History Main / HandyRemoteControl

* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-07-15 this]] ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' strip.

* [[http://moltenblade.comicgenesis.com/d/20080802.html This device]] from ''Webcomic/MoltenBlade''. Seems to have a switch ''and'' a moderately-sized red button.

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', Revolver Ocelot is surrounded by two opposing armies. He's killed both their commanding officers, and his six-shot revolver is out of bullets, yet not a single round is fired in his direction, because he's holding a detonator for explosives to sink the tanker they're all aboard.
* [[VideoGame/MetalGear Snake]] does this in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'' to set off his C4. He even strikes a dramatic pose and says "Now!" dramatically.

* Parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''. The girls have been captured and are being lowered into acid by the villain, who is using one of these to control the lowering mechanism. The police arrive, arrest the villain, and try to use the remote to save the girls, but can't find the right button in time. Fortunately, turns out the girls were invulnerable to acid.

* According to one ad for the Advertising/SeattleMariners baseball team, Edgar Martinez has a remote in his car that controls the retractable roof of Safeco Field (now known as T-Mobile Park). He keeps it right next to his garage door opener.

* According to one ad for the Advertising/SeattleMariners baseball team, Edgar Martinez has a remote in his car that controls the Safeco Field retractable roof. He keeps it right next to his garage door opener.

* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'': [[MadScientist Pearl Forrester]] once installed electrodes in [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys Professor Bobo's]] brain, allowing his body to be controlled by an "all-in-one universal remote we got at Target for nine bucks".

* Lelouch of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' fame is fond of these. He often carries a Handy Remote Control, sometimes shaped like a chesspiece, that lets him detonate strategically-placed bombs, perform basic maneuvers (i.e. opening fire) with a fifteen-foot gun-toting robot, or activate various forms of phlebotinum such as the technology-paralyzing Gefjun disruptor EMP rays.
* In ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', Roto uses one of these during the Dark Tournament to threaten Kurama's mother by saying that pressing the red button will signal his brother, who has been stalking her, to kill her. It appears from other character comments to be his single strategy in any given fight.

* Franchise/{{Batman}} usually has at least one in his Utility Belt. ComicBook/TheJoker sometimes carries one too.

* In ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'', Film/JamesBond has a ChaseScene using his remote control, which allows him not only to control his gadget car without being exposed in the driver's seat, but also to see where he's going in the device's video screen.
* Inverted in ''Film/{{Swordfish}}'' as the hostages wore bomb vests and they would be detonated when they left a certain proximity. As long as they stayed within the building, they were safe.
* The bank robber has one of these for the hostages' bomb vests in ''Film/{{Hancock}}.''
* In ''Film/StarTrekGenerations,'' Soran has a remote to activate his missile, and cloak it.
* The Joker uses one to blow up a hospital in ''Film/TheDarkKnight''.

* Given that the protagonists in ''Film/StayTuned'' are TrappedInTVLand, the remote control is rather central to the plot.
* In ''Film/ThinkBig'', a TeenGenius has developed a remote control that can be used to control anything. She stows away with the main characters after she learns that it is supposed to be handed over to criminals.

* [[Series/BurnNotice Michael Weston]] is a fan of these.

* In the original ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek]]'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E1SpocksBrain Spock's Brain]]", Spock's brainless body is hooked up to a remote with perhaps twelve buttons that allows the operator to cause Spock to walk, turn, and (somehow) grab the antagonist's arms and deactivate her wrist control (itself a sort of Handy Remote Control).
%%* Al's handheld device in ''Series/QuantumLeap.''

* SG teams in ''Series/StargateSG1'' and ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' routinely use remote detonators with their bricks of C4. These became a substantial plot point in one or two episodes, such as the incident where the Atlantis team rigged a Wraith base to explode, then talked their way out by brandishing the remote detonator. They left the detonator in the base with the guy who had been stuck in the FaceHeelRevolvingDoor for a couple episodes, and [[RedemptionEqualsDeath he activated it as soon as the Atlantis team was clear]].
* One of the opening sequences to ''Series/NewsRadio'' showed [[ConspiracyTheorist Joe]] using a small device to force a traffic light to change.

* Subverted in one ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode, where the Doctor threatens to use one of these to activate the [=TARDIS's=] SelfDestructMechanism. [[BrandishmentBluff There is in fact no such mechanism; the "remote" is actually a Jammy Dodger.]]

* [[VideoGame/MetalGear Snake]] does this in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'' to set off his C4. He even strikes a dramatic pose and says "Now!" dramatically.
* Dr. Fetus from ''[[VideoGame/MeatBoy Super Meat Boy]]'' has one of these remotes, and routinely presses it before and after boss fights to deal with Meat Boy. At one point, he even throws it at Meat Boy to knock him into some salt.
* One of the unlockable weapons for the Engineer in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' is a remote control with a laser pointer which allows you to take manual control of your sentry.

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', Revolver Ocelot is surrounded by two opposing armies. He's killed both their commanding officers, and his six-shot revolver is out of bullets, yet not a single round is fired in his direction, because he's holding a detonator for explosives to sink the tanker they're all aboard.
* In ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'', practically every weird piece of technology or magitech is controlled by a character whipping out their cell phone.

* The disruptor in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' is a one-handed device where Batman just gently pushes the stud on top to shut down an inconvenient henchman's gun or blow up a concussion mine. It's significantly smaller than the bulky, gun-like disruptor of ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'', although it does lose the ability to deactivate jammer backpacks. Both discrepancies are explained with sufficient in-game exploration: the guns available in Arkham City come either from TYGER's own forces or through Penguin's successful gun-import operations, and [[spoiler:the latter only function because Hugo Strange is his willing supplier, making it easier for the residents to kill each other without giving them tools to break out or resist his own forces. All of the firearms the handheld Disrupter will work on were actually ''designed'' to be disabled by a properly programmed remote control]]. Hugo has no specific contingency plans to deal with Batman having a disruptor (and it's possible the Riddler already had his own version by the game's start), relying on WeHaveReserves (and gunships) as needed.
* In ''VideoGame/BackToTheFuturePartIIAndIII'', Marty [=McFly=] finds a remote control at the drive-in in 1985 that he can use to summon the [=DeLorean=] for time travel.
* The original ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' and its expansions (and by extension, ''VideoGame/BlackMesa'') have this for the satchel charges you can pick up.

* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-07-15 this]] ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' strip.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SpeedBuggy'', the living car's freedom of movement can be overridden by Tinker's remote control.
* Done a few times in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''. One of the {{MacGuffin}}s was a universal remote for any device.
* Parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''. The girls have been captured and are being lowered into acid by the villain, who is using one of these to control the lowering mechanism. The police arrive, arrest the villain, and try to use the remote to save the girls, but can't find the right button in time. Fortunately, turns out the girls were invulnerable to acid.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'', Green Goblin has a remote control device that activates a nanobot armor, turning Mark Allen from a regular boy into Molten Man at the press of a button.

* The Dictator Switch from ''Anime/{{Doraemon}}'' is a gadget which makes any person, animal or object disappear without leaving any trace behind by simply pressing the button. [[RetGone No one remembers the existence of the person who was erased]], except for those who witnessed their disappearance, such as the one who pressed the button. It is typically used by dictators to erase whoever opposes them. At one point, Nobita received this gadget from Doraemon because he wished Gian had never existed. He then used the switch to get rid of Gian, and eventually erased everyone from existence because he dreamed of everyone mocked him, including Shizuka and Doraemon. [[spoiler:As it turns out, it is a tool for teaching AnAesop about interpersonal relationships rather than being an actual weapon for dictators. Doraemon then reappears and undoes the disappearance by pressing the switch again.]]

* The disruptor in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' is a one-handed device where Batman just gently pushes the stud on top to shut down an inconvenient henchman's gun or blow up a concussion mine. It's significantly smaller than the bulky, gun-like disruptor of ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'', although it does lose the ability to deactivate jammer backpacks.

* Dr. Fetus from ''[[VideoGame/MeatBoy Super Meat Boy]]'' has one of these remotes.

* Doofenshmirtz on ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' will sometimes control his inators and other devices by pushing a single red button on a remote. In "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror," this comes back to bite him because he has multiple remotes, each for a particular device, and no way to tell which is which. He inevitably uses the worst possible remote for the situation.

* In one story of the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'', Generator (Jade Sinclair) is being harassed by Peeper, the 'Howard Stern' of SuperHeroSchool Whateley Academy. She pulls out a remote control and uses it to drive a caterpillar-sized robot down his shirt, inside his pants, making it grab hold of the back of his tighty-whiteys, then give him a wedgie, and ''then'' lift him forty feet in the air by the back of his shorts in the worst wedgie ever. Subversion: the remote control is a fake; the 'robot' is actually possessed by a copy of her own mind.

* Danzaiver, the ''Series/SuperSentai'' stand-in from ''VideoGame/EvilZone'', uses one of these to call in a KillSat strike in one of his super moves.

* Danzaiver, the SuperSentai stand-in from ''VideoGame/EvilZone'', uses one of these to call in a KillSat strike in one of his super moves.

* [[Franchise/MetalGear Snake]] does this in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'' to set off his C4. He even strikes a dramatic pose and says "Now!" dramatically.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action TV]]

* Vegeta from ''{{Dragonball}} Z'' has a remote to recall his spacepod to his location. With the amount of punishment Vegeta has taken at the point he uses it it must be one tough piece of machinery. The same remote can also be used to self-destruct another spaceship.

* With the amount of wireless communication protocols in smartphones, of which include cellular internet ([=3G/4G=]), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and now near-field communication, there are a plethora of things that can be controlled via your phone. Need to record something on your DVR but you're not at home? There's an app for that. Got home security connected to a base station and forgot to set the alarm? You can set it from your phone. Have a 'smart home' control system? That can be controlled from an app. The smartphone is so far the closest thing to a universal remote we have.

* In ''Webcomic/HolidayWars'', The EasterBunny has a remote that zaps and controls AprilFoolsDay, as seen [[http://www.th3rdworld.com/web-comic/Holiday-Wars/episode/Holiday-Wars-Episode-41 in this strip]].

>[[spoiler:'''[[MagnificentBastard Londo]]:''' Actually, [[NukeEm now that you mention it...]] ''[[[KineticClicking click]]]'']]

[[quoteright:331:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hankscorpio.jpg]]

!!Examples

[[folder:{{Anime}} / {{Manga}}]]

* In ''Manga/DotHackLegendOfTheTwilight'', Shugo gets the Twilight Bracelet, that basically does whatever is convenient to the storyline.
** It has also been in the possession of Kite and possibly Tsukasa.

* ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'':
--> '''Dr Manhattan''': What's that in your hand, [[spoiler: Veidt]]? Another ultimate weapon?
--> '''[[spoiler: Ozymandias]]''': Yes. Yes, you could say that. (The remote is [[spoiler: for Ozymandias' television, showing Manhattan how he has saved the world from nuclear war]].)

[[folder:Film]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

-->[[spoiler: '''[[SmugSnake Mr. Morden]]''':''[[TemptingFate So what are you going to do, Mollari? Huh? Blow up the island?]]]]
-->[[spoiler: '''[[MagnificentBastard Londo]]''':''Actually, [[NukeEm now that you mention it...]]'' '''[[KineticClicking *click*]]''']]

* Al's handheld device in ''Series/QuantumLeap.''

* ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'''s [[MadScientist Pearl Forrester]] once installed electrodes in [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys Professor Bobo's]] brain, allowing his body to be controlled by an "all-in-one universal remote we got at Target for nine bucks".

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* In ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' the remote control for the TV has only one button, as does the remote for the garage-door causing a mixup once.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Videogames]]

[[folder:Web Comic]]
* In Webcomic/HolidayWars, The EasterBunny has a remote that zaps and controls AprilFoolsDay, as seen [[http://www.th3rdworld.com/web-comic/Holiday-Wars/episode/Holiday-Wars-Episode-41 in this strip]].

* In one story of the Literature/WhateleyUniverse, Generator (Jade Sinclair) is being harassed by Peeper, the 'Howard Stern' of SuperHeroSchool Whateley Academy. She pulls out a remote control and uses it to drive a caterpillar-sized robot down his shirt, inside his pants, making it grab hold of the back of his tighty-whiteys, then give him a wedgie, and ''then'' lift him forty feet in the air by the back of his shorts in the worst wedgie ever. Subversion: the remote control is a fake; the 'robot' is actually possessed by a copy of her own mind.

You want to have a character be able to do something like activate a machine or detonate a bomb in a cool way without the need to be right up next to it? The obvious plot solution would be for the character to reach into their pocket and produce a little remote control device. It often has a big button ([[BigRedButton sometimes red]]) to push and an incredible range to activate something miles away. It can also be a ContextSensitiveButton if it does different things depending on the current need.

* The original ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' and its expansions have this for the satchel charges you can pick up.

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hankscorpio01.png]]]]