History Main / DamselScrappy

* Ashley Graham from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. You're forced to save her multiple times throughout the story and protect her from enemies for about a third of the game, and anytime the player starts wanting to cut her some slack for being a defenseless young woman stuck in such a nightmarish situation, she'll go and do something [[IdiotBall eye-twitchingly stupid]] like shove Leon (i.e. the only thing keeping her safe) away and run headlong into an obvious booby trap. This is only made worse by her [[MostAnnoyingSound repetitive, irritating cries for help]]. The [[''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4Remake'' remake]] [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap fixes this]] mainly by removing her IdiotBall moments, giving her less annoying voice acting, and making her much more proactive and capable (though still a DamselInDistress).

* Ashley Graham from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. You're forced to save her multiple times throughout the game, and with the bonus of ArtificialStupidity you're forced to go back for her through monster hordes a lot. This is only made worse by her repetitive, irritating cries for help.
-->[[MemeticMutation LEOOOOOOOOON! HELP!]]

%% * ''Series/{{Revenge}}'': Charlotte. People were not fond of her by the end of the series, but she arguably got the most blowback from every revelation Emily reveals.

* Princess Peach in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series has this reputation, in spite of the fact that she [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach became the heroine of her own game where she beat Bowser and saved the Mario Bros and her kingdom on her own]]. Although she does [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] in the various RPG games (especially Super Mario RPG, the first three Paper Mario games, and the Mario + Rabbids games), shows off the full extent of her magic powers in Mario and Luigi, along with the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games since ''Melee'' (where she is a fan-favourite due to her Game-Breaker moveset), the Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Strikers, Mario Sports and Mario and Sonic games, as well as ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', Super Mario Bros.2 and Super Mario Run (where she's a playable character and an excellent choice because of her floating ability ), it's heavily undermined by the vast majority of games where she plays the DamselInDistress trope straight, [[FridgeLogic which brings the question of why she is utterly incompetent in defending herself in most of the main series games]]. Of course, it could simply be a case of GrandfatherClause; Peach has been the series' designated DamselInDistress for so long that ''it just wouldn't be the same without it''. Then again, most people do agree that the series is better off without the trope altogether as it has become rather stale and annoying over the years and makes Peach a major BaseBreakingCharacter for a very frustrating reason that could be easily fixed by making her playable. It's also rather jarring that the most important and most recurring female character of the most popular video game series of all time has to play this role in most of her appearances.

* Princess Peach in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series has this reputation, in spite of the fact that she [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach became the heroine of her own game where she beat Bowser and saved the Mario Bros and her kingdom on her own. Although she does [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] in the various RPG games (especially Super Mario RPG, the first three Paper Mario games, and the Mario + Rabbids games), shows off the full extent of her magic powers in Mario and Luigi, along with the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games since ''Melee'' (where she is a fan-favourite due to her Game-Breaker moveset), the Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Strikers, Mario Sports and Mario and Sonic games, as well as ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', Super Mario Bros.2 and Super Mario Run (where she's a playable character and an excellent choice because of her floating ability ), it's heavily undermined by the vast majority of games where she plays the DamselInDistress trope straight, [[FridgeLogic which brings the question of why she is utterly incompetent in defending herself in most of the main series games]]. Of course, it could simply be a case of GrandfatherClause; Peach has been the series' designated DamselInDistress for so long that ''it just wouldn't be the same without it''. Then again, most people do agree that the series is better off without the trope altogether as it has become rather stale and annoying over the years and makes Peach a major BaseBreakingCharacter for a very frustrating reason that could be easily fixed by making her playable. It's also rather jarring that the most important and most recurring female character of the most popular video game series of all time has to play this role in most of her appearances.

* OlderThanTelevision: In the era of PulpMagazine action stories, their teenage male readers would frequently complain about the ''very existence'' of female characters, because they were almost inevitably {{flat character}}s whose only role in the plot was to get into trouble, be on the receiving end of [[ButNotTooEvil vague threats]] from the villain, and be rescued by the hero. Were it not for the need to put [[SexSells a scantily-clad woman on the cover]] to boost sales, these stories probably [[RatedMForManly wouldn't have had any women at all.]]

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'': Bella Swan pretty much epitomizes this trope, even commenting in her own narrative that "I guess my brain will never work right. At least I'm pretty." Add in the fact that she can't seem to get out of ''any'' scrape without the intervention of a man, and you've got a textbook example of this trope. Alice Cullen sums it up: [[LampshadeHanging "I have never seen anyone more prone to life-threatening idiocy."]]

* Princess Peach in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series has this reputation, in spite of the fact that she [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach became the heroine of her own game where she beat Bowser and saved the Mario Bros and her kingdom on her own ]] (although her badass qualifications in that game are [[UnfortunateImplications debatable]]). Although she does [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] in the various RPG games (especially Super Mario RPG, the first three Paper Mario games, and the Mario + Rabbids games), shows off the full extent of her magic powers in Mario and Luigi, along with the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games since ''Melee'' (where she is a fan-favourite due to her Game-Breaker moveset), the Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Strikers, Mario Sports and Mario and Sonic games, as well as ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', Super Mario Bros.2 and Super Mario Run (where she's a playable character and an excellent choice because of her floating ability ), it's heavily undermined by the vast majority of games where she plays the DamselInDistress trope straight, [[FridgeLogic which brings the question of why she is utterly incompetent in defending herself in most of the main series games]]. Of course, it could simply be a case of GrandfatherClause; Peach has been the series' designated DamselInDistress for so long that ''it just wouldn't be the same without it''. Then again, most people do agree that the series is better off without the trope altogether as it has become rather stale and annoying over the years and makes Peach a major BaseBreakingCharacter for a very frustrating reason that could be easily fixed by making her playable. It's also rather jarring that the only major recurring female character of the most popular video game series of all time has to play this role in most of her appearances.

The Damsel Scrappy is a combination of the Damsel in Distress (or in some cases, the DistressedDude) with TheScrappy. The result is a character than the fans dislike because she's perceived to be TheLoad or even TheMillstone of the group, not pulling her weight compared to the importance the story gives her as a plot device. It's especially irritiating if the character is [[InformedAbility said to be a competent and valuable member of the team]]. Most of the time, this character's plight is due entirely to [[TooDumbToLive her own stupidity]]. She doesn't just pick up the DistressBall, she runs it into her own endzone and gets tackled for a safety. And she keeps on doing it, again and again and again. This may be due to being TheDitz, or a severe case of crippling GenreBlindness.

* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': Rick Jones was this from his first appearance, in which he stupidly drove out into an active military testing site, causeing Bruce Banner being subjected to Gamma radiation while saving him, turning him into the Hulk. This tendancy tends to annoy the Hulk, especially during his grey, intelligent phases, and is lampshaded by Rick himself in one issue where he manages to beat his captor and escape on his own.

* Nicole from the ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' draws a lot of ire for a scene in which she ends up in trouble because she drives a truck into a store full of zombies to rescue ''a dog'', when it's already been established that the zombies have no interest in animals. The protagonists then decide to rescue her, which results in more survivors being killed, and them having to flee the mall - although in Nicole's defence, the shop she was hiding in was a gun shop and they go there to stock up as well and were intending to leave the mall anyway (and had already fortified some abandoned buses that they immediately go to). [[spoiler: While she doesn't prove herself useless, and apparently [[BolivianArmyEnding survives the end]], she doesn't necessarily redeem herself either]].

* Parker from ''Film/{{Frozen 2010}}''. Audiences blamed her for getting herself, her boyfriend and his best friend all stuck on a ski lift during a snowstorm. [[spoiler:She survives the ordeal and has the massive luck of finding a road where she can be rescued]].
* Willie Scott (Creator/KateCapshaw) in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom.'' Some fans view her as the UrExample of this trope; the character and Ms. Capshaw's portrayal embody ''all'' of the negative aspects mentioned in the trope description above -- except, to be fair, there is no evidence that [[Creator/StevenSpielberg her director]] intended her to attract a PeripheryDemographic or for {{Fanservice}}.

%% * ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'' (2004) recreates the style of a 1930s PulpMagazine story - right down to putting Gwyneth Paltrow in one of these roles as the PluckyGirl Reporter.

* Depending on how you feel about her, Creator/DakotaFanning's character in the 2005 remake of ''Film/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' is this. Due to being a young child, she's ill equipped to fight the aliens or be useful in any way while her father and brother have to protect her. She tends to be a polarizing character, with some viewers finding her useless and others sympathising with her apparent anxiety disorder and claustrophobia.

%% * Clio Marsden starts out like this in E.E. "Doc" Smith's ''Triplanetary'' (the first of the Literature/{{Lensman}} novels), but gets a lot better as the book goes on. In her case, the threats ("a research upon sex") are anything but vague.[[note]]Except that her captor is, unbeknownst to her, an alien to whom sex is an entirely foreign concept; they reproduce by binary fission. Which doesn't mean there's no chance he might want to ''watch'' (for purely scientific reasons) while one of his human subordinates "performs the experiments," which isn't a whole lot better from her point of view.[[/note]]

%% * ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'' updated this trope in the form of rich girl Kelly Taylor. Just read her Wikipedia article. Then again, maybe they're right: [[TheChewToy being stalked, burned, brainwashed, raped, addicted to cocaine and shot]] does enable one to become a stronger person.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Dawn is put in peril often enough to be notable in-universe; in the MusicalEpisode "Once More With Feeling," Buffy quips, "[[LampshadeHanging Dawn's in trouble]], must be Tuesday." When local theaters used to play this episode as a singalong, some also passed out lists of Rocky Horror-style audience-participation phrases to yell out; among them was "Shut up, Dawn!" every time Dawn is on-screen. By the final season, however, Dawn grows up, becomes a full member of the Scooby gang and doesn't exist purely to get rescued and give Buffy unconditional love.

** A male example of this trope is Harry Sullivan, who tends to catch the IdiotBall a lot and [[DistressedDude gets himself and the Doctor captured]], with even the Doctor picking up on it and complaining. His character had been written in as complement to the elderly NonActionGuy the Fourth Doctor had originally been pitched as, before the role was cast with a huge, highly energetic and physically fit forty-year-old who could [[MinoredInAsskicking comfortably do action]]. The result of this is that the writers were [[CastSpeciation not quite sure what he (or his co-companion Sarah Jane) was supposed to be for]] other than to catch the DistressBall, but Sarah Jane has the benefit of being a previously established character and having writing that portrays her as consistently sympathetic and intelligent, whereas Harry happily ploughs into obvious traps and fails to notice things the Doctor had pointed out to him thirty seconds ago. Both the Doctor and Sarah moan at him about this in various scenes.

** Mel was the only companion during her tenure, and thus had the duty of getting captured. This would be fine if she were useful or likable. And then she was followed by Ace. Who killed Daleks with homemade explosives (stored in deodorant cans) and a super-charged baseball bat.

* ''Series/{{Matlock}}'': Charlene Matlock, who almost every episode gets herself into some sort of trouble by trying to investigate/snoop around alone and either Ben or Tyler need to come to her rescue.

* ''Series/RobinHood'': A number of viewers feel that the replacement for Marian, Kate, fits this. She's pushy, loud, and generally useless, where in contrast the previous character in the love interest role is an ActionGirl who at least has the dignity to be right when she's pushy, and is never louder than needed. And yes, true to the trope, all of Kate's numerous kidnappings are due to her inability to keep up, [[FauxActionGirl defend herself]], or know when to keep her mouth shut. In her capacity as a "damsel" scrappy, she is captured by guards more times in one season than any of the other outlaws were in ''three''. The words "Where's Kate?" could be a drinking game.

* ''Series/{{The Vampire Diaries}}'': Elena Gilbert becomes this later on after she is turned into a vampire (which was polarizing for the fans). She becomes all whiny and boring, she keeps getting kidnapped, attacked or threatened, and still needs to get saved all the time by the Salvatore brothers.

* Wrestling/VickieGuerrero as well, with a side order of MilesGloriosus to boot. As General Manager of ''Friday Night [=SmackDown=]'', Vickie would boss around all the fan favorites in her obnoxiously whiny voice and generally act like a bitch... until someone like Wrestling/TheUndertaker would threaten her, and Vickie would turn into a cowardly ScreamingWoman who was helpless until her love interest of the moment could come rushing to her rescue. She eventually did [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] and even wrestles occasionally, but at heart she remained a man-hungry MrsRobinson [[CasanovaWannabe Wannabe]] who pouts when she doesn't get her way and still screams all the time (particularly when her newest boyfriend, Wrestling/DolphZiggler, is losing a match).

** Terra in ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'', though in her case it's more due to CharacterDerailment from her original personality to fit this character type than due to the number of times she needs to be saved. While she's often victimised and confused in the original, she becomes confident as soon as it becomes clear that Edgar sees her as a person, growing more so once she regains her memories, and often finds time for teasing Sabin and showing open enjoyment about fighting the Empire. In ''Dissidia'', Kefka's menace takes on an IHaveYouNowMyPretty tone, her personality becomes much more negative and serious, and she is constantly rescued by male characters for their benefit, or getting lectured by Cloud ([[FakeMemories of all people]]) about the importance of knowing who you really are. The fact that Terra is the [[TheSmurfettePrinciple only woman]] of Cosmos' Warriors [[{{Chickification}} doesn't make this seem any more classy]]; the remake mitigate this somewhat by altering Terra's dialogue as much as the recordings allow and adding some other female characters to soften the UnfortunateImplications. In ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy2015 Dissidia NT]]'', she is as confident as any of the other heroes and gets her MamaBear protectiveness back.

* The Damsels in ''VideoGame/{{Spelunky}}'' are pretty much based on Willie Scott and manage to work this trope into game mechanics. Though they aren't ''that'' annoying, some players still delight in throwing her at spiders, attaching a sticky bomb to her and sending her charging towards enemies, and then throwing her corpse at more spiders.
* Princess Peach in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series has this reputation, in spite of the fact that she [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach became the heroine of her own game where she beat Bowser and saved the Mario Bros and her kingdom on her own ]] (although her badass qualifications in that game are [[UnfortunateImplications debatable]]). Although she does [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] in the various RPG games ( especially Super Mario RPG, the first three Paper Mario games and the Mario + Rabbids games), shows off the full extent of her magic powers in Mario and Luigi, along with the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games since ''Melee'' ( where she is a fan-favourite due to her Game-Breaker moveset), the Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Strikers, Mario Sports and Mario and Sonic games, as well as ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', Super Mario Bros.2 and Super Mario Run (where she's a playable character and an excellent choice because of her floating ability ), it's heavily undermined by the vast majority of games where she plays the DamselInDistress trope straight, [[FridgeLogic which brings the question of why she is utterly incompetent in defending herself in most of the main series games]]. Of course, it could simply be a case of GrandfatherClause; Peach has been the series' designated DamselInDistress for so long that ''it just wouldn't be the same without it''. Then again, most people do agree that the series is better off without the trope altogether as it has become rather stale and annoying over the years and makes Peach a major BaseBreakingCharacter for a very frustrating reason that could be easily fixed by making her playable. It's also rather jarring that the only major recurring female character of the most popular video game series of all time has to play this role in most of her appearances.

*** Colette Brunel. Protecting her is the entire point of the game since she's TheChosenOne, and it becomes a major plot point at the end when she's kidnapped (although it can potentially be anyone[[note]]The BigBad possesses the body of Lloyd's best friend after said friend thwarts the villain's attempt to steal Lloyd's body. If Kratos is closest to Lloyd, the villain will possess Colette[[/note]]) by the BigBad. Fans especially dislike it because early on, Colette is granted angel powers, which includes SuperStrength, SuperSenses, [[PowerGivesYouWings wings]] and [[LightEmUp light-based techniques]], yet Colette getting kidnapped or sick takes up a large chunk of the game, and she often hands over the decision-making to [[TheUnchosenOne Lloyd]].

** Cheria from ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' gets viewed this way from a VocalMinority of ''Tales'' fans who dislike her. While Cheria gets kidnapped, it's only once at the beginning of the game, the plotline to resolve her kidnapping takes about ten minutes, and she's an active party member for the rest of the game (and one of the more useful ones, since she has group healing spells). Doesn't stop the complaints, though.

* The idiot damsel in the trope image is Zola from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius''. Not a true example, as while she starts out appearing to be a picture-perfect Damsel Scrappy, [[spoiler: it is later revealed she was a DeliberatelyDistressedDamsel hiding her true ambitions and skills behind a mask of uselessness. She is actually one of the most dangerous antagonists of the series]]. But before the reveal she sure has to get rescued. A lot.

** The aforementioned live-action film plays with the concept and has Daphne [[{{Xenafication}} pick up martial arts skills]] [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap and become generally more useful]] after the gang breaks up as a direct result of being called out for being the DamselInDistress. In virtually all ''Scooby-Doo'' series and films since then, Daphne has been portrayed as a {{MacGyver|ing}} with her makeup kit and accessories. Her martial-arts skills from the live-action film carry over to the animated film ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheSamuraiSword''.
** In an interview, the staff of that movie said that changing Daphne ''was'' necessary for the sake of proper method acting. The goal established from the start was for live actors to do the best interpretations they could of the cartoon characters, but they ran into a roadblock with Daphne because in the cartoon she essentially had no personality. The natural choice was for Creator/SarahMichelleGellar to channel her [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer greatest known role]].

* Princess Peach in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series has this reputation, in spite of the fact that she [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach became the heroine of her own game where she beat Bowser and saved the Mario Bros and her kingdom on her own ]] (although her badass qualifications in that game are [[UnfortunateImplications debatable]]). Although she does [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] in the various RPG games ( especially Super Mario RPG, the first three Paper Mario games and the Mario + Rabbids games), shows off the full extent of her magic powers in Mario and Luigi, along with the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games since ''Melee'' ( where she is a fan-favourite due to her Game-Breaker moveset), the Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Strikers, Mario Sports and Mario and Sonic games, as well as ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', Super Mario Bros.2 and Super Mario Run (where she's a playable character and an excellent choice because of her floating ability ), it's heavily undermined by the vast majority of games where she plays the DamselInDistress trope straight, [[FridgeLogic which brings the question of why she is utterly incompetent in defending herself in most of the main series games]]. Of course, it could simply be a case of GrandfatherClause; Peach has been the series' designated DamselInDistress for so long that ''it just wouldn't be the same without it''. Then again, most people do agree that the series is better off without the trope altogether as it has become rather stale and annoying over the years and makes Peach a major BaseBreakingCharacter for a very frustrating reason that could be easily fixed.

* Princess Peach in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series has this reputation, in spite of the fact that she [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach became the heroine of her own game]] (although her badass qualifications in that game are [[UnfortunateImplications debatable]]). Although she does [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] in spin-off games, along with the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games since ''Melee'' as well as ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' (where she's a playable character and a good choice in levels that don't have a strict timer), it's heavily undermined by the vast majority of games where she plays the DamselInDistress trope straight, [[FridgeLogic which brings the question of why she is utterly incompetent in defending herself in most of the main series games]]. Of course, it could simply be a case of GrandfatherClause; Peach has been the series' designated DamselInDistress for so long that ''it just wouldn't be the same without it''.

%%* Nicole from the ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake. And she survives until the end. [[BolivianArmyEnding Or does she?]]

%%* Depending on how you feel about her, Creator/DakotaFanning's character in the 2005 remake of ''Film/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' is this.

* On a meta-level, Creator/MattDamon needed rescuing in ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'', ''{{Film/Interstellar}}'', and ''Film/TheMartian''… How much did he cost? [[http://time.com/4162254/cost-of-rescuing-matt-damon/ At least $900 billion.]]
* The real Blanche Barrow felt this way about how she was protrayed in ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'', declaring that the film "made me look like a screaming horse's ass!"

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Dawn is put in peril often enough to be notable in-universe; in the MusicalEpisode "Once More With Feeling," Buffy quips, "[[LampshadeHanging Dawn's in trouble]], must be Tuesday." When local theaters used to play this episode as a singalong, some also passed out lists of Rocky Horror-style audience-participation phrases to yell out; among them was "Shut up, Dawn!" every time Dawn is on-screen.By the final season, however, Dawn grows up, becomes a full member of the Scooby gang and doesn't exist purely to get rescued and give Buffy unconditional love.

%% * Franchise/MarvelUniverse character Rick Jones was this from his first appearance, which annoyed even [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]] during his grey, intelligent phases. This is lampshaded by Rick himself in one issue where he manages to beat his captor and escape on his own.

[[folder:Film]]

* What happened to Vicki Vale in Tim Burton's ''Film/Batman1989''. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Originally it was going to be quite different]], but after the first actress cast as Vicki (Sean Young) fell off a horse and broke her arm in a scene that was cut from the film, it was decided that [[TheOtherDarrin the replacement]] (Creator/KimBasinger) shouldn't be put at such risks.

* Princess Peach in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series has this reputation, in spite of the fact that she [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach became the heroine of her own game]] (although her badass qualifications in that game are [[UnfortunateImplications debatable]]). Although she does [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] in spin-off games, along with the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games since ''Melee'', it's heavily undermined by the vast majority of games where she plays the DamselInDistress trope straight, [[FridgeLogic which brings the question of why she is utterly incompetent in defending herself in most of the main series games]]. Of course, it could simply be a case of GrandfatherClause; Peach has been the series' designated DamselInDistress for so long that ''it just wouldn't be the same without it''.

* Beauty from ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo'' serves two purposes: perpetually reminding the viewer at the top of her lungs that the things the other characters are doing are bizarre, and being the DamselInDistress when the plot calls for it.

* Princess Peach in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series has this reputation, in spite of the fact that she [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach became the heroine of her own game]] (although her badass qualifications in that game are debatable). Although she does [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] in spin-off games, along with the VideoGame/SuperSmashBros games since ''Melee'', it's heavily undermined by the vast majority of games where she plays the DamselInDistress trope straight, [[FridgeLogic which brings the question of why she is utterly incompetent in defending herself in most of the main series games]]. Of course, it could simply be a case of GrandfatherClause; Peach has been the series' designated DamselInDistress for so long that ''it just wouldn't be the same without it''.

* In-universe examples: Patrick and Esmeralda from ''WebOriginal/TheWarComms'', always calling for Gordon and Tuxedo Wank Man to save them at the slightest hiccup. Gordon even [[http://fandomwar.livejournal.com/107004.html?thread=3753724#t3753724 lampshades]] this in a comment to Pat during Nancy's intro post.

The Damsel Scrappy is a combination of the Damsel in Distress (or in some cases, the DistressedDude) with TheScrappy. The result is a character than the fans dislike because she's perceived to be TheLoad or even TheMillstone of the group, not pulling her weight compared to the importance the story gives her as a plot device. It's especially irritiating if the character is [[InformedAbility said to be a competent and valuable member of the team]]. Most of the time, this character's plight is due entirely to [[TooDumbToLive her own stupidity]]. She doesn't just pick up the DistressBall, she runs it into her own endzone and gets tackled for a safety. And she keeps on doing it, [[WhatAnIdiot again and again and again]]. This may be due to being TheDitz, or a severe case of crippling GenreBlindness.

** [[Film/AViewToAKill Stacy Sutton]]... seriously, woman, ''Creator/ChristopherWalken'' is able to [[WhatAnIdiot sneak up]] [[TooDumbToLive on you]] in a ''zeppelin''. And the [[CuteButCacophonic screeching]]...

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Dawn is put in peril often enough to be notable in-universe; in the MusicalEpisode "Once More With Feeling," Buffy quips, "[[LampshadeHanging Dawn's in trouble]], must be Tuesday." When local theaters used to play this episode as a singalong, some also passed out lists of Rocky Horror-style audience-participation phrases to yell out; among them was "Shut up, Dawn!" every time Dawn is on-screen.By the final season, however, Dawn grows up, becomes a full member of the Scooby gang and doesn't exist purely to get rescued and give Buffy unconditional love (and Michelle Tractenberg becomes hot/legal).

* Ninian from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemBlazingSword'' often gets lumped into this category, even though she's only ever captured ''twice'' and the third time she goes with the BigBad willingly to spare her friends' lives. Not to mention she ''is'' a very useful member of the party with her ability to give an extra turn.

* [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway Aquaman]], on the ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'', sometimes falls into this role. He seems to exist only as someone to get captured by the Legion of Doom so that the rest of the Justice League can rescue him.

The Damsel Scrappy is a combination of the Damsel in Distress (or rarely, the DistressedDude) with TheScrappy. The result is a character than the fans dislike because she's perceived to be TheLoad or even TheMillstone of the group, not pulling her weight compared to the importance the story gives her as a plot device. Most of the time, this character's plight is due entirely to [[TooDumbToLive her own stupidity]]. She doesn't just pick up the DistressBall, she runs it into her own endzone and gets tackled for a safety. And she keeps on doing it, [[WhatAnIdiot again and again and again]]. This may be due to being TheDitz, or a severe case of crippling GenreBlindness.

Even if she's just unlucky, she may be disliked for other reasons. Perhaps the audience finds her [[SatelliteLoveInterest too bland]], or [[AlphaBitch too bitchy]]. Perhaps her presence seems [[TokenRomance shoehorned into the main plot]] (perhaps to attract a PeripheryDemographic or for blatant FanService), and the audience feels she [[SpotlightStealingSquad steals time]] from the story they're actually interested in. This is especially true when her subplot has [[TrappedByMountainLions nothing to do with the main plot]] at all. Or else she seems like [[TheLoad useless dead weight]] whose only purpose is to pad the plot by getting in trouble. And worst of all, the fans may just dislike her for [[DieForOurShip getting in the way]] of their FanPreferredCouple, and actually use this trope as an excuse to hate her without being called out for it.

FauxActionGirl is what you get when you mix this with an ActionGirl. {{Chickification}} is what happens if an actual ActionGirl gets retooled or [[CharacterDerailment derailed]] into this. Child characters can fall prey to this just as easily, especially the TagalongKid or a hero's ObliviousYoungerSibling. Large risk of being TrappedByMountainLions.

* Willie Scott (Creator/KateCapshaw) in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom.'' Some fans view her as the UrExample of this trope; the character and Ms. Capshaw's portrayal embody ''all'' of the negative aspects mentioned in the trope description above -- except, to be fair, there is no evidence that [[Creator/StevenSpielberg her director]] intended her to attract a PeripheryDemographic or for FanService.

** Mary Goodnight from ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'' is ''[[InformedAbility supposedly]]'' [[FauxActionGirl an intrepid agent sent along to aid Bond.]] All she manages to do is get caught by Scaramanga in a particularly stupid way, with the [=MacGuffin=] in her possession, and then [[GoGoEnslavement lie around on a beach]] wearing [[{{Fanservice}} a bikini]].

** In fairness to Clio, she's nothing more than an ordinary civilian at the start; needing to be rescued from a gang of highly organised and very professional space pirates is entirely justified; and while she's no Clarissa Kinnison, the levelling-up she does is reasonably impressive for the era in which the books were written.

* OlderThanTelevision: In the era of PulpMagazine action stories, their teenage male readers would frequently complain about the ''very existence'' of female characters, because they were inevitably {{Flat Character}}s whose only role in the plot was to get into trouble, be on the receiving end of [[ButNotTooEvil vague threats]] from the villain, and be rescued by the hero. Were it not for the need to put [[SexSells a scantily-clad woman on the cover]] to boost sales, these stories probably [[RatedMForManly wouldn't have had any women at all.]]

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Dawn is put in peril often enough to be notable in-universe; in the MusicalEpisode "Once More With Feeling," Buffy quips, "[[LampshadeHanging Dawn's in trouble]], must be Tuesday." When local theaters used to play this episode as a singalong, some also passed out lists of Rocky Horror-style audience-participation phrases to yell out; among them was "Shut up, Dawn!" every time Dawn is on-screen.By the final season however Dawn grows up, becomes a full member of the Scooby gang and doesn't exist purely to get rescued and give Buffy unconditional love (and Michelle Tractenberg becomes hot/legal).

** A rare male example is Harry Sullivan, who tends to catch the IdiotBall a lot and [[DistressedDude gets himself and the Doctor captured]], with even the Doctor picking up on it and complaining. His character had been written in as complement to the elderly NonActionGuy the Fourth Doctor had originally been pitched as, before the role was cast with a huge, highly energetic and physically fit forty-year-old who could [[MinoredInAsskicking comfortably do action]]. The result of this is that the writers were [[CastSpeciation not quite sure what he (or his co-companion Sarah Jane) was supposed to be for]] other than to catch the DistressBall, but Sarah Jane has the benefit of being a previously established character and having writing that portrays her as consistently sympathetic and intelligent, whereas Harry happily ploughs into obvious traps and fails to notice things the Doctor had pointed out to him thirty seconds ago. Both the Doctor and Sarah moan at him about this in various scenes.

** Mercifully, the backlash toward this got so bad that a course correction transpires in the ''Re:Mind'' DLC, where Kairi is [[spoiler: shown to be as strong as Xemnas which forces him to drain her energy ''before'' kidnapping her, and after Sora resurrects her, she fights Xehanort alongside him as, by player's choice, either a party member or [[PromotedToPlayable the playable character.]]]] As a result, public opinion on Kairi has shifted back toward positive.

* Ashley from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. You're forced to save her multiple times throughout the game, and with the bonus of ArtificialStupidity you're forced to go back for her through monster hordes a lot. This is only made worse by her repetitive, irritating cries for help.

* Princess Elise from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''. Throughout the course of the game, she gets kidnapped by Dr. Eggman five times (although for the fifth one, she allowed herself to go in Eggman's Egg Carrier to prevent him from destroying Soleanna).

* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic summed this trope up in his [[http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/30723-top-11-dumbasses-in-distress "Top 11 Dumbasses in Distress"]] video: that the DamselInDistress and/or DistressedDude is an old trope [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools that isn't inherently bad at all]], unless it's a character the audience is annoyed with rather than cares about.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Dawn is put in peril often enough to be notable in-universe; in the MusicalEpisode "Once More With Feeling," Buffy quips, "[[LampshadeHanging Dawn's in trouble]], must be Tuesday." When local theaters used to play this episode as a singalong, some also passed out lists of Rocky Horror-style audience-participation phrases to yell out; among them was "Shut up, Dawn!" every time Dawn is on-screen.

* The Damsels in ''VideoGame/{{Spelunky}}'' are pretty much based on Willie Scott and manage to work this trope into game mechanics. Though they aren't *that* annoying, some players still delight in throwing her at spiders, attaching a sticky bomb to her and sending her charging towards enemies, and then throwing her corpse at more spiders.

* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic summed this trope up in his [[http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/30723-top-11-dumbasses-in-distress "Top 11 Dumbasses in Distress"]] video: that the DamselInDistress and/or DistressedDude is an old trope [[Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad that isn't inherently bad at all]], unless it's a character the audience is annoyed with rather than cares about.

* Ashley from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. You're forced to save her multiple times throughout the game, and with the bonus of ArtificialStupidity you're forced to go back for her through monster hordes a lot. This is only made worse by her repetitive, irritating cries for help. --

* Princess Peach in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series has this reputation, in spite of the fact that she [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach became the heroine of her own game]] (although her badass qualifications in that game are debatable). Although she does [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] in spin-off games, along with the VideoGame/SuperSmashBros games since ''Melee'', it's heavily undermined by the vast majority of games where she plays the DamselInDistress trope straight, [[FridgeLogic which brings the question of why she is utterly incompetent in defending herself in most of the main series games]]. Of course, it could simply be a case of GrandfatherClause; Peach has been the series' designated DamselInDistress for so long that it just wouldn't be the same without it.

* [[Creator/TommyLeeJones Michael Roarke]]'s teenage daughter Kelly in ''Film/{{Volcano}}'', who has a snarky attitude and hates that her dad hired a babysitter to watch out for her because she assures him that she can take care of herself, but otherwise spends the rest of the movie as TheLoad, due to her habit of freezing like a deer in headlights whenever danger arises. She's nearly consumed by a slow-moving river of lava, stands stiff while her leg is on fire, and wanders right into the path of a falling building because she's incapable of doing anything but waiting for her dad to pull her out of the way.