History Main / BrokenFaceplate

* Used on the cover of the PlayStation3 exclusive ''{{Haze}}''.

* Happens in the fourth season of {{Bakugan}} when Dan shatters [[BigBad Mag Mel]]'s mask in their fight, [[spoiler:revealing his true identity of Emperor Barodius, the previous season's BigBad who'd been sealed away for his attempted destruction of his neighboring planet.]]

* In ''CallOfDuty: Black Ops'', one mission requires you to wear an NBC suit during a chemical attack. You're still fighting, though, and as you take damage, your faceshield will crack. While your health will regenerate normally, your faceshield won't, meaning that if you take too much damage in the entire sequence, you'll die from exposure to the chemical agent.

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* In ''StarcraftII'', a scene near the end of the game shows the aftermath of a battle, with many broken and imobile suits of Terran power armor strewn across the ground. One promenant shot shows a large hole shot through the characteristic domed visor.

[[quoteright:350:[[TransformersFilmSeries http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Optimus_Faceplate_Shatter_6272.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:That's gonna leave a mark...]]

[[TransformersFilmSeries http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Optimus_Faceplate_Shatter_6272.jpg]]
[[caption-width:318:That's gonna leave a mark...]]

* Megatron breaks Optimus' mouthplate with a kick in ''Revenge of the Fallen''.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Optimus_Faceplate_Shatter_6272.jpg

* ''A scene of [[StarWarsCloneWars Clone Wars]]'' sees General Grievous grasping a clone trooper's head with his clawed foot and smashing him again a wall so hard that his helmet shatters. There's no blood, but it's assumed that trooper is down for good.

* This happens in ''SuperSentai'' / ''PowerRangers'' if someone has taken a '''really''' hard hit. The suit is always intact next time it's used, though, somehow.

* In DarkerThanBlack, one of the most common and effective ways to show that a foe is to be feared is for them to break Hei's [[WhiteMaskOfDoom mask]].

* Used in {{Robocop}}, where his visor gets smashed open by [=ED209=], allowing the audience to see the fear and surprise on his face during a close-up.
* In StarTrekFirstContact, Picard takes a blow to the head while wearing a Starfleet space suit, causing the visor to crack. Fortunately for him, it still holds.

* Used in first person in StarWars RepublicCommando. The leader of Delta Squad will get [[InterfaceScrew cracks and chips on his visor when taking damage]], which will be quickly repaired as the helmet's systems re-surface the visor.
* Used on the cover of the PlayStation3 exclusive {{Haze}}.
* In StarcraftII, a scene near the end of the game shows the aftermath of a battle, with many broken and imobile suits of Terran power armor strewn across the ground. One promenant shot shows a large hole shot through the characteristic domed visor.
* A few examples in HaloReach:

* In {{Narbonic}}, the state of Dave's eyeglasses symbolizes the state of his sanity. For most of the comic's run, his glasses are intact but represented as opaque. Towards the end when Dave finally realizes the great secret responsible for much of his life's path, his glasses are suddenly represented as clear, showing that he can see clearly now. And then one of the lenses cracks, as a not-so-subtle way to show that Dave is half-cracked.
* [[spoiler: Mistress Butterfly]] of {{Collar6}} cements her status as a BigBad by shattering the cyclops like faceplate of a [[TheWorfEffect supposedly powerful]] member of the association called a Judicatrix

* This happens in ''PowerRangers'' all the time. The suit is always intact next time it's used, though, somehow.

* In ''TransformersCybertron'', Optimus Prime's mouthplate is shattered during the final battle, although he is the victor. [[spoiler: Someone does die, though - Galvatron. Prime's mouthplate is hit by a piece of Galvatron's sword, which was smashed by the same blow Optimus impaled Galvatron with.]]

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This can be a very powerful image, as humans instinctively look to the face to gauge the state of another person's emotions, and even when that face is completely concealed behind a visor, the fact that the visor is damaged tends to communicate horrible damage quite quickly. This can also be a form of GoryDiscretionShot, as any damage severe enough to put a hole through a faceplate is likely to make a mess of the head it conceals, but the actual blood and gore need not be directly shown. See also PrettyLittleHeadshots. On the other hand, if the damage caused uncovers the character's face but does not cause head injury, that can also be a way of communicating to the audience that though the character is not dead, they are in serious danger. Tearing away their protection and revealing their face in the process will "humanizes" an armored character to the audience, with all attendant human vulnerabilities that implies.

This can be a very powerful image, as humans instinctively look to the face to gauge the state of another person's emotions, and even when that face is completely concealed behind a visor, the fact that the visor is damaged tends to communicate horrible damage quite quickly. This can also be a form of GoryDiscretionShot, as any damage severe enough to put a hole through a faceplate is likely to make a mess of the head it conceals, but the actual blood and gore need not be directly shown. See also PrettyLittleHeadshots.

This is a non-{{fanservice}} SubTrope of ClothingDamage, and Sibling Trope to HatDamage if non-fatal.

This is a non-{{fanservice}} subtrope of ClothingDamage, and sibling-trope to HatDamage if non-fatal.

In some media, particularly science fiction media, armored characters will often have large plates coverering their face. This could be anything from a large bubble helmet used in a conventional space suit, to a thin strip-like visor running across their eyes. Sometimes writers and artists need to show combat damage on suited characters, and one of the most visible and effective means of communicating that to the audience is by means of smashing, cracking, or putting a hole through the faceplate on their armor or suit.