Please Kill the Villain!
One of my biggest pet peeves in movies or books is when the hero has the villain in their sights and then... lets them go. Especially if it's a) because their girlfriend said to, or b) because "killing you makes me like you". Excuse me while I roll my eyes. So, let's discuss why I want people to stop doing this and killing their villains instead. A Misguided Effort On the surface, I get it. You don't want your hero to look like a monster, ruthlessly killing those in his path. But this is the VILLAIN. The person who up to this point in the story has committed crimes including by not limited to: Murder Genocide Sexual assault Kidnaping Assault and battery Theft Regicide Traffic violations They are not a good person. Most of the time, they aren't repentant, and thus don't deserve mercy. The hero isn't sparing an innocent life. They're letting someone go who will inevitably come back, threaten those they love, and force the hero to kill them anyway. Wh...
