, the fact that [[KarmaHoudini he never obtains reparation for the horrible suffering he's been dealt]], cannot possibly have helped his view of this world.

* RealLife: This trope might as well be called "Loss Of Innocence"; there's a concerted effort to create a protected environment around children where the adults at least appear to be trustworthy. Then puberty and adulthood hit, and things are not so simple any longer. It can be quite a struggle, to keep one's spark bright through all that. The ''trope'' we call here LossOfInnocence, though, is what happens when this trope strikes them ''while'' they are children, rather than as a normal part of growing up.

* In ''{{Naruto}}'', Sasuke Uchiha ends up taking several of these, falling all the way down to omnicidal insanity and looping back into being an AntiHero and wishing to become the ruler/protector of the village, deciding that he will do better than his callous, brutal predecessors.

* ''{{Sherlock}}'' and his brother Mycroft appear to have had such a moment very early in their childhoods, where they interiorized that "caring is not an advantge", to the point that they both think of themselves as sociopaths (which they aren't). It takes Sherlock a lot of time, and being given a lot of love, to learn to allow himself to care about others again.
* In ''BreakingBad'', this is all part of [[TheWoobie Jesse Pinkman]]'s TraumaCongaLine, on one hand, and Walter White's [[TookALevelInBadass increasing acquisition of badass credentials]], although his StartOfDarkness was much earlier than that.

* In DoctorWho, the nicer and more benevolent TheNthDoctor is, the more the universe tends to test him with BreakTheCutie {{Trauma Conga Line}}s: the Fifth and Eighth doctors are especially egregious examples. The Time War, however, may have been ''the'' most traumatic event for him, but it's not clear whether the trope is played straight or subverted: he becomes more jaded, but ''also'' feels a stronger obligation to help others and do the right thing. There's also the matter of the TimeyWimeyBall involving some changes in how things were experienced. And, well, he's The Doctor; an enigmatic MoodSwinger, it's often frankly hard to tell how he feels about stuff.

The character gave the world their love, their care, their trust, and, in return, was somehow back-stabbed, deceived, taken advantage of, used. Some of their old optimism breaks, and they take it to heart that they should not trust others so easily.

* In ''CodeGeass'', Lelouch acquires this at age six, when his mother is murdered in what may be a court intrigue, about which his father the Emperor does nothing. When Lelouch [[CallingTheOldManOut calls him out on this]], his response is to send the kid over to an enemy country as a hostage and bargaining chip. Not long after, he invades the country that is hosting his own child, in a very bloody war. No wonder the kid ends up the way he does.

A BrokenPedestal can result in this; in a meta sense, the character percieves all of humanity to have failed to live up to his expectations, and revises them accordingly. The cause of the event is the CynicismCatalyst. The result is usually the acquisition of JadeColouredGlasses. Can result in a BrokenBird, or, worse yet, a DespairEventHorizon.

[[AC:RealLife]]
* RealLife: This trope might as well be called "Loss Of Innocence"; there's a concerted effort to create a protected environment around children where the adults at least appear to be trustworthy. Then puberty and adulthood hit, and things are not so simple any longer. It can be quite a struggle, to keep one's spark bright through all that. The ''trope'' we call here LossOfInnocence, though, is what happens when this trope strikes them ''while'' they are children, rather than as a normal part of growing up.

* {{Batman}} made it his life-long mission to personally fight crime because of his parents' murder, which he witnessed as a child. Depending on continuity, this causes Child!Wayne to [[SillyRabitIdealismIsForKids "grow up in a big hurry"]] into different degrees of cynicism:

Examples:

* VideoGame/DevilMayCry: The death of their mother had a very polarizing effect on the Sons of Sparda. While Dante eventually becomes more of a KnightInSourArmor, Vergil plays this trope straight adopting the belief that [[BadassCreed "Might controls everything. And without strength, you cannot protect anything. Let alone yourself."]]

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Related to BrokenBird

* In ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' Gwen is recruited in part because she's TheHeart and spends her first few episodes [[WhatTheHellHero calling her teammates out because they really don't seem to care about the human aspect of their cases]] and [[GenreBlindness ignorantly believing]] EverybodyLives is [[DarkerAndEdgier a possibility]]. By ''Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth'' a good portion of the team [[spoiler:is dead]], she's pretty quick to catch on that HumansAreBastards, and she believes [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]] [[SupermanStaysOutOfGotham won't show up to save them]] because sometimes he must look at Earth and turn away in shame.

* {{Subverted}} in ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures''. When we first catch back up with Sarah Jane on ''Series/DoctorWho'' she's still a bit bitter about the Doctor leaving her behind and is no longer the wide eyed, impressionable young women she was in the classic series. This manifest in the first episode of SJA as her being really cold to her new neighbors and coming across a straight up DistaffCounterpart to the Doctor. At the end of the episode she softens, noticeably regaining her humanity by adopting Luke and accepting her neighbor Maria's help. She stays OlderAndWiser, but becomes a bit more open with people and shares a very idealistic view of the wonders of the universe and the creatures that inhabitant it.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirBender'': [[TheHeart Katara]] spends the first two seasons giving inspirational speeches about hope and love. After Prince Zuko royals betrays them by claiming to be a better person only to [[spoiler:let Azula hit Aang with what should have been a fatal shot of lightning, betray his uncle, and rejoin Fire Nation nobility]], she is the last to trust him when he claims to have made a HeelFaceTurn for real this time and [[spoiler:almost kills the man that killed her mother in cold blood]].

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[[AC: Anime and Manga]]
* Flashbacks reveal that Homura from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' started the series as cheerful, klutzy, and a WideEyedIdealist. [[spoiler: Repeated failures to save Madoka in timeline after timeline]] caused her to slowly withdraw her faith in the world, turning into TheStoic character she is today.

[[AC:Literature]]
* [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Arya and Sansa]] Stark from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' starts the series as naive and idealistic, but [[spoiler: their father's beheading]] only kickstarts chains of events that will result in disappointment after disappointment for both of them. By the fourth book they've both acquired JadeColoredGlasses. The result? Having both given up on their initial idealism, [[spoiler: Sansa is now learning to manipulate people in order to come out on top, while Arya is graduating to ProfessionalKiller levels]].

A question, though: How is this different from BreakTheCutie and InnocenceLost?

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I'm not sure. The idea came to me as a result of a very grave betrayal of trust and demonstration of thoughtless callousness by someone that I loved dearly. Suddenly, the behaviour of a lot of fictional characters started making sense. I detected a trope, and came to contribute. I don't think I'm a cutie, though, and I wasn't quite innocent to begin with. I've simply, well, gained a level in cynicism. [[ThePollyanna Though I'm pretty determined not to let it get me down]].

After giving it a look, InnocenceLost would be a subtrope, since it applies exclusively to children being taken advantage of. BreakTheCutie would be a sort of overlap, in that it's about consistently and sometimes exhaustively ''tormenting and testing'' a character that is established as cute and pure with a boatload of horrible stuff. This trope is about single events that result in a character becoming more cynical. A BreakTheCutie sequence may consist of a series of these, but that need not be the case; they may not cause the victim to change world-views, just to suffer a lot. Falling into depression and learning to mistrust the world are two distinct things, and need not come together.

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'''CynicismCatalyst'''

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"An outright villain will generally not have a Cynicism Catalyst: The trope is reserved for those who are still attempting to do good, leaving it the domain of the Anti-Hero, the Anti-Villain and the Well-Intentioned Extremist."


TropesAreFlexible; I'd suggest a rewrite of the CynicismCatalyst article to be less about "heroes" and more about "characters", and even a rename or redirect, re-using the existing examples and wicks.

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^ Yeah, cynicism is not really a heroic/villainous trait (both can be cynical or idealistic), so it makes no sense to limit that trope to heroes only IMO.

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Sorry, i don't like the description.

It reeks of SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids.


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Well, it kind of is. Idealism is ''expressly taught'' to children; [[KidsAreCruel left to themselves, they are lying, stealing, violent, selfish, impulsive people, especially to each other]]. And we go to great lengths to keep it that way, buy trying to control the media they're exposed to, and the words they use. We even [[LiesToChildren lie]] to them, presenting them with a smooth, safe world, when it's anything but. That's not a bad thing. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnaQXJmpwM4 We make them believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?]]

[[ThePollyanna The big challenge is to keep believing in them, these ideals, even as they are tested against reality, and, time and again, break and fail.]] Because it's the only way to make them real.




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CybicismCatalyst was named DeadLittleSister and used as a motivation for heroes to step out and fight evil. So yeah, CynicismCatalyst sounds broader than what the trope suggests.

That said, we also have '''StartOfDarkness''' and '''FreudianExcuse'''

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No need for the bold font.

StartOfDarkness can be a case of self-inflicted Cynicism Catalysis, but evil is not the same as cynical. Take Prince Zuko from AvatarTheLastAirbender; he was at his most evil, callous and rutheless when he completely believed in his father's promises and was desperate to regain his love, and his own honour. His HeelFaceTurn was brought about by him growing cynical about these things and discovering and accepting how hollow they were, and [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight listening to his heart instead.]]

The FreudianExcuse need not be a Cynicism Catalysis either: there's lots of ways of being screwed up by bad experiences other than cynicism.

Conversely, taking a level in cynicism does not a villain make; it's perfectly possible to remain a thoroughly benevolent KnightInSourArmour, even as the world keeps disappointing you.

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@TheHandle

Idealism and cynicism are alternate ways of thinking. Neither is more valid than the other, the page for SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids even SAYS that assuming idealism is something to outgrow is a conditioned bias.

Sorry, this subject just gets my goat a bit. It's like how SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism used to have a...different name until someone changed it.

I edited the description a bit so that it's less egregious. Just a few word swaps, so it probably won't annoy you too much.

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I said idealism is for kids, I never said it was something to outgrow or that outgrowing it is desirable. But it ''is'' the price of experience and savvy, without which it is hard to attain wisdom. Also, again, [[KnightInSourArmour one can be cynical about people and yet have faith in their principles and remain benevolent.]] If, on top of that, one can keep a merry, outgoing disposition, then all the better for them.

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I highly doubt that idealism/optimism as a way of thinking was created just for kids.

Idealists have always existed, way before childhood was considered an important/existing thing. (childhood is actually more modern of a concept than you think, in the past there was less of a distinction between children and adults. Sure, in the modern day children are considered innocent and in need of protection, but as I said this is pretty recent in comparison)

Uh.... anyway I didn't come here for an ideological debate. (Sorry mods) but the way the description is right now satisfies me. I will stop.

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Can we please get back on track? The current issue is whether CynicismCatalyst should be expanded to include all cases of "character gets more cynical due to traumatic effects" or it should be split off into a separate page.

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^^ I know. To be honest, I'm very curious how and when people started to ThinkOfTheChildren, so to speak. Let's save this discussion for another day. I have no complaints about your edit; frankly, I haven't noticed the difference.

^Yes, let's. Frankly, I have no idea.

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I kinda get to think this is already JadeColoredGlasses. Dunno.

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The trope's editors seem to think one can't be a KnightInShiningArmor and wear JadeColoredGlasses at the same time. The trope is definitely obscure: I can't remember the last time I saw it on a work page. Still, there's a lot of overlap with this and CynicismCatalyst, although they all emphasize different aspects. I suggest we merge it all.

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My problem with CynicismCatalyst is that the way it's written it has to be about one single, defined event instead of happening slowly overtime thanks to CharacterDevelopment...

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This is '''SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids'''.

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Yeah, it really, really is. Didn't realize that trope was so specific.

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KnightInShiningArmor JadeColoredGlasses = KnightInSourArmor

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^^It really, really is not quite the same. SRIIFK is an ''attitude'', not an ''event''. It's not even an attitude towards the world, but one towards idealists. It can be a consequence of taking a level in cynicism, but need not be so: a cynical character might also ''envy'' the idealistic characters, and cherish their company as an anchor. [[DiscWorld Vimes to Carrot]], [[KillLaKill Ryuuko to Mako]], [[TheLordOfTheRings Frodo to Sam, the Fellowship to their Hobbits in general]], [[{{Monster}} Eva to Tenma]].

^Not really. The way JadeColouredGlasses's article is written seems to exclude KISOA-dom. That, and KISOA aren't always ex-KISHA, nor do KISHA always limit themselves to fall to KISOA: FallenHero can go a ''looooong'' way towards the very bottom of the sliding scale of despicableness, and it can happen suddenly. Sometimes, all it takes is one bad day.

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In the BadFuture episode of Animorphs, Cassie of all people, who is normally TheHeart and tries to inflict as little harm on her enemies as she can, has become a bomb-planting terrorist blowing up entire skyscrapers regardless of whether there were people inside (she says she "finally understands war.")

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* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' This happens to just about everyone (except Gert who was a horrible cynic from day one).
** Nico goes from being naive and trusting of just about everyone to very closed off, cautious, and suspicious. She also becomes progressively more [[DeadPanSnarker snarky]] as the series goes on.
** While Chase always had some issues to begin with, he still managed to come across as an irrelevant JerkJock and when paired with his cynical girlfriend, came out looking like the positive one. His world view becomes less bright when [[spoiler:grieving Gert]] and in ''ComicBook/AvengersUndercover'' [[spoiler:goes back on his promise not talk about the events of ''ComicBook/AvengersArena'' because everyone knows what happened anyways and from where he was standing that meant Arcade already won]]
** While present! Molly is mostly her hyperactive, happy to face the universe self, future! Molly from ''ComicBook/BattleOfTheAtom'' hits the DespairEventHorizon after [[spoiler:President Dazzler is killed]] and [[spoiler:becomes evil, abandoned her childhood believe she could be a hero and save everyone despite who her parents were]].
** Karolina is ''mostly'' unchanged, but more willing to acknowledge anyone is cable of evil or having bad things happen to them and is, like her teammates, much less naive and trusting than at the beginning of the series.

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I think that the ''Code Geass'' example can be removed from the Film section.

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In KnightInSourArmor's description: "Either way, however, the effect is basically the same: you have a Knight in Shining Armor wearing Jade-Colored Glasses; the difference between the first and second types is which comes first."

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''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': When Reverend Lovejoy first showed up in Springfield he was a go-getting down to earth pastor who wanted to "rap" with his parishoners. Then Ned Flanders started bugging him all the time, wearing him down until he just stopped caring about anybody. "Luckily, by then it was TheEighties, so no one noticed."

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I believe CynicismCatalyst should be addressed in the article's description that says something along these lines: "Not to be confused with CynicismCatalyst which is the particular event that causes someone to take a level in cynicism."

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Ugh. SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids needs a hedge trimmer real bad. That's way too much exposition. This is much more clearly written.

In my opinion, this trope needs to focus specifically on the fact that: A) The character is not necessarily an idealist; they are just always the helpful type or the selfless type; and B) the trope is treating cynicism as a positive. If a character takes a level in something, I associate it with getting better at something.

This could exclusively be about a character who is or was very nice and helpful and ''trustworthy'' rather than just trusting (they're not naive, just willing to take on too much). It's a character who has become a better judge of character, and who will not be pushed around anymore.

A character who finally learns to be more wary of the things in life tends to live longer, make better decisions, and generally be more well respected in-universe and out.

Unfortunately I understand where you're coming from; this proposed trope tends to be a side-effect of ''Social Anxiety Selflessness'' in RealLife.

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... So what is this trope about? O_o

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What's this ''Social Anxiety Selflessness'' deal? And yeah, a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter could benefit from this trope. I don't think taking a level is necessarily a positive. Like in MassEffect, where you can rack up the Renegade points by being a bigoted callous JerkAss, but the decisions come back to bite you in the arse.

^Which part eludes you, Dan?

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I'm just being confused, that's all.

Why do you think this isn't CynicismCatalyst or JadeColoredGlasses?

We also have InnocenceLost.

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I think I explained the differences in my comments here. Th CC is the trigger for the event, the JCC are the acquired attitude, the result of level-taking. The IL is exclusively about children being taken advantage of.

SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids is the general worldview expressed by a character that idealism is something to outgrow if you want to become an effective, independent, responsible person, assumed to be capable of giving meaningful consent i.e. an adult.

They're all pretty closely related, which is why I'd suggest lumping them.

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So this trope is a MissingSupertrope? Or something?

"Th CC is the trigger for the event, the JCC are the acquired attitude, the result of level-taking."

The what is ''this'' trope?

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''The actual event of the increase in cynicism, triggered by the catalyst, which leaves you with the glasses on''. It's like the difference between a knife, getting stabbed, and remaining wounded thereafter. Or like the difference between the money, the act of putting the money in your bank account, and the resulting balance of your bank account thereafter. Or like the difference between gasoline, the act of putting the gasoline in the tank, and the tank's state as full.

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The catalyst and glasses will already cite the event of it happening, which makes this trope rather redundant.

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That's like saying the scene of Darth Vader slicing Luke Skywalker's hand is redundant because we know of Vader's lightsaber and Luke's resulting cybernetic hand. I for one believe it s obviously more interesting than either. Also, by that logic, the catalyst is also redundant.

From a narrative standpoint, I believe ''this'' trope is the center around which both tropes should be merged and assimilated. The metaphor of the glasses, already an obscure pun, also leads to a fair amount of weird and unnecessary wordplay in the examples section, so that should get cleaned up, I think.

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^ That's why I think this is a MissingSupertrope.

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I can see that.

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^9

I mean it exactly as it is written. It's just that this trope tends to affect SA sufferers in Real Life. When one is very selfless, but also has a hands off approach to other people, it leads to being taken advantage of. Eventually, if their lucky, they do take a level in cynicism.

It's probably off topic. Just forget about it...

This trope just hits home is all. :(

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Anime and Manga
* KazeNoStigma: Following the [[CynicismCatalyst Death of his love interest]] [[spoiler: as a sacrifice for a demon]], Kazuma Yagami went from being a NiceGuy to one of the coldest and most brutal SOBs who wouldn't allow anyone to get close to him emotionally, even his own [[MoralityPet younger]] [[MoralityChain brother]].

Video Games
* DevilMayCry: The death of their mother had a very polarizing effect on the Sons of Sparda. Vergil plays this trope straight adopting the belief that [[BadassCreed "Might controls everything. And without strength, you cannot protect anything. Let alone yourself."]]

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Add the catalyst and glasses to the description plz.

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Done.

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Lets also make an inversion of this upcoming trope like TookALevelInIdealism, where a pessimistic character becomes optimistic due to being brought out of his/her shell.

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Or what about TookALevelInCheerful, where a less cheerful character become cheerful over the course of the time?

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If the difference between this trope and other cynicism tropes is that this is specifically about the moment one acquires the attitude, then I'm not sure "Most Discworld characters must have been through something like this because they're really cynical" is really an example. Loathe as I am to ever suggest a page shouldn't have a Discworld example.

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I made minor changes to the article regarding the Simpsons and Devil May Cry examples, but otherwise nothing was changed.

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^^ Good point. But, frankly, it seems that only Vetinari was ''born'' an utter cynic.

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Don't forget Ciel Phantomhive from Manga/BlackButler, who was a CheerfulChild when younger, but after his parents died and became enslaved for a year, he became grim and brooding just like in the present day.

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^ From there I remembered to add the BatMan example, and now I wonder whether the Doctor from DoctorWho ''has'' had such a moment...

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Comics
* In both the Comics and Television adaptation, the main group of survivors in TheWalkingDead gradually become more and more dehumanized as the apocalyptic crisis becomes the new norm and find that the greatest threat to their survival are [[HumansAreBastards other Humans]] rather than the undead.

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''Series/PersonOfInterest'': John Reese wasn't exactly an optimist in the first place, but he still believed in the work he was doing and found life-affirming purpose in saving others... Until a dear friend of his was killed, and he went from that to thinking all his efforts were just delaying the inevitable.

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* This is kind of a game mechanic in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'': at different points of the plot, you can choose to "harden" your two token idealistic [[NonPlayerCompanion companions]], Alistair and Leliana, via dialogue, which makes them much more tolerant towards more amoral actions you can take later on (and incidentally, makes Alistair [[spoiler:a better king]]). In both cases, the catalyst is a betrayal, by family and by a mentor, respectively. Of course, you can just as well reaffirm their inherent idealism instead.

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* Glenn Quagmire of ''FamilyGuy'', while always an immoral pervert, was all the same a happy go lucky CloudCuckooLander that usually served as the WackyGuy of the group whenever Peter couldn't provide. Season Eight onwards, Quagmire has become more curmudgeonly and temperamental, viewing his sleazy ways as a 'realistic' take on dating and acting as a SelfDeprecation avatar for the series.

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Suggesting TookALevelInCynic as a title (see Koveras comment under "...Cheerfulness").

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^ Thank you. :)

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^^Good idea.

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[[AC:Film]]
* Though overworked and underpaid as a waitress, Sarah Connor still harbored hopes for a brighter future in ''Film/{{Terminator}}''. Then Kyle Reese spelled out a horrid, brink-of-doom future with the Terminator as proof. Sarah develops enough cynicism to stockpile weapons and munitions galore in caches dotting the Western seaboard for her son John to use against Cyberdyne's machines.