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* ''WebComic/LoreOlympus'': Kronus was an EvilOverlord and AbusiveParent, ruling with an iron fist and terrorizing everyone around him, all of which can be traced back to the trauma he experienced at the hands of his own father, Ouranos, who was apparently even ''worse''. Yet Kronus' chief victims have no sympathy for the god of time, as he was just passing his own trauma down onto others, and that's never justified.

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** Salem has truly suffered throughout her long life, [[spoiler:being imprisoned by her abusive father for her entire childhood, losing the love of her life, being cursed with immortality, watching her people genocided and being left alone for countless years, and then losing her family again when her husband abandons her after learning her genocidal plans for humanity]]. All of her actions are driven by this overwhelming grief and pain. However, when Yang Xiao Long comes face to face with her, even knowing the truth of Salem's past, she still refuses to grant her any sympathy due to the magnitude of her crimes and her current quest to [[SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum wipe out Remnant]].

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** Salem [[Characters/RWBYSalem Salem]] has truly suffered throughout her long life, [[spoiler:being imprisoned by her abusive father for her entire childhood, losing the love of her life, being cursed with immortality, watching her people genocided and being left alone for countless years, and then losing her family again when her husband abandons her after learning her genocidal plans for humanity]]. All of her actions are driven by this overwhelming grief and pain. However, when Yang Xiao Long comes face to face with her, even knowing the truth of Salem's past, she still refuses to grant her any sympathy due to the magnitude of her crimes and her current quest to [[SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum wipe out Remnant]].


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** Volume 8 reveals that [[Characters/RWBYCinderFall Cinder Fall]] was shaped into the person she is by a horrific DarkAndTroubledPast. As a child, she was frequently abused by the other children as well as her WickedStepmother to the point where she eventually murdered her and her stepsisters; as a result, Cinder has become a cruel sociopath who arrogantly believes she's entitled to power and justified in taking whatever she wants. Watts eventually tells Cinder just because she's suffered in the past doesn't mean the world owes her anything, and if she wants to obtain the power she seeks, she needs to actually ''earn'' it.
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Compare FreudianExcuseDenial, when the character themselves disputes that their past is what motivates them in the present. Compare and contrast RevengeIsNotJustice, when someone wants revenge for an injustice but is told that they have no right to hurt others and it won't bring any justice. Also see YouKeepTellingYourselfThat. VigilanteInjustice also comes into play when a vigilante uses their abusive childhood as an execute for going after the villain themselves. Also see OpposeWhatYouSuffered for individuals who, instead of turning abuser from their own abuse, turn protector instead.

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Compare FreudianExcuseDenial, when the character themselves disputes that their past is what motivates them in the present. Compare and contrast RevengeIsNotJustice, when someone wants revenge for an injustice but is told that they have no right to hurt others and it won't bring any justice. Also see YouKeepTellingYourselfThat. VigilanteInjustice also comes into play when a vigilante uses their abusive childhood as an execute for going excuse to go after the villain themselves. Also see OpposeWhatYouSuffered for individuals who, instead of turning abuser from their own abuse, turn protector instead.
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Compare FreudianExcuseDenial, when the character themselves disputes that their past is what motivates them in the present. Compare and contrast RevengeIsNotJustice, when someone wants revenge for an injustice but is told that they have no right to hurt others and it won't bring any justice. Also see YouKeepTellingYourselfThat. VigilanteInjustice also comes into play when a vigilante uses their abusive childhood an execute for fighting the villain. Also see OpposeWhatYouSuffered for individuals who, instead of turning abuser from their own abuse, turn protector instead.

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Compare FreudianExcuseDenial, when the character themselves disputes that their past is what motivates them in the present. Compare and contrast RevengeIsNotJustice, when someone wants revenge for an injustice but is told that they have no right to hurt others and it won't bring any justice. Also see YouKeepTellingYourselfThat. VigilanteInjustice also comes into play when a vigilante uses their abusive childhood as an execute for fighting going after the villain.villain themselves. Also see OpposeWhatYouSuffered for individuals who, instead of turning abuser from their own abuse, turn protector instead.
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-->-- '''Todd Chavez''' to [=BoJack=] Horseman, ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'', "[[Recap/BojackHorsemanS3E10ItsYou It's You]]"

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-->-- '''Todd Chavez''' to [=BoJack=] Horseman, '''[=BoJack=] Horseman''', ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'', "[[Recap/BojackHorsemanS3E10ItsYou It's You]]"

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* WebAnimation/WolfSongTheMovie: Cobalt's backstory involves him being pinned down by Zar and the Death Alpha at a young age and manipulated into killing his own friend, yet the now reformed Zar still tries to tell Cobalt to turn around during the main story as he knows that what the Death Alpha and the Death Keep as a whole is doing is wrong, (despite the goal of it being so that it's leader can bring his brother to the surface, yet the high body count he incurs in an attempt to do so is what's wrong) having seen how a real pack will stick up even for outsiders and opponents (courtesy of {{paragon}} Alador, who was responsible for the HeelFaceTurn because of it) and trying to tell Cobalt to change. [[spoiler: unfortunately for Zar, his friend is too far gone at this point and has now got the express intent to kill him, which he follows through with once Zar accepts his fate.]]

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* WebAnimation/WolfSongTheMovie: ''WebAnimation/WolfSongTheMovie'': Cobalt's backstory involves him being pinned down by Zar and the Death Alpha at a young age and manipulated into killing his own friend, yet the now reformed Zar still tries to tell Cobalt to turn around during the main story as he knows that what the Death Alpha and the Death Keep as a whole is doing is wrong, (despite the goal of it being so that it's leader can bring his brother to the surface, yet the high body count he incurs in an attempt to do so is what's wrong) having seen how a real pack will stick up even for outsiders and opponents (courtesy of {{paragon}} Alador, who was responsible for the HeelFaceTurn because of it) and trying to tell Cobalt to change. [[spoiler: unfortunately for Zar, his friend is too far gone at this point and has now got the express intent to kill him, which he follows through with once Zar accepts his fate.]]



* Webcomic/GetSchooled: Happens all over the place. A lot of the bullies have had a hard life that they try to justify for their misdeeds, and honestly, it's hard not to pity them. But once the TRPA wardens enter a school on a assigned mission, they'll drive the point home that ''no matter how bad you had it, you don't get to take that pain out on innocents.''
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* ''Podcast/BehindTheBastards'': Robert and his co-hosts will sympathize with and acknowledge how a Bastard was impacted and turned into a monster by the trauma they suffered, but make it clear that this sympathy ends when they start hurting people and that their trauma doesn't justify what they've done.
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*WebAnimation/WolfSongTheMovie: Cobalt's backstory involves him being pinned down by Zar and the Death Alpha at a young age and manipulated into killing his own friend, yet the now reformed Zar still tries to tell Cobalt to turn around during the main story as he knows that what the Death Alpha and the Death Keep as a whole is doing is wrong, (despite the goal of it being so that it's leader can bring his brother to the surface, yet the high body count he incurs in an attempt to do so is what's wrong) having seen how a real pack will stick up even for outsiders and opponents (courtesy of {{paragon}} Alador, who was responsible for the HeelFaceTurn because of it) and trying to tell Cobalt to change. [[spoiler: unfortunately for Zar, his friend is too far gone at this point and has now got the express intent to kill him, which he follows through with once Zar accepts his fate.]]
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It's important here to differentiate "explanation" from "justification" in this trope: If a FreudianExcuse is used as an "explanation", then it's meant to give a reason why a character acts this way. If it's a "justification," it means that the narration is giving the character the right to act that way. This trope never accepts Freudian Excuses as justifications.

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It's important here to differentiate "explanation" from "justification" in this trope: If a FreudianExcuse is used as an "explanation", then it's meant to give a reason why a character acts this way. If it's a "justification," it means that the narration is giving the character the right to act that way. This trope never accepts Freudian Excuses as justifications.
justifications, at best, accepting them as logical explanations that don't justify the villain's present actions.
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* ''Theatre/FatHam'': Juicy's [[AbusiveParents abusive father]] Pap claims he and his equally wicked brother [[SinisterMinister Rev]] were abused by their own father. When this is related to Tio, he notes they still could have broken the cycle of abuse, and that it was their choice to behave like they did.
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-->-- '''Todd Chavez''' to [=BoJack=] Horseman, ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman''

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-->-- '''Todd Chavez''' to [=BoJack=] Horseman, ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman''
''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'', "[[Recap/BojackHorsemanS3E10ItsYou It's You]]"
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Related to FreudianExcuse and DarkAndTroubledPast. Often present if a character is HeWhoFightsMonsters, a TroubledAbuser, or another link in TheChainOfHarm. Can be utilized in the trope CallingTheOldManOut where the child calls out an AbusiveParent for using their harsh upbringing as an excuse to abuse them. Though said AbusiveParent can turn it around by CallingTheYoungManOut if the child keeps blaming ''their'' actions on them, [[BothSidesHaveAPoint since while parents are responsible for how they raise their children, they have no obligation to be held accountable for their children's mistakes]]. Typically, on the "Firm Hand" side of GentleTouchVsFirmHand. Pretty much required for writing any character that counts as a CompleteMonster with a genuinely tragic backstory. Compare KirkSummation, PlayingTheVictimCard, YouCouldHaveUsedYourPowersForGood, and ShutUpHannibal. For similar fan reactions for characters whose {{freudian excuse}}s are ''supposed'' to earn them sympathy, see UnintentionallyUnsympathetic.

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Related to FreudianExcuse and DarkAndTroubledPast. Often present if a character is HeWhoFightsMonsters, a TroubledAbuser, or another link in TheChainOfHarm. Can be utilized in the trope CallingTheOldManOut where the child calls out an AbusiveParent for using their harsh upbringing as an excuse to abuse them. Though said AbusiveParent can turn it around by CallingTheYoungManOut if the child keeps blaming ''their'' actions on them, [[BothSidesHaveAPoint since while parents are responsible for how they raise their children, they have no obligation to be held accountable for their children's mistakes]]. Typically, on the "Firm Hand" side of GentleTouchVsFirmHand. Pretty much required for writing any character that counts as a CompleteMonster with a genuinely tragic backstory. Compare KirkSummation, PlayingTheVictimCard, YouCouldHaveUsedYourPowersForGood, ShutUpHannibal, and ShutUpHannibal.YouCouldHaveUsedYourPowersForGood. For similar fan reactions for characters whose {{freudian excuse}}s are ''supposed'' to earn them sympathy, see UnintentionallyUnsympathetic.

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