History BatmanGambit / ComicBooks

*** [[http://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1718-A In one story]], Scrooge launches an epic scheme involving deliberately [[GlobalWarming cooling down the Earth]], risking '''100 billion Euros''' of his own money in the process, and using his understanding of Rockerduck's greediness (of which Scrooge himself is in no short supply) that Rockerduck will buy the whole project off of him in the hopes of reaping massive profits. The project is a money-loser, and Scrooge reveals this only after Rockerduck has paid Scrooge. The sole purpose of this risky scheme? Scrooge was worried that Rockerduck would soon pass him as Richest Duck in the World, and this was a way to get Rockerduck to burn some money on a lousy investment and remain in second place.

* Interestingly enough, Comicbook/TheJoker, in his more serious interpretations, is immune to the Batman Gambit based simply on the fact that he is completely unpredictable. And moreover, that if he can be bothered, he's savvy enough to see through them. Worst of all is if Batman finds himself on the receiving end of a gambit orchestrated by the Joker, something writer Scott Snyder did heavily during the times he used the character in the New 52. After all, the Joker knows Batman just as well as the Bat knows him.

->'''Joker''': "The best place to hide, Edward, is in sanity!"

* ''ComicBook/LexLuthor'':
** This is the kind of planning that allows Lex Luthor, with no superpowers, to mop the floor with Superman nearly every time the two of them meet. (Until Supes eventually wins, of course.)

* Franchise/{{Superman}}:

* ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s specialty regarding Batman Gambits is using them to OutGambit villains' Batman Gambits:

* One of Tim's final acts in the ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]]'' series before becoming Red Robin involves poisoning Comicbook/LadyShiva with a toxin that will only effect her with an elevated heart rate in preparation for a fight before Shiva has even challenged him.

* In ''ComicBook/MarvelAdventures: The Avengers'', the Mad Thinker has unleashed her Super-Adaptoid and is using it to copy the powers of Quicksilver and Spider-Man. After it copied everything about Bruce Banner, Quicksilver notices some odd quirks towards the Super-Adaptoid. Quicksilver is able to get the remote the Thinker is using to activate the Adaptoid's ability, snatch up Captain America and get it to copy his abilities. To the Avengers' shock, the Super-Adaptoid stands down, proclaims the Avengers good people and flies off. Quicksilver explains that he realized that the Adaptoid's odd quirks meant that it had possibly copied the heroes' personalities as well as their powers. He also didn't tell Cap his plan because he knew he wouldn't trust him with pulling it off.

** ComicBook/NickFury performs one of these. In order to eliminate a dangerous assassin and recover the high tech rifle he possesses, Fury anonymously contacts the assassin ''and orders a hit on himself''. He manages to successfully lure the assassin into the open and kill him. The best part. The assassin is armed with a gun with X Ray Vision and a [[BulletsDoNotWorkThatWay Magic Bullet that will phase through any barriers between him and his target.]] As he's setting up his aim, the last thing he sees is Nick Fury aiming the only other copy of this same rifle ''at him''. He didn't just call a hit on himself, he slipped the assassin just enough information about his own schedule so that he'd know exactly when and where the assassin would attack.

** Hulk does not care about the Chitauri alien invasion, but he's a DumbBrute. Captain America easily manipulates him to fight with BlatantLies: first he told him that the alien leader had been flirting with Betty Ross, and then that the rest of the armada had been calling him a "sissy boy".

* ComicBook/NickFury in the ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' universe performs one of these. In order to eliminate a dangerous assassin and recover the high tech rifle he possesses, Fury anonymously contacts the assassin ''and orders a hit on himself''. He manages to successfully lure the assassin into the open and kill him.
** The best part. The assassin is armed with a gun with X Ray Vision and a [[BulletsDoNotWorkThatWay Magic Bullet that will phase through any barriers between him and his target.]] As he's setting up his aim, the last thing he sees is Nick Fury aiming the only other copy of this same rifle ''at him''. He didn't just call a hit on himself, he slipped the assassin just enough information about his own schedule so that he'd know exactly when and where the assassin would attack.

** [[EvilAlbino Tombstone]] pulled one of these off in a ''Spider-Man Tangled Webs'' story that featured him as a VillainProtagonist. After suffering a heart attack (due to his very unhealthy diet) Tombstone was arrested and sent to [[TheAlcatraz the super-villain prison the Raft]], where he quickly developed an enmity with [[DirtyCop a crooked correction officer]] and the Kangaroo, who the correction officer used as his enforcer to keep the inmates in line. Tombstone planned to murder the Kangaroo, but he had a problem – his cellmate, the Spot, learned of the plan, and didn’t want to be an accessory to murder, seeing as he was up for parole soon. Tombstone threatened the much weaker man, but the Spot betrayed the plan to the guards anyway (even though turning stool-pigeon on any inmate, much less one like Tombstone, is usually suicide) and Tombstone was caught in the act. He was sent to solitary, where the crooked officer tormented him and kept his medication from him, while the Spot was granted parole for his act. Eventually, Tombstone got sicker and sicker, until he had a second heart attack. The crooked officer knew he was in trouble, because Tombstone would be transferred, and the Kangaroo wouldn’t work for him if Tombstone survived. So his NumberTwo arranged for the guy to personally guard the villain as the ambulance transferred him so he could kill the villain and MakeItLookLikeAnAccident. That’s when Tombstone’s long-prepared escape plan came to fruition, and it was revealed that the Number Two and the Spot had been in on it all along. The Spot opened a portal to Switzerland (where Tombstone could get better medical treatment with confidentiality) and the villain killed the correction officer during the transit. (Unfortunately for the Spot, Tombstone later repaid him by snapping his neck, showing that while his heart was healed, it was still black as pitch.)

* Snively pulls something like this a few times in trying to get rid of his dear uncle Robotnik/Eggman in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog'', befitting his role as TheStarscream. The first Robotnik, his "dear" Uncle Julian, was killed when his superweapon, the Ultimate Annihilator, is destroyed - Snively had sabotaged it and knew it was a matter of time before the Freedom Fighters would find a way to aim it at him, as he was now the only one who could be killed. The second Robotnik, Dr. Eggman, was slowly being driven insane by his constant losses. All he had to do was call his new love, the Iron Queen, and let her know when the Egg finally broke.

** A Mickey Mouse story showed the Phantom Blot pulling off a magnificent gambit. It gets complicated, so listen carefully:

** The Mickey Mouse story "Ticket to Bong" has an entire African tribe pull this on Pete. Pete is expecting to receive a priceless inheritance from his uncle, and is pretending that he's [[HeelFaceTurn abandoned the life of crime]] in order to [[OnOneCondition live up to the conditions of the will]]. Unbeknownst to Pete, his inheritance is an African diamond mine that the tribe was once cheated out of, and they concoct a scheme to get it back. They organize a quiz contest with the questions are specifically rigged so that only two people -- Pete and Mickey Mouse -- could possibly answer them all. The prize for both is an overseas trip to the tribe's village. In the end, the pressure of trying to act honest, having to endure Mickey's presence, and the temptation of the nearby diamond mine ripe for the robbing, all eventually drive Pete to drop his act and commit outright burglary -- thus losing all rights to the mine, exactly according to the tribesmen's plan.
%%* The [[Literature/HarryPotter Voldemort]]-like villain from the horror comic ''ComicBook/LockeAndKey''. So far, he's been manipulating pretty much '''everyone''' into his agenda.

!!!Creator/DCComics
* In ''ComicBook/ElseworldsFinestSupergirlAndBatgirl'', ''Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}'' needed to lure ''Comicbook/LexLuthor'' to Gotham City to "bring him, set him up, and take him down". So she announced that she'd allow him build a new factory in Gotham, knowing that Luthor's ego wouldn't let him miss a chance to go there and show his genius off. Her plan worked, but thanks to ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'''s help.
* In ''ComicBook/HelOnEarth'', [[WellIntentionedExtremist H'el]] was counting on ComicBook/{{Superboy}} to destroy most of his [[TimeMachine Star Chamber]] because he was actually destroying the fueling station for his ship and freed his ship from its launchpad, helping H'el in his plan to resurrect Krypton at the expense of Earth.

!!!Creator/MarvelComics

* ''Comicbook/TheMightyThor'':

-->'''Cyclops''': I had to assume the possibility that you'd get bitten and turned. In fact, I counted on it.

** Calvin ''tries'' to pull one against Susie, but fails rather spectacularly by making the assumption that [[EvilCannotComprehendGood Susie thinks like him]]. The idea was to drop a letter containing Calvin's "secret plans" near her, she'd read it in order to foil his plans, but the misinformation contained in the letter would lead her into a water balloon ambush. The plan went wrong on Step 1, since Susie had no interest in spying on Calvin and [[EpicFail just returned the letter to him]]. The only way he could get her to actually pick it up was to drop incredibly obvious hints about how he wanted her to do it- which, of course clued her in that it was a trap. She then promptly turned the tables with another BatmanGambit of her own- instead of just going to the ambush location, she hid nearby with a hose and waited for Calvin to get impatient and check where she was, at which point she soaked him.

* ''{{ComicBook/Hellblaazer}}'': Constantine sold his soul to the devil on three separate occasions (or rather, to each of the three most powerful demons in hell). Thus when he dies and each comes to collect, they realize that they'll have to fight for his soul (to give it up to the others is unthinkable), which would either destroy them or weaken them to the point where Heaven could finally attack and destroy Hell). The only way out is to save Constantine's life (including curing his cancer)... just as he'd planned.

** ''Comicbook/WarWorld'': Superman's plan to destroy the titular super-weapong was goading Mongul into firing at Supergirl and him until overloading Warworld's circuits.

** ''Comicbook/KryptoniteNevermore'': A group of pirates raid a freighter to distract the Coast Guard. Meanwhile, the main body of their band captures a Government facility.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}: Origins'', Wolverine has a plan with ComicBook/{{Bucky|Barnes}}. The first part of the plan requires Bucky to hire a mercenary to attack Wolverine. Bucky hires everyone's favorite fourth-wall destroying, partially insane, [[{{Deadpool}} merc with a mouth]], because Bucky knows how he hates that everyone thinks he's a Wolverine knock-off -- so Deadpool will draw Wolverine into a very noticeable battle. Deadpool is also the only guy who could have a chance against Wolverine. Hence, the battle ensues, and eventually [[spoiler:Deadpool has Wolverine hanging above a secret pool so that he can drown him, which may take a long time. But then, Wolverine's son, ComicBook/{{Daken}}, shows up, Bucky shoots Daken with a special bullet that will dull his healing factor, keeping him knocked out for a long time, so Wolverine can un-brainwash him.]] It turns out, that was the entire point of everything. [[TheChewToy Deadpool did not get paid.]]

* The founding of the ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}} was likely the most elaborate example of this Trope in Marvel. With most citizens at the brink of the DespairEventHorizon after Onslaught seemingly kills ComicBook/TheAvengers and the ComicBook/FantasticFour, Baron Zemo comes up with a ''brilliant'' EvilPlan, which is to gather the former members of the Masters of Evil and use new identities, posing as heroes to gain the public's trust until they could strike by complete surprise. And it worked ''brilliantly''. Nobody, not the government, the media, nor the remaining heroes like ComicBook/((Spider Man}} ever suspected a thing. The plan may well have succeeded, had not half the original team not discovered that [[BecomingTheMask being respected and admired had more benefits to being hated and feared.]]

** A double subversion occurs in a story from the [[TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]]. Supergirl encounters Black Flame, a woman who seems to be a super-powered Kryptonian, in the process of some rather destructive vandalism. The villainess claims she's from the distant future of the year 4000, and "invites" Supergirl to view her time using a computerized exhibition device. It shows the heroine a terrible future where Black Flame extorts wealth from thousands of worlds (as in, she can blow them to little pieces if they don't comply). Worst part: she's Supergirl’s direct descendent, "Supergirl XXV", and the citizens of this distant future despise the first one just as much for starting this hated family line. Supergirl is naturally very upset, and after pursuing numerous leads (she senses something fishy here) including visiting the bottled city of Kandor, and eventually decides to unearth a chuck of gold kryptonite, and use it to erase her own powers, eliminating the possibility she could pass them down to a descendant, in effect, making Black Flame RetGone. Then Black Flame appears with a cruel laugh, revealing her ''true'' identity, that of an assistant of a criminal from the Kandor who was interred in the Phantom Zone. Black Flame had set up the plan out of revenge, leaving Kandor and using something called Red-K to increase her size, then pulled the ruse ''hoping'' Supergirl would depower herself. After listening to the powerless heroine her beg a little, she shoves Supergirl into a pit of quicksand and watches her drown. Or so it seems. [[spoiler: Black Flame gets a big surprise as the Red-K wears off, shrinking herself to normal size, because Supergirl actually figured the plan out, and was [[OutGambit outgambitting her]] with her own BatmanGambit; now that she's shrunk, Supergirl grabs her, showing her the - fake - chuck of gold kryptonite and shoving her inside a make-up compact that holds a few minute grains of ''real'' gold kryptonite. As she ships the criminal back to Kandor, the last panel of the story shows the one flaw in Black Flame's plan - a cavity in her teeth with a dental filling that Supergirl noticed while investigating records in a Kandor dental clinic, something a superpowered descendant would not have,]]

* The founding of the ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}} was likely the most elaborate example of this Trope in Marvel. With most citizens at the brink of the DespairEventHorizon after Onslaught seemingly kills ComicBook/TheAvengers and ComicBook/TheFantasticFour, Baron Zemo comes up with a ''brilliant'' EvilPlan, which is to gather the former members of the Masters of Evil and use new identities, posing as heroes to gain the public's trust until they could strike by complete surprise. And it worked ''brilliantly''. Nobody, not the government, the media, nor the remaining heroes like ComicBook/((Spider Man}} ever suspected a thing. The plan may well have succeeded, had not half the original team not discovered that [[BecomingTheMask being respected and admired had more benefits to being hated and feared.]]

*** ''Comicbook/{{Lobo}}'' tries to use Supergirl's rage against her by taunting her into not holding back. As such, Dr. Veritas teleports them out of the Block to prevent their fight from damaging it. Once outside, Lobo calls his ship and flies to Supergirl's old apartment in New York, hoping to calm her down. He then tries to be friendly to her offering to mentor her so she can learn to control her rage. Big mistake. Supergirl has had it with people trying to manipulate her and gives him a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.