History Main / DeconstructedTrope

* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' deconstructs every single trope that can be attributed to Heroism. If an Exalt is a hero, expect him to eventually steps on everyone even as he believes that he's doing the right thing. He's a Hero, he believes he's a hero, he won't listen to anyone who says otherwise, and he's got more than enough firepower to blow the world to smithereens. Underwent a DeconReconSwitch later in its run, when it became clear that overdoing the deconstruction could drop you neck-deep in DarknessInducedAudienceApathy.

DeconstructedCharacterArchetype is a subtrope (insofar as character archetypes are tropes in their own right): examples of character types being deconstructed go on that page. See also PlayingWithATrope for comparison with the other ways tropes can be used. May lead to [[RealityEnsues Reality Ensuing]]. When a TropeMaker seems to have done this, it's because it was an UnbuiltTrope.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKAnmqdfGQY This PSA for gun control]] destroys the appeal behind StuffBlowingUp, by showing a bullet passing through targets of food in magnificent showers of debris, [[spoiler: then applying [[LudicrousGibs that imagery]] [[YourHeadASplode to the head of]] [[ChildrenAreInnocent a child]]]].

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/APikachuInLove'' picks at the ManicPixieDreamGirl archetype. Though [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Pikachu]] ends up quickly falling for Pichi's carefree nature and quickly bonds with her, it's that same nature that ends up causing serious problems for him later on in the fic, up to including [[spoiler: almost getting him ''killed''.]] At the end [[spoiler: Pikachu ultimately decides to stay with Ash instead of running off into the wild with her. Even though he loves her, his bond with Ash is too strong to just leave him like that.]]
[[/folder]]

Alternately, the trope can be used in a manner that differs greatly from its usual context. For example, many characters in comedies display behavior that, though played for laughs in the show, could in RealLife be the end result of a mental or social anxiety problem - {{Yandere}}s, {{Hard Drinking Party Girl}}s, {{Tsundere}}s and {{Lovable Sex Maniac}}s, to name a few. A more serious show might play with these tropes by presenting identical characters as unstable or even dangerous.

* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as the title suggests]], deconstructs FreudianExcuse by showing how regardless of how [[DarkAndTroubledPast horrible one's life is]], it will never justify the atrocities they commit.

* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin of course]], deconstructs TheChosenOne by showing how the status can come with more problems than benefits such as losing [[DoomedHometown those theye care about]], making sacrifices they're mentally unprepared for, and just, in general, having to deal with serious emotional baggage relating to their work.

* ''Theatre/ThatChampionshipSeason'' shows the viewer what would happen to the SixStudentClique when they grow up.

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/AnyasGhost''
** deconstructs AlphaBitch with Elizabeth Standard. If you are familiar with high school tropes you'll think she'll be one, however she doesn't have the mean-spirited personality that typically defines them. It soon becomes obvious that Anya is the nasty one and she and the other girls are jealous of Elizabeth for being all around "perfect". [[spoiler:However, when we get to the party we find out Sean likes to sleep around with other girls and Elizabeth not only knows about it, she ''goes along with it,'' because she only feels good about herself if she and Sean are together and desperately wants to keep him in her life. All her positive traits mean very little to her and it only shows she probably has little to no self esteem.]]
** deconstructs InsecureLoveInterest. Elizabeth Standard is one of the prettiest, most athletic girls in school, dating one of the more popular boys, Sean. Everything about her seems to be perfect, and despite how jealous Anya and the other girls are of her she appears to be a nice and carefree girl. Then at a party Anya learns that Sean is a creep who sleeps around with other girls (even his friend's girlfriend) with Elizabeth not only knowing but keeping watch; Anya, who come to the party to steal Sean from Elizabeth, couldn't bring herself to sleep with Sean and hurt Elizabeth. Before Anya leaves the party, she asks Elizabeth why she lets Sean treat her like that, and Elizabeth tells her that while she appears happy, she really is miserable and insecure, and the only person that makes her really happy is Sean. Because she loves him, or as she admits, thinks she loves him, she's willing to do anything to keep him in her life, even though his cheating and her covering for his cheating is hurting her.
* Creator/JossWhedon's "Breakworld" arc from ''ComicBook/AstonishingXMen'' deconstructed the AlwaysChaoticEvil trope with its portrayal of the eponymous PlanetOfHats. At first glance, the Breakworlders ''seem'' to be a clear example of this, since their entire culture is built around [[ForeverWar endless war]], and their governments are universally led by barbaric tyrants who consider freedom an abomination. But then there's TheReveal that the arc's true BigBad is actually the leader of a seemingly noble [[LaResistance resistance group]] that wants to end the wars forever...by [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroying the Breakworld]] [[OmnicidalManiac and wiping out its entire population]]. The conclusion points out that most people in a species like the Breakworlders wouldn't be truly "evil", since their actions would simply reflect the cultural values that they were raised with. But on the other hand, someone willing to completely reject every underlying value of their planet's culture would probably be far ''less'' sane than the common citizenry who simply follow cultural norms [[ValuesDissonance (even if that culture seems evil to us)]]. At the same time this also deconstructs TokenHeroicOrc by making the aforementioned "heroic" orc a lunatic who wants to blow up her own planet.
* ''ComicBook/AstroCity''
** A story deconstructs the BadassBystander trope. An actor who [[ButIPlayOneOnTV plays a superhero on TV]] foils a convenience store robbery with the help of some friends. He becomes a minor celebrity, boosting the show's profile and his career, as his character is [[AscendedExtra pushed into the limelight]]. However, he quickly realises that since everyone thinks of him as a superhero now, he's in way over his head, especially when actual supervillains come gunning for him. One act of bravery doesn't make you a hero.
** CutLexLuthorACheck.
*** Deconstructed in "The Tarnished Angel". Steeljack points out that all of the villains he knows (including himself) made millions at one point or another, but he finds all of their widows living in run-down apartments. They all put their fortunes into their next crimes and extravagant spending sprees, telling themselves that the next heist would be big enough to retire on. To a degree, [[TruthInTelevision this corresponds to real-life criminal psychology.]] This is even specifically pointed out when he interviews the Chain's boyfriend, who mentions that he kept pushing the Chain to sell his invention (which allows him to transfer his mind into a metal body) for space or deep sea exploration, making millions in a perfectly legit way. The Chain would always shoot down the suggestions and insist he didn't understand.
*** It is also deconstructed in the Eisner Award winning "Show Em' All" issue. It shows that while supervillains COULD get rich from their creations or even by being more clever with their crimes, that's not why they do it, it's mostly the result of a desperate need for validation. Everyone HAS to know how clever and powerful the villain committing the crime is, they'd rather lose outright than get away with no one knowing who did it.
* ''ComicBook/Avengers2016''[='s=] .1 issue deconstruct the RagtagBandOfMisfits trope. Set during the ''ComicBook/CapsKookyQuartet'' era, Captain America ends having Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch dropped on his lap when Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp left the team for their own things. The public isn't keen on Captain America leading a team of super villains, Captain America himself isn't keen on it, the former villains can't stand each other and a horrified Wasp realizes they've made a mistake when they get trounced by the Frightful Four.
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** Batman's PapaWolf and his BerserkButton of "killing a couple in front of their son" was deconstructed in "Broken City", in which he pursues a criminal who had shot and killed a couple, leaving the boy in a state of shock. Batman naturally is bent to get the criminal. [[spoiler: It turns out the guy he was chasing never really had it in him to shoot a gun, and ''the boy'' had shot and killed his parents while the criminal was just nearby. Batman's BerserkButton made him chase after the wrong person.]]
---> '''Batman''': Everything I've done in the past three nights, I've been doing for the wrong little boy.
** TheCommissionerGordon is deconstructed at ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'': Sarah Essen explains that Gordon tried to get a [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere job outside]] Gotham City when No Man's Land was declared, [[RealityEnsues but had been laughed at because he couldn't keep his city safe without the help of a]] VigilanteMan. She warns the officers to not speak about Batman around him anymore.[[note]]Several cities in the DC universe rely on vigilantes, powered or otherwise. ''Superman'' is technically a vigilante. One wonders what makes Gotham so unique.[[/note]]
** A GoldenAge story called ''The cop who hated the Batman'' deconstructed TheDeterminator: Batman is attacked and challenged to a fight by a cop who mistakenly thinks that Batman killed his dad, that incident happened five years before Batman built his reputation with the cops. [[CurbStompBattle The fight goes as you'd expect from Batman.]] As expected of the trope, the cop keeps getting back up, but it's very clear that he's outmatched, having trouble standing up before passing out. And since GoldenAge Batman was formally made an honorary cop by Commissioner Gordon, the cop is arrested for assaulting a fellow officer, and it's only because of Batman's good will that the charges are dropped.
** The ''Batman'' comics arguably deconstruct ThouShaltNotKill and IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim. Batman repeatedly refuses to kill ''anyone'', and even goes so far as to SaveTheVillain whenever possible. This even extends to [[ComicBook/TheJoker the Joker]], despite knowing that the Joker is evil and AxCrazy beyond any hope of redemption, and Batman's repeated refusal to kill him only allows the Joker to continue killing people, especially since the Joker ''loves'' committing such atrocities merely for the sake of rubbing them in Batman's face.
*** This reaches a point in ''ComicBook/DetectiveComicsRebirth'' #975 -- [[spoiler:two issues earlier, Batwoman is forced to kill Clayface to stop his out of control rampage and to save Cassandra Cain. Batman calls in ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} and the Robins to figure out how to punish Kate for her actions. While Dick and Tim side with Bruce (and Damian just thinks they don't deserve to call themselves a "Bat-Family"), Jason and Barbara side with Kate and call out Bruce for his actions. Jason thinks that Bruce is upset because someone didn't follow his rules and doesn't think Kate should be punished for his double standards while Barbara accuses Bruce of acting the way he was because he was scared of losing his last connection with his mother, Martha, and even more damning, being afraid that, had Martha been alive when this happened, she would have sided with ''Kate'', effectively killing any argument against his rule.]]
** The ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'' storyline deconstructs the AntiHeroSubstitute. After Batman is broken by Bane, Bruce appoints [[ComicBook/{{Azrael}} Jean-Paul Valley]] to be Batman. However, the System kicks in and Jean-Paul finds himself lost in the brainwashing, being driven slowly insane in a war of ideologies before ultimately slipping back into his Azrael persona and decided to just try to kill criminals, forcing Bruce to take back the mantle.
** ''ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsBatman'': "The Three Ghosts of Batman" and "RIP" seem to be a concerted TakeThat and [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]] of the dominant Creator/FrankMiller-inspired interpretation of Batman as just as mad as his enemies, and Bruce Wayne as a mask. Both stories show what a "Batman" without the compassion, determination and restraint of Bruce Wayne would be like, and it's reminiscent of ''Comicbook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder''.
** ''ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures''
*** Deconstructs the AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder trope. According to ''The New Batman Adventures'' episode "Cold Comfort", after Nora Fries was cured of her terminal illness, she waited for her missing and presumed dead husband Victor Fries for some time before she gave up waiting, marrying her doctor Francis D'Anjou and leaving Gotham for good. This was expanded in ''Batman: Gotham Adventures'' #5, ''Batman: Gotham Adventures'' #51, and ''Batman Adventures'' #15. In ''Batman: Gotham Adventures'' #5 Mr. Freeze teams up with Robin, Nightwing and Batgirl to rescue Francis because he cares about her happiness; after Francis is save and Freeze escapes, Francis reveals that Nora still loves him. ''Batman: Gotham Adventures'' #51 shows that Mr. Freeze has been sending letters to Nora asking to see her one more time, but that Francis has been hiding all the letters. The issue ends with Mr. Freeze leaving for the Arctic, accepting that Nora does not want anything to do with him, as Nora arrives at Arkham Asylum asking for him. In ''Batman Adventures'' #15, Francis, jealous of Nora's feelings for Victor, frames him for attacking him by having a robot freeze him, hoping to convince her to see Victor as a monster. Nora refuses to believe that Victor was behind the attack and leaves for the Arctic to find him. Victor confirms that he was not responsible, and that he would never hurt Francis because she loves him. Nora wants to believe him and admits she does not love Francis, and is not sure she ever did, as she embraces him. Batman and Batgirl arrive to apprehend Victor, who chooses to fight back, thinking Batman will arrest him for his other crimes even if he isn't responsible for Francis' attack. During their fight, Batman causes Victor's suit to overload, which leaves his head to fall into the Arctic Ocean, devastating Nora. After learning the truth, Nora leaves Francis in prison. After Nora talks with Victor's former assistant Koonak, Nora returns to the Arctic, hoping to find Victor's head. It's implied that she never found him and spends her whole life looking for him. So because she understandably tried to move on with her life, Nora separated from Victor again, and what makes it worse is Victor did not come to see her because his condition has completely destroyed his body and he believes he can never be with her, when in fact Nora does not care and still loves him.
*** Deconstructs the BatmanGrabsAGun trope. Barbara Gordon respects the Bat Family's avoidance of firearms. However, she is a cop in her day job and is willing to tote a gun when she and Batman infiltrate the base of the Sensei in Gotham Adventures #9, which Batman isn't happy about and asks her to get rid of it, feeling that she does not need it and that using it will be a mistake. It turns out that Batman was right; when Batgirl tries to use it to threaten Sensei, he saw that she was unwilling to use it to seriously hurt him if there was a chance to kill him. After calling out Batgirl for bring a weapon she was unwilling to use, he disarms her and throws the gun away.
** ''Comicbook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' deconstructs FearlessFool with Harvey Dent, who at the climax of their confrontation leans so far out of his helicopter to try to shoot Batman that he falls from it, with Batman (not knowing for sure that it's actually Dent) noting that whoever it is has Dent's lack of sense of self-preservation. The deconstruction comes from Dent being a DeathSeeker who may have done that on purpose.
** ''ComicBook/Batgirl2011'' deconstructs CowboyCop. Katharsis of the Disgraced used to be a policewoman who was kicked off the force for castrating a sex offender. She apparently got fanmail for this while in prison, until it turned out the guy was innocent.
** ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}
*** Deconstructs the InnocentlyInsensitive trope. When Selina and Sylvia were teenagers working the streets together as prostitutes, Sylvia took Selina's place during their first time so Selina wouldn't have to go through with it. Selina didn't know how to handle Sylvia after the incident or attempt to comfort her, causing Sylvia to develop a deep hatred of Selina because she felt Selina abandoned her. Sylvia's hatred of her was unknown to Selina, who still trusted her and considered Sylvia her closest childhood friend. This allowed Sylvia to betray Selina in the worst way possible.
*** Deconstructs the ObliviousToHatred trope. Selina's childhood friend Sylvia Sinclair had a deep hatred for her because when they were teenagers working the streets together as prostitutes, Sylvia took Selina's place during their first time so Selina wouldn't have to go through with it. Selina didn't know how to handle Sylvia after the incident or attempt to comfort her, causing Sylvia to develop a deep hatred of Selina because she felt Selina abandoned her. Despite their shaky history - and also that in the past during a heist gone bad, Selina was forced to leave Sylvia to be arrested - Selina was in the dark about Sylvia's hatred for her and trusted her, even considering Sylvia her closest childhood friend. Sylvia abuses that trust by revealing her identity to her enemy Black Mask, who kidnaps Selina's little sister Maggie and her husband Simon Burton. Simon is tortured to death, while Maggie is tortured to insanity.
* ''ComicBook/{{Birthright}}'' deconstructs InvincibleVillain with Lore. Not only is he an extremely powerful mage, but he commands seemingly endless resources and armies that never seem to run out. Many heroes spent years fighting non-stop against him, but they never seem to make any progress - on the contrary, their fighting led to many innocents getting caught in the crossfire and making things worse. In the end, the ones that opposed him have either fled Terrenos or willingly sided with Lore to stop the carnage. And as it turns out, [[spoiler:being an invincible villain also takes a toll on Lore himself, who also wants to stop the fighting so he can establish peace in this realm]].
* ComicBook/BlackCanary deconstructs JerkassBall. During the Cry for Justice & Rise and Fall storyline, Black Canary (Dinah Lance) abandons her husband Green Arrow I (Oliver Queen) and her adopted son Speedy I/Arsenal/Red Arrow I (Roy Harper). When Oliver is in prison for the murder of Prometheus, she returns her wedding ring and declares their marriage over. When Roy goes back to using heroin after the pain in his right arm becomes too unbearable because of the infection and the horrible prosthetic Cyborg made, she officially considers him a lost cause. It is implied that Dinah was traumatized because of the events of the story and was lashing out at them. In ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'', it is revealed Dinah harbors a hug amount of guilt for her actions and regrets abandoning them when they needed her the most.
* In ComicBook/TheBoys, Creator/GarthEnnis quite interestingly deconstructs his own previous and preferred protagonists. What happens when a NominalHero who is also TheUnfettered actually manages to fulfill his goal? [[spoiler: He sets a new, bigger and more destructive one, and continues to damage everything around him to fulfill these goals, until everything that made the character heroic or sympathetic is gone and the ProtagonistsJourneyToVillain is complete.]]
* ''ComicBook/BratPack'' is an extremely brutal deconstruction of everything about being a KidSidekick. To quote WebVideo/ComicTropes:
-->--"Buying into the idea of a superhero is one thing, but the idea of a teenager operating in that world becomes especially absurd if you apply some logic to the situation. [[RealityEnsues They would have to grow up and lose their innocence if they had to fight crime everyday. Their minds would be shattered]]."
* ''ComicBook/CourtneyCrumrinAndTheNightThings'': At first, ThePowerOfLove is deconstructed, showing idealism alone accomplishes nothing, and even fighting for what you love may often fail. Reconstructed again when Courtney connects with the few friends she's made to help her through the climax, relying on Calpurnia's insistence that friends are important — and when ThePowerOfFriendship unlocks her Secret Art, and makes her more powerful than ever.
* ''ComicBook/{{Criminal}}'' deconstructs BettyAndVeronica in "The Last of the Innocent", and in particular deconstructing the TropeNamer; Riley Richards, a clear analogue of [[Franchise/ArchieComics Archie]], after years of unhappy marriage to the shallow, manipulative and adulterous "Veronica", realises he really should have stayed with the "Betty" instead. His solution to the problem... gets ugly.
* ''ComicBook/DaredevilBornAgain'' deconstructs CutLexLuthorACheck. Wilson Fisk is trying to expand into legitimate businesses and be a VillainWithGoodPublicity, but his vendetta against Daredevil is costing him money and putting that ambition in jeopardy. The first crony to try and point that out to him is "bought out" and later has both his legs broken off-panel; the second is murdered by Fisk then and there. Fisk is ''trying'' to turn his criminal genius to more acceptable enterprises, but his obsession with Daredevil and his violent instincts keep overriding his sense.
* ''ComicBook/Dynamo5'' deconstructs the DatingCatwoman trope. Captain Dynamo had an affair with one of his enemies, a supervillain named Chrysalis, and had a daughter with her, who he help raise. While Chrysalis herself said that they were in love, that did not stop her and her daughter from taking advantage of his death to impersonate him to increase their power base. Ultimately, Chrysalis is an amoral and ruthless criminal who is willing to murder anyone in her way, who only escapes justice because of her affair with Captain Dynamo.
* ''ComicBook/FuryMyWarGoneBy'' deconstructs ElitesAreMoreGlamorous ''Greatly'' throughout the series. Elite formations such as the SAS, Green Berets, Delta Force and Spetsnaz ''are'' more glamorous to civilians and rank-and-file soldiers, and they're certainly trained and equipped to make spectacular splashes... but ultimately, they're too few in number to actually win wars. That's the job of the great masses of the regular armies, navies and air forces, who endure horror, boredom and vastly more casualties (and for much longer) to assure a lasting victory. So, they may be ''glamorous'', but they're not as ''effective'' as many would believe. And that belief - that a handful of elite "super-soldiers" could make the rest of them irrelevant - was what ultimately led America to attempt some very stupid things, thinking the elites would always succeed.
** It's especially evident with Fury himself. A highly trained soldier with extensive experience in covert operations, he time and again endures horrific battlefield injuries and is subject to torture more than once in the series. Apart from that, it's clear that he doesn't enjoy his life much and war is the only thing he truly lives for. He may be elite, but there's very little glamorous about his life.
* ''ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsJLA'' deconstructs NinetiesAntiHero. The Ultramarines, superhuman government mooks ordered to fight and take down the JLA. They end up subject to a deconstruction as they partake in the morally questionable strategy of locking down a civilian-inhabited area to fight the Justice League in and eventually undergo a bad HeelRealization when they notice that while they're busy trashing the place trying to take down the League, their enemy was too busy saving people in the crossfire to retaliate. Not only that, but Superman scans their physiologies and discovers that all of their days are numbered due to the experimentation that gave them their powers. They're just as quickly [[{{Reconstruction}} reconstructed]] as they maintain their anti-hero tendencies by promising Superman that they'll do "what [the League] can't," but whatever they are intending to do, it has Superman and the League's full blessing and the two teams end their confrontation as full allies.
* ComicBook/GreenArrow
** Deconstructs LaserGuidedKarma. During the Cry for Justice & Rise and Fall storyline where Green Arrow I (Oliver Queen) murders Prometheus for destroying Star City and causing the death of his adopted granddaughter Lian Harper. During Oliver's capture and trial, his family washes their hands of him, with his wife Black Canary (Dinah Lance) returning her wedding ring and declaring their marriage over. His adopted son Speedy I/Arsenal/Red Arrow I (Roy Harper) and biological son Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke) tell him they are through with him. It is implied that Oliver killing Prometheus is the last straw, with Oliver constantly cheating on Dinah, his neglect of Roy, and his abandonment of Connor and lying that he did not know he was his son was the main cause of them leaving Oliver. However, before that storyline Oliver Queen works hard to repair his relationships with them, and they had forgiven him before. It is also implied that they had been traumatized by the events of the story, Star City being destroyed for Dinah, the lost of his daughter for Roy, Connor being in a coma and losing and regaining his memories, and with the resentment they have for Oliver despite forgiving him, they all lash out at Oliver.
** Deconstructs GoodIsNotNice. While Oliver Queen is ultimately a force for good, he has never been particularly nice about it. On his best days, he's rude, arrogant, and is always convinced that his idea is better. On most days, he's a sanctimonious, elitist JerkAss. At his worst, he's a complete asshole. Oliver's personal and professional lives are a wreck because of his behavior and actions. His relationship with his friends and family is strained, with him constantly cheating on his long time girlfriend Black Canary (Dinah Lance), neglecting his sidekick and ward Speedy I/Arsenal/Red Arrow I (Roy Harper), abandoning his biological son Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke) at birth and lying to Connor that he did not know he was his son when they met and Connor became his sidekick. Oliver also doesn't have a great reputation among the superhero community due to his smug tendencies and boorish behavior. While Oliver generally tries and usually manages to do the right thing, there are times were even his teammates at the Justice League barely tolerate him. While he made a genuine effort to be a better boyfriend and husband to his girlfriend/wife Dinah, and reconnect with Roy and Connor while being a better father to them, and was able to repair his relationship with them and become a better superhero, things went crashing down in the ''Cry for Justice'' & ''Rise and Fall'' storylines where Oliver murders Prometheus for destroying Star City and causing the death of his adopted granddaughter Lian Harper. His family washes their hands of him, with his wife returning her wedding ring and declaring their marriage over and Roy and Connor telling him they are through with him. It's implied that Oliver killing Prometheus is the last straw for his family and his mistreatment of them was the main cause of them leaving him.
* ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', the 2008-2010 series, deconstructs the RagtagBunchOfMisfits. Yes, the Guardians are a rag-tag bunch of misfits and they don't work well together, so much so that [[spoiler:Peter Quill had Mantis use telepathy to convince them all to join]]. They immediately split up when they find out about this. Meanwhile, they have serious trouble with authority figures, who for ''some reason'' just don't trust a team which has two known mass-murders on it, along with several others members who have been arrested at one point or another, and refuse to listen to them on several occasions.
* ''ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'': Of several tropes at play in the DCU that get a soft pass in more idealistic comics.
** CardboardPrison: Part of Superman's plan to make a better world is to close down Arkham Asylum and move its inmates to a proper detention center. In a TV interview, he hangs a lampshade on how ridiculous it is that Arkham is still in operation even though its inmates won't reform and can't be properly held there. It's especially pertinent given that the wide-open nature of Arkham's security is what facilitates the plot. Joker certainly wouldn't have been able to do what he did if he were at a more secure facility.
** {{Determinator}}: Both Superman and Batman are this… and it plays out about as well as could be expected. Each man's unswerving dedication to their respective ideals means that virtually no effort is made to reach a compromise apart from Superman offering Batman a chance to join him early on. Much avoidable conflict ensues because of both being excessively stubborn and their supporters likewise become increasingly radicalized as the conflict escalates from stepping on each other's toes to all-out war, with both sides dragging outside characters into a struggle that is, ultimately, a massive game of Chicken between Supes and Bats.
** JokerImmunity: Like the game, the story plays hardball with this trope, showing exactly how much damage the Joker could really do if he took his eyes off Batman and went after another hero. The point is also made that the RoguesGallery types should logically be put in more secure facilities if killing them is not an option, because the traditional status quo merely allows them to keep escaping from jail, going back to crime and returning to torment innocent people over and over again.
** ThouShaltNotKill: Despite being one of the staples of superhero characterization in the DCU, the comic goes out of its way to show how lousy this trope really is. As seen above, Superman pulls no punches with his opinion of Batman's handling of the Joker, calling him out on the {{hypocri|te}}sy of getting snotty with him about killing the Joker when countless people have died on his account because he kept giving the clown second chances that he clearly didn't deserve, stopping just short of accusing Bruce of MurderByInaction and insinuating he holds him partly accountable for what happened to Lois and Metropolis. The Apokoliptian invasion, meanwhile, along with a VillainHasAPoint moment from Kalibak, are what convinces Superman to adopt a more lethal PayEvilUntoEvil approach, after Kalibak underlines what little reason villains — especially the likes of Apokoliptians — have to fear superheroes when there are no permanent consequences to face for their crimes, and how they just as often show more concern for the lives of their enemies than the people they're protecting.
-->'''Kalibak:''' If you're not prepared to take a life — then you can't possibly fight a war!
* ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'' deconstructs FaceHeelTurn by exploring reasons behind superhero making such decision as well as consequences of world's greatest protector turning into the bad guy - Plutonian's entire life was full of experiencing fear, mistrust and alienation, followed by a nasty case of SamaritanSyndrome [[spoiler: and a disaster he unintentionally caused which turned his best friend against him and which he himself considers his MoralEventHorizon]] and his rampage brings [[ApocalypseHow Type I Apocalypse]]. Its SpinOff series, ''Incorruptible'' does the same with HeelFaceTurn - Max Damage turns into a good guy because of cold logical calculation that with all the damage Plutonian did ''and'' typical threats any superhero universe faces, without somebody taking his place humanity would be at the edge of extinction, rather than PowerOfLove or PowerOfFriendship. He also has no idea how to be a hero, aside doing opposite of what he was doing before (He is however GenreSavvy enough to gather several people to be his [[MoralityPet Morality Pets]] and teach him).
* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueDark'': The WillTheyOrWontThey, OppositesAttract, and WorkingWithTheEx dynamics between John and Zatanna are brutally deconstructed. John's attachment is a borderline obsession that no one really approves of. Zatanna is upset and angry whenever John shows up, and never starts to like or even respect him again no matter how many times he saves her life. In issue #30, [[spoiler: Zatanna kicks John out of the House of Mysteries and the JLD. John has matured enough to realize that she, and everyone else, would be better off without him]].
* ''ComicBook/{{Joker}}'' was written with the title character being so monstrously evil as a way to remind fans not to turn Batman's greatest nemesis into a DracoInLeatherPants.
* ''ComicBook/LifeSucks'' deconstructs every vampire trope it can get its hands on (and its fangs sunk into), and towards the end it lists them off as it does so. The main thrust of it is that most vampire stories portray ordinary humans as mindless cattle and vampires as [[{{Ubermensch}} liberated beings]] that can do whatever they want, whereas the protagonist is enslaved both by the rules necessary to uphold TheMasquerade, and by the older vampire who sired him and can kill him at will. It also touches on just how alienating the inability to go out in sunlight can be, how humiliating it is to steal from blood banks (and how dehumanizing it is to obtain blood more directly), and how [[CharmPerson the ability to charm and enslave humans]] is tantamount to rape, with an ultimate message that [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped nobody should ever want to be a vampire]]. Whew!
* ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyLegendsOfMagic'': Issue #2 deconstructs the BigEater trope. Rockhoof is thrown several feasts in his honor after saving his town from a volcanic eruption. He takes part in numerous eating contests night after night while skipping his Mighty Helm training sessions. His gluttony nearly causes his undoing when the volcano starts showing signs of life. Rockhoof is sent to investigate despite putting on so much weight from partying, and his lack of speed and stamina puts himself and two other guards in danger. He ultimately gets a shrill talking to from his captain for letting his eating habits get the better of him.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Nova}}'', it's shown that Sam Alexander's ButtMonkey status -pretty much everything he does seems to make the other heroes dislike him, often through no fault of his own- be taking a ''real'' toll on him.
* ComicBook/PowerGirl deconstructs CutLexLuthorACheck. Power Girl (In her role as Karen Starr, head of Starrware) holds the patents to several miraculous technologies and heads what seems to be a well-running corporation. However, now that they have engineered these miraculous technologies they need to develop them into some form of marketable product, deal with worried overseeing government agencies and also contend with the almost insurmountable issues of normal office paperwork. Starrware might be on the cutting edge of human technology, and its stock prices will probably go through the roof once it goes public, but right now it needs to find some way to actually gain revenue from its assets. Power Girl herself is struggling to make ends meet until the profits start to come in, and lampshades this when fighting the Blue Snowman, who had developed the technology to create weather and was using this technology to steal jewels not worth half of what her equipment was worth.
* ''ComicBook/PrincessUgg'' deconstructs the (slightly Übermensch-flavoured) ProudWarriorRaceGuy archetype: The frost giants and Ulga's people have been fighting each other for centuries, not even remembering (or caring about) what caused the feud in the first place. They are all very good at war, which makes up most of their culture, but it's slowly driving both to extinction, and neither know how to stop.
* It's almost the purpose of Marvel's ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}''. The characters are meant to be real kids who just happened to live in a superhero universe. The results of them gaining superpowers and fighting supervillains is fearing for their very lives everyday and trying to avoid actual superheroes by seeing them as the same as their supervillain parents in how immature their viewpoints are. Gert even gets into an intellectual argument with Spider-Man on his "With Great Power" philosophy.
--> '''Gert''': Really? That's inane. Most people in life don't have great power, and the few that do are almost never responsible with it. The people who have the greatest responsibility are the kids with no power because we're the ones that have to keep everyone in check.
** This continues into ''ComicBook/RainbowRowellsRunaways'' era. The "Canon Fodder" arc, deconstructing LegacyCharacter and CListFodder, has the kids run into Doc Justice, a [[RememberTheNewGuy hitherto recently unknown hero]] who had protected Los Angeles since the 80s. He recruits them to become the latest iteration of his team, the J-Team, though Gert ends up as MissionControl of sorts. However, Gert smells a fish and starts snooping around, learning the DarkSecret of the J-Team: [[spoiler: they're killed off when Doc Justice believes people do not remember them and uses their death to reinforce his own "story". Gert's more than upset at this because these were kids who believed they were doing good and that they should be able to live their own stories. It probably helps that she realized that Karolina, who is the ''fifth'' person to take up the identity of Princess Justice, is up on the chopping block.]]
* ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'' deconstructs AGodAmI. After vanquishing the Beyonders, ComicBook/DoctorDoom takes their powers and becomes a God. Instead of repairing the universe or making a reasonable facsimile, he instead makes the ultimate {{Egopolis}}, Battleworld, and makes everyone his slave. In due time, the survivors of the final Incursion of Earth 616 and Earth 1610 arrive and proceed to turn everyone against Doom, leading to a final showdown between Reed Richards and Doom. [[spoiler:Doom is finally forced to admit Reed would have done better, only to have Owen Mercer, the Molecule Man, take that power and give it to Reed, who proceeds to fix the universe with the aid of the Future Foundation. And to add insult to injury, Reed repairs Doom's face, something Doom couldn't do to himself.]]
* The ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog'' comics produced by Archie has a deconstruction of InvincibleHero. After failing to beat Sonic after so many years, [[spoiler:Dr. Eggman is driven insane, unable to comprehend how Sonic does it]]. He regains control once he realizes that ''something'' was enabling Sonic to win all those times, akin to an unpredictable chaotic factor in every experiment. Specifically, that Sonic has absorbed so much Chaos Energy, and had so many transformations, that he's become an embodiment of chaos.
* ''ComicBook/SouthernBastards'' deconstructs CleanUpTheTown. [[spoiler: Earl attempts a ''Walking Tall'' style uprising against Boss's fiefdom and dies almost immediately.]]
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' is a deconstruction of the {{secret identity}} trope, as Peter's duties as Spider-Man have constant, lasting, and almost always negative impact on his social life, and he has to endure bullying because using his powers to get revenge would blow his cover.
* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' stories have deconstructed superhero tropes, too:
** ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'' goes out of its way to deconstruct DarkerAndEdgier:
*** The first part of the story goes out of its way to highlight Superman's genuine, kind-hearted nature. Notably, in a television interview, he's his usual friendly self... then someone asks a question basically boiling down to "Do you agree this JLA chick's a babe?" Superman rather coldly responds that she's a very capable person and a valuable member of the team, "Next question." Watching this interview is a young man, Mitch Anderson, who thinks Superman is boring and lame, preferring edgy and "cool" Guy Gardner. Mitch learns to change his tune when Superman stalls his battle with Doomsday to rescue Mitch's family from the destruction that very battle caused.
*** Even when Superman finally returns, it's with all the trappings of Darker and Edgier, but without their substance. He has a new black costume with no cape, his powers have been drained so he's no longer the Boring Invincible Hero, which requires him to use big honkin' energy guns against the villains at the climax, and his hair has grown out into a mullet. But he's still the kind, good-hearted, complimentary cape we all know and love, who won't let anything get in the way of protecting people, won't let anything stop him from doing what's right. That's Superman, accept no substitutes.
** ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Post-Crisis]] storyline ''ComicBook/WhoIsSuperwoman'' deconstructs two tropes:
*** ClothesMakeTheSuperman. Lucy Lane dons a super-suit which replicates the powers of several alien races thanks to a combination of magic and technology, and with which she attempts to kill ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}. Though, it turns out that a super-suit isn't enough to take down an experienced, prepared meta with natural powers and a volatile temper. Supergirl swiftly guesses what is Superwoman's power's source, and proceeds to easily -and furiously- rip her costume off, meaning Lucy is now helpless against someone who can bench-pressing a whale. And worst of all, her suit being damaged unleashes the magic energies woven into it, destroying Lucy's body.
*** WellDoneSonGuy: Superwoman commits abhorrent crimes in order to earn her genocidal and xenophobic father's approval. As long as she gets Sam Lane's attention and love, Lucy doesn't care who gets hurt or killed.
* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' deconstructs EvenEvilCanBeLoved as this trope causes nothing but grief for Roy and Lian Harper because of [[PsychoForHire Cheshire]], Roy's ex-girlfriend and Lian's mom. Roy fell in love with Cheshire while he was investigating her for the C.B.I., leaving her because he couldn't bring himself to turn her in. Neither of them knew at the time she was pregnant with their daughter. Roy and Lian both love Cheshire to varying degrees, but it's a very strained type of love because she's an unrepentant psychopath and responsible for [[NukeEm destroying an entire country with a nuclear weapon]] [[ForTheEvulz because she felt like it]]. So they know Cheshire's a horrible person, but she's still Lian's mom and Roy doesn't want Lian to endure having a mother who'll spend the rest of her life locked away in prison (though father and daughter both know she deserves it). The worst part is the mounting evidence Cheshire doesn't love ''either'' of them and manipulates their emotions to keep them under her control.
* ''ComicBook/XForce'' deconstructed PetTheDog in [[TheChessmaster Eli Bard]]'s backstory. He was a Roman senator named Eliphas that was regarded as a push-over by his family and peers, but he had a MoralityPet in form of a little girl that served as a slave. When he crossed paths with [[TheVamp Selene]], she offered to love him forever and make him immortal if he sacrificed every soul in Rome to her. Eliphas agreed to do it, but decided to warn the little girl to leave the city with her family. She told her parents, who proceeded to warn the guards about him, who interrupted him just in time he was about to perform the spell to sacrifice all Romans. This lead to him getting cursed by Selene and turned into a vampire-like mutate, living in constant torment for not being together with his beloved. In short, [[LoveMakesYouEvil after he took the path to evil]], [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished his one moment of kindness costed him ''everything'']].
* ''ComicBook/XMen'': ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} and ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s relationship could be considered a deconstruction of the typical TheLeader[=/=]TheLancer dynamic. What happens when two men, both with alpha male personalities, very similar in many ways and very different in others, with opposing outlooks and both obsessed with the [[TheChick same]] [[ComicBook/JeanGrey woman]] are forced not only to work together, but provide leadership to a group of volatile and diverse characters. Do they eventually gain a grudging mutual respect and put aside their differences? No, they're constantly at each other's throats and eventually end up splitting the X-Men into two rival factions because they simply can't coexist.
* ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' is, among other things, a very thorough deconstruction of the male sexual fantasy of being the last man on earth. Virtually all of society has broken down in the absence of men, and Yorick is constantly at the mercy of those who want to use his scarce genes and reproductive ability for their own ends.

[[/folder]]

* DeconstructedTrope//ComicBooks

* A story in ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' deconstructs the BadassBystander trope. An actor who [[ButIPlayOneOnTV plays a superhero on TV]] foils a convenience store robbery with the help of some friends. He becomes a minor celebrity, boosting the show's profile and his career, as his character is [[AscendedExtra pushed into the limelight]]. However, he quickly realises that since everyone thinks of him as a superhero now, he's in way over his head, especially when actual supervillains come gunning for him. One act of bravery doesn't make you a hero.

* ''ComicBook/AnyasGhost'' deconstructs InsecureLoveInterest. Elizabeth Standard is one of the prettiest, most athletic girls in school, dating one of the more popular boys, Sean. Everything about her seems to be perfect, and despite how jealous Anya and the other girls are of her she appears to be a nice and carefree girl. Then at a party Anya learns that Sean is a creep who sleeps around with other girls (even his friend's girlfriend) with Elizabeth not only knowing but keeping watch; Anya, who come to the party to steal Sean from Elizabeth, couldn't bring herself to sleep with Sean and hurt Elizabeth. Before Anya leaves the party, she asks Elizabeth why she lets Sean treat her like that, and Elizabeth tells her that while she appears happy, she really is miserable and insecure, and the only person that makes her really happy is Sean. Because she loves him, or as she admits, thinks she loves him, she's willing to do anything to keep him in her life, even though his cheating and her covering for his cheating is hurting her.

* ''ComicBook/LifeSucks'' deconstructs every vampire trope it can get its hands on (and its fangs sunk into), and towards the end it lists them off as it does so. The main thrust of it is that most vampire stories portray ordinary humans as mindless cattle and vampires as [[{{Ubermensch}} liberated beings]] that can do whatever they want, whereas the protagonist is enslaved both by the rules necessary to uphold TheMasquerade, and by the older vampire who sired him and can kill him at will. It also touches on just how alienating the inability to go out in sunlight can be, how humiliating it is to steal from blood banks (and how dehumanizing it is to obtain blood more directly), and how [[CharmPerson the ability to charm and enslave humans]] is tantamount to rape, with an ultimate message that [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped nobody should ever want to be a vampire]]. Whew!
* ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'' deconstructs FaceHeelTurn by exploring reasons behind superhero making such decision as well as consequences of world's greatest protector turning into the bad guy - Plutonian's entire life was full of experiencing fear, mistrust and alienation, followed by a nasty case of SamaritanSyndrome [[spoiler: and a disaster he unintentionally caused which turned his best friend against him and which he himself considers his MoralEventHorizon]] and his rampage brings [[ApocalypseHow Type I Apocalypse]]. Its SpinOff series, ''Incorruptible'' does the same with HeelFaceTurn - Max Damage turns into a good guy because of cold logical calculation that with all the damage Plutonian did ''and'' typical threats any superhero universe faces, without somebody taking his place humanity would be at the edge of extinction, rather than PowerOfLove or PowerOfFriendship. He also has no idea how to be a hero, aside doing opposite of what he was doing before (He is however GenreSavvy enough to gather several people to be his [[MoralityPet Morality Pets]] and teach him).

* Creator/JossWhedon's "Breakworld" arc from ''ComicBook/AstonishingXMen'' deconstructed the AlwaysChaoticEvil trope with its portrayal of the eponymous PlanetOfHats. At first glance, the Breakworlders ''seem'' to be a clear example of this, since their entire culture is built around [[ForeverWar endless war]], and their governments are universally led by barbaric tyrants who consider freedom an abomination. But then there's TheReveal that the arc's true BigBad is actually the leader of a seemingly noble [[LaResistance resistance group]] that wants to end the wars forever...by [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroying the Breakworld]] [[OmnicidalManiac and wiping out its entire population]]. The conclusion points out that most people in a species like the Breakworlders wouldn't be truly "evil", since their actions would simply reflect the cultural values that they were raised with. But on the other hand, someone willing to completely reject every underlying value of their planet's culture would probably be far ''less'' sane than the common citizenry who simply follow cultural norms [[ValuesDissonance (even if that culture seems evil to us)]]. At the same time this also deconstructs TokenHeroicOrc by making the aforementioned "heroic" orc a lunatic who wants to blow up her own planet.
* ''ComicBook/XForce'' deconstructed PetTheDog in [[TheChessmaster Eli Bard]]'s backstory. He was a Roman senator named Eliphas that was regarded as a push-over by his family and peers, but he had a MoralityPet in form of a little girl that served as a slave. When he crossed paths with [[TheVamp Selene]], she offered to love him forever and make him immortal if he sacrificed every soul in Rome to her. Eliphas agreed to do it, but decided to warn the little girl to leave the city with her family. She told her parents, who proceeded to warn the guards about him, who interrupted him just in time he was about to perform the spell to sacrifice all Romans. This lead to him getting cursed by Selene and turned into a vampire-like mutate, living in constant torment for not being together with his beloved. In short, [[LoveMakesYouEvil after he took the path to evil]], [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished his one moment of kindness costed him ''everything'']].
* ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' is, among other things, a very thorough deconstruction of the male sexual fantasy of being the last man on earth. Virtually all of society has broken down in the absence of men, and Yorick is constantly at the mercy of those who want to use his scarce genes and reproductive ability for their own ends.

* ''ComicBook/{{Joker}}'' was written with the title character being so monstrously evil as a way to remind fans not to turn Batman's greatest nemesis into a DracoInLeatherPants.
* ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', the 2008-2010 series, deconstructs the RagtagBunchOfMisfits. Yes, the Guardians are a rag-tag bunch of misfits and they don't work well together, so much so that [[spoiler:Peter Quill had Mantis use telepathy to convince them all to join]]. They immediately split up when they find out about this. Meanwhile, they have serious trouble with authority figures, who for ''some reason'' just don't trust a team which has two known mass-murders on it, along with several others members who have been arrested at one point or another, and refuse to listen to them on several occasions.
* ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'' deconstructs AGodAmI. After vanquishing the Beyonders, ComicBook/DoctorDoom takes their powers and becomes a God. Instead of repairing the universe or making a reasonable facsimile, he instead makes the ultimate {{Egopolis}}, Battleworld, and makes everyone his slave. In due time, the survivors of the final Incursion of Earth 616 and Earth 1610 arrive and proceed to turn everyone against Doom, leading to a final showdown between Reed Richards and Doom. [[spoiler:Doom is finally forced to admit Reed would have done better, only to have Owen Mercer, the Molecule Man, take that power and give it to Reed, who proceeds to fix the universe with the aid of the Future Foundation. And to add insult to injury, Reed repairs Doom's face, something Doom couldn't do to himself.]]
* ''ComicBook/Avengers2016''[='s=] .1 issue deconstruct the RagtagBandOfMisfits trope. Set during the ''ComicBook/CapsKookyQuartet'' era, Captain America ends having Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch dropped on his lap when Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp left the team for their own things. The public isn't keen on Captain America leading a team of super villains, Captain America himself isn't keen on it, the former villains can't stand each other and a horrified Wasp realizes they've made a mistake when they get trounced by the Frightful Four.
* ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyLegendsOfMagic'': Issue #2 deconstructs the BigEater trope. Rockhoof is thrown several feasts in his honor after saving his town from a volcanic eruption. He takes part in numerous eating contests night after night while skipping his Mighty Helm training sessions. His gluttony nearly causes his undoing when the volcano starts showing signs of life. Rockhoof is sent to investigate despite putting on so much weight from partying, and his lack of speed and stamina puts himself and two other guards in danger. He ultimately gets a shrill talking to from his captain for letting his eating habits get the better of him.
* A story in ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' deconstructs the BadassBystander trope. An actor who [[ButIPlayOneOnTV plays a superhero on TV]] foils a convenience store robbery with the help of some friends. He becomes a minor celebrity, boosting the show's profile and his career, as his character is [[AscendedExtra pushed into the limelight]]. However, he quickly realises that since everyone thinks of him as a superhero now, he's in way over his head, especially when actual supervillains come gunning for him. One act of bravery doesn't make you a hero.
* ''ComicBook/Dynamo5'' deconstructs the DatingCatwoman trope. Captain Dynamo had an affair with one of his enemies, a supervillain named Chrysalis, and had a daughter with her, who he help raise. While Chrysalis herself said that they were in love, that did not stop her and her daughter from taking advantage of his death to impersonate him to increase their power base. Ultimately, Chrysalis is an amoral and ruthless criminal who is willing to murder anyone in her way, who only escapes justice because of her affair with Captain Dynamo.
* ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} from ''{{Franchise/Batman}}''.
** Deconstructs the InnocentlyInsensitive trope. When Selina and Sylvia were teenagers working the streets together as prostitutes, Sylvia took Selina's place during their first time so Selina wouldn't have to go through with it. Selina didn't know how to handle Sylvia after the incident or attempt to comfort her, causing Sylvia to develop a deep hatred of Selina because she felt Selina abandoned her. Sylvia's hatred of her was unknown to Selina, who still trusted her and considered Sylvia her closest childhood friend. This allowed Sylvia to betray Selina in the worst way possible.
** Deconstructs the ObliviousToHatred trope. Selina's childhood friend Sylvia Sinclair had a deep hatred for her because when they were teenagers working the streets together as prostitutes, Sylvia took Selina's place during their first time so Selina wouldn't have to go through with it. Selina didn't know how to handle Sylvia after the incident or attempt to comfort her, causing Sylvia to develop a deep hatred of Selina because she felt Selina abandoned her. Despite their shaky history - and also that in the past during a heist gone bad, Selina was forced to leave Sylvia to be arrested - Selina was in the dark about Sylvia's hatred for her and trusted her, even considering Sylvia her closest childhood friend. Sylvia abuses that trust by revealing her identity to her enemy Black Mask, who kidnaps Selina's little sister Maggie and her husband Simon Burton. Simon is tortured to death, while Maggie is tortured to insanity.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'': ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} and ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s relationship could be considered a deconstruction of the typical TheLeader[=/=]TheLancer dynamic. What happens when two men, both with alpha male personalities, very similar in many ways and very different in others, with opposing outlooks and both obsessed with the [[TheChick same]] [[ComicBook/JeanGrey woman]] are forced not only to work together, but provide leadership to a group of volatile and diverse characters. Do they eventually gain a grudging mutual respect and put aside their differences? No, they're constantly at each other's throats and eventually end up splitting the X-Men into two rival factions because they simply can't coexist.
* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' deconstructs EvenEvilCanBeLoved as this trope causes nothing but grief for Roy and Lian Harper because of [[PsychoForHire Cheshire]], Roy's ex-girlfriend and Lian's mom. Roy fell in love with Cheshire while he was investigating her for the C.B.I., leaving her because he couldn't bring himself to turn her in. Neither of them knew at the time she was pregnant with their daughter. Roy and Lian both love Cheshire to varying degrees, but it's a very strained type of love because she's an unrepentant psychopath and responsible for [[NukeEm destroying an entire country with a nuclear weapon]] [[ForTheEvulz because she felt like it]]. So they know Cheshire's a horrible person, but she's still Lian's mom and Roy doesn't want Lian to endure having a mother who'll spend the rest of her life locked away in prison (though father and daughter both know she deserves it). The worst part is the mounting evidence Cheshire doesn't love ''either'' of them and manipulates their emotions to keep them under her control.
* ComicBook/GreenArrow
** Deconstructs LaserGuidedKarma. During the Cry for Justice & Rise and Fall storyline where Green Arrow I (Oliver Queen) murders Prometheus for destroying Star City and causing the death of his adopted granddaughter Lian Harper. During Oliver's capture and trial, his family washes their hands of him, with his wife Black Canary (Dinah Lance) returning her wedding ring and declaring their marriage over. His adopted son Speedy I/Arsenal/Red Arrow I (Roy Harper) and biological son Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke) tell him they are through with him. It is implied that Oliver killing Prometheus is the last straw, with Oliver constantly cheating on Dinah, his neglect of Roy, and his abandonment of Connor and lying that he did not know he was his son was the main cause of them leaving Oliver. However, before that storyline Oliver Queen works hard to repair his relationships with them, and they had forgiven him before. It is also implied that they had been traumatized by the events of the story, Star City being destroyed for Dinah, the lost of his daughter for Roy, Connor being in a coma and losing and regaining his memories, and with the resentment they have for Oliver despite forgiving him, they all lash out at Oliver.
** Deconstructs GoodIsNotNice. While Oliver Queen is ultimately a force for good, he has never been particularly nice about it. On his best days, he's rude, arrogant, and is always convinced that his idea is better. On most days, he's a sanctimonious, elitist JerkAss. At his worst, he's a complete asshole. Oliver's personal and professional lives are a wreck because of his behavior and actions. His relationship with his friends and family is strained, with him constantly cheating on his long time girlfriend Black Canary (Dinah Lance), neglecting his sidekick and ward Speedy I/Arsenal/Red Arrow I (Roy Harper), abandoning his biological son Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke) at birth and lying to Connor that he did not know he was his son when they met and Connor became his sidekick. Oliver also doesn't have a great reputation among the superhero community due to his smug tendencies and boorish behavior. While Oliver generally tries and usually manages to do the right thing, there are times were even his teammates at the Justice League barely tolerate him. While he made a genuine effort to be a better boyfriend and husband to his girlfriend/wife Dinah, and reconnect with Roy and Connor while being a better father to them, and was able to repair his relationship with them and become a better superhero, things went crashing down in the ''Cry for Justice'' & ''Rise and Fall'' storylines where Oliver murders Prometheus for destroying Star City and causing the death of his adopted granddaughter Lian Harper. His family washes their hands of him, with his wife returning her wedding ring and declaring their marriage over and Roy and Connor telling him they are through with him. It's implied that Oliver killing Prometheus is the last straw for his family and his mistreatment of them was the main cause of them leaving him.
* ComicBook/BlackCanary deconstructs JerkassBall. During the Cry for Justice & Rise and Fall storyline, Black Canary (Dinah Lance) abandons her husband Green Arrow I (Oliver Queen) and her adopted son Speedy I/Arsenal/Red Arrow I (Roy Harper). When Oliver is in prison for the murder of Prometheus, she returns her wedding ring and declares their marriage over. When Roy goes back to using heroin after the pain in his right arm becomes too unbearable because of the infection and the horrible prosthetic Cyborg made, she officially considers him a lost cause. It is implied that Dinah was traumatized because of the events of the story and was lashing out at them. In ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'', it is revealed Dinah harbors a hug amount of guilt for her actions and regrets abandoning them when they needed her the most.
* ''ComicBook/PrincessUgg'' deconstructs the (slightly Übermensch-flavoured) ProudWarriorRaceGuy archetype: The frost giants and Ulga's people have been fighting each other for centuries, not even remembering (or caring about) what caused the feud in the first place. They are all very good at war, which makes up most of their culture, but it's slowly driving both to extinction, and neither know how to stop.
* ''ComicBook/Batgirl2011'' deconstructs CowboyCop. Katharsis of the Disgraced used to be a policewoman who was kicked off the force for castrating a sex offender. She apparently got fanmail for this while in prison, until it turned out the guy was innocent.

* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Post-Crisis]] storyline ''ComicBook/WhoIsSuperwoman'' deconstructs two tropes:
** ClothesMakeTheSuperman. Lucy Lane dons a super-suit which replicates the powers of several alien races thanks to a combination of magic and technology, and with which she attempts to kill ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}. Though, it turns out that a super-suit isn't enough to take down an experienced, prepared meta with natural powers and a volatile temper. Supergirl swiftly guesses what is Superwoman's power's source, and proceeds to easily -and furiously- rip her costume off, meaning Lucy is now helpless against someone who can bench-pressing a whale. And worst of all, her suit being damaged unleashes the magic energies woven into it, destroying Lucy's body.
** WellDoneSonGuy: Superwoman commits abhorrent crimes in order to earn her genocidal and xenophobic father's approval. As long as she gets Sam Lane's attention and love, Lucy doesn't care who gets hurt or killed.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Nova}}'', it's shown that Sam Alexander's ButtMonkey status -pretty much everything he does seems to make the other heroes dislike him, often through no fault of his own- be taking a ''real'' toll on him.
* ''ComicBook/CourtneyCrumrinAndTheNightThings'': At first, ThePowerOfLove is deconstructed, showing idealism alone accomplishes nothing, and even fighting for what you love may often fail. Reconstructed again when Courtney connects with the few friends she's made to help her through the climax, relying on Calpurnia's insistence that friends are important — and when ThePowerOfFriendship unlocks her Secret Art, and makes her more powerful than ever.

* ParodySue deconstructs MarySue and [[MarySueTropes its sub-tropes]] (despite the name, it can be PlayedForDrama), emphasizing their implacable traits to show how flawed or unlikable such a "perfect" character would realistically be.

*** Deconstructs the BatmanGrabsAGun trope. Barbara Gordon respects the Bat Family's avoidance of firearms. However, she is a cop in her day job and is willing to tote a gun when she and Batman infiltrate the base of the Sensei in ''[[Comicbook/TheBatmanAdventures Gotham Adventures #9]]'', which Batman isn't happy about and asks her to get rid of it, feeling that she does not need it and that using it will be a mistake. It turns out that Batman was right; when Batgirl tries to use it to threaten Sensei, he saw that she was unwilling to use it to seriously hurt him if there was a chance to kill him. After calling out Batgirl for bring a weapon she was unwilling to use, he disarms her and throws the gun away.

* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin of course]], deconstructs TheChosenOne by showing how the status can come with more problems than benefits such as losing [[DoomedHometown those they]] [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive care about]], making sacrifices they're mentally unprepared for, and just, in general, having to deal with serious emotional baggage relating to their work.

* ''DeconstructedTrope/FreemansMind''

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Webcomic/DiveQuest'', from the guy behind ''Webcomic/RubyQuest'', deconstructs the usual structure of [[InteractiveComic Collective Games]] by having the "players" exist in universe, as facets of the protagonists personality, accessed through the Orb of Infinite Psyche. This proved so popular that it's been used in several other games. It also provided justification for switching the player character by having the second character find a shard of the orb.
* ''WebVideo/ImAMarvelAndImADC'' deconstructs TheCape tendencies of Superman, where he spends his time remembering back when righteous heroes were idolized, fully aware that his [[ThinkNothingOfIt nobility]] and [[InvincibleHero incredibly overpowered persona]] are frowned upon by current comic book fans, who want a hero that's full of faults so they're more relatable. Lex Luthor tries to use this to convince Superman into writing Marvel out of history. Without Marvel making flawed superheroes, everyone would still idolize the perfect, heroic good guys of yesteryear. The interesting thing about this deconstruction is that it essentially says that comics need Superman because he does still act as a standard, and that the entire basis of Marvel heroes is that they're trying to be like Superman, so without Superman, there's nothing to strive for.
** Season 2 ''Happy Hours'' deconstructs DarkerAndEdgier, as the Joker brainwashed almost all the characters to become more like Batman. Green Goblin [[ShutUpHannibal tells off]] the Joker since if all characters are dark and there is no LighterAndSofter counterparts, then [[DarknessInducedAudienceApathy they lose what made them interesting]] since there wouldn't be any contrast.
** Also the PhysicalGod tropes are deconstructed in-universe during the conversation between Darkseid and the Joker. Darkseid is quick to boast about being a god and the most powerful being in the universe, only to meet the Joker's laughter in return. The Joker then delivers a BreakingSpeech Darkseid by telling him that the only reason why he's so powerful is because he's nothing but a fictional character, designed that way by a comic book writer, and that Creator/StanLee is the closest thing to a god that exist in their universe since he's also a comic book writer, spending his days creating characters in the ways it seems fit to him. Darkseid can't do nothing but stare in shock of the reveal.
** That season then goes on to deconstruct [[ContinuityReboot reboots]]. Namely, the idea that decades of accomplishment can and will be completely erased in order to make a quick buck is depicted as a [[AwfulTruth horrifying revelation]] in-universe, with Darkseid himself believing it to be the true Anti-Life Equation- i.e. nothing that you accomplish will actually matter in a few years. [[spoiler: Contrary to Darkseid's expectations, the reveal does ''not'' break the heroes. ]]
* This [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18756_6-romantic-movie-gestures-that-can-get-you-prison-time.html Cracked article]] shows what happens if you try to copy romantic gestures from films to real life. They all involve jail time.
* This can sometimes happen ''within'' a fandom, such as the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom. The "New Found Form" series is about mysterious runed artifacts which just happen to turn people into sexy animal-hybrid hermaphrodites[[note]]usually[[/note]], because, as RuleThirtyFour says, some people like that sort of thing. One writer came up with [[http://nequ.deviantart.com/art/New-Found-Frost-195081193 "New Found Frost"]] and turned the story into Lovecraft-influenced psychological horror, telling the tale of a fallen-from-wealth Russian family forced to choose between giving up their humanity and dying in their snowbound house. And that author does this sort of thing all the time.
* The ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' has a few subjects that break down some tropes. For example, [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-085 SPC-085]] (a.k.a. Cassy) is a living two-dimensional woman in a canvas. When she has MediumAwareness, the trope is deconstructed; instead of taking advantage of it, she slips into a deep existential crisis.
* [[http://hurricane.methaz.org/tracking/mos_oped.pdf This article]] written by Watson Technical Counseling, in the form of an in-universe ''Daily Planet'' op-ed by Perry White, deconstructs the amount of StuffBlowingUp in ''Film/ManOfSteel'' and many other recent Hollywood blockbusters. It was based on their analysis of the destruction in that film and how, if it had happened in real life, it would have produced a death toll on the order of the Nagasaki bomb and an economic impact close to two trillion dollars.
* ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'':
** ApplianceDefenestration is deconstructed when a computer thrown out a window by a player with HairTriggerTemper killed someone and had him end up in jail.
** The [[Series/{{Noob}} webseries]] also gave MistakenForBadass a quite realistic treatment, with the mistaken character never figuring out the situation due to sheer idiocy and the person conviced that he is more than he seems ending up loosing all credibility in the eyes of anyone that is not his [[UndyingLoyalty devoted student]].
* In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', Jaune shows how hard it is to be a PluckyComicRelief and being UnskilledButStrong. It is clear from the start that he is leagues behind everyone else in combat skills and knowledge, especially since [[spoiler: we learn he cheated his way into Beacon using fake transcripts]]. He has a strong Aura but has no idea how to use it and his potential does nothing for him until he gets some proper training. He's aware he is seen as a "lovable idiot" and suffers a severe inferiority complex as a result.
** Pyrrha, Jaune's partner and {{Foil}}, deconstructs TheAce. Because she is incredibly talented, pretty and skilled, she is put on a pedestal, constantly treated like a celebrity and she finds it hard to develop a relationship with anyone because no one would talk to her. In addition, she may have made a mistake when not allowing [[spoiler:Jaune to accompany her in her final fight against Cinder. While this was to protect him, she did not take into account how he could have helped her out, such as when she had Cinder in a choke hold and vulnerable to attack.]]
** Volumes 1-3 end up deconstructing RecruitTeenagersWithAttitude. The kingdom's prestigious academies accept students when they're about 17, thus barely skirting this trope. However, Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy seems relaxed in his choosing, allowing Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc in despite Ruby being younger and still inexperienced and Jaune [[spoiler:having cheated his way in by forging documents]]. Thus, there is strife when they're made leaders of their respective teams (Weiss clearly hated Ruby being leader when she should have and Jaune is teased for being the normal guy of the group). Furthermore, Ozpin allows Team RWBY to investigate a possible hideout for villains despite being 1st year students, which ends up getting Vale invaded by Grimm and Ozpin disgraced. To complete the deconstruction, Pyrrha is asked by Ozpin to take up the powers of the Fall Maiden to keep it away from Cinder, who has part of that power. Pyrrha ends up panicking at the possible end results, leading to [[spoiler:Cinder gaining the rest of those powers, Pyrrha and Ozpin's current incarnation dying, Vale ravaged, Beacon destroyed and the remaining members of RWBY and JNPR being forced to find Cinder to fight back.]]
** The events of Vol. 3 Episodes 6-8 prove to be a deconstruction of Yang's BloodKnight tendencies when [[spoiler:she breaks Mercury's leg. Yang thinks that Mercury was trying to attack her and she was putting him down. Everyone saw her attack her defenseless opponent in a fit of unsportsmanlike conduct. Neither realize that this was all part of a WoundedGazelleGambit.]] Either way, everyone now sees Yang as someone unbecoming either a sportsman or a Hunter at the kindest and a bully picking on the helpless at the worst.
** The leaders of the four major Huntsman academies are working together [[BenevolentConspiracy behind the scenes]] to protect everyone from threats people know about and the ones they don't. One of their core motivations for secrecy is to avoid causing panic which would draw in hordes of Grimm. In the Volume 3, Cinder took advantage of the secrecy and exposed it, sowing distrust amongst the people.
** [[spoiler: Salem]]'s faction deconstructs the typical villainous team dynamic by portraying all of the members as regular people, capable of small-talk, friendships, and even taunting the "runt" of the group. In addition, judging by [[spoiler:Mercury and Emerald's expressions in Salem's domain]], the trope EvenEvilHasStandards is also deconstructed in that they are clearly disgusted but they need to continue out of fear.
** [[spoiler:Salem]] deconstructs the concept of a BigBad TeamMom. While in episode one she seemed to care for all her subjects, episode three reveals that she has ''quite'' the temper for even the smallest misunderstanding. Also, her "treatment" seems incredibly painful; and she shows a complete disregard for [[spoiler:Cinder]]'s pain.
** Blake's ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies is deconstructed in the episode "Taking Control" when Sun [[WhatTheHellHero calls out Blake]] on her decision to "protect" her friends by running away constantly. While she might think she is being "selfless" in getting as much distance as possible between her, her friends, and the danger she thinks she's putting them in by being around them, she's instead hurting them by running away.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_jihYz-YgA This video]] deconstructs the trend of Website/GoAnimate videos promoting both YouAreGrounded and DisproportionateRetribution towards "baby shows" like ''WesternAnimation/{{Caillou}}'' by having Caillou's dad declare that he's the OnlySaneMan in a house out of control (when, as Caillou points out, he's being punished for watching shows that are "too scary" or light teasing), only to have his wife [[ShutUpHannibal tell him he's utterly out of control]] and slug it out, grounding ''him'' instead and putting him in the closet. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq7qBB_t75k A follow-up]] has Caillou's mom reassure him that he's not in trouble after he and his friends panic in a fire alarm and his teacher threatens to tell their parents for it. She even tells him not to listen to his dad when he attempts to ground him.
* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'':
** The ''Blood Gulch Chronicles'' deconstructs many FPS-related tropes, including - perphaps most notably - CaptureTheFlag. Nobody knows why the flags even matter, and the Reds eventually decide that capturing one isn't really worth the trouble. This becomes outright {{Parodied}} in seazon 3, with a bunch of...[[{{Noob}} not very competent soldiers]] fighting over the flags for religious reasons.
** At the end of season 10 Epsilon [[ButNowIMustGo leaves with Carolina]] to investigate Freelancer equipment without saying goodbye to Tucker and Caboose. The rest of season 11 and 12 showed the results of this. Caboose spiraled into a depression and latched onto a very dangerous Freckles the Mantis assault droid as a ReplacementGoldfish. Tucker became bitter and angry with Epsilon for abandoning them and constantly clashed with the latter when they were reunited. Epsilon later did admit it was a jerk move to do to his friends.
** Epsilon later deconstructs another trope - [[spoiler: namely HeroicSacrifice. While his sacrifice is presented a noble, the series [[AvertedTrope averts]] the DyingMomentOfAwesome by having Epsilon simply shatter into fragments. It also shows how, despite [[NotAfraidToDie not fearing death all that much]], he is not content with that kind of fate, as he will never know if the sacrifice had any real meaning]]
* The ChristmasEpisode of the Podcast/{{Sawbones}} Podcast deconstructs the figure of SantaClaus, as Doctor Sydnee ennumerates the numerous serious health problems that would plague an overweight, middle-aged man who consumes prodigious quantities of sugar and dairy, and then spends an entire night trying to maintain control over an animal-driven flying sleigh. By the end of the episode, Justin is traumatized:
-->'''Dr. Sydnee [=McElroy=]''': Now, let's talk about Santa's heart.\\
'''Justin [=McElroy=]''' (extremely distressed) Yes! It's a big heart, big enough for all the children in the world!\\
'''Dr. Sydnee [=McElroy=]''': Right. [[ComicallyMissingThePoint An enlarged heart can mean all kinds of bad things]]...
* ''LetsPlay/TwitchPlaysPokemon'' completely tears apart the MindHive trope, showing that if many minds are trapped in one body yet retain themselves they are '''NOT''' going to work together [[EnemyMine unless they absolutely have to]]. Instead they will waste much of their time and progress fighting for control over their shared body.
* In ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'', ''Deadpool vs. The Mask'' deconstructs the CurbStompBattle. [[spoiler:Wiz and Boomstick are so annoyed over Deadpool that they literally plan a match against someone who is clearly superior to him in every which way that it completely wrecks their draw as impartial judges. When Deadpool is killed off, they both [[HeelRealization are suitably upset over doing so]] and are incredibly regretful over acting this way.]]
[[/folder]]

* Franchise/{{Batman}}'s PapaWolf and his BerserkButton of "killing a couple in front of their son" was deconstructed in "Broken City", in which he pursues a criminal who had shot and killed a couple, leaving the boy in a state of shock. Batman naturally is bent to get the criminal. [[spoiler: It turns out the guy he was chasing never really had it in him to shoot a gun, and ''the boy'' had shot and killed his parents while the criminal was just nearby. Batman's BerserkButton made him chase after the wrong person.]]
--> '''Batman''': Everything I've done in the past three nights, I've been doing for the wrong little boy.
** TheCommissionerGordon is deconstructed at ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand: Sarah Essen explains that Gordon tried to get a [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere job outside]] Gotham City when No Man's Land was declared, [[RealityEnsues but had been laughed at because he couldn't keep his city safe without the help of a]] VigilanteMan. She warns the officers to not speak about Batman around him anymore.[[note]]Several cities in the DC universe rely on vigilantes, powered or otherwise. ''Superman'' is technically a vigilante. One wonders what makes Gotham so unique.[[/note]]

*** This reaches a point in ''ComicBook/DetectiveComicsRebirth'' #975 -- [[spoiler:two issues earlier, Batwoman is forced to kill Clayface to stop his out of control rampage and to save Cassandra Cain. Batman calls in Batgirl and the Robins to figure out how to punish Kate for her actions. While Dick and Tim side with Bruce (and Damian just thinks they don't deserve to call themselves a "Bat-Family"), Jason and Barbara side with Kate and call out Bruce for his actions. Jason thinks that Bruce is upset because someone didn't follow his rules and doesn't think Kate should be punished for his double standards while Barbara accuses Bruce of acting the way he was because he was scared of losing his last connection with his mother, Martha, and even more damning, being afraid that, had Martha been alive when this happened, she would have sided with ''Kate'', effectively killing any argument against his rule.]]

* The ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog comics produced by Archie has a deconstruction of InvincibleHero. After failing to beat Sonic after so many years, [[spoiler:Dr. Eggman is driven insane, unable to comprehend how Sonic does it]]. He regains control once he realizes that ''something'' was enabling Sonic to win all those times, akin to an unpredictable chaotic factor in every experiment. Specifically, that Sonic has absorbed so much Chaos Energy, and had so many transformations, that he's become an embodiment of chaos.

* ''ComicBook/{{Avengers 2016}}''[='s=] .1 issue deconstruct the RagtagBandOfMisfits trope. Set during the "ComicBook/CapsKookyQuartet" era, Captain America ends having Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch dropped on his lap when Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp left the team for their own things. The public isn't keen on Captain America leading a team of super villains, Captain America himself isn't keen on it, the former villains can't stand each other and a horrified Wasp realizes they've made a mistake when they get trounced by the Frightful Four.

* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' story arc ''[[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Who Is Superwoman]]'' deconstructs two tropes:

* In ''ComicBook/{{Nova}}, it's shown that Sam Alexander's ButtMonkey status -pretty much everything he does seems to make the other heroes dislike him, often through no fault of his own- be taking a ''real'' toll on him.

* ''Literature/{{Worm}}'':
** The story deconstructs the Batman-style BadassNormal-apart-from-being-a-GadgeteerGenius with Armsmaster, who has no social life because every free moment is spent either training or building better gear. Even so, he still CantCatchUp to "real" capes. This leads to him becoming TheResenter and a desperately attention-seeking GloryHound.
** The superhero setting in general is deconstructed repeatedly over the course of the series. For one thing, the fact that a TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening is required to gain powers means that empowered individuals generally have psychological problems, struggle to cooperate and are far more likely to become villains than heroes.
** Shadow Stalker's methods deconstruct the SinkOrSwimMentor. She refuses to save people who don't first try to fight back against their attackers, regardless of whether they are able to, and it's portrayed exactly as messed up as one might expect.
** Aegis's fate is a deconstruction of CriticalExistenceFailure. His power alters his body to be massively redundant and he can run on adrenaline for hours, enabling him to keep fighting after taking injuries that should down if not kill normal people. But that also means it's hard to tell when he's seriously hurt, and when [[spoiler:Leviathan kills him]] it happens very suddenly.

* DeconstructedTrope/WebComics

* BrokenAce deconstructs TheAce by demonstrating how even exceptional people can suffer from serious problems.

* ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl 2005}}'' story arc Who Is Superwoman deconstructs two tropes:

** VillainHasAPoint, JerkassHasAPoint, and HypocriteHasAPoint shows those in the wrong can have valid points or motivations that the right side would be wrong to discount just because those making them are being reprehensible.

** HeroicFatigue shows the stress, responsibility, and sacrifices can wear them down to the point they're unwilling/unable to continue being a hero.
* TragicVillain deconstructs {{Villains}} showing how sympathetic characters can be forced to villainy due to thinking they have no other choice, and how stoping them [[AlasPoorVillain isn't satisfying]].

* GuiltComplex deconstructs ItsAllMyFault and/or TheAtoner showing their remorse could cause them to go about it in a way that makes thing worse or hold them back from actually fixing their problems.

* MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin obviously]], deconstructs MagicalGirl showing they're effectively ChildSoldiers, how prepubescent-to-teenage girls [[BreakTheCutie would be ill-able to handle such]] without becoming [[DarkMagicalGirl messed up]], and how the powers that be would exploit them.