History IdiotBall / Comicbooks

** Twilight Sparkle becomes the [[IncrediblyLamePun reining champion]] of major league idiot ball in ''Fiendship Is Magic 5''. [[spoiler:Queen Chrysalis asks for a book and Twilight wants to oblige, but the book won't fit through the slot. She proceeds to ''open the door and wander right into the cell'' without even considering if it might be a trap. Of course it is, she gets the living crap kicked out of her for it, Queen Chrysalis and her entire army escapes ([[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and steal the book to boot]]), and fans were ''[[https://www.derpibooru.org/885232 pissed]]''.]]

* ''{{Comicbook/X-Men}}'': Xavier excusing Cyclops's rape by Emma Frost (while treating him for PTSD, acting as his therapist, she tells him the best way to treat it is to have psychic sex with her) on the grounds that "she did it because she loved him!"
* Scott leaving his wife and son behind to reunite with Jean Grey in ''ComicBook/XFactor''. Would a man who grew up in an orphanage ''really'' abandon his kid?

* In AXIS, Sam Alexander, the second Nova, spent most of the event jumping from one screw up to the next, most of which admittedly weren't entirely his fault. However, he managed to trump all of these when he decided it was a good idea to reveal his civilian identity to Carnage.

** Parker supposedly went to those contacts, but it was shown that all of those people couldn't help him. That means guys who could take a left arm, brain, and half a heart and ''[[FromASingleCell rebuild a person from those pieces]]'' couldn't heal a gunshot wound. [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]], a man without any real medical knowledge, managed to build a super pacemaker [[MemeticMutation IN A CAVE! WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!]], but there was no one who could take care of a simple gunshot wound. This wasn't an idiot ball, this was a galactic-scale IdiotPlot. It was stated (exactly once, probably in an attempt at an AuthorsSavingThrow) that by the time Peter started making the rounds looking for help, May was already brain dead. There was, for all intents and purposes, no one left to save. Still doesn't explain why none of Spidey's allies stepped up to offer assistance when word got out, especially when you consider that Reed Richards of the Comicbook/FantasticFour once ''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome built a portal to heaven and accosted God-Mode Jack Kirby]]'' to get Benjamin Grimm back from the dead. Most of them, especially Comicbook/DoctorStrange, spouted some vague ObstructiveCodeOfConduct stuff to refuse helping (never mind how each is perfectly willing to spank reality whenever convenient). At least they offered the good advice that Peter should let his worries go and just enjoy his last day with his aunt. Sadly, despite the entire universe telling him this is a bad idea, [[JoeQuesada Joe -- I mean Peter]] couldn't stand to see his mother figure die because of his enemies. The guy's also best friends with most of the X-Men, who have on their team an Omega-class mutant (Elixir) who was able to bring Shadowcat, Colossus, and several other mutants back from total death. What keeps him from bringing May back? This is a ''reeeeally'' glaring plothole, because apparently there is '''ABSOLUTELY NO-ONE IN THE ENTIRE MARVEL UNIVERSE''' that can help her. Hell, {{Doctor Doom}} of all people was completely unable to do anything!
** And really when you think about it, the true idiot ball goes to the writers. Because they chose to go with a complicated, crazy, and ultimately laughably bad search plan (Having Spiderman literally be in a dozen places at once asking for help from the above people who SHOULD be able to help but for no reason can't), instead of going for a simpler, more believable route (Spiderman simply didn't have the time to get help, or something prevents him from asking). There's a huge difference between Doctor Strange bending reality around Spiderman and failing to heal a gunshot wound and just you know... not being home at the time, both lead to the same result.
** Arguably even MORE idiotic is Spidey's actions in ''ComicBook/CivilWar''. Yes, Spider Man. Reveal your secret identity to the public. [[ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied Sure, last time one of your enemies had it, you underwent a tragedy that took you years to cope with, cost an innocent life, and you still angst about to this day]], but it's not like you didn't learn from that! Hell, Spidey's most frequent partner is Daredevil! Did we all just forget "Born Again"?!
*** It was hinted, though, that Tony forced him into that - if Peter wouldn't unmask, Tony would walk out and broadcast it.
* ''{{Comicbook/X-Men}}'': Xavier excusing Cyclops's rape by Emma Frost(while treating him for PTSD, acting as his therapist, she tells him the best way to treat it is to have psychic sex with her.) on the grounds that "she did it because she loved him!"

* ''WorldWarHulk'' in its entirety, but Doctor Strange really stands out because they had to go waaaaaay past the point of stupidity to have him lose to Hulk in a way that is even in the same galaxy as believable. Strange on his own could kill or incapacitate Hulk as easily as blink at him; being the Sorcerer Supreme he's capable of altering reality on a universal level, but for some reason he felt the need to channel the powers of an even stronger demon and engage Hulk in a fist fight. Having to focus on keeping said demon from escaping is what allowed Hulk to take advantage of this distraction and crush his hands.

** Arguably even MORE idiotic is Spidey's actions in ''ComicBook/CivilWar''. Yes, Spider Man. Reveal your secret identity to the public. [[ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied Sure, last time one of your enemies had it, you underwent a tragedy that took you years to cope with, cost an innocent life, and you still angst about to this day]], but it's not like you didn't learn from that!

* Carried several times by TheRival Herminus in ''ComicBook/{{Swordquest}}''. To pick the worse example, he follows the protagonists to a LethalLavaLamp, finds a [[PlotCoupon magic chalice]] ahead of them, replaces it with a decoy... and then ''gladly turns it over'' when the heroes arrive, and leaves to go treasure-hunting. Egregious when you realize that the chalice is a never-ending source of water in a land of unending heat, and doubly so when the heroes discover that it's also a PortalPool to another realm.

* One ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' story from ''ComicBook/NintendoComicsSystem'' involved an actual Idiot Ball; the Stupid Bomb. Anyone caught in its blast radius would be temporarily rendered mind-blowingly stupid (Save King Toadstool, who's already at the bottom of the IQ ladder as it is). By the end of the story, almost everyone (Good, bad) is made an idiot. The antidote for the Stupid Bomb was the Smart Bomb, but they were all used up making one lone Snifit smart enough to dethrone Bowser and take over- luckily, with the rest of Koopa's army dumbed down, he couldn't do anything.

* Cecil Stedman grabs hold of this hard several times in ''{{Invincible}}''. Notable examples include hiring D.A. Sinclair, a guy who performed horrific experiments on innocent people to make them cyborg slaves, and expecting Invincible to be OK with it. Even though he knows one of the guy's victims was Mark's friend Rick Sheridan, and he's seen first-hand how psychologically destroyed the experience left the guy. Then there's the fact he kept Conquest, a guy who required a DeusExMachina from Atom Eve to be weakened enough for Invincible to defeat him. An experience that left him with both arms and a leg broken as well as three concussions, possibly from where Invincible had to headbutt him to death.

* The IDW ''[[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]'' comic has this happen to all the six protagonists: when the changelings prey on their insecurities by mimicking their friends' appearances and voices and insulting them, they instantly fall for the charade and begin hating each other... not once stopping to consider that they're up against ''changelings'', who are deceptive, manipulative creatures known for their ability to perfectly mimic voices and appearances. Not to mention that the protagonists have at least once in the past faced [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 a foe who deliberately sowed dissent among them]], so they shouldn't fall for it so easily a second time.

* ''{{Comicbook/X-Men}}'': Xavier excusing Emma trying to mentally seduce Scott while she was treating him. As one who believes so strongly in his ethics, he would not have stood for that. He would have thrown her out, regardless of whether anything physical occurred. It's not as though Xavier never misused his power, but he still has standards (but now writers are trying to RetCon those standards away).
** Also, Scott leaving his wife and son behind to reunite with Jean Grey in ''ComicBook/XFactor''. Would a man who grew up in an orphanage ''really'' abandon his kid?

** One of the more glaring examples: #8 emphasizes that due to her TrainingFromHell, {{X-23}} is constantly [[SherlockScan studying her surroundings]] and [[AwesomenessByAnalysis determining the best way to kill everyone around her]]. So of course, [[spoiler: in #10 she [[LeeroyJenkins blindly charges into a fight with Apex]], who has control of a freaking ''Sentinel''. After having her ass kicked as quickly as one would expect, she then hands the ball off to Apex herself, who completely forgets about Laura's HealingFactor and fails to finish her off when she had the chance. This despite Laura arguably being the most dangerous of the kids ''in'' Murder World, and certainly one of the best-equipped and trained to survive in it.]]

** Also, Scott leaving his wife and son behind to reunite with Jean Grey in ''XFactor''. Would a man who grew up in an orphanage ''really'' abandon his kid?

* The entirety of ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan'' was pretty much this as the book made everyone Peter knew - friends, coworkers, teammates - essentially complete idiots so that they wouldn't realize that Peter was acting suspiciously off. This was pretty much {{Lampshade}}d in the first two post-"Dying Wish" issues of ''Avenging Spider-Man'', where Rachel Summers and a group of TimePolice respectively attempt to blow the lid off, only for [=SpOck=] to stop them.

* The entirety of ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan'' was pretty much this as the book made everyone Peter knew - friends, coworkers, teammates - essentially complete idiots so that they wouldn't realize that Peter was acting suspiciously off. This was pretty much {{Lampshade}}d in the first two post-"Dying Wish" issues of ''Avenging Spider-Man'', where Rachel Summers and a group of {{Time Cop}}s respectively attempt to blow the lid off, only for [=SpOck=] to stop them.

* Much of the interpersonal conflict that fractured the ''{{Runaways}}'' during the "Home Schooling" arc (which in turn resulted in the series' cancellation and condemned the team to C-ListFodder status) probably could have been avoided if someone had thought to keep the obviously-pissed Chase and the apparently-dead Old Lace as far away from Klara as possible until she'd calmed down enough to retract all the vines that were trapping them in their home. Instead, Chase is given a front-row seat, from which he actively makes the situation worse by tormenting Klara, ultimately causing Nico to defuse the situation in the some of the worst ways imaginable - by using a spell to magically tranquilize Klara and making Old Lace's body disappear. As if to highlight the presence of the idiot ball within that story, the collected edition contains a "What If?" story in which the Runaways became the Young Avengers and Iron Lad took over the team. Molly gets critically injured, and one of the first things they do is keep everyone away from her while she's convalescing...

* ''IdentityCrisis'' hinges on "[[Franchise/{{Batman}} The World's Greatest Detective]]" and countless others [[spoiler:not checking phone records of the deceased]].

** Arguably even MORE idiotic is Spidey's actions in ''ComicBook/CivilWar''. Yes, Spider Man. Reveal your secret identity to the public. [[TheNightGwenStacyDied Sure, last time one of your enemies had it, you underwent a tragedy that took you years to cope with, cost an innocent life, and you still angst about to this day]], but it's not like you didn't learn from that!

* {{Comicbook/Superman}} and the Flash are probably the heroes most prone to these, given that one has ridiculously powerful ComboPlatterPowers, and the other has the ability to move at [[SuperSpeed several hundred times the speed of light without breaking a sweat]], and drain time and perception of time out of things. "What's that you say? Villains including a man who can absorb powers through touch, a woman who can turn into electricity on a whim, and a man powered by Kryptonite, my greatest weakness, are all after me? I'm gonna go punch 'em!"

* The IDW ''[[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]'' comic has this happen to all the six protagonists. They hear what sounds like the voices of their closest friends, insulting them and attacking their insecurities, and they immediately fall for the trick and begin hating each other... not once stopping to consider that they're up against ''changelings'', who are deceptive, manipulative creatures known for their ability to perfectly mimic voices and appearances. Not to mention that the protagonists have at least once in the past faced [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 a foe who deliberately sowed dissent among them]], so they shouldn't fall for it so easily a second time.

* Much of the interpersonal conflict that fractured the {{Runaways}} during the "Home Schooling" arc (which in turn resulted in the series' cancellation and condemned the team to C-ListFodder status) probably could have been avoided if someone had thought to keep the obviously-pissed Chase and the apparently-dead Old Lace as far away from Klara as possible until she'd calmed down enough to retract all the vines that were trapping them in their home. Instead, Chase is given a front-row seat, from which he actively makes the situation worse by tormenting Klara, ultimately causing Nico to defuse the situation in the some of the worst ways imaginable - by using a spell to magically tranquilize Klara and making Old Lace's body disappear. As if to highlight the presence of the idiot ball within that story, the collected edition contains a "What If?" story in which the Runaways became the Young Avengers and Iron Lad took over the team. Molly gets critically injured, and one of the first things they do is keep everyone away from her while she's convalescing...
* Cecil Stedman grabs hold of this hard several times in {{Invincible}}. Notable examples include hiring D.A. Sinclair, a guy who performed horrific experiments on innocent people to make them cyborg slaves, and expecting Invincible to be OK with it. Even though he knows one of the guy's victims was Mark's friend Rick Sheridan, and he's seen first-hand how psychologically destroyed the experience left the guy. Then there's the fact he kept Conquest, a guy who required a DeusExMachina from Atom Eve to be weakened enough for Invincible to defeat him. An experience that left him with both arms and a leg broken as well as three concussions, possibly from where Invincible had to headbutt him to death.

** Arguably even MORE idiotic is Spidey's actions in ComicBook/CivilWar. Yes, Spider Man. Reveal your secret identity to the public. [[TheNightGwenStacyDied Sure, last time one of your enemies had it, you underwent a tragedy that took you years to cope with, cost an innocent life, and you still angst about to this day]], but it's not like you didn't learn from that!

* WorldWarHulk in its entirety, but Dr Strange really stands out because they had to go waaaaaay past the point of stupidity to have him lose to Hulk in a way that is even in the same galaxy as believable. Strange on his own could kill or incapacitate Hulk as easily as blink at him; being the Sorcerer Supreme he's capable of altering reality on a universal level, but for some reason he felt the need to channel the powers of an even stronger demon and engage Hulk in a fist fight. Having to focus on keeping said demon from escaping is what allowed Hulk to take advantage of this distraction and crush his hands.

* The "OneMoreDay" storyline in ''{{Spider-Man}}'' sees Peter Parker doing the [[AtlasPose Atlas gig]] with an Idiot Ball of truly gargantuan proportions. Making a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with the closest analogue to a devil Marvel possesses]] to save the life of his already elderly aunt, at the expense of not only his current marriage, but the entire history ''of'' that marriage? Quite possibly the first example of [[StuffedInTheFridge stuffing someone in the fridge]] but leaving them alive to taunt the audience. This is even worse when you consider the number of readily available contacts the man had with spells, technology, and/or mutant powers that would put her together as good as or even '''better''' than new with minimal effort.

* One SuperMarioBros story in the NintendoComicsSystem involved an actual Idiot Ball, the Stupid Bomb. Anyone caught in its blast radius would be temporarily rendered mind-blowingly stupid (Save King Toadstool, who's already at the bottom of the IQ ladder as it is). By the end of the story, almost everyone (Good, bad) is made an idiot. The antidote for the Stupid Bomb was the Smart Bomb, but they were all used up making one lone Snifit smart enough to dethrone Bowser and take over- luckily, with the rest of Koopa's army dumbed down, he couldn't do anything.