The Joker: Ready for the next round?!
Batman: Always.
The Joker: What?!
Batman: I'll never let you win. Never.
Batman: Always.
The Joker: What?!
Batman: I'll never let you win. Never.
After all of their trials and tribulations, the protagonists have found themselves facing the unthinkable — they are battered, broken, and surrounded by the forces of darkness. Throwing an Evil Laugh, the Big Bad sneers at them, gloats that nothing can stop him now and his triumph is at hand.
With a defiant glare, The Hero snarls the immortal words: "Not on my watch!"
Cue the Heroic Second Wind, Big Damn Heroes, and epic rocking music, eventually resulting in a Moment of Awesome for the ages.
This trope covers the phrase used when the hero boldly proclaims how he will not allow the villain to win, regardless of seemingly insurmountable odds. As one of The Oldest Ones in the Book, this can take on many forms, such as (but not limited to) "Not if I can help it", "Over my dead body", or "This ends now."
While the trope is often used as a Pre-Asskicking One-Liner, it can also be used in quiet moments as a Heroic Vow or a show of rebellion. Due to its age, it is also frequently subverted, parodied, or otherwise played with. In more tragic versions, it can also come with a Last Stand to show that a character is Defiant to the End.
Supertrope to You Shall Not Pass!. Compare Shut Up, Hannibal! (when a hero rejects a villain's breaking speech), As Long as There Is One Man (when a group vows to keep trying for as long as it takes), and Declaration of Protection. Also see Big "NEVER!", Bring It, and X Must Not Win.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- Black Clover: After Vetto crushes Asta's arms and gloats that he will now face despair, Asta responds by defiantly looking him in the eyes and screaming that he's not giving up yet. Asta's sheer determination finally begins to crack Vetto as the rest of the Black Bulls present become equally determined to keep providing what backup they can until Asta wins.
Asta: ...Not yet! I'm not... giving up yet!
- The source of All Might's hero name in My Hero Academia. After the death of his mentor, Nana Shimura, a young Toshinori Yagi vows to fight "with all his might" to stop All for One, the series' Big Bad, and when he returns to Japan after his stint in America, he takes All Might as his hero name.
- Snow White with the Red Hair, Prince Raj, having undergone a bit of Character Development to become a nicer person, is determined to rescue Shirayuki from the Claws of the Sea, and has convinced a group of merchants to lend him the use of their ships to pursue the Claws. When the Claws sail into a series of whirlpools known as the Blue Vortex, Prince Raj orders his ship into the dangerous waters, and though he's green in the gills and has just vomited over the side of the bow, he utters a defiant, "Don't underestimate... Tanburun."note He succeeds in tracking the ship to its hidden base and smashing it.
Comic Books
- In the early days of Marvel Comics' The Mighty Thor, one of his known traits was his penchant for flowery pseudo-Shakespearian expressions. Among these was "I say thee nay!", which was popular enough for Marvel to feature it on merchandise.
Thor: Shall Thor now tremble at Loki's threat? I SAY THEE NAY!
- Spider-Man: At the end of The Clone Saga it is finally revealed that Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin, is still alive and has been behind everything harmful in Spidey's life ever since he seemingly died. He rails at Spidey asking him Why Won't You Die?.
Green Goblin/Norman Osborn: No... NO! I kill your true love, you fall in love with someone else. I destroy your life and you build another! Why won't you just fall down and DIE?!
Spider-Man: Because then, Norman, you would win. (punches out Goblin) And I will never give you the satisfaction.
Fan Works
- The Dragon and the Butterfly: For the first part of the story, Stoic serves as an Anti-Villain, as he wants what's best for his son despite not realizing that his actions were hurting Hiccup. When he, Gobber, and the Viking teens come to the Encanto in an attempt to bring Hiccup home no matter what he or the Madrigals have to say about it, Hiccup finally stands up to his father. He does this twice, the first time with a simple Big "NO!" and a Death Glare. The second time is much more epic, as he delivers a "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Stoick and Astrid's faces and finishes off with this trope (and a Meaningful Echo):
Hiccup: I'm not a Viking. I'm not your son.
- Empathy: During Big Hero 9's first fight against the Gorg, their enemy asks them what they plan to do since they're so obviously outnumbered. Riley replies with this trope (delivering a line that impresses Go-Go):
Riley: Simple. We're gonna f--- you up.
- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality: The trope is itself defied by Harry in Chapter 105, when Professor Quirrell threatens to kill hundreds of Hogwarts students unless Harry helps him get the Philosopher's Stone.
He was aware that the hero in a storybook was supposed to say 'No', but now that he was actually in a situation like this, saying 'No' didn't seem to make sense.
- Infinity Train: Seeker of Crocus: Sara, Chloe's longtime bully, has decided that she'll use the Unown who empower her to give Chloe her heart's desire (Goh's attention because the boy just can't seem to care for her like he does everyone else). Chloe, who likes demons, knows what this is about and refuses. Sara is capable of killing her on the spot, but Chloe still continues to push forward because for everything this blond bitch has done, Chloe has not given up nor will give up!
Chloe: You think you’ve taken away everything? Not even in the slightest. You will never take away my pride, my name, my voice, my smile, my courage, my hope. You can tear off my hair, and it will grow back. You can rip my outfit to shreds and I will make a new one as good as new. You can slash my face and leave scars around it, but I will still take a step forward to face the world. Because you have not taken my ability to live!
- New Stars: During a battle, one of the enemy Krill scientists tries to talk Maxx into betraying the Orville crew and helping him escape. While trying to get the clone to listen to him, he says "Good soldiers follow orders." Having just learned about his inhibitor chip, Maxx is ticked off to hear this phrase and points his blaster at the scientist while delivering this trope.
Maxx: Good soldiers defend the innocent!
- The Nightmare House: In Lincoln's Nightmare Sequence, his sisters are replaced by demon-like entities called the "Sister Snatchers", who also lock them in a glass box and do something to them that makes them pale, emaciated, and weak. The Sister Snatchers then tell Lincoln that they should replace his real sisters, claiming the sisters abused him and Lincoln is too naive to realise what he wants. Lincoln tells them otherwise:
Lincoln: The hell I am! I'm eleven! I'm old enough to know what I want and I'm old enough to know that I'd rather spend a decade locked in there with my sisters than spend a minute living with you... you creeps!
- The Spectacular Spider-Man: Lost in Gotham: When he has Rupert Thorne cornered on a rooftop after a sting gone wrong, the mob boss tries to bribe Spider-Man into letting him go. Spider-Man tells him the same thing he told Tombstone.
Spider-Man: I've said it before, I'll say it again. I don't look the other way. And I never will.
- wires and cloth: When Shockwave reveals his intention to make Bumblebee his ward and eventually make him join the Decepticons, Bumblebee retorts that he'll never betray the Autobots.
Bumblebee: I'd rather be there than with you, that's for sure. If you think that I’m ever going to give up, then you’re wrong, Con.
Films — Animated
- Shrek the Third: After Arthur turns the villains against Charming and he fails to kill Shrek, the ogre delivers one of these to the complaining (former) prince.
Charming: This was supposed to be my happily ever after!
Shrek: I suppose you'll have to keep looking. 'Cause I'm not givin' up mine. - Toy Story 3: When Lotso, the main villain, invites the toys back to join his "family" again, Jessie yells back that his setup isn't a family, but a prison, Lotso's nothing but a liar and a bully, and she'd rather rot in the dumpster than rejoin him.
Films — Live-Action
- The Jungle Book: After Mowgli steals fire from the man village and accidentally sets the jungle ablaze while running to face Shere Khan, the tiger nearly turns the jungle animals against him. Mowgli realizes that fighting Shere Khan with fire is what a human would do, not a creature of the jungle. He then throws the torch into the lake.
Mowgli: I am Mowgli and this is my home!
- Ready Player One: During the Final Battle, Big Bad Nolan Sorrento gives Parzival one last chance to surrender the final key to the late James Halliday's easter egg hunt, thus giving Sorrento full control over the OASIS. Parzival tells him to shove it:
Sorrento: It's your last chance, Wade. Last chance. Give me the key, I give you fifty million in your account right now.
Parzival: Why the hell would I ever do that?
[I-R0k hands Sorrento the Cataclyst]
Sorrento: Now personally, I don't care. I'd just as soon never set foot in the OASIS again, let alone have to deal with any of this absurdity, but I know how important Halliday's competition is to you, so...
Parzival: I will never let the future of the OASIS rest in your hands, Nolan Sorrento. - Revenge of the Sith: When Yoda confronts Darth Sidious in the Senate chamber, the latter gloats that thanks to Order 66, "the Jedi are no more!" Yoda retorts, "Not if anything to say about it, I have!" and proceeds to fight Sidious to a standstill.
- Transformers (Film Series):
- Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen:
- Megatron asks a heavily wounded Optimus Prime whether saving Sam, a mere human, was worth sacrificing the future of his own race. Optimus rebukes him and proceeds to go ballistic on him and the Decepticons:
Megatron: Is the future of our race not worth a single human life?
Optimus Prime: You'll never stop at one. [draws his second sword] I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON!! - Also used by Agent Simmons of all people when The Fallen prepares to use the Star Harvester to destroy Earth's sun.
Simmons: If they turn that machine on... no more sun. Not on my watch!
- Megatron asks a heavily wounded Optimus Prime whether saving Sam, a mere human, was worth sacrificing the future of his own race. Optimus rebukes him and proceeds to go ballistic on him and the Decepticons:
- Transformers: Age of Extinction: After Cemetary Wind mortally wound Ratchet, Lockdown offers to spare the dying medic's life in exchange for him spilling where Optimus Prime is hiding. Ratchet bravely refuses, though this would be his final act as Lockdown would take his life for his defiance.
Ratchet: Lockdown...?
Lockdown: Autobots. Decepticons. Like little children. Always fighting. Making a mess out of the universe, then I've got to clean it up. There is one way you survive: Tell me where he's hiding. Where is Optimus Prime?
Ratchet: ... never...
[Lockdown rips Ratchet's spark out of his chest, killing him]
Lockdown: "Never" is here.
- Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen:
Literature
- The Dresden Files:
- White Night (2007): There is a vow made not by the hero, but by an agent of darkness who realizes in this moment, she has a choice to make continued loyalty to her maker, or save Harry Dresden's life and soul. She chose the latter. The person is the Shadow of Lasciel, a Fallen Angel's psychic imprint living in Harry's mind. Her one job is to get Harry to take up Lasciel's coin, but as Harry is dying from a psychic attack and he continues to refuse to summon the coin even to save his life, she realizes she cannot let this man she's come to care about die. Lash, as Harry calls the Shadow, comes to the conclusion, "She ... doesn't deserve you." With that, she breaks from her Duty and works to save Harry, even at the cost of taking the brunt of the psychic attack on herself, dying in the process.
- In Battle Ground (2020) in the battle against the titan Ethnui, Waldo Butters, Knight of Faith, is a small man standing before a millennia old titan. Harry Dresden and his other allies are down at the moment and he stands alone before Ethnui as she readies her magical weapon of mass destruction on them. She calls Butters out as being alone. Butters refuses to submit as his Sword shines bright with its angelic light. When she pushes again, he responds, "I. Am not. Alone."
- The Lord of the Rings: At the Ford of Bruinen, Frodo is alone, weakened by a Wound That Will Not Heal, and facing all nine of the Black Riders with only a shallow ford separating them. With a last effort, Frodo lifts his sword and says, "By Elbereth and Lúthien the Fair, you shall have neither the Ring nor me!"
Live-Action TV
- In Agatha All Along, Jennifer uses one as an incantation to break the spell that binds her from using her powers.
"You. Hold. NOTHING."
- The Brittas Empire: When Councillor Drugget reveals to Brittas in "The Chop" that he intends on firing him, Brittas tells him that he will not take Drugget's decision lying down.
Mr. Brittas: You can't fire me. Under the terms of the Employment Act of 1985, you have to give written warning on at least three occasions of dissatisfactory service and even then, I have a right of appeal.
Councillor Drugget: Yes, we'll have to find a way around that.
Mr. Brittas: I'll tell you. I will fight you, every inch of the way. - In the Daredevil episode "Guilty as Sin", The Punisher uses it to assert his dedication to his vigilante mission:
The Punisher: What, you think you're gonna send me to a nuthouse? Some doctor, they're gonna get me to stop from doing what I want to do? Well, that ain't happening! Not on my watch!
- Doctor Who:
- Used by the Twelfth Doctor as a Heroic Vow in "The Zygon Inversion".
The Doctor: I fought in a bigger war than you will ever know. I did worse things than you could ever imagine, and when I close my eyes... I hear more screams than anyone could ever be able to count! And do you know what you do with all that pain? Shall I tell you where you put it? You hold it tight... Til it burns your hand. And you say this — no one else will ever have to live like this. No one else will ever have to feel this pain. Not on my watch.
- The various historical characters who appear throughout the series also have their moments. In "Tooth and Claw", a group of werewolf-worshiping monks plot to infect Queen Victoria with the werewolf curse. When left alone with the lead monk, though, she proves that she's not the leader of the British Empire for nothing and pulls a gun on him.
Queen Victoria: You have waited in vain. After six attempts on my life... (pulls a gun out of her handbag) I'm hardly unprepared.
Monk: You'll never get out of here, woman.
Queen Victoria: The proper form of address is 'Your Majesty'. (Fires)
- Used by the Twelfth Doctor as a Heroic Vow in "The Zygon Inversion".
- Star Trek:
- Star Trek: The Original Series: In "The Squire of Gothos", Trelaine — who claims the episode title as his own — has all but admitted that he sees the crew of the Enterprise as little more than toys for him to play with, and that he plans on hunting down all of them the way he's just done to Kirk. Kirk, unwilling to let that happen, stops playing by Trelaine's rules and starts fighting dirty, irritating Trelaine.
Trelaine: Stop that! You're beaten!
Kirk: But I am not defeated. - Star Trek: Voyager: In "Coda", Janeway learns that the "ghost of her father" isn't actually the ghost of her father, but rather an alien who's trying to kill her by pretending that she's already dead and luring her into a dimension he's pretending is the afterlife. She yells at him, "Go back to Hell!".
- Star Trek: The Original Series: In "The Squire of Gothos", Trelaine — who claims the episode title as his own — has all but admitted that he sees the crew of the Enterprise as little more than toys for him to play with, and that he plans on hunting down all of them the way he's just done to Kirk. Kirk, unwilling to let that happen, stops playing by Trelaine's rules and starts fighting dirty, irritating Trelaine.
Music
- Twisted Sister's bestseller "We're Not Gonna Take It" was originally written as an anthem for teen rebellion, but has often been repurposed to this trope.
- "Weird Al" Yankovic: Parodied in the song "Albuquerque". After a man breaks into the narrator's hotel room and steals his lucky snorkel, the two get in a fight, but the man gets away with stealing the snorkel anyway. The narrator mentions making a solemn vow to not rest until that man is brought to justice... but then he immediately forgets about the whole thing and goes to buy some donuts instead.
Theatre
- The Addams Family (2010): The family is being torn apart by the very first secret that Gomez has ever withheld from Morticia, and as he stresses over the fact that the love of his life told him "Not today" for the very first time in their long marriage, Fester tells Gomez that he's seen Morticia outside the gates, waiting to be picked up and leave; maybe forever. This causes Gomez to switch the stressful and mournful tenor of his song to a pure, romantic defiance:
"Is this the moment where I turn a little grey?
Is this the moment where my marriage vows decay?
Is this the moment where Morticia runs away?
NO!
Not today!
Not today!
NOT TODAY!" - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: The song "Not While I'm Around" serves as this, as Toby promises Mrs. Lovett that he'll never allow anything to hurt her.
Nothing's gonna harm you.
Not while I'm around.
Nothing's gonna harm you.
No sir.
Not while I'm around.
Video Games
- Bug Fables: During Chapter 5, Kabbu is forced to reveal the extent of his survivor's guilt, telling Vi and Leif that the Beast killed his mentor and friend and he was the only one to make it out alive thanks to their sacrifice despite feeling unworthy of it. It eventually culminates in him recklessly fighting The Beast, out of a desire to avenge his old friends, squandering their chance to escape. It takes Team Snakemouth getting wiped out for Kabbu to realise his mistake, upon which he gets back up and finishes the monster off, fuelled by determination and anger.
Kabbu: Vi... Leif... Because of you, I found friendship again! I will defeat this monster, not for revenge... But to PROTECT YOU!"
- Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun: At the end of the GDI campaign, Mike McNeil confronts Kane in his Cairo pyramid. Kane appears to get the upper hand in their ensuing fight before he notices he's bleeding. McNeil rushes Kane with a massive Tiberium shard and impales him through the torso to finish him off.
Kane: The Tiberian Sun has risen!
McNeil: Not in MY world! - Final Fantasy XIV: During the final confrontation with Emet-Selch at the Dying Grasp, the Warrior of Light can choose to defy Emet-Selch's insistence that they have no fight left to fight and that the First is doomed.
Warrior of Light: This world is not yours to end... This is our future. Our story.
- Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X: As Sigma transforms into his Wolf Sigma form, X declares that he will defeat Sigma.
Sigma: It's not over yet, X! The battle! The angst! The destruction! I will make you understand the true potential of Reploids!
Mega Man X: I'll finish this! Right here! Right now! I WILL DEFEAT YOU, SIGMA!! - In Persona 3, Nyx is in the process of destroying the world, and the rest of SEES was just stopped flat by her power. With nothing else to do, Mitsuru Kirijo attempts to shout her down in defiance.
Western Animation
- The Dragon Prince: Rayla takes on a one-woman mission (which even she admits is a bit stupid) to free a captured dragon from a group of knights led by Soren and Claudia. She manages to untie the ropes securing the dragon, but her swords aren't strong enough to cut through the chains, and she doesn't have enough time to think of anything else before she's seen. Despite knowing she has little to no chance of getting out of her mess alive, she claims she'll go down like a warrior. Fortunately, Calum (who uses Dark Magic to turn the chains into snakes), Ezran and Zym (who wake the dragon and get it on their side) arrive just in time.
Rayla: (her swords in front of her as she gives a Death Glare) I'm not backing down.
- The Fairly OddParents!: "Chip Off The Old Chip" revolves around Dimmsdale Elementary putting on a musical play based on Cowboy Cop Ryan McCain, whose catchphrase is apparently "Not on my watch". Naturally, the line (and general sentiment) is parodied to hell and back.
Timmy: [in Chip Skylark's voice] Not on my watch... and according to my watch, it's time to recite the Dimmsdale Pledge of Allegiance!
[later]
Timmy: Any chance you could forgive me for having Chip upstage you?
Trixie: Not on my watch. [storms off in a huff] - Over the Garden Wall: Played for Laughs in the final episode of the series (as well as Wirt's only face-to-face confrontation with the Beast). However, it also doubles as a Moment of Awesome:
Beast: Are you ready to see true darkness?
Wirt: [voice cracking] Are y— [coughs, clears throat before looking at the Beast angrily] Are you? - The Real Ghostbusters: In the episode "The Boogieman Cometh", Egon places himself between the Boogieman and his fellow Ghostbusters, walking toward the demon telling him, "No more scaring little kids. It ends here."
- Steven Universe: "Stronger Than You" contains numerous Badass Boasts from Garnet, but also includes this trope via this lyric:
This is who we are.
This is who I am.
And if you think you can stop me,
Then you need to think again.
'Cos I am a feeling,
And I won't ever end.
I won't let you hurt this planet!
I won't let you hurt my friends! - Transformers: Animated: In the series finale, Optimus Prime and Megatron fight face to face. When threatening Optimus and telling him how Cybertron will fall, Optimus has only one thing to say in response:
Optimus Prime: Bring it on, Decepticon.