In myths, religious stories, and superhero fiction, the good side often restrains or imprisons its enemy instead of ending the threat for good. Is that mainly a storytelling choice, or are there other reasons?
Why do stories leave the evil counterpart alive?
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Keelson
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For fiction, the practical answer is that a recurring villain gives the story ongoing conflict. If the hero permanently removes the threat, that particular story is over. It can also make the hero’s limits, rules, and choices part of the drama, rather than treating victory as just having enough power to destroy an opponent.
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Religious traditions do not all answer this the same way, and some do not frame the conflict as a simple choice to kill or spare an enemy. Explanations may involve human freedom, the possibility of moral change, a larger divine plan, or an eventual judgment. Those ideas can be difficult to reconcile, but they are different from saying that restraint is meant to make the enemy stronger.
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There is also a difference between stopping someone and taking revenge. A hero might believe that a dangerous person should be contained, tried, or prevented from hurting anyone, without deciding that they personally get to impose a death sentence. That can be a principled position, even if the story leaves fair questions about whether the containment actually protects people.
sablet:
That distinction helps. The weak point is when the story treats repeated escapes as if they have no consequences for the people at risk.
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Keelson:
So the rule is doing story work even when it seems like a bad practical decision?
dewpnt:
Right. A character can have a rule that creates trouble on purpose. Whether the story makes that rule feel convincing is a separate question.