History Main / AccidentallyBrokeTheMacGuffin

A particularly frustrating form of a DiabolusExMachina. The other character's reactions usually range from shock to an anger burst. Double points if the MacGuffin can NEVER be replaced.

* ''{{Manga/Naruto}}'': One well-placed fart dashes all the immense effort invested into securing a legendary bug that was supposed to track Sasuke from the residual smell on some of his possessions.

* A minor one in ''Film/{{Apollo 13}}''. When the astronauts' carbon dioxide is getting too high and they discover the filters won't fit, Mission Control MacGyver's a solution, which includes using a spare urine bag. Which leads to this exchange:

* In too many [[Main/PointAndClickGame Point & Click games to name them all]] , there is always a moment where you use an important item and it somehow breaks, forcing you to fix it before using it again.

* ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In the pilot two-parter, the main characters recover the Elements of Harmony only for the villain to snatch them away and smash them to bits.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'', Captain Scarlett and her Pirate Booty DLC, the last part of the compass is broken by the Player after breaking a lock to get into the chest. However, as Herbert reveals to you, he can fix it.

* MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic: In the pilot two-parter, the main characters recover the Elements of Harmony only for the villain to snatch them away and smash them to bits.

* In ''BedknobsAndBroomsticks'', the characters have retrieved the Star of Astromov, imprinted with the words for the Substituary Locomotion. But as they arrive home, they find the star has disintegrated during the journey. [[ShaggyDogStory And it turned out to be unnecessary]], as one of the kid's storybooks had an illustration of the star, and more importantly, the words to the spell.

* In ''HarryPotter/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'', the record of the prophecy Voldemort tricks Harry into stealing from the ministry is shattered as Harry and his friends try to make their escape from the ministry, pursued by Voldemort's minions.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'', Captain Scarlett and her Pirate Booty DLC, the last part of the compass is broken by the Player after breaking a lock to get into the chest. However, as Herbert reveals to you, a new one can be made.

* ''Manga/InuYasha'': The main story kicks off when Kagome shoots an arrow at a bird-shaped {{youkai}} that had stolen the Shikon Jewel. The arrow hits both the creature and the jewel, resulting in a DismantledMacGuffin and a quest to recover all the shards.

* In ''Manga/InuYasha'', near the beginning of the series Kagome shoots an arrow at a bird carrying the shikon jewel, but the arrow hits the shikon jewel itself spreading shards of the jewel over Warring States Era Japan and setting our heroes on a quest to gather the shards before they land in the hands of evil.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'', Captain Scarlett and her Pirate Booty DLC, the last part of the compass is broken by the Player after breaking a lock to get into the chest. However, as Herbert reveals to you, a new one can be made.

* In the fourth ''[[TheCityOfEmber Book of Ember]]'', The Diamond Of Darkhold, Doon throws the titular diamond at a pack of wolves to save Lina. The diamond hits the rock that Lina is standing on and shatters into hundreds of pieces. Luckily, The diamond is only a sample. There are exactly one thousand diamonds in a hidden room in the cave. The diamonds are ancient technology that turns solar power into electricity.

* In ''{{Borderlands 2}}'', Captain Scarlett and her Pirate Booty DLC, the last part of the compass is broken by the Player after breaking a lock to get into the chest. However, as Herbert reveals to you, a new one can be made.

* In Borderlands 2, Captain Scarlett and her Pirate Booty DLC, the last part of the compass is broken by the Player after breaking a lock to get into the chest. However, as Herbert reveals to you, a new one can be made.

* A minor one in ''Film/{{Apollo 13}}''. When the astronauts' carbon dioxide is getting too high and they discover the filters won't fit, Mission Control MacGyver's a solution, which includes using their spare urine bag. Which leads to this exchange:

'''Technician ([[FacePalm facepalming]]):''' Oh, no.

A particularly frustrating form of a DiabolusExMachina. The other character's reactions usually range from shock to a anger burst. Double points if the MacGuffin can NEVER be replaced.

* In borderlands 2, Captain Scarlett and her Pirate Booty, the last part of the compass is broken by the Player after breaking a lock to get into the chest. However, as Herbert reveals to you, a new one can be made.

* After ''[[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]]'' dies the second time, the Scoobies find a one-of-a-kind sacred urn that will let them resurrect her. Demons interrupt their spell, and the urn gets dropped and broken, but it turns out [[SubvertedTrope the resurrection was completed moments before that.]]

* In ''{{Beowulf}}'', Beowulf puts so much force behind Naegling, that he shatters it. Woops.

* In "[[Beowulf]]", Beowulf puts so much force behind Naegling, that he shatters it. Woops.

[[AC:Anime And Manga]]

* In InuYasha, near the beginning of the series Kagome shoots an arrow at a bird carrying the shikon jewel, but the arrow hits the shikon jewel itself spreading shards of the jewel over Warring States Era Japan and setting our heroes on a quest to gather the shards before they land in the hands of evil.
* In Tokyo Mew Mew, the MacGuffin, Mew Aqua, is supposedly broken on multiple occasions. Subverted, as Mew Aqua does not break, and the Mew Aqua they thought they broke is not real.

[[AC:Film]]

* A minor one in ''[[{{Apollo13}} Apollo 13]]''. When the astronauts' carbon dioxide is getting too high and they discover the filters won't fit, Mission Control MacGyver's a solution, which includes using their spare urine bag. Which leads to this exchange:
-->'''Fred Haise:''' Shit, I tore it.
-->'''Jack Swigert:''' Shit.
-->'''Fred Haise:''' Houston, what do we do if we rip the bag? Can we tape it?
-->'''Andy (CAPCOM - WHITE):''' They just tore the bag.
-->'''Technician ([[FacePalm facepalming]]):''' Oh, no.

* In Disney's ''{{Disney/Cinderella}}'', Lady Tremaine trips up the servant carrying the glass slipper, causing it to break. [[DoubleSubvertedTrope Luckily, Cinderella had the other one.]]

* A humorous example; in IceAge, the gang spends a whole scene trying to get a watermelon from a "cult" of dodos so they can feed it to the baby they're protecting. After a hilarious slow-motion sequence, Sid the Sloth finally manages to retrieve it from the onslaught of birds......only to spike it into the ground like a football, shattering it.

* Played straight in [[{{Film/Transformers}} Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]] with the Matrix of leadership, but then inverted.

[[AC:Literature]]

* In the fourth Book of Ember, The Diamond Of Darkhold, Doon throws the titular diamond at a pack of wolves to save Lina. The diamond hits the rock that Lina is standing on and shatters into hundreds of pieces. Luckily, The diamond is only a sample. There are exactly one thousand diamonds in a hidden room in the cave. The diamonds are ancient technology that turns solar power into electricity.
* In HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix, the record of the prophecy Voldemort tricks Harry into stealing from the ministry is shattered as Harry and his friends try to make their escape from the ministry, pursued by Voldemort's minions.
[[AC:Live Action TV]]

* After ''[[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]]'' dies the second time, the scoobies find a one-of-a-kind sacred urn that will let them resurrect her. Demons interrupt their spell, and the urn gets dropped and broken, but it turns out [[SubvertedTrope the resurrection was completed moments before that.]]

* Played straight in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with the Matrix of leadership, but then inverted.