What I thought @wjbc meant was that they wanted the negative outcome to happen, but it turns out what they meant was they wanted a knowledge of a potential or guaranteed negative outcome not to sway the protagonist.

I agree with you, it’s might or might not, and neither is more realistic than the other. Sometimes pessimists think they are realists, and the only likely outcome is the worst, but I don’t think that plays out like that in real life. A lot of reckless people get away with it without worrying for a long time. And some people break that leg without even needing to do something reckless!

I’m fascinated by your desire to see reckless people get their comeuppance. Is that how you feel life works, or is it just how you feel fiction should work? Or are you a particularly cautious person yourself?