This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
See also Discarded YKTTW Phlebotinum Functions As The Plot Demands
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From HasherBritarse. Look, I know my English spelling and punctuation aren't always as good as a teacher's should be, but there really is no need to change the word "till" to "'til". "Till" is, and always has been a word in its own right, 'until' is only a longer and more formal version. Nobody insists on adding apostrophes to "'on" ot "'to" on the grounds that 'they're short for "upon" and "unto",' do they?
Dark Sasami: Out of sheer curiosity but apropos of nothing, I did the research, and 'til isn't even correct. It should be till, 'till, or until. Till's had a weird history.
Nice trope, by the way.
Seven Seals: Hang on, how did Superman get "at least one new power" per movie? Superman II, yes (lots of new powers in the Fortress confrontation scene), Superman IV had the part where the effects budget apparently couldn't spring for Superman rebuilding the wall at super-speed, but what previously unseen powers did Superman III introduce?
Ununnilium: The power of terrible comedy? ^^; Hmmmm, I guess not. Okay, then, editing.
Kchishol: For that matter, why do so many people think that throwing chest symbol thing in Superman II is a power? It's a silly assumption considering it would be logical Superman would be stocking up on weapons and traps to deal for Zod and company when they invade his fortress.
(random passer-by): Heh. Someone else read the Mad Magazine parody of Superman IV. "Hi! I'm your nemesis for this movie, the Unclear Man!" "Don't you mean Nuclear Man?" "No, Unclear. All my powers are unclear, just like yours." "Just a minute while I use my Rebuilding-the-Great-Wall-of-China-Vision. Now, what were you saying?"
Ununnilium: I'm taking out "(Although that simply could have been a weapon he prepared for the Trio)" because... well, it could be, but there's no indication of that in the movie, or, indeed, any indication of what it is.
Seven Seals: Besides, there's no need to nitpick when Superman II was so clearly guilty of this trope. What's with the levitation rays the villains use, for example? Something Superman just never got around to using, or something? And if the pointlessly-teleporting-around and wrapping-your-foes-in-a-symbol are supposed to be traps he's prepared, Superman is the worst home defense contractor ever.
Cosmetor: This trope has a cumbersome name. I think it should have a shorter one, such as Plot Induced Superpower (as a parallel to Plot Induced Stupidity).
Pulled this example:
- The Flash, in Justice League Unlimited, uses this to gain one of his comicverse abilities. He is trapped in a prison cell, which was made by Mirror Universe Batman. Even Batman cannot escape, since Evil Batman could predict anything Good Batman could do. When Flash escaped by vibrating through the bars, a power even he did not know he had, Batman pointed out that nobody could predict him.
because that's not what happened. He didn't vibrate through the walls, he just sped up his heart until it looked like he was having a heart attack. Which isn't nearly contrived enough to qualify for a "New Powers As The Plot Demands", IMO.
Voltron: The titular robot should be a good example of this. As a regular section of the show, Voltron seemed to spawn a new ability per enemy, even if the blazing sword was almost universally the chief one relied on. While there wasn't really a full disclosure or a list of abilities given for the cats at any time that this viewer can recall, the fact that punching and the sword seemed enough to actually finish off the mass of enemies makes the new powers revealed plot borne, or even occasionally utterly vestigial.
Caswin: As per discussion on the Dominic Deegan discussion page, removing:
- Dominic Deegan, to the extent of being the king of the Ass Pull.
SctFn: Re the Doctor Who example, the 7th Doctor didn't die of the gunshot wounds themselves. He died because Grace was treating him like a human during surgery and not like a Time Lord. The Doc actually woke up during the surgery and begged Grace to stop, implying that he could survive the wounds himself. Thus, I'm deleting the 7th Doc part and merging the 6th part up from the bullet point. If I'm talking out of my ass, feel free to revert it.
From the Star Trek entry: "an "amnesia touch" that allowed Kirk to forget about a girl he was pining over"
I'm fairly sure that was a regular mindmeld.
