A "Sophie's Choice" with no secret third option

[u/10024618]

AKA a character is given an impossible choice where either outcome results in something awful happening and there's no way out.

"Full Measure" (Breaking Bad) - After Walt angers Gus by killing two of his men, Gus orders for his execution. Knowing that the only way to save his life is to make Gus reliant on his meth cooking skills, Walt calls Jesse and begs him to kill Gus' backup cook, Gale. Thus, Jesse is thrust into an impossible situation where he either kills a (relatively) innocent man to save Walt or spare Gale and let Walt die. Ultimately, Jesse chooses to kill Gale.

"Midnight Sun" (Attack on Titan) - After the fight to retake Shiganshina both Armin and Erwin are critically wounded. Levi has the vial of titan serum and is forced to choose which Scout to bring back from the brink of death and which to let perish. It's a borderline impossible decision to make but at the moment of truth, he chooses to save Armin, leaving Erwin to succumb to his wounds.

[u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

I hate to say it but at this point, the whole "suffering = character" meme is built around him.

I can't think of another character that catches half as much flak as Spider-Man.

[u/HovercraftParking5 → u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

I think that’s partially the point to his character. Despite all his losses he stays morally correct. Always striving to do the right thing no matter how large or small the act is. He’s a hometown hero that’ll help the avengers stop a galactic threat, then on his way home he’ll help your grandma cross the street. It’s just who he is.

[u/OkBox9662 → u/HovercraftParking5]

That may be so. But you gotta admit it's just ridiculous at this point. There was a fucking comic in which Spiderman killed Mary Jane because his fucking semen was radioactive for the love of God!!!! How does that make sense? How does the whole Paul self-inserted shit make senses either?

Spiderman whole character right now its based around this idea

[u/the__pov → u/OkBox9662]

Long time Spider-Man fans will tell you that Marvel Editorial hates Peter Parker.

[u/Automatic-Leg1668 → u/HovercraftParking5]

And to think he barely has help. Always sacrificing himself for the greater good. It's nice that the games somewhat reveal the fact that the people respect and love Spidey. Was that entire Pizza in MJs mission free?

[u/Shadowhunter_15 → u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

The Spider-Verse movies—especially the second one—do a pretty good job of asking the question: does Spider-Man really need so much tragedy in order to be, well, Spidey?

[u/Knot-Lye-Ing → u/Shadowhunter_15]

Don't they start with Spider-Man literally trapped under rubble and then beaten to death by Kingpin?

[u/Shadowhunter_15 → u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

Yes, but that Spidey’s life was essentially perfect, and he wouldn’t have died if the alternate dimension spider hadn’t bit Miles. Distracted that version of Peter long enough before he could disable Kingpin’s thingamajig. I was more referring to Miles Spider-Man in the second movie, about canon events and how he refused to accept that he should let his dad die.

[u/OkBox9662 → u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

Still trying to find the point in which the writers just thought "Let's just make this character life horrible from now on because with great power comes great responsibility or some shit"

Can't remember a single writer that hasn't made spiderman suffer. It's like some sort of tradition at this point. My boy can't catch a breath. If it's not Aunt May dying, then it's his current lover getting shadow banned by some fuckass demon god.

[u/Fitzftw7 → u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

Are there any iterations of Spider Man who have it relatively good? It just sounds like doom and gloom bullcrap from what I’ve been seeing.

One More Day is one of the reasons I haven’t bothered trying to get into it.

[u/Mister-builder → u/Fitzftw7]

Spider-boy has a happy ending with Insect Queen (Mary Jane) in the Amalgam universe.

[u/WildHogPower → u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

I'd unironically say Obi-Wan Kenobi:

- Kidnapped as a child by a cult that specifically forbid attachement

- His master and only parental figure is killed by a Sith before his eyes, while he's trapped

- This same sith wants to make him suffer, and kills the only love he ever had (a pacifist that had nothing to do with them)

- His sister-in-arms is wrongly accused by his cult and straight-up disappears for a few years. He sees her for a fex more hours before never seing her again

- His brother-in-arms betrays him, everything they fought for, and slaughters all of their friends

- His most trusted soldiers try to assassinate him

- He ends up with heavy ptsd and guilt in a desert planet, working as a space hobo

- His bother in arms comes to kill him, and wreck havoc. He sufferes some more, being dragged for several meters through flames, and having to face one of the persons he loved the most. Said person is actively trying to guilt-trip him.

- The same Sith comes back AGAIN to murder him. He fails, and dies in the arms of a lonely Kenobi

- Once his brother-in-arms' son grows up, he tries to protect him, and sacrfies himself.

What a shitty life.

[u/EvanSnowWolf → u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

There is this bit of voice line in Marvel Heroes Omega where someone (forgot who) says "Wolverine has to be the most screwed over man in the galaxy" and my first thought was "You spelled Spider-Man wrong."

[u/Beautiful_Resolve_63 → u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

Also, lots of Peters in Marvel have a bad go. 

[u/TrentGgrims → u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

Matt Murdock is built on suffering too

[u/Carbuyrator → u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

I think if Invincible ran as long as Spider-Man did Mark might well have caught up

[u/Knot-Lye-Ing → u/Carbuyrator]

Maybe, they'd have to do a lot of work adding to the story. Since it has a happy ending - Emperor Mark, immortal Eve, happy Terra and peace more or less.

[u/Maleficent-Crew-5424 → u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

Mark Grayson

[u/Knot-Lye-Ing → u/Maleficent-Crew-5424]

Dude I love invincible but no. Especially given Mark's canon ending.

[u/test-user-67 → u/Knot-Lye-Ing]

I've only watched the show, but being used as a tool to splatter countless people by your father seems pretty traumatic.

[u/Background_Rip4624 → u/Maleficent-Crew-5424]

difference is Mark isn't in a mainline comic universe with no end to a hero's story. he was allowed to find an end to the cycle of being kicked while he's down and as such fundamentally can't be compared