Grog and Pike from ‘Legend of Vox Machina’

I’ve touched on this topic a lot because it’s an essential part of the killing machine hero.  At least I think it is.  This is what can prevent the character from going over the edge and becoming either a monster or a villain.  So, why is that?

You don’t really have to think beyond the reason we have friends or any connections.  It gives a person the following benefits:

• When you have a healthy relationship with another person or sentient being (pets count here), you nurture empathy.  You care about someone other than yourself and consider their emotions.  This can be extended to other people since you develop the skills to translate body language.  A killing machine hero with this mental benefit will be less likely to go totally berserk or snap easily.  They won’t mistake a nervous grin for a threatening facial expression.
• Friends allow you to maintain and grow your communication skills.  Through them, you learn to be open about yourself and listen to others.  You gain an understanding of how words can help to get points across instead of fists.  A rage-fueled hero with this ability could actively try to communicate before killing.
• Friends will look out for the killing machine hero and help them maintain their control in tense situations.  Since they have the connection, they can verbally or physically stop a rampage with minimal threat to themselves.  Best example here would be Black Widow calming the Hulk in the second ‘Avengers’ movie.  Just remember that it doesn’t always have to be a member of the opposite sex calming them down.
• These connections also cause us to not put ourselves in risk of death or permanent incarceration.  We don’t want to lose these people or cause them pain by putting ourselves in danger.  While it isn’t immediate, a killing machine hero can feel this way eventually.  They will no longer dive into action unless necessary and make sure they don’t commit any punishable acts.
• In general, relationships help us feel like we are part of humanity.  We don’t feel like outsiders or less than human.  For characters, this grounds them in the society they are fighting for and not having them be monsters.  Again, this mentality reduces the chance of them giving into their rage entirely.

Of course, having friends comes with a major risk.  That would be the killing machine hero ties his control to these people.  If they are hurt, kidnapped, killed, or threatened, this character will go berserk.  Think of it as a mental and emotional sacrifice that could see them go entirely over the edge.  Some might go so far that they cannot entirely come back to their humanity.  An author can create some interesting plotlines from this or give a sad finale to the hero, but one can’t have them do it and return.

What do other people think of killing machine heroes having friends?