John Coffey: There's lotsa people here that hate me, lots. I can feel it. It's like bees stingin' me.
Brutus "Brutal" Howell: Well, feel how we feel then. We don't hate you. Can you feel that?
Brutus "Brutal" Howell: Well, feel how we feel then. We don't hate you. Can you feel that?
The Executioner, for some prisoners the last person they will ever see. Understandably, their very presence fills many men with dread.
However, they aren't necessarily inhuman machines who dispose of those the state, nation, or kingdom has deemed unwanted. They can be quiet, humble men who see no reason to torment or antagonize the condemned.
They may chat with them, listen to them tell their backstories, or speak of happier times in their lives, before they found themselves on death row. They may even find some of them pitiable enough that they express hope that their appeals, should they have any, are successful.
When the final hour comes, they don't mock the condemned or gloat about them deserving their fate. They may even feel that the execution itself pays for the misdeeds a man has done, if the condemned man was truly repentant.
For the purposes of this trope, the person involved need not be the actual executioner, per se, so long as they are an agent of the state that is responsible for the condemned's final moments. For example, not all of the guards on Death Row will be the ones who deliver the fatal moment, but they are tasked with keeping the condemned and seeing to them reaching that final moment.
May involve Burnout by Traumatic Job if they've been at this for a long time. May include the Prisoner's Last Meal or One Last Smoke.
Sometimes, their compassion is a clue that the executioner is secretly allied with the victim and helps them escape.
Sub-Trope to both The Executioner and Reasonable Authority Figure. May overlap with Dark Is Not Evil.
Compare Don't Fear the Reaper, where Death itself is portrayed as humane. Compare Punch-Clock Villain, where a character does evil things, but not out of any personal animus toward their victims. Also compare Affably Evil and Apologetic Attacker. Hitman with a Heart is similar.
Examples:
open/close all folders
Anime & Manga
- Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku: A pattern with members of the Yamada Asaemon clan. They're all executioners but, barring a few exceptions, they're fairly good-natured and upstanding people. Most major members of the clan struggle with it in their own way:
- Sagiri, owing to her lack of experience, is arguably the one who most overtly struggles with the direct nature of being an executioner as she earnestly wants to prove herself yet hates taking lives and harbors fear whenever she's forced to.
- Fuchi regards his work with a strong objectivity even if he has a kind nature and personally prefers to stick to medical research.
- Tenza, despite sadly not being around too long, refuses to kill Nurugai and is determined to keep her alive as he understands that she's an innocent person unjustly condemned to death by whim of the genocidal shogun.
- Senta straight-up hates being an executioner and his true calling is to be an artist, but he was pressured by his family into being an executioner.
- Shion, although a kind man, regards his work with a solemn duty and has no desire to reject the state's verdicts, yet he ironically is the only to outright defect from the clan as he comes to view Nurugai as a surrogate daughter and wants to keep her safe above all else.
- Jikka is a subversion; he generally acts friendly and easygoing yet in reality he's a Machiavellian social-climber willing to betray anyone for his own sake.
- Shugen is probably the most extreme example. He is a compassionate person and is generally morally upstanding... except when he's on the job, which has him exhibit full-blown Moral Sociopathy to the point that he has zero qualms killing the families of criminals.
- Samurai Executioner: Yamada Asaemon is the Shogun's sword expert and executioner. Despite his fearsome reputation, Asaemon is as close as one can get to being a Knight in Shining Armor as one can be in the setting it shares with Lone Wolf and Cub, and has even sworn off marriage because he does not want any hypothetical children to follow in his footsteps. His dearest hope is that the future will allow justice to evolve beyond the need for executions.
Comic Books
- Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: The Hangman responsible for executing Nathan Hale speaks cordially to him and wishes that he didn't have to hang him.
- The Sandman (1989): In "World's End", one Nested Story of the Necropolitans is about a hangman named Billy Scutt who was himself a condemned man and took the job as a way to delay his sentence. Because he knew that one day he'd be the poor shlub on the end of the rope, he made an effort to reassure the condemned and always took great care to ensure they broke their necks instantly instead of strangling slowly.
- Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #125 has Jimmy going around the world to collect tears from several different people mentioned in a prophecy of Nostradamus (It Makes Sense in Context... barely). One of these people is the bleeding-heart executioner of a near-east Qurac, who tears up over every kill but is basically locked into the job due to his family lineage.
Films — Animation
- Tangled: The Captain of the Guard for the kingdom comes to deliver Ryder/Eugene to the noose. However, despite his antipathy with Ryder over the movie, he doesn't gloat or act smug. He delivers a somber, "Let's go, Ryder." and when Ryder asks where they're going, a remorseful look from him tells Ryder all he needs to know. Contrast with Aladdin (1992, Disney), where Razoul was all too eager to send Aladdin to his final reward.
Films — Live-Action
- Alice in Wonderland (2010): Downplayed; the Red Queen's executioner shows that he's reasonable letting the Mad Hatter who is actually the Cheshire Cat keep his hat on.
Cheshire Cat: (the executioner is about to take his hat off) I prefer to it keep on.Executioner: Suit yourself. So long as I can get at your neck.
- Blazing Saddles: Boris is the state executioner (who dresses like a medieval hangman for some reason); he tries to offer words of assurance to the condemned and apologizes to others for the noise his public hangings cause.
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Played for Horror with the MACUSA executioner who speaks to Tina with the professional cheer of a nurse reassuring a small child, all while enchanting her into compliance to be dissolved. Tina doesn't appreciate the bedside manner.
"It don't hurt ... Don't that look good? You want to get in?"
- Invoked in Dog Day Afternoon. When Agent Sheldon insists on going inside the bank to make sure the hostages are all right, Sonny frisks him and remarks that Sheldon would like to kill him. Sheldon says, "I don't want to kill you, but I will if I have to." Sonny says he'd rather be killed by someone who hates his guts.
- In the 1989 Epic Movie The French Revolution Marie-Antoinette stumbles and falls into the executioner Sanson on her way to the guillotine. After she apologizes to him, Sanson responds with a compassionate "Courage, madame." This was an improvisation from Christopher Lee.
- Gladiator: Maximus is escorted into the forest by a group of Praetorian Guards, one of whom tells him to kneel so the soldier can decapitate him. As a Last Request, Maximus asks for "a clean death, a soldier's death." After a pause, the senior Guard motions to the executioner, who shifts position, preparing to stab his sword into the base of Maximus's neck.
- The Green Mile: All of the guards, save Percy Whetmore, but standing out are Paul Edgecombe and Brutus "Brutal" Howell. Indeed, when Percy is mocking the corpse of a man who was just executed, Brutal angrily tells Percy:
Brutal: He's paid what he owed. He's square with the house again. So just keep your damned hands off of him!
- Monty Python's Life of Brian: When the prisoners form a very long line awaiting their fate, they are met by Nisus Wettus, who says cheerfully and compassionately to each man in turn "Crucifixion? Good. Out of the door, line on the left, one cross each." Indeed, he's even mildly amused by the antics of Mr. Cheeky and seems to be pleased when he initially believes that Mr. Cheeky says he's been granted freedom.
Nisus Wettus: Crucifixion?Mr. Cheeky: Er, no, freedom actually.Nisus Wettus: What?Mr. Cheeky: Yeah, they said I hadn't done anything and I could go and live on an island somewhere.Nisus Wettus: Oh I say, that's very nice. Well, off you go then.Mr. Cheeky: No, I'm just pulling your leg, it's crucifixion really.Nisus Wettus: [laughing] Oh yes, very good. Well...Mr. Cheeky: Yes I know, out of the door, one cross each, line on the left.
- Rang De Basanti: James McKinley, while tasked with executing the Indian revolutionaries fighting against the British, clearly bears them no ill will, and his journal detailing how in awe of them he is inspires his granddaughter Sue to make a film about said revolutionaries.
- Robin Hood: Men in Tights: The executioner for Robin is surprisingly jovial about his job, and when Robin is freed and hands him back the noose, the executioner just makes another joke about it and lets him be rather than getting upset about his prisoner escaping. Incidentally, he's also Boris from Blazing Saddles, this time in a more period-appropriate setting, and even being played by the same actor, Robert Ridgely.
Literature
- The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins: The executioner that King Derwin sent out to kill Bartholomew doesn't want to do it because Bartholomew looks friendly. Bartholomew insists that the executioner must because it's the king's orders.
- And Then There Were None: The killer, who is killing people who got away with murder and finds enjoyment in it, feels sympathy for his second and third victims since it is clear they feel remorse for their murders and gives both of them a relatively painless death.
- Book of the New Sun: Severian is a professionally trained torturer and executioner, but being a professional, he never exceeds his remit and takes pride in his ability to end a life with merciful speed and grace. Despite being kind of an unpleasant person, it doesn't intrude on his job. The first book's Inciting Incident is when he befriends a woman on death row and ends up giving her a Mercy Kill instead of the execution sanctioned by the state.
- Claudius the God: Cassius Chaerea is condemned to death for assassinating Caligula and his family. Outside the Imperial Palace, he exchanges a few civil words with the soldier tasked to execute him.
Cassius asked the soldier who was to act as executioner whether he had had any previous practice in that trade.
"No," replied the soldier, "but I was a butcher in civil life."
Cassius laughed and said: "That is very well. And now will you do me the favour of using my own sword on me? It is the one with which I killed Caligula."
He was dispatched at a single stroke. - The Executioner and Her Way of Life: Menou takes no pleasure in killing Lost Ones, seeing it as a necessary evil. The first part of the story shows her getting close to Mitsuki, talking casually with him, and waiting until she has determined that he has a power before she kills him. And when she does, she makes certain that it is a quick and relatively painless death. She also seeks to eliminate those who summoned him to their world, knowing he was just innocent bait, and believing they were just as responsible for Mitsuki's death as she was.
Menou: [To Mitsuki's corpse] You did nothing wrong. You're not to blame for this. You did nothing to deserve death. I am the villain for having taken your life, and you are the victim. But nonetheless, far too many Lost Ones have brought harm to our world.
- In one of A Game of Thrones's first scenes, the just and honorable lord Eddard Stark executes a deserter. He explains to his son Bran that he personally executes every man he sentences to death, as doing so forces him to empathize with the condemned person, consider if the decision is truly just, and understand the weight of a life. Eddard conducts every execution with his greatsword Ice, which guarantees a clean beheading.
Eddard: If you would take a man's life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man does not deserve to die.
- Going Postal (Discworld): The hangman Daniel "One-Drop" Trooper is a cheerfully professional sort who makes a point to chat with the condemned, reassuring them and sorting out any minor last requests.
"Don't you worry, sir. I've hanged dozens of people. We'll soon have you out of here."
- The Green Mile: For the sake of brevity, any of the guards who aren't Percy Whetmore. Paul Edgecombe, the narrator, tells the audience the story of John Coffey, of the Green Mile, the death row for his state, and of how they would try to keep the prisoners calm and placated, as they were men under pressure, and thus could hurt others before they met their final fate.
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms: In the aftermath of Lü Bu's defeat at the siege of Xia Pi, Cao Cao had the defeated warlord and his generals brought before him. Cao Cao tried to offer mercy to Cheng Gong in exchange for his service, but he refused and wished to Face Death with Dignity. His willingness to die drove Cao Cao to tears, and he ordered that Chen Gong's remains be treated with honors in addition to his family to be looked after.
Cao Cao’s heart still leaned toward mercy, but Chen Gong turned and walked away, repulsing the attendants who would stop him. Cao Cao rose from his place and walked with Chen Gong, the tears falling from his eyes. Chen Gong never looked at him... The condemned man heard him but uttered no word. He stretched out his neck for the blow. Tears sprang to the eyes of all present. His remains were honorably coffined and buried in Xuchang.
Live-Action TV
- Blackadder Goes Forth: Zigzagged. The Firing Squad in “Corporal Punishment” are fundamentally nice guys, but they’re so gung-ho and desensitised to the job that only their leader sees that Captain Blackadder (marked for death for shooting a messenger pigeon) might not appreciate it.
- Rome: In "Philippi", Titus Pullo is sent to Cicero's estate to execute him. The exchange between them is entirely civil: after politely but firmly turning down a bribe to spare him, Pullo asks permission to pick some peaches from Cicero's garden, agrees to give Cicero a few moments to compose himself and say goodbye to his slaves, then advises him to kneel to make sure the kill is as quick and painless as possible. Before driving his sword through Cicero's jugular, Pullo turns to Cicero's distraught slave Tiro and says, "you might not want to watch this."
- Three Kingdoms: Several characters get dramatic execution scenes, but this trope is downplayed as the actual executioners are generally silent background characters.
- When Cao Cao defeats Lu Bu once and for all, he tries to convince Chen Gong to rejoin him. Chen refuses, even as he is escorted out for execution. Cao brings him to a hill with a nice view and tries one last time, pleading that he really can't let Chen go. In response, Chen says he is aware, but he himself decided to go and requests that Cao go through with the execution. The actual executioner takes up position with his sword and waits for Chen to finish giving his last words before executing him.
- Tian Feng acts as an Honest Advisor to Yuan Shao in all his appearances, even when it finally leads to his imprisonment, as Yuan felt annoyed he continued to advise against war with Cao Cao. Eventually, after his defeat at Guandu Yuan orders Tian to commit suicide, having been falsely informed that Tian celebrated the defeat because it proved it right. The prison guard tasked with informing Tian of the suicide order and ensuring it is done is reluctant to do so, and when Tian requests he be allowed to take his life in the courtyard rather than his dark little cell obliges. The guard tries to comfort Tian in his last moments, but Tian despairs when he looks up at the night sky and realises that the stars predict Yuan's destruction. After he cuts his throat, the guard bows deeply in respect.
- After the disastrous Battle of Jieting, where Ma Su performed a blunder so awful it forced the entire Shu army to retreat, he is sentenced to death by his mentor Zhuge Liang. Wei Yan, who has butted heads with Ma and the rest of Zhuge's cronies throughout the campaign, is tasked with seeing it through. Despite their animosity, he offers Ma a final cup of wine and promises to deliver any last words he has. Ma thanks him and asks him to assure Zhuge Ma has full faith in his ultimate victory. Moved by his loyalty, Wei tearfully smashes the empty cup on the floor and orders the executioner to strike.
Web Animation
- Loona surprisingly ends up as this on her first proper assassination mission in the Helluva Boss short "Mission: Orphan Time"; after finding out their target, Mr Wrigglers, rather than being a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing like they assumed, is a genuinely kind and charitable man even when faced with death. To Blitzo's chagrin, Loona is utterly deflated by this and ends up appeasing all of Mr Wriggler's last requests, such as saying goodbye to his dozens of adopted children and watching the sun set. She still ultimately botches a merciful death however due to accidentally shooting him in both legs and Blitzo having to bludgeon him to death thanks to a lack of remaining bullets.
Western Animation
- In Aladdin: The Series, when the Sultan is possessed by the spirit of a warmonger, he orders Jasmine to be executed by Captain Razoul for defying him. Razoul, despite his loyalty even with the Sultan's state and previous glee when he was executioner for Aladdin, is disturbed by the order, knowing she's innocent. Before the execution, Razoul apologizes to Jasmine before giving her a Secret Message Wink, cluing her in as he cuts through her ropes instead and frees her.
- Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal. Played with for Kamau, an intimidating brute who's actually a Gentle Giant forced to serve a tyrannical queen for his daughter's safety. After Spear and Fang stage a failed escape on the Colossaeus, Kamau is set to be Fang's executioner. In his moment of hesitation, Kamau, finally seeing how far he's strayed from the man he was, decides to end the cycle of abuse and cuts the chain holding Fang so they can end their servitude at last.
- The Simpsons: Played for Laughs in "Margical History Tour", when Henry VIII's executioner (Wiggum) leaves a magazine in the basket for Anne Boleyn's head to read after he chops it off.
Real Life
- Albert Pierrepoint
was the official hangman of the UK from 1941 to 1956 (though he participated in his first execution in 1923). In his own autobiography, he stated that he tried to give them dignity in their deaths, as that was the only mercy he could show them note . An example of this is when he had to execute a regular customer at a pub he ran when not on duty: the doomed man hesitantly greeted him with their usual greeting of "Hallo, Tosh", and visibly relaxed and even smiled when Pierrepoint returned the greeting with a cheerful, "Hallo, Tish. How are you?" Pierrepoint wrote that he went to the gallows "lightly".
