No redemption for you, sucker

There's a part in the latest Superman film where one of Lex's henchmen finally starts to show some remorse for what he is doing. Most of the villain's smooth-brained lackies just do horrible things with all the certainty of the truly sociopathic, but there's one dude who notably starts to doubt the plan and whines that they need to stop ripping the planet in half. 

And just when things have really gone to hell, and he gets the chance to step up and help, Mr Terrific tells him to fuck off, and just fixes it himself because he's goddamn Mr Terrific. There's no redemption arc for you here, brother. 

It goes against many of the things I personally believe in real life - that people do often deserve second chances - but also somewhat refreshing to see it in a film. That you don't get forgiven for doing terrible shit just because it finally reached the limit of your own moral code. That you have to actually face some motherfucking consequences for your actions, and any late squeamishness is not enough.

I also found this hard-nosed lack of any kind of forgiveness in the Andor television series, a show that was way more blunt and brutal in its messaging. One tiny aspect of the series was a small focus on Mon Mothma's driver, who was spying on her for the Imperials, but occasionally seems a bit conflicted and shows some remorse, and he may be having second thoughts about his skullduggery when he overhears what his alleged boss is trying to do, and when he's at the moment of laying all his cards out, we never get to see any of it because Andor shoots him in the fucking face and walks on without a second thought. Too late. No more chances for you, pal.

(It also brings to mind the great James Baldwin quote about how nobody has time for that foolishness: 'A cop is a cop. And he may be a very nice man, but I don't have time to figure that out. All I know is he's got a uniform and a gun. And I have to relate to him that way. That's the only way to relate to him at all. Because one of us may have to die.') 

It's a conceit of fiction that the bad guys always get punished and the good guys live happily ever after, and that's why you can get away with that kind of forgiveness. On the other had, it would be nice if somebody faced some consequences for their bullshit every now and then, because fuck those dickheads.