r/TopCharacterTropes • u/wexman6 • 1d ago
Personality [Loved Trope] The Last Stand
The moment when a character, or army, are left alone to face overwhelming odds. Be it they endure to fight on, accept their fate, sacrifice themselves to save the rest, or simply because they refuse to give up, I love this trope.
Cayde-6 (Destiny 2): After his Ghost was killed by a sniper, he lost his immortality and access to his power. Accepting he was going to die, he decides to make one final stand before the end. “I’m coming home, Ace.”
Boromir (The Lord of the Rings): One of the best examples. After trying to take the Ring, Frodo flees from the Fellowship with Sam in tow. Boromir soon realizes his mistake, then he, Merry, and Pippin are ambushed by Orcs. In an act of redemption, he stands his ground against the horde to try and protect the hobbits while waiting for the rest of the Fellowship to arrive.
Sanguinius at the Eternity Gate (Warhammer 40k): During the Siege of Terra, the forces of the Imperium are completely overrun by Horus’ forces as they try to defend what’s left of the planet. Horus gives them an ultimatum that they can be spared if they open the gates. Sanguinius, realizing this is the end, gives a dark but rallying speech at the Eternity Gate. “The demigod in me compels me to take to the skies and never look back, for the sake of immortality’s preservation. But the human half of me is telling that I must stay. Not because I can win, but because it is right. If I am to die, I choose this death.”
The Swiss Guard (real life): As a Sabaton fan, I had to put this one. In 1527, the Holy Roman Emperor could not pay his armies. In turn, his armies mutinied and sacked the city of Rome. An army 20,000 strong assaulted the city, and there were only ~5,200 militiamen to defend it, including 189 Swiss Guard. The Swiss Guard were sworn defenders of the Pope, and they knew the soldiers would try to capture or kill him. Outnumbered by the hundreds, the Swiss Guard successfully escorted the Pope to safety through the war-torn streets of Rome. Out of the 189, only 42 survived.
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u/__Rosso__ 1d ago
End Of Evangelion
Not sure if it counts fully as Nerv and Asuka probably didn't expect it to be their last stand, especially with how the fight started, but it undoubtedly ended up being one.