Cruel Mercy

This is "Cruel Mercy" - sparing one's enemy (or, in some examples, even actively keeping them alive) as a punishment rather than a reward.

Heroes rarely kill their enemies: they have a moral friend by remind them "If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him" if they ever get too tempted.

However, sometimes the heroes does forgive the villain or at least spare his life, but does so in a poetic yet "cruel" way.

Villains will also do this. If they are doing it for revenge, their aim will be to make the hero feel what they've gone through.

Some are mental, rather than wishing to hear So Proud of You, it's their arch-enemy's disapproval they start to crave.

Other villains are trying to make the character break down: they make them watch as they destroy what's precious to them, all in an attempt to push them in Hero's Rage.

Maybe they want to see the heroes cry or bring them over to The Dark Side. Some villains delight in showing the hero or they wonder what will happen if they Teach Him Anger or they just enjoy ignoring the hero's repeated pleas to Get It Over With.

Still more might refuse to take a life themselves but won't deny others, especially those who have been wronged by the villain, their own chance.

And sometimes, if the villain is too dangerous to let free, he is trapped in a Prison along with the people he hates most in the world. Usually, the villain or one of the hero's friends will ask "Why did you let me/him live?"

Expect the hero to give a vivid description of how they believe they are being much crueler this way.

Animated Film

 * Tarzan snatches Clayton's gun and aims it at him. Clayton taunts him to "be a man" and pull the trigger. Tarzan instead mimics a gunshot then destroys the gun, yelling that he's not a man like him.

Quote
"(Clayton scans the mossy trees looking for Tarzan. Suddenly, Tarzan jumps on Clayton, making him drop his gun. The two men wrestle each other as they tumble from branch to branch. Clayton spots his gun in some nearby vines, and reaches for it, but Tarzan pulls him back and retrieves the gun himself. He aims it at Clayton.) (Clayton: Go ahead, shoot me.) (Tarzan hesitates, Clayton laughs) (Clayton: Be a man!) (Tarzan places the gun at Clayton's throat...and mimics the sound of a perfect gunshot) Not a man like YOU! (smashes the gun to pieces)"

- Tarzan snatching Clayton's gun and aiming it at him. Clayton taunts him to pull the trigger. Tarzan instead mimics the sound of a gunshot, then shatters the gun to a million pieces. "(Otis catches Dag by the throat) Hi. Remember me? I'm Ben's kid. (Otis slams Dag to a wall and prepares to punch him like his dad did, but instead lowers his fist and glares at the coyote) Never. Come. Back! (Grabs a golf club and whacks Dag with it, sending the evil coyote soaring far into the distance)"

- Otis preparing to punch Dag, but instead orders him to NEVER return, before hitting him with a golf club and he soars out into the distance while howling in pain. "(Gaston raises his club and smashes a figure, thinking it's Beast, only to discover it's a stone gargoyle; He realizes the Beast is hiding among the gargoyles) (Gaston: COME ON OUT AND FIGHT!! Were you in love with her, Beast?! Did you honestly think she'd want YOU, when she had someone like ME?!) (This is enough provocation for the Beast, who comes out snarling: Gaston corners him once again) (Gaston: It's over, Beast! BELLE IS MINE!!) (The Beast grabs Gaston by the neck and hoists him over the roof; Gaston turns from tough to a complete wuss) (Gaston: Let me go! Please, don't hurt me! I-I-I'll do anything! ANYTHING!) (The Beast glares with fury, then his anger slowly melts. He pulls Gaston back in and close to his face) Beast (coldly): Get out!... (shoves Gaston to the ground)"

- The Beast hoisting Gaston over the roof, exposing him as the true coward he is, pathetically begging for his life.

"(After a fight, the Black Scorpion agent is cornered by the Ten Tigers, including Passepartout.) You promise me, that the Black Scorpions will never come back to Lanzhou. (puts his right fist on his left knuckles. The agent follows suit, as do the Ten Tigers. The agent then leaves with his warriors.)"

- Passepartout and the Ten Tigers cornering a Black Scorpion agent and forcing him to leave their town alone.