History Main / DudleyDorightStopsToHelp

* In ''Film/TheGumballRally'', the car disguised as a police cruiser loses the race when it stops to help a pregnant lady giving birth while stuck on an L.A. freeway.

* In the 1993 film ''Film/TheFugitive'', while on the run, Dr. Kimble is in a hospital as part of his search for the one-armed man. He notices that a child has been misdiagnosed and will die if not given immediate surgery. He changes the orders on the kid's chart and saves his life. The problem with this? He was masquerading as a janitor at the time. [[spoiler: This ultimately works to Kimble's benefit, as [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist Samuel Gerard]] begins to question whether someone who'd take a risk like that for a complete stranger is ''really'' guilty of murder.]]

* Just as in ''Mass Effect'', this is a full-time job for a heroic Grey Warden in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins''. Just remember that before you agree to help out that village girl find her missing brother that [[MemeticMutation Morrigan disapproves]].

* The main character of ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'', while undercover, knocks a can of evil soda of doom out of a little girl's hands, leading to his detection. Of course, to those unaware of the soda being evil this is a vile thing to do, and her parents would just buy her another can leading to twice the profits for the demons...

* The TropeNamer is ''WesternAnimation/DudleyDoRight'', a Canadian mountie who would always stop to help someone in need, even if he was on his way to help someone else. Often times, [[DastardlyWhiplash Snidely Whiplash]] would [[BatmanGambit exploit this]] to further his plans. Not that it ever worked out for Snidely.

* All the time in ''WesternAnimation/TheZetaProject''. Zeta does this so constantly that it rubs off on Ro, because no one in her life had ever displayed this kind of behavior before.
* The heroes of ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeRenegades'' get this with varying intensity. On one extreme is Scarlett, who is only concerned with [[ClearMyName clearing the team's good name]] and resists helping; on the other end is Duke who ''has'' to right every wrong he sees. The others fall somewhere between these two ends.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' episode "The Fugitives", Wander and Sylvia have to escape a planet before the Watchdogs catch them, but their escape attempts keep being derailed by Wander's need to help anyone in need. [[spoiler:Eventually, everyone who Wander helped returned the favor by aiding their escape.]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' episode "You Are Arthur", Arthur tries his hardest to outrun the Brain but falls behind after he stops to help Muffy after she trips and hits the roadblocks. He doesn't win but does get featured in the newspaper, which he considers a better reward thus.
* Scatterbrained would-be do-gooder that he is, ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' is all too happy to help any civilian (or, more frequently, unrecognized MAD agent) he sees with any minor problem he even believes he perceives them having, usually completely derailing whatever he was doing before then.
* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', in which Jose Canséco misses [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E17HomerAtTheBat the big softball game]] because he stops to save a woman's belongings from her burning home. The baby and cat are understandable, but the last we see of him has him ''rearranging her furniture'' at her request.

* ''WesternAnimation/BobTheBuilder'': In the special "A Christmas To Remember", Bob's twin brother, Tom, is on his way to catch a boat to the mainland only to find a lost baby deer and decides to help find her father despite Scoot's protest that they don't have much time. They manage to find the father deer and pull him out of a hole he fell in, but the boat leaves by the time they barely reach the harbor.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': The entire first act is one long string of Mr Incredible, who seems to be on a schedule, stopping to help: first he takes a detour to intercept a police chase, which he interrupts to [[CatUpATree lower a cat from a tree]]; then he goes to apprehend a purse snatcher [[spoiler:while being subtly reminded of the engagement he'll later be late for]], save a man jumping off a building [[spoiler:who [[UnwantedAssistance didn't want to be saved]]]], defuse a bomb [[spoiler:which he accidentally causes to be attached to a boy]], and stop a train [[spoiler:which he accidentally causes to run out of track]]. To his credit, he constantly checks his watch proclaiming "I got time" until he runs out of time. [[spoiler:Oh, and the engagement in question? It's ''his own wedding''.]]

* Anytime the cast from the ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons'' cartoon show actually found a portal home, it was guaranteed that they'd have to turn around to save the character of the week while the portal closed.

A character is on the run. Very likely, he's been part of a SternChase from the word go. The logical course of action would be to do whatever he has to do, while drawing the least amount of attention to himself he possibly can.

* In a Story printed after the 9/11 attacks, ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'', in a throw-away scene, encounters a clearly Muslim Man being harassed by a group of teenagers, yelling epithets and making threats, while the Muslims man keeps protesting that he was born in the US and is a patriotic citizen. Cap drops down between them and gently pushes the man behind him. And then stares down these boys, with out a single word, as so to tell them, and people who act like them, that Captain America is very, ''very'' disappointed in them. It was enough to disperse the gang. And then Cap escorted the man home.

* In the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse comic ''Nomad'', ex-mercenary Darca Nyl's son was killed by a Dark Jedi, and a dying Jedi handed over his lightsaber and told Darca to kill Lycan. Darca went in pursuit, but found that almost everywhere he went, there were people who saw that lightsaber, thought he was a Jedi, and needed his help. [[BecomingTheMask And he gave it.]] Even at the cost of pursuit time, he gave himself. [[GoodFeelsGood And it was the first good thing he'd felt in a long time]]. Eventually he did catch up to Lycan, and was able to kill him. Lycan told him that men were not driven by altruism. Darca swore to prove him wrong... [[ShaggyDogStory though a later-written comic shows us that Darca failed, bottled himself up in a hut, and became a hermit who obsessively carved statues of his dead wife and son]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'': In the final tiebreaker race, Lightning [=McQueen=] [[spoiler:gives up winning in order to help Strip Weathers, who had just suffered a serious crash]]. Lightning comes in last place, but scores the sponsorship he wanted, while the racecar that caused the crash wins, but gets booed and known as a cheater.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': The entire first act is one long string of Mr Incredible, who seems to be on a schedule, stopping to help: first he takes a detour to intercept a police chase, which he interrupts to [[CatUpATree lower a cat from a tree]]; then he goes to apprehend a purse snatcher [[spoiler:while being subtly reminded of the engagement he'll later be late for]], save a man jumping off a building [[spoiler:who [[UnwantedAssistance didn't want to be saved]]]], defuse a bomb [[spoiler:which he accidentally causes to be attached to a boy]], and stop a train [[spoiler:which he accidentally causes to run out of track]]. To his credit, he constantly checks his watch proclaiming "I got time", until he runs out of time.

* In ''Film/RoboCop3'', Robo veers off pursuing some insurgents to come to aid of a squad of cops locked in a firefight with a gang of thugs.

** Essentially how we're introduced to Clark. He's forced to WalkTheEarth because he's afraid what people will do when they discover his abilities, but he can't blend in for long because of his SamaritanSyndrome. Lois flat out tells him that the only way he'll stay completely hidden is to stop saving people.

* When the crew of the Enterprise has to go to a hospital to rescue Chekov in ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'', [=McCoy=] is horrified by what he sees the 20th century doctors doing ("UsefulNotes/TheSpanishInquisition of medicine") and stops to help patients. Admittedly, the "stop to help" part doesn't take much time (he deals with a woman's kidney failure by giving her a couple of pills) but it still (a) potentially draws attention to what's supposed to be a covert mission and (b) has the possibility of changing history.

** Subverted in ''Literature/LordsAndLadies''. While competing in a StaringContest for recognition as a true witch, Granny Weatherwax stops to help a little boy who hurt himself on the protection wards. However, despite technically losing, the audience declares her a winner because a only true witch would sacrifice her pride to help an injured child.

* In the Literature/HonorHarrington novel ''Honor Among Enemies'', the Havenite light cruiser ''Vaubon'' is in the Silesian Confederacy to raid Manticoran shipping when they stumble on the aftermath of a vicious pirate attack on a Manticoran vessel. Although the pirates are in effect assisting them in their mission, they are so repulsed and outraged by the barbarity they find that they launch a hunt for them, ultimately stumbling across another Manticoran freighter that's under attack, and coming in to the rescue even while being outnumbered by the raiders and breaking their orders by assisting an enemy vessel. They drive the raiders off, but then discover they are facing Harrington herself in a Q-ship that massively outguns them and are forced to surrender. After they still assist her in tracking down the pirates, Harrington arranges for their release back to Haven. As repayment for their honorable behavior, she fakes a report that the Q-Ship was pretending to be a ship from a different star-nation (that the ''Vaubon'' would have been free to assist) so the ''Vaubon'''s crew can claim they weren't knowingly coming to the aid of a Manticoran ship.

* ''Series/TheATeam'': The team is always on the run from the military, but never seem to find a reason to flee the country. Instead they travel the country helping people everywhere, sometimes escaping in the nick of time. (This was actually explained in ThePilot. They stay in U.S. because they are Americans and it's their country.)

* ''Series/BurnNotice'': This is a key element of Michael Weston's personality. No matter how much trouble he is in personally he will still take the time to help someone who needs his brand of help. His friends and family frequently lampshade this but at the same time they are the ones usually bringing these cases to him. At one point Michael has just survived a bomb going off right in front of him and he is still in shock but he realizes that a man is about to step in front of a bus so he saves him. He then finds out that the man is trying to kill himself because some conmen stole the money he needed for his son's medical treatment. Despite the fact that a MadBomber is after him Michael does not hesitate to help the man get his money back.

* ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'': Merlin lives in a world where magic is a crime punishable by death, but he is continually using it to save Arthur's life in pretty much episode, as well as save Camelot almost single-handedly more than once. By some miracle he's managed to keep it hidden thus far.

* ''Series/WhoWantsToBeASuperhero'': Creator/StanLee acknowledged this trope and punished people who didn't in a SecretTestOfCharacter. In a test to change into your super hero outfit and race to the finish line the fastest, there was a little girl crying for her mother mere yards from the goal line. Anybody who stopped to track down the girl's mother or take the girl to the nearby park station automatically got a pass, but anybody who ignored her was a front-runner for the chopping block.
* ''Series/DueSouth'': Creates what maybe the ultimate example of this in which a uniformed mountie running through Chicago to rescue a character trapped in a safe filling with water (don't ask!) stops many times on the way to perform minor acts of politeness.
* In the 60's ''[[Series/Batman1966 Batman]]'', it's parodied and [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] where Batman and Robin are pursuing King Tut and find a woman tied by the villain in a way that will suffocate her. Batman proceeds to lecture Robin on why the hero must always stop to save the innocent while the woman is still suffering.

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect'': A full [[TheParagon Paragon]] Shepard, oh so much. Taken UpToEleven in the sequel. No-one is forcing you to pick every paragon option, whether it's played straight or averted depends on the player. [[NoPointsForNeutrality But, then again...]] One of your squadmates in the second game, Samara, went through a situation like this when chasing down Nihlus, a [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner Spectre]] [[ContinuityNod you worked with in the previous game]]. As he killed a civilian, Samara was dedicated to killing him, due to her Justicar Code. Nihlus escaped by offering the choice of [[FriendOrIdolDecision killing him, while an innocent dies, or saving the innocent and letting Nihlus escape.]] The Justicar Code explicitly states that the protection of the innocent outweighs all else, so she saved the individual while letting Nihlus evade her. She considered Nihlus a WorthyOpponent for thinking that up.
* Just as in Mass Effect, this is a full-time job for a heroic Grey Warden in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins''. Just remember that before you agree to help out that village girl find her missing brother that [[MemeticMutation Morrigan disapproves]].

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'': In "Inside Man", Ben chooses to save a rebelling SlaveMook over preventing the Dna-liens from getting away with an object they plan to use to destroy Earth. Kevin, Gwen and even said Mook disapproved, the latter stating Earth is doomed and [[IAmAMonster he's stuck as this abomination]]. Luckily, Ben has a say in both matters.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' episode "The Fugitives", Wander and Sylvia have to escape a planet before the Watchdogs catch them, but their escape attempts keep being derailed by Wander's need to help anyone in need. [[spoiler:Eventually, everyone whom Wander helped returned the favor by aiding their escape.]]

* During a yacht race in the UsefulNotes/OlympicGames where Canadian sailor [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Lemieux Lawrence Lemieux]] was in second place and all but guaranteed to advance to the medal round, he noticed that the Singapore team had capsized, were injured and in serious danger of drowning. Deciding that winning an Olympic medal was not worth letting people die, Lemieux turned back to save the Singapore team, which cost him the race. However, since the world saw this HeroicSacrifice, things worked out--the International Yacht Racing Union unanimously voted to officially award Lemieux with second place anyways. In the end, Lemieux was [[SweetAndSourGrapes awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal]], the ultimate prize and rarest of all Olympic medals, for exemplifying the spirit of the Olympic Games at its finest.

* ComicBook/{{Jubilee}} of the ''Comicbook/XMen'' broke off her escape from "Operation: Zero Tolerance" to [[SaveTheVillain give first aid to a villain]] she had [[PowerIncontinence accidentally injured]]. This lead directly to her being recaptured for another round of torture.

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Fahrenheit}}'', AKA ''Indigo Prophecy'': You're on the run from the police, accused of a murder that you... well, you totally committed it, but you were being controlled by a thousand-year-old Mayan Voodoo priest, see? Though for some strange reason, the cops don't wanna hear about it. On the bright side, having been briefly possessed has unlocked hidden superpowers and limited precognition in you. While secretly meeting your brother in a park in the middle of the winter, you get a warning flash of danger - not to yourself, but to a kid playing on a frozen lake nearby. The ice is gonna break, and he'll either drown or die from hypothermia! With your superhuman speed and powers, you can save him... but a pair of beat cops are patrolling the park, one of them having seen you leave the crime scene - if you make a hero of yourself, he's bound to notice! Dilemma! You can actually choose not to act but it was apparently the worst thing you could possibly do for your SanityMeter. Fortunately, after you pull the kid out of the ice, the cop rushing to the scene, despite recognizing you, decides to pretend not to notice, figuring that arresting a guy who's just saved a kid's life would be really impolite. If you save the kid, this is referenced later when the cop admits to Carla that he could have made an arrest, but couldn't bring himself to do it right after witnessing such a selfless act. Carla says she probably would have felt the same way in the other cop's shoes.

* In ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryIII'', your character (if you're a [[FighterWizardThief Fighter]] or ThePaladin) has to become a member of the local tribe in order to advance the plot. However, your friend Yesufu is also participating in the InitiationCeremony, and there's only room for one. At a pre-scripted point in the race, Yesufu is hurt and the proper response is to help him up. As it's later revealed that the entire point of the ceremony is to teach a lesson about [[ThePowerOfFriendship supporting your friends and tribe]], not stopping to help just gets you [[WhatTheHellHero chewed out]] and a NonStandardGameOver.

* A good deal of the episodes of ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' involve Jack finding a way to [[FishOutOfTemporalWater travel back to his own time]], but passing it up to help a bystander. Indeed, [[ChronicHeroSyndrome Jack probably wouldn't be Jack]] without this trope.

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect'': A full [[TheParagon Paragon]] Shepard, oh so much. Taken UpToEleven in the sequel. No-one is forcing you to pick every paragon option, whether it's played straight or averted depends on the player. [[NoPointsForNeutrality But, then again...]] One of your squadmates in the second game, Samara, went through a situation like this when chasing down Nihlus, a [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner Spectre]] [[ContinuityNod you worked with in the previous game]]. As he killed a civilian, Samara was dedicated to killing him, due to her Justicar Code. Nihlus escaped by offering the choice of [[FriendOrIdolDecision killing him, while an innocent die, or saving the innocent and letting Nihlus escape.]] The Justicar Code explicitly states that the protection of the innocent outweighs all else, so she saved the individual while letting Nihlus evade her. She considered Nihlus a WorthyOpponent for thinking that up.

* In ''Film/RoboCop3'', Robo veered off pursuing some insurgents to come to aid of a squad of cops locked in a firefight with a gang of thugs.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': The entire first act is one long string of Mr Incredible, who seems to be on a schedule, stopping to help: first he takes a detour to intercept a police chase, which he interrupts to [[CatUpATree lower a cat from a tree]]; then he goes apprehend a purse snatcher [[spoiler:while being subtly reminded of the engagement he'll later be late for]], save a man jumping off a building [[spoiler:who didn't want to be saved]], defuse a bomb [[spoiler:which he causes to be attached to a boy]], and stop a train [[spoiler:which he causes to run out of track]]. To his credit, he constantly checks his watch proclaiming "I got time", until he runs out of time.

* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': Good god, Shirou. Helping people is one thing. Helping little girls out is even better. Helping little girls [[spoiler:who were just stabbed in the chest by what is damn near a physical god, at least compared to YOU,]] is not an advisable course of action. And you HAVE to do it or you get a bad end.

* ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk'': Happened from time to time in this TV show (which was loosely based on ''Series/TheFugitive'' which was in turn based partially on ''Les Miserables'').

Often leads to [[BeingGoodSucks detection by the people he's been evading all this time]], but not as often as you'd think. This trope is why a [[CharacterAlignment Good Aligned]] character will always blow his cover when infiltrating a WretchedHive. Depending on what the outcome is, it may result in a BigDamnHeroes moment.

* The main character of ''VideoGame/DmCDevilMayCry'', while undercover, knocks a can of evil soda of doom out of a little girl's hands, leading to his detection. Of course, to those unaware of the soda being evil this is vile thing to do, and her parents would just buy her another can leading to twice the profits for the demons...

* Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'', in a throw-away scene, encounters a clearly Muslim Man being harrassed by a group of teenagers, yelling epithets and making threats the entire time while the Muslims man protests that he was born in the US and is a patriotic citizen. Cap drops down between them and gently pushes the man behind him. And then he doesn't say a freaking word! The look on his face as he stares down these boys is enough to tell them, and people who act like them, that Captain America is very, very disappointed in them. It was enough to disperse the gang. And then Cap escorted the man home.

Closely related to HonorBeforeReason. See also SamaritanSyndrome and ReedRichardsIsUseless. A subtrope of TheDrifter and ChronicHeroSyndrome, and supertrope of InconvenientHippocraticOath. When done wrong, can be a form of HeroBall or StupidGood. Compare KnightErrant. DickDastardlyStopsToCheat is the villainous version.

** In ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'', Lobsang Ludd and Lu Tze are trying to outrun a ''lightning bolt'', knowing that if they fail, the entire world and all of history will be destroyed. Lu Tze falters. Lobsang ''turns back to help!''. As a result, the entire world gets frozen in time. Susan sto Helit [[LampshadeHanging lampshades this hard]] when she finds out.
** Subverted in ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies''. While competing in a StaringContest for recognition as a true witch, Granny Weatherwax stops to help a little boy who hurt himself on the protection wards. However, despite technically losing, the audience declares her a winner because a only true witch would sacrifice her pride to help an injured child.

--> '''Kandinsky:''' Oh, no. Avila, no way. I don't wanna hear it, Avila.
--> '''Avila:''' "[[StandardPoliceMotto To serve and to protect]]", huh?

* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': Most episodes focus on helping the VictimOfTheWeek rather than the overall goal of rescuing Danny. [[spoiler: That changed due to Danny being rescued in [[Recap/RevolutionS1E10NobodysFaultButMine episode 10]] and then Danny getting killed off at the end of "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E11TheStand The Stand]]"]].

* In an Irish fairy tale, a girl finds a stolen bag of gold that rightfully belongs to her family and runs off with it, and the witch who stole it naturally gives chase. The girl stops to help several animals and a mill, and they in turn gratefully slow down the witch for her.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', in which Jose Conseco misses [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E17HomerAtTheBat the big softball game]] because he stops to save a woman's belongings from her burning home. The baby and cat are understandable, but the last we see of him has him ''rearranging her furniture'' at her request.

* In the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse comic ''Nomad'', ex-mercenary Darca Nyl's son was killed by a Dark Jedi, and a dying Jedi handed over his lightsaber and told Darca to kill Lycan. Darca went in pursuit, but found that almost everywhere he went, there were people who saw that lightsaber, thought he was a Jedi, and needed his help. [[BecomingTheMask And he gave it.]] Even at the cost of pursuit time, he gave himself. [[GoodFeelsGood And it was the first good thing he'd felt in a long time]]. Eventually he did catch up to Lycan, and was able to kill him. Lycan told him that men were not driven by altruism. Darca [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments swore to prove him wrong]]... [[ShaggyDogStory though a later-written comic shows us that Darca failed, bottled himself up in a hut, and became a hermit who obsessively carved statues of his dead wife and son]].

** Subverted in ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies''. While competing in a StaringContest for recognition as a true witch, Granny Weatherwax stops to help a little boy who hurt himself on the protection wards. However, despite technically losing, the audience declares her a winner [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments because a only true witch would sacrifice her pride to help an injured child]].

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': Simon Tam, while breaking into an Alliance hospital to steal medicine, [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome stopped to save a man's life from his doctor's incompetence]].

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Landy John Landy]] at the 1956 Australian National Championships in athletics. He was leading in the 1500 metres final. Fellow runner Ron Clarke tripped and fell, and Landy doubled back to help him up. [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments He went on to win the race.]]