History Main / AreTheseWiresImportant

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Mr. Incredible pulls the CPU out ''twice'' from Syndrome's battle droids. Both times, he gets the battle droid to do it to ''itself''.

->''"This looks important!"'' (''yoink'')

* In ''WesternAnimation/TwiceUponATime'', Flora Fauna ends up doing this to Botch's [[TVHeadRobot TV-headed]] GiantMook Ibor.

->''"This looks important!"'' (''rip'')

* ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}: Inverted in ''The Shooting Star'': Captain Haddock is wondering why the radio isn't working, when the scientist next to him holds up two wires and asks if they're supposed to be plugged into something. The captain had accidentally yanked them out due to his LargeHam tendencies.

** However this only worked as at the time TVs were over-engineered so they could work it a wide variety of locations. Muntz's [=TVs=] could only work if one was in a city and near the TV broadcast towers.... Which was where most of his customers were anyway.

** However this only worked as at the time TV were over-engineered so they could work it a wide variety of locations. Muntz's [=TVs=] could only work if one was in a city and near the TV broadcast towers.... Which was where most of his customers were anyway.

* In the ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story "Old Times", Supersonic is no longer able to think of clever schemes to defeat a rampaging robot due to his age. Instead, he resorts of simply pounding it repeatedly until he can reach and tear out some vital components.

* In the 1960s ''JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' episode "Target Earth", the Atom shrinks down to get inside the villains' "Magno-Ray". Once inside, he goes on a mini-rampage (pardon the pun...), yanking out wires, smashing vacuum tubes (!) and generally busting up the innards of the thing. Eventually, it blows up, or at least explosively wilts.

* In the ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' episode "Flash and Substance", the Flash does this to the giant, rocket-powered boomerang Captain Boomerang catches Flash with. Flash likes this. He earlier did something similar to Grodd's mind control helmet, at super speed, while making it look like he was just slapping his head repeatedly.

* Just one of the ''many'' parts of [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ Rand's]] best attack after the Gunleon's Sphere is activated.
* In ''VideoGame/RiseOfLegends'', Giacomo rips some wires out of [[spoiler: the Doge's laser cannon, causing it to blow up in his face.]]

* In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'', Batman destroys Penguin's radio jammers by punching through the screens and ripping pieces out. Particularly egregious as he usually has Explosive Gel for situations like that.
* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' you can [[ImpossibleTheft pickpocket the Briar Heart out of a Briarheart Warrior]], causing him to fall over dead.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In "Night", Seven of Nine deactivates Satan's Robot by quickly opening an access hatch and ripping out a handful of wires and electronic components.

* ''Film/IronMan1'': During the final fight with [[BigBad Iron Monger]], Tony Stark quips "This looks important!" and rips the targeting sensor out of his armor.

* In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', Drax kills Korath by ripping out the mechanisms sprouting from his head.

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' you can [[ImpossibleThief pickpocket the Briar Heart out of a Briarheart Warrior]], causing him to fall over dead.

** However this only worked as at the time TV were over-engineered so they could work it a wide variety of locations. Muntz's TVs could only work if one was in a city and near the TV broadcast towers.... Which was were most of his customers were anyway.

* This is probably ComicBook/SquirrelGirl's favorite trick. She's used her ability to [[SpeaksFluentAnimal Talk To Squirrels]] to defeat both [=MODOK=] and DoctorDoom.

->''"This looks important!"'' ''(rip)''

** In The ''Amazing Spider-Man'', Red Hulk tries this strategy on one of Doc Ock's giant robots and is surprised when it doesn't work. Chameleon mentions that he was used to fighting government issue giant robots whereas Doc Ock's was built with an incredible amount of redundancy.

* {{Lampshaded}} in ''SonicTheComic'' when Sonic does this to take down the giant robot Mekanik, after breaking a hole in his armour with help from Shortfuse the Cybernik. "Typical shoddy work by Robotnik! Impressive on the outside, but rubbish inside!"
* In one ''UltimateXMen'', Kitty Pryde phases inside of a [[AIIsACrapshoot rampaging]] physical manifestation of the Danger Room and attempts to stop it this way. Becomes a bit of a MexicanStandoff, as she needs to turn solid to damage it, and it threatens to kill her as soon as she does.

* This is probably [[SquirrelGirl Squirrel Girl's]] favorite trick. She's used her ability to [[SpeaksFluentAnimal Talk To Squirrels]] to defeat both [=MODOK=] and DoctorDoom.

* Inverted in [[ComicBook/{{Tintin}} The Shooting Star]]: Captain Haddock is wondering why the radio isn't working, when the scientist next to him holds up two wires and asks if they're supposed to be plugged into something. The captain had accidentally yanked them out due to his LargeHam tendencies.

** In an issue of ''Wolverine,'' a rampaging Red Ronin returns and while Japanese superhero Sunfire attacks from the outside, Wolverine gets inside and begins destroying components until Red Ronin returns to rest. It helped that the susceptible components were labeled with the Japanese word for "heart," which clued Wolverine to their importance.

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* In the Battlestar Galactica (Reimaged) episode "You Can't Go Home again," Starbuck is trying to get a dead Cylon Raider to fly. As she is examining the interior, she looks at what appears to be a large mass of tissue and says "This must be your brain. You won't need it," and yanks it out. "Lucky I brought one of my own."
* ''StarTrekVoyager'': In "Night", Seven of Nine deactivated Satan's Robot by quickly opening an access hatch and ripping out a handful of wires and electronic components.

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* AtomicRobo (see trope image) is fond of this tried-and-true technique.

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* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Mr. Incredible pulls the CPU out ''twice'' from Syndrome's battle droids. Both times, he gets the battle droid to do it to ''itself''.

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* In an issue of ''Spectacular SpiderMan'', Spidey lands on the Vulture's back mid-flight and begins ripping things out of the Vulture's wing-pack. The flight ends pretty quickly.
* In The Amazing Spider-Man, Red Hulk tries this strategy on one of Doc Ock's giant robots and is surprised when it doesn't work. Chameleon mentions that he was used to fighting government issue giant robots whereas Doc Ock's was built with an incredible amount of redundancy.

* In the first ''Film/SpiderMan 1'' film, Spidey's first encounter with the Green Goblin ends when he reaches up and rips some wires out of the Goblin's glider, leading to it careening away.

* In the ''{{Futurama}}'' episode "Parasites Lost", [[ItMakesSenseInContext Fry does this to his own brain]].

* ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' -- Bob got the chance to [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20070825.html do this]] to the same spaceship on [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20100810.html two separate occasions.]] In both cases it meant smashing random control panels with his shoe.

* In ''{{Battletech}}'', this is a favored attack method of battle armor with a battle claw and jumpjets. That is to say, they jump up to a [[HumongousMecha Battlemech]], grab hold and generally start shooting holes in delicate looking things. It's not a battle armour specialty, either; there's [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Anti-'Mech Infantry]] who do exactly the same thing [[CrazyAwesome with nothing but their bare hands, climbing gear, a combat rifle and satchel charges.]] They [[WeHaveReserves tend to take]] [[RealityEnsues tremendous casualties]] in the process, given that they're chasing after a multi-story war machine's feet trying to climb up, normally while it's moving. [[SuicideAttack Suicidal]], but for underequipped units that can't take on a 'mech in direct combat it's better to take a chance of having half the army smeared over the landscape than to [[RapePillageAndBurn just allow the things to do whatever they want.]] Especially against the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Clans,]] who don't mind sending 'Freebirths', and anyone above 40 to their honorable deaths.

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muntzing "Muntzing"]] (named after [[HonestJohnsDealership mid-20th century car salesman and self-taught electrical engineer Earl "Madman" Muntz]]) is the practice-cum-technique of reducing the number of components inside an electrical appliance to a minimum. In order to come up with the basis for an inexpensive TV, Muntz took contemporary models and removed one component of a time until they stopped working. After he put that "last wire" back, the resulting designs worked as well as their more complex predecessors in areas with good reception[[labelnote:*]]most of the parts he removed were intended to strengthen weak signals[[/labelnote]], were cheaper, and (since fewer components meant less heat) were often more reliable too.