History DeconstructedTrope / Worm

* SuperheroParadox: [[spoiler: Fittingly and disturbingly enough, it's one of the two strongest heroes around, Eidolon, is responsible for the mightiest of antagonists to exist, the Endbringers. Whilst the exact logistics are unknown (if he indirectly created or simply awakened them), Eidolon is revealed to be the reason why they rampage to begin with, because, in the words of Scion, he needed worthy opponents so that his level of power could rise to its original level. When Scion reveals this truth, it utterly breaks Eidolon, who wanted his efforts to be for the greater good, but instead caused millions of deaths and years of destruction; thus, he lets Scion kill him.]]
** [[spoiler: Scion also suffers this, albeit in a roundabout way. Being the source of half the world's powers, villains and the catastrophes they bring are all traceable to him when his true nature is revealed, including the above-mentioned Eidolon and Endbringers. Jack Slash would never have existed without him either, certainly not to suggest to Scion he try mass murder instead of heroics for a change, but this is less Jack manipulating Scion and more Scion doing what he'd been doing ever since he showed up; finding a purpose to live for while continuing his kind's experiments into power-giving. The villain he created, Jack Slash, was in the end contributing to a lifestyle Scion had existed in long before his involvement.]]

** [[spoiler:Scion's rampage ensures that Earth Bet has been decimated beyond hope of repair and billions of people across multiple parallel earths have been slaughtered.]]

* ForcedTransformation : Amy turning Victoria into a nearly immobile pile of limbs for two years leaves the latter with more than a few issues over physical touch. Worse, the process of fixing her required the use of ''stray animals'' for biomass, adding even more [[AmbiguouslyHuman self-image problems]]. At the start of the series being reminded of Amy, her physical make-up, or her time in the hospital is Vic's personal TraumaButton.

* SomeKindOfForceField: The Wretch shows that an invisible, super strong forcefield can be as dangerous to allies as enemies. A high-stress situation causes Victoria to hesitate for one second too long in cutting off her power, resulting in [[spoiler:her mother getting her head and spine almost completely crushed by the pressure.]]

* WhoNeedsTheirWholeBody: After scanning [[DetachmentCombat Disjoint]], Cradle is able to create a device that can cut up his target without any long-term damage. This being [[TheSociopath Cradle]], he immediately begins using it for threats and torture, relying on the ability to disfigure his enemies while skirting [[ThouShaltNotKill one of the few cape-rules left]]. Since (1) most people considering being sliced to pieces while still conscious ''worse'' than dying; (2) he has no problem using his weapon on {{kid hero}}es; and (3) a good amount of the mercenaries he hires are {{Loveable Rogue}}s or {{Noble Demon}}s, pretty much everyone turns against him as soon as possible.

* AllYourPowersCombined: The [[KingOfThieves leader]] of the Teeth (also known as "the Butcher") is a legacy position that only transfers onto the murderer of the [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt current Butcher]]. The holder is bestowed with a watered-down combination of all their predecessor's abilities, granting them a ''major'' powerup. However, the nature of this transfer requires the holder to carry the consciousness of all prior Butchers in MindHive form. It doesn't take very long for the various entities, at least one of which would have some UnfinishedBusiness with their killer, to drive most holders of the title insane. Despite the impressive power, most consider becoming the Butcher a FateWorseThanDeath, with good reason.

* TheBeastmaster: Bitch has the ability to turn canines into giant beasts, but lacks the ability to automatically control her creatures the way that some other [[EnemySummoner Masters]] can. This is actually the primary reason for her wanted status: her trigger event led her to unwittingly kill her abusive foster family. In order to compensate, Bitch’s power altered her mind to increase her ability to understand and train dogs. This had the side-effects of making her largely unable to read facial expressions, [[HairTriggerTemper incredibly aggressive]] in normal interactions, and more empathetic towards dogs than people.
* BehemothBattle: [[ScaledUp Lung]] is infamous in the fandom for being one of two humans to ever drive off an Endbringer alone. In theory this would be great, if not for the fact that he decided to pursue and go for the kill. You see, Endbringers [[IAmNotLeftHanded hold back]], like a lot, to avoid destroying the earth. Though Lung is able to stay alive and keep up the fight once [[MakingASplash Leviathan]] gets serious, the same cannot be said for the spectators. In fact, by the time Lung’s transformation wears off, several million people have been killed in the crossfire and the entire island of Kyushu is lying underwater.

* BigDamnHeroes: Scion only ever appears to drive off the Endbringers ''after'' they've laid waste to cities, killed droves of heroes and set society back several steps. This makes him incredibly unreliable, so instead of just evacuating with citizens and keeping out of harm's way, other, much weaker heroes have to step up to try and minimize the damage in case of the highly likely chance he won't even show up. [[spoiler:And until he decided to actually kill one of them, Behemoth]], his victories only cut the Endbringers' rampages short, since they would always pop back up again.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: [[spoiler:This ironically ends up being Scion's downfall - while his powers make him a borderline InvicibleVillain, Scion has no real understanding of human morality and emotions. Which means that when he experiences genuine sorrow over being shown the form of his mate via [[EmpatheticShapeshifter Oliver's power]], he can't manage the grief and goes catatonic, allowing Defiant the chance to finish him off]].

* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: [[spoiler:After experiencing ColdBloodedTorture courtesy of Bonesaw, Brian is unable to cope with the resulting trauma and unwilling to get [[TherapyIsForTheWeak professional help]]. Taylor’s determination to help him deal with the experience eventually leads to IntimatePsychotherapy and Brian finally reciprocating her feelings. But since the foundation for their relationship comes more from the traumatic incident than a genuine romantic connection, they fall apart within a few months. Though Taylor is genuinely in love with Brian, he doesn’t see them together in the long-run, and gratitude for her emotional support just isn’t enough to change that.]]

* DisposableSuperheroMaker: [[spoiler:Cauldron exhibits how much effort would go into creating any halfway reliable superhuman formula. For every successful SuperSerum vial, they first have to literally harvest the flesh from an EldritchAbomination. After creating their sample formulas, they conduct tests on mortally injured or terminally ill people, many of whom are abducted. Around 60% of these guinea pigs end up dying in the process. Most of the remainder are horribly [[BodyHorror mutated]]. Once the specifics of the underlying process comes to light, [[VillainByProxyFallacy Cauldron’s customers]] end up despised by a large percentage of cape society for their role in it.]]

* FaceHeelTurn: The story centers around someone going through the process of becoming a villain: Taylor has been screwed over by both the regular authorities and the superheroes she was inclined to trust, while the villains were the only ones who ever gave her any respect or consideration. Taylor isn't depicted as amoral or cruel for going "villain" ,[[SympatheticPOV but an average person driven to the fringes of society by a broken and uncaring world]].

* FieryStoic: As Spitfire explains, when you have exclusively fire-based powers, most people fall into two categories: those who burn (making it very easy to accidently [[KillItWithFire kill them]]) and those who [[SuperToughness don't]] (making your powers pretty much useless to begin with). Since the former make up the overwhelming majority of the population, unless you are a {{Pyromaniac}} like [[AxCrazy Burnscar]], a hardened killer like [[ScaledUp Lung]], or a cape with ComboPlatterPowers like [[DeadlyForceField Crucible]], you have to get pretty creative to be any kind of useful in a fight.

* HeroicSafeMode: Whenever Taylor gets into a particularly dangerous situation she copes by entering this mindset, allowing her to approach frantic situations calmly and objectively. This has the positive effect of giving her NervesOfSteel when facing some of the most dangerous people in the world. [[spoiler:However, it's also revealed that she does this by essentially dulling her emotional responses and increasing her bond to her shard. [[BlueAndOrangeMorality Notably the majority of her more unethical actions occur while in this state.]] Allowing your mind to be influenced by an alien consciousness predictably has a bit of an impact on your morals.]]

** Kid Win's diagnosed dyscalculia and ADD negatively impact his [[MagicPoweredPseudoscience Tinker]] ability, giving him major self-esteem issues that his poor fight record does little to help with. Moreover, an early spur-of-the-moment attempt to bring [[RecklessGunUsage an unlicensed weapon]] to a battle leads to massive property damage and the risk of jail time, rather than a tongue lashing.

* NeurodiversityIsSupernatural: The public generally isn’t aware that some capes have powers that severely impact their mental states; as a result, capes like Accord, [[HairTriggerTemper Bitch]], and [[EmptyShell Labyrinth]] are feared or isolated, rather than empathized with. This rarely ends well.

* SupermanSubstitute: Scion is an exhaustive illustration on the feasibility of the Superman archetype: a man[[spoiler:-like alien from a DyingRace landing on earth,]] using their [[ComboPlatterPowers multitude of abilities]] to become TheCape, and foreshadowing the appearance of other superhumans (while remaining the most powerful being on earth).

** Bitch also applies in a slightly different manner. Her hot temper and tendency to respond with brutal violence to anything that upsets her (whether justified or not) has pushed away potential allies (like [[SuperSpit Spitfire]]) while making multiple unneeded enemies (like [[BeastMan Hookwolf]]). She's also very aware that the team only tolerates her because of her combat effectiveness; this is capitalized on when the Slaughterhouse Nine play on her feelings of exclusion and make threats to encourage Rachel to kill the Undersiders and join them. [[spoiler:She even considers agreeing, albeit only for a moment.]] Lastly, the rest of the team is collectively held responsible for some of her worse actions, [[spoiler:most notably, "gaining territory" by violently assaulting everyone residing within a certain radius until they vacate.]] This is another one of the points that the PRT latches onto when concluding that the Undersiders should not be compromised with.
** On the heroes' side, there's Shadow Stalker. Her [[spoiler:bullying of Taylor out of costume]] was directly responsible for torpedoing any chance of a peaceful resolution after [[spoiler:Taylor accidentally unmasked her]], which in turn led to a confrontation ending in [[spoiler:Armsmaster's arrest and subsequent nomination for a spot on the Slaughterhouse 9]]. Her later attempts to sneak off and murder villains when her teammates weren't around results in her [[spoiler:walking into a trap set by the Undersiders, who hand her over to Regent]].

** This even becomes a plot-point in the S9 arc. [[spoiler:[[SpiderSense Jack Slash's sensory abilities]] only working on other superpowered people went unnoticed for over 20 years. It’s implied that this is because the only people who were ever sent to capture him were capes. This suggests that a single sniper could've been enough to take him out.]]
* WeakButSkilled: Armsmaster is one of the most competent tinkers and combatants in the entire Protectorate. However, the fact that he has to work near-constantly on training and improvements to his gear, just for gains that people like [[MagicEnhancement Dauntless]] can make with almost no effort, makes him very bitter. Eventually his [[IJustWantToBeSpecial drive to distinguish himself]] [[spoiler:leads him to break the truce (between heroes and villains) used to fight the Endbringers.]]

** Taylor turns to villainy because legitimate institutions have spent several ''years'' shitting on her just for existing. Her best friend lead a bullying campaign that almost ended up kiling Taylor, her teachers knew about this but let it happen, her first outing as a Cape sees one of her heroes strong-arm her into letting him [[StealingTheCredit steal credit for her defeating a villain]] and then gets mad at her due to [[PoorCommunicationKills not knowing how Taylor subdued the villain, resulting in his popularity tanking]], and she later learns that [[spoiler:one of her bullies was a member of the Wards]]. Thus, it is ''completely'' understandable why she turns to villainy.

* FaceHeelTurn: The story centers around someone going through the process of becoming a villain: Taylor has been screwed over by both the regular authorities and the superheroes she was inclined to trust, while the villains were the only ones who ever gave her any respect or consideration. Taylor isn't depicted as amoral or cruel for going "villain" [[SympatheticPOV but an average person driven to the fringes of society by a broken and uncaring society]].

** [[MadeASlave Perdition]] puts his personal vendetta over the defense effort against [[spoiler:[[HeroKiller Behemoth]]. He ends up not only killing his enemy, [[MissionControl Accord]], but attacks the people trying to prevent the murder of one of their top strategists. His attack puts both [[SherlockScan Tattletale]] (their ''other'' top strategist) and [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Chevalier]] (acting Protectorate leader) on the brink of death. While few would blame him for wanting revenge, Cody's impulsiveness is definitely responsible for a fair number of dead capes that day.]]

* TheChessmaster: Accord’s [[SuperIntelligence Thinker]] power allows him to increase his intelligence in proportion to the size and scale of the problems he addresses: he’s able to devise a 150-page solution to world hunger in under a day. However, the implementation of Accord’s power is specifically tailored to behavior-based subjects like politics or psychology, making it less useful in reacting to less [[ComplexityAddiction complex problems]], like heat-of-the-moment fights. His power also has the side effect of ''requiring'' that everything around him goes according to his expectations. His SuperOCD is so intense that things like his subordinate not calling him “sir” or one of his business meetings being interrupted have driven him to murderous rage.

* NeurodiversityIsSupernatural: The public generally isn’t aware that some capes have powers that severely impact their mental states; as a result, capes like [[SuperOCD Accord]], [[HairTriggerTemper Bitch]], and [[EmptyShell Labyrinth]] are feared or isolated, rather than empathized with. This rarely ends well.

** Accord originally wanted to use his powers to [[spoiler:solve world hunger]] via legitimate means. Not only was he ''laughed at'' for his plans, but his powers give him SuperOCD, which makes him react violently to any deviations from plans.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: [[SuperSupremacist Bianca/Goddess]] is able to successfully take over Earth Shin through using her fairly broken [[MoreThanMindControl alignment power]]. Since the ability only works on parahumans, capes made up the majority of her Shin forces, essentially creating a caste system with capes at the top. The fact that she prioritizes badass powers in her underlings instead of actual ruling competence means that her new world order collapses once she's out of the picture. Leaving a world of very cape-hostile people behind. Let's just say being a cape in Shin wasn't [[WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide super fun]] after that.

* NeverBeHurtAgain: Emma's malice toward her {{former friend|OfAlphaBitch}} Taylor stems from [[spoiler:an ABB attack that she experienced the summer before entering high school. The fact that the first hero on the scene, [[SocialDarwinist Shadow Stalker]], was willing to stand idly by until Emma began to fight back, combined with the fear of ever feeling that powerless again, led her to adopt the hero's "prey or predator" philosophy. Moreover, she began to project all hatred of her past self onto Taylor, believing she embodied the weakness Emma intended to move past.]] Tormenting Taylor allowed her to feel powerful, and her victim's refusal to fight back only served as proof that she was justified.

** AttackOnOneIsAnAttackOnAll: The closest Regent has a moral code comes from his hatred of [[AbusiveParent Heartbreaker's]] brand of StupidEvil hedonism, and it largely consists of (1) Look out for your comrades; and (2) Stick to PragmaticVillainy where possible. Unfortunately, this leaves a lot of wiggle room for PayEvilUntoEvil. [[spoiler:So when he gains [[PeoplePuppets control]] over Shadow Stalker, who had already tried to kill two of his teammates and drove Taylor to a mental breakdown, he takes things to extremes. For the record, this includes [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty casually molesting]] her, pointing a crossbow at her mother, and threatening her with PsychicAssistedSuicide. All under the justification of "it feels like [[PoisonousFriend I should]]."]]

* VillainRespect: Jack Slash, leader of the [[SerialKiller Slaughterhouse Nine]], starts a friendly conversation with Theo Anders, while waiting for the best time to slaughter him and his half-sister Aster within full view of his stepmother. Assuming he will die anyway, Theo stares down one of the most feared men in the country and tells him that, given half a chance, he would become a hero and make sure to [[GoodIsNotSoft kill Jack and anyone like him]]. The psychopath thinks this sounds like a great idea, so he agrees to let Theo and Aster live on one condition: either Theo becomes a hero and kills him within two years, or Jack murders a thousand people, ending with Theo himself. [[spoiler:[[InferredHolocaust This doesn’t end]] [[CloneArmy well for]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt anyone involved.]]]] Sometimes impressing a FauxAffablyEvil maniac is worse than becoming just another victim.

* BigDamnVillains: The intermittent truce between the Protectorate and criminal parahumans means, outside of legitimate psychopaths, most villains can turn up to fight any S-Class threat without worrying about being arrested. This also means when things are bad enough, sufficiently reliable villains can get a free pass to continue their activities unmolested. [[spoiler:Coil, the Undersiders, and the Travelers are able to ally with the Brockton Bay Protectorate, even as they plan to take over the city, because the Merchants and the Slaughterhouse Nine are a more immediate threat.]]

* VillainRespect: Jack Slash, leader of the [[SerialKiller Slaughterhouse Nine]], starts a friendly conversation with Theo Anders, while waiting for the best time to slaughter him and his half-sister Aster within full view of his stepmother. Assuming he will die anyway, Theo stares down one of the most feared men in the country and tells him that, given half a chance, he would become a hero and make sure to [[GoodIsNotSoft kill Jack and anyone like him]]. The psychopath thinks this sounds like a great idea, so he agrees to let Theo and Aster live on one condition: either Theo becomes a hero and kills him within two years, or Jack murders a thousand people, ending with Theo himself. [[spoiler:[[InferredHolocaust This doesn’t end]] [[CloneArmy well for]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt anyone involved.]]]] Sometimes impressing a FauxAffablyEvil maniac is worse than becoming just another victim.