The "Sadistic Choice" is an extremely common theme in media concerning villains, especially those involving "good versus evil" scenarios such as superhero fiction or adventure - though it can be found in almost any media that has at least one active villain. The concept is simple yet often strikingly effective, it is when a villain gives a protagonist (or hero) an extremely cruel choice - such as preventing the suffering of one individual at the cost of another or the chance to defeat them, only to reveal that should they do so they'd cause more damage.