| rdfs:comment | - Sometimes, good guys -- or friends of good guys -- go bad; they turn traitor, go too far in pursuit of good, or have stared into the darkness for too long and let it corrupt them. Sometimes when they do, their former friends have to bring them in. So when they leave, the hero will Leave Behind a Pistol. A loaded pistol, with one round in the chamber. And maybe a bottle of Scotch, if you're lucky. The implication is clear. We may then see the hero walking down a corridor. And hear a single gunshot from the room they've just left. Examples of Leave Behind a Pistol include:
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| abstract | - Sometimes, good guys -- or friends of good guys -- go bad; they turn traitor, go too far in pursuit of good, or have stared into the darkness for too long and let it corrupt them. Sometimes when they do, their former friends have to bring them in. And sometimes when it's all done the hero will meet their former friend, now in chains or facing disgrace, and tell them that they can't let the matter go to trial and become public. Perhaps it'll hurt the hero too much to see their former friend ruined and disgraced, or will hurt an innocent loved one of the villain to learn what a monster they've become. Perhaps it could even have repercussions that will shake or destroy an entire society. Perhaps the former friend simply doesn't deserve the clemency he may possibly receive, or is facing a horrific fate the hero wouldn't wish on anyone, especially if it's disproportionate to the crime. Perhaps the former friend simply deserves a chance to reclaim their sullied honour, and their old friendship is worth that much. So when they leave, the hero will Leave Behind a Pistol. A loaded pistol, with one round in the chamber. And maybe a bottle of Scotch, if you're lucky. The implication is clear. We may then see the hero walking down a corridor. And hear a single gunshot from the room they've just left. A subtrope of Redemption Equals Death and Driven to Suicide, with a side-order of Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves. Commonly occurs to heroes who have turned to the dark side, friends of the heroes who have done the same, or the Worthy Adversary. Often tends to occur in military or espionage settings (or characters involved in the same), where codes of loyalty and honour may require an extreme solution if violated. It doesn't have to be a gun -- any time when the hero offers a noble suicide to a disgraced foe applies -- but the 'pistol with a single round' version is quite common. A variation is shown in works that feature pirates; a pirate marooned on a Desert Island (in fiction, at least) is usually left a pistol, powder, and shot to kill himself before he dies of thirst/starvation/boredom. A Sub-Trope of both Driven to Suicide and Ate His Gun. May be the start of a Treachery Cover-Up -- partly because they must Never Speak Ill of the Dead. See also Face Death with Dignity. A particularly cruel subversion is when the villain goes to take the hero's offer... only to learn that the gun's empty. Has nothing to do with the common time-traveller's gambit in which a gun is deposited where you know an ally (or an alternate you) will be needing one later. This is a modern variation on the idea of "honourable" ritual suicide; see Seppuku and Bath Suicide. Examples of Leave Behind a Pistol include:
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