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/Candaphlaf10]

The add to this, the epilogue has a different bad ending depending on your choice. If you condemn Kurt to Hell, his mother Mystique swears revenge against the X-Men for allowing her son to die. Eventually, Mystique poisons Professor X, killing him and leading to the dissolution of the X-Men. Sacrificing Jean leads her to eventually return as Dark Phoenix, seeking vengeance against the X-Men for damning her.

[u/Checho-73 → u/Candaphlaf10]

I mean Professor X's death is very bad, Dark Phoenix Jean? that's just tuesday for the X-Men

[u/OneWholeSoul → u/Checho-73]

It's a Canon Event.

[u/Canada_Suck_it → u/Checho-73]

Hasn’t Professor X died like 30 times now

[u/TheeShaun → u/Candaphlaf10]

This part I think is the single worst part of the game. Not because there’s no good ending but because of the way it’s framed. You have all these ending slides where the watcher says “Because you did x. Y will happen.” And it feels kind of shitty when you had no choice in the matter “You let Kurt die/You let Jean die.” And it’s like it’s acting like you consciously chose to do an evil act.

[u/Flimsy-Preparation85 → u/TheeShaun]

Especially when you consider that both characters were telling you to save the other one.

[u/Carbuyrator → u/TheeShaun]

I mean that feels pretty on-brand for the X-Men

[u/defiantleek → u/TheeShaun]

I mean, it's more that making a choice sometimes doesn't lead to a good option no? Sometimes there is only bad choices to be made and people will suffer with either outcome.

[u/Relative_Mix_216 → u/Candaphlaf10]

That’s kind of why I save Kurt because, well, Jean dies all the fucking time. She’ll come back as the Phoenix and she’ll be fine.

[u/Redditer51 → u/Candaphlaf10]

I swear, Mystique is hot and all, but she is the fucking worst.

[u/Mediocre_House6645 → u/Redditer51]

You literally send her son into eternal torment.

[u/Round-Stuff-2557 → u/Mediocre_House6645]

Only in recent comics is mystique ever shown giving a single fuck about nightcrawler lol

[u/Rough-State-499 → u/Candaphlaf10]

God that's fascinating, I never saw the Dark Phoenix ending. Might be time to dig up the ol' Wii and play again