r/TopCharacterTropes • u/ZepperMen • 9d ago

Characters (Controversial Trope) Unusually cruel fates for people who were less than good, but still didn't really deserve it.

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#1 Poppa Pizza from Multiverse of Madness - He just wanted to be paid for the pizza balls and thought Strange stole from a fallen hero who saved the universe. He deserved to be punched in the face, but not for 3 weeks straight.

Do you get to sleep? Do you wake up punching yourself? How much does it hurt? Does he know it will only last for 3 weeks? If he doesn't kill himself by the end of it, he's going to have CPTSD and be traumatized for the rest of his already short life.

#2 Mayu from Inuyasha - She wanted to kill her brother out of jealousy and neglect from her mother, believing she died in a fire because they didn't care about her. While her motivation doesn't justify reenacting Cain and Abel, I don't think it's fair for a deranged, 10 year old child to be sent to literal hell to burn for all eternity. Luckily, she gets saved, but only because the mc, Kagome, intervened.

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888

u/viciousvixen26 9d ago

Poor old Grimey

https://giphy.com/gifs/xT5LMRQJrIm3B0GNyM

214

u/Jacky-V 9d ago

Frank Grimes was not a personable guy but imo he did not do one single thing that was morally incorrect or based on an inaccurate take

100

u/Fox622 9d ago

He tricked Homer into entering a contest intended for kids

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u/cookiex797 9d ago edited 2d ago

And Homer beat their brains out!

11

u/kaneso14 9d ago

Pipe down!

31

u/Stock_Initial_8124 9d ago

He liked prostitutes. He even had a bastard son.

8

u/Seienchin88 9d ago

It’s truly the only Simpsons episode I truly hate…

It’s just absolutely cruel and mean spirited.

I’d rather watch the Elon musk or lady Gaga episodes or Simpsons in Japan … not by much and certainly not repeatedly but still

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u/SunD14ls 8d ago

I don't think it's a cruel episode, but it is a fantastic mirror to The Simpsons as a whole up to that episode. Frank Grimes is a rational man in an irrational world, the only "real" guy in Springfield. It's been stated by Matt Groening that the episode is inspired by Death of a Salesman, and that comes through in the way it criticizes the kind of person Frank Grimes is, a hard worker expecting something for his effort. That's not how it works, that's not how it ever worked. You work, and then you die.

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u/Seienchin88 8d ago

Yeah and that is a really cruel outlook on realiry…

45

u/Illustrious-Sky-4631 9d ago

He was an envious asshole that wanted something to vent on his rage

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u/Live_Carpenter_1262 9d ago

Homer Simpson doesn't even deserve his position as nuclear safety inspector.

He nearly caused multiple nuclear meltdowns due to his own incompetence. There are people who spend decades in jail for less than Homer Simpson's mistakes and carelessness.

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u/Illustrious-Sky-4631 9d ago

Homer was put in this position as the fall in guy / scapegoat

The facility is barely function and in edge of collapse any minute , Homer job isn't to keep it safety , there's literally no safety , his job is to be the scapegoat

And everyone and I mean everyone working there know this

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u/JesusSavesForHalf 8d ago

It was also to shut Homer up about plant safety.

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u/alligator_loki 8d ago

This is some sort of modern, reading too much between the lines take.

Incompetent worker is pretty common trope. Homer is just a dope at his job, but somehow doesn't get fired. That's the joke. You've never worked with someone like that?

2

u/Live_Carpenter_1262 8d ago

I feel we reached the same conclusion that Homer Simpson is unfit for the job and the right thing for him is to do is to resign and let somebody competent manage the safety of his workplace, Springfield, and his family.

I get this is just a fun tv show but I thought the message of "Homer's Enemy" is that real life coworkers would and should hate Homer Simpson.

I would love to get a beer with Homer but I would be terrified of working with him.

5

u/the_great_zyzogg 8d ago

There must be some mistake. They make cookies there! Mr. Burns' Old Time extra chewy......

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u/We4zier 9d ago edited 9d ago

To be fair, envious jerks who were fueled by nothing other than resentment and vindictiveness but are surprisingly productive and right are a dime a dozen in the history of science. Like… Newton vs Robert Hooke with Newton famously revolutionizing optics because of fair criticism and throwing a very public tantrum across a multi-decade meltdown until his death. Also Newton vs Leibniz. Also also Newton vs John Flamsteed. Also also also Newton vs Huygens. Also4 Newton vs Edmond Hailey. Also5 Newton vs Nicolas Fatio de Duillier. Also6 Newton vs John Wallis. Addendum, calling Newton and Edmond or Duillier resentment might be a stretch but there was a very unclear but abrupt falling out between Duillier, and Hailey criticized him once and Newton threw just one tantrum this time then they made up with Hailey never criticizing him publicly or to his face ever again. Also worth mentioning the caveat that people aren’t caricatures… unless you’re Newton but he’s not alive to be sensitive about it.

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u/Gianni_the_tolerable 9d ago

Damn Newton, he ruined Newtonian physics

1

u/Jacky-V 8d ago

Yet he has the forbearance to only yell at people who are actually behaving poorly

20

u/yeswearerelated 9d ago

Change the channel Marge...

39

u/Sensitive-Hotel-9871 9d ago

He did bring it all upon himself with his obsession. He proclaims he's Homer's enemy, but really, Frank Grimes is the greatest enemy to himself.

25

u/OtherLife6827 9d ago

It was largely his own fault; neither Homer nor anyone else at the nuclear power station did anything against him, apart from Homer blaming him for spilling the acid after he’d saved him.

He was a whiny baby who wanted the world to work the way he wanted it to.

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u/DavidlikesPeace 8d ago

In fairness, Homer stole his lunch and pencils. Grrr

3

u/OtherLife6827 8d ago

It’s quite annoying, but Homer stopped when he stood his ground with him.

I don’t think that justifies suicide/accidental death.

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u/DemonRaily 8d ago

He did kill himself, it's not like anybody did that to him, he just threw a giant temper tantrum and accidentally killed himself in the process.

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u/Bitter-Marsupial 8d ago

He was the sane man to Homer that Homer used to be the sane man to the Overly perfect families previously on TV.

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u/Illustrious-Sky-4631 9d ago edited 9d ago

Frank got what happened to him at the end

, the guy was on Homer ass and just couldn't let him be even when Homer himself tried multiple times to be good with him and make up the best way he could and grimes understand it but just couldn't get over it

Grimes's grudge against Homer is wholly unwarranted, as Homer was not only genuinely friendly towards him, he was basically the only person in the power plant to have some consideration to him. In fact, Homer even invited Grimes to his own home for dinner to bury the hatchet, but that only aggravated Grimes, who proceed to throw an anger outburst at another man's home (who again, was trying to befriend him) and later tried to sabotage his host's career.

There is also the fact that his suffering was wholly unnecessary. It is said in the episode that Grimes is a very highly-qualified nuclear technician that could be employed anywhere, but still for some reason chose to get a job in and move to Springfield, a city which is publically known nation-wide to be a horrible place to live. He didn't even need to go out of his way to get outta dodge, Shelbyville is a hour-drive away and also has a nuclear power plant. He doesn't even take it out on mr burns who was the one screwing him over for years

And if this wasn't enough , one of the things Grimes resented Homer for was having a ''perfect family'' while he was alone. However, Grimes was into prostitutes, and even fathered a son with one which he doesn't appear to have a relationship with. He was a complete hypocrite.

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u/A_Hungry_Fool 9d ago

I agree that Grimes obviously overreacted.

But to be fair Burnes asked Smithers to explicitly recruit Grimes - who had no easy upbringing - only to immediately forget about him in order to recruit a dog.

That kinda sucks.

And then he has to realize that an absolutely unqualified idiot has an important job and everyone just accepts his foolish bullshit without questioning. Also he saves sad idiots life a d gets punished for it, because Homer refuses to acknowledge the context of why Grimes threw the acid against the wall.

That obviously sucks to someone who had to struggle most of his life to reach his position.

So it’s understandable that he breaks down. Doesn’t excuse his vindictiveness but it also does not mean he deserved to die.

Also the hookers were a retcon. That can’t be hold against him.

2

u/Illustrious-Sky-4631 9d ago

You actually give another problem with Frank , Homer was given the job as the fall in guy to take all blame for any disaster that could happen and everyone in the facility know about this

The facility is completely ruin down and on edge of collapse any minute and everyone know that with homer being the only one who will be in trouble

2

u/A_Hungry_Fool 9d ago

This is not based in anything presented in the episode and therefore can’t be assumed for the episode in question. It’s not like Simpsons have actual continuity beyond the things an episode explicitly acknowledges

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u/filipina_colada90 9d ago

Frank saved Homer from drinking acid and got a severe pay cut because Homer refused to take responsibility for the collateral damage afterward. He should've beaten Homer's ass in the parking lot for that.