History Main / HardHead

* Played with in one of Don Martin's paperback collections. One story tells of Fester Bestertester discovering that Karbunkle has "The Hardest Head In The World". The plot then becomes a parody of the typical movie rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-recovery story: Karbunkle becomes a star, rich living [[LiteralMetaphor makes him soft]] (to where his skull can't even stand up to creamed spinach), his [[ThePowerOfLove family forgives him]], and he [[TrainingMontage works his way back]] to [[EarnYourHappyEnding success again]].

Concussion? What's that?

Sometimes hand-waving by having the characters treat it as potentially serious and even lethal, but a statistically improbable number of characters turn out to be lucky and suffer no serious damage.

* Also {{Deconstructed|trope}} in case of Wrestling/KatsuyoriShibata, who is known for his hard-hitting offense, including headbutts. During the match with Wrestling/KazuchikaOkada at ''Sakura Genesis 2017'', he gave Okada such a powerful headbutt that it caused a subdural hematoma that required surgery. Although the surgery was successful, Shibata suffers paralysis on his left side and perhaps may never compete again.

* In ''[[Film/ErnestPWorrell Ernest Rides Again]]'', the eponymous Great Redneck Hope ends up shot in the head by a renegade nailgun while pretending to be Indiana Jones at a construction site. He removes his hat to reveal that all three nails bent on impact -- "I'm glad it was the ''hard'' end!" -- and later, when [[spoiler:the villainous Dr. Glencliff tries to remove the Crown Jewels of England from his head]] by cutting the top half of his cranium off with a surgical saw, Ernest's head turns out to be hard enough to ''blunt'' it.

* Fritz in ''VideoGame/BrainDead13''. [[spoiler:During the confrontation on the [[ItsAllUpstairsFromHere stairs]], Lance uses [[DropTheHammer a big, strong iron hammer]] to whack Fritz on the head, which only makes him suffer a minor concussion until he gets up and chases him again.]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jY5BER4784 This is even lampshaded]] by [[LetsPlay/ObscureGameTheatre Frankomatic]].

* In ''Film/HomeAlone2'', Marv gets hit by several bricks dropped by Kevin from three stories above, which normally should've killed him (but then again, so should a lot of the other traps).

* Even among Cartoons, [[WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck Donald Fauntleroy Duck]] is particularly hard-headed. The Comic Book version of "This Is Your Life, Donald Duck" shows his infant self able to chisel away at a stone statue by headbutting it; and ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' shows him running up a giant pachinko machine head-first, plowing through every steel peg on the way up.

* TruthInTelevision for certain animals -- such as bighorn sheep -- but ''emphatically'' not so for humans. If something knocks you unconscious, seek medical attention immediately. This would be why humans engaging in hazardous activities often wear helmets. Even with a helmet on, a hard enough blow to the head (or being too close to [[StuffBlowingUp something exploding]]) can still cause brain damage.

* Subverted with the dinosaur ''Pachycephalosaurus''. It was once believed that this dinosaur did use its dome-shaped head to ram into one another's heads (much like modern-day bighorn sheep). However, recent fossil evidence indicates that this was ''not'' the case due to the curvature of its neck (which would have been less effective at controlling the stress of a charging collision) and the rounded shape of its skull (which would have increased the likelyhood of the animals deflecting off each other during impact) and, instead, Pachycephalosaurus probably fought by using their dome-shaped heads to ram one another (and also potential predators) in the stomach, thighs, or legs like modern-day giraffes.

* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'': The series gets a groan-inducing {{Pun}} out of this when [[PunnyName [=Hardhead=]]] gets shot in the face.

* Notoriously, ''ComicBook/TheSpirit''. "Hand me that chair, Lorelei, this one's got a head like concrete...."

* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'' gets a groan-inducing {{Pun}} out of this when [[PunnyName [=Hardhead=]]] gets shot in the face.
-->'''[=Hardhead=]:''' Hard. Head. It's not just a name, you know.

* In ''ComicBook/TheBeano'', it's a RunningGag that Smiffy of The Bash Street Kids is so thick that his head is indestructible.
* Played with in one of Don Martin's paperback collections. One story tells of Fester Bestertester discovering that Karbunkle has "The Hardest Head In The World". The plot then becomes a parody of the typical movie rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-recovery story: Karbunkle becomes a star, rich living [[LiteralMetaphor makes him soft]] (to where his skull can't even stand up to creamed spinach), his [[ThePowerOfLove family forgives him]], and he [[TrainingMontage works his way back]] to [[EarnYourHappyEnding success again]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}: The Blind Spot'' plays this trope somewhat realistically (at least at first). Hawkeye is dealt a head injury during a battle with Ronin, and the resulting brain damage is severe enough that he slowly starts going blind. Of course, since StatusQuoIsGod, the hero is cured by the end of the story.
* ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'': Kate Kane's training to become Batwoman involved her getting regularly beaten, to the point that she became effectively immune to concussions.

* In ''ComicStrip/FlashGordon'', Thun. Dale, seeing him unconscious, asks after him, and Flash can not only assure her it was a minor head injury, but that he will regain consciousness in a few seconds.

* The IDW ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW Transformers]]'' comic series gets a groan-inducing {{Pun}} out of this when [[PunnyName [=Hardhead=]]] gets shot in the face.

* ''ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'''s skull is nigh-invulnerable to anything, it helps that he has his healing factor to back it up. His skull is so hard that he can take a bullet at point-blank range and it will just bounce off. Of course, given his long-term memory problems, brain damage is a distinct possibility.\\\
This was ''definitely'' subverted in the World War Hulk storyline. A pissed-off Hulk is in no mood whatsoever for Wolverine's bullshit and curb-stomps Wolverine. He does this with both his superhuman strength ''and'' speed, hitting Wolverine in the head multiple times so hard and so fast that Wolverine's brain is still slamming against that Adamantium skull, his healing factor can't even begin to keep up, and he's left completely unconscious and out of action for quite some time.
* ''ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}: The Blind Spot'' plays this trope somewhat realistically (at least at first). Hawkeye is dealt a head injury during a battle with Ronin, and the resulting brain damage is severe enough that he slowly starts going blind. Of course since StatusQuoIsGod, the hero is cured by the end of the story.
* Kate Kane's training to become ComicBook/{{Batwoman}} involved her getting regularly beaten, to the point that she became effectively immune to concussions.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]] & ''ComicBook/SensationComics'': Back in the Golden Age comics there was at ''least'' one TapOnTheHead doled out per story, often to the entirely human ComicBook/SteveTrevor, without any damage or effect beyond harmlessly knocking out the victim for a bit. At one point ''Diana herself'' knocked out Steve this way to keep him out of harm's way.

A subtrope of MadeOfIron, perhaps its most common usage. Whether in a TapOnTheHead situation, UseYourHead, or any other, getting hit on the head has no lasting effects whatsoever. If you clobber TheHero, the villain, or assorted small fry, they may be [[ConcussionsGetYouHigh very, very dizzy]] or even out for a while but they will never suffer worse than a headache once they wake up -- unless EasyAmnesia is needed. All right, you can also have CirclingBirdies if you want. But ''nothing else.''

Not to be confused with HollowSoundingHead, UseYourHead, or BaldHeadOfToughness. See also CanCrushingCranium, when the trope actually works.

* Franchise/SpiderMan villain Hammerhead has an [[{{Unobtainium}} Adamantium]] plate embedded in his head. That's not the entirety of his shtick -- he's a mobster movie fanboy, who dresses and acts like Al Capone and often uses a tommy gun.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]] & ''ComicBook/SensationComics'': Back in the Golden Age comics there was at ''least'' one TapOnTheHead doled out per story, often to the entirely human ComicBook/SteveTrevor, without any damage or effect beyond harmlessly knocking out the victim for a bit. At one point ''Diana herself'' knocked out Steve this way to keep him out of harm's way.

** In ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', Marty [=McFly=] gets [=KOed=] when he gets hit by a car belonging to his mom's family, whacking his head on the pavement in the process. There don't appear to be any direct long-term consequences unless you count the risk of CriticalExistenceFailure from his mom falling for him.

* Subverted with the dinosaur Pachycephalosaurus. It was once believed that this dinosaur did use its dome-shaped head to ram into one another's heads (much like modern-day bighorn sheep). However, recent fossil evidence indicates that this was ''not'' the case and, instead, Pachycephalosaurus probably fought by using their dome-shaped heads to ram one another in the stomach, thighs, or legs like modern-day giraffes.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', Peter gets amnesia from a blow to the head. This amnesia is cured when the Giant Chicken clobbers him in the head with a rake. It's then immediately reinstated when Peter insults the Giant Chicken and the latter beans the former with a length of pipe. This is repeated multiple times. Peter suffers no ill effects, except for amnesia from every other bonk, which is reversed upon the very next bonk (fortunately, the Giant Chicken had an odd number of objects to strike Peter with).

* Brought up in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where an episode reveals that Homer has a thick layer of fluid between his skull and brain that gives him enormous resistance to cranial damage. Known as 'Homer Simpson Syndrome', Homer: "Oh, why me?!"

* In ''Webcomic/EverydayHeroes'', Jane first met Mr. Mighty when she was working as a villain. She tried to ambush him with a [[http://eheroes.smackjeeves.com/comics/1990917/their-first-meeting/ kick to the head]], resulting in a broken ankle for her (and some very unladylike language).

** In the second film, Biff [=KOs=] him when he visits the clock-tower hotel and casino. Later, he is briefly [=KOed=] by a door when his earlier self opens it; this is probably less disabling than not getting hit by the door would have been. And these are probably not all the examples.