History Main / DentedIron

* UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson was ''definitely'' an ActionPolitician, and legendary for his temper and his toughness. Despite being a war hero and having partcipated in a wholly unreasonable number of duels (and getting shot in more than a few of them), Jackson got the nickname "Old Hickory" as much for his stern and unflinching nature as from plain old durability. Contemporaries recount him digging out lead shot from his arm with a knife during a dull political meeting and mailing the years-old bullet back to a man he had dueled with a polite note to the effect of "Sir, I believe this is yours." He was president during his late 60s and walked with a cane, suffering chronic pain from all the bullets in him as well as the tuberculosis that would eventually kill him. As proof that dented iron is ''not'' weak iron: this aged, ill, pained condition was how Richard Lawrence found Jackson when Lawrence intended to assassinate the president. Lawrence did not suceed in shooting the president; Jackson responded by beating the ever-loving shit out of Lawrence and nearly killed ''him'' in return.

* ''Series/Titans2018''. Hank Hall (the superhero Hawk) is this by the time he's introduced to the audience, with all the injuries he's accumulated from years of crime-fighting starting to add up and taking their toll on his body, not to mention the ones he got from his Collegiate Football career. In an aversion of GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex, he can't have RescueSex with Dove [[TheLoinsSleepTonight due to the stress and medication he's been taking]].

What happens when you get enough injuries, even if you ''appear'' to be MadeOfIron. Usually showcased by having a MadeOfIron hero trudge into their headquarters after an action scene (one that more often than not establishes how much punishment the hero can give and receive) only to have them shuffle off their uniform and reveal the various injuries and strain on their joints that a life of adventure would realistically lead to. Typically done to show the hero even more of a {{Determinator}} than first thought since they're still out doing what they do despite looking like they should be in a hospital.

** Really this applies to all the older heroes, to varying physical and mental degrees. [[FallenHero Soldier: 76]] is a disillusioned shell of his old self, [[FriendlySniper Ana]] had her right eye shot out and seems to suffer PTSD, [[RacistGrandpa Torbjörn]] is horrifically racist towards Omnics due to bitterness, and [[CardCarryingVillain Reaper]] is implied to be in constant unbearable pain due to his flawed healing powers.

* ''Anime/HajimeNoIppo'': [[spoiler: Ippo's lengthy boxing career eventually results in brain damage severe enough to force him to retire.]]

** Young Obi-Wan doesn't escape this fate either, suffering from persistent pain and stiffness in one wrist after it got very nearly shredded when his lightsaber blew up in his hand [[spoilers: after being sabotaged by Palpatine.]]

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

* One of the better moments of the ''Film/{{Daredevil}}'' film has the titular hero shambling into his apartment after a relatively tame night of crimefighting, taking off his costume, tending to a battery of scars and bruises, and popping an absurd amount of pain pills just so he can get some sleep.

* ''ComicBook/AtomicRobo'': Jenkins started out as Tesladyne's resident unstoppable super-badass, but following the explosion at the end of Vol 8 and the period spent fighting vampires he endured afterwards, he looks a lot rougher than he used to, with much of his left side held together with scar tissue and some minor cybernetics. His hair's gone white, too.

See also ScarSurvey, PerilousOldFool.

* The "Guardian" Terminator in ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'' shows signs of malfunction and disrepair after spending 30+ years looking after Sarah Connor. Even a Terminator can't last forever, especially in a time that doesn't have the technology to properly repair him. His joints actually stop working for a few seconds at a couple points in the movie. He's old...but not obsolete.

* In the ''Literature/WheelOfTime'' series, this is played with regarding Rand Al'Thor. On the one hand, he accumulates injuries through the series, including two separate [[WoundThatWouldNotHeal wounds that will not heal]] and [[AndArmAndALeg the loss of his right hand]]. However, he also spends the series furiously training in both sword play, unarmed combat, and jumps multiple levels in badass regarding his magical abilities, to the point that he is ''the'' most powerful channeler on the planet without question. So while his physical body weakens as the series progresses, he is much more of a threat the the villains by the end of the series than he was at the beginning.

[[quoteright:250:[[Franchise/{{Batman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DentedIron_8142.PNG]]]]

* Roy Kent in ''Series/TedLasso''. In his prime he was one of the best midfielders in the world, but now he's aging, slowed down a lot and plagued by a recurring knee injury so he's nowhere near the player he used to be. He can still break out the old magic if he has to but it takes a lot out of him. Deconstructed when he pushes himself past his limits in the BigGame at the end of Season One and his body basically gives out, forcing him to retire.