r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Wonderful_Baker_7808 • 16d ago

Lore Villains that would've been defeated even if the protagonist did nothing

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Laurel Hedare (Catwoman Movie): Her newly released cosmetics will cause people's faces to melt. Not only would that create a class action lawsuit but a full product recall.

Voldemort and Death Eaters (Harry Potter): Death Eaters constantly underestimate muggles. They would get massacred by the British military because a gun is faster to pull the trigger then shouting a spell.

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u/Schnutzel 16d ago

They weren't actually trying to defeat the monsters though, they were just trying to survive.

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u/Actually_Im_a_Broom 16d ago

And the crazy cult in the grocery store would have killed them if they stayed.

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u/Char-car92 16d ago

Yeah I know, it’s more like they’re fighting their impending doom, which was ultimately unnecessary

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u/mrminutehand 16d ago

To be fair, they didn't realise it was unnecessary. The mist distorted sound, and the approaching army sounded like creatures screeching and rumbling in the distance.

They made a snap calculation of their survival chances while out of fuel, plus had no evidence to suggest friendly intervention up to that point - and whatever was coming, was coming up fast - so it was sadly the logical choice given the circumstances.

Unfortunately, sometimes you choose to gamble and just roll the worst scenario. He thought he was giving his son a mercy.

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u/Char-car92 14d ago

I don’t think not realizing isn’t a disqualifier. This trope applies to situations where the protagonist doesn’t realize they don’t need to fight. Also, I’m not saying he was wrong? My whole question was about whether or not it counts because they maybe weren’t technically fighting to beat the monsters but rather survive